Evelyn (Orlan Orphans Book 5)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “And such a pleasant one.” He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently.

  Evelyn liked his kisses a great deal more than she would care to admit. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, her lips moving against his.

  Frank smiled, gathering her even closer. He wanted to kiss her forever.

  After a moment Evelyn pulled away from him, moving her fingers to touch the lips that were still tingling from the touch of his. “If we’re going to—to court, we’re going to need to be discreet. I don’t want to upset Daniel if things don’t work out between us.” She also didn’t want to have a reputation for dating men and kissing them and then ending the relationship. That was a good way to get a bad reputation.

  “Speaking of Daniel, do you have plans for your day tomorrow? Have you thought about what subjects you’ll teach him?”

  “I’ll probably follow the same lesson plans as Miss Whitten. While he’s doing quiet work, I’ll do the household chores.”

  His thumb traced her cheek, his hand cupping the side of her head. “I’m so glad you’re going to be working with me. It’s been hard trying to raise Daniel alone.” He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. “Do you think you’ll be teaching him full days? Or will he have time to help me in the afternoons?”

  Evelyn gleaned a lot from his question. “Do you need him to be able to get the job done?”

  Frank shook his head. “Not really, but I want him to know how to do the job when it’s his turn. He needs to learn.”

  She knew most farming families felt the same way. Boys learned by working with their fathers, not by wasting time in a school room. “We could probably do everything he needs to do in the mornings, and I could have him with you in the afternoons. It would mean me not starting on the household chores until afternoon, but then I wouldn’t have to break them up by stopping to teach. Yes, that’s probably the best way to do it.”

  He leaned down and kissed her again, just a mere brush of his lips across hers. “Thank you.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  “I’m glad someone finally realizes that.”

  Chapter 5

  Evelyn woke earlier than usual on Monday morning, anxious to start her new job as tutor and housekeeper for the Keifers. She rushed as she dressed, refusing to eat breakfast. Instead she wanted to arrive early enough that she could fix breakfast for Frank and Daniel. She’d said she wouldn’t be there until half past eight, but surely they’d be happy for the breakfast she’d fix.

  She danced into the kitchen to kiss Edna Petunia’s wrinkled cheek before rushing out the door to begin her first day of her new job. She knew in a week or two it would feel like drudgery, but the magic of the first day had filled her, and she was excited to be able to make a difference in the Keifers’ lives.

  She knocked on the front door when she arrived, knowing it was very early, but ranchers all got up early, or so she’d been told.

  Frank came to the door, pulling his suspenders up over his shoulders. “Evelyn? Come in. We weren’t expecting you for another two hours.”

  “I thought I’d come early and make breakfast for you.”

  Frank nodded abruptly. “I’m on my way out to milk the cow. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Evelyn wrinkled her nose at him as he left. He could have at least acted grateful that she’d made the effort of getting up early to feed him.

  She sighed as she looked around the kitchen and the mess it was in. For people who didn’t cook, they certainly always had a messy house. She hung her coat up on a hook on the wall before rolling her sleeves up and getting to work.

  The stove had already been lit, so she heated water for dishes before scrambling eggs and sausage for them. She’d wanted to make biscuits and gravy as well, but he didn’t seem to have any flour on hand, which was odd to her.

  By the time Frank came in with a bucket full of milk and more than a dozen eggs, she had breakfast on the table. “I was going to make biscuits and gravy as well, but you seem to be out of flour. Do you want me to go to the mercantile today to pick some up?”

  Frank shook his head. “No, that’s fine. I need to go into town for a few things today anyway.” He washed his hands in the sink before turning back to her. “You surprised me by coming so early. My plan was to have the kitchen cleaned before you got here.”

  Evelyn frowned. “Why? It’s my job, isn’t it?”

  A slight smile touched his lips. “Yes, it is, but I didn’t want you to think Daniel and I are slovenly pigs.”

  “Too late,” she said with a wink, turning away to pour them each a cup of coffee. “Where’s Daniel anyway?”

  “He’s mucking out the stalls. Should be back in the house in a minute.” He approached her, gently stroking one hand up and down her arm. “Thank you for coming early to do something special for us. You’re going to spoil us both.”

  Evelyn grinned at that. “By making you a good breakfast? How is that spoiling when cooking for you is my job?”

  “I’m glad you’re here to help out. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d refused.”

  She smiled at that, looking up at him. His lips looked so soft to her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how they’d felt against hers. He leaned down, and just before their lips touched, the door burst open.

  “Breakfast smells good! Are you going to fix us breakfast every morning, Miss Sanders? Pa can’t cook to save his life.”

  Evelyn jumped away from Frank, blushing profusely. “He can’t, huh?”

  Daniel shook his head, his hair flopping as he did so. “No, ma’am. He’s tried.”

  “At least he’s never set the house on fire, though, right?”

  Daniel made a face. “Well there was that one time…”

  Frank put Daniel in a headlock, using his knuckles to rub on his head. “What was that?”

  “Ow! Get off me, Pa!”

  Evelyn ignored them both, putting the coffee on the table. She’d seen the older boys at the orphanage play that way with the younger boys a lot. “Breakfast is ready.” She didn’t wait for the men to go to the table, and instead, she started to serve herself.

  The word breakfast seemed to work as magic on both of the males in the room, and they took their seats, happily serving themselves. Evelyn felt a pang, wishing she could cook as well as her sister Sarah Jane as she watched them eat, but neither of them had a single word of complaint.

  She turned to Frank as they ate. “Will you stop by the house before you go to town so I can give you my grocery list? There are several things we need if you want me to be able to cook.”

  “Why don’t you just come with me?” Frank asked softly. “We can plan to go right after lunch.”

  “Will you be home for lunch every day?” she asked with surprise in her voice.

  He nodded. “Most days. I might make a sandwich every once in a while to eat while I’m out working, but I’m usually close enough to the house that it’s not a big deal for me to ride here and eat.”

  “All right. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind. I’m not sure what there is to cook for lunch, but I’ll find something.” The house was mostly barren of supplies.

  “If you can’t find anything else, just make eggs and sausage again. We’ll have the supplies you need in time for you to make supper.”

  She nodded. Cooking for the two of them was going to be a full time job in and of itself. Maybe she should renegotiate her wages…

  He stood and headed for the door. “Get the schoolwork done this morning.”

  Evelyn got up and started to clear the table. “As soon as I have the table cleared, I’ll start him on his first lesson.”

  Frank paused at the door for a moment, watching her. “I’ll be here at noon.”

  She nodded, filling the basin once more. She didn’t watch him leave, though she desperately wanted to. There was something about him made her want to just sit and watch him and everything he did for hours on end.

  After she�
�d finished with the dishes, she wiped off the table and started Daniel working on his arithmetic. While he did that, she went to the bedrooms and stripped the beds, knowing the sheets wouldn’t have been washed in much longer than she felt sheets should go between cleanings.

  She did Daniel’s room first, and felt vaguely uneasy when she went into Frank’s room to get his dirty clothes and sheets. How odd it felt that she was in his bedroom without him. Of course, being in his bedroom with him would not—she blushed unable to even finish the thought. She tried to keep her mind blank as she finished gathering the laundry and took it into the kitchen.

  “How’s the arithmetic coming?” she asked, keeping her face averted.

  Daniel groaned. “I hate arithmetic.”

  “I know. That’s why we’re doing it first, so you can do things you like later on.”

  “What’s after arithmetic?” he asked, slumping in his chair grumpily.

  “Geography. I’m going to try to alternate subjects you like with subjects you don’t like.” She knew that geography was something Daniel particularly liked.

  “Fine.” He kept writing away, his brow furrowed as he worked out the long division.

  Evelyn didn’t bother addressing his bad attitude as she pulled out the scrub board. “I’m going to be out front working on the laundry. Let me know when you’re finished with arithmetic, and if you get them all correct, we’ll take a ten-minute recess before geography.”

  Daniel nodded as he kept going, watching his teacher struggling to get the laundry set up. “Do you do laundry at home?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve done more laundry than I care to admit, but I haven’t had the opportunity in the past few years. Edna Petunia tends to do things like that for us.” She was hesitant to admit how privileged her life had become since moving to Texas, but it was the truth.

  Wiping her hands on her apron, she picked up the first item of clothing to rub on the scrub board. Her dress was a fine muslin, and she didn’t want to mess it up, so she wore her largest apron that completely covered her dress.

  As she worked, she saw the rooster pecking at one of the hens in the small wired yard for them. She worried for a moment, but she remembered that it was normal behavior for the birds, so she didn’t let herself think about it.

  She was not even half finished with the laundry when Daniel called out to her that he’d finished his arithmetic. She dried her hands on her apron and went inside to sit at the table beside him, thankful for the quick break. She took the paper from him and read over what he’d done. “Your penmanship is getting much better, Daniel. This is good work.”

  After assigning him his geography to be completed after he took a short recess, she went back to the laundry, diligently scrubbing away at a stocking. As she scrubbed, she was glad that Daniel wasn’t nearly as tall as his father yet, because it would make keeping track of which clothes belonged to whom much easier.

  She wondered for a moment what to make for dinner, and decided on chicken and dumplings. It was relatively easy to make, and she was certain the men would enjoy it.

  After she’d hung the wash on the line, she went back into the house to check on Daniel, who was working diligently. “Do you think we can be done by lunchtime?” he asked.

  “That’s my plan. I need to go into town to buy more food with your pa after lunch.”

  “Are you going to marry my pa?” he asked.

  Evelyn shook her head, trying not to show how flustered she was. She removed her damp apron, and rubbed at the spot of water on her lavender dress. “Why would you ask that?”

  Daniel shrugged. “Just sometimes he looks at you the same way he used to look at my mother.”

  “What was she like?” She didn’t know why she was asking him that, because it was none of her business, but she desperately wanted to know. Every time she thought about their kiss she was wracked with uncertainty. She hated not knowing what she was supposed to do about something, because she was used to being in charge.

  Daniel shrugged. “She was a mother. She wore fancy dresses all the time, not like you’re wearing, but like to wear to a ball. She liked to have parties in our house.”

  “Big parties?” she asked, surprised. Frank had seemed very down to earth to her, and he didn’t seem the type to have big parties in his home at all.

  Daniel nodded. “Men would wear suits and women would wear silk dresses. We had a huge ballroom that I was never allowed to play in. I liked it in there, because I could take my shoes off and slide across the floor in my sock feet. Mother said that was uncouth, and I shouldn’t do it.”

  “And you left all that to come to Texas and ranch?”

  He shrugged. “Pa always wanted to be a rancher, and he hated being a farmer. So after Mother died, he said that he needed to get away from the memories. So we came here. This house has no memories.”

  Evelyn assigned him his next task, a short essay on what it means to be an American citizen, before she took the broom into Frank’s room and swept the floor. While she swept, she daydreamed about what it would be like to be married to a man like him. Would he be the romantic type? Always trying to sweep her off her feet? Or would he spend all of his time working, and act as if she was a distraction?

  She sighed. She needed to stop thinking about her employer that way! She had a hunch it was easier said than done, though.

  At eleven, she stopped to cook lunch, disappointed that she could make nothing special. She wasn’t able to make elaborate meals anyway yet, but to have to do two meals of eggs in one day made her feel like she was inept.

  When the door opened at lunchtime, she looked up and fought against the smile playing at her lips. What was it about him that made her want to grin from ear to ear?

  Frank smiled at Evelyn, loving the way she looked standing at the stove in his kitchen. She had a smudge of dirt on one cheek, shouting out to him how hard she’d worked so far that day. He walked to her, and with a gentle fingertip, he brushed the dirt away. “I see you got the laundry done this morning. Thank you for that.”

  She blushed, feeling extremely awkward. “Was there something on my cheek?”

  He nodded. “Just a smudge of dirt. You have obviously been working very hard today.”

  She shrugged. “Of course, I have. It’s my job after all.” She turned her head to one side, stretching her neck a bit. She was used to working, but she wasn’t used to the hard physical labor that was part of running a household. She had been in New York, but since their move to Texas, life had been decidedly easier.

  Flustered, she reached up to pat her bun, only to find it completely mangled. She blushed, hating how disheveled she must look.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, reading her mind. “You’ve worked all day to keep my house and teach my son. How could you look less than beautiful to me?” He kept his voice soft as he spoke, worried that Daniel would hear. He didn’t want to make his son furious with him, because he was starting to feel something for Evelyn. “How was school today?”

  “It was good. I had no idea what a good writer Daniel is. He always refused to do his writing assignments for school.”

  Frank frowned at that. He’d had no idea Daniel had refused to do some assignments for school. His son had caused more problems for his teachers than he’d realized. He looked down at the woven rag rug on the floor in front of the basin. “I didn’t handle that well at all, I know. I should have been more supportive of your problems with him in the schoolhouse.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I think he’s going to thrive working here at home. He’ll still be around others at church on Sundays and when he’s working with you in the afternoons. This is the right solution for Daniel.”

  He nodded. “I just hate that it took so long to reach it.”

  Reaching across him, she grabbed three plates and piled them high with eggs and bacon. “I can’t even bake bread today, so I’m very limited on what I can cook. I’ll do my best to have a better meal for supper a
nd from here on out.”

  “I’m not judging you by what you do around here. I’m thrilled to have you do anything.”

  She looked up on the shelf, her eyes obviously trying to find something. “Where’s the salt?”

  He pointed to the second shelf above the basin. “There. Right below the canister for the flour.”

  She spotted it and grabbed it, carrying it to the table. “Since I couldn’t find it while I was cooking, we’ll have to add salt to our own.”

  He was happy she’d said that. His wife had hated it when anyone had seasoned her food after she had. Of course, she’d rarely cooked. He shook his head, thinking about how idle his life had been. He liked working with his hands, but if his parents could see him, they’d be shocked.

  After lunch, he ordered Daniel to clean up, while he went out to hitch up the wagon. Evelyn took the opportunity to slip into the bathroom, thankful his house had the modern convenience. She had grown used to an easy life.

  She quickly twisted her hair back up into the knot at the nape of her neck, and then she scrubbed her face clean. He’d wiped some of the dirt away, but it still practically covered her face.

  When she finished she went outside to wait under a large cypress tree, waiting for him to drive the wagon there. As soon as he arrived, she jumped up without waiting for his help.

  He glared at her. “You’re supposed to wait for me to help you into the wagon.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I can’t climb up myself. Do you really think Cletus helps all of us into a wagon before he drives somewhere?”

  Despite his annoyance, Frank laughed at the picture she made in his head. He could just see the older man helping twelve girls, plus his wife into a wagon, before he was willing to drive anywhere. “You have a point.”

  “It’s all about perception,” she told him softly. “For me, growing up an orphan, I’ve never grown used to the social niceties some women take for granted. I’ll let you help me up sometimes, but you need to let me help myself sometimes as well. Besides, I’m your employee, not your date for the church social.”