Bountiful Harvest Page 15

  Glancing at her watch, she realized she had to get back to the salon. “Give your old lady a kiss because she has hair to tame, cut and color today!”

  “Ah my sassy minx. I love you so much, my Dorrie-girl. So so much” he said, drawing her in and kissing her thoroughly, eliciting a small moan from her when he finally pulled away. Seeing the dazed look in her eyes, he smiled and said “C’mon, I have to take my girl to work, yeah?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  One Week As Frank checked his bike over once again, he thought of the ride they were headed on up the coast. There was a biker rally and his chapter, along with several sister chapters, would be hosting the annual VBS for the kids who came with their parents. His girls were driving the biggest SUV among the three couples, as they had Dorrie’s two boys and Renee’s two kids, which would allow the women to ride with their men. He thought about what he had in his pocket for his girl. It was time. He felt it down to his bones.

  Headed back into the house, he called out “Girls, c’mon now. We need to get going!” and was rewarded with the sound of footsteps bounding down the stairs. “We’ll head over to Dorrie’s and get her stuff loaded up and then we are all headed to the clubhouse to wait for everyone else, okay?”

  “Yeah dad” they both chorused. Shaking his head, he waited for them to get Lily and to head to the SUV before locking up his house. John and Margie had come into town to care for Dorrie’s growing zoo crew, and Lily was going to stay with them. John had already said he would come by and check on the barn cats, but he had set out extra food bowls and water dishes so it wasn’t too inconvenient.

  Reaching Dorrie’s house after his girls, he saw all of them out on the front porch, duffel bags and suitcases stacked and ready to load. Seeing how many there were, he was glad that they also had a small travel trailer that one of the other brothers’ wives was driving. She no longer liked to ride after a bad accident several years prior, so she drove the travel trailer which had the stuff they’d need for the VBS and also hauled the extra luggage folks would need. All-in-all, if memory served, they had five or six SUVs going, loaded down with the brothers’ kids. Sometimes the old ladies were driving, sometimes, the older college-aged kids were. All of the brothers were on their bikes.

  Getting out of his truck, he saw John attempting to get the boys to start carrying their stuff and help him load. With a quick kiss for his girl, he looked at the boys who were petting Lily and said “All right boys, what say we get all of these bags loaded up so we can head out?”

  “Yes, Mr. Frank,” they said, almost simultaneously. With the four of them loading up the SUV for the trip, he turned to get Dorrie and saw her heading toward him with a travel mug of her diet coke in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. At that, he burst out laughing. “Sweetheart, did you forget we’ll be on my bike?”

  “Um, no, no I did not. But this is my favorite mug and I know we’ll be at the clubhouse for a little bit before we head out, so I was going to have the girls take it in the SUV.”

  “Yep, I was right before – you’re beautiful AND brilliant, Dorrie-girl.”

  “Mmhmm. Love you too, my handsome man.”

  Ah, that was new. Reaching over, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear “You got a minute, Dorrie-girl?” “Um, yes. Everything okay, Frank?” she said as he drew her back into the house. She was so focused on him that she failed to realize everyone was following them with smiles on their faces.

  As they reached her family room, he drew her to the chaise and sat her down. Taking a deep breath, he slid to one knee in front of her, saying “Dorrie-girl, you captured my heart long ago. I have tried to live my adult life listening and heeding God’s word and I am beyond grateful that I did so. I will love you forever and a day, and have an important question I need an answer to – will you marry me? Become my wife and helpmate and partner? Help me love and raise the children we already have, and any that may come along?”

  Because his eyes had never left hers since sitting her down, he watched the expressions play over her face, even as tears of happiness shimmered in her eyes. As he wondered if she was ever going to answer him, she reached out her hand and stroked it down his cheek and said “Yes. Yes, I will marry you. I will love you forever and a day, and I look forward to being your helpmate and partner in every area.”

  Hearing her say “yes”, he stood up and drew her into his arms and looking deeply into her eyes, he cupped her face and caught a few of the errant tears that had slipped out. Tilting his head, he claimed her mouth, kissing her deeply and thoroughly until they were both nearly breathless. About then, he became aware of the rest of the room and glancing around, saw Margie and his girls smiling while crying and two little boys just looking at him. He crouched down and opened his arms and they wasted no time running into them, both boys chattering excitedly about him becoming their daddy. This prompted a fresh wave of emotion to go through all the females and even John kept clearing his throat.

  Standing back up and holding out his hand for his fiancée, he said “I hope you recorded all of that, Josie. Please, can you send a copy to both of our phones? I’m sure Renee and Nancy are going to want to see it for themselves.”

  At that, Dorrie started giggling. He so knew her two besties! They would be over the moon. Hell, she figured she was somewhere out in the Milky Way with the way she was feeling right now. With her hand now grasped firmly in his, she looked at the boys and the two young women and said “I think we need to get this show on the road, don’t y’all?”

  With that, she hugged her parents and thanked them again for coming and taking care of her growing zoo crew, promising to let them know when they arrived.

  ***

  Arriving at the clubhouse, she saw that Renee and Nancy were already there and made a beeline for her girls once Josie and Jessie shooed her their way. “Hey you two, I’ve got some news to share and don’t want to wait!” she said, holding her hands behind her back.

  “I’ve got news too” Nancy said.

  “You first, Nance.”

  “Nope. I have a feeling we want to hear yours first,” Nancy replied. Pulling out her phone with her right hand, she saw that Josie had sent her the video and motioned her two besties to her side. “Watch this,” she grinned.

  In silence, they watched the video. Hell, she watched it too and she had lived it! “ Oh my God!!!” They both shrieked and fell on her, hugging her and crying. “Let’s see the ring. That’s why you were hiding your hand, wasn’t it?” Renee said, trying to calm down.

  Dorrie smiled as she showed them her ring. It wasn’t overthe-top, but was a nice princess cut, and the stones that went around were – holy crap, they were all of their birthstones! Hers, his, the boys’ and the girls’ – all were represented in a circle that wrapped around the band, which was white platinum. Each stone was separated with diamonds.

  “Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful!” Renee said. “Thank you. I’m still in shock! Um, how do I tell him I don’t want a huge wedding or any of that? I had that and would prefer to just go to the justice of the peace and have a huge party with all of our family and friends. I just want the presence of the ones I love, you know?”

  Walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, he leaned in and whispered “You just did, sweetheart. And, I’m thrilled to hear that. Want to get married this week? I know you probably want your parents – “

  “No. I want you and our kids. That’s it. We can celebrate with everyone later if that’s okay?” “Sounds perfect to me. But you didn’t answer my question. Wanna get hitched? We can go down to the justice of the peace right now and do it before we go. While I know we’ll be with everyone, the girls are bunking with the kids, so we will have our time, and when we get back, I plan to take you away to a cabin for a few days, yeah?”

  Her head was spinning. It hadn’t even been an hour since she got engaged. This was crazy, wasn’t it? Then again, since her surgery, they had spent every available moment
with one another. While they hadn’t taken their physical relationship further - yet, her inner girl reminded her - she fell asleep cradled in his arms every night.

  He watched the emotions play over her face – surprise, excitement, nervousness, desire. It all showed and he loved that his girl was so open, at least around those she loved.

  “Yes. Are you sure we have time this morning before we head out? I mean, I don’t want us to delay the start of this run.”

  “We have the time. I texted James before I left your house and he said we would have the time if you were willing.” “Then what are we waiting for?” she said, throwing him a wink before she stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear “I have a man who wants to marry me and I need to get him before the JP to say ‘I do’ before he realizes I’m a wee bit batshit crazy.”

  Bursting out in laughter, he pulled her close and nuzzled along the side of her hair. “God knows and I’m telling you, I love you Dorrie-girl, batshit crazy or not!”

  Getting the boys and his daughters into the SUV, he helped Dorrie into the passenger side and buckled her in before heading around the front and, before jumping into the driver’s seat, adjusting the seat back. Josie was tall, but nowhere near his height.

  Arriving at the courthouse, he ushered them in and then found where they needed to go. “You’re sure, Dorrie-girl?” he asked, glancing down at her as she walked by his side, fingers intertwined.

  “Next to when I accepted Christ, I’ve never been surer of anything in my entire life,” she responded. The clerk was ecstatic that they wanted to get married. Getting the paperwork out of the way, she confided that they hadn’t had any couples come in and marry on the same day they got engaged “ever” and she was thrilled that she was working that day so she could bear witness. They went into the judge’s chambers and fifteen minutes later, after a kiss that held a lifetime of promises, they walked back out of the courthouse, hands clasped, as Mr. and Mrs. Jameson.

  On the way back to the clubhouse, she called her mom and updated her on the morning’s proceedings. Her mom just laughed because Frank had told them prior to everyone leaving that that was his plan for the morning. She asked what kind of cake flavor Frank preferred, then said that they would get everything arranged to throw a reception at the clubhouse when they returned from the run.

  Grinning as she got off the phone, she glanced over at her husband. Her husband. Holy shit. Oh my God. Taking a deep breath against the panic that now threatened to overwhelm her, she said “Mom knew. And she said to tell you that she’ll get the reception arranged with the few old ladies who didn’t come with us on this run.”

  He reached over and grabbed her left hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing her ring finger before saying “I kind of gathered that was what she was doing, sweetheart. I’ll let her take care of that; I have a beautiful woman I plan to be taking care of later on.”

  Holy shit. Yikes. A wedding night. Freaking out on the inside, she grinned at him and said “Looking forward to it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As they got off the exit on I-95, Frank smiled. He still couldn’t believe that this beautiful, vibrant woman whose arms were wrapped around him was now his wife. He felt as though his face was going to split in two, he had been smiling so much! Once it had gone through the group that was headed up on the run, there had been backslaps and hugs and congratulations from everyone. James had announced that Margie was organizing a reception and the women who weren’t going on the run volunteered to get in touch with her so they could help. “It is well with my soul” he thought, pulling into the parking lot of a diner.

  As their particular crew headed inside, he counted heads – looked like their group had about sixteen. While they didn’t normally split up, the club VP and his old lady had taken the rest of them on to the rally site so they could get their tent set up and make sure the rooms they were using for VBS were ready. He was fine with that, knowing they would all be riding together when they came home.

  “Momma, Josie said that now she and Jessie are our sisters, is that true?” Tony asked. Crouching down next to him, she brushed the hair off his forehead and said “Yeah, little man, since I married their daddy, it means that they’re your sisters and you guys are their brothers!”

  “Wow. Cool.” And then he said “Mr. Frank? Does that mean we can call you daddy now?”

  Be still my heart. Gah, this child had the ability to take her to her knees. As he crouched down next to the two little boys, because DJ had come to stand shoulder to shoulder with his big brother, he placed his hands on their outer shoulders and, looking them in the eyes said “I would be honored if you two wanted to call me daddy. I love you both as much as I love Josie and Jessie.” Hearing a sniffle, he glanced up and saw his three girls with tears in their eyes and Dorrie’s had escaped down her face. Renee and Nancy were no better, leaning against their husbands’ chests watching the scene unfold. Sigh. Happy tears, he supposed.

  At his comment, both boys flung their arms around his neck hugging him, saying “We want to call you daddy, daddy.” Standing back up, he looked at them and said “Okay, boys, what say we feed our girls?”

  “Yes, sir! C’mon DJ, we gotta go open the door, a real man is a gentleman who opens doors for women,” Tony said as he headed to the front door.

  Frank shook his head. Dorrie had done such a good job with those two little boys and he knew, even though the teenage years were going to be interesting, they had the right foundation already. Reaching the door, he “helped” the boys hold the door as all the women went inside and stood.

  “Well, good afternoon and welcome to the diner,” a woman called out. “My name is Edna and it looks like I’ve got some hungry travelers. Come, sit a spell and shake the dust out. We’ve got good home cooking here and if it’s not on the menu, just ask, I can probably get it whipped up for you!”

  “Hi, Edna. I’m Frank and these are my Brothers, Cory and Joey, our old ladies and our kids, as well as our President James and his old lady and kids. Do you have enough room for all of us to sit together? I think I counted 16, but when the kids are running around, those numbers tend to fluctuate.”

  “Absolutely, we can pull some tables together over there in the back. Now, how many – ah, seven kids, no babies, two beautiful young women and then some gorgeous adult women. I’d say you men hit the jackpots!” she laughed.

  Frank glanced down at Dorrie, then said “I sure did” as the other three men echoed him.

  Smiling, Edna led them to the back of the diner, and was amazed when the men moved the tables to allow the kids to have their own table, with the two younger women, while the adults sat at a table right next to them. Seeing the one who said his name was Frank dote on the pretty little blonde next to him and noticing the glint on her left hand, she smiled. Looked like someone had recently gotten married. Then again, he seemed the sort who would be that solicitous of his woman. She decided that she wanted to wait on this group herself, the morning girl hadn’t come in yet and the new girl who had just started would be overwhelmed with a crowd of this size. Nodding her head, she went and told her new girl, Sherry, to handle the tabletops and the “bar” that arced around the front. There wasn’t a huge crowd in here, but she knew from past experience that the number could change quickly. Back at the table, she asked what they wanted to drink and told them the specials.

  Frank looked at her and said “We need a few more minutes on the menu, Edna, if that’s okay?” She glanced at him. These bikers were different than the usual ones who stopped by. Glancing at the back of his cut, she figured out why they were different. Huh. So these men had found a way to combine their love for a Brotherhood with a love for their Lord. Interesting. “No problem, Frank. I’ll be back with my helper with the drinks in a few minutes.”

  Frank looked at his friends and family. Wow. With a heart overflowing with gratitude, he gave a nod to James who, looking at the kids’ table, called them to all hold hands so he could pray for
their upcoming meal, the safety of the ride and the VBS they were about to conduct. Coming in on the tail end and observing, Edna could see the level of peace and contentment that was on all of the adults’ faces.

  As she handed out the drinks, Frank lightly touched her arm and said “My bride needs the restroom and I’m sure the others may as well to freshen up before we eat. I take it that it’s on the other side towards the back?”

  His bride Edna thought. Wow. She wondered if the woman realized just how cherished that made her sound to a complete stranger. She glanced over to where she was crouched between two little tow-headed boys and saw her smile at her husband. Yeah. She knew. With a small shake of her head to clear her thoughts; jeez they sure were fanciful right now, she said “You’re correct. Does everyone know what they’d like?”

  As she went around the table and took down the group’s food orders, she was amazed at how polite the kids were considering they appeared to range in age from about five to maybe eleven or twelve. These folks had done a good job teaching their kids about how to behave in public; she inwardly cringed whenever a family or a group came in with whining brats. These kids could give lessons on proper behavior, that’s for sure!

  Heading into the kitchen, she put the orders in and then went to her dessert case. Ah yes, there was a whole Million Dollar Cake and she pulled it out and set it aside for the group. She didn’t know why she occasionally got these nudges, but she had learned long ago to listen. As she was refilling some coffee for one of the tables, she saw the woman with the two little boys headed toward the restroom. She stopped her with a hand on her arm and said “I want to commend your group for how well-behaved the children are acting! You wouldn’t believe how it can be in here sometimes. And, congratulations on your new marriage.”

  What? How did she know? Dorrie thought. “How…how did you know?” Edna smiled. “The way your husband can’t take his eyes off of you is a good indicator, but in reality, I saw how shiny your rings were. When did you get married?”