Rubies And Boots (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots)

by Danni Lee Nicholls

  In that moment, her eyes had been full of soft wonder, until Jim showed up. She wasn’t just embarrassed. He thought she was regretful and that she couldn’t wait to get away from him. But there was more. For all of Ruby’s fierce determination, there was something fragile about her, and Jonah remembered what Bert had told him about Ruby having a broken heart. Was that why she’d fled in such haste, or had she really wanted to stay away from him?

  When Ruby pulled into the drive, he watched her carefully as she hurried out of her car. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a royal-blue T-shirt tied at the hip and a pair of boots. Maybe if he acted like their shared affection hadn’t happened, she’d settle.

  “Hey, you,” Jonah said.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, yourself. How are things going?”

  Jonah cupped his ear with his hand to magnify the sound of the distressed cattle. “As you can tell, We have a bunch of unhappy mommas and babies,” he half-shouted.

  “They’ll all feel better once they’re back together.” Ruby walked toward him, keeping her distance as she came to stand by his side. “What’s the plan?”

  Jonah explained the afternoon as he kept the space between them.

  Ruby looked around. “Where’s Curtis?”

  Jonah pointed to the pen where the calves were knocking around with Curtis. “He’s doing a head count. When is Emmie getting here?”

  “Probably within the half hour,” Ruby replied, squinting out into the fields.

  Jonah hoped for a connection—a look or a smile. Ruby wouldn’t meet his gaze, and he wouldn’t force her attention. She surveyed the land, shielding her eyes against the sun.

  “Are the vaccines drawn up?” she asked.

  “No. I was hoping to get to that before you got here, but it didn’t happen.”

  Ruby turned toward him for the first time. Her brown eyes looked hesitant as she held his gaze. Then, she offered him a tentative smile. For Jonah, all the planets aligned. He would walk forever to see her coffee colored eyes smiling at him.

  She broke the spell between them. “Well, then. Let’s get to it. Lead the way.”

  Jonah returned Ruby’s grin as he and Ruby made their way to the barn and began pulling out bags of syringes and vials of vaccine.

  “How much do we need in each syringe?” Ruby asked.

  Jonah filled her in on the amount required for each shot and then said, “You should’ve seen us yesterday. Curtis tried to move the calves into the chute while I drew up the vaccine, gave the shot, and pinned the ears. While I’m releasing the first cow, he’s trying to push the second into the chute. Jim was moving between helping Curtis and helping me. His poor horse didn’t know what was going on. With you and Emmie here, that’ll free Curtis and me to get the calves into the chute. With the vaccines ready, we should be able to move the calves a lot quicker.”

  Jonah drank in Ruby’s presence as she began filling the syringes with vaccine. Her actions were confident.

  “Aren’t you afraid of a needle stick?” Jonah asked.

  “Naaa. They heal up fast.”

  “You’ve done this before.”

  Ruby laughed. “Many times. I’ve helped Curtis in the past, and I’ve also helped Willow on the Double W. How about you?”

  “Not as often as you,” he replied. “There’s not much need for vaccinating calves where I come from.”

  “And where do you come from?” Ruby asked.

  “University Park, Texas. It’s a suburb of Dallas.”

  “Are there a lot of ranches there?” Ruby asked.

  “In University Park?” Jonah laughed. “Hardly. It’s more like a botanical garden.” His voice softened. “It’s not how I want to live.”

  “How do you want to live, Jonah?” Ruby set the full syringe down and turned to face him.

  The air between them changed, and Jonah somehow knew that his next words were crucial to a growing closeness with Ruby. But there was more. Someone was actually asking him what he wanted, and the sweetness of her honest, simple inquiry flushed him with elation. No one in his family cared the least about how he wanted to live.

  “I want to be a rancher.” The intensity behind his dream showed in his words. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “What kind of rancher?”

  Jonah was curious. “What do you mean?”

  Ruby turned away and began filling syringes once again. “Do you want to be a full-time rancher, or a gentleman rancher?”

  The question hit Jonah like a thump to the chest as he remembered his mother’s suggestion to ranch part time in a spread outside Dallas. For her, it was the perfect solution. But now, standing in the open yawn of the barn door surrounded by the sounds and smells of cows and calves, Jonah knew there was no place else he’d rather be. “I want to be a rancher,” he replied. As his conviction grew, so did his determination. “Here in Sunrise Creek. I want to live here full-time and work the land. I want to grow a family and …”

  Ruby had turned toward him again, that sweet look he remembered from the other day softening her dark brown eyes.

  “I’ve said too much?” Jonah asked.

  Ruby shook her head. “Not at all. It’s good to hear of your dreams,” she said as she focused once again on her work.

  Jonah turned back to his pile of syringes. He tried to focus on the needle and the rubber stopper, but with Ruby’s warm scent of coffee and vanilla, it was hard to concentrate.

  “Ouch!” The needle pierced his thumb.

  “Oh, let me see.” Ruby put down her work and pulled Jonah’s fingers into her hands. The dry warmth of her skin relaxed him, and he gave himself over to her care.

  She squeezed the wound. A drop of blood welled up on his thumb before she wiped it away with an alcohol pad and covered it with a bandage. Her work was quick and efficient. The whole event happened so fast that Jonah hardly had time to think, much less react. It left his head spinning. He moved closer to her as they worked.

  The scent of her was exhilarating, and his skin tingled where her expert fingers had worked over his small wound. More importantly, something had shifted for Jonah—not just with Ruby, but within the secret chambers of his own ambitions and hope. He didn’t want to hire a foreman to take care of his place or his cows while he toiled in the grinding city. He wanted to be a rancher, and Ruby had helped him own it.

  Twelve

  Two days later, Jonah pushed the last calf into the chute before leaning against the fence and wiping his brow. The animal banged against the steel fencing and tried to turn back, but the ranch dog kept it moving along the narrow passage of the chute until it reached Ruby, who secured the headlock. As he watched the final calf receive his vaccination, some part of Jonah was sorry to finish the work. It kept him on horseback for the most part. He also liked having the women around, especially Ruby.

  Jonah studied her closely. She looked exhausted, but there was no note of fatigue in her manner as she worked with this final calf. She was as focused with this one as she’d been with the first.

  For three days, Jonah had expected her to fold under the fast pace and physical work. Instead, she got stronger as the days marched on. He watched her now, discarding the syringe in its proper container and wiping her brow.

  When Emmie finished the ear-tagging, both girls grinned and fell into an embrace with each other over a job well done.

  Yearning ebbed into Jonah. He loved the relaxed way the two women interacted, and it wasn’t lost on him how warm and affectionate Ruby could be with those whom she trusted and loved. Did he long for what Ruby represented with her deep roots in Sunrise Creek and her strong connections to those around her, or was it Ruby herself that spawned feelings of desire and hunger?

  He turned away from the women. Ever since his and Ruby’s earlier conversation, Jonah was determined to tell his family that he wanted to be a full-time rancher. He hated turning his back on his mother’s olive branch, and yet he couldn’t live his life based on hopes and dream
s that didn’t belong to him. Still, the idea filled him with dread. How would his family react?

  Up until now, his father had always been tolerant and even encouraging of Jonah’s ranching, but once everyone really understood that he was not going to work for the family company, he might also withdraw from Jonah.

  The thought sent Jonah into a tailspin of uncertainty.

  Curtis came to stand beside him and slapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get cleaned up and feed these women.” He laughed before turning to Emmie. “Will you have dinner with us? We’re going to grill some steaks, and Mom’s made baked beans and there are potatoes in the embers of the fire pit. What do you say?”

  Jonah held his breath as he waited for Ruby to answer. Over the last few days, they had grown comfortable with one another, but they hadn’t spent any leisure time together. Would she agree?

  “I’d love to,” Emmie said. “I need to go home and shower; then I’ll be back.” Emmie turned to Ruby. “What about you?”

  “Let me go home and clean up,” Ruby said. “I’ve got to make a run to the bank, so I

  I’ll have to come out a little later.”

  For one brief moment, Jonah’s eyes met Ruby’s, and she offered him a warm flicker of a smile.

  Jonah returned her smile as the earlier dread ebbed away. This wasn’t a real date. Curtis and Emmie would be there, and Jim and Linda wouldn’t be far away. Maybe it was the date before the date. Whatever it was, the idea of spending time with Ruby left Jonah in high spirits.

  * * *

  Three hour later, as dusk crept over the land, Jonah sat next to Ruby in front of the fire pit with the flames lazily dancing amid the wood coals. The meal had gone well, with Emmie talking about her work as a vet tech.

  Jonah didn’t involve himself in the discussion. Instead, he listened as Ruby, Emmie, and Curtis moved in and out of conversation with the comfortable ease of long association. They talked of their time in high school together, their summers spent on horseback and swimming in the lake after working on the ranch. Some of their memories went all the way back to grade school.

  Jonah couldn’t even remember his elementary school chums or their antics. Watching the fire die to coals, he was overcome with a strong yearning to be deeply rooted in a place and with people who were a part of the fabric of his life. Folks he could rely on who understood him and gave him a place amongst themselves where what he offered was accepted and valued. That’s what he saw between Emmie, Ruby, and Curtis as they reminisced, and he yearned for it.

  In his hometown, competition for status was fierce. Everyone was determined to get into the best colleges with the right major. Marrying the perfect spouse was also high on the list of achievements, and love was sometimes conditional based on whether or not it fit a need.

  Jonah believed there were good families in University Park. He just wasn’t sure he could number his among them in spite of his mother’s charity balls and goodwill luncheons.

  Guilt crowded his vision. Maybe he was being too harsh. After all, weren’t there a myriad of ways to help and serve?

  He pushed those thoughts away. He didn’t want to think about his mother or even his future discussion with her as he sat next to Ruby.

  He turned toward her in a lull of the conversation. “I haven’t had the chance to ask you about work. How are things at the Jumpin’ Bean?”

  “Busy. This is peak season,” Ruby replied without looking away from the fire.

  “Do you like your work?” Jonah asked.

  “Yeah. Well, mostly. Until someone is rude.” She shrugged. “Most folks are on vacation, though, so they’re usually happy.”

  Jonah was pleased. He loved the sound of her voice and enjoyed hearing her talk about her day-to-day life.

  “I have a few regulars. Bert, for instance. He’s in every day. He really likes you, by the way.” Ruby cast a glance in Jonah’s direction.

  “I guess that’s good for me, right? Since he talks to so many people.”

  “It is good for you,” Ruby replied as threw Jonah a quick smile.

  The fire popped and sparks flew upward.

  “He likes you too,” Jonah said.

  Ruby laughed. “He has to like me,” she said. “He gets his coffee from me.”

  “I don’t think that’s it.” Jonah was thoughtful. “He genuinely cares for you, Ruby. He told me he’s watched you grow since you were born.” Jonah debated about telling Ruby what Bert had said about her broken heart. He chose to remain silent.

  Ruby turned to face Jonah. “He said that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, that’s true, but a word of caution. Don’t believe everything Bert tells you,” Ruby said. “After what happened here a few weeks ago with Lexie and Joshua, I doubt he has much to say about our family that’s nice.”

  “Ruby,” Emmie admonished.

  “What?” Ruby said.

  Jonah watched the interaction between sisters. Emmie was kind and thoughtful. Ruby was honest, a trait he preferred. “Bert hasn’t said anything to me about any of that,” he said.

  “Well, you’re probably the only one in town,” Ruby replied. “I’m sure everyone else has gotten an earful. He has several cronies who sit around his shop in the afternoons, nursing Pepsis and yakking away.”

  Emmie shook her head.

  “Everyone knows Uncle Bert is a huge gossip,” Curtis said.

  Ruby turned to Jonah. “Are you sure you want to live here?”

  Jonah heard the teasing note in her voice, but he felt the challenge and doubt underneath the words. “What makes you ask?”

  Ruby and Emmie shared a look before Ruby turned back to Jonah. “Because people come and go all the time,” Ruby said quietly.

  “Not me,” Jonah said.

  “I can vouch for that.” Curtis laughed easily. “He stuck with me through six years of college. Once Jonah makes a commitment, he’s in for the long haul. Sunrise Creek is lucky to have him.”

  Ruby said nothing as she turned back to the fire, and Jonah hoped that someday he’d be able to prove the truth of Curtis’s words.

  * * *

  Jonah took in the night sky, the moonlight offering its witness as Jonah walked Ruby to her car. Emmie and Curtis had disappeared, but Ruby needed to go home if she was going to open the Jumpin’ Bean early the next morning.

  “It’s been nice working with you these last few days,” Jonah said, arriving at her Escape. “I’m glad we’ve been able to get to know one another better.” Gently, he touched the back of her hand with his fingers. His courage was bolstered when she allowed the touch. The scent of her soap and the feel of her warm, soft skin sent a flutter down his spine.

  Ruby raised her eyes and looked directly at Jonah.

  The air stilled in his chest. “I know you have to leave, but do you think I could see you again?”

  Jonah tuned in to Ruby’s sudden blink and haunted look. The quick trembling of her muscles and delicate bones of her hand reminded him of a bird. The emotion passed, and she relaxed under his touch.

  “Yes,” she answered gently. “I’d like that.”

  Jonah hadn’t realized that he was holding his breath until he exhaled at receiving her answer. He grinned as he squeezed her hand. “Me too,” he said. “I’d like that, too. How about if I check in with you over the next couple of days, and we can set something up?”

  “That’d be perfect,” Ruby said.

  Jonah moved closer, and once again he felt Ruby tremble. Did she still want to run from him like she had the other day? He recalled her broken heart. What had happened to her?

  He withdrew his hand from hers, wishing her could pull her into a close embrace and allow the warm aroma of coffee and vanilla to surround him as he ran his fingers through her hair. Instead, he took a step back. “I’ll get in touch after we’re done with the haying.”

  Ruby’s body loosened as she nodded.

  Stepping away from her had been the right thing to do. He wasn’t s
ure what happened in her past, but she needed space to unravel her own heartache. He could offer that to her.

  He held open her door as she slipped inside before he gently enclosed her in the car. In the darkness, it was hard to see, but he was sure her eyes had lost some of the skittish look as she gave him a genuine smile and one last wave before easing on the gas.

  Jonah stepped out of the way as the sky deepened to navy and Ruby’s taillights disappeared into the night.

  Thirteen

  The following afternoon, Ruby wiped her brow as she waved off her last customer, her thoughts drifting over the last few days spent in Jonah’s company. She would not be heading out to the Triangle 4 this afternoon, and already she was missing him.

  The feeling wasn’t entirely new. She had missed Cooper during various times in their relationship. His family always took a couple weeks off during the summer, and even though they’d been in contact, she’d still missed his presence. She’d missed him desperately when he’d left for California to go to school at UCLA. Throughout that autumn, the ache of his absence was so acute, it was almost physical. But nothing compared to how she’d longed for him after she received his final text, telling her it was time for both of them to move on. There was no way to prepare for that final loss.

  For months, she had missed his physical closeness, but always some piece of his soul remained with her, until that dreadful day when the absence of him was so complete, so utterly final, that she wondered if she could die from grief.

  Missing Jonah wasn’t anything like that. She believed his desire to call, offering her happy anticipation and the new beginnings of trust instead of the gray landscape of heartache. Since last night, Ruby was aware of a new thread of happiness that had begun to wind its way through her soul, binding up the old and broken pieces of her heart and her life and stitching them back together.

  Ruby wished to think more on these things, but the stifling heat brought her attention back to her cleanup routine for the day. When she heard Emmie’s car, she stepped out of the back door of the coffee shack and greeted her sister with a hug as she pulled up a footstool for Emmie to sit while she took a seat on her back stairs.