Ruby (Orlan Orphans Book 2), Page 3

  Ruby finally nodded, giving in. "Roast beef would be fine. Thank you for wanting to make the day special for me."

  Edna's face lit up. "I know you were already seventeen when you came to us, but I love you every bit as much as if you'd been left on my doorstep when you were a tiny little bastard baby."

  Ruby sighed. "My parents were married."

  "That's okay. You'll always be a bastard to me."

  "Thanks, I think."

  Edna hurried away to get the things she needed for the wedding lunch. Ruby watched her go fondly, knowing there would be a great deal more food than the wedding guests could eat. She couldn't help but love the crazy old woman.

  *****

  Lewis and the boys walked her home after work that evening, her hand held firmly in his. "Are you going to keep working after we're married?" he asked.

  "Do you want me to?"

  He shrugged. "I don't want you to work the hours you're working now. If you wanted to continue to sew a little, that would be fine, but we really don't need the income." If it made her feel better to work, though, he wouldn't complain much.

  "Why don't I help out as needed then, but I won't worry about making money from it?"

  He squeezed her hand. "That sounds perfect. I'm looking forward to having some real meals for a change."

  She laughed. "You don't even know if I can cook! What if I burn everything?"

  "You'll figure it out. I've watched you, and you're a smart, determined young woman. I have no doubt you'll be a great cook within a year if you're not already." He looked at her. "Can you cook?"

  She shrugged. "Passably. I'm certainly no Sarah Jane, but I can make something edible without a great deal of effort."

  "Sarah Jane is one of your sisters, right?"

  Ruby frowned. "I guess technically she is, because Edna Petunia and Cletus adopted us both, but we're not related by blood. Opal is the only one related by blood."

  He nodded, understanding well that her situation was complex.

  When they reached her house, the whole place was in an uproar. Katie and Hattie were out front pulling weeds from the flower bed that hadn't yet been planted. Dorothy was washing the outside of the windows. "What are you doing?" Ruby asked. It was far too early for spring cleaning. It was only February.

  "Edna Petunia said the house had to be spotless before Saturday and started assigning chores. Mrs. Hayes is talking to her in the formal parlor."

  Ruby sighed. "I'd better go join them. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, turning to Lewis and raising her lips for his good bye kiss. She was surprised how natural it seemed to kiss him now.

  Lewis kept the kiss brief, wishing they could have more time together, but smiling as he thought of Saturday. He'd have all night with her.

  Chapter Three

  Ruby hurried into the house, skirting around her sister-friends, until she got into the parlor where Edna Petunia and Mrs. Hayes were talking. Mrs. Hayes slowly got to her feet, scooting to the edge of the sofa and getting up belly first. She was due in less than a month, and her movements showed it. "Ruby, are you sure you're making the right decision?"

  Ruby shrugged. "Sit down, Mrs. Hayes." She sat beside her. "I don't know if I'm making the right decision at all. I have feelings for Lewis, but they're different than what I felt for David. I like his boys. I—I feel like it's the right thing to do at this moment. Hopefully I won't regret it in a year."

  Mrs. Hayes looked over at Edna. "Would it be all right if I spoke alone with Ruby for a moment?"

  Edna got to her feet. "I think that's a fine idea. I'll bring tea and cookies."

  As soon as the door was closed behind her, Mrs. Hayes turned to Ruby. "What do you mean your feelings for Lewis are different?"

  Ruby blushed, not sure how much she should say. "I—"

  Mrs. Hayes smiled. "You know you can tell me anything, Ruby. I'm the one who caught you kissing David when you were fifteen and spanked your bottom when you were five and you stole candy from the mercantile."

  Ruby smiled. "Yes, ma'am." She struggled to come up with the right words to say. "I felt so much for David. It was like my heart was breaking in two when we left him, but when he kissed me, it was nice, but I didn't feel anything special. When Lewis kisses me, it's like my whole body is on fire. I feel a tingling feeling deep inside me. I don't love him. I barely know him. But I feel so much more than I ever felt with David."

  "That's what I wanted to hear. It sounds like you're a good match physically. Love will come, but you need that initial attraction. He seems like a good man."

  "I really think he is." Ruby shrugged. "You and Mr. Hayes will be here for the wedding?"

  "I wouldn't miss it." Mrs. Hayes seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Would you like to wear my wedding dress? It's nothing fancy, but I'd be honored if you wore it when you married Lewis."

  Ruby nodded. "I'd like that a lot, if you don't mind. I was just going to wear my Sunday best."

  "We're very close to the same size. I'll send Tino over with it this evening. I'm sure Penelope could do better for you, but there's just no time."

  "That sounds wonderful. Thank you for thinking of me. I'll take good care of it. You never know, you may have a little girl who will want to wear it someday."

  Mrs. Hayes put her hand on her belly. "Tino is determined this first child be a boy."

  "Do you want a lot of children?" Ruby asked, wondering what it would be like to carry a child within her body.

  "I'd like a few. I'm too old for many."

  "Does it hurt? The baby being inside you?"

  "It's more discomfort than real pain. The real pain will come when I give birth." Mrs. Hayes sighed. "I'm ready for him to be born, no matter how much pain is involved though. I feel like I've been carrying him for twenty years."

  "At least we have a good doctor in town," Ruby said, thinking about Iris Harvey. Edna Petunia thought a lot of the doctor, and so did Opal, who worked for her family.

  "Yes. I'm thankful for her. And she's due a few months after me, so I don't need to worry about her missing my delivery."

  "It must be strange being pregnant at the same time as your doctor."

  "It is, but at least we have a lot to talk about."

  Edna Petunia interrupted then, bringing in a tray with a teapot and a plate of cookies, along with some cups. "I feel like I should be helping with the cleaning," Ruby announced to no one in particular.

  Edna Petunia shook her head. "No. This is their gift to you. Sarah Jane is helping with the cooking, of course."

  "Of course." Sarah Jane had been the first to become close to Edna Petunia. She loved to cook, and it had been a delight for her to cook with the older woman. "You're keeping it simple like you promised, aren't you, Edna Petunia?"

  Edna frowned. "I'm trying my very best. I want you to have a big beautiful wedding, but I'll do what you want, no matter how much I hate it."

  "I'm sure the other girls will want that. I just want simple."

  "I'm beginning to understand how Mary Sullivan felt," Edna mumbled under her breath.

  "Excuse me?" Ruby asked.

  "Nothing that matters." Edna jumped to her feet. "I'm going to go work on baking some cookies for the wedding guests. We're going to have a beautiful wedding if it kills me."

  Ruby shook her head as the old woman rushed from the room.

  *****

  Ruby got more and more nervous as the day progressed on Friday. She'd only planned to work half a day so she could get the dress fitted to her by Penelope and do her best to rein Edna Petunia in with the wedding preparations. She went behind the counter to kiss Lewis goodbye before leaving work. "I'll see you in the morning."

  "I'll be there. The boys are going to stay at your house with Opal, right?"

  Ruby nodded, suddenly feeling shy. "Yes, she's planning for that."

  "The boys are really excited. They love your sister."

  Ruby smiled. "She loves them as well. They're good boys."

  "Usually.
What happens if they aren't good?"

  Ruby shrugged. "I guess we'll deal with that when the time comes. If you're worried their behavior will scare me, don't. I was raised in a house with almost thirty other orphans. Someone was always getting into some mischief or other. Mrs. Hayes was a good role model." If she could be half the mother Mrs. Hayes was, she would be thrilled.

  Lewis looked around the store, and seeing he had no customers, he leaned down and kissed her like he wanted to, pulling her body to his and ravishing her mouth. "I can't wait 'til tomorrow when I won't have to stop at a kiss."

  Ruby blushed. "I should go."

  He laughed softly. "You're going to like making love, Ruby. I promise."

  She hurried from the store, not looking back. She was halfway home before she realized that she'd forgotten to mention Penny to him. The other girl was only sixteen, but she wanted to work after school, doing Ruby's job, so she could make some extra money. Ruby suspected she may have a sweetheart at school, but she had no proof of it.

  When she got home, Edna Petunia was in the kitchen, baking cakes. The whole house smelled wonderful, and it was all Ruby could do to stifle her sweet tooth, and not beg for some of the cake right then. "Where's Cletus?" she asked.

  Edna Petunia sighed. "He's gotten it into his head that he needs to be the sheriff around here. He's too old, and I don't know what he's thinking, but that's what he says he's going to do."

  "Why?"

  "I think it's because of you girls. He's afraid that something will happen to one of you, and he'll have to go kill whoever hurts you. Says it'll be easier to explain away if he's the sheriff."

  Ruby shook her head. "Sounds like he has it all figured out."

  "Oh, the old coot hasn't figured anything out. He just thinks he has." Edna Petunia waved Ruby to the table. "I made lunch for us. Are you hungry?"

  Ruby shrugged, eyeing the sandwiches Edna put on the table. The old woman was usually home alone all day, and Ruby could tell she was pleased to have some company for a change. "What kind of sandwiches are they?"

  "Chicken salad. They're one of my favorites, but I don't usually take the time to fix them if it's just me."

  "You know you could fix them for supper. None of us girls are used to the fancy cooking you do every night."

  Edna shrugged. "I know that. I feel like you've all been deprived for years, so you need someone to take good care of you."

  Ruby sighed. "I know we grew up in an orphanage, but none of us ever felt like we were missing out on anything. Mrs. Hayes made us all feel loved. The only time we felt deprived at all was when we were kicked out of the orphanage."

  "I'm still going to do everything I can for you girls. I want you to have the best lives you possibly can. Bastard children deserve love!"

  Ruby shook her head at Edna. "You know most of us aren't really bastards, right?"

  "My love for you is just as strong."

  *****

  There was much laughter and frivolity that evening as all the girls gathered around while Penny worked on taking in Mrs. Hayes's dress for Ruby.

  Opal was going to stand up with her sister and was wearing her new Sunday dress that she'd just finished making. She modeled it for the other girls while they sat in the informal parlor, laughing.

  "I can't believe Ruby's marrying someone other than David. It's like the world is coming to an end!" Hope shook her head as if she were trying to understand what was going on around her.

  "I've realized that falling in love when you're a schoolgirl is a lot different than falling in love when you're a woman." Ruby deliberately kept her statement vague. She didn't even want the girls or Edna Petunia to realize that she wasn't in love with Lewis.

  "Is he coming by tonight?" Opal asked. She was the only one who knew the full truth about Ruby's marriage with Lewis other than Mrs. Hayes.

  Ruby shook her head. "We didn't plan for it. I think the boys wanted their father to themselves for one more night before I invaded their lives." She was only half-joking. She had no idea what to expect from the boys.

  "They're fortunate to be getting a good Christian mother," Sarah Jane told them.

  Sarah Jane had always gotten on Ruby's nerves a bit. Her religious fervor after living with a pastor and his wife for a few years overshadowed a lot of her good points.

  "I hope so," Ruby said simply. "I've never been a mother, but I'll do my best by them."

  The girls stayed up past ten, reminiscing about their shared childhood. "I'm really going to miss you, Ruby," Katie told her. Katie was the youngest of the group.

  "I'm going to miss you, too, Katie." Ruby smiled at the sweet girl. "That reminds me, Katie! Would you sing at the wedding tomorrow?"

  Katie's face lit up, obviously pleased to be asked. "I'd love to. What do you want me to sing?"

  "I have no idea. You choose!"

  Katie thought for a moment. "How about 'I Love You Truly'? I know you like it, and it's perfect for a wedding."

  Ruby nodded with a smile. "I'd like that."

  Edna Petunia looked at the clock. "Do you realize it's after ten? We have a wedding in twelve hours! To bed, girls!"

  Ruby got to her feet. Tomorrow was going to be a big day for her, and she knew she needed her rest. She hated to go to bed, though, because it would be the last night she would be able to do this with the girls.

  Chapter Four

  Ruby woke earlier than usual on Saturday, the morning of her wedding. She'd had a dream that David was standing watching her as she walked down the aisle toward Lewis. He had a sad look on his face, and she couldn't figure out why. It was an odd dream that she wanted out of her mind. It was her wedding day, and the last person she should be thinking about was David.

  She sat while her sister-friends crowded around her, some fixing her hair, some just sitting quietly talking. "I'm going to miss this," Ruby said to no one in particular.

  Sarah Jane was helping Edna with the wedding lunch, while the rest of them lounged in Ruby's room. They all knew they'd have to go downstairs and help set up for the wedding any minute, so they were taking as much time as they could to spend with Ruby before she left.

  Opal reached out and took her sister's hand in hers. "We'll still be close by."

  "I know," Ruby said. "But it won't be the same."

  "I'm thankful you're not moving back to New York. I don't know what I would have done if we'd been so many miles apart."

  "Written lots of letters, made ridiculously expensive phone calls, and visited every time the chance arose." Ruby would never have done well living so far from her twin, and she knew it now, even if she hadn't before.

  Opal smiled, wiping a tear from her eye.

  Edna Petunia stood in the doorway watching all the girls. "I need everyone but Opal, Ruby, and Penny downstairs to help get the chairs set up." She waited 'til the others were gone before looking at Ruby. "Do you and I need to discuss what will happen tonight? Or did Mrs. Hayes talk to you?"

  Ruby blushed. Only Edna would bring that subject up in front of others. "I already know. Thank you, though."

  "Well, I'm glad of that. I don't want to have to explain about playing 'hide the pickle' with your husband in front of these girls." Edna Petunia turned and left the room amidst the giggles of the girls.

  "I swear that woman has no sense of decorum!" Ruby said after a minute of listening to the others laugh.

  Opal grinned at her sister. "Life with Edna Petunia is never boring, though!"

  A few minutes later they had finished with her hair and were slipping her dress over her head. Ruby looked into the mirror and was surprised at what she saw. Somehow the girls had been able to make her pretty. Her dark hair hung in waves over her shoulders. Lewis would be pleased. Of that she had no doubt.

  Opal took her seat in the hard backed chair and Penny immediately went to work on her hair. As the only person standing up with Ruby, she knew all eyes would be on her. Opal was as blond as Ruby was dark, and they'd always made a striking duo.
>
  As Ruby watched her sister transform into the beauty she tended to hide, she found herself wondering when her sister would marry, and who she'd end up with. She hoped she'd find a good man soon.

  *****

  Getting the boys ready for the wedding had Lewis ready to pull his hair out. They didn't want to wear their church clothes, because church clothes were itchy. They didn't want to have their hair combed or take baths. By the time they were in the buggy on the way to the Sanders' house, he was ready to leave them both for a day or six.

  "I need you boys to be on your best behavior during the wedding."

  Robert sat up straighter. "I'll make sure James is good."

  James frowned. "And I'll make sure Robert is good. Even if I have to sit on his head and toot."

  "No one is sitting on anyone else's head." Lewis sighed, ignoring the part about tooting. He was raising a couple of hooligans.

  Robert pushed James, knocking him into Lewis. "You can't make sure I'm good. I'm older than you."

  "So? I know what good is!" James pushed his brother back.

  "No fighting! I don't want you fighting during the wedding or while Opal is taking care of you. Be on your best behavior for your new aunt."

  Robert leaned back against the seat and folded his arms over his chest. "Stop worrying. You be on your best behavior with our new ma. Stop kissing her all the time. It's disgusting, and she doesn't like it."

  Lewis raised an eyebrow. "How do you know she doesn't like it?"

  "'Cuz she's a girl, and girls don't like disgusting things."

  "She likes it when I kiss her."

  Robert shook his head. "Okay, but if she runs off, you'll know why."

  Lewis parked the buggy in front of the house, wishing he could have sent the boys off to boarding school back East, if only for one day. He knocked on the door, having it answered by one of the orphans he'd never met before. "I'm Lewis Darcy," he told her.

  "I'm Alice. Come in." She held the door open, waiting for them to come in. "The wedding will be in the formal parlor in the back of the house. I've been asked to watch your boys during the ceremony, because Opal will be otherwise occupied."