The Matron Read online

  Stanley had long since faded from her memory. He'd been gone so long, she barely remembered what he looked like.

  Tino was her future. She knew it. If only he could find it in him to settle down somewhere and take permanent responsibility for her girls.

  Chapter Six

  The rest of the trip was uneventful. By the time they reached Nowhere, the girls were actually excited to see their new home. They were all travel weary, and ready to spend some time out of the bus. They looked forward to sleeping in real beds and not on the ground as well.

  Cassie found herself more and more regretful that her time with Tino was coming to an end. She'd fallen a little more in love with him every day, and couldn't imagine what it would be like once he was gone. Losing her husband had been a true blow, and she didn't think she'd ever be able to fill the hole he left in her life. But now that she'd met Tino, she knew the hole could be filled in, and she wasn't sure how she'd feel when he was gone.

  Tino drove straight to the church, knowing the pastor there would be able to direct them to their new home. They arrived early afternoon on a Sunday, just as Church was letting out. Tino walked up to the pastor and introduced himself. "I have a bus full of girls here. I've been told that you're willing to host a new girls' home here in Nowhere. Can you direct me to the house that was purchased for them?"

  The pastor gave him a blank look. "House? Girls? I have no idea what you're talking about."

  Tino couldn't help but feel panicked. Had that snake Dare lied to them? "Please tell me you're pulling my leg."

  The pastor shook his head. He was a young man who looked truly sorry not to have the answer Tino needed. "I really have no idea what you're talking about. Do you know who you talked to?"

  "I didn't make the arrangements. I was hired to drive fifteen girls and their caretaker from New York to Nowhere, Texas. I am in Nowhere, right?" Tino had no idea what he would do if there was really no house for these girls. He simply couldn't stay and arrange something for them. What if the lead on his brother was a good one this time, and he missed him? He had to tie things up before he could move on.

  "This is Nowhere all right. I still don't know what you're talking about. Did someone come here to find the house?" The pastor looked confused about the whole situation, but seemed sympathetic.

  Tino shrugged. "Let me ask Mrs. Morgan what she knows. She may have more information on the house than I do." As he walked toward the bus, Tino prayed that Cassie knew something he didn't.

  The pastor stood waiting for a moment, watching as Tino went back to the bus. An older couple stopped to talk to him. The woman was dressed in a lavender dress, and a hideous hat, with peppermint sticks sticking out of her bodice. The three of them watched as Tino brought Mrs. Morgan back to them.

  Cassie was wringing her hands as she talked to the pastor. "You really didn't know we were coming? I was told to come to the pastor here in town. The house was supposed to been purchased for the girls and I."

  The pastor shook his head. "I'm so sorry, but I have no idea what was said to you. No one talked to me about any girls or any house."

  Cassie looked at Tino. "What are we going to do? We've been traveling for two weeks. We have no home." Yes, he was leaving, but she had to rely on him, because there was no one else.

  Tino shook his head. "I'm sure it was Mr. Dare. Who else? He probably kept the money for himself. A man who would remove fifteen orphans from their home would do anything."

  The old woman that had been talking to the pastor looked at Cassie. "Where did you get fifteen girls?" she asked.

  Cassie sighed. "I've known most of the girls since they were small. I've been running the orphanage in New York for fifteen years. Two weeks ago a church took over the orphanage and decided to turn it into a boys' home. I had to leave with the older girls. I was promised that they purchased a house that would be waiting for us here in Nowhere, Texas. We've been traveling for two weeks, and now there's no house for us to live in. I don't know what we're going to do." Cassie was exhausted emotionally and physically. She wasn't sure she could handle anything else going wrong.

  The old woman shook her head sadly. "Are any of those children bastards by any chance?"

  Cassie was surprised by the hopeful look on the woman's face as well as the excitement in her voice. "Do you want them to be bastards?"

  The woman shrugged. "Why, I've always had a soft spot for bastards. Fifteen girls you say?"

  Cassie nodded. "You don't happen to know anyone who's willing to take on fifteen girls and their caretaker do you?" She felt the tears pricking her eyes as she asked the question. Of course, she didn't. No one wanted to take on fifteen girls and their caretaker. At least it was spring, and they had the tents to live in.

  The woman smiled and clapped her hands. "I just so happen to have a house big enough for fifteen girls, and I've been praying for God to drop a bastard on my doorstep."

  Cassie gaped at the woman. How many people prayed for bastards to show up on their doorstep? What was wrong with this woman? "You have?"

  The woman nodded. "I'm Edna Petunia by the way. Edna Petunia Sanders. She pulled a man out from behind her. "This here's my husband Cletus. We're newlyweds."

  Cletus looked like he'd rather be anywhere in the world than at a church wearing his suit. His beard was long, and seemed to be stained with tobacco juice. "It's nice to meet you both." Cassie looked back and forth between them. Newlyweds? They had to be in their seventies.

  "I always wanted a house full of kids, but I just met Cletus here a few months ago. I didn't have any bastard children of my own, so I was hoping now that I was ready to raise some, God would provide them for me. And he has." Edna eyed Cassie. "You are going to let me have those bastard girls aren't you?"

  If anyone else had called her girls bastards, Cassie would have been offended. For some reason it didn't bother her coming from Edna Petunia. The old woman seem to genuinely care about the girls' welfare even though she'd never met them. "I can't let you just have my girls. Most of them have been mine for as long as they can remember."

  Edna shrugged. "Why don't you just move in with them? Problem solved."

  Cassie's eyes grew wider. "Are you trying to tell me you want sixteen strangers to move in with you with no notice?"

  "As long as fifteen of those are my bastard girls, I don't know why not!"

  Cassie looked at Cletus. "And you wouldn't mind if sixteen people moved in with you?"

  Cletus's voice was gruff. "If it makes my little turtledove happy, I sure don't have no complaints." He gazed at Edna Petunia with such a loving expression that Cassie was amazed. She wanted that kind of love for herself. She looked at Tino, wondering if he noticed the other couple as well.

  Tino glanced down at Cassie. "What do you say? Are you and the girls willing to stay with them?" He couldn't leave until they were settled, and he had a man to talk to in Fort Worth about Sebastian. He didn't want to hurry away, but he'd been searching too long to pass up this opportunity.

  Cassie slowly nodded. She'd hoped that he'd agree to stay, and they could raise the girls together. She knew his leaving was for the best. Tino would never be able to settle down. "I suppose it's our only option." She looked at Edna Petunia. "We'll accept your hospitality. Thank you so much for giving us a place to live."

  Edna bounced on the balls of her feet and clapped her hands. "You'll come over right away? Between the two of us, we can get those girls settled in no time."

  Cassie smiled. "Of course. Let me just go tell the girls. Do you want to come meet them?"

  Edna shook her head. "No need. I know I'll love them like they're my very own bastards." She turned Cletus. "You give this nice man directions to our house. Then we need to hurry home so I can make lunch for my new family." The woman was positively ecstatic about the prospect of having fifteen orphans move in with her.

  Cletus shrugged. "Makes more sense for you to just follow us." He looked over at the bus. "Ain't never seen one of those arou
nd here. We're just in a buggy. You have to follow slow."

  Tino nodded. "Buses don't go all that fast anyway. We'll be right behind you." He followed Cassie back to the bus, wondering why he just felt like he'd given away his entire life.

  Chapter Seven

  On the way to the Sanders' house, Cassie talked to the girls about the old woman. "The woman's name is Edna Petunia Sanders. She wants you all to be her children." She didn't mention that the woman kept calling them bastard girls, because she didn't want to offend them.

  "That old woman looked crazy," Hope said. "Are you sure it's safe?"

  Cassie sighed. "I'm not sure of anything. I just know we don't have a choice at this point. She said she's got a house big enough for all of us. Beggars can't be choosers." She wanted to sound more positive, but she couldn't force herself to lie to the girls. "We can't keep living on the side of the road in tents forever."

  Hattie looked at Tino slyly. "Maybe Mr. Hayes could stay with us for long enough to build a house."

  Cassie knew the girl fancied her and Tino as a couple. "Mr. Hayes has other things he needs to be doing." She did her best to keep her voice steady as she said the words, desperately wanting to break down and cry.

  Tino drove slowly behind the old man, listening to the conversation behind him. He wished he could tell the girls he could stay around to build a house, but he really did need to go look for his brother. He'd made himself a promise that he wouldn't stop until his brother was found, and he was so close. He didn't want to leave Cassie or the girls, but he had to.

  Cassie wished that Tino would say something, anything that would make her feel better, but he just drove silently.

  One of the girls gasped as they saw the huge house they stopped in front of. "Are we going to live there?" asked Opal, her voice a reverent whisper.

  Cassie gaped at the house. "It looks like we are." She couldn't connect in her mind the beautiful house in front of them and the crazy old couple she'd met at the church. She got off the bus, careful not to make eye contact with Tino. She didn't want him to know how much she hated the fact that he had to leave her.

  Edna Petunia rushed up the steps and threw open the front door. "This is your new home girls!"

  Cassie turned and saw that all of the girls had followed her off the bus silently. Every single girl stood staring at the house in awe. Even though Edna had said that the house was big enough for her and all of the girls, Cassie hadn't quite believed it until she saw it. Why the girls might even have two or three rooms between them.

  "I didn't know you were coming, so all the beds aren't made up. The linens are all clean though." Edna Petunia looked at all the girls. "Would you mind making up your own beds? My room is downstairs, and I prefer not to climb those stairs. My mind may be young, but my knees are old."

  Evelyn stepped forward. "We're orphans, ma'am. No one has made up a bed for us since we were tiny. We're just happy to have beds to sleep in."

  Edna smiled folding her hands over her voluminous belly. "Orphans? Tell me are any of you girls b—"

  "Big enough to help cook? Why, all of them are." Cassie couldn't allow Edna Petunia to call her girls bastards. As soon as she could, she would have to have a talk with the older woman.

  "Oh, speaking of cooking, I need to hurry and get some lunch on the table. Do any of you girls want to help me?" Edna didn't wait for an answer as she rushed into the house and into the kitchen.

  Cassie gathered the girls together into a tight group. "Mrs. Sanders doesn't seem to have the ability to know what is right and wrong to say. Please don't get your feelings hurt over anything she says to you."

  Opal grinned. "I have a feeling we really will be having an adventure living with her."

  All of the girls looked terribly excited now that they'd met Edna Petunia. Cassie just hoped she hadn't bitten off more than she could chew by agreeing to move in with the old woman.

  *****

  An hour later, all the beds had been made. The girls had unpacked their things as Tino had carried them up the stairs. There were nine bedrooms between her and the girls. Cassie and Gertrude both had their own rooms. Gertie had never had her own room, and was incredibly excited. The other girls had voted to let her have her own room. Cassie didn't mention that it was because she was too bossy for any of them to want to share with her.

  They went down the stairs for lunch, and as soon as they hit the first floor, the wonderful smells wafted through the air. "Mrs. Sanders must be a good cook!" Hope exclaimed.

  Cassie smiled. She was glad they wouldn't have to pretend to like what they were served. Of course, the girls knew how to do it when they needed to. They would never hurt the feelings of their hostess.

  They followed their noses into the dining room and found Mr. Sanders and Tino already seated at the table. Tino had a grim look on his face.

  Cassie didn't let her eyes meet Tino's. She knew he was leaving at any moment, and she didn't know how she was going to say goodbye without crying. She wanted nothing more than to beg him to stay, but she knew she couldn't keep him from his search for his brother.

  The girls chattered animatedly throughout the meal. Cassie forced herself to swallow the excellent food. It all tasted like sawdust to her.

  "We'll get you girls enrolled in school tomorrow. Are all of you still in school?" Edna Petunia asked.

  Evelyn nodded, speaking for all of them. "Yes, but Ruby, Opal, and I are about ready to graduate. If the teacher here agrees with our teacher back home, we'll be able to graduate this spring."

  Edna frowned. "That's not enough time for me to have you girls. You'll just have to stay on after you graduate. You can find jobs and stay here." Her tone of voice told them they had no choice. She wanted them all to stay forever.

  Cassie heard her words and shook her head. She'd never met anyone who was so anxious to have orphans stay with them for a long period of time. Hopefully the woman would even learn to stop calling them bastards constantly.

  When Edna stood up to do the dishes after the meal, the girls all told her to stay. "Oh, we'll do all the dishes. We'll even do the cooking if you'd like." Dorothy jumped up and worked on clearing the table while she spoke. "We're just so thankful for a place like this to stay. I've never seen such a beautiful house."

  "I'm just as thankful that you girls agreed to live here," Edna told her.

  Tino pushed back from the table then. "I need to be on my way. I have to stop in Fort Worth on my way back." He wasn't in a hurry to go, but he couldn't stay. It was torture to be with Cassie knowing he needed to leave at any moment.

  Cassie stood to follow him outside. She knew she shouldn't put herself through the goodbye, but she couldn't let him go without at least wishing him safe travels. She badly wanted to pour her heart out to him, but she knew it would only make him uncomfortable.

  She followed him to the bus. "Be safe. I'll miss you." The words she really wanted to say were left unspoken, but she knew his heart heard them.

  A look of anguish crossed Tino's face. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. He didn't feel like he could kiss her, because any of the girls could come out at any point. He wanted to tell her he'd be back, but he wasn't sure how soon he could make it. He had to find his brother.

  He kissed the top of her head and turned away to get onto the bus. He drove away without looking back even once. He knew if he saw her face again, he wouldn't be able to go.

  Chapter Eight

  Cassie enrolled all the girls in school the next day. An influx of fifteen girls into their small one room schoolhouse was a bit much for the teacher. She immediately gave graduation tests to the three oldest girls, and they all passed with flying colors.

  Ruby found a job at the general store sewing shirts for local cowboys. It wouldn't have been her first choice of professions, but it gave her something to do until David was able to send for her.

  Opal went to work for a local ranching family with a mother who was the town doctor. Opal had never met a
lady doctor, and she found herself talking about her every night. Cassie had yet to meet the great Iris Harvey, but she already felt slightly intimidated by her.

  Evelyn took a job as a teaching assistant for the local schoolhouse. With an extra twelve girls sitting in the classroom, the teacher needed all the help she could get. Evelyn helped Cassie keep her finger on the pulse of the activity of the girls she had raised, letting her know the instant one of them stepped out of line.

  Cassie spent a lot of time alone. Always before, while the children were in school, there were things that needed to be done around the house. Edna Petunia kept the house as neat as a pin, so she didn't feel like she was needed in that regard. Edna and Sarah Jane had become fast friends, and Sarah Jane helped Edna make every meal.

  She wasn't surprised when she didn't get the promised money from the church in New York. They had sent her and the girls away with no intention of ever helping them again.

  What made her truly sad was Tino. He was gone. She hoped he would at least write, but she received no letters. She knew he'd been heading to Fort Worth to see if he could find his brother, and then he was supposed to take the bus back to New York. After that she had no idea where his search and his travels would take him.

  Every day Cassie felt a little bit less necessary to the girls' lives. Where once they had come to her with every little problem, now they sometimes came to her but mostly went to Edna Petunia. The woman kept everyone laughing. The girls all adored her immediately. Cassie began to think that she was no longer needed.

  She'd devoted the last fifteen years to taking care of the children from the orphanage, and now they didn't need her. She had no idea what to do with her life if she wasn't needed by the children. No one said anything to her, but she knew. She knew it was time for her to move on. The children were content, happier than they'd ever been. So why did she stay?