Ethan wrapped his arms around her. “Very good,” he said and kissed the top of her head.
“Then why don’t we go now? All the reporters left after Ethan warned them of bears and wolves.”
Ethan shook his head. “But then a real wolf howled close by. We need to wait for sunrise.”
Colby burst into laughter. “That was me howling from the back door.”
Joshua laughed as well. “He’s good, too. Even the real wolves respond to his call.”
***
By four a.m., the bus was loaded with sleeping boys and babies, and Ethan took the wheel. They reached Fayetteville by five and had the bus hidden in the Hodgkins’ garage and the kids inside before sunrise.
“I sure do appreciate this,” Sara said for the fifteenth time as she helped Donna prepare breakfast.
“Honey, if you’d run off and gotten married without asking me and Harry to attend, I’d have turned into Godzilla and eaten Harry’s head off.” She ruffled Harry’s tousled bed hair. “And while he’s a fright to look at this morning, I’m rather fond of his head.”
Harry snorted. “That’s not the head you usually admire.”
She stopped tousling and slapped him hard. “Hush. Sara don’t need to hear such.”
Harry rubbed his head. “I’ll bet you ten bucks Sara didn’t understand me.”
Donna considered that. “Probably right.” She kissed his battered head and continued cooking.
Harry frowned at the mass of children sitting around the kitchen floor. “You sure Ethan went to find a preacher and just didn’t run off?”
Instantly, fear ran through the younger children, four of them bursting into tears.
Sara abandoned the food and grabbed Elijah who screamed the loudest. “Harry was teasing.” She dumped her crying boy into Harry’s lap. “Tell him you were teasing.”
All the crying babies paused in their screams to hear Harry’s response. Harry playfully roughed up Elijah’s hair. “I was just kidding around. You know me. I promise you; Ethan wouldn’t leave because of you kids. He loves you boys.”
Elijah frowned and looked like he might continue crying. Instead, he struck Harry on his giant hand. “Not funny!”
Harry chuckled and handed the boy to Sara. “Maybe I should just go out for breakfast.”
Donna put a plate of eggs and bacon before him. “Maybe you should just eat and be quiet.”
“You planning to feed the troops anytime soon?” Harry asked, “because they’re eyeing me like a side of beef.”
Sara, with the help of her older boys, soon had plates of food passed out to the children sitting on tablecloths stretched about the kitchen floor.
“Sorry we don’t have a bigger table,” Donna said as she sat down beside Harry.
Sara waved off her concern. “They think eating on the floor is an adventure. Don’t worry about them.”
***
They had just finished breakfast and the older boys were clearing up plates when Joshua whispered in his mother’s ear that Ethan was back. Within ten seconds, the kitchen emptied of boys, leaving behind a disaster.
Sara looked at the tipped plates, spilt milk, and food tracks left behind in horror.
Donna laughed. “Don’t worry about this. Go see to your fellow.”
Sara hurried into the living room. Ethan was introducing two men to the boys. One of the men was holding a bible.
“And this must be your beautiful bride,” the man with the bible said.
Ethan looked up with pure love shining in his eyes. “That she is.”
The boys parted so the preacher could make his way to Sara. “I’m Reverend Miller. We’ll do God’s ceremony today, but you’ll still need to file papers with the city to make the wedding legal.”
Ethan then introduced her to Darren Whitaker. “Darren is an old friend and mentor. I wanted him to be here on this special occasion.”
Sara shook his hand. “So glad to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Sara.”
Sara tilted her head. “How else would you meet someone?”
Darren laughed. “Ethan’s writing makes the reader feel as if they already know you.”
Sara noticed the tension in Ethan’s face. “Did you write a story about me?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. It wasn’t for general publication. I just let Darren read it.”
“Well, it should be for general publication,” Darren said. “Ethan has a gift for writing. And you and your boys are the inspirations he has needed to set his talent on fire. I would love to see his works published.”
“Darren…” Ethan shook his head.
“I’m sorry if I misspoke,” Darren said and stepped back.
Sara grabbed Ethan’s hand. “May I read what you’ve written?”
“Of course. When we get home, I’ll let you read it all.” He pulled her into his arms. “Sara, I promise you, I have no intention of publishing. I wrote those out of love, nothing else.”
“If the couple is ready, we should begin,” Reverend Miller said.
Donna handed Sara a bouquet of bright orange and yellow zinnias from her vegetable garden. “Okay if I’m your bridesmaid?”
Sara laughed. “Sure.”
Taking Ethan’s hand, she faced the preacher. Her boys stood behind them. Several of the little ones complained they couldn’t see. “Just one moment,” she said to the preacher. She turned to her boys. “Big boys in back, holding the little ones. Medium boys in front.”
Within less than a minute, she could see all her boys’ faces, which meant they could see her. She knew they were as excited about getting a father as she was about getting a husband and friend for life. She turned around and faced the preacher. “Ready.”
Sara liked Reverend Miller’s sermon for two reasons. First, it was short, which saved her the embarrassment of having one of the little ones scold him to hurry it up. Second, the words harlot and seductress were never mentioned once.
Upon the pronouncement of man and wife, Ethan kissed her. She had never kissed a man before and certainly not the way Ethan kissed. The tingling sensations tantalized her body. She had no idea how hungry a kiss could make her.
Before she could make sense of the sensation, they were swamped by her happy boys.
After shaking the hands of her eldest two and hugging the other boys, Ethan knelt to face Little Tom who was bouncing with impatience as he held up his hand.
“Do you have a question, Tom?”
The now six-year-old sighed in relief. “Can we go home now?” He leaned in and whispered in Ethan’s ear. “I’m getting closet phobia.” Several of the younger boys nodded in agreement.
Ethan forced himself not to laugh. “I think you mean claustrophobia.”
Tom frowned and looked at Oscar. “What do I have?”
Oscar hurried to him. “Claustrophobia.” He looked at Ethan. “The younger boys aren’t comfortable being around so many people that don’t look like them.” The boy grimaced. “I know that’s not exactly claustrophobia, but it’s the best I could come up with.”
“Xenophobia might be more appropriate. That’s the fear of strangers.”
Oscar looked at Tom. “You have Xenophobia.”
Tom frowned as he heard the new word and looked at Ethan. “Can we just go home?”
Ethan stroked his head. “Not yet. First, Sara and I have to get our marriage registered, then go have our honeymoon.”
Tom’s forehead crinkled in worry. “Without us?”
“Yes, but we’ll be back before dark.”
All the younger boys grouped around Tom and whispered in his ear. He nodded and looked at Ethan. “Can’t we come? We promise to be real quiet.”
Joshua heard their request and knelt down. “They can’t have a honeymoon if you guys are there. But don’t worry. Colby and I will be here.” Oscar added another thought. “And these extra people will leave.”
Tom sighed and looked mournfully at Ethan. “Can w
e really not come?”
“’Fraid not, but we’ll retrieve you guys before nightfall.”
Tom’s chest heaved up and down with a deep sigh. He looked at the other boys and then nodded. “Okay, but I don’t think we’ll have any fun until you come back.”
Sara turned from her conversation with the preacher and knelt beside her boys. “I bet you will. Donna’s planning to make you cotton candy.”
Tom tilted his head. “What’s that?”
She laughed and looked to Ethan for help.
“It’s a strange and wonderful type of sweet candy.”
Tom still frowned. “What’s candy?”
Ethan ruffled his hair and stood up. “Something you’ll really like.” He turned to Sara. “Ready?”
She hugged and kissed her boys and they hurried to the rented car waiting outside.
***
Sara stared out the French doors onto the lake. “This is the prettiest place in the whole world.”
Ethan could hear the tinge of sadness in her voice. He wrapped his arms around her. “But you miss your boys.”
She nodded.
“Me, too. But we need some time alone to become man and wife.”
“Didn’t we already do that?” Sara asked in confusion.
“I was talking about something else,” he said and gently stroked her cheek.
She waited for him to explain.
Finally, he realized Sara hadn’t a clue. But Valentine’s night, she had tried to lead him to her bedroom.
“Sara, do you know what a husband and wife do in bed?”
“Of course,” she laughed. “Sleep.”
He pulled her into his arms. The night she tried to entice him to her bed, she had only meant to sleep next to him. She might have seventeen babies, but she’d never once had sex. He took her hand. “There’s a little more to it than that.”
Her eyes widened as she stared up at him expectantly.
Kissing the tip of her nose,” he said, “I think this will go better if I show you rather than tell you.”
She happily followed him to the bedroom. However, when he tried to pull her onto the bed, she stopped him. “Ethan, I’m not tired.”
“Good, because making love requires lots of energy.”
Ethan pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She responded with the same intensity as she had during their wedding kiss. He had not been prepared for such stimulation then, but now he was. Once her breathing turned ragged and heavy, he eased her down onto the bed and gently removed her clothes.
“I feel so strange,” she gasped as his tongue flickered over her nipple.
“You want me to stop?”
“Never!” she moaned.
While Sara might not know what she desired, she trusted him to provide it. Her sweet pleas were too enticing to ignore, and in one swift move, he drove himself deep inside her moist, welcoming body. She experienced no pain, since her hymen would have been torn during the birth of Joshua seventeen years before.
As his pace increased, he felt her body tightening and she cried out in rapture. Never had he known anything half so sweet in all his life. His body responded to hers and they climaxed in unison. She was his. This sweet and perfect angel was his. Without question, he was the luckiest man on earth.
When she woke from her blissful sleep, she was more than willing to honeymoon again. And again.
At five, he reminded her that they had promised the boys they would be home before dark.
“Can we not do this every night in our bed?” she pleaded.
He laughed and pulled her to him. “We can do this as often as you like. All we need to do is remember to lock our bedroom door.”
Chapter 19
Early the next morning, the newlyweds and their seventeen boys returned to the lake house, where they remained until their marriage was officially registered by the state of Arkansas. While most newlyweds didn’t have to worry about the lapsed time between filing to marry and actually having it registered officially, Ethan was taking no chances.
Besides, this was the first vacation the boys had ever experienced, and they thought it very fine. To thank Darren for the use of such a beautiful house, they cut his lawn, chopped enough wood for five winters, and left the house scrubbed and cleaned.
Thus, they were in grand moods when they arrived home. However, they had barely entered the house when all four of the Briarville police cars arrived along with Mrs. Delfin’s SUV.
“You boys stay inside.” Ethan reached for Sara’s hand. “Your mom and I will handle this.”
“They aren’t going to steal us, are they?” Oscar asked.
“No way. You’ve got two parents now. Mrs. Delfin is pissing in the wind.”
Tom laughed. “She’s going to get all wet and stinky then…I know.”
Ethan laughed at his son’s remark and led Sara outside, closing the door behind them.
Mrs. Delfin stepped out of her vehicle, looking high and mighty. Ethan returned the righteous old biddy’s smile as she stormed forward and glared at Sara. “I was beginning to think you’d run off with your boys.”
Ethan secured his beloved wife to his side. “Is there something we can do for you, Mrs. Delfin?
Mrs. Delfin’s evil glare turned to him. “I’m here to take the children and the police are here to ensure they come.” She glanced at the bus. “We’ll just take them in the bus. Sara won’t need it with the boys gone.”
She tried to shove her way inside the house, but Ethan and Sara refused to budge.
Ethan controlled his anger, since the police looked all too willing to shoot. “You have no legal right to take the boys anywhere.”
Mrs. Delfin planted her hands on her plump hips. “This isn’t any of your business, Mr. Long. Your little game of playing the tutor is over. We all know you’re a reporter now. So we gotta move these boys to responsible homes where they’ll get the education they need.”
“My sons aren’t going anywhere, Mrs. Delfin,” Ethan said. “And don’t get me started about the sorry education they received when placed in your local school.”
“Your sons? Are you now claiming to have fathered all these boys? Do you have papers for that as well?”
“In fact, I do. It’s called a marriage license, and you’ll find it recorded in the state registry. Sara and I were married this Monday, and we’ve just come back from our honeymoon.” Sara held out her hand so the woman could see her ring.
Mrs. Delfin stammered in shock and outrage. “That’s not possible. I would have heard if you had filed for a marriage certificate.”
“We filed in Fayetteville. We find that city much friendlier than Briarville,” Ethan said.
“That’s only because they don’t know who she is.” Mrs. Delfin nodded to Sara and then returned her glare upon Ethan. “Why would you marry such a harlot? My God, man, have you no shame?”
“To your dubious standards, evidently not, but I do have a temper, and you are pissing me off. So unless you are off our property in five minutes, I’m filing trespassing charges against you.” He then glared at the police. “And I’ll file these charges in Fayetteville, which is my right, given that I’m not in Briarville’s city limits.”
Mrs. Delfin glared at the chief of police. “Carl, do something!”
Carl scratched his head. “We’re gonna have to call Fayetteville and see about that certificate first. There’s a few of the reporters still in Briarville. We don’t need a wrongful arrest. It’ll be all over the papers.”
Mrs. Delfin returned her glare to Ethan. “I’m going to check on that marriage certificate, and if you’re lying, I’ll be back for these boys.”
Ethan gave her a fake smile. “Hopefully, that means we never have to meet again.”
Once Mrs. Delfin and the police left, the boys cheered and came outside to celebrate, hopping about like popcorn.
Chapter 20
As promised, Ethan let Sara read everything he’d written about them. It took her over
a month to finish all the stories. He saved hers for last.
When Sara finished her story, she sighed. “This is the finest thing I’ve ever read. You should publish them.”
Her reply surprised him. Darren had been hounding him to do just that. He had even shown some of the vignettes to publishers. “I did not write these for money.”
Sara cuddled against him. “I know that. Your writing is full of love, Ethan.” She lightly covered his chest with gentle kisses. “No one could write so pretty except from the heart.”
He stroked her long blonde tresses. Of course, she would know this came from his heart. Darren had insisted as much.
A month ago, the possibility of publishing this book had not seemed feasible. He had written it while employed with the paper. Legally, they could have claimed rights to his work, except Jacobs had backdated his firing to the day he’d left for his assignment. It hurt returning four months of pay, but honestly, Ethan didn’t feel he had earned that pay, so he never contested Jacobs’s slight of hand.
Hell, he could hardly be vengeful against the man who inadvertently sent him to discover his wife and sons.
Sara’s hand caressed his chest. “I would like people to read this. Then maybe they wouldn’t be so mean to me and our boys.” She sat up and met his gaze. “If your words cannot move them, then their hearts have turned to stone.”
Ethan fingered her hair as he considered the matter. If he accepted the publishing offer he’d received, they could move to a house closer to his job at the University.
“If the boys agree, then I’ll publish it.”
***
The room was entirely silent as the boys read the vignettes about themselves. The younger boys needed help, and Ethan and Sara read aloud to those not yet in school.
They were all quiet while Sean struggled through his story. To pass the time, most of the elder boys had switched out vignettes and read each other’s. But all stopped reading and returned the papers when Sean finished his story.
“Well?” Sara asked. “May Ethan publish these stories so other people can discover what wonderful boys I have?”
Oscar tilted his head. “How do you know other boys aren’t just like us?”
Luck Be an Angel Page 10