Ruby grinned at her sister. “What time did you get in last night?” she asked.
“Later than you,” Emmie replied. Her blushing cheeks gave her away. “I didn’t get the chance to talk with you last night when I got home. How did things go with Jonah?”
Effervescent delight ran through Ruby’s veins like sunshine. “He asked me out.”
“I knew it!” Emmie said.
“He said he’d call me as soon as the haying was finished.” A cloud of doubt overrode Ruby’s happier thoughts. “You don’t think he’ll change his mind, do you?”
“Of course not,” Emmie said. “I saw the two of you at the fire pit. I’m sure he’ll call.” She shifted in her seat. “You know how haying is. They’re out from dawn until dark, and they’re never sure how long it’s going to take. Don’t worry.”
Ruby appreciated her sister’s supportive optimism.
Emmie waved her hand in front of face. “It’s killer hot today. How do you stand it?”
“I was closing up. Otherwise, the fan would be on. I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m dying to beat this July heat and jump in the lake!”
Emmie hopped up from her footstool. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. I’ll see you at home,” she said, hurrying to her car.
Ruby turned back inside and began pulling the money from her till. She glanced up when she heard the truck. Instinctively, she shut and locked the back door and shoved the money back in the till, closing the drawer as Joshua McPherson drove up.
Pretending to still be open, she slid back the window and gave Josh her best professional look. She didn’t want to give this man any information about herself or her business. It wouldn’t be hard for him to know when she closed, but she preferred not to shout that information.
“Hey there, Rubes,” Josh said.
Ruby gave him a hard stare. “No one calls me Rubes.”
Josh’s look turned sour. “Well, aren’t you a hard one to please.”
Ruby ignored Josh’s quick change of attitude. “What can I get you, Josh?”
Josh replaced his sour look with an easy smile. “I’ll have an Americano.”
Ruby turned to her grinding machine and filled it with beans that were ground to a powder. She worked fast, hoping to send Josh on his way. She heard the second car pull up, and her irritation grew as the heat within the coffee shack turned airless. Finishing the Americano, she handed it to Josh. “That’ll be four-fifty.”
Josh’s smile cooled. “Now, why would you charge me? I’m practically family.”
Anger flared in Ruby. She kept her voice even. “Dating my sister doesn’t make you family. Now, that’ll be four-fifty.” She made a mental note to talk with Lexie about making sure Joshua understood that their dating didn’t include any free coffee or other family benefits.
Josh took a sip of his coffee, put his truck in park, and settled into his seat.
Ruby glanced at the car behind him. An older couple with plates from Illinois were patiently waiting. Ruby was suddenly glad for their presence. She gave them a quick smile, hoping to entice them to stay, before turning her attention back to Josh. The heat from inside the coffee shack rose with her temper as a trickle of sweat ran between her shoulders.
Josh placed the coffee on the dash of the truck. “Oh, I might be family sooner than you think.” Once again, his smile turned easy.
Alarm flooded through Ruby. What exactly was Josh saying? She shuddered at the possibilities. Her conversation with Lexie would need to take place today. She glanced behind Josh’s truck to see the elderly couple watching their conversation with some intensity.
Turning back to Josh, she said, “I’m sure Sheriff Bowen would love to see you back behind bars, even it’s for the minor infraction of stealing a cup of coffee. Now, that’ll be four-fifty.”
Josh’s easy smile turned into an icy stare. “Have it your way.” He pulled out a handful of coins and slowly began counting.
Ruby kept her mounting agitation to herself. She wasn’t about to please Josh by showing even a hint of irritation. When he was finished with the last penny, Ruby pointed to the sign. “See this? It says I have the right to refuse service to anyone. You come by here again, and I’m calling the cops. I’ll have you arrested for loitering if that’s what it takes to keep you from my window. Now, get out of here.”
Josh put the truck in gear and squealed the tires, adding rubber smoke and exhaust to the heat of the day. It filled the coffee shack, and before the next couple drove up, Ruby opened the back door and turned on the fan, gasping for air as sweat trickled down her temples and clung to her T-shirt.
Ruby took in a deep breath and quickly changed her face to warm and friendly as the elderly couple drove into place. Giving them a genuine smile, she motioned to their license plate. “You’ve come quite a ways, and I’m sorry for the long wait.”
The elderly gentleman and his wife, who leaned over to greet Ruby, returned her smile. “No worries, miss. Was that pickup giving your trouble? We thought we’d better stick around, just in case.”
Ruby was relieved by their honesty and their willingness to help her out. “Yeah. He was troublesome, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
The wife tsked while the elderly gentleman shook his head. He spoke. “One thing me and the missus have learned is that every little slice of paradise has its flies.”
Ruby laughed, releasing her earlier tension. “True enough,” she said. “Now, what can I get you?”
“We’d both like an iced coffee, please.”
“That sounds good to me, too. It’ll take me a couple of minutes to brew a fresh batch, so hang on.”
A couple of minutes later, Ruby popped coffee ice cubes into the cup before pouring freshly brewed coffee over the top. Then, she added a tablespoon of simple syrup before pouring the cream. She handed the couple their drinks and took their money before waving goodbye.
Once they were out of sight, Ruby stepped through the open back door and took a deep breath before scanning the parking lot for Josh. He was nowhere to be seen.
Bert was ambling toward her. “That Josh McPherson giving you trouble?”
Ruby’s exasperation over Josh’s visit mingled with relief to know that Bert was watching, even if it was a story that would reach most of the town by later this evening. “Yeah. I took care of him.”
Bert offered her a smile. “I saw that,” he said. “Good for you. Don’t let him push you around. If he ever gets to be more than you can handle, send me a quick text. I’ll run right over.”
Ruby laughed. “I won’t need to text you. You’re already watching.”
“Well, that’s true,” Bert said as he gave Ruby a quick salute and hurried back to his shop.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Ruby hurried inside to finish closing out the till. She worked quickly as frustration mounted, mixing with the earlier irritation. The elderly couple was right. Joshua McPherson may very well be the fly in her paradise. She hoped he wouldn’t be the scourge of her family.
* * *
Ruby arrived home, hot and tired. The buzzing of saws and the ringing of hammers punctuated her brain with their annoying rhythm as she stepped out of the car. Each loud bang of the hammer followed her into the house through the open windows, deepening Ruby’s annoyance at the reality of loss that was invading her most sacred space.
She threw her purse and the money bag on the couch before thinking better of that decision. Josh McPherson’s words rang in her head. Was he really on his way to becoming her brother-in-law? The thought made her want to gag. Picking up her belongings, she made her way to the back of the house, where the construction noise was less intrusive, and placed her purse and the money bag in the basket on her dresser.
She sat down on her bed, propping her elbows on her knees. Placing her head in her hands, she took several deep breaths, trying to calm the mental static as the heat tickled the back of her knees and the muffled noise of saws and hammers pulsed. The air she took in w
as hot and still, and it made it hard to find any inner calm. She needed a swim. Reaching to close her door for the change of clothes, she was surprised when Lexie moved into the entrance to her bedroom.
“I got a text from Josh,” Lexie stated. “He told me you were rude to him.”
Ruby looked heavenward. “Oh, poor Josh. Everyone in town is dying to pick on him, aren’t they?”
“Don’t give me any of your cheek, Ruby.” Lexie’s eyes sparked with anger.
“You have no idea what happened between Josh and me this afternoon,” Ruby snapped. “He showed up as I was closing and demanded a free Americano. I’m not in business to supply Josh McPherson with free coffee, and I told him so.”
“Why can’t you give him what he wants?” Lexie asked. “One free Americano isn’t going to break your piggy bank.”
“It isn’t adding to my savings, either. No one in town gets a free coffee, except my family,” Ruby said. She leveled her gaze at Lexie. “And Josh will never be my family.”
Lexie took a deep breath in preparation to respond when Emmie appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on here?” Emmie asked.
Lexie’s eyes filled with tears. “You’d better ask Ruby, because I can’t talk about it.” She fled from Ruby’s room and slammed the door to her own.
Emmie sat on Ruby’s bed, saying nothing.
Ruby took a long deep breath as guilt overrode her earlier anger. After all these years, Lexie and her silly drama could still push her to the brink, but this wasn’t silly any longer. The stakes were high. “I keep hoping to talk to her about Josh, but I think that hand has been played. She won’t listen to me now,” Ruby sighed.
Emmie agreed. “It’s not yours to fix, Ruby. Remember? Mom and Dad asked us to stay out of it.”
“Yeah. We might not be able to fix it, but I sure feel like I’m capable of breaking the little thread that still binds Lexie and me.”
Emmie took Ruby’s hand. “Your bond with Lexie is stronger than you know,” she said. “She’s our sister, and no matter what happens, that will always be the case. Someday, she’ll recognize that gift.”
Ruby shook her head in self-reproach. “Only if I make sure that I don’t ruin that gift by demeaning her choices. We’d all be better off if I’d hold my tongue.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Emmie replied. “If Lexie knows anything, she knows you’ll tell her the absolute truth.” She rose from Ruby’s bed. “I’ll go in and talk to her for a few minutes, and when it feels right, why don’t you do the same?”
Ruby nodded. As long as Lexie was dating Josh McPherson, nothing between them would ever feel right again.
Fourteen
Three days later, Ruby unlocked the door to the Jumpin’ Bean as the morning sun peeked over the eastern mountains. Folks were starting to stir in the early morning. Most ranch hands would be up and heading toward the pasture in the blue pearl of dawn. Some early tourists would also be awake, planning their day of hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing, or a myriad of other activities that awaited them in the canyons, creeks, and woods of the nearby mountains. These are the folks she usually served.
Ruby turned on the neon open sign and stuck her money in the till when she heard the truck amble up the shack. Curtis?
It wasn’t until she opened her window that she saw Jonah, and her heart skipped. She offered him a glorious smile.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” she said. “I thought you’d call.”
Jonah turned off the truck. “I wanted to see you,” he said. “You sure are fresh in the morning. How do you manage that?”
Ruby laughed as joy filled her like the sun began filling the valley. “I’ve always been a morning person.”
Jonah shrugged. “Me too, but I don’t look as good as you.”
Ruby smiled. Jonah looked pretty good to her with his dark hair and midnight-blue eyes that smiled every time his mouth curved upward. Having him so near made her knees weak, and she leaned against the counter. “What brings you here?” she asked.
“I was wondering if you could take me up to those falls.” Jonah jerked his thumb out the back window of the truck. “Since I’ve never been up there, I’m sure I need a guide.”
Ruby looked to where the mountain and water met the heavens. The backdrop of the western sky was still purple with early dawn, while pink and amber lit up from the east, hitting the water and mist of the falls, making it shine like golden ribbons.
She gave him a teasing smile. “I think you can manage it. If you’re heading straight up, you’re moving toward the falls. Straight down, and you’ll eventually hit the lake. And you basically follow the creek either way.”
“Yes, but I’m a city boy, remember? I might get those directions mixed up.”
Ruby laughed. She loved Jonah’s self-depreciating humor, and the thought of spending the afternoon hiking with Jonah filled Ruby with happy prospects. They could stand in the mist of the falls and raise their faces to the cold and refreshing water in the middle of a hot day. Maybe he could hold her, erasing her last embrace with Cooper on that bright fall morning when he’d left for college. Perhaps it was time to replace that memory of loss with current possibilities.
“Well, I can certainly help you with that. I mean, we don’t want to send out a search and rescue team after you, do we?” Ruby’s enthusiasm sprang from her.
“Exactly. I’d never live it down. Are you free tomorrow?” Jonah asked.
“Yes, after I close. Maybe I can close a little early.”
Jonah grinned. “You might need to talk to the boss about that.”
Ruby’s laughter was carefree. “I’ll check with her. I bet she’ll let me leave at noon, if I want.”
“I hope so.”
“If you want to meet me at my house, we can walk from there. I don’t live too far from the trailhead. You can meet my parents.” She watched Jonah for any hesitation.
There was none. “I’d like that,” he said.
“I’ll make a picnic if you’d like,” Ruby suggested.
“Will you include some of that iced tea of yours?”
“Consider it done,” Ruby replied.
“And what about one of those bone-dry cappuccinos for right now?”
Ruby stopped and narrowed her eyes at Jonah. “You really like those drinks, don’t you?”
“Yeah. It’s just the right amount of coffee with foam. No milk to get in the way.”
“Do you order them down in Texas?”
“All the time. I’ve got this favorite coffee shop when I’m home. They all know me by name.”
Ruby looked heavenward. “I bet they do.” She laughed.
“What do you mean?”
“Bone-dry cappuccinos are the biggest pain to make. It takes thirty-two ounces of milk for the foam on one sixteen-ounce drink. Most baristas hate to make them. If you don’t drink it immediately, it’s ruined. We’re not overly fond of the customers who request one, especially if they order it all the time.”
Jonah blanched as he sat back against the seat of the truck.
Ruby let the silence hang between them.
“I bet that’s why I’m never served by the same barista twice in a row. I really like how this one barista makes my drinks. Whenever I walk in, she acts like she doesn’t see me and suddenly has to take out the trash,” Jonah mused. “When I walk in, they seem to scatter.”
Ruby laughed.
“And is that why you were so frosty when we first met?”
Ruby grinned. “Yeah. It’s one reason.”
Jonah checked his rearview mirror as a car rolled up behind him. “Let’s skip the cappuccino today,” he said. “And when we meet tomorrow, maybe you can tell me the other reason you were so cool when we met.”
Ruby shrank back inside herself. Did she want to share with Jonah her experiences around Cooper and the pain of his abandonment? “I’ll see you tomorrow at around noon,” she replied as he pulled away from the window.
; * * *
Driving home, Jonah took in the brilliant morning as the sun spilled over wildflowers that bobbed alongside the road as if congratulating him on his upcoming date with Ruby.
The air was heavy with the scent of cut grass, and Jonah smiled to himself as the sun crept in through the back window of the truck. The day was going to blossom fair and warm. He wondered about tomorrow’s weather. He hoped he and Ruby would have fair skies to enjoy the falls.
Pulling into the drive of the Triangle 4, Jonah’s phone beeped. Thinking it was Ruby, he grabbed his phone to find a text from his mother.
Dread filled him as he slumped forward. The longer he was from home, the more he loved being free of his mother, her view of the world and the certainty that came with it, which turned into micromanagement of everyone in her life.
He stalled his thoughts as sympathy rose up. That need for certainty was what kept him safe as a child. His mother vetted all of his friends and activities and steered him clear of the usual bad-boy behaviors that could sometimes affect the rich and idle. He was grateful for her guidance. But now, he was a man, and he wanted to manage his own life—and that included ranching.
He read the text again,
I need to know when you’re coming home so I can plan the party. We want all of your old friends (and maybe a few new ones) to come to the house.
Jonah read the text a third time as he made up his mind. It was time for him to call his mother and tell her that he had no intention of moving home. From now on, Sunrise Creek was his home.
Rehearsing his words, he dialed. She picked up on the first ring, making it hard for Jonah to think about the best way to frame this conversation.
“Jonah, dear. My goodness, it’s been hard to get a hold of you. It’s made me wonder about that place where you’re living. Are you sure you’re not on Mars?”
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