The Nanny and The Farmer

Chapter Three

After Ray had walked down the stairs, Clara took a deep breath and headed to the living room, where Ray had left Samuel and Ellie. As she adjusted baby Ava on her hip, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. How could a father be so thoughtless, distant, sad? Her father had never treated her and Charlotte like that, when Charlotte and her father were alive, that is.

"Alright," Clara exclaimed, trying to muster up the most cheerful voice she could manage, under the circumstances. "Let's go to the store," she said, as she motioned Ellie and Samuel out the front door.

Clara drove Ray's Chrysler van out of the gravel driveway and listened to Ellie's incessant chatter on the way to the store. Ellie told Clara about the farm, the chickens, horses, and pigs that she sometimes got to help her father feed. She told Clara that she would be starting kindergarten in the fall, her best friend Annelise would be in Mrs. Schumaker's class with her.

As Ellie finished her explation, Samuel chimed in. " you know why Daddy sad, C-wara?" he asked, innocently.

"No, Samuel."

"Because mommy is with the angels." Clara nodded her head and the car remained silent for the rest of the ride.clara felt her heart break for these children. She had known them for less than an hour and already loved them somehow, almost like a mother loves her own children. She felt a pull to this little family that she couldn't explain.

Clara pulled sweet baby Ava, gooing and gaaing, out of her little pink carseat. Samuel and Ellie led the way into the grocery store.

One thing about this small, little, desolate town was the people. She noticed, in the short time she had been here that everyone seemed to wear smiles on their faces and act contentedly for the moment - everyone but Ray.

Samuel followed behind Ellie excitedly into the market. As soon as they entered Samuel and Ellie darted quickly to the left, where a fifty-something woman was standing behind the only register. Ellie quickly started to chat away, leaving Clara standing behind her tenderly holding baby Ava. As soon as Ellie wrapped up her long tales the women chuckled. "Just like your mother," she lovingly mumbled under her breath. The woman looked up. "You must be Clara," she said, matter-of-factly."

"I am," Clara said, smiling.

"Nice to meet ya, darlin', I'm Dorothy." And with a swift move Dorothy, took the grocery list from Clara's hand and handed it over to Ellie. "Getcha a basket, you know where everything is," she told the little girl. Samuel followed his sister.

Clara opened her mouth to argue, but before she could get anything out, Dorothy waved her off. "They'll be fine," Dorothy laughed lightheartedly. "Right after their mother passed they'd spend hours with me in here while Ray was working on the farm," she said. Clara wanted to know more about their mother, but didn't want to be intrusive, she knew the feeling of losing the people dearest to her.

"Old Ray's not givin' ya much trouble now is he?" She asked.

"No not at all," Clara smiled, although she had many other statements floating around in her mind, she would've rather responded with.

"Oh, come on now! There's no need to be so nice," Dorothy laughed. "I know he's a little....well...distant. But he's a good man. I practically raised him after he turned seven. His father died in a car accident," Dorothy said. Car accident. Those words stung sharply. Her mind quickly flashed to images of her family. The car, the storm and the ditch where everything changed.

Clara must have worn her feelings of sadness clearly on her face because Dorothy pulled her out of the trance by asking if she was ok.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Clara responded. Just then Ellie and Samuel appeared with all of the items Clara had on the list.

As Dorothy rang her up and she paid, Dorothy said, "alright, don't let Ray bully ya too much. If you ever need anything, just let me know."

Clara thanked Dorothy and they were off. On the way home, Clara couldn't help but think about the strange yet welcoming greeting she had received from Dorothy. If she could only understand Ray...she thought. But she had a feeling, that would not be an easy task.