Rubies And Boots (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots)

by Danni Lee Nicholls

  “What’s up?” Jonah asked.

  “His name was Cooper. It probably is still Cooper, I guess,” Ruby said. “He didn’t die, exactly.”

  “You know the owner personally?” Jonah asked.

  “I used to.” Ruby turned to face the house. The evening light and shadows played through the windows without curtains, highlighting the deserted shell within.

  “He must be a newcomer. How do you know him?”

  “He’s not a newcomer. He was raised here. We went to high school together before he left for UCLA.” Ruby thought her voice would break along with the dam of obsolete but thriving emotions of sadness and betrayal. Her heart contracted in its beat. “He was my—” Ruby cleared her throat. “We dated for two years. He promised me he’d go to school, make a fortune, and come back to Sunrise Creek to marry me. By Christmas, he’d cast me aside.” She turned away from Jonah. “He came back two years ago with a curvy blonde and a boatload of money. He built this house and bought a ranch in the valley.” She winced. “But when he saw me, he acted like he never knew me. He introduced his wife to everyone in town, except me. Everyone cheered him like he was some great war hero. Hometown kid made good. Well, except for my family and Bert. Bert wouldn’t have anything to do with him, which was some great sacrifice, considering how he loves to talk.” Ruby breathed out a long sigh as if the culmination of her story was now finishing. “There hasn’t been anyone since,” Ruby said, looking down.

  Jonah stepped close. “I’m honored that you would share this story, and I’m so sorry.”

  Ruby breathed in Jonah’s apology. It draped over her like the mists of Sunrise Falls that had quenched her thirsty skin over an hour ago, soothing all of her bruised and aching sorrow. Maybe she could leave Cooper here—in the confines his own barren house—instead of dragging him around. Was it possible that Jonah’s reassuring presence could alleviate such painful depths of betrayal and loss?

  Tentatively, she reached for Jonah, and a small slip of surprise edged into her heart when his warm and strong hand enveloped hers and he placed her hand on his chest. She tried to look at him, but couldn’t bring herself to raise her head.

  Jonah lifted her chin and his midnight-blue eyes searched hers, offering her a gaze so tender she thought she would cry.

  Willingly now, she went to him and placed her cheek against his chest as his arms enveloped her in a delicate embrace. In their shared stillness, Ruby heard Jonah’s heart beat strong and steady as a new and welcoming ease trickled into her own heart.

  It was time to leave Cooper in her past and open herself to both the dream Jonah offered and the uncertainty that came with it.

  Seventeen

  A week later, Ruby sat with Emmie on the deck, watching the water lazily lap at the shore like a lullaby. Both of them nursed an iced sun tea. The windless day made the heat all the more oppressive, and it penetrated their shady oasis under the eaves of the house.

  Ruby stood and stretched, trying to shake off the afternoon doldrums. “I’m going to go for a swim. Care to come with me?”

  Emmie glanced up at her sister and shook her head. “No, thanks. You go ahead. I’ll keep an eye out for sharks.”

  Ruby grinned at Emmie before turning back to the lake. Kicking off her shoes, she ambled toward the wavelets. The water near the shore was warm but still refreshing. As she walked farther into the water, it turned cool and then cold, sapping her breath while restoring her senses under the glare of the long afternoon sun. She dived under the surface and felt the rush of water against her cheeks and tingling her scalp. Swimming for several seconds, she popped back up and sputtered water as she cleared her wet hair from her eyes. When she blinked, she thought she saw Jonah standing on the shore, holding her towel. She blinked again and cleared the water from her face, sure she was seeing some apparition or hallucination. He was supposed to be at the Triangle 4. But no matter how she squinted and peered at the shore, Jonah was still standing on the shoreline in her backyard. The very sight of him took her breath away, and she was grateful for the water that supported her and kept her knees from giving out.

  Cautiously, her feet touched bottom, and she began her walk back to the shore, testing both her body’s ability to stand and her heart’s ability to resist whatever Jonah was offering. She filled her mind with questions. What on earth was he doing at her house? They weren’t planning on seeing each other.

  Her heart beat quick against her ribs. In spite of her best efforts to keep her feelings aloof, happiness bubbled to the surface as he grinned at her. The shock of his presence and the wide smile on his face diminished her curiosity. She didn’t care why Jonah was here. She stopped her motion toward the shore when the water lapped at her waist.

  He grinned at her. “I can meet you there, if you’d like,” he called.

  She took in his jeans and short-sleeved T-shirt. The thought of sharing water with Jonah thrilled Ruby as the picture of him enfolding her into his embrace while she laid her head on his chest flashed through her mind. “You’re more than welcome,” Ruby teased.

  Dropping her towel to the ground, Jonah ran for the lake.

  Delight splashed through Ruby as she whooped and backed up several paces, making it harder for him to catch her. “I didn’t think you’d really run into the water, especially with your boots on.” She laughed as she dodged his grasp and ran toward deeper water with a lighthearted shriek.

  Jonah caught her and spun her around, pulling her to his chest. In one swift motion, his arms offered her a strong and warm embrace and his mouth found hers. Ruby yielded to Jonah’s kiss before pulling away, breathless. She blinked as water dripped from her hair and into her eyes. She cleared her face with her hands once again, grateful for the support of the water and now Jonah’s warm embrace that kept her knees from giving way.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked as she wound her arms around his neck.

  “I came to see you.” Jonah’s voice was a deep whisper. “And I have something I want to talk to you about.”

  The lake water made Ruby shiver, and Jonah pulled her tight. “Let’s get you back on land. I’m not sure that you’re mermaid material.”

  Ruby grinned as they walked arm in arm back to the shore as the noise of construction buzzed through the quiet afternoon. “The construction crew is back from lunch,” Ruby said.

  “That’s why I’m here,” Jonah began. “I think I know what to do about this kind of building.”

  Ruby stopped thinking of his warm presence and instead focused on his words as they came to the lawn.

  Jonah picked up Ruby’s towel and handed it to her.

  She wiped her face. “What? How?”

  “You can form a neighborhood association, an HOA.”

  Ruby blinked as the idea began to form in her head. She studied Jonah. “Yes … Maybe …” Her thoughts began to tumble into the idea of protecting the lakefront neighborhood she loved.

  Jonah continued, “I can text you some links.”

  Ruby looked up at Jonah. “You’ve researched HOAs?”

  Jonah shrugged. “A little. I wanted to make sure it was a viable idea before I approached you. I’m betting your neighbors would be willing to participate. From what you’ve told me, most of these homes have been in families for generations; even the older vacation homes have been around a long time. I doubt you’re alone in your frustration over this kind of thoughtless construction.” He nodded his head in the direction of the new home.

  “This might work,” Ruby said. “I’ll start researching this afternoon.” Her voice dropped a notch. “And thanks for coming for a little swim.” She wound the towel around Jonah’s shoulders and pulled him to her in a kiss.

  “I should get back to the ranch,” he said.

  “You’re so wet. What about your boots? Don’t you think you should at least hang out on the deck and dry to for a few minutes?”

  “I’d love to, but I gotta run. I’ve got another pair of boots at Curtis’s. These wi
ll dry out with a little time on the back deck” He winked at her before backing away and walking toward the side of the house. When he reached the corner, he turned around and grinned. “Now you can get back to your swim.”

  Grasping the towel, she made her way up the deck and toweled herself off before hurrying into the house, where Emmie stood by the windows that faced the deck and backyard. Her sister turned in her direction. “The two of you are so cute!”

  Ruby laughed as a new delicacy of her love for Jonah blossomed. “We are, aren’t we?” She began toweling her hair.

  “Did he stop by just to say hello?”

  “Actually, he has some ideas about how to stop construction of these mansions along the lakefront.”

  “That is good news,” Emmie said. “It looks like there’s more good news on your horizon, as well. Maybe you and Jonah have a future.”

  Ruby stopped toweling herself off and gave her sister a thoughtful look. “Yes,” she said quietly. “Maybe there is a future for the two of us.”

  Emmie gave her sister a quick smile before heading down the hall, leaving Ruby to gaze out the window to the lake. Quietly, she replayed the events that had taken place as a still happiness surrounded her. This wasn’t the giddy feelings of infatuation. Profound fulfillment was starting to take root, leading Ruby to believe that this was where trust was born: through small and simple acts of consistent and authentic love and effort. If this was what she and Jonah were beginning to share, then she was indeed ready for love.

  Eighteen

  Later that evening, Ruby sat at her computer. She had spent the whole of her afternoon researching HOAs and was in the beginning stages of drafting a letter for her neighbors when the doorbell rang.

  Ruby’s first thought was of Jonah. Maybe he was at the door. After all, he had surprised her once already. The possibility filled her with delight as she pushed back her chair to greet him.

  The voices coming down the hall made her stop. Jonah wasn’t among them. Lexie was speaking, and she was using that high-pitched squeak that came out of her when she was excited or stressed.

  Josh’s voice came next, sending alarm through Ruby. In the past, he would drop Lexie off in the driveway; he never came into the house. What was he doing here now?

  Rising from her desk, Ruby hurried down the hall, where she met Emmie, whose face was as white as their kitchen counter granite. Her mom and dad also stood there. Her father’s mouth hung open, and her mother’s lips formed a tight line.

  Emmie’s deep brown eyes were large and she gave Ruby a slight shake of the head.

  “What is it?” Ruby asked. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m married!” Lexie cried out, wiggling her fingers in front of Ruby. “Josh and I got hitched this afternoon.”

  Ruby caught a glimpse of the thin gold band on her sister’s ring finger. “You what?”

  “Yep. It’s called a Declaration of Marriage. We didn’t even have to stand in front of a judge or anything. We did all the preliminary work and then signed a paper with the Clerk from the District Court and voilà! We’re man and wife.” She cuddled up to Josh.

  Josh put his arm around Lexie while his eyes bored into Ruby’s. “I told you we’d be family one day, didn’t I?”

  Ruby glowered at him.

  “Well, we gotta get a move on,” Lexie said. “Our honeymoon awaits.”

  “Where are you headed?” Katherine asked.

  Ruby glanced at her mother, who looked nothing short of dazed and numb.

  “Flathead Lake,” Lexie blurted out before she contained herself. “It’s only for a couple of days, but we can’t wait!”

  “Where will you live?” Emmie asked.

  “We’ll hang out with Josh’s parents for a couple of months. Then, we’ll get our own place. We’ve got it all figured out.” She looked up into Josh’s face while rubbing his chest with her hand. “Don’t we, honey?”

  “Yep. Now, let’s go.” He gave Lexie a little shove as he quickly spun her around toward the door and hurried her outside.

  Ruby’s irritation flared at how Josh pushed her sister out of the door and away from her family. She kept her thoughts to herself as she followed the couple outside with her parents and Emmie in tow.

  As everyone reached Josh’s truck, Lexie turned around. “I almost forgot,” she said. “Josh’s folks are having a little reception for us next Saturday. It’ll be at their place around eight. Why don’t you come?”

  Ruby stared at her sister as a sense of loss and grief overwhelmed her. When had Lexie become so separate from the rest of them? “Why don’t we come?” Ruby repeated. “We’re your family, Lex. Why didn’t you tell us you were engaged? Don’t you think we should be a part of something like this?”

  Lexie put on a look of faux patience. “Look, Ruby, we all know that none of you approve of this match, so I didn’t want a constant fight. Besides, it wasn’t something we planned. It came up a few days ago, and we didn’t want to wait.” She was quiet for a moment before continuing, “And as far as the reception goes, I wouldn’t want to put any of you out in planning a party for something you don’t believe in. And I only want you there if you can be happy for me and Josh. You’ve got a week to think it over.” She hopped into the truck with a wave before she and Josh pulled quickly out of the driveway, ignoring the neighborhood speed limit.

  Ruby looked at her family, who returned her shocked expression with one of their own.

  “Well, so much for a phase,” Katherine said, her words laced with bitterness.

  “Maybe we should go to Flathead Lake and keep an eye on her,” Ruby said as jittery panic rose like a steady tide.

  “To what end?” her mother asked. “She’s married now, and her decision is made. We’ll all have to learn how to live with it … and with Josh.”

  Ruby’s father leaned in and put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “I never thought it would come to this. I really believed she would come to her senses.”

  Ruby shook her head, her worry vacillating between shock and the deep hole of helplessness. “You heard her. She and Josh didn’t even think about this. They just did it. Lexie has always been impulsive.”

  “Well, we’re going to have to make the best of this situation,” Emmie said. “Maybe with our support along with Lexie’s love and influence, Josh can turn his life around and start to make an honest living. His parents are good, decent people, and Andrew isn’t so bad.”

  Ruby turned toward Emmie. She loved her sister’s optimism, but in this situation, it was entirely misplaced. “You believe that, Emmie, if it makes you happy. I just don’t see how any of that will make much of a difference. Lexie is too silly to have any lasting influence, and Josh never cared much whether we liked him.”

  “Now, Ruby,” Emmie began. “We have to support this, or we’ll lose Lexie altogether, and none of us want that.”

  Ruby sucked in a long, bitter breath of defeat. She hated the smell of it and the way it lingered at the back of her throat, but her sister was right. Lexie and Josh were a pair now, and if she rejected Joshua, she was rejecting Lexie.

  Ruby turned to her parents, both of whom looked as if they’d aged ten years within the last ten minutes. She watched as they walked back into the house, leaning on each other, while she and Emmie stayed in the driveway.

  After their parents were out of hearing range, Ruby turned to Emmie. “I don’t know if I can support this,” she said. “Do you think we can divide and conquer?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s obvious that Mom and Dad are going to struggle. Mom works with Lexie at the feed store, so their relationship will continue, but I don’t know how this will change things between them or with Dad.”

  Emmie nodded in agreement. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “I’ll do my best to support Mom and Dad, and try to help them come to some sort of acceptance around this,” Ruby said. “Maybe in the process, I can arrive at a place where I can be more su
pportive while you stay in closer contact with Josh and Lexie. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a good plan,” Emmie agreed as she took Ruby’s hand.

  Ruby gazed into Emmie’s sweet face and found sympathy in her eyes.

  Emmie continued, “Remember, Ruby, above all, Lexie is our sister, and we mustn’t make her desperate. She needs to know that we will always be here for her, regardless of the choices she makes. We may have to rearrange our boundaries in order to accommodate Josh.”

  Ruby laughed. “Rearrange our boundaries! My fence is in the back forty,” she said. “I’m not letting him near me!”

  “No. That’s not what I mean.” Emmie shook her head. “We’ll have to make sure everything in the house is safe and that we keep safe, but we must let him in to some degree.”

  Ruby sighed as she turned from her sister in the lengthening evening that fell over the lake. Most of the time, Ruby reveled in this time of day. The late August breeze blew from the water, accompanying the dying sunlight to a final resting place. But the usual warmth of the summer was accompanied by a cool breath of autumn, making Ruby shiver. She turned to her sister as her irritation gave way to her earlier sense of loss. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered, her voice shaking with a pent-up cry.

  “Yes. You can,” Emmie replied as she pulled Ruby close. “We’ll do it together. Your plan is sound, so we’ll start there.”

  Ruby bit back bitter tears as she put her arm around Emmie’s waist. The sobs would not be denied. She turned to Emmie, who held her in an embrace as she cried, her head filled with pictures of her little sister heading toward Flathead Lake in the truck of a man who would probably be drunk before nine o’ clock.

  Nineteen

  One week later, Ruby tried to close out the din of happy noise that came from the McPherson living room as she stood in the luxurious guest bath, squinting at her haggard reflection. She glanced up at the light fixture that beamed from the nine-foot ceiling. “Maybe it’s the light,” she murmured to herself. “Or the shock.” She still couldn’t believe she was in the McPherson home, celebrating Lexie’s marriage to Josh. Sometimes, the reality during the so-called celebration was so devastating, Ruby had to pull away from the guests to collect herself in this bathroom, which was beginning to feel like a refuge with its cool gray tile floors and soft warm gray toned paint.