Edna Petunia Read online

  Chapter Seven

  Edna stood up with Iris for the wedding as the maid of honor. She was certain she was the oldest maid of honor on record, but she really didn't care. In a few hours she'd have her own wedding, and she would never be able to be a maid of honor again.

  After Iris's wedding, she sat at the back of the church, waiting. The preacher had been told about her wedding to Cletus, but Cletus seemed to be running a little late. The longer she waited, the more nervous she became. She wasn't nervous about the wedding night, of course, but she was nervous about whether the old codger would actually show up. Sixty-nine years as a bachelor, and he was going to give all that up now?

  She was just about to give up on him when she saw someone come in the back of the church. It was a man with gray hair and twinkling blue eyes. He looked a lot like Cletus, but he was clean-shaven. He was wearing a black suit and shiny black shoes. In his hands was a bouquet of petunias.

  Edna Petunia blinked a couple of times before standing. "Cletus? Is that you, you old goat?" Her man couldn't possibly look that good when he was clean, could he? Why, his offensive odor was even gone!

  Cletus grinned. "I clean up pretty good, don't I?"

  "I didn't even recognize you. Lookin' good, Cletus."

  He handed her the bouquet of flowers and offered his arm. "Let's get hitched."

  The ceremony was simple and sweet. It took less than ten minutes. Afterward he led her out to his buggy. "When did you get this? I've never seen you with a buggy!"

  He shrugged. "All part of my surprise, snickerdoodle." He helped her into the buggy and ran around, taking his spot beside her. Picking up the reins, he put one arm around her shoulders. "You ready for my surprise?"

  Edna nodded. Frankly, she was a little nervous about any surprise he'd cooked up. She wasn't about to tell him, though. It was their wedding day after all. She'd wait until they'd been married a few hours before she'd start in on him. It was only right.

  He drove past the woods he lived in, and a couple miles down the road. He pulled up in front of a huge white house. It was made of stone, and one of the most beautiful she'd ever seen. It was even nicer than the Sullivan's home in Seattle.

  Edna Petunia looked at Cletus. "Where are we? You know who lives here?" Why would he bring her to a huge house instead of the cabin he'd built?

  Cletus got down and walked around the buggy. He held his hands up and helped her down. "I grew up here. When my parents died twenty years ago, I couldn't keep living here. It was just too lonely. So I moved to the woods. I've always come back a couple times a week to make sure that it stayed in good repair. When we decided to marry, I had some new curtains made and changed some things that I knew would make you happy." He put his lips to her ear. "I added indoor plumbing!"

  Edna looked between him and the house, her jaw dropping. "All this time you've had this beautiful house, and you've been living under a piece of oilcloth in the woods? Are you even crazier than I thought?"

  Cletus grinned sheepishly. "I stayed here when it got too cold, or when it got too hot. But for the most part, I just didn't want to be alone here. I'm happy to have a beautiful house to take my bride to. Do you like it?"

  "Well I haven't seen the inside yet, but I can imagine that I will love it. I never dreamed I'd live in a house like this." She walked toward the house, staring at it reverently. "How many bedrooms are there?" She'd never seen such a huge home.

  "Let me think, there's one big bedroom downstairs. That's going to be our room, Edna Petunia. Then upstairs there are….eight I think. It's just too big for someone like me to be rattling around in."

  Edna turned to him, throwing her arms around him. "This is the best wedding surprise you could have possibly given me. I love it! I can't believe I really get to live here." Why, it was big enough to adopt twenty bastard children!

  "There's not another woman alive that I'd allow to live in my mama's house. She'd have liked you." He stroked a hand down her arm as he said the words.

  Edna laughed. She'd let him believe that. "The only thing missing is a whole bunch of bastard children. You sure we can't have any?" Her eyes pled with him to agree she could adopt.

  Cletus sighed. "Edna Petunia? If you can find the bastard children, you can keep them. I can't think of anyone who would be a better mother."

  Edna smiled, clapping her hands. How hard could it be to find a whole houseful of bastard children?

  Please watch for my new series coming out on February 10th, 2015. The first book will be included in an anthology with four other writers and is available for preorder now for only 99 cents! You might see some familiar faces....

  Call Me Valentino

  Brides of Beckham Series

  Mail Order Mayhem

  Mail Order Mama

  Mail Order Madness

  Mail Order Mix Up

  Mail Order Mistake

  Mail Order Maternity

  Mail Order Match Maker

  Mail Order Motherhood

  Mail Order Meddler

  Mail Order Misfit

  Mail Order Minx

  Mail Order Misfortune

  Mail Order Melody

  Anthology With Others (Including Mail Order Matron)

  Western Kisses (Book 8 in Brides of Beckham)

  Dallas Billionaires Series

  Steven

  Justin

  Cody

  Stand Alone Books

  Dream Lover

  Making Me Believe

  All For Emma

  Making Deals

  Lies

  Suitors of Seattle

  Rose

  Lily

  Amaryllis

  Daisy

  Jasmine

  Hyacinth

  Violet

  Iris

  Regencies

  Loving Lily

  Courting Constance

  Writing as Morganna Mayfair

  Thrice Blessed Trilogy

  Conquered

  Adored

  Stenwick Siblings Trilogy

  The Earl's Design of Love

  The Duke's True Love

  The Prince's Charmed Love