Evelyn (Orlan Orphans Book 5) Read online

  “So what? You’re the one I’ve really loved all this time. All those other girls were practice so I’d be good enough for you.”

  Evelyn laughed at that. “Right. No, Abner. I have no desire to talk to you, dance with you, date you, or kiss you.” She put her hand on Frank’s upper arm. “I love Frank. Find someone else.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was mortified. She hadn’t intended to blurt out she loved Frank that way, or any other way for that matter. She turned and rushed from the church, her cheeks flaming.

  She was happy for the cold night air, cooling her hot face. What had she been thinking blurting it out that way? Frank Keifer was an older, mature man. She had no right to say something that would embarrass him that way.

  Chapter 10

  Frank didn’t take his eyes off Abner as the words Evelyn had spoken slowly sank into his brain. Love? Had she just used the word love?

  “Leave her alone. Period.” He turned to look at Evelyn, and she was gone. Where had she run off to?

  He strode across the church to where Sarah Jane was still standing beside the door, greeting everyone as they arrived. “Have you seen Evelyn?”

  Sarah Jane shook her head. “No, but Abner is on his way outside, and you can bet that he knows where she is. He’s been obsessed with her for years.”

  “Does Evelyn know that?”

  She shrugged. “I doubt it. She never paid him any attention, because he’s always been such a ladies’ man. He’s not someone she’d be interested in.”

  “You think she’s outside?”

  “Based on the fact that Abner went out there and didn’t come back in, yes. Go after her, Mr. Keifer. I think she cares for you.”

  Frank turned and ran toward the door of the church, almost knocking over a little old lady on his way. “Excuse me!”

  When he got outside, he didn’t see them. “Evelyn!” he called, needing to make sure she was safe. Abner wouldn’t actually hurt her, would he?

  “Over here!” Evelyn called. She was leaning up against one of the old Cypress trees in the church yard.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” She wouldn’t meet his gaze. There was no way she’d ever be able to look at him again. “Look, Frank, it’s probably best if I don’t work for you. One of my sisters can take over teaching Daniel, and I’ll go back to helping out at the schoolhouse.”

  “No. Why? Has Daniel been misbehaving?” Frank didn’t understand. She’d just said she loved him, and now she didn’t want to work for him any longer. Why was she removing herself from his life?

  “Why? Because I just made an idiot of myself. I don’t know that I can ever look at you again after what I said.”

  Frank caught her around the waist and pulled her to him. “Did you mean it?”

  Evelyn stared at the knot on his tie, shrugging. “Does it matter?”

  He put his index finger under her chin, tilting her face up to his. Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her, trying to convey everything he felt for her in that one kiss. “It matters to me. It matters so much.”

  She sighed. “I meant it. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I love you, Frank Keifer. Why don’t you take me home? I’ll arrange for one of my sisters to be there first thing Monday morning.”

  He shook his head. “I’m going to take you home. But first, I’m going to talk Micah Barton into marrying us.” He caught her hand and dragged her toward the church.

  Evelyn dug her heels in. “Not tonight! Edna Petunia will kill me!”

  He shrugged. “We’ll already be married. What difference will it make?”

  “But—”

  He turned around and grabbed her, kissing her again. “Daniel is spending the night with someone else. The preacher is right there. What are we waiting for?”

  She blinked at him in the darkness. “But why do you want to marry me?”

  “I should think that’s obvious.”

  “Not to me, it isn’t. Why?”

  He sighed. “Because I love you, and I want you to always be in my life.” At her look of disbelief, he kissed her again. “I don’t know how it happened. I thought you had to know someone for years and years to love them, like I did with Rebekah. With her, love came slowly. It was a gradual build-up over a very long time.” His thumb rubbed her bottom lip. “But with you, it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Seeing you in my home every day, seeing you with Daniel. Well, it did something to me. Please Evelyn. Marry me.”

  She hesitated for a moment. “I—yes, I’ll marry you. Not tonight, though.”

  “Why not tonight? The moon is shining and the stars look beautiful. Sounds like a good night for a wedding to me.” He grabbed her wrist and started dragging her toward the church again.

  “Frank, Edna Petunia will kill me! Don’t you realize you are putting my life in danger?”

  He stopped again, looking down at her. “How many younger sisters do you have?”

  “Eleven, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “She has eleven more chances for a big wedding to plan. This one is all about the two of us.”

  He stopped at the church door, bowing his head as Micah led the congregation in prayer. As soon as everyone had said, “Amen,” Frank called out across the church.

  “Pastor! Evelyn and I want to be married.”

  Micah grinned at them, nodding. “Sure. When?”

  “Now.”

  Micah laughed, even as Sarah Jane gasped. “You wouldn’t!” she said, looking at Evelyn.

  “I told him I can’t marry him tonight, but he’s just not listening to me.”

  Frank leaned down, his lips against her ear. “Trust me. You want to marry me tonight. You do want to be a virgin on your wedding night, right?”

  She nodded. “But I will be whether we marry tonight or in two months.”

  “No, because I’m taking you to bed with me tonight, whether we’re married or not.”

  Evelyn blushed profusely. “We need to get married tonight it seems.”

  Micah shrugged. “Everyone here interested in a quick wedding?”

  Before Evelyn knew what had happened, she was standing in front of Micah, Sarah Jane at her side.

  “What are you doing?” Sarah Jane hissed at Evelyn.

  “I have no idea!” Evelyn answered, feeling confused, but happy. Happier than she could ever remember being.

  “Edna Petunia is not going to be pleased with you.”

  “Frank says that doesn’t matter because I won’t be living under her roof anymore. Besides, you know as well as I do that Edna Petunia wants us all to be married and happy.”

  Sarah Jane giggled at that. “She does have eleven other girls who will give her a chance at a big beautiful wedding.”

  “Yeah, she does.” Evelyn looked at Sarah Jane and winked. “I guess I’m getting married. Will you come home with me to tell her?”

  Sarah Jane shook her head emphatically. “No way! I still remember how disappointed she was with me for my two-day engagement. She’ll be furious with your twenty-minute engagement.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I won’t have to live with her, huh?”

  Evelyn glanced over at Micah, who was glaring at the two sisters. “Are you done? We’re all waiting ‘til after the wedding to eat, and that food smells pretty good.”

  Evelyn smiled at Frank, taking his hand in hers. “I’m ready.”

  The ceremony was over five minutes later, and Frank was kissing her in front of everyone. “I don’t feel married,” she whispered.

  “Oh, you will,” he promised.

  Abner walked into the church then, stopping behind Evelyn and Frank. “What did you just do?”

  Frank smiled. “I just married the most wonderful woman on earth.”

  Abner looked hurt. “What? You married him?” His eyes moved to Evelyn, as if he couldn’t believe she’d marry another man.

  Evelyn looked at Abner. “Yes, I did. I told you I love him
.”

  Abner turned and walked out of the church without another word. Evelyn felt badly for him, but he hadn’t led a life anyone would want to attach themselves to.

  Frank took her hand in his. “Let’s eat our wedding supper, and then we’ll go face the music.”

  She sighed. “I wish I could just wait and tell them tomorrow, but I know Edna Petunia, and she’ll wait up until all her little chicks are in the nest.”

  While they ate their meals, people surrounded them, congratulating them on their marriage. Evelyn felt a nervousness in the pit of her stomach.

  When they had finished, she hugged Micah and Sarah Jane in turn. “Thanks for putting up with our change in plans,” Evelyn said.

  Micah laughed. “Nothing like deciding to get married with a preacher right there. I guess that’s why I married Sarah Jane. So many potential weddings in that house.”

  Sarah Jane wrinkled her nose at Micah. “I hope you married me for reasons other than that.”

  Micah grabbed his wife and kissed her softly. “I did. Just don’t tell anyone.”

  Sarah Jane blushed, swatting his shoulder. “Don’t be kissing me like that in public, Micah Barton.”

  Micah just wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her anchored to his side. “I think people will understand since we’re still newlyweds and all.”

  Frank grabbed Evelyn’s hand and pulled her out toward his wagon. “You were a beautiful bride,” he said, kissing her more passionately than he’d dared with all the eyes of the church on him.

  As they drove toward the Sanders’s house, he kept his arm firmly wrapped around her waist. “You’re not nervous about talking to Edna Petunia, are you?” he asked.

  She sighed. “A little. She’s done so much for me, and I hate to disappoint her.”

  “I can understand that. We can’t go back though. The whole town knows we’re married.”

  “I’ll live through it.”

  When they reached the house, she jumped down without waiting for his help. She needed to get it over with, like taking some disgusting medicine. One big swallow and it would all be over. She hurried to the back of the house and found Edna Petunia and Cletus sitting in the informal parlor as she’d expected.

  Edna Petunia looked at Evelyn with a frown. “You’re much earlier than I expected. Did you and Frank fight?”

  Evelyn took a deep breath before answering. “No, ma’am. We didn’t fight. We got married.”

  Edna Petunia glared at Evelyn. “You got married. You couldn’t even wait two days? What is wrong with my girls?”

  Frank stepped in behind Evelyn. “You have eleven other girls to have big weddings, Edna Petunia. I practically forced her.”

  Cletus put the book he was reading on the end table beside his chair. “If you forced her, the wedding isn’t legal.”

  “Oh, it’s legal.” Frank put his arm around Evelyn. “I talked her into doing it tonight, but she said yes of her own volition.”

  Cletus shook his head, the disappointment in his eyes palpable. “Are none of you girls going to let Edna Petunia plan a big wedding?”

  Evelyn shrugged. “I bet Katie will. She’s always dreamed of being a bride. She used to wear bedsheets on her head to pretend they were a wedding veil.”

  Edna Petunia’s eyes sparkled at that. “I’ll start talking to Katie about it tomorrow. She’ll be the one to do the right thing. I just know she will.”

  Evelyn flew forward and leaned down to kiss Edna Petunia’s wrinkled cheek. “I love you so much. I couldn’t have asked for a better mother.”

  The older woman brushed a tear from her cheek. “Go on and get your things and get out of my house, Evelyn. Coming in here trying to make an old woman cry…”

  Evelyn turned to Cletus, kissing his cheek as well. “Thank you for being the father I don’t deserve.”

  “You heard your mother. Go on with you!” Cletus didn’t have tears on his cheeks, but his eyes were suspiciously wet.

  Evelyn slipped from the room, leaving Frank so she could go and pack her things. She came back down ten minutes later with a suitcase in her hand. “We can come back for the rest tomorrow.”

  Frank nodded, taking the bag from her. “Yes, we can.” Once they were in the wagon, he turned to her. “Are you sad you married me tonight?”

  She shook her head. “Of course not. I wanted it as much as you did.”

  “They’re not really mad, are they?”

  “No, I don’t think so. They love me unconditionally. They made that clear from the first day they took us in.”

  “So you came to Texas four years ago as an orphan, and now you have parents who love you, fourteen sisters who love you, and a husband and son who love you. What could be better?”

  She smiled, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “Maybe a daughter.”

  “We’ll get to work on that right away.” He kissed her softly before picking up the reins to take them home.

  Epilogue

  Eight months later, Evelyn stood at the window watching for Frank and Daniel to come home. She still taught Daniel at home, because it worked better for him. Resting her hand on her round belly, she whispered, “You’d better be a little girl. I don’t think I could handle another boy like your brother.”

  She turned back to the cake she was baking. It was cold out now, and she knew her men would be hungry when they walked in the door in a short while. She had coffee brewing, and she’d make sure they enjoyed their end of day treat.

  The door flew open just as she was taking the cake out of the oven. “That smells good, Ma!”

  Evelyn looked at Daniel. “I hope it tastes good too.”

  “Everything you bake tastes good. I hope my sister can bake as good as you.”

  “What makes you think it’s a girl?”

  Daniel laughed. “She wouldn’t dare be anything else!”

  Evelyn grinned at that, her eyes going past Daniel to Frank, who stood grinning at her. She hurried over to kiss him. “I missed you today,” she said, repeating the words she told him every evening when he came home to her.

  He held her close. “Feeling all right?”

  She nodded. “Ready to have this baby, but I’m good other than that.”

  “Just a few more weeks according to Dr. Harvey.”

  “And then I’ll feel like our family is complete,” she said with a sigh. She desperately wanted a child of her own, and despite her jests, she knew she’d be happy with a boy or a girl.

  “Well, if it’s not a girl, we’ll just keep trying,” he said softly in her ear.

  “Sounds like I’m going to win either way.”

  He grinned his cheeky grin, dimples showing. “You know you already won when I fell in love with you.”

  About the Author

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  Kirsten Osbourne

  www.kirstenandmorganna.com

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