by Jamie Begley
“Four. So, she’s my age?”
“Yes. She likes playing with her doll, as well, but she gets sad sometimes.”
“Why?”
“Because she doesn’t have any other girls to play with. She has a lot of brothers, but I don’t have any other girls. I was hoping you could help me out with that.”
“How many boys do you have?”
“So far, seven.”
Evangeline gaped at him. “Are they dwarves?”
Freddy laughed as he sat down on the carpet. “Only Ezra, but he’s only one.”
“Aw … he’s a baby?”
“Yes. Leah tries to use him as her doll, but she gives him back when he cries.”
“You let her hold him?”
“Of course, she’s his sister. Leah is very careful with him.”
“She sounds nice,” she said begrudgingly.
“I think so, but I’m a little partial because she’s mine. May I?” Freddy pointed to the badge that was barely hanging onto Molly’s dress.
Waiting until she reluctantly nodded, he then reached out and straightened Molly’s badge. “There you go.”
“Thank you.” Evangeline swallowed the lump in her throat.
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you going to make me go live with you?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the doll.
Freddy wiped the tear away that was sliding down her cheek. “Only if you want to. I could use another girl to spoil. Your new brothers are excited to meet you. The oldest two are making cookies. I hope you like cookies.”
“What flavor are they?”
“Chocolate chip.”
“I like peanut butter.”
“I reckon we can smear a dab of peanut butter on yours.”
“Does Leah like to play outside?”
“As a matter of fact, she does. Do you?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted shakily. “I want to stay with Will.” Unable to hold back her tears anymore, she started crying.
Molly fell to the floor when Freddy picked her up and settled her on his lap.
“Don’t you want me to be your new papa?”
“I want Will to be my papa!” she howled into her hands.
“I reckon we can work that out.”
Evangeline stopped crying. Spreading her fingers wide, she lifted her lashes to see the smiling older man.
“How about Monday through Saturday, you can be my little girl, and Sunday, he can be your papa? Will that make you stop crying?”
She had to think it over. She would have seven brothers, a new sister, and two new papas.
The men stayed silent while she sat on Freddy’s lap.
“Can I hold the baby?”
“If you promise to be careful and not drop him.”
“I’ll be very careful.”
“Then I reckon you can. Of course, we only let family hold Ezra. Everyone is overprotective of him, so we can’t tell them that Will is also your papa. We’ll have to keep that a secret just between you, me, and Will.”
“I can do that. I’m good at keeping secrets.”
“That’s good to know. Of course, that means you’re going to have to be a Coleman to be real family. How does Ginny Coleman sound to you?”
“I can hold the baby?” she checked.
“As much as you want,” her new papa agreed.
“Then I like Ginny Coleman.”
“Then I guess we need to get your stuff and hit the road.”
Freddy sat her down on the floor before standing up and holding his hand out for her. Taking his hand, she got to her feet, then ran to the room that Will had given her to get the suitcase he had packed for her this morning.
Wheeling the Barbie suitcase through the bedroom door, she heard Freddy and Will talking.
“You better make damn sure those charges against me are dropped.”
“I told you I would. You just worry about your end of the bargain. If she’s not happy and taken good care of, I’ll make sure what’s left of you will spend the next twenty-five years in the federal penitentiary.”
“I swore I’d treat her as my own, and I meant it. I ain’t going to tolerate you breathing over my shoulder. When she walks out that door, she’s going to be a Coleman, and you’re not going to have any more say over Ginny than you do my other youngin’s.”
Will looked like he wanted to argue with Freddy, but instead he went into the kitchen and came back with a grocery bag.
“Use this for your toys,” he said, giving her the bag.
Evangeline took it but didn’t bag her toys; she wrapped her arms around Will’s legs and buried her face in his trousers. “What is today?”
“Thursday.”
Looking up, she saw the sadness in the eyes staring down at her. “How many days until Sunday?”
“Three.”
“That’s not too bad, is it?”
“No, it’s not too bad at all. Sunday will be here before we know it.” Will bent down to pick her up and held her tightly to his chest before giving her enough room to breathe. “Freddy will bring you to church, and I’ll see you there. Your new papa and I will take you out to breakfast after the service.”
“I ain’t letting a youngin’ of mine near that kook. I take the kids to the park after I give them their Sunday school lesson. I ain’t letting that kook teach my kids about the Good Book when he doesn’t practice what he preaches.”
“And you do?” Will said skeptically.
“I do a hell lot better at it than Saul Cornett does, and that’s a damn fact.”
“The park works for me,” Will agreed.
“Fine with me.”
She slowly gathered her toys, feeling her papas watching her. When she had nothing left to pick up, she hefted the bag up into her arms.
Freddy took the bag in one hand and picked her up with his other, her bottom resting on his strong arm with her legs dangling down. “Don’t look so sad. I reckon, if you get to missing the sheriff too bad before Sunday, I can bring you to town to get a quick hug.”
Evangeline gave her new papa a bright smile.
Giving her a funny face, he pretended to drop her before gathering her back up high on his arm. “You just better remember I’m your real pa, or I’ll get jealous.”
Giggling, Evangeline reached out to give Will a hug. “I love you.”
Will hugged her back. “I love you, too, little lady.”
“Got to be going. Sonia’s going to tear a stripe off my hide if I make her miss her hair appointment. See you Sunday, Will.”
Evangeline waved to Will as her new papa started to carry her through the door.
“Just a second, Freddy.”
Her smile dropped when Will put his hand out.
“Give it back, Ginny.”
“But I want it. Mine isn’t shiny like yours.”
“I ordered you a shiny one. When it comes in the mail, you can have it.”
“I’ll give yours back when you give me my new one.”
“I’ll give you a piece of candy.”
Evangeline patted the bulging pocket on her pink overall. “No.”
He stared at her bulging pocket suspiciously before he put his hand in his pocket, taking out two pieces of candy. They were both green.
“Call Sonia,” Will told her new papa. “You’re going to be late.”
“Why? That woman bitches a blue steak when I’m late.”
“I want to show Ginny where I work.”
Chapter Five
Evangeline leaned forward in the car seat as the car bounced over the rutted road that her new papa was driving over. The trees were so big that the car’s roof stopped her from seeing the top.
A sudden cry had her turning back to the infant car seat that was placed in the middle of the back seat.
“Leah, put the paci back in Ezra’s mouth.”
She watched enviously as the pretty little girl sitting in another car seat like hers expertly put the paci in the crying baby
’s mouth.
“If he spits it out again, I’ll let you do it if you want to.”
Evangeline nodded, watching the baby intently, hoping he would spit it again. When he didn’t, she looked up to see the brown-haired girl staring at her curiously.
Reaching into her bib pocket, she took out a handful of candy to show her. “You want a piece?”
Leah’s eyes widened in wonder. “Your mama let you have all that candy?”
“You don’t worry about where she got that candy from,” Freddy barked out from the front seat.
Both girls jumped, startled. Evangeline nearly dropped the candy, frightened she had done something wrong.
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to raise my voice. You can share the candy.”
Slowly, afraid to make her new papa angry again, Evangeline held the candy out for Leah to choose from.
“Don’t be scared. Papa likes to yell a lot. You’ll get used to it.” Taking a candy, Leah gave her a sympathetic glance.
Darting an apprehensive gaze at the front seat, she opened a piece of her candy before putting the rest back in her pocket.
“Mama doesn’t let us have candy. She says it makes me hyper and will rot my teeth out.”
“What’s hyper?” Evangeline asked curiously.
Leah shrugged. “I don’t know, but she says it does.”
“Will it make me hyper?” Opening her mouth, she showed her new sister her teeth. “Are my teeth rotted?”
“They look fine to me.” She shrugged again as she strained in the car seat to get a better look at her teeth. “If you’re worried about it, I can eat the rest of the candy for you.”
“Behave, Leah. It’s her candy. Her teeth are fine.”
They both started giggling when the car went over another rut, sending her new papa bouncing up and down. The bobbing motion must have jarred the paci out the baby’s mouth. Hesitantly, she reached out to put it back in, looking at Leah to make sure it was allowed.
At the encouraging nod, Evangeline gently slipped the paci back in Ezra’s screaming mouth. Then she smiled proudly at Leah, who smiled back.
When the car came to a stop, she tried to look over the front seat to see where they were but could only manage to see the dashboard.
“We’re here!” Leah shouted excitedly.
Evangeline nervously sucked on her candy as her new papa got out of the car.
“Silas, Isaac, Jacob! Get your asses out here!”
She jumped at the shout as he slammed the door closed.
“I told you he does that a lot. You’ll get used to it.”
Evangeline patted the bib pocket, wanting to call her other papa to come get her. The shouting scared her. Before she could reach for her shiny phone, both back doors were opened and unfamiliar faces bent down to look in the back seat.
“She’s a puny little thing, isn’t she?” the lanky teenager remarked critically, hunkering down to unfasten the seatbelt on her car seat.
“You sure she’s a Coleman?”
She jerked her head to the other male teenager who was unfastening Leah’s. Both boys made her feel as if there were something wrong with her.
She firmed her jaw. “I don’t like you.”
The teenager unbuckled the latches of the car seat so that he could take her out, then raised a brow at her.
“Which one?”
Evangeline reached up, tugging the straps back over her shoulders. “You.” Then she pointed to the other one. “And him.”
The boys laughed. Then the first boy slipped her out of the straps despite her tight-fisted grip, and Evangeline was lifted into his arms.
“She’s a Coleman.” Winking, he gave her a friendly smile. “Don’t worry; we’ll fatten you up.”
“Silas, don’t scare her off before she gets inside the house.”
“I’m just teasing her, Pa.”
Evangeline inquisitively looked toward the two-story house that he was bringing her toward.
At the sound of Leah’s giggles, she glanced to the side to see the other teenager carrying her while a smaller version of the boy carrying her was following them, holding the baby carrier.
As Silas went up the steps to the porch, her nose twitched at the aroma filling the air. It was cookies. Her grandmother had made them at Christmas.
Evangeline almost choked on the candy in her mouth when she saw the large group of boys who were waiting inside.
“Aw … she’s so cute.”
“What’s her name?”
“She’s awful skinny, Pa. Is she sick?”
“Hush! Let me introduce her before you start jabbering at her. Jody, take Ezra and change his diaper. I’ve been smelling it for the last two miles.”
“It’s not my turn; it’s Moses’s.”
“I don’t care who changes it, just get it done before I puke up my left kidney.”
“I’ll do it,” Silas offered, placing her down on the floor before taking the baby carrier and leaving the room.
“Line up, you heathens, and I’ll introduce you to your new sister.”
Amazed, Evangeline watched the children form a line in the huge living room. It had a big fireplace that took up a whole wall. Two huge couches sat opposite each other with chairs between them.
Her new papa went to the end of the line, placing a hand on the tallest boy at the end. “This here is Matthew. Isaac will grow on you. Don’t pay no never mind to what he said outside.” He moved to the third one and placed his hand on his head. “This is Jody.” Going down the line, he introduced her to her new brothers one by one. “The handsome one that looks like me is Jacob.
“Moses broke his arm milking the goat. Don’t worry; we’ll wait until you’re older before we give you that chore.” Turning, he took the baby from Silas, who had come back in the room as he was finishing the introductions. “You’ve already met Silas, and stinky butt here is Ezra. Boys this is your new sister, Ginny.”
She turned to look at Leah, who moved to her side. “They’re all your brothers?” she whispered.
“Now they’re all your brothers,” Leah whispered back, taking her hand.
Looking around the room she noticed someone was missing.
“Where’s the momma?”
“We all have different mothers,” Leah explained matter-of-factly. “Except for me and Ezra. “All the boys live with Papa, me and Ezra live with my mama and stay here part of the week.”
“Oh…” It was kind of like her. She had two papas, but they had six different mamas. Did that mean she now had six different mamas?
“Do you want a cookie?” Leah asked.
Nodding, she let herself be tugged through the wide doorway and into another room with a long table with a long bench seat on each side and one chair at the end.
Climbing onto the bench, she reached for a cookie set out on a plate on the table. Leah took a bite of her cookie before she did hers.
“Jody must have made these. He always burns them.” She dropped to her butt, tugging Evangeline down on hers.
About to set it down on the table, Evangeline looked away from Leah to see that the boys had moved to the other side of the table to watch her.
Embarrassed, not knowing what to do, she nervously started to take a bite. Before she could, the cookie was taken out of her hand.
“Don’t eat that. I was about to throw them away when Pa yelled for us to come outside. You and Leah want to help me make some more?”
“You’re the best, Silas. I’ll get the chocolate chips!” Leah screeched, jumping down from the table to go to the room off to the side.
“Fix her something to eat before you make them cookies,” her new papa said, reaching for one of the cookies on the plate.
“What do you like to eat, Ginny?”
Feeling all their eyes on her, waiting for her answer, Ginny suddenly wanted to burst into tears. She wanted to go back to Will’s. She was never going to remember all their names, and as much as she wanted to hold the baby, she didn�
��t want to change his stinky diaper.
“Nothing. I’m not hungry,” she mumbled, crossing her arms on the table and laying her head down. She didn’t want to cry in front of all her new brothers.
Silas sit down next to her on the bench. “I’m a pretty good cook. Do you like grilled cheese?”
“No,” she mumbled, beginning to cry.
“SpaghettiOs?”
“What’s that?” she mumbled, crying harder, bringing her fingers to her bib pocket under the table.
“There has to be something you like.”
Evangeline could think of only one thing she wanted. “I like jelly sauce.”
“Jelly sauce?”
“Make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” her new papa said. “All kids like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
“Is that what you want?” Silas asked softly.
“No.”
“What does it look like?”
“It’s red and in a can.”
“She’s talking about cranberry sauce!”
Evangeline looked up to see that it was Jody who had figured it out. Sniffing, she nodded.
“You want some cranberry sauce?”
She nodded again.
“Will that make you happy?”
Evangeline nodded.
“Then I’ll get you some. I think we have a can left over from Christmas.”
Straightening, she watched as Silas left the room, then came back with a familiar can in one hand and a can opener in the other hand. Sitting back down next to her, he started opening the can.
“She’ll get sick if that’s all she’s going to eat,” Isaac said doubtfully.
Silas gave his brother a stern look before yelling out, “Leah, bring me a spoon!”
The little girl came running back into the room, carrying a spoon and a bag of chocolate chips, then climbed onto the bench.
“Can I have some?” Leah asked as Silas slid the open can in front of Evangeline.
“Yes.” Taking the spoon that Leah handed to her, she waited until Leah came back with another spoon before dipping her spoon into the red jelly. Opening her mouth, she ate the jelly with everyone watching her.
“I like cranberry sauce,” Silas told her. “Except, I like to eat mine on a turkey sandwich.”
Her spoon paused halfway to her mouth. “I do, too.”