Evelyn (Orlan Orphans Book 5), Page 2

  Evelyn shook her head. “A few have been asking and making pests of themselves, but they’re boys, not men. I’m waiting for a man to take my heart.”

  Cletus nodded. “You just let me know who takes it, and I’ll make sure he’s good enough for you. And remember, Edna Petunia wants time to plan a nice wedding this time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  After school on Friday, the following day, Evelyn set out with Daniel and Miss Whitten for the Keifer Ranch. “Pa said fixings for supper were in the icebox, and he’s not going to discuss anything until he’s filled his belly.”

  Evelyn looked at Miss Whitten, biting her tongue. “I’ll cook. We have to stop by my house along the way to pick up a cake I baked last night.” She hadn’t wanted to, but Edna Petunia had insisted, saying her bastards needed to always show their best side.

  Honestly, Evelyn didn’t know if she was a bastard or not, but if Edna Petunia preferred to think of her as one, she wouldn’t complain. The woman loved bastards. She’d been left on the doorstep of the orphanage back in Orlan, New York, as a small child. No one knew who her parents were, something that had always bothered her. She’d found love and acceptance since coming to Texas, though, and she had no complaints.

  “It’s along the way, so it’s no problem,” Margaret responded. “Do you want help cooking?”

  Evelyn shook her head. “No, you can grade papers while I cook, so you won’t lose too much of your free time.”

  They stopped at the Sanders’s house, and Edna Petunia came out. “Well, hello there, Miss Whitten. Are my younger girls behaving in school?”

  “Of course. You have the sweetest daughters.” Miss Whitten smiled at Edna Petunia. She’d been in town just a short while longer than the older woman.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it. If you ever have trouble with any of them, I want you to tell me all about it.”

  “I will.”

  Evelyn took the cake from Edna Petunia’s outstretched hands. “Thank you.”

  Daniel eyed the cake. “Do I get some of that?”

  “Do you think you’ve earned it?” Evelyn asked softly. She hoped he could see the error of his behavior.

  Daniel made a face. “Why should I have to earn it? You’re going to share with my pa, and he hasn’t earned it.”

  Evelyn shook her head and smiled at Edna Petunia. “I won’t stay out too late.”

  “I’ll have Cletus drive Miss Whitten home in the wagon, so both of you come right back here. I don’t want either of you out alone after dark.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Evelyn turned and walked down the dirt road toward the Keifer Ranch. “Why did you and your father decide to move to Nowhere?”

  Daniel shrugged. “He said it was time for a new start. Ma died last year, and Pa said he was done living with ghosts. So we moved.”

  Done living with ghosts? “I’m very sorry about your ma. You must miss her a lot.”

  “Yeah. I do. She died having a baby.”

  They had finally reached the ranch and walked up to the house. It was empty, so she went right to work in the kitchen. It was dirtier than it should be, so before she even thought about cooking, Evelyn cleaned the worktable and the stove carefully, while Daniel went out to help his father.

  She peeled potatoes and started them boiling, while taking a jar of green beans out to heat on the stove. She found a chicken, already cut into pieces waiting for her, so she efficiently rolled it in flour and fried it, keeping the finished pieces warm in the oven.

  She wasn’t the cook her sister, Sarah Jane, was, nor the cook that Edna Petunia was, but she’d helped them both enough that she could put a meal together without too much trouble. It didn’t bring her the kind of joy teaching brought her, but she wouldn’t complain about it too much.

  By the time Mr. Keifer and Daniel came into the house for supper, everything was just warming, waiting for them to arrive. Margaret had set the table, and they were sitting together grading papers.

  Mr. Keifer walked in and took a deep sniff of the delightful odors filling his house. “Someone can cook!” he said, his voice filled with surprise.

  “Well, since you all but ordered me to do so, I thought you’d be pleased if it was actually edible.” The unpleasant tone to Evelyn’s voice surprised even her, and she felt Margaret’s eyes on her. “This is Miss Whitten. She’s the teacher.”

  “I see. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Whitten.”

  Margaret nodded. “Likewise.” She hurriedly helped Evelyn put the food onto the table so they could all eat.

  As soon as they were seated, Mr. Keifer bowed his head and prayed for them all, thanking God for the meal He’d provided.

  Margaret brought up the problems in the schoolhouse as soon as they’d all filled their plates. “Daniel has been a disruption since the first day he entered our classroom. He’s picked fights with other boys, tormented the girls, and generally made a nuisance of himself. If he continues on the way he is, I’m going to be forced to expel him.”

  Mr. Keifer made a face. “Expel him? For pranks?”

  Evelyn knew she should let Margaret talk, but she just couldn’t. “It’s more than just pranks. He’s been in a fistfight in the classroom that resulted in a black eye for me. He’s scared some of the girls with snakes and lizards. He put a frog in a girl’s bonnet. You cannot keep excusing his behavior.”

  He looked down at his son, whose head was bent low over his food, and sighed. “I’ll talk to him. We never had these problems when his mother was alive.” He felt the weight of trying to raise the boy on his own. His wife had been so good with their son, but now that he was on his own, he couldn’t seem to do anything right.

  “I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Keifer. I wish we could just give him time to adjust and heal, but we need to be able to keep order in the classroom.” Margaret frowned. “Maybe he needs to have a tutor for a time, until he can learn the correct way to act in the classroom.”

  “A tutor? Is there anyone qualified for that role?” He liked the idea of Daniel not being able to disturb the others, but still learn. He would have liked to keep his son out of school to work with him, but one of the last things he’d promised the boy’s mother was that he’d make certain he finished school.

  Margaret looked at Evelyn. “Could you do it? Maybe you could spend half the day in the classroom in town and half the day here?”

  Evelyn sighed. It sounded like a good solution, but she’d be under Mr. Keifer’s thumb, and she didn’t like that idea at all. “I suppose it’s possible.”

  “The classroom isn’t nearly as overcrowded as it was when you and your sisters first came to town. I really don’t need you like I used to.”

  The words were meant kindly, but they still felt like a stab to Evelyn’s heart. She knew her job was no longer essential, but she loved working with the children so much. “I suppose I could work for Mr. Keifer instead.”

  The man nodded gratefully. “I’d sure appreciate that.”

  She sighed. In for a penny in for a pound, right? “I’ll take over the household duties as well, Mr. Keifer. I can make sure you and your son have good, healthy meals.”

  “I’d appreciate that, Miss Sanders.” He took another bite of his mashed potatoes and smiled. “I sure will enjoy eating someone else’s cooking rather than my own.”

  “We can work out all the details after supper,” Evelyn said with a meaningful look at Daniel.

  Once the meal was over, Evelyn and Margaret worked together quickly and efficiently to clear the table and wash the dishes.

  Mr. Keifer sat at the table with Daniel, enjoying the cake Edna Petunia had sent. Once they were finished, Daniel went to his room while Mr. Keifer spoke with Evelyn. “What are you going to need to be paid for this?”

  Evelyn shrugged. “I don’t need much. My parents provide well for me. I like to have spending money of my own.” She was currently paid the sum of twenty-five dollars per month for being a teaching assistant. “Would ten dollars a
month be too much?”

  He shook his head. “That sounds like a fair sum to me. Is it fair to you?”

  “I truly want for nothing. I can receive money any time I ask for it.”

  “I had no idea your folks were wealthy.”

  She shrugged. “I was adopted when I arrived in Texas a few years ago. My adoptive father is wealthy, and he’s been nothing but generous. I had the choice of working for a wage or doing some sort of volunteer work. They insist we don’t sit idle. I chose to work for a wage, simply because it’s what I wanted to do, not because I needed the money.”

  “Well, then that sounds good to me.”

  “It’s a deal. Do you want me to start Monday, Mr. Keifer? Or would it be better if I waited a week or two?”

  “I think Monday would be good, if you don’t mind.” He frowned at her. “And please, call me Frank.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t. I’m your employee.”

  He shrugged. “You’ll call me Frank, or I’ll send my child back to school in town to torment all the other students.”

  Evelyn gasped in shock, and then let out a quick giggle. “I guess I’ll call you Frank then.”

  “I had a feeling you’d see things my way.”

  Evelyn and Margaret took their leave, walking back toward the Sanders’s home. “I hope I’ve made the right decision,” Evelyn said, worried a bit.

  “You made the best decision for the children in town and for me. I’m just not certain you made the best decision for you. Although…”

  “Although, what?”

  “He is awfully handsome. I wouldn’t mind having daily contact with him.”

  “Daniel?” Evelyn asked, pretending not to understand.

  “Mr. Keifer.” Margaret sighed. “Sometimes I hate being a spinster school teacher.”

  Evelyn laughed. “At twenty-eight, you’re hardly a spinster.”

  “That’s not how the men in town feel.” Margaret shrugged. “One of these days I’m going to throw caution to the wind and become a mail order bride.”

  “Oh, I can just see that!” Margaret put up with even less nonsense than Evelyn did from men. She couldn’t imagine the sweet teacher marrying a man sight unseen.

  Margaret linked her arm with Evelyn’s with a smile. “I’m going to miss teaching with you, my friend.”

  Evelyn sighed. “Not as much as I will. We’ll have to set a day to have ice cream together every week.”

  “Saturday, after lunch!”

  “That sounds lovely. Shall we start next week? We’ll have so much to talk about by then!”

  Margaret smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll be there.”

  Chapter 3

  Evelyn went to the schoolhouse early on Saturday to clean out the things she kept there. She hoped she would be going back to help teach, but Margaret shouldn’t have to work around her belongings in the meantime.

  While she was working, her thoughts kept drifting to Frank Keifer. She couldn’t quit thinking about how soft his lips looked, something she’d never even considered about another man. Sure, a boy or two had kissed her back in New York, but since she’d been in Texas, she’d never once stepped out with a man. For some reason, now that she was no longer in school, courting seemed a great deal more serious than it had back in New York.

  She put all of her things into a crate and shut the door behind her, wishing tears didn’t sting her eyes at the idea of leaving the children behind. Yes, she’d have more control over her day with the Keifers, but all of the children, most of whom had become dear to her, wouldn’t be a daily part of her life. Oh, she’d see them at church on Sunday, but how would that be enough?

  Evelyn sighed as she headed toward home. It was an unseasonably warm day in March, but really, what else was new? Texas was just plain too hot for a New York girl like her!

  She’d barely gotten onto the street when a wagon pulled up beside her. “Would you like a ride?”

  She turned and looked to see who was offering and stopped short. “Mr. Keifer!”

  “Frank.”

  “Frank.” She blushed. Why was she blushing? What was it about this man that was tying her stomach in knots all of a sudden? Two days ago, she’d hated him. Today…well, she wasn’t so certain any longer. “I—yes, a ride would be very nice.”

  He set the brake on the wagon and jumped down, taking the box from her arms and putting it in the back of the wagon. “I just went to the mercantile to pick up some nails.”

  Evelyn smiled. “Nails are good.” She took the hand he offered and climbed up into the wagon. “Where’s Daniel?”

  “He’s home working. The ranch hands keep an eye on him.”

  Evelyn wasn’t certain what to say to a man to whom she was attracted. She was usually fighting suitors off, not trying to figure out how to let them know she would welcome their advances.

  “What were you doing in town today?” Frank asked, trying to keep from staring at the beautiful girl beside him. He still couldn’t believe his luck. Not only would he have a private tutor for Daniel, but he was also getting a cook and a maid out of the deal. And she was easy on the eyes. So easy on the eyes, he was starting to think of her as a lot more than just a teacher for his son.

  She shrugged. “I thought I’d clean my things out of the school. It’s not fair to ask Miss Whitten to keep working around them when she won’t be receiving my help.”

  “How long have the two of your worked together?”

  “About four years. Ever since my sisters and I moved here from New York.”

  He smiled at her. “New York? I didn’t think that accent sounded like Texas. How many sisters do you have?”

  “Fourteen.” She was surprised he didn’t know her history. Everyone else in town did. Of course, Frank was relatively new to town. She’d told him about being adopted, but maybe she hadn’t mentioned the other orphan girls who had all been adopted with her.

  “Fourteen? Your parents needed a hobby!”

  She blushed at the reference to making babies. “No, they’re all adopted sisters. We were raised together in an orphanage in New York. We had to move here a few years back with the matron who ran the orphanage. When we arrived, the house we’d been promised didn’t exist, so one of the women in town decided to adopt us.”

  “Someone adopted fifteen girls? Are you kidding me?”

  Evelyn shook her head, laughing. “I’m not joking. Do you know Cletus and Edna Petunia Sanders?”

  “I don’t think I’ve met them, but I sure know Cletus’s name. He’s running for judge.”

  “That’s right. He’s my new father.”

  “Wow. He’s got my vote just for adopting all of you. Is he a good father?”

  She shrugged. “He’s a good man. I was already seventeen when we moved here, so I didn’t feel like he had much to do with raising me, but he’s let us all stay until we marry or decide to leave on our own. He indulges Edna Petunia and her desire for bastard children.”

  Frank frowned at her words. “Don’t call yourself a bastard!”

  “Well, I probably am one, but that’s not why I say that. Edna Petunia is a—” Oh, dear. Are there even words to describe her? “Let’s just say she’s a colorful woman, who thinks differently than others. She’s always wanted a houseful of children, but she had to be seventy by the time she married! So when she found out there were girls who needed adopting, she opened her home and her heart to the ‘bastards.’ For some reason, she’s always had a soft spot for bastards. So we indulge her, knowing that she’s using the term affectionately.”

  “You can’t use the term bastard affectionately!” he protested.

  “Maybe you and I can’t, but Edna Petunia can. You really should meet her. She may be old, but that woman is a force to be reckoned with.” She shrugged. “I always knew the matron in the orphanage back in New York loved me, but never in my life have I felt love like I feel from Edna Petunia. She truly is a warm, loving, giving person. She’d never admit it, though.”

&
nbsp; “She sounds—colorful!”

  “Oh, she is. I’ve never met anyone like her.” She pointed to the house off to the right. “That’s my house.”

  He gaped at the huge, fancy house. “You live there?”

  She nodded, laughing slightly. “Big, isn’t it? Don’t worry, though. I grew up a dirt-poor orphan.”

  Frank frowned. “Looks like life changed a great deal for you when you moved to Texas.”

  “Oh, it did. In a way we’d never dreamed it would.”

  “And all of you still live there?”

  “No. Three of the girls have married and live with their husbands and families. I’m the oldest still living there.” She stared at the house for a moment, thinking about the first time she’d seen it. It was much bigger than the orphanage she’d lived in growing up, and it had every comfort.

  He pulled up in front of the house and hurried around to help her down, removing the box from the back. “Shall I carry this in for you?”

  Evelyn bit her lip, thinking about how it would look to Edna Petunia to have a man carry her things inside. Of course, Edna was sure to have noticed the wagon in the front. “That would be most kind.” She hurried ahead and opened the door for him.

  Edna Petunia came out of the kitchen carrying a wooden spoon, which she shook at Evelyn. “Did you get everything you needed from town?”

  Evelyn nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Edna Petunia, this is Mr. Frank Keifer. He’s going to be my new employer.”

  “Oh, so you’re the one with the unruly brat.” Edna Petunia looked him up and down. “Have you thought about rewarding him with peppermint sticks for good behavior?” she asked, pulling a peppermint stick from between her voluptuous breasts. “I find children respond very well to candy.”

  Frank stood staring at the older woman before him for a moment, his arms still cradling the box. “I will take that under advisement, Mrs. Sanders.” Unruly brat? Obviously, Evelyn had talked about Daniel.

  “Oh, call me Edna Petunia. Everyone does.” She took a bite of the peppermint stick, crunching down into it. “You need to make sure to treat Evelyn right. She’s a good girl and doesn’t need any trouble from a young widower.”