by Jillian Hart
“No, I reckon I’ll be there. I’m sure Pa will insist.”
“He loves you.”
“That’s the rumor.” Whatever this emotion was that was fighting to come alive in her heart, she could not acknowledge it. It had to go away. But did it?
No. The wishes she could not hold back overwhelmed her like a blizzard’s leading edge, drowning out all sense of direction, blocking out the entire world. Disoriented, she barely heard the knell of another set of boots entering the room.
“Ruby, this is Dr. Hathaway, Doc Frost’s new associate.”
She couldn’t focus on the tall shadow at the room’s entrance. Only one man held her attention as he rose from the couch, towering above her. Lorenzo’s honesty, his mightiness, his integrity riveted her.
I wish, she thought, gazing up at him. I so wish.
Chapter Ten
“What happened to you?” Kate whispered the moment Ruby eased into place with the other sopranos. “Look at your arm.”
“It’s nothing. Just a little, unimportant crack.” Self-conscious, she held her songbook with her good hand. Reverend Hadly shuffled up to the front of the group, everyone quieted, and across the way Lorenzo smiled at her with those dashing dimples, which could make a girl swoon six counties away.
“You mean a cracked bone?” Kate nearly dropped her book. “Ruby, that is a big deal. Look at the size of that splint.”
“Does it hurt?” Scarlet whispered from her other side. “What about your job? Surely Dr. Frost ordered you to rest.”
“I saw the new doctor.” Breathless from the effect of Lorenzo’s grin, she prayed she sounded normal as she desperately tried to keep her gaze on the minister. But did her eyes obey?
No. They swung to the right until a certain, stunning man filled her view. Why couldn’t her eyes stop finding him against her will? Fine, maybe she could admit it. She had a crush on him, but it was just a little one. Nothing serious. Surely it would go away in time, right? All she had to do was to get back in control, keep her eyes from wandering his way and to somehow keep him out of her thoughts.
But how? That was one question she didn’t have the answer to.
“Ooh, Dr. Hathaway is to die for.” Kate searched through the pages of the book for the carol the reverend announced. “He’s almost as handsome as Lorenzo.”
“Not even close,” Scarlet disagreed good-naturedly. “And I’ve really looked. No man can compare to Lorenzo.”
“Dreamy Lorenzo,” Kate whispered.
Scarlet simply sighed, and in that single wistful sound, Ruby heard shades of true caring, not the superficial fondness of a schoolgirl crush. Anguish crinkled in the corners of Scarlet’s eyes as she watched Lorenzo, bowed over his songbook. His dark hair tumbled over his forehead, and a cowlick poked up at the back of his head in a thick whirl.
“Rags, what are you looking at?” Narcissa Bell crowded into place directly behind her.
Oh, no. Ruby snapped her gaze away, feeling heat scorch her face. She’d been caught red-handed, and there was no use denying it. She bit her bottom lip, miserable, hoping beyond hope Narcissa wasn’t about to announce it to the entire group—and to her friends.
“He’s not interested in you. Why would he be? There isn’t a single man who would look twice at your patches. You aren’t holding out hope, are you?”
Her tongue tied up. She tried to think up something witty and appropriate to say, but could she? No. Not a single word came to mind. Just the flood of humiliation and shame, because any minute, Kate or Scarlet would figure out that she was seeing Lorenzo behind their backs.
“Hush up, Narcissa.” Scarlet gave a withering sneer.
The minister tooted on his pitch pipe and hummed. “Sopranos.” “Aahs” burst out in perfect tone all around her.
Just focus on the music, she thought, steeling her spine. Narcissa might know exactly how to hurt a person, but she was not about to do the same in return.
“Look at that dress.” Narcissa pitched her voice to rise above the singing. “Our maid scrubs our kitchen with rags better than that. Of course, I hear you are a kitchen maid, so maybe it’s fitting.”
Faces turned toward her, and Ruby blushed. Anger built up like steam behind her ribs, but she could not give in to it. She bowed her head, she couldn’t help it. Her throat closed up, so all she could do was pretend to sing along with everyone else. She prayed everyone would stop looking at her.
“Ooh, she makes me mad,” Kate leaned in to whisper. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” Had Lorenzo heard? She didn’t dare peek between her lashes to see if he had noticed. She cringed. How could he not? The reverend’s pipe gave another pitch, and the men joined in, the crescendo of the Major C chord booming like a hallelujah in the sanctuary.
“Very good. Now scales. Ready?”
“Aahs” rippled upward, note after note, and she did her best to join in.
Throughout one Christmas carol after another, she kept her gaze fastened on the reverend. At least, she’d finally learned her lesson. No more gazing at Lorenzo. Now she had another problem. Her ears. They seemed to search through the chorus of voices to pick out his smoky baritone. Each note he hit did funny little things to her heart. It turned tingly, as if more alive than ever before.
Not exactly the reaction she was going for. She was supposed to be ignoring him. Falling out of her crush on him. What was she going to do with herself?
“Ruby?”
She felt a tug on her sleeve. Kate, getting her attention. Her mind had wandered. Again. “Sorry.” She shook her head, realizing everyone else was filing down the aisle, merry conversations bouncing off the walls and high ceiling of the sanctuary. Lamplight shone off the stained-glass windows and trailed Narcissa as she huffed away with a clear snort of disapproval.
“I couldn’t believe she said that to you.” Lila tumbled over with the rest of the gang in her wake. “She did it so everyone would hear, to embarrass you intentionally.”
“That’s nothing new.” Ruby deposited the songbook on a nearby pew with the others. She didn’t need to glance around to know Lorenzo had already left with his friends. Without him near, the shadows felt darker, the light less bright. That was the way she would always be without him.
“You need to stand up to her.” Meredith smiled at the reverend on her way down the aisle. “She won’t stop picking on you until you do.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Ruby kept her voice low, so it wouldn’t carry to the reverend behind them or anyone in the vestibule ahead of them. “What is the right thing?”
“I say give her a taste of her own medicine,” Scarlet advised.
“Yes, put her in her place,” Meredith agreed. “She has no right making fun of you.”
“Her bullying needs to stop,” Lila agreed. “I would be happy to do it for you, but what will you do when we’re not around?”
“I’ll help,” Earlee offered. “We outnumber her and her group.”
Her friends’ solidarity made her feel warm all over. Snug and loved, she wanted to give each one a hug, but she was shy and held back. “Thank you for your offers, but I don’t want to sink to her level. This isn’t about her behavior, it’s about mine.”
“Hello, Ruby.” A man’s pleasant tenor said her name with familiar warmth, as if he knew her well, but she didn’t immediately recognize it. She should have, but it wasn’t until she’d stepped into the vestibule that she recognized the man hanging his coat in the closet.
“Dr. Hathaway.” She had liked the new doctor. He’d been gentle when he tended her wrist and proved easy to talk to. “What are you doing here?”
“After you told me about the caroling group, I decided to come join in.” Dark eyes twinkled. “I would have been on time, but I had a patient call.”
“Reverend Hadly will be ecstatic you’re here.” She was aware of Scarlet nudging her and Kate’s veiled smile. “I will see you after the break.”
“See you soon, Ruby.”
He went to tip his hat to her, but then must have realized he wasn’t wearing his hat and blushed. His square shoulders didn’t waver, however, as he strode away with a confident step.
“Wow,” Lila breathed. “You could have told us.”
“Told you what?” She spotted her coat piled on the table pushed against the vestibule wall and reached for it.
“No need to deny it with us.” Meredith unhooked her coat from the pegs in the closet. “You like him.”
“I do?” That was news to her.
“I saw the look he gave you.” Scarlet shrugged into her coat. “He likes you. Really likes you.”
“No, that’s not true.” She hadn’t noticed anything. She shoved one arm into her coat sleeve. “He was just being nice.”
“Nice? No, I saw the sparkle in his eyes.” Kate wrapped her scarf around her neck. “He’s taken a shine to you. You might have a suitor and soon.”
“Dr. Hathaway? You couldn’t be more wrong.” Regret twisted inside her chest, and she hid the wince as she fit her splinted arm into her other sleeve. Even if there was only one man she wished for, she couldn’t have him. Her family came first and so did her friends.
“I saw it, too. If I were penning the story, I would—” Earlee stopped in mid-sentence as she pulled on her mittens. “Ruby, what’s wrong with your coat?”
It did feel funny. She shrugged the garment over her shoulders, and it didn’t sit right at all. Something pulled down the left side like weight. Her pocket bulged noticeably so she reached into it. “I don’t know. Why, it’s a package.”
“I’ll say.” Earlee clasped her hands with excitement.
“What is it?” Kate whispered, moving closer.
“Open it,” Scarlet urged.
“I can guess what it might be.” Lila smiled in her confident way. “Go ahead, unwrap it.”
She stared at the brown-wrapped parcel. What could it be? Who had put it there? With trembling fingers she folded back the paper. A beautiful, china-handled crochet hook glinted in the lamplight, and with it was a large skein of quality, heavy-weight thread perfect for making snowflakes.
“The hook is beautiful. I’ve never seen one like it,” Meredith murmured in awe.
“Me, either.” Scarlet’s eyes had gone wide. “This isn’t a small token. Ruby, this is a serious gift.”
“I know. I’m stunned.” There was only one logical explanation. Lorenzo. But could she say it out loud? Could she even think it? No. Because if she admitted it, then what would her friends think? Oh, this was so much worse than she’d thought. “Someone must have put this in the wrong coat pocket by accident.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Your coat is, well, distinct,” Kate kindly settled on the word. “It’s not a mistake.”
“Someone is fond of you.” Lila beamed as if she knew a secret.
“Dr. Hathaway was in this vestibule a moment ago and all alone,” Earlee surmised.
“He would have had plenty of opportunity to slip that into your coat pocket.” Meredith donned her beautiful, knit hat. “I have a feeling Ruby will be the next one of us to find true love.”
“Impossible, since I’m doomed to become a spinster.” What would they think if they knew? Wretched, she ran a fingertip across the thread. Best to put this back in her pocket. “I think being an old maid will give me a certain flair.”
“You, an old maid?” Scarlet laughed lovingly. “Not a chance of that. Now, are we going to the diner? We had best get moving.”
“No, not me.” She longed to go with them and share the sure-to-be-fun moments over tea and pie, but she had something to attend to. “You all go ahead.”
“Not without you. What are you going to do?” Earlee asked so sincerely and sweetly it was impossible to deny her the truth.
“I need to sort through the church barrel. I need better shoes.” She shrugged, quite as if her pride didn’t sting one bit. “I can’t risk slipping and sliding around the Davis’s kitchen. I’m not that good of a skater.”
“Then we shall come with you,” Kate declared. “We are like the Musketeers. All for one and one for all.”
“Yes, we are,” Scarlet agreed as they linked arms. “The church basement, here we come.”
The night was crisp and bitter. The raw air burned their faces and the insides of their noses as they plowed through the snow. Their laughter echoed in the empty churchyard, and several horses tied at the hitching post threw disapproving looks their way. Ruby watched Scarlet peel off from the group and duck to fill her mitten with snow.
“Don’t you dare!” Meredith squealed, leaping to make a snowball of her own. Too late, an icy orb hit square on her back. “You are going to pay for that, Scarlet Eudora Fisher!”
“Oh, no!” Laughing, Scarlet dashed behind Ruby and used her for a shield. “You wouldn’t risk hitting sweet, little Ruby, would you?”
“Not if she ducks.” Meredith wound up and let the ball fly. Ruby, being no dummy, ducked just in time.
Scarlet did not. Snow splatted against her coat and exploded. Her laughter rang merrily. She swiped snow out of her face. “Kate, don’t just stand there. Help me!”
Ruby watched the full-scale snowball tactical assault surround her. Kate joined Scarlet, Lila joined Meredith, and Earlee scooped up snow and packed it, casually watching both warring factions as if debating her battle strategy. Squeals of laughter pealed in the dark evening. Ruby laughed too, never happier.
“Ruby.” Earlee smiled at her innocently, a second before she launched a snowball through the air.
“Earlee!” With a shriek she tried to duck but the ball of snow thwacked on her shoulder, spraying cold bits into her face.
“Oops, my aim was off. I was aiming higher.” Earlee was rewarded by a smack of snow that came out of nowhere. She rubbed the icy chunks out of her eyes, her smile still in place. “Kate, you are going to pay for that.”
“Ooh, I’m scared. C’mon, Ruby. Let’s get her!”
“Time to get even.” Ruby plunged her right hand into the snow, working fast to shape her own weapon. Earlee yelped as Kate launched a second ball at her, she tried to dodge it, and Ruby threw. Her snowball hurtled through the air, walloped Earlee in the back, just as Kate’s hit her from the front.
“Look at Ruby, just standing there.” Lila swirled around, holding a snowball in each hand. “She’s hardly been hit at all.”
“That isn’t right,” Meredith scooped up more snow. “What are we going to do about it, girls?”
“A full-scale war?” Scarlet suggested.
“Sounds good to me.” Earlee smiled.
“I’m still on your side, Ruby.” Kate, ever loyal, knelt to shape another snowball.
“I adore you for that, but we’re outnumbered.” Ruby inched her good hand toward the snowy ground, desperately wanting to make some ammunition. Her friendly adversaries were creeping closer.
“I say we can take them all and wi—” Kate’s confident remark was interrupted by a pelting snowball.
The battle was on. White projectiles cannoned into the air, sailing in arcs straight toward her. Ruby squeaked, felt her shoes slip on the icy snow—she didn’t dare run—so she had to stand her ground. Snowballs rained down all round her. She ignored the twinge in her left wrist, and she packed another weapon. She threw blindly, struck a target, but she was laughing too hard to see who.
The next thing she knew, Earlee was at her side, ignoring the gleeful shouts of “traitor” as she hurriedly packed and threw snow. Ruby laughed, dodging Scarlet’s gentle throw and lobbed a return snowball. Joy bubbled through her while she ducked Lila’s snowball and returned a volley. Snow walloped against Lila’s coat, and laughter rang like bells.
“Truce!” Scarlet called out, waving both hands. “Ruby, you are deadly accurate with a snowball. Who would have guessed it?”
“It’s my secret talent.” Her left hand smarted, but it was worth it. She joined her friends, swiping the ice and snow residue out of their faces and off
their clothes as they tromped toward the basement door. “Rupert taught me. We used to have snowball fights when we were growing up.”
“Rupert.” Kate said his name with the hint of a sigh. “You have a handsome brother.”
“I do?” She sailed through the door Lila held and into the depths of the basement. A single lamp burned on a desk, and heat radiated from the cast-iron stove in the corner. Blessed heat. She headed toward it, realizing she was frozen clear through. “Roop is a good man. He works very hard, and he’s incredibly wonderful.”
“You aren’t sweet on Ruby’s brother, are you, Kate?” Earlee asked as she took her place around the stove. The reverend’s wife’s papers were on a nearby desk. She must have stepped out.
“I’m just saying he’s good-looking.” Kate shrugged. “A girl has to keep her options open.”
“What about Lorenzo?” Scarlet held her hands toward the heat. “I could never give up on Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo. Ruby winced. Could she never escape even the mention of the man?
“Let’s see if we can find something for Ruby.” Lila, the successful manager of the town’s finest dress shop, waltzed away from the stove and plucked a very shabby, brown gingham dress from the top of the barrel. “This would be a no.”
“Definitely a no.” Meredith sidled up to the stove. “Keep going.”
“How about this?” Lila plunged her hand inside and withdrew a fine sweater with a hole in the elbow. “It’s blue, it’s about the right size.”
“I could fix that hole,” Scarlet spoke up. “I’m a good knitter.”
“Then it’s a maybe.” Lila set it aside and fished inside the barrel. “Ooh, I see something really good.”
“I love it!” Scarlet swept up to get a better look at the dress.
A dress? It was practically a gown, in champagne-colored silk. Tiny rows of lace with scalloped edges lined the princess-cut bodice. The ruffled skirt was trimmed in matching velvet. Fine pearls sewn onto the fabric gleamed richly. A careless tear at the collar had been left unattended, so the stitching had come unraveled.