Hope (Orlan Orphans Book 10)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Alice covered her hand with her mouth. “Hope!”

  Minnie snapped the lid shut on the small box and hid it behind her back. “It’s not your turn to help with dinner.”

  “I’m well aware of that,” Hope replied, looking from sister to sister. “What were you two looking at?”

  Minnie looked at Alice nervously. “Nothing.”

  “You’re holding something behind your back, Minnie,” Hope said. It was plain as day.

  “N-no I’m not,” Minnie stammered.

  “Fine. I give up. If you want to keep secrets, that’s fine with me. I’ll be in my room!” Hope flung her arms in the air and rushed up the stairs. It was official—her entire family was behaving strangely, even for them.

  Chapter 10

  The weeks dragged on slowly for Hope. Life just wasn’t as interesting or exciting as it had been when she and Stephen had been working together. She wanted to ask Dr. Harvey if Stephen ever asked about her, but she didn’t want the older doctor to know how strong her feelings were for the young man.

  She looked forward to the annual church dinner because she thought Stephen might attend. Sarah Jane and Micah hosted it each year as a thank you to all the parishioners who helped out at the church throughout the year.

  Hope also was excited for the food Sarah Jane would prepare. Like Edna Petunia, Sarah Jane was a gifted cook. She could make a mouth-watering meal from leftover ingredients in someone’s pantry on a moment’s notice.

  Hope dressed in a white silk blouse and a navy skirt. She brushed her hair and pinched her cheeks to add a little color to them. She wanted to look her best if Stephen was going to be present. He was used to seeing her in her work clothes, or on Sunday mornings when she barely had any time to make herself look presentable. Tonight would be different.

  “Come on, Hope! We’re going to be late!” Theresa called from the bottom of the stairs.

  “I’m coming!” Hope yelled back. She smoothed her skirt one last time and went downstairs to meet her family. Hope, Theresa, and Edna Petunia went outside and climbed into the wagon, where Cletus waited for them. Minnie, Alice, Martha, Katie, and Hattie were already at the church helping Sarah Jane and Micah set up.

  Hope noticed that Cletus was wearing one of his finest suits, and Edna Petunia had selected a dress she hadn’t seen her wear before. Even Theresa looked prettier than ever in a ruffled dress and shiny black shoes. She wondered why everyone had suddenly decided to dress up for the church dinner. She had her reasons, of course, but who was everyone else trying to impress?

  When they pulled up in front of the church, Cletus told the women he’d drop them off at the side of the church and find a place to park the wagon.

  “Why the side of the church and not the front?” Hope asked.

  Edna Petunia and Cletus looked at each other and smiled. “No reason,” Edna Petunia replied.

  Hope frowned. Her adoptive parents had been acting peculiar for weeks now, and she hadn’t been able to get to the bottom of it. Her sisters had been strange, too—everyone always seemed to be talking about something that they immediately stopped chattering about as soon as Hope walked into a room. She really needed them to snap out of their moods soon, because they were all getting on her nerves.

  As Hope approached the side door, Sarah Jane came out of the church carrying a large pitcher filled with a red liquid.

  “Hello, everyone!” Sarah Jane called. “Would anyone like some punch before dinner?” Sarah Jane asked the question as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to be outside offering her family punch.

  Hope wrinkled her brow. “Sarah Jane, why would you offer us punch outside? What is wrong with all—” Hope stopped talking and gasped in horror as Sarah Jane bumped into her, spilling red punch all over Hope’s blouse.

  “Oh, no! Look what you’ve done, Sarah Jane.” Edna Petunia’s words were scolding, but Hope was dismayed to find that she wore a big smile on her face.

  “I’m so clumsy!” Sarah Jane cried.

  “No, you’re not,” Hope pointed out. “You’ve never been clumsy.”

  Sarah Jane shrugged. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me, then. I’m so sorry, Hope. Why don’t I take you inside to get changed into one of my shirts?”

  “But we’re not the same size. Your shirts aren’t going to look right on me.” Hope was pretty sure Sarah Jane had lost her mind along with the rest of the family.

  Sarah Jane just smiled. “I’m sure we can find something…”

  Hope sighed and followed Sarah Jane inside the church building. Hope saw a few of her sisters setting the tables in the hall portion of the building, but Sarah Jane steered her to the residence part of the building where she, Micah, and their children lived.

  Chrissy, the little girl Sarah Jane and Micah had adopted when they’d first married, was in the residence playing with a few dolls. “Hi, Aunt Hope!”

  Hope sat down next to her niece. “Hi, Chrissy!”

  “What happened to you? Why aren’t you wearing your lace?” Chrissy asked innocently.

  Sarah Jane’s face looked stricken. “Shh!”

  Chrissy’s face flushed. “What did I say?”

  Hope couldn’t stand it anymore. “What lace are you talking about? What’s going on in here?”

  “You know what…I just remembered Chrissy and I have a very important errand to run!” Sarah Jane grabbed Chrissy’s hand and practically dragged her out of the room.

  “Wait!” Hope called. “You didn’t give me something to wear!”

  Sarah Jane didn’t respond as they rushed toward the church. Hope exhaled loudly and sank down onto the floor. Just then, she heard a knock on the residence door. Exhausted, confused, and annoyed, she walked over to it and began to open it. To her surprise, the person at the other end quickly slammed it shut again.

  “Hello?” Hope called.

  “Hope—it’s me.” Stephen’s voice carried into the residence from the other side of the door.

  Hope felt a warm wave of relief flow over her. Stephen was here. He’d help her, even if her entire family was behaving horribly. “What are you doing on the other side of the door? I’ll let you in.”

  “No!” Stephen shouted, sounding upset.

  Hope didn’t understand what the issue was. “Why don’t you want to come in?”

  “Please, Hope—you’re going to need to trust me on this.” Stephen took a deep breath. “I promise, it’s a good thing. Hope Sanders, ever since the day I first saw you in my aunt’s medical office, I knew you were going to be someone special to me. At first, I was a little afraid of you.”

  Hope smiled as tears welled up in her eyes. “Hey, I thought you said this was a good thing!”

  Stephen grinned. He couldn’t see her, but he could imagine her lovely face. “I promise you it is, Hope. Like I said, at first, I was a little nervous around you. You were so honest and smart and direct. I worried that I wasn’t good enough for you. Heck, I’m still a little worried about that.”

  “Where are you going with this?” Hope wondered out loud. The church dinner was probably going to start any minute, and it would look bad if the minister’s sister-in-law was caught talking to an unmarried man in the private residence—even if there was a wooden door between them.

  Stephen laughed. “Oh, Hope. You always get right to the point. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

  Hope’s ears perked. “Love?”

  “That’s right, Hope. All of this—what I’m trying to say is—I love you. I’ve been in love with you for months now, and all I want is to spend the rest of my days with you. Will you marry me?” Stephen held his breath as he waited for a response.

  Hope couldn’t believe it. She longed to touch him and kiss him so he could prove that his offer was real. “This door is in my way!” Hope cried in frustration.

  “Is that…is that a yes?” Stephen asked nervously.

  “Of course it’s a yes! Now, open this door!” Hope called.
Enough was enough.

  Stephen wished he could open the door, but he had been patient for so many weeks that he knew he could hold out for a few more minutes. “I can’t do that right now, Hope. There’s something else.”

  “What else could there possibly be? You just proposed to me and I accepted. There’s nothing else you could tell me right now that would shock me,” Hope reasoned.

  Stephen sounded pained. “Hope, I really have to go. I’ll see you very soon. Promise. I love you!”

  Hope heard his footsteps walking away. What in the world is going on?

  “Knock-knock!” Edna Petunia’s voice called.

  “Do you want me to open the door or keep it shut?” Hope grumbled.

  “Open it, of course!” Edna Petunia replied.

  Hope swung the door open quickly and Edna Petunia stumbled in, carrying what seemed like a huge ball of lace.

  Edna Petunia set to work laying it out on the bed carefully, and Hope saw that it was a wedding dress. “Hope, you know how much Cletus and I love you. We’re so happy for you and Stephen.”

  “How did you know about that?” Hope was confused. Stephen had proposed less than five minutes ago. How did Edna Petunia already know?

  Edna Petunia looked guilty. “Well, Hope—we’ve actually been planning your wedding for several weeks now.”

  “We?” Hope repeated.

  “Yes. Stephen, your sisters, Cletus, Dr. Harvey, and me, of course!” Edna Petunia grinned. “I’m sure this is all quite a shock. Peppermint stick?” She pulled one out of her bodice and offered it to Hope.

  Hope shook her head wordlessly. “So everyone knew except me?”

  Edna Petunia shrugged and began to munch on the peppermint stick. “Now that I’ve seen eight of my girls married, I know what to be on the lookout for. I’ve learned. I’ve seen the way you and Stephen look at each other in church. I knew the moment you were engaged, you’d want to get married immediately! So I decided that as soon as that happened, I’d be ready.” Edna Petunia’s eyes gleamed as she gestured at the dress. “This is yours.”

  Hope finally understood why her family had been acting so strangely for the past few weeks. She had known something was going on! She couldn’t be angry, though. She recognized it had all been done out of love. Hope walked over to the bed and ran a finger along the lace bodice of the dress. “It’s absolutely stunning. Thank you, Edna Petunia.” Hope gave Edna Petunia a hug. “This is wonderful. I can’t wait to wear it on my wedding day, whenever that might be.”

  Edna Petunia cackled. “Luckily for you, you only have to wait about five minutes!”

  Hope felt bewildered all over again. “What are you talking about?”

  There was another knock at the door. “Come in!” Edna Petunia called. All of Hope’s sisters came in, bringing a flurry of activity with them.

  “Shoes!”

  “Hair!”

  “Flowers!”

  Hope couldn’t keep track of who was doing what, but before she knew it, a gaggle of orphans had buttoned her up into the gorgeous lace dress her family had made for her.

  Edna Petunia explained. “Penny did all of the hard work, I just added a few lace panels. That’s why I acted so strangely when you came into the formal parlor the other day!”

  The orphans busily attended to Hope’s hair, helped her into a new pair of white shoes, and gave her a beautiful bouquet of flowers to hold.

  Sarah Jane checked the clock on the wall. “I’m sure the men will be waiting for us. Are you ready, Hope?”

  Hope looked around at her sisters and adoptive mother, overcome with emotion. She nodded.

  When they reached the church, Edna Petunia and her daughters took their seats in the pews and Cletus came up to Hope. “My, my, my. You look absolutely exquisite, my dear.” Cletus kissed her cheek. A single tear rolled down his face, and he wiped it away before anyone else would notice. He didn’t want people to think he was getting soft in his old age.

  “Thank you, Cletus. I’m lucky that I have you and Edna Petunia as an example of a strong marriage. I hope Stephen and I will one day have what you have. Although I don’t know if we’ll be exactly like you two. You are pretty strange.” Hope smiled at Cletus to let him know she meant well.

  Cletus laughed. That was their Hope for you. Always completely honest.

  Micah and Stephen were in place at the front of the church, and Jed, Gertrude’s husband, began strumming his banjo. Cletus and Hope walked down the aisle to the gentle music.

  When they had reached the front of the church, Cletus gave Hope another kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations, sweetheart.” He walked over to Stephen and gripped his hand as hard as he could. “You’d better not do anything in the world to hurt my baby, son. I’ll be watching.”

  Stephen nodded as Cletus released his iron grip. He couldn’t believe how stunning Hope looked in her elaborate wedding dress. At this moment, standing in front of the love of his life and her family, as well as his aunt and their community, he realized that all of Edna Petunia’s exhausting planning had been worth it.

  “I’m sorry, Hope!” Stephen whispered. “This is why I had to stay behind the door. It’s bad luck for a groom to see the bride before the wedding.”

  Hope smiled. “It’s okay. It all worked out in time. But I can’t believe how long you kept a secret!”

  Stephen shook his head solemnly and looked at Edna Petunia. “Trust me, you have no idea what I went through.”

  Hope laughed. “I can imagine.”

  Micah cleared his throat. Although Stephen and Hope spoke quietly, they were in front of the entire congregation, and the people were expecting a wedding. “Are you two ready to start?”

  Hope and Stephen both nodded. Micah began the ceremony.

  Hope gazed out at her family and friends. She still couldn’t believe that she was going to spend the rest of her life with Stephen.

  Stephen looked into Hope’s eyes. He couldn’t feel luckier to have met Hope, let alone have the privilege to be her betrothed. Edna Petunia, his aunt Iris, and their families had outdone themselves. The church was overflowing with beautiful green plants and flowers, and each pew had a white ribbon tied to the end of it. Candles filled the front of the church. Stephen had seen a preview of the food and desserts and couldn’t wait to enjoy them fully once the ceremony was complete. There was really only one thing that could have made this day better, but he would have to learn to deal with that. His family lived in Seattle. It would have been foolish for him to think they could come.

  Micah continued to speak, though he knew no one was really paying attention to him. The parishioners were impressed at the beautiful decorations and the happy couple standing before them. He didn’t mind. “If anyone has any reason why this man and this woman should not wed, speak now or—”

  Just then, the front doors to the church burst open and slammed against the wall. Two figures rushed into the church wearing cloaks. In the darkness, Hope and Stephen weren’t able to make out their faces.

  Micah wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t recognize the man and woman who had just interrupted his ceremony, and he wasn’t sure how to proceed. He hoped desperately that they didn’t actually have a reason to keep Hope and Stephen apart. He knew their love for each other was just as true as the love he had for his own wife, Sarah Jane. “Excuse me—do you have objections to this marriage?” Micah finally managed to stammer.

  The couple walked up to the front of the church. Micah could see that they were middle-aged, older than him by at least two decades, but not as old as Edna Petunia and Cletus. They both looked embarrassed.

  “We’re so sorry to interrupt!” the woman cried out. “Please forgive us. We just couldn’t miss this, but our train was late, the wagon we hired broke down and we were covered in mud.”

  The man looked down at the floor. “All we had to wear that was decent were these cloaks.”

  As they walked closer to the front of the church, Stephen gasped in recognition
. He rushed over to the couple and embraced them. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

  Hyacinth and Lawrence Bennett beamed at how handsome their son looked in his suit.

  Hope walked up to them. “What exactly is all this about?” She had thought the surprises were over for the day, but they just kept coming.

  “Hope, these are my parents, Hyacinth and Lawrence Bennett. Mom and Dad, may I present to you Hope Sanders, soon to be my wife!” Stephen couldn’t have been prouder as he introduced his parents to the love of his life. He knew that he had given them a great deal to worry about with his ordeal before leaving Seattle, and he was glad they could rest assured that he’d found a wonderful young woman to spend the rest of his days with.

  Hyacinth embraced Hope warmly. “A pleasure.”

  Soon, Edna Petunia and Dr. Harvey joined in the embraces as they reunited with the Bennetts.

  “Excuse me? Can we continue?” Micah had never lost control of a wedding before, but there was a first time for everything.

  “One more thing!” Lawrence exclaimed, and everyone stared at him. He pulled out a sack of flour from his cloak and handed it to Stephen. “Give this to your wife. Trust me.” Lawrence winked and sat down.

  Stephen, bewildered, thanked his father and then presented the sack to Hope, who was equally confused. “Thank you!” Hope whispered. She passed the sack to Sarah Jane, sitting in the front pew, who gave it to Chrissy to play with.

  The Bennett, Sanders, and Harvey families settled into the church pews and calmed down so Micah could resume the ceremony. As he continued, Hope and Stephen could barely pay attention because they were so excited. Finally, Micah announced the words they had been waiting for.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife!”

  Stephen kissed Hope, and she felt that sparkling jolt of electricity that she had craved so badly. As they held hands and stared out at the congregation, Hope felt a beautiful peace settle over her body. A combination of fate and faith had brought her here to this perfect moment, and she knew that there was much more in store for her as a new bride. Though she didn’t know all the twists and turns her life would take, she knew she would weather them all with her perfect partner.