Rory looked at her strangely. He had forgotten that she had followed him from the stage. When had he blocked her out so completely that he hadn't even recognized that she was right there, beside him?
"No, I am fine," he said sharply. For some reason her concern made him irritable. "I am just going to get some air."
He headed to the back of the church. They had a porch out there. Maybe he could get his churning emotions under control and put back on his game face.
*****
Ian watched as the pastor got up. He had been watching him as soon as they stepped inside the church hall, and he had realized two things simultaneously. This Rory guy still had the 'hots' for his Ruby and two, his own wife—he couldn't remember her name—was wound up tighter than a string. She looked uncomfortable, stiff and unhappy.
He hadn't missed the longing looks in Ruby's direction by Rory either, and when he saw him get up, he had the urge to follow him. He had to get some things straight with Rory. He had not probed Ruby for any details of their time together, partly because he wanted peace of mind and he didn't want to hear anything that would disrupt his peace or give him unwelcome images in his head. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Whatever they had in the past was finished, but he didn't want Rory getting any ideas of starting some kind of relationship with Ruby.
He mumbled to the table at large, "Excuse me a sec, guys."
"Don't stay too long," Carson said to him. "We are supposed to be up in ten minutes."
Ian nodded.
Ruby placed her hand over his and looked at him strangely. She had seen Rory get up and she didn't know if Ian was getting up to go talk to him. She wanted to ask but she didn't want their friends to know what was going on.
Ian patted her hand and pushed back the chair. "I'll be back before ten minutes."
He followed Rory's disappearing back to the church porch and saw Rory sitting on a bench. He had his hand in his head and he exhaled a big sigh. Ian heard the sigh before he saw him in the semi-darkness.
He leaned up on the post in front of the porch steps. Even though Ian had made no attempt to be stealthy, Rory was so lost in thought that he didn't hear him.
"I want to have a word with you," Ian said quietly.
Rory's head snapped up. "Ian?"
"Yes," Ian ground out. "Ian Scott, Ruby's husband. The man she married. You are new here and I don't know how things operated back where you are coming from, but long loving glances from the married pastor of the church to another man's wife is just not on."
Rory sighed again; this time it wasn't so heavy.
"I am sorry," Rory said hesitantly. I am going through a period of adjustment. It's not what you think it is. You see I have known Ruby before and..."
"Don't care," Ian interrupted him abruptly. "Nip in the bud whatever it is that is brewing in your head. Maybe you need some spiritual advice or something, but I can't have you looking at my wife like that, especially knowing that you two have a shared past."
Rory gritted his teeth. "Before she was your wife she was almost my wife."
"Almost doesn't count," Ian said. "She is mine now. You'll just have to deal with it. Maybe you should give your own wife some more attention; the poor lady looks like she is going to burst into tears at any moment. Set your own house in order, Panton! Don't for one moment believe that I am going to stand back and watch as you mess with mine! Got that?"
Rory didn't say a word more and Ian didn't wait to hear if he did. He walked back into the church hall. Carson was at the door.
"I was coming to get you."
Ian nodded. "Here I am."
"You don't sound right," Carson said. "Want to talk about it later?"
"Nah," Ian said. "I think I have things sorted out."
Chapter Thirteen
Ian was awakened at five o'clock on Friday morning by the incessant ringing of his cell phone. He answered it groggily. It was Victor. He instantly remembered that he had an appointment with Victor and Boris Lee at the Palm Tree site today at nine.
"Hey Ian, you're going into Hanover today, right?"
"Yes," Ian whispered. He was trying to talk softly but his voice was a little husky from the night before. Ruby hadn't shifted in the bed. She was sleeping like the dead. They had come in late last night. After the function, they had stopped at Carson's garage and the whole gang had sat around and talked and laughed into the night. They had even done an impromptu karaoke session that had caused quite a bit of jocularity, especially when they had attempted to go out of their vocal range.
Ruby had been in her element and when they came back last night, they had both been exhausted. He wanted to push the curls back from her forehead and kiss her softly, but he focused on the conversation with Victor instead.
"Aren't you coming as well?" he asked Victor.
"Yes, I am coming," Victor said. "Maybe I could drive in with you? That's only if you are coming back early, though. I have an appointment with another client at three."
"Yes, I'll be back early," Ian said. He had to go get the results of the sperm test that he did a couple of days earlier.
He was especially motivated to do so now because of this latest revelation that Rory and Ruby had been lovers. He wanted Ruby to feel complete and happy in their relationship, and if a baby was going to do it, then he needed to make sure that he was able to give his wife what she wanted.
He still felt sleepy, but after he hung up the phone he got up out of bed and showered. He sat on the bed and put on his shoes, all the while trying to be quiet, even though he doubted that a cavalry could wake up Ruby now; she was gently snoring.
He was on the verge of putting on his left shoe when he heard Ruby hoarsely whisper, "She killed my baby."
He turned around and looked at her, alarmed, and then he realized that she was still sleeping.
He couldn't recall ever hearing Ruby talking in her sleep.
"Sue-Ann is evil, she killed my baby."
Ian's heart jumped a little. What was she saying? Was this a dream or something? Wasn't Sue-Ann Rory's wife? What baby was she talking about?
When Ruby started thrashing around in the bed, Ian went over to her side and touched her cheek. He didn't want to wake her up but his curiosity was eating him alive. He glanced at the clock on the dresser; it was five-thirty. It was still fairly dark out. He kissed Ruby on her cheek instead. She had settled back down and her breath had evened out. He didn't have the heart to wake her up about something that was surely a dream. But when he reluctantly left the house, his heart was telling him that this was just not an ordinary dream or nightmare. He felt as if he was in a play and was the only one who did not know his lines.
Obviously, there was something going on between the three of them, Rory, Sue-Ann, and Ruby. When he came back in the night he needed to find out what it was.
*****
"When are you guys going to come out with a CD?" Victor asked him as they drove away from the work site. Ian had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he had not even heard Victor at first.
Leading up to December he was going to have to work flat out on the initial stages of the site. He was probably going to have to stay nearby in the weekdays. The prospect of being away from Ruby now, when there was such a big mystery in her life, made him feel uncomfortable.
He was driving home to get some answers. He wanted to know what baby she was mumbling about in her sleep.
"Huh?" he looked at Victor, after Victor cleared his throat. "Sorry man, I have some stuff on my mind."
Victor nodded. "I was asking about your band. When are you guys coming out with a CD?"
Ian laughed. "I don't know. We have never really discussed it."
"You guys are good. I heard you at the function last night."
"Ah," Ian said. "Thanks. Didn't know you were there."
"Yes," Victor said. "Carla and I saw when you and Ruby walked in. We left early, though."
Ian nodded. "It is for a good cause, this Golden Age Home.
"
"Yes," Victor said, "I was asked to plan it by your previous pastor, Bobby. I must say, though, I was really impressed with the program. Especially your band—you guys sound excellent for a couple of guys who are not professional."
"We are pretty strict with practice times and we take our gigs seriously. Melody, Logan's wife, is trying to organize us as a professional outfit."
"And you all have that beautiful lady singing with you now?" Victor asked. "I always thought your band was just a bunch of guys."
"Well, the beautiful lady is Alice. She is Carson's wife. She was a part of the original band. There were seven of us when we started."
"Really?" Victor grinned. "Can't remember seeing her. Where is Xavier these days? I haven't seen him since your wedding. He has abandoned the group, huh?"
"No man," Ian swung wide to avoid a car and then glanced through his rearview mirror. "Xavier will always be a band member. I heard that he will be back soon. Then we'll be seven again, just as before."
"So how's Ruby?" Victor asked. He looked like he was settling in for a long chat and Ian resisted the urge to turn on the radio. He didn't want to talk about Ruby right now. He had this dreaded sensation that what he heard her talking about in her sleep was about a past event that he didn't want to know about but was finding it pretty hard to stop mulling over.
"Ruby is fine," Ian said abruptly.
"That pastor…your new church pastor; what's his name. He was staring at her last night like she was a cup of hot chocolate. You need to watch him."
Ian's hands stiffened on the steering wheel. So he wasn't the only one that had seen Rory's longing looks. Even Victor, who wasn't even a member of the church, had picked up on them.
"You know the story of King David," Victor said shrewdly. "How he saw his captain's wife bathing and while her husband was away they did the deed."
"Stop," Ian said, feeling genuinely distressed. "What on earth gave you the idea that... Ruby that...just stop, Victor."
Victor grunted. "Take heed, Ian. That man wants your wife."
*****
When Ian dropped off Victor at his place, he was far from pleased. The first time they had traveled together, after he dropped him off he had gone straight ahead and done a sperm test because of the story Victor told him. This time Victor had instilled doubts in him that were dark and uncomfortable and had him questioning his marriage and how firm it really was. Yes, Ruby had assured him that she loved him but did she really, or was she in love with her old flame?
He hadn't missed how she had stopped to look back at Rory last night. Rory wasn't the only one doing his long contemplative stares.
He was now extremely uncomfortable and when he pulled into the parking lot for the doctor's office he almost didn't go inside. He wanted to go home now and confront Ruby, demand that she reassure him that her past was no threat to their marriage. He slammed his truck door too hard and headed to the door, which was emblazoned Hugh Moody, Urologist.
The nurse at the front smiled at him. He had had the sense to call ahead today to find out if his results were ready and the nurse had told him, "Yes".
"Please have a seat, Mr. Scott," she said to him sweetly after he gave her his name and the reason he was there.
He didn't have long to wait. He was ushered into the doctor's office within a few moments.
"I have good news and I have bad news," Dr. Moody said solemnly after they had dispensed with the pleasantries. "The bad news is that your test showed us some irregularities."
Ian stiffened in the chair. He didn't know what he was expecting, but this wasn't it.
"We can do further tests to pinpoint the problem," Dr. Moody continued as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb in his lap. "A second test would have been suggested anyway if your tests were normal. Just to be sure."
"What do you mean irregularities?" Ian heard himself ask faintly.
"Well," Dr. Moody adjusted his glasses, "when we assessed your sperm count, we looked at their shape, how they move and other variables. Generally, a high number of normal-shaped sperm means higher fertility. Conversely, lower levels of normal-shaped sperms means lower fertility."
Ian was nodding his head but he was hearing a little bell, like the final bell after a boxing match; it went ping in his ear.
His relationship with Ruby was over. Unlike Victor, whose wife didn't want children, his wife did and she wanted them so badly. Not having any was making her unhappy. He couldn't give her any. The doctor's office was air-conditioned but he felt his palms sweating.
"Mr. Scott." The doctor was looking at him with concern. "There were a high number of irregularly shaped sperm in your sample and also a very low sperm count, but not to worry. Many men with low sperm counts or abnormal semen are still fertile. So that is the good news. You are still young; there are many things you can do to enhance your chances of fertility. We can schedule another test today to confirm our findings."
"No," Ian said, shaking his head. "I can't, not today."
"Well," Dr. Moody clasped his hands in front of him. "The sooner you schedule another appointment the sooner we can get this all sorted out."
Ian wanted to laugh. He was never going to get stuff all sorted out. He couldn't imagine telling Ruby that he was infertile. He felt like a half a man when he exited the doctor's office. Like a vital part of him that he had thought had always worked was letting him down. He felt torn.
He sat in his car for the longest time, listening to a talk show. He didn't want to think. He didn't want his mind to dare think about his reproductive system. It was the heat of the day that finally penetrated his inertia. He started the car to turn on the air conditioner and then decided to go home.
He really wished that Ruby would not be home when he got there, a stark contrast to how he had been feeling earlier.
Chapter Fourteen
Ruby had the oddest sensation that something was seriously wrong with Ian. He had been acting strange since that Golden Age Fund Raising dinner. She fretted about it. Was he feeling uncomfortable about her past with Rory? When he found out about them initially he had been cool about it. Completely calm, he had taken the information in stride but since then her husband had turned into an automaton and in true robot style, he barely cracked a smile at her these days.
Maybe it was the initial stages of starting a new job. He was traveling to Hanover every day. It was a one-hour drive to and from the building site and when he came home he was exhausted and listless, but she sensed that this attitude, this unusual behavior went deeper than work-related stress.
This was not her Ian. He spurned conversation. Communication had always been Ian's forte, and what he excelled at in their relationship. He was always the one who was willing to talk, even when she had been reluctant to do so, but now she was getting the silent treatment. Well, not quite silent—more like the grunting treatment.
"Hey." He walked through the door. He had on one of his muscle shirts, blue jeans, and a hard hat was in his hand. He threw his keys on the key holder. Ruby glanced at the clock. It was ten o'clock on a Wednesday. Maybe he had stopped at his band practice.
"Hey," she said, grinning at him.
"I am going to take a shower," Ian said.
"Want me to join you?" Ruby winked at him.
Ian sighed. He missed her; how could he say no? Besides, he felt as if he was living on borrowed time with her. She threw down the papers that she was working on and got up hurriedly when he crooked his fingers at her.
"Come here," he said softly.
She got up and went to him.
"What's wrong with you these days?" Ruby asked softly. "You have turned caveman on me. Is everything all right at work?"
Ian ran his fingers through her curly hair, feeling the warmth of her scalp with the tips of his fingers.
He drew in a rugged breath. "I love you."
Ruby blinked; her eyes welled with tears. "I love you too, golden eyes."
"Do you really?" Ian asked earnestly; h
is light brown eyes looked doubtful. "Can you love me if I can't give you those babies you want so much?"
Ruby gasped. "Where is this coming from?"
Ian groaned and drew her to him, hugging her so tightly she could feel his heart hammering against her head.
He released her slightly, lifted her into his embrace, and lowered his lips to hers. Ruby made a soft little moan as his lips parted hers, and then she wound her arms around his neck. She started kissing him back as hungrily as he was kissing her.
They didn't even make it to the shower.
*****
Mid-November, Ruby went into the office at midday to collect a box of wedding tokens. Her head was pounding and she really felt unwell. A few weeks previously Cynth had gotten the flu and she had sneezed on her accidentally, and since then she had the uncomfortable feeling that she had caught the virus and her body was just waiting to reveal it to her.
"Hey you," Cynth, who was now looking disgustingly healthy, called to her when she walked in. "What are you doing here? Don't you have that wedding at Cool Cascades in the Trelawny hills?"
"Yup," Ruby said listlessly. "I came for the tokens that I had customized for Sheila and it's a twilight wedding, so I have loads of time to reach there. I feel like crap, though," Ruby said heading to their small storage area.
"I wish I could come with you," Cynth said, "but I have a party tonight. The Kenyan ambassador is having an intimate party for his wife with forty of their closest friends. I'll be hostess. I plan to be sparkly and friendly and I vow to bring back more business than we can handle."
"Oh yes," Ruby said. "If Sheila wasn't my church friend I would exchange places with you, though I have no sparkle or friendliness in me right now. I feel like going home right this minute and sleeping until night."
"If you are sleepy you shouldn't drive," Cynth said looking at her in concern. "Surely there are other church friends who are going; get a ride with somebody."
Duet on Fire Page 10