“Much better,” Ruby said, nodding. “Yes, yes and yes. But how soon is as soon as possible?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Tomorrow? Or, next weekend? How about Christmas?”
“Nope. This will be your first real Christmas with Jason. A time you—we—will start the traditions you want. No water parks this year.” Ruby felt bubbly inside over the idea that popped up. “I got it. A new life for a New Year. How about New Year’s Eve?”
Mike pretended to groan about how far away that was as he counted the weeks on his fingers. “Not too bad. Okay, December 31st. A great wedding anniversary.”
She took Mike’s hand and pulled him onto the bridge. “Do you remember where we put our initials?”
“I was so sure of us, I skipped the initials phase. I carved our names, remember?” Mike pointed to a corner and they crouched down. “See? There’s the heart you painted. It was bright, but it’s sort of faded now.”
“Magenta. I’ll get the paint. Why don’t we carve our wedding date under the heart?”
He put his arm around her. “Great idea. We’ll come back and fix it up.”
Ruby traced their names with her finger. “I haven’t stopped here to look at our heart in all this time. Too many memories about the day we painted it. The fun we had.”
“I remember lots of kissing,” Mike said. “I’ve avoided stopping inside the bridge, too. It always seemed better not to take too many trips to the past. But that’s over now.”
“Well, then kiss me. Right here. In our special spot.” Ruby stood and opened her arms and welcomed Mike’s cool lips pressed on her face and her neck, holding her closer and closer with every kiss.
They were locked in an embrace when a sudden noise above them captured their attention. Ruby let out a hoot. “Listen to that racket. It’s rain. We used to get caught in the rain down here all the time.”
“Do you have to be anywhere soon?” he asked.
“Nope. How about you?”
He put his cheek on the top of her head. “Not until this afternoon—that’s still hours away.”
“Aw, too bad. Seems we’ll have to stay here a while.”
Mike grabbed her hands and kissed the palm of one and then the other. “I guess we’ll have to think up things to do.”
“Like plan our wedding,” Ruby suggested.
“In a few minutes. First, more of these.” He leaned over and kissed her. And kissed her again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
RUBY SMOOTHED HER finger along the wood frame. Jason’s drawing of the family now hung on the kitchen wall. “This is the one, Em,” she said proudly. “The picture that changed everything.”
Emma gazed at them—Mike, Ruby, Jason and Peach. “Amazing. He created the picture of his life now.”
“It’s a little daunting. A lot to live up to,” Ruby stated. It was a fact. “The glow of all this happiness won’t stop the bumps ahead. Mike and I have a lot to learn about working together to make sure Jason heals.”
“Yep, but you’re not kids floating on clouds. The two of you have your feet on the ground.” Emma’s smile was smug and amused. “I love being right. It took a while, but your dreams are coming true.”
“I can hardly believe it myself.”
“Believe what?” Mike asked, coming into the kitchen from the pantry with a large pot.
“That it’s already Thanksgiving.” Ruby sniffed the air. “Smells like a turkey is roasting in here.”
“Jason and I have been busy this morning.” He glanced fondly at Jason, who climbed on the chair at the table and rested on knees so he could watch everything going on. “I told him we were making a family tradition. Thanksgiving at our lake, with turkey and cranberries and pumpkin pie.”
Ruby waved to the carryalls on the table. “Cranberries and pie, coming right up.”
“Were you planning to cook potatoes for the whole neighborhood in that pot?” Emma said, making her way to the table. “Or maybe can applesauce?”
“I bought a ton of potatoes, so we’ll have leftovers.” Mike grinned at Jason. “I’ll make you my dad’s famous potato pancakes.”
“And I’ll make shepherd’s pie.” Emma wiggled the fingers of both hands. “Let the peeling begin. I think I can do that sitting down.” Emma slipped into the chair at the table, but earlier she’d walked easily from the car to the house with her cane, looking fit and standing tall.
“Is shepherd’s pie one of your specialties, Em?” Mike asked.
Ruby snorted.
“Uh, not exactly. I’ve never made it. Or even thought about it.” Emma lifted one shoulder dismissively. “But who says I can’t give it a try? Ruby and I can both read a recipe as well as the next person. Right, Rubes?”
“I’m sure we could if we tried.” Laughing along with Mike, Ruby left the food prep to the others for the moment and wandered over to the row of windows that looked out on the lake and the tire swing hanging from the giant maple in the front yard. All the fall finery was gone now, but it would be back next year. And I’ll be here to see it.
As Ruby watched the ducks paddling across the quiet lake, she stayed in the present and enjoyed the kitchen filled with the aromas of the holiday. Her favorite one. And her first Thanksgiving with Mike and the little boy she’d taken into her heart. Her mind jumped ahead to Christmas and then New Year’s Eve, their wedding day. From there it was an easy leap to Easter and the Fourth of July and another fall and another and another and to more Thanksgivings on the lake.
She glanced at the table, where Emma and Mike were working on the potatoes and chatting about dinner. Peach sat next to Jason as if awaiting further orders. “C’mon, Jason, Peach. Let’s go outside and throw the stick around.”
“Now?” Mike asked quizzically.
“We’ll work off a little energy. Kids get antsy waiting for a big holiday dinner. We’ll come back in with plenty of time to make the pie and set the table. Everything else is done, or almost done.”
“You’re right.” Mike signaled to Jason.
Jason slid off the chair and ran past her to the mudroom. “It’s a pretty warm day for late November. Peach will head for the water—she likes being wet,” Ruby said. “This will probably be the last day for a dip this year. We’ll make sure we dry her off before we let her back in the house.”
Confident at playing the throw-and-fetch game with Peach, Jason didn’t wait for Ruby to direct the action. He scrambled around the ground until he found the perfect stick. Ruby laughed to herself at the way Peach’s tail swished as she danced on her paws and jumped in anticipation of the stick flying through the air.
“A boy and his dog,” Ruby murmured. Peach was their dog now, but in a way, Ruby knew she’d be Jason’s dog more than hers. He’d soon be old enough to help take care of her. She’d probably want to sleep in his room. Ruby was so happy. Thanks to Peach, they were off to a strong start, she and Jason. She was truly grateful for that. How unlikely it was that she’d had a dog in the first place. Not on the go—or on the run—Ruby.
Moving closer to the shore and Jason, she said, “Our Miss Peach sure has a ton of energy. I bet she’ll take a snooze in the corner while we gobble up our turkey.”
Jason looked at her and gave her his amused smile, his way of showing agreement. He liked certain words, too. Snooze was one of them. He seemed to pay attention when she and Mike talked about projects and strategies, sounding a lot like Mike’s mom.
Looking at Jason running back and forth along the shore, she wouldn’t have guessed he’d had a nightmare last night. Earlier, Mike had called and talked about Jason crying out in the night. After racing to his room, Mike had stood in the doorway watching the boy turning on his side and snuggling under the covers on his own. The nightmare ended without Mike’s rocking and reassuring words. That was the second time that happened. More signs of progress.
&nbs
p; Peach dropped the stick in front of Jason and shook the water off her coat. Jason might as well have stood under a shower. “Okay, Jason, when you get that wet it’s time to go inside. Maybe we can come out again later if it’s still light out.”
Hearing her name, Peach ran to her. Then Ruby held out her hand and Jason slipped his into it and, with Peach leading the way, they all went inside. Ruby took one end of a huge towel and gave Jason the other end and together they rubbed Peach’s coat until she was damp but not dripping.
“Just in time,” Emma said to Jason as she was preparing the cranberries. “Won’t be long now.”
“My helper and I will set the table, Mike.” Ruby opened the glass doors of the hutch.”
“We’re going to eat in the dining room,” Mike said to Jason, gesturing to the large oak table. “It will be our first time not eating here in the kitchen.”
“See? That shows you what a big deal Thanksgiving is,” Ruby said, beaming at Jason.
“Do you want to use my mom’s harvest china?” Mike glanced from Ruby to Emma.
Emma said nothing, but looked expectantly at Ruby. She and Mike hadn’t figured out all the details about converting this house into a home of their own. They’d only agreed the house and lake were too beautiful to abandon. This decision over dishes probably wasn’t going to be the first time she’d make choices about traditions Mike grew up with. She’d make this one easy.
Moving closer to Mike, she said, “They’ll be other days to decide what to let go of and what to keep. Today, let’s remember your mom by using these things she liked.”
Mike reached out, drew her to him and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Thanks, Ruby.”
“You’re not touching those, are you?” Emma laughed as she swept her arm toward the long row of windows.
“Are you kidding?” Ruby said in perfect unison with Mike. “The windows stay.”
In the time it took to set the table and put the pie in the oven, Mike and Emma got the turkey on the table with all the side dishes. Ruby looked for Peach and found her in the living room stretched out in front of the couch asleep, a satisfied expression on her face.
“She’s snoozing, Jason,” she said on the way to her seat at the oak table. “Just like I predicted.”
Emma stretched her arms out, palms up. Ruby knew that gesture. She wanted everyone around the table to hold hands.
Jason stared at Emma as if wondering what was going to happen next on this day that wasn’t just another day with Dad.
“Thanks for including me in this wonderful celebration,” Emma said. “I have a lot to be thankful for this year myself.”
Mike turned his attention to Jason and gave his fingers a quick squeeze. “And so do we. This is the start of our holidays, Jason. Next is Christmas in a few weeks, and then a week after that it will be New Year’s Eve, the day Ruby and I get married at the bridge. Then we’ll all be a family.”
“And we’ll eat wedding cake at my house,” Emma said, clapping her hands.
She and Mike both wanted a quiet afternoon wedding at the bridge and food at Emma’s house. Mike asked Maggie’s husband, a chaplain, to officiate and he chose Mrs. Cermak as his witness. Emma would be Ruby’s.
Her sister, Dee, was eager to come to the wedding, but Ruby hadn’t been certain her mom would be willing to make the trip. But her mom insisted she wouldn’t miss the wedding for anything.
Even now, Ruby was jittery with impatience for the day to come. She’d already found some grant-writing work and was scouring community development foundations to find funding for Bluestone River projects. But she wasn’t rushing to fill her days. She wanted to take it slow with Jason and let him get used to her as a stepmom and someone he could trust.
With the updates she and Mike planned to make this house their own, for the first time in twenty years, she’d have a place to call home. And maybe, if they were really lucky, Jason would be a big brother to a new baby.
“Look at me carving a turkey.” Mike chuckled as he picked up the carving knife and fork. “I’m turning into my dad.”
“It’s a very good look for you,” Emma teased. “So manly.”
“I agree,” Ruby said, amused at Mike’s cheeks turning pink. “Hey, Em, would you look at that. We’ve made the man blush.”
“I know, I know.” He put part of the drumstick on Jason’s plate. “You get to eat that with your fingers. It’s pretty big, but what you don’t finish today will be there tomorrow.”
Ruby passed bowls of potatoes and stuffing to Emma, but out of the corner of her eye Ruby watched Jason shifting his gaze from one adult to another, listening to the banter about the best turkey stuffing ever and Mike’s opinion that Emma’s homemade cranberries were far superior to canned.
When they relaxed over pie and coffee, Jason slid off his chair and ran into the living room to be with Peach.
“He needs to ask to be excused,” Mike said when Jason was out of sight. “He’s old enough now, but I can’t exactly demand it.”
Ruby didn’t know what to say to that, but Mike hadn’t expected an answer.
Instead, Mike tapped a knife against his glass. “Okay, you two. I have something to say. It’s big.”
“Like anything could be bigger than the news about you and Ruby,” Emma said.
“Let’s hear the guy out.” Ruby rolled her hand in front of her. “We’re listening.”
“It’s time to test myself.” Mike’s face brightened with a self-satisfied smile as he looked at Ruby. “I’ve been sitting on this idea until I’m sure it’s what I want to do.”
Ruby smiled. “Whatever it is, you look mighty pleased.”
“Okay, here goes.” In what Ruby named Mike’s lawyerly voice he said, “I’ve made up my mind to run for mayor in the spring. Kristine said she’s going to run for the state senate, so it’s an open job. I looked at the pros and cons. Someone’s got to be the mayor. Why not me?”
Ruby burst out laughing and clapped her hands. “I knew it. I knew it. I had the feeling you’ve been mulling this over for weeks.”
“Then you’re okay with it?” Mike leaned in toward her. “I wouldn’t do it if you objected.”
She rose from her chair and kissed Mike’s cheek. “Seriously? I’m more than okay. I’m thrilled.”
“We’re facing a lot. Plenty of changes afoot and...”
Ruby dismissed that concern with the swat of her hand. “Ever since you and Emma backed my idea to extend the trail, I’ve been looking for more things to take on.” Starting with the farmer’s market off River Street she’d been thinking about. To succeed as a summer evening event it would need to include more than produce vendors. Music and carryout food and maybe a tent with local artists showing their work. She was still researching community grants to cover startup costs.
“Great,” he said. “I’ll consider you and Emma my first two votes.”
Emma cleared her throat. “Now that I’m more myself again, I can get involved, too. Spending the day out here at the lake is like a giant push to making the bird sanctuary live up to its promise.”
Those words wrapped Ruby in a pleasant buzz of happiness and optimism. Home. She’d gone all over the country believing she was looking for home and ended up back in this little town that had nurtured her so well. Now it was her turn to put her sadness and tragedy behind her and help shape the future.
They began clearing the table and putting away food. “Why don’t you take Peach and Jason outside for one last run around before it gets dark,” Mike said.
“Then we should probably go, huh, Emma?” Ruby asked.
Emma nodded. “I don’t like admitting it, but I’m wearing out.”
Ruby went into the living room and asked Jason if he wanted to come outside with Peach while there was still enough light. “We’ll keep her out of the water, though, so we stay dry.”<
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Outside, the orange-and-pink sky tinting the lake also left the bare trees on the far shore looking like a twinkling fairyland. Even the ducks paddling by were bathed in the changing light of the fading afternoon.
Ruby’s chest ached with happiness. Tears pooled in her eyes watching this little boy she’d come to love so much. She glanced back at the house. Through the windows, she spotted Mike loading containers in a bag, laughing over something with Emma. She could count the weeks until she’d move her few things into the house as Mike’s wife and Jason’s stepmom. Her head told her the challenges would be huge, but her heart longed to take them on.
With Peach following, Jason ran to the tire swing and began working up momentum as the dog looked on. Lost in her own thoughts about Christmas, the sound of Mike’s voice calling her startled her.
As Mike walked toward her, he told Jason it was time for Ruby to take Emma home.
“Come give me a hug, Jason,” Ruby called.
Jason stayed in place. A disapproving look took over his face.
He probably didn’t like the day coming to a close, Ruby thought, stepping into Mike’s open arms. She gave him a quick kiss and with their arms around each other’s waists, they started up the slope from the shore.
“Come on, Jason,” Mike said. “Let’s say goodbye.”
“He’s being stubborn, isn’t he?” Ruby whispered.
Looking puzzled, Mike said, “I guess so.”
“Let’s go, Peach.” Ruby gestured at Peach, who looked back at Jason, but dutifully made her way to Ruby’s side.
“No,” an unfamiliar voice shouted. “Don’t go, Ruby.”
She spun around. Mike took off in a shot for the swing.
“You’re supposed to stay here with us, Ruby. Peach, too,” Jason said, his voice quivering.
Mike lifted Jason off the swing and held him tight in his arms. His voice broke when he said, “You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to hear you.”
“Why is Ruby leaving?” Jason asked.
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