She nodded. “All right, Cullen, but you must then call me Ruby.”
“All right, Ruby,” he smiled, liking the way her name rolled off his tongue. It was going to be an interesting winter.
Chapter Seven
Ruby inhaled deeply, she loved the crisp clean smell of winter air. The sun shone brightly in the sky and the temperature was pleasant enough that her worn wool coat kept her comfortably warm. She walked slowly to town, egg basket over her arm, thinking about everything that had transpired since the blizzards changed her life. A heaviness filled her heart. Changed everyone’s lives. She couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t prayed so hard for Cyrus not to return, if the outcome would have been the same.
She walked past the church and stopped for a moment to gaze into the schoolyard. It was quiet, and she thought of Everett inside. He’d only recently returned and she hoped being around other children would help him. While the circumstances with which he came to stay with her were awful, she thanked God every day that he was in her life.
Ruby made her way down Main Street, past the mercantile, and came to stop in front of the post office. She’d been putting off this visit for weeks, but knew that she owed it to Everett to find out if he had other family. The idea of losing him now was almost more than she could bear. The quiet little boy had worked his way into her heart. She drew in a deep, steadying breath, and knocked on the door.
Faith Thornton opened the door. Her surprise at seeing Ruby on the other side of it was evident in the way her eyes widened. Ruby felt her face grow warm and wondered if she’d made a mistake by coming here.
“Ruby,” Faith smiled warmly, “what a nice surprise to see you in town. Come in, please,” she held the door open and stepped to the side to allow Ruby to come in.
Ruby hesitated for just a moment, then stepped inside. She took a quick glance around, trying not to stare. She’d never been in such a fine house. The sound of a fussing infant came from another room and Ruby froze. Faith must have noticed because she let out a little laugh.
“Altar is here with her twins,” her brown eyes twinkled at Ruby, and she felt herself relax a bit. “You’ve got to see them,” she took Ruby by the arm and led her into the sitting room. Altar looked up and a bright smile filled her face. She held a swaddled infant in her arms, and Ruby could see the other sleeping in a large basket next to her on the floor.
“Why Ruby Fulton, it’s good to see you again,” she said. She glanced at Faith and raised her eyebrows. “Ruby stopped by my house to see the twins the day Pastor Collins was there. Got herself quite a shock.”
“That man,” Faith exclaimed. “I know he’s a man of God, but the way he thinks he can…”
“Now Faith, don’t say something you’ll regret,” Altar interrupted. “It worked out just fine for me,” she winked at Ruby. “Wolfe is more than I could have asked for.” The baby in her arms made a soft cooing sound. “Would you like to hold him?” Altar held the baby toward Ruby.
Her stomach tightened and she held her hands up. “Oh...no, I - I couldn’t possibly…I’ve never...”
Altar stood and placed the babe in Ruby’s arms. “Sure you can. This here is Omega,” she said, then gave a quick nod to the babe in the basket, her long braids swaying over her shoulders. “That’s Alpha.”
She’d never held an infant before and was afraid if she moved, she’d drop him. Altar gently guided her toward the sofa and Ruby sat, feeling somewhat more at ease. She stared at the baby nestled in her arms. He had a perfect little nose and she couldn’t help but smile as he opened his tiny, toothless mouth to yawn. She was amazed how something so small could be so perfect. He looked up at her with innocent, dark brown eyes and she just knew he would grow to be a very wise man. “He’s perfect,” she breathed.
“So, what brings you by, Ruby,” Faith asked and Ruby’s head snapped up. She’d been so lost in the moment, she’d nearly forgotten why she was there.
“Oh, yes,” she swallowed. “I’ve taken in Everett Henzel.”
“Oh yes,” Faith nodded. “I heard about Ida. What a shame.”
Ruby nodded. “Yes, well, ummm, Mr. Blanchard didn’t know of any extended family, and suggested I check with you, being the post mistress now. I...I’d like to keep him, but know if there is other family…” A family. It was the one thing that Ruby had always wanted. A family of her own, but she wouldn’t deny Everett the opportunity to stay with his family, if he had any.
Faith thought for a moment. “I don’t believe they had any other relatives,” she finally said.
Ruby bit back a smile.
“If I remember right, I heard Ida telling Mrs. Talley that when they first moved to Last Chance. And I know they have never received any mail from family,” she continued. “I think it’s wonderful that you took him in, the poor child.”
“What do you mean?” Ruby couldn’t help but ask.
“Well, it was really no secret that Mr. Henzel blamed the boy for Ida’s...afflictions. He wasn’t the most pleasant man in the first place, I remember Aaron saying he wished Gideon wasn’t going on the hunt with them.”
Ruby saw Faith’s eyes cloud over and felt her stomach rise and the back of her throat grow tight. She had seen Faith and Aaron together in church, how happy and in love they were, and often wondered what it would be like to be loved like that. She couldn’t imagine the loss Faith must feel.
The three women sat in awkward silence for a moment, then Omega began to fuss. Ruby’s heart pounded in her chest and she turned to Altar. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...I don’t know what…” She held the baby toward his mother who took him and held him against her shoulder. He stopped fussing immediately.
“It’s all right, Ruby,” Altar smiled. “He’s just hungry is all.”
Ruby let out a sigh of relief and stood. She still needed to go to the mercantile and didn’t want to intrude on their visit any more than she already had.
“If you’re wanting to keep Everett permanently,” Faith said, “you should talk to Judge Bringegar.”
“Thank you, Faith,” she hadn’t thought about what might be involved in being able to keep Everett permanently, but now that she knew it was an option, wondered what it would cost to do so.
She took one more glance at Omega and Alpha, then said goodbye to Altar. Faith walked her to the door.
“Thank you for stopping by, Ruby. Please don’t be a stranger,” she smiled and waved as Ruby walked toward the street.
Ruby reflected on her visit, and how welcome the two women made her feel. She’d never really had an opportunity to make friends before. Children came and went on a regular basis at the orphanage, and Cyrus, well, Cyrus wouldn’t allow her to have friends. She thought about Altar’s twins and then about the beautiful quilt Altar had gifted her years back. Perhaps she could find a gift to give back. Her step lightened as she walked toward the mercantile.
The door opened, just as she was about to grasp the handle and Ruby gasped and stepped back as Altar’s new husband, Wolfe, stepped out of the mercantile.
“Oh, sorry, Miss Ruby, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said in a deep, low voice.
Ruby had never seen a man so tall in her life, and tried not to gawk as she had at his and Altar’s wedding. Well, if you could call it a wedding, with her lying in bed just days after the twins were born. Ruby had never felt so out of place in her life as she had that day.
Wolfe held the door open so Ruby could enter the store.
“Thank you.” She gave him a hesitant smile as she stepped past him. She placed the egg basket on the counter for Mr. Talley, and began looking around for something that might be a suitable gift.
“We’ve never gone through so much butterscotch as we have since he came to town,” she heard Mrs. Talley say.
“I hear he’s a fine blacksmith, and heaven knows we needed one” another voice said, and Ruby peered around a shelf to see who it belonged to. Penelope Purcell. Even Ruby had heard about how much she liked to
gossip. She ignored the women and returned to browsing. A stack of parchment caught her eye and she suddenly had an idea.
Ruby stood at the counter and waited while Mr. Talley counted her eggs, and placed them into a different basket. She looked thoughtfully at the bolts of fabric behind the counter. “I’ll take three yards of the blue cotton too,” she said with a smile. She gazed at the blue fabric and knew it would make the perfect gift.
“Well, I think it's downright improper, especially in front of that child,” she heard Mrs. Purcell say in a loud whisper and she froze. Was she talking about her? She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but found herself listening intently.
“She needs the help,” Mrs. Talley whispered back. “He’s only staying until spring.”
They were talking about her! Ruby felt her face grow hot and she turned to Mr. Talley.
“The eggs looked really good today, Mrs. Fulton,” he said in a loud voice, giving her a sympathetic look. “I subtracted the cost of paper and fabric, do you want me to credit your account for the difference?”
Her eyes burned and she tried to swallow the lump that had formed in the back of her throat. “Yes, please,” she managed and placed the material and the parchment in her basket. She all but ran toward the door when a man stepped out from one of the aisles. Ruby nearly crashed into him, stopping just in time. Her gaze lifted and she found herself looking right into Pastor Collins’ eyes.
Her stomach dropped to her feet and she took a step backward. She gripped the handle of her basket so tightly her fingers felt numb. She tried to go around him, but he stepped to the right and blocked her path.
“Mrs. Fulton, how wonderful to see you again,” his lips curled into a grin that never reached his eyes. “I’ve been meaning to pay you a visit.”
Ruby’s heart was pounding so hard, she was sure he could hear it. She knew what would happen if he came out to the farm. Cullen would leave. She stared at a button on the preacher’s coat, unable to meet his eyes, and held her breath.
“You can expect me midweek,” he said and stepped aside.
Ruby slid past him without a word and ran out the door. She hurried down the street and didn’t even pause to watch the children at play in the schoolyard. She just wanted to go home. With Cyrus gone, it now had some level of security that came with the familiarity of the house. And she knew Cullen would be there. Pastor Collins would run him off, she just knew it.
Tears swam in her eyes as she thought about Cullen having to leave. There was so much work that still needed to be done and, if she was to be honest with herself, she enjoyed his company. She recalled what the Pastor had said to Altar about sin before he’d all but forced her to marry Wolfe. Cullen had plans to leave in the spring anyways, there was nothing to keep him in Last Chance.
Ruby took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and squared her shoulders. Cyrus Fulton hadn’t broken her. Neither would this. She’d manage somehow, she always did.
Chapter Eight
Cullen sat and watched Ruby carefully stitch a patch over a hole in Everett’s shirt. When Everett had come home from school that day he’d been in tears. He and Ruby had both run to see what was wrong, and it had taken several minutes before they were able to understand what had happened. He had gotten the shirt caught on something at school and it tore a small hole in the back of the shirt. Cullen watched as Ruby took the child in her arms and consoled him, telling him it was all right and that he wasn’t in trouble. He couldn’t count how many shirts or pairs of pants he’d torn as a child, and had never given it any thought. His mother had simply mended them and that was that.
A heaviness came over him as he sipped his coffee and let his mind wander while he watched Ruby pull the needle in and out of the thin fabric.
Earlier in the week, Cullen had hitched both horses to the wagon he’d found in the barn, and drove to the Henzel place to get another load of wood. Ruby had explained how she’d come across the cellar, and after he assured her it was all right to use the food stored in it, asked him to bring back one of the salt barrels of meat as well. The Henzel’s home wasn’t hard to find, and he was surprised he hadn’t noticed the sawmill on his way to Ruby’s farm the first day he’d been in town.
The mill was built next to a large creek and was larger than what he’d expected the small town to have. A large paddle wheel turned aimlessly as water rushed over it, and he saw a circular saw inside the mill house. He brought the wagon to a stop in front of the Henzel’s house. It was well-built and considerably larger than the log home where Ruby lived. What struck him as odd though was the fact that there was no indication at all that a child had ever lived there.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Ruby’s soft voice broke through his rumination and he met her gaze.
He shifted in his seat and glanced at Everett, who was on his pallet, drawing on his slate. “I was just thinking he’s lucky to have found you,” he said quietly.
“I think I might be the lucky one,” she brought the shirt up to her mouth where she used her teeth to sever the thread.
Cullen studied her face for a moment. Ever since she’d come back from her trip to town a couple days earlier, she’d been subdued. He wondered what happened, but couldn’t bring himself to ask her. He was leaving in the spring, and he needed to remember that. He couldn’t let himself get attached to her, or the child. It wasn’t right.
Stay. It was as if someone had whispered the word inside his head, and an image of the sawmill ran through his mind. Surely he couldn’t...no, he’d made his plans, and he would stick to them. He was just about to get up and head to the barn for the evening when Everett stood and walked over to the table. He stood there for a minute, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, while he shifted from one foot to another.
“Everett, what’s wrong?” Ruby asked.
“Miss Ruby, I was just wondering what’s Christmas?” he asked.
Cullen frowned. What child didn’t know about Christmas?
“I heard some of the kids at school say it’s coming,” the young boy looked at Ruby with an anxious face. “Is it bad?”
Ruby slid a quick glance at him, her brows furrowing the tiniest bit, before turning to Everett. It felt like she had just shared a secret with him, and a strange warmth spread across his chest.
“No, Everett. Christmas isn’t bad. In fact, it’s the opposite of bad,” she said in a gentle voice.
A look of relief spread across Everett’s face. “When is it coming? Can we see it?”
Ruby’s gaze shifted to him, and Cullen could see tears forming in her eyes. He glanced at Everett, who was looking up at Ruby with such hope in his eyes, he could feel his own eyes start to burn.
Ruby took a deep breath as if she were gathering her thoughts and rose to her feet. “Everett, bring the wood box over and sit down, I’ll be right back,” she disappeared behind the quilt that hid her sleeping area.
Everett pulled the wood box over and set it on its side. He’d been using it as a chair since Cullen’s arrival. Cullen had asked Ruby about bringing the table and chairs from the Henzel’s home over, but she wouldn’t have it. It was one thing to take survival items, she’d told him, but something entirely different to take their furniture. He had reflected on that for a long time, and knew he’d be a better person for having known this woman.
Ruby came back to the table with a thick black leather-covered book in her hands. She sat and flipped through the book until she found what she was looking for.
“Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus’s birthday,” she said.
“Who’s Jesus?”
“Jesus is God’s son.”
“Who is God?”
“Oh my, did your parents ever take you to church?”
“You mean the tall building with the cross that’s by the school?”
Ruby nodded.
Everett shook his head, his brows furrowed.
“Oh my,” Ruby said. “Let me see how I can explain this to you.”
; Cullen sat back in his chair and listened attentively while Ruby explained to Everett how God created everything, including him. She was patient when he asked questions, and answered them in such a simple way that he was sure Everett understood. Cullen’s family hadn’t been particularly religious, but his mother read the Bible out loud to them when he was a young boy. Somewhere along the way, he’d forgotten about it. He dropped his chin and stared at the table. He’d have to fix that.
“So Jesus is God’s son, and Christmas is the day Jesus was born,” Ruby said. “This is how it happened,” she looked down and began to read. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.”
Cullen listened to her tell the story, and even though he’d heard it before, he was just as mesmerized as Everett. So much so, he’d let his coffee get cold.
“Do I have a birthday too?” Everett asked.
Cullen cringed inwardly. Ruby closed the Bible and placed it on the table, something in her expression had changed, but he wasn’t sure what it was.
“Yes, you have a birthday too, Everett. Everybody has a birthday.”
“Do you know when mine is?”
Cullen watched as Ruby finger-combed the boy’s hair and placed her hands on his cheeks. “I’m not sure, Everett, but I’ll find out.”
“Thank you, Miss Ruby.”
“All right, then, it’s about time for you,” she touched the tip of his nose with her finger, “to go to bed. Isaac and Eliza will be here before you know it to take you to school.”
“Yes, Miss Ruby.” He wrapped his arms around her neck and gave her a hug. He turned to Cullen and gave him a shy smile. “Good night, Mr. Parker.”
“I should be going too,” Cullen said, rising to his feet. “Good night, Everett.”
Ruby’s eyes met his and he could see a flash of anger in them. She held up her hand. “Cullen, wait,” she stepped around the table and reached for her coat. “I need something from the barn, would you walk with me?”
“Of course,” Cullen couldn’t imagine what she could possibly need from the barn, but he took her coat from her and held it up so she could more easily slip it on. He took the lantern he’d been using off the hook and lit it.
A Groom for Ruby Page 5