Sarah Jane (Countdown to Christmas Book 1)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  "I think that's a wonderful idea. We'll take one of the girls." He got to his feet. "I don't suppose I can kiss you now, knowing we'll marry in two days?"

  Sarah Jane tilted her head to one side, studying him for a moment before she nodded. "Yes, I think that would be all right." If he, a pastor, didn't see a problem with sealing their engagement with a kiss, then why should she?

  She got to her feet and waited as he walked to her, his hands cupping her cheeks. She tilted her face up to his, waiting as he slowly lowered his head to brush his lips across hers. Her heartbeat sped up, and she wanted to lose herself in his arms. Instead, she took a step back. "You promised Cletus."

  Micah nodded. "I like kissing you a great deal, Miss Jefferson."

  Sarah Jane smiled. "I think I like it just as much, Pastor Barton."

  He leaned down and kissed her one last time before he turned toward the front door. "Let Edna Petunia know I'm coming for lunch again. I've eaten more meals here than I have in all the other homes of the congregation put together."

  "I'll make sure you want to eat at home as soon as we're married."

  "I can't wait."

  * * *

  Micah had his talk with Cletus as Sarah Jane helped Edna Petunia in the kitchen after church on Sunday.

  "I want to marry Sarah Jane," he announced as soon as he had the old man's attention.

  "You do now? Are you going to be engaged for a decent amount of time? Or am I going to have to put up with my wife complaining about never getting to plan a wedding?"

  Micah grinned. "I was hoping we could take one of the orphans into Austin tomorrow and just get it done."

  Cletus groaned, running his hand through his hair. "Of course you want to just do it. You don't have to live with the old bat."

  Micah coughed to hide a laugh at the man's description of his wife. "Old bat?"

  "She turns into a crazy woman every time one of the girls marries without warning. I swear, I'm going to have to go live in the woods for a week." Cletus shook his head. "You're really making life hard for me, you know."

  "I'm very sorry it makes your life hard, Mr. Sanders, but I really do want to marry her. Tomorrow." Micah wasn't feeling the least bit guilty for dragging Sarah Jane off so suddenly, though. He knew Cletus could deal with his wife.

  "Fine. Marry her tomorrow. I'll deal with the cantankerous old bat."

  Micah smiled, sincerely hoping that he and Sarah Jane's relationship would never get to the point where he called her a cantankerous old bat. He had a great deal of respect for her now. He hoped it would always be that way.

  * * *

  Katie rode with Micah and Sarah when they went to tell Chrissy what they'd decided to do. As soon as Chrissy saw Sarah Jane walking toward her, she seemed to know something special was happening. She looked at Micah, studying him carefully, and suddenly, her face lit up. "You were Santa!"

  "I . . . uh . . ."

  Sarah Jane grinned, leaning down to hug the girl. "He was. He's also the town's pastor. And you know what else?"

  Chrissy shook her head. "What?"

  "He's also my fiancé. We're getting married tomorrow."

  "You are?" Chrissy smiled. "Then you can adopt me! Both of you!"

  Micah laughed. "That's right. We want to pick you up in the morning so you can ride into Austin with us. Do you want to watch us get married?"

  Chrissy nodded, her whole face filled with excitement. "Yes! Can I really go?"

  "Absolutely!" Sarah Jane was excited to be able to take the girl. "I need to run in and talk to Mrs. Henderson to let her know I won't be in tomorrow."

  Chrissy shrugged. "I'll wait here with my new daddy."

  Sarah Jane hurried into the house and found Mrs. Henderson up to her elbows in soapy dish water. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, Sarah Jane."

  "I know. I'm just here for a moment. I need to tell you that I won't be in tomorrow."

  "Won't be in? Why ever not? You never miss coming to help me out, Sarah Jane!"

  "I know, and I'm sorry to give you such short notice. I'm getting married tomorrow, and my fiancé and I want to adopt Chrissy."

  "Your fiancé? That young man who's been picking you up all week after you finish here?"

  Sarah Jane nodded. "I wondered if I could take Chrissy with me so we have a chaperone. We're driving into Austin to get married."

  "Why not have the pastor here marry you?" Mrs. Henderson asked, confusion on her face.

  "Because I'm marrying the pastor here."

  "Oh! I never got a good look at the young man who was picking you up. That's wonderful, Sarah Jane. I can certainly manage for a day or two without you."

  "Thank you. Why don't you plan on me missing Tuesday as well, so if I come in, it will be a pleasant surprise?"

  "That works for me. Do you want to take Chrissy with you now? You could make an earlier start that way."

  Sarah Jane nodded. "I think she'll enjoy all the other girls as well. Let me run upstairs and get her things."

  Sarah Jane went upstairs and carefully folded both of Chrissy's dresses and her nightgown. Her new doll had been placed with her head on Chrissy's pillow. Obviously, the doll had been more important than Chrissy had let on.

  Sarah Jane carried the things down the stairs and out into the yard, where Micah and Chrissy were both waiting for her. "If you don't mind, would you give Chrissy a ride to my house as well? She's going to spend the night to make it easier for us to leave early tomorrow."

  Micah smiled. "I'd be happy to!" He helped Sarah Jane into the buggy and then lifted Chrissy up to her. She settled Chrissy on her lap while Micah helped Katie.

  Chrissy talked excitedly as they made the familiar drive out to the house. Edna Petunia came rushing out and took Chrissy into her arms. "A new granddaughter. How did God know I needed you?"

  Chrissy gave Sarah Jane a helpless look as she was carried into the house.

  Sarah Jane laughed at Micah. "I think those two are going to get along just fine."

  Katie giggled. "Edna Petunia is going to ruin her."

  Micah looked between the two giggling girls. "How will she ruin her?"

  "At this very moment, I would be willing to bet that Chrissy is standing on a chair in the kitchen, wearing Sarah Jane's apron, and helping bake a cake. She'll be allowed to lick the spoon, and she'll feel like she's a princess before Edna Petunia's done with her."

  Micah smiled. "As long as she's learning important skills, like how to bake, I'm happy."

  Sarah Jane rolled her eyes. "You need both of us baking you cakes? Have you already gone through those cookies I gave you last night?"

  "I ate them all before bed. They were delicious!"

  "Cooking for this man is going to require all my energy. Poor Chrissy is going to have to go back to the orphanage to get some love."

  Katie just giggled again before waving goodbye to Micah and going into the house.

  Micah grinned at the smile on Sarah Jane's face. He'd never seen her as happy as she'd been since they'd talked about getting married and adopting Chrissy. "I'll be here at sunup. I'd like to make the whole trip in one day so we can sleep at my house tomorrow. It's three hours each way."

  Sarah Jane nodded. "I'll be sure to pack enough food to make it through the day. Maybe you could come into the house for breakfast before we go, but I'll pack a picnic basket full for the rest of the day."

  Micah nodded, smiling. "I'd like that. I'll be here early." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'm so glad I'm allowed to do that now."

  Sarah Jane blushed. "I am too."

  Micah got into his buggy, and she stood watching him go. At the last minute, he turned and waved, a smile lighting up his face.

  Sarah Jane didn't know why he'd done that, but she didn't waste time thinking about it. She hurried into the house. "I need to borrow Mrs. Hayes's wedding dress," she told Edna Petunia. "I asked her about it at church this morning."

  "Tino brought it by while you were out fe
tching my granddaughter. It's lying on your bed, all pressed and ready for you."

  "Oh, thank you, Edna Petunia. I'll go and try it on, just in case Penny needs to fit it to me. It should be really close, though. I'm the same size Ruby was before the babies started coming."

  Sarah Jane smiled at Chrissy, who seemed content to help stir the cake batter. Katie had known what was happening for certain. Edna Petunia didn't stray from her ways.

  She hurried up the stairs and undressed quickly, pulling the dress over her head. It fit perfectly. Ruby had been a tad bit taller than her, so the dress needed to be hemmed, but other than that, it was just right. Penny could fix it in a moment, and then Sarah Jane would be ready for her wedding. She couldn't wait.

  She hurried out into the hall, calling for Penny to come help her. Penny had been apprised of the situation, and she would know exactly what Sarah Jane needed.

  Penny stepped into the hall and smiled. "You look beautiful in that dress!" She looked Sarah Jane over from head to toe, walking in a slow circle around her. "We need to hem it, but everything else looks perfect."

  Sarah Jane nodded. "I came to the same conclusion."

  "Come into my room with me. I'll pin it, and then you can take it off. I'll have it ready before morning."

  "Thank you so much for working quickly to make it happen. Micah is determined to marry tomorrow."

  Penny grinned. "Of course he is. He has eyes, doesn't he? You're the prettiest girl in Nowhere."

  Sarah Jane started to get her back up, hating that people saw her as nothing more than a pretty face. There was so much more to her than that. She realized that Penny was complimenting her, and forced herself to relax. "I hope he sees more than that, but we'll find out."

  "So are you leaving first thing?"

  "Yes. Chrissy is in the kitchen helping Edna Petunia bake."

  "Of course she is! I'm sure Edna Petunia is walking on air to get another bastard child to love. And now a bastard grandchild!"

  Sarah Jane grinned. "I don't know what it is with that woman and bastards. Too bad we're all planning to marry before having children. I bet she'd like more!"

  Penny laughed. "She'd fill the town of Nowhere with bastards if we let her."

  "We're not going to let her, though, are we?"

  "How is anyone going to stop that crazy old woman from doing anything?"

  "She changed our lives. She gave us love, a nice home, and enough money to do what we needed to do for the first time in our lives. I may not approve of everything she does, but I admire her and love her." Sarah Jane was worried it would seem like she was insulting Edna Petunia, and she wanted it made clear that she had a great deal of respect for her.

  "Oh, of course! I feel the same."

  As soon as the dress had been pinned, Sarah Jane slipped back into the dress she'd worn all day and went downstairs to see how Chrissy and Edna Petunia were getting on. She found them in the kitchen together, mixing frosting while they waited for the cake to finish baking.

  "I'm glad I'm going to get a new mama and daddy," Chrissy told Edna Petunia.

  "I am too. Every little girl deserves a special mama and daddy like Sarah Jane and Micah."

  "Do you think it will be okay if I call them Mama and Daddy right away? Or should I wait a while?"

  Edna Petunia tilted her head to one side, as if she was giving the matter a great deal of thought. "I think that would make them right proud. I can't imagine having a little girl as special as you for my own."

  "But you have Sarah Jane as your little girl, and she's very special. She's my new mama!"

  "Yes, she is. You're right. You know, Sarah Jane was an orphan too. She came to live with me just three years ago. I was so happy to get her and the other girls. I'm an old woman, much too old to have babies of my own."

  Chrissy nodded, her face serious. "Very old and wrinkled too."

  "Yes, very old. So I wanted to have daughters, but I knew I was too old to have them, so I decided to adopt one or two children. And the next thing I knew, God brought me fifteen beautiful orphan girls, and put them on my church lawn. They had nowhere to go, so I didn't just get two girls. I got fifteen!"

  "Wow! Did you want fifteen?" Chrissy asked.

  "I wanted a million. God sure did know what He was doing when He sent those girls to me. Just like He knew what He was doing when He sent you to the orphanage here for Sarah Jane to find you."

  "He did know. And my new daddy is just as special. God knew what I needed."

  Edna Petunia held the bowl they'd been mixing the frosting in lower so Chrissy could dip her finger in and have a taste. "What do you think?"

  "It's good! We're good cooks!"

  "We are." Edna Petunia spotted Sarah Jane. "We decided if you're going to be driving all day on your wedding day, you should at least have some wedding cake to take with you."

  Sarah Jane smiled. "And you made my favorite!"

  "It's good, Mama!"

  Sarah Jane hugged Chrissy tightly. "I'm sure it is! I can't wait to have some." She looked at Edna Petunia. "Do you need your kitchen helper to frost the cake? Or can I take her away and give her a bath? I need her clean for my wedding day!"

  "Well, I need her, but I suppose you can take her off for a little bit. I'll wait to frost the cake until she's done with her bath and ready to help." Edna Petunia put down the mixing bowl. "While you two are taking care of that bath, I'll make you some fried chicken for the road tomorrow. We can't have all of you fainting from hunger. You might never make it to Austin!"

  Sarah Jane took Chrissy's hand and led her up the stairs. She wasn't certain how much help the girl would need, so she got her water ready for her. "I'll go get your nightgown. Can you wash your hair by yourself?"

  Chrissy nodded. "I'm good at washing my hair. I'll hurry."

  By the time the girl had bathed and washed her hair, Sarah Jane had brought her nightgown back. "You're going to sleep in my room with me tonight. Would you like that?"

  Chrissy smiled. "I would love that! Is Daddy coming over tonight to eat supper with us?"

  "No, not tonight. Starting tomorrow, the three of us will eat all our meals together, though, because we'll be a family."

  Chrissy threw her arms around Sarah Jane. "A family is the only thing I've ever wanted."

  Chapter Five

  True to his word, Micah was there early the next morning for breakfast with Sarah Jane, Chrissy, and the whole family. Sarah Jane and Edna Petunia had made pancakes and bacon for everyone, and they had just finished as the knock came at the front door.

  Chrissy squealed when she heard it, calling out, "That's my daddy, so I'll get it!" She ran through the house in her nicest dress, which really needed to be replaced, and wrenched the door open. "Daddy! You're here!"

  Micah smiled, bending down and picking up the little girl, hugging her tightly. "How'd you sleep?"

  "Mama let me sleep with her, and I slept great!" Chrissy clung to his neck, obviously very happy to be in Micah's arms.

  "She did, did she?" Micah's eyes met Sarah Jane's over the top of Chrissy's head, and Sarah Jane blushed.

  "I'm one of the few here with my own room here, so it made sense for her to share with me." Sarah Jane didn't want him to think that she'd done anything special. She'd been taught from a young age that you don't brag about the good things you do. "Breakfast is ready. We were just waiting on you."

  "Oh! I thought I was here in plenty of time. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting."

  "You didn't. We just finished a minute or two ago. Go on into the dining room, and Edna Petunia and I will get the food on the table. Do you drink coffee?"

  "Only when I want to be able to act human throughout the day."

  "One cup of coffee coming right up!" Sarah Jane said, hurrying to the kitchen. She wasn't a coffee drinker herself, but she loved the smell. She had no desire to get used to the bitter taste.

  Micah grinned as he watched her rush into the kitchen. She was going to be a good wife to him. H
e could tell just by observing her with her family. He carried Chrissy into the dining room, put her on a chair, and sat down on one side of her. He knew that Sarah Jane would take the other side.

  After breakfast, he took the picnic basket she and Edna Petunia had packed while she removed her apron, carefully folding it and putting it into the basket. She would need it later. She picked up her two carpet bags that held everything she owned, and he took the bag with Chrissy's few things in it. Sarah Jane hugged Edna Petunia. "Thanks for your help getting everything ready."

  "I'm happy to help. I'd be happier if you'd waited a month or two to marry, but I really do understand why you couldn't." Edna Petunia gave Chrissy a peppermint stick. "Come back this way tonight if you're hungry. I'll make enough for all of us."

  Sarah Jane nodded. She had no idea how long it would take to get to Austin, let alone how long it would take to find a preacher to marry them. "We will if we have time."

  Micah's eyes were full of laughter as he thanked Edna Petunia for the food. "We sure appreciate you being willing to feed us today. It's going to be a long day."

  Edna Petunia nodded. "It's what? A three-hour drive to Austin?"

  Micah shrugged. "Close to that. I figure we'll get there around ten or eleven, find a preacher, and have lunch outside town on the way back."

  "Just make sure you keep my girls warm. Do you have enough quilts? I can send a couple more!"

  "We'll be fine. I'll keep them safe and warm. You have no reason to worry, Mrs. Sanders."

  Edna Petunia made a face. "You're going to be my son in a few hours. Might be time for you to call me Edna Petunia. Everyone else does."

  Micah just nodded. "We'll be back soon."

  He headed out to the buggy and helped Sarah Jane up before handing her Chrissy, who moved to sit in the middle of the seat.

  Sarah Jane put her arm around Chrissy and made sure the lap quilt was tucked in well around her. Once Micah was seated, she gave him the other side to tuck around him. The day wasn't nearly as cold as a winter day in New York, but it was too chilly to be in the open wind.