Read Online Annie's Answer by Pam Andrews Hanson - Free Book Online Page B

see
there’s room in her row.”
    “We usually
sit on the left,” he reminded his aunt, not wanting to inflict Aunt Mattie on
Annie when it was her day off.
    “I didn’t see
your name on the pew,” she said, taking off on her crutches like a teenager and
giving him no choice but to follow.
    At the end of
the row, she greeted Annie in a whisper that could be heard six blocks away.
“Mind if we join you?”
    “Not at all,”
Annie said, looking a bit startled. “This is my mother, Laura Williams. Mom,
this is Mrs. Hayward.”
    “Call me
Mattie.”
    The two women
exchanged a few words, but his aunt made no move to sit.
    “Aunt Mattie,
I think the service is about to begin.”
    “Nathan, you
slide in by Annie,” she said. “That way I can lean my crutches on the end of
the pew.”
    She left him
no choice. He sat down beside Annie, but in a few moments, the congregation
rose for the opening hymn.
    Singing wasn’t
his thing. He couldn’t read music in spite of the piano, violin, and flute
lessons his mother had forced on him, none lasting more than a few weeks before
his opposition forced her to give up. Nor could he carry a tune, whatever that
meant. He’d been invited to leave the mandatory boys’ choir at his private
school, instead spending the time helping the librarian shelve books.
    Beside him
Aunt Mattie sang with gusto, making up in volume what she lacked in voice
quality. It took him a full verse of “Amazing Grace” to realize what a lovely
voice Annie had. When he did, he gave up his own attempt to sing and listened
to the sweet tone of her voice. It was worth giving up his accustomed pew to
hear her.
     
    Annie was so
conscious of Nathan beside her she started out whispering the lyrics, but the
familiar words quickly drew her to sing with her whole heart. She loved the old
traditional hymns, and it wasn’t until the end that she realized he hadn’t been
singing. Had he stayed silent to listen to her? That didn’t make any sense.
Hopefully he just wasn’t a good singer.
    “I’m glad your
grandfather is preaching today,” he said in a soft voice. “I remember he used
to give good sermons.”
    “He still
does,” Annie said, trying to concentrate on the service. It was hard when
Nathan leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. She could feel the warmth of
his breath and smell the spicy aroma of his aftershave. She wanted to tell him
to behave himself in church—or did she?
    Gramps didn’t
let the congregation down. He talked about loving one’s neighbor as oneself. A
small man, he was very large in the pulpit, and Annie thanked the Lord for
letting him live with them.
    After the
service, her plan was to leave quickly. She didn’t feel up to making small
talk, especially not with Nathan, but she was thwarted by Mattie and her own
mother. For two people who’d just met, they seemed to have a lot to talk about,
a conversation they continued as the crowd around them thinned out. Nathan
hovered near her, waiting for his aunt to leave but saying nothing.
    When the
silence between them started to feel awkward, she asked, “Did you get your
aunt’s ring cleaned?”
    “Yes, but I
don’t think that store will get any of my business in the future.”
    When she
thought of the case full of diamond rings, she couldn’t help but wonder whether
he had plans to get engaged in the near future. As far as she knew, he didn’t
date anyone in town, but the Sawyer family had connections across the country.
She could imagine him with a New York society girl or a fashion model.
    Apparently
Aunt Mattie had great hearing—or maybe it was her own special radar—but
she interrupted what she was saying to make a comment to her nephew.
     “I
should live to see the day when you walk into a jewelry store and buy an
engagement ring,” his aunt said honing in on his mention of a jewelry store.
    Was that a
flush on Nathan’s face? Annie only had a glimpse before she forced herself to
look