Opal (Orlan Orphans Book 3)

  Opal

  Book Three in Orlan Orphans

  By Kirsten Osbourne

  Copyright 2015 Kirsten Osbourne

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

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  Opal's life had gotten much better since she'd left New York. Her twin had just married, and she was living in a house with thirteen other girls, with a crazy old lady as their new "mother." Florence Reid, a little girl Opal met in town, was just what Opal needed to stop worrying about being left behind and move on with her life. The little girl needed help, and Opal was just the woman for the job!

  Nathaniel Reid was a widower, doing what he could to keep his daughter happy and healthy. When he got in from a long day of work and found a woman there, cleaning his house and cooking his supper, he knew he needed to keep her around. Would he be able to convince her that she belonged in his life? Or would she go home and forget all about them?

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  Chapter One

  Opal walked down the main street of Nowhere, Texas, feeling more than a little lonely. Her twin sister, Ruby, had married recently, and the two had never spent a night apart. Now they seemed to never have time for each other. She hadn't thought she was particularly close to her sister before her marriage, and now she found she'd relied on her a great deal more than she realized.

  She walked into the mercantile, not needing anything but to see her sister who was married to the owner of the store, Lewis Darcy. Ruby was at the counter in the front, and there was a short line in front of her. Opal grabbed something from the shelf, not even paying attention to what it was. She would feel stupid standing in line just to talk to her sister, so she'd buy something—anything.

  Ruby looked as pretty as she always had. They weren't identical twin sisters, and Opal had always felt as if she was lacking when they'd stood side by side. Sure, she was blonde, and being blonde was more fashionable than dark hair, but Opal knew that Ruby had a quality about her that attracted men like flies to honey.

  The line moved a little, and Opal's attention was drawn to the little girl in front of her. She stood on tiptoe, so she could see over the counter. "I need to buy five roses, please."

  Ruby smiled sweetly at the child. "I'm sorry. We don't sell roses here."

  "But it's my mama's birthday, and she needs flowers. I want to give her five, because I'm five years old." The child had red hair and a sweet smile.

  "I still don't have any. Could you pick flowers for your mama for her birthday?" Ruby suggested.

  The little girl's head dropped. "I don't know where any flowers are. Are you sure you don't have any?"

  Opal felt her heart go out to the girl. "I know where some really pretty bluebonnets are, just up the road from here. I'll take you to pick them!"

  Ruby met her sister's eyes and mouthed the words, "Thank you!"

  Opal nodded, taking the girl's hand and putting the jar of preserves onto the counter. "I'll be back. Tomorrow, probably." She didn't have much time after she left work at Dr. Iris Harvey's house before the store closed. She had just hoped she could spend one minute chatting with her sister.

  It was odd that she could feel lonely living with thirteen other girls, but she missed her sister more than she'd ever dreamed she could. She, Ruby, and thirteen other orphans who had grown up with them in New York, had all been adopted by an eccentric old lady and her husband. Opal loved Edna Petunia and Cletus Sanders, but sometimes she really missed the wisdom of Mrs. Cassie Hayes, who had been the matron who'd raised them.

  She looked down at the little girl beside her. "Does your mama like bluebonnets?"

  The girl shrugged. "She never told me. I know she liked roses best, but I think she'll be happy with anything."

  "What's your name?" Opal asked.

  "Florence Reid. My mama calls me Flo."

  "Flo. I like that. May I call you Flo?" Opal asked, as they walked toward the field of bluebonnets she'd seen on her way to the mercantile after work.

  "Yes, ma'am. What can I call you?"

  "Just call me Opal. The girl who works in the mercantile? She's my twin sister, Ruby."

  "I like those names." Flo gasped when she saw the field filled with bluebonnets. "Oh they're beautiful! Mama will love these!" She hurried to the field and quickly picked five of the prettiest blooms.

  Opal smiled as she watched the child, happy to help her pick the flowers for her mother. She picked a few as well, knowing they would make a beautiful centerpiece on the table at the Sanders' house.

  "Are you picking flowers for your mama, too?" Flo asked.

  Opal frowned. "Sort of. My real mama died when I was just a little girl, but I was adopted by a very sweet old lady. I'm taking the flowers to her, because they'll make her very happy."

  "What does adopted mean?"

  "It means that someone wanted me to be their child, and they filed papers with the state saying they'd take care of me until I was grown."

  Flo smiled. "Oh that's nice. They did that because your mama died?"

  "Well, both my mama and my papa died. I was an orphan."

  "That's sad. I'm glad you got adopted." Flo held up her five flowers. "I'm going to take these to my mama now. Do you want to come with me and meet her?"

  Opal grinned, nodding. She loved children, which was why she worked for Dr. Harvey taking care of her three step-daughters. "I would love to meet your mama."

  "She only talks to me, but she'll be happy to meet you." Flo walked along, happily chattering about the pretty flowers. "Mama loves everyone."

  "She sounds like a wonderful lady."

  "Oh, she is. And she has the prettiest smile in the whole world. People say I look just like her."

  "She must have the prettiest smile in the world if she has the same smile as you. Yours is beautiful!" Opal told the girl.

  When Flo turned into the town cemetery, Opal was certain she was just taking a shortcut through on her way home. When the little girl stopped at a small cross in one corner of the property under a tree, Opal felt her heart break just a little.

  "Here she is! Mama, I brought a new friend. She showed me where to pick five flowers for you. I brought you five because that's how old I am now. I was only four when I got to hug you last, but I still think about you every day." Flo carefully placed the flowers in front of the headstone. "My new friend's name is Opal, and I'm so glad she came with me."

  Flo knelt at her mother's grave, carefully pulling some weeds that had cropped up. "She picked some flowers for her 'adopted mama,' and I think they're just beautiful. I felt so bad for her, because she lost both parents. That has to be lots worse than just losing one." Flo smiled up at Opal.

  With tears streaming down her cheeks, Opal stood watching the child. She wanted to gather her up in her arms and keep her forever, but she knew that wasn't the right thing to do. Why the girl still had a father, who she was sure took good care of her.

  When the girl stood up again, Opal eyed her a little more closely. Her dress was a bit too short, and there were some patches on it. Maybe her father needed some help.

  "Who takes care of you now that your mama is gone?"

  The girl shrugged. "Mostly Papa." She looked down at her dress. "He doesn't understand dresses, though. Or clea
ning. Or food."

  "Most men don't," Opal said with a smile. "Do you want me to walk to your house with you?"

  "Oh, would you?" Flo asked, her face excited. "I hate walking by myself."

  Opal wondered why she hadn't yet met this little girl and her father at church. She held her hand down for her. "You lead the way!"

  Flo took the proffered hand happily. "We live this way." She started walking in the direction Opal would have walked to get home. "Papa raises cows."

  "He does? Is he a farmer or a rancher?"

  "Which one raises cows?" Flo asked, her nose scrunched up in thought.

  "Both. Does your papa sell the milk from the cows or does he sell the cows for meat."

  "Oh! He sells the cows for meat. There's a man he sold a bunch of cows to just before Mama died."

  "I see. He's a rancher then. A farmer would milk the cows and then sell all the milk." Opal couldn't believe how much she was enjoying the company of Flo. Usually when she got off work, she even avoided the younger girls who were living in the Sanders' house, because she was so tired of constantly being around children.

  Flo raised her arm, pointing toward a small house just outside of town. It was little bigger than a cabin. "I live there with my papa."

  Opal nodded, looking around her. "Is your papa around?"

  Flo shook her head. "No, he's not. He won't be home until after dark. He has to work all day, so I keep the house clean."

  Opal closed her eyes, feeling bad for the girl. "Did you finish your chores for the day? Do you want me to help you?" She was surprised to hear the words come out of her mouth. She was already bone-weary from working all day, but she couldn't bear the thought of this little girl trying to do the work of a grown woman.

  "That would be nice!" Flo sighed. "I hate doing all the cleaning, and Papa thinks I should know how to cook, but I'm only five, and Mama never had time to show me how."

  "I'll show you." Opal went into the small house, noting there was a kitchen with a large table, a loft where she assumed Flo slept, and a door that led off the small area. So different than the way she lived with the Sanders. She rolled her sleeves up, and used the pump in the kitchen to fill a pot, which she immediately set on the stove.

  While she waited for the water to boil, she took a rag and wiped off the table. There were dishes in the sink, and she'd tackle those as soon as the water had boiled. "What is there to cook?" Opal asked. She could make a good meal for the family before she went home to her own. She just hoped no one worried about her. They'd probably assume, correctly, that she'd gone to see Ruby, so it should be fine.

  Flo opened a cabinet, and Opal looked at the meager offering of food. She took some salt pork, some potatoes and a few carrots. Once the pot was empty, she'd fry up the salt pork, and make a nice stew.

  Flo stood beside Opal, looking up at her with gratitude in her eyes. "How can I help?"

  Opal frowned. "Have you made the beds today? You can start with that, and then sweep the floors. By then I'll be ready to teach you to cook."

  "Yes, ma'am." Flo rushed off to make the beds while Opal tackled the pile of dishes.

  An hour later, the dishes were done, the floor swept, and the aroma from the stew was filling up the kitchen. "Do you know what time your papa finishes?" Opal asked. She knew there wasn't time to bake any bread, but it would be nice if they had time to bake a cake for dessert. She felt certain the small family hadn't had a dessert since Flo's mama had died.

  Flo looked out the window. "I don't know how to tell time, but the sun is still bright. He won't be home 'til after dark."

  Opal nodded. "Then let's bake a cake for dessert. Would you like that?"

  Flo nodded emphatically. "I would love that!"

  Together, they gathered all the ingredients for a cake, and Opal helped Flo measure what was needed. She helped the little girl mix it, and they carefully poured the batter into a pan. "Is there cream? We could whip some cream for a frosting on the cake." She'd already checked, and they didn't have what she would need to make frosting.

  "That sounds delicious!" Flo hurried out to the well, which was about twenty feet from the house, and pulled up a rope. On the end of it was a bottle of a white substance. "This is the cream!" She hurried back over to Opal and gave it to her.

  Opal grinned. "This will be the best cake ever." She showed Flo how to make whipped cream, and helped her take the cake out of the oven as soon as it was done. The two of them set the table, and Opal dried her hands. "Now all you have to do is serve the stew and spread the whipped cream over the cake. Can you do that?"

  Flo nodded, throwing her arms around Opal. "Thank you so much! We'll have a feast tonight!"

  Some feast when we didn't even have time to bake bread. "I'll come back after I finish work tomorrow, and we'll bake some bread. You can't have a real feast without bread."

  Flo smiled. "I'd like that. In the afternoon?"

  "Yes, around the time I saw you in the store. I'll come straight here, and we'll get to work immediately."

  She turned toward the door to leave just as it opened. Opal didn't particularly want to meet Flo's papa. In her mind, he was an ogre, forcing a tiny child to do a woman's work.

  "Excuse me," she said, trying to walk past him.

  His hand reached out and caught her forearm, effectively stopping her from leaving. "Who are you?"

  She shrugged. "I live just up the road. I met Flo today, so I walked her home and ended up staying for a spell."

  "Did you cook?" he asked, his face bewildered.

  "Flo and I cooked together."

  "It smells good. Thanks." He said nothing else and abruptly released her arm as he walked to the sink to wash his hands.

  "Opal is my new friend," Flo told him. "She helped me pick flowers for Mama, and we took them to her."

  The man looked back at Opal. "Thank you for your help. Would you care to stay and eat supper with us?"

  "No, thank you, Mr.—" Opal stopped, realizing she didn't even know his name, and she'd been in his house for a couple of hours.

  "Reid. Nathaniel Reid."

  "Thank you, Mr. Reid. My family will be worried." Opal raised her hand to say goodbye to Flo. "I'll see you tomorrow."

  "Promise?" Flo asked, obviously excited to have someone with her for a while.

  "I promise!"

  While Opal walked home, she thought about the horrible thoughts she'd had about Flo's papa. After meeting him, she could see she'd been wrong. He wasn't a bad man, just one who needed help raising his daughter. When she thought of all the volunteers it had taken to keep the orphanage going, she knew she could be that help.

  She'd go back every day if that's what it took. Flo had wormed her way into her heart quickly, but she had a feeling the girl was there to stay.

  Chapter Two

  Opal hurried into the house when she got home, and found the whole family sitting around the dining room table. Her spot was empty, but a table setting was there. "I'm sorry I'm late. I went to see Ruby, and then I met this little girl." She was shocked at how hungry she was. She took her spot and filled her plate with food prepared at a level that was unreachable for her. Between Edna Petunia and Sarah Jane, Opal couldn't think of a better cook.

  "So you were with Ruby or the little girl you met?"

  "The little girl. Her name is Flo, and I saw her in the mercantile, trying to buy flowers for her mama. I helped her pick flowers, and it turned out she was putting them on her mother's grave for her birthday." Opal quickly explained how the day had gone from there. The bluebonnets she'd picked for Edna Petunia were gracing the table at the Reids' house. "I'm sorry I didn't bring them home."

  Edna Petunia smiled at her. "I'm just glad that you had the sense to leave them. Thank you for thinking of me, but they need them so much more than I do. I have so many pretty girls brightening up my house, I don't need flowers."

  Opal smiled at the compliment. It was rare to get such sweet words from Edna Petunia. It wasn't that she didn't
love the girls, she just seemed to think referring to them as "her bastards" was the only compliments they needed. No one was quite sure why Edna Petunia saw that as a compliment, but there was no doubt that she did.

  "I'm going back to help again tomorrow. They don't even have any bread, and Flo was calling the pot of stew I cooked a feast." Opal shook her head. "It's hard to believe anyone would think of that as a feast."

  Edna Petunia frowned. "I baked bread today, and I can do so again tomorrow. Take them a couple of loaves when you leave in the morning, and maybe a jar of the peach preserves I made."

  "Thank you! I'll do that." Opal was pleased her family was so understanding about her being late, and so eager to help. They were all good people.

  Penny looked at Opal. "Does she need new dresses? Should I come and help you?"

  "I can sew a basic dress," Opal responded. "You have enough to do with school and keeping up with the sewing at the mercantile."

  Penny nodded. "Just let me know if you do need help."

  "Oh, I will," Opal said with a grin. "I'll be calling on all of you before I'm done."

  Penny grinned. "I'm sure you will."

  It was much later as Opal was climbing into bed, and she thought back over the happenings of the day. Now that Ruby had married, she had her own room, and it was odd. She was used to being able to talk things through with her sister, even after they were in bed.

  Opal was happy to have met the girl. She'd worked more that day than she had in a very long time, but it was good. She was weary, but thrilled to have done something to actually help people. She couldn't wait to go back and give the little girl her second cooking lesson.

  *****

  As soon as Dr. Iris was home from work, Opal grabbed her basket with the loaves of bread in it so she could take it to Flo and her father.

  "You're sure in a hurry tonight, Opal. Is something wrong?"

  Opal shook her head, mentioning that she was taking bread to the Reid family. "I met little Flo last night, and I want to help them as much as I can."