“What’s that?” she asked.
“No more speeding, young lady. If I see you cruising down the main street, taking out pedestrians, you better believe Jacob is going to hear about it.”
Ruby felt her cheeks flush. She had been running to work late one day and flew by Luke and Lila’s house. Luke was standing on the porch and she saw him shaking his head at her as she flew by.
“You got it.”
Luke bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Ruby gave him a hug, best she could while wrapping her arms around his hard as marble trunk. She was ready for Jacob’s embrace.
Lila made her way over, but Jacob was nowhere in sight. She grabbed Ruby in a huge hug, “Was I right about this dress, or what? You look like a fairy princess.” Lila had given Ruby no choice in the matter but had come back from the city with a rose-colored floor length lace gown. The bodice was tightly fitted and the skirt full. Lila had done Ruby’s hair up and pinned it with miniature roses that smelled heavenly.
“Yes, thank you, Lila. It’s beautiful.” She held her skirts out and did a full twirl for Lila’s benefit before saying, “Have you seen Jacob?”
A mischievous twinkle sparkled in Lila’s eye. “Hmmm, come to think of it, I haven’t.” Ruby didn’t have time to process what was up with Lila, or find Jacob. Guests in the crowd, seeing that the bride was freed up from dancing used the opportunity to come and congratulate her. She anxiously shook each hand, or gave a hug, thanking each one for their attendance. She began counting, beads on necklaces, buttons on shirts, the number of times each handshake was pumped up and down, counting the beats in the song. Where was Jacob? Finally, she saw her husband, the term still flipped her mind, headed toward her, flocked by Heather on one side and David on the other, his face looking happy but slightly shocked.
She flitted over to greet him, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her as if to never let her go. “There’s my bride.” He kissed the top of her head then hesitantly released her. Sensing Heather’s excitement, Ruby turned her attention to Heather, who looked like she was about to pop from a secret that she was dying to tell.
A strong arm wrapped around her shoulders and Ruby leaned into her man, grateful for the steadiness of his presence.
“Heather and David just told me something pretty amazing. Mom, would you like to share?” Jacob looked at his mom, teasingly, knowing she was about to burst at the seams.
Heather turned towards David. “Hon, why don’t you share the news?”
“No, no. I insist that you do the honors, Heather.”
Ruby looked at David as he stared adoringly at his wife.
Smiling, Heather turned towards Ruby. “Okay, okay, Ruby, did I tell you that you look fabulous?”
Ruby laughed. “Yes, but only one thousand times. It’s good to hear it again.”
Heather grabbed Ruby’s hands in hers. “Now honey, I know I might be overwhelming you with, well with all this,” Heather casually waved her hand in the air, gesturing to all the decorations, “and I know your mama must be on your mind, but I just wanted to tell you that David and I think of you like our daughter and we have from the first-time Jacob introduced you to us.”
Ruby was awash with emotion. Here she was, no father, an abusive almost dead mother, no other family to speak of and now she was loved by a whole host of people. It was hard for her to accept, even to believe, that she was loveable but between Jacob’s guidance and the welcoming manner of his family, it was slowly starting to feel possible.
Heather gave her a short squeeze, then continued her monologue, “Now, we have a very special wedding present for you both, but we want you to know that if it’s not what you want, no feelings will be hurt.”
Gathering behind Heather was Luke and Lila, as well as Elizabeth and Cole. Ruby felt nervous butterflies in her tummy. What could this gift be?
As if reading her energy, Jacob gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.
David’s deep tenor brought her out of her confused daze. “Ruby, we’ve just told Jacob that we, as a family,” David gestured to the people behind him, their faces filled with excitement, “we are gifting you my mother’s cabin.”
“The cabin?”
“Yes, the cabin.”
Jacob looked at Ruby, trying to read her expression.
“But that belongs to all of you.”
“Oh, honey, we all want you to have it. When you were on your honeymoon, Luke and Elizabeth came to David and told him that nothing would make them happier than for you two to have it,” Heather said.
“And my mother, Grace…” David cleared his throat, uncharacteristically overcome with emotion. “Nothing would have made her happier. I know this is what she would have wanted.”
Luke and Elizabeth made their way over to the couple, Elizabeth wrapping an arm around Ruby’s waist. “But we know you’ve been looking at houses, and if its’s not what you want, that’s totally fine. We promise.”
Luke chimed in, “But if you want it, its’s yours, kiddo.”
“Well, what do you think, Ruby?” Jacob looked down at Ruby, concern crossing his handsome face.
What did she think? The smoky, dingy, dirty excuse for a house that she shared with her sick mother was the only home Ruby had ever known. And it didn’t even belong to her mother it belonged to her aunt, though she had hit the road long ago. How could she explain to this group what she felt the first time she pulled up to the beautiful retreat that was the cabin? The wide front porch to the cozy stone fireplace, the warm, inviting kitchen, it was the house of her dreams. The gardens out back that grew from years of Grace’s tender care, and the workshop where she loved to sit on the bench and watch her man, underneath a classic car. She had never dared to ask Jacob if they could live there, it was out of the question, he had already given her so much. She had been unable to commit to even the cutest bungalows that he had shown her. All because in the back of her mind, nothing held a candle to the cabin.
“Ruby?” The family looked at her anxiously. She looked at each face individually, then burst into tears.
“Oh, dear,” Heather mumbled. “Oh, dear.”
Elizabeth withdrew, letting Jacob wrap his arms around his sobbing bride. He quickly said, “It’s okay, baby, we can find something else.”
Ruby, though she knew it was completely irrational and that she must look like a mad woman, started to laugh, a joyful, soulful laugh that can only follow tears of joy.
Guests looked away shyly, while the family looked on confused. “It’s my dream home. I just… I am just overwhelmed that you all would give such a generous gift to us.”
Relief washed over the small crowd as they each came up to hug and congratulate the couple in turn. David, sensing Ruby’s need for a moment of calm, said, “I’d like to dance with my daughter now, thank you.” David swept Ruby to a darker, quieter corner of the hall, as Heather hooked arms with Jacob and went to the center of the dance floor, calling, “Mother-Son dance!” over her shoulder.
The song was fast with a thumping beat, and Jacob and Heather laughed as they cut a rug together. David and Ruby watched as the crowd gathered around the stunning mother-son pair.
Ruby gratefully dropped into the seat that David pulled out for her. “Thank you,” she whispered breathlessly.
He pulled up beside her. “Rest your feet. Let’s just watch the crowd for a moment.” They sat next to one another in a comfortable silence, each admiring their better half. David’s foot tapped to the music. After a few moments, his comforting voice broke the silence. He didn’t turn toward her, just continued to look ahead and said, “You know Ruby, Heather and I never did have kids.” Ruby nodded. Jacob had told her about Heather’s guilt from giving him up for adoption, and how it had left her unwilling to conceive. Heather had kept the dark secret from David for years, but he chose Heather and would want her again, children or not.
He continued softly, “Then, just about a year ago, this young man,” his arms gestured toward Ja
cob, “became my son. And just when I thought life couldn’t get any better,” he turned toward her and locked eyes with her, “I received the gift of a daughter, a beautiful, sweet, funny- daughter.” Ruby’s heart warmed.
David leaned in closer, his voice a whisper, “And a genius, no less.”
Ruby looked up shocked. “Did Jacob tell?”
“No one told me, no one had to. Takes one to know one,” David said. Graduated top five of my class at Harvard. I won’t tell you which place of the five I was.” He winked at her, affirming her suspicions that it was number one. “And what people assume to be a simple Type A personality, is a hint of OCD.”
The revelation was shocking but not surprising. She had always pegged David as unusually sharp and was drawn to him at family gatherings when she wanted stimulating conversation.
“What’s your crutch, so to speak?”
Leaning back elegantly in his chair, looking nothing short of a 1940’s movie star, he answered, “Cleanliness. I won’t go into more detail, but before Heather, it got severe. It almost stole my life. I thank God every day that Southern belle made her way into my life. Heather’s love and gentle coaching along with a few thousand invested in therapy, helped me get to the point I am today, livable. You?”
“Counting.”
“Counting? What do you count?”
“Anything, everything.”
“Ah, I see. Using numbers to create order and control in life's inevitable chaos?”
She smiled. “Something like that.”
Jacob was making his way over to her, his smile as crooked as his crumpled tie.
“Well, your secret is safe with me and mine with you, I hope. Only Heather knows.”
She looked at the distinguished man sitting next to her. Then she held her pinky out to him. “Pinky swear,” she said.
A silly grin crossed David’s face, making him look youthful. “Pinky swear,” he said.
“What on Earth are you two up to?” Jacob stood against the wall, undoing his tie from his neck, tossing it into Ruby's lap with a devilish grin, then unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt.
“Nothing,” David said, standing up and stretching. “Nothing at all.” He leaned down and kissed Ruby’s cheek softly. “Now I’m off to dance with my bride. Best to you both.” He shook Jacob’s hand firmly, then found his wife shaking her stuff on the dance floor. The young couple looked on as he reached around and grabbed her tightly in his arms. The smile on her face was pure bliss, and they were so beautiful to watch as they twirled around the dance floor, that it was almost painful.
Jacob dropped down in David’s vacant chair and slung his arm casually around his wife. “Honey, I’m tired. Are you about ready to bust out of this popsicle stand?”
“You mean sneak out?”
“That is exactly what I mean.”
Together they scanned the room. The entire crowd was either dancing or surrounding the dancers and watching. For the first time that evening, the attention was not on them. Jacob gestured towards the exit door a few feet from Ruby. “Let’s make a break for it. What do you say?”
Her eyes swept the spectacular wonderland that had been created just for her, taking it all in one last time. Then, she hopped out of her seat, grabbed Jacob’s hand and pulled him from his chair.
They laughed as they dashed out the door and down to the waiting Camaro.
Walking around the cabin the next morning was utterly surreal. Ruby took in details about the house that she had never noticed before. The thick trim around the windows, the quality of the hardwoods. She ran a hand over the countertops in the kitchen, Cole’s handiwork, no doubt, and looked out the stained glassed window over the sink. It was all hers and Jacobs. She took her mug of tea out to the garden, wrapping her robe tightly around her against the chilly air. She tiptoed through the paths admiring each plant and memorizing the patterns of the leaves so she could later look them up and find how to care for them.
Ruby made her way back to Max’s pen. Jacob had outfitted the old chicken coop as a goat house with a ramp for Max to climb. He had made repairs to the fence to keep the goat safe at night. Ruby was making plans for chickens too, but she was giving Jacob time to get used to the goat first.
She was petting her little gray and white goat when she heard what sounded like the barking of a dog, coming from the workshop. “That’s strange.” She turned and walked toward the shop, heading down the short gravel path. The noise reoccurred, and this time she was sure it was the barking of a dog.
Ruby was too short, even on tiptoe to see into the high windows of the barn like doors. She carefully lifted the latch, opening the door slowly. As she peeked inside, a giant weight pushed against the door, throwing her to the ground. As she stared ahead, an enormous yellow blur came flying at her, pinning her to the ground. She tried to scream, but couldn’t as the large animal nuzzled and licked at her face. Soon she was laughing, deep from her belly, as she attempted to sit up and wrap her arms around the neck of the great beast.
“Sit, sit,” she managed through her laughter. The dog quickly sat next to her, tall and straight, and she propped herself up on her knees. The dog looked at her expectantly, tail thumping loudly on the ground. He checked her out up and down with his huge dark brown eyes, then she watched mystified as he stayed seated, but scooted a few inches to his left to be closer to her.
“Oh, my. Who are you?” In response, the yellow lab stuck out his long tongue and licked her from the tip of her chin almost to her forehead. His muzzle turned up in what almost looked like a human smile. She pet his giant head, her small hand not able to cover it.
“So, I see you found your wedding gift from me.”
Hand still on the lab, Ruby looked behind her, her husband standing in the early sun, the pale light glinting off of his golden hair.
“Mine?”
“Yours.”
She threw her arms around the beast, laughing as his fur tickled her face. “Oh, Jacob. Thank you, he’s perfect.”
Jacob came and knelt beside her, stroking the fine dog as his tail now thumped at twice the speed.
“He’s a rescue, but fully trained and incredibly tame. Why he was given up remains a mystery.”
“Well, I love him already, Jacob.”
“And he comes with a bonus gift.”
She looked up from her new love. “What is it?”
“I registered him as an Emotional Therapy Dog. He has a harness and everything.”
“I’ve never heard of that before.”
“Neither had I. When I was researching breeds, I came upon a lot of information about dogs being good emotional support with people who have anxiety.”
“I don’t have as much anxiety. Not anymore.” Ruby snuggled into her new friend's fur, and she was rewarded with slobbery kisses.
Tucking a curl behind her ear, Jacob said, “Honey, I spent five minutes with your mother, and I was traumatized.” He rubbed her back softly. “I think a lifetime with that woman warrants you having a dog that you can take places with you if you choose to.”
She pictured herself working at the boutique, the dog sleeping in the corner, with the three sister’s permission, of course.
“What’s his name?”
“The shelter called him ‘Teddy,’ I think you can see why,” Jacob laughed as the dog continued to sit, but paw at him for more petting, “but you can name him whatever you want.
Ruby took a long hard look at her pet. “I like Teddy, but I think he should have a name given to him by someone who is going to love him forever.” She thought for a long moment. “I’m going to call him, Grateful.”
A smile played on Jacob’s lips. “Grateful? That’s an unusual name. What made you choose it?”
Ruby sat quietly, spinning the red collar that adorned the dog’s neck. Looking up at the sunrise, she answered her husband. “Grateful because that is the essence of how I feel about every aspect of my life, right at this moment. Grateful because I was l
ost, and now I am found. I felt homeless, and now I have the warmest home. Grateful because I was unloved and now I am more loved than any girl has the right to be.”
Jacob looked at her, his eyes seeming to glint with tears. Before he spoke, he cleared his throat, but his voice was still filled with emotion as he said, “Grateful, it is, then.” Patting the top of the dog’s head lovingly, he said, “Hey there, Grateful.”
Ruby scooted in closer to her husband. Tired from the excitement, the lab snuggled into his new owner and fell asleep.
Kissing her on the head tenderly, Jacob whispered in her ear, “And you have made me forever grateful.”
Ruby knew that not all days would be perfect. She knew that from time to time her anxiety would get the best of her, that mean thoughts would find their way in and turn into mean words. But she also knew that Jacob’s love for her was true, that he was her forever. Together, they watched the sun rise over the hills. Let the new day bring what it would. They would face it in the arms of one another.
-The End-
Author’s note
Thank you for reading my book. Writing is the joy of my life, and if it brings you any happiness at all, it was worth my time.
If you haven’t read the first two books in the Taken Trilogy, be sure to check them out. Taken by Surprise is Luke and Lila’s story, and Taken off Guard is Cole and Elizabeth’s. Be on the lookout for Heather’s story- the third and final book, to come out soon.
For the latest info on new releases, follow me at amazon.com/author/shannahandel , as well as at my blog, www.shannahandel.com/blog
Shanna Handel
Shanna Handel is a spanked wife and author of clean spanking romance that is seriously hot. She balances submission with naughtiness in her daily life, as well as in her works. All of Shanna’s stories include tales from her experience, as well as direct quotes from her loving, firm husband. Her goal is that you come to love her characters as much as she does, and she hopes her books cross your mind every once in a while after you read them.
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