"Yeah, unless there's another David I need to know about."
She shrugged. "I always thought he was really boring, but he was handsome. The only thing that made him interesting at all was that Ruby loved him so much, or at least, she thought she did. He was really easy for her to boss around. She'd tell him to do something, and he'd do it. I know Ruby doesn't seem bossy, but all of us listen to her."
"So you didn't think much of David?" He was surprised. He'd gotten the impression that everyone was waiting for them to marry.
"I'm glad she married you," Penny said simply. "David would have been a mistake for her."
"Does she feel that way?" he asked.
"She married you, didn't she?"
When they pulled up in front of her house, Penny jumped down without help. Lewis followed her to the door. "Edna Petunia's probably in the kitchen. Do you want me to get her?"
Lewis shook his head. "I'll go talk to her there."
When he stepped into the kitchen, he couldn't help but smile. Three girls were helping with the supper preparations while Edna Petunia directed each of them. Only one girl was off in the corner, throwing some things into a pot. He assumed she was Sarah Jane, the one Ruby talked about cooking.
It only took him a few questions to realize Ruby hadn't been there that day at all. "Was she upset at all when she left?" Edna Petunia asked.
"Maybe a little," he said, thinking about their argument. He hoped she wouldn't ask why, because he didn't want to explain about their fight to her.
"Then she probably went to see Cassie Hayes. Cassie raised her, and Ruby thinks of her as a mother figure. Not me." Edna seemed a little sad when she said that.
"I'll go there and check on her then. Thank you."
"You're welcome. If she's not home, she probably didn't cook. You should all join us for supper when you find her."
Lewis couldn't help but smile. "We'll do that."
Chapter Nine
By the time Lewis found the cabin where the Hayes lived, he was almost in a panic. Had something happened to her? Had she taken just enough money for her train ticket and nothing else? Why would anyone do that?
He stopped the buggy and told the boys to stay put as he set the brake and jumped down, hurrying to the house and banging on the door.
It only took a moment for a frantic looking Ruby to open the door to him. Her hands were covered in blood. "Now I'm going to have to clean the door! Would you go find Tino? Please? Tell him he has a beautiful baby boy."
Lewis blinked a couple of times. "Did you just deliver a baby?"
Ruby nodded, a tear streaming down her cheek the only thing that gave away her level of anxiety. "We didn't have time to go get Tino or send for the doctor. I had no choice. I was going to stay for ten minutes, talk to her, and then come home."
Lewis decided it wasn't the time to ask about the letter. "Do you know if they have another riding horse in the stable? I don't want to unhitch the horse. The boys will stay in the buggy while you clean up." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm glad you're all right. I was worried."
Ruby turned back to Cassie. Somehow, during the course of assisting the other woman with her delivery and listening to her yell at Tino throughout, she had lost the formality she'd always felt with the older woman.
She'd cleaned the baby before she'd helped Cassie deliver the afterbirth, so now all she really needed to do was wash herself and hand the baby to Cassie. "Once Tino is here, I'm going to send Lewis and the boys for Dr. Harvey. She needs to make sure I didn't break you."
Cassie chuckled. "You didn't break me. Women's bodies were meant to give birth." She looked into the cradle that had been placed beside her. "We need to name him."
"You don't have a name picked out yet?"
Cassie shrugged. "Tino was convinced we would need to look at him to come up with an appropriate name, so he wasn't even willing to discuss it."
Ruby finished washing her hands and walked back across the room to Cassie, scooping the baby in her arms and handing him to her. "He's very wrinkled."
Cassie laughed. "New babies tend to come that way. We got a lot of them at the orphanage."
Ruby pulled a chair from the table and watched as Cassie cradled the baby to her. "I never knew that. I thought we mainly got toddlers and older kids."
Cassie shook her head. "The newborns were always dropped in the middle of the night, and we had a list of women who were barren we would contact. The babies were usually placed before you got up in the morning. I always felt that it was important for the newborn to get to know the arms of the mother who would raise him before any other." She trailed one finger across the baby's cheek, smiling when he puckered his lips.
"I had no idea. There was a lot going on in that orphanage you kept from us, wasn't there?"
Cassie nodded. "There was. You were all children, and you didn't need to know how little regard parents had for their children."
Ruby frowned for a moment, wondering if the time was appropriate to ask about her own parents. She knew nothing of where she and Opal had come from, and only had a few memories of a smiling blond woman and a dark haired man.
"You want to know about your parents, don't you?"
Ruby nodded. "Do you know anything?"
"Yes, quite a lot actually. Your father died in a factory accident in New York when you were four. Your mother worked hard to try to provide for you and Opal, and she really struggled. She came and talked to me about leaving the two of you twice, but she couldn't bear to actually do it either time."
"She did?"
"She did. She was very torn. She knew you'd get better care at the orphanage, but she was afraid there would be no love. Finally, she came to me a third time, right after the two of you turned five. She told me she'd just married again, and she was going to go West with her new husband. She worried that the trip would be too hard on you girls, because they didn't have the money for a train. So, they were going to leave you until they were settled, and then her mother was going to bring you both out on the train as soon as they could send for you."
Ruby's eyes widened. "That sounds familiar." How many people in her life would make her wait for a train ticket?
"It should. Anyway, I later got word from your grandmother that their wagon didn't make it across one of the river-crossings, and both your mother and step-father went down with it. So, you became mine."
Ruby frowned. She'd always known there were real people who were her parents, but to her, Cassie had always been her mother figure. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"You never asked. Either of you. At first, the two of you only spoke to one another. When you finally started talking to me and the other children there, you still wouldn't talk to the volunteers who came in every day to help. I got word over a year later of what happened, and you were both starting to do so well, that I couldn't bear to watch you grieve for a woman you had most likely already forgotten."
"Not totally, but no, you were probably right. I don't know if either of us could have handled finding that out then. We had each other, and more importantly for us, we had you. Thanks for being such a good mother to us, Cassie."
Cassie smiled at her, tears coming to her eyes. "I loved you two from the moment I saw you. You were always good and so helpful. It was a joy to be your 'mother.'"
The door flew open behind Ruby, and she turned to see Tino run in looking frantic. "Are you okay?" he asked, sinking to his knees beside Cassie.
Ruby took that as her cue to step outside for a moment. She wasn't going to leave just yet, because she needed to fix supper for the new family, but they did need a bit of time alone. Lewis was waiting for her. "I'm glad you're here," she said, smiling softly. "Would you be willing to go get Dr. Harvey for us? You know where she lives, right?"
Lewis nodded. "I do." He pulled her close to him, stroking her back. "Are you all right? You looked so frightened when you opened that door."
"Oh, I was. I'm all right, though. Cassie and the
baby are both fine." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I was so afraid I'd lose one or both of them. I had no idea what I was doing!"
"You didn't, though. You did great." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go get the doctor, and I'll meet you back here. Do you want to come with us?"
She shook her head. "I'm going to fix supper for them. I'll be ready to go by the time you get back." The doctor lived on a ranch with her husband and daughters a few miles away. She'd have just enough time to fix something quick before they got there, and then she'd happily leave the doctor to take care of everything. She was not meant to be a mid-wife.
*****
Dr. Harvey rushed into the cabin where Ruby had just finished making a light meal for the family. Ruby wanted to burst into tears as soon as she saw her. "Please check them both and make sure I did nothing wrong that will hurt them." She was in a panic all of a sudden as she worried she'd hurt one or both of them.
Dr. Harvey, six months pregnant herself, stopped in front of Ruby and hugged her. "I'm sure you did great. Women were made to give birth, and their bodies know what to do naturally, even though it's difficult for a woman to do on her own, she can."
"Please check them?"
Dr. Harvey laughed, her beautiful face lighting up. "I will be happy to." She took the baby first, removing his diaper and checking him over. Instead of addressing Ruby who was standing beside her, Dr. Harvey smiled at Cassie and Tino. "He's perfect."
Cassie smiled. "I counted his fingers and toes, and he has ten of each."
Dr. Harvey laughed. "Most babies do."
She then talked to Cassie, looking at the padding Ruby had provided for her. "You look like you were well taken care of. Has the baby nursed yet?"
At those words, Ruby realized her job was done. She wanted to just go home and cry. She wasn't sad, but she was so relieved, she needed the release of tears.
"Did Lewis drive you, Dr. Harvey?"
The doctor shook her head. "No. I brought my own buggy. Your husband can drive you home." She walked over to Ruby and looked her in the eye, making sure Ruby was finally paying attention to her. "You did a good job here. I know your first instinct would have been going for help, but from what Cassie just told me, there was no time. You did exactly what you should have done."
Ruby nodded, thrilled to hear it. "Good night then. Cassie, I'm going to come by and check on you tomorrow. I'll make supper for you."
Cassie smiled. "I would appreciate that. I'm sure I could handle it, but I'd rather give my time and attention to little Jonathan."
Ruby smiled at the name. "I like the name. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." She knew she could start dinner at home before she left, or even serve something cold. Her new family would understand.
She hurried out into the frigid night air, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try to ward off the cold. Lewis helped her up into the buggy, and she sagged to one side, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm ready to be home."
Lewis frowned. She sounded exhausted. "I promised Edna Petunia that we'd go by for supper."
Ruby didn't want to see anyone else that evening, but she didn't know if she had the energy to cook either. "Okay."
The drive to Edna Petunia's only took about ten minutes. When they arrived, Lewis helped her down, slipping an arm around her to help keep her propped up.
Edna was waiting at the door, and she opened it wide. "You look terrible, Ruby. What have you been doing?" She led the way into the dining room. It was obvious everyone had already eaten, but Edna had set the table again, and while they sat, she hurried off to get the food.
As soon as the food was on the table, and they'd served themselves, Edna Petunia sat down in a chair. "I asked what you did to get so tired."
Ruby sighed, swallowing her bite of mashed potatoes. "I delivered Cassie's baby today. I went to her house, and she was in labor. She told me there was no time to go for Tino or the doctor, and she walked me through what to do."
Edna Petunia grinned broadly. "I'm glad you were there for her. Mother and baby doing fine?" She pulled her flask from her pocket and swallowed a gulp.
Ruby nodded. "When Lewis got there, he went for Tino and then Dr. Harvey. Dr. Harvey said I did fine."
"Iris wouldn't lie to you. Maybe you have a career in midwifery ahead of you."
"I'd rather sew shirts every day for the rest of my life," Ruby said honestly.
Edna laughed. "I'm sure it was rough on you. Boy or girl?"
"Boy. They've decided to call him Jonathan."
"Oh, that's a nice name. He can be Johnny when he's small and then Jon or Jonathan when he's older. They chose well." Edna Petunia looked at Lewis. "You found her and brought her to dinner, just like you said you would. Thank you. You're not such a bad son-in-law after all."
Opal walked into the dining room then, looking at her twin with surprise. "You look terrible!"
Ruby looked down at herself. Being told how bad she looked twice in ten minutes wasn't her favorite thing. When she saw the blood on her dress, she understood. She was suddenly thankful she hadn't had time to finish her new dress. "I delivered Cassie's baby today. It was a boy, and his name is Jonathan. Mother and baby are fine."
Opal put her hand over her mouth in surprise. "Well, that explains the blood all over your dress and how tired you look. I'll tell the others."
Ruby looked at Edna Petunia. "Thanks for having supper ready for us. There's no way I would have had time to cook tonight."
"I always make enough to feed an army. You four are welcome for dinner every night."
"I don't know about every night, but I'm thankful it was an option tonight." She'd had a big day, both emotionally and physically. She'd have to find some time in the next day or two to tell Opal what she had learned from Cassie, but for the moment, she was too tired to even think about discussing anything with her sister.
Chapter Ten
When they got home, Lewis put the boys to bed, and when he went into the bedroom he shared with Ruby, she was already sound asleep. She'd taken the time to take off her clothes before she'd apparently fallen face down on the bed. He carefully moved her between the sheets and pulled the quilt over her. She'd had a rough day. The long talk he'd planned would have to wait.
He slipped into the bed beside her, holding her close. She was too tired to make love, but that wouldn't stop him from holding her while she slept. He was thankful he'd been wrong about where she'd gone.
He realized he wouldn't have let her go in a flash. No, with Roberta, it had been almost a relief when she'd left him. With Ruby? He'd hunt her down and drag her right back. He needed her with him. She'd be taking his heart right along with her.
*****
Ruby woke slowly the next morning, stifling a yawn. She needed to get breakfast on the table and the boys off to school despite how tired she was. She got up, dressing in the early morning light. School started at eight-thirty sharp, and it was already seven. She'd slept much later than she'd planned.
As she was about to leave the room, she saw the letter from David laying on the dresser unfolded. Had Lewis read the letter? She thought about what was in that last letter from David and bit her lip. What must he have thought?
She didn't put the letter back into the box, but left it where it lay, rushing down the stairs so she could get breakfast cooked. She and Lewis had more time, because the store didn't open until ten, but the boys needed to eat soon.
She made a simple breakfast while listening to the boys argue upstairs. Why the sound of it warmed her heart that morning was beyond her, but it did. She was thankful for her boys and her husband. Life had felt so fragile when she'd held that newborn baby in her arms. She swore to herself she'd never again take life and the people she loved for granted.
The boys rushed into the kitchen, sitting down just as she was putting food on their plates and carrying it to the table.
James eyed her. "You didn't have snacks ready for us after school yesterday, and we couldn't
find you."
"Oh, James. I was taking care of Mrs. Hayes. She's been like a mama to me since I was younger than you are, and her baby was born yesterday. I need to go out there again today, but if I can possibly make it back, I'll have your snack ready for you when you get home from school."
Robert took a bite of his eggs, eating slowly. "Pa thought you'd run away like our first ma did."
Ruby closed her eyes for a moment. "Did you boys think that too?"
Robert shrugged. "I didn't. I told him you weren't like our other ma, but I don't think he believed me."
James shook his head. "I knew you didn't, but I was very sad that there was no snack."
Lewis came into the kitchen then, and she brought him a plate of eggs and bacon before sitting at the table to eat with her family. "I'm really sorry I worried everyone yesterday. I meant to take a thirty minute walk to take Cassie some bread, but when I got there, she needed me. I was so caught up in the moment, I wouldn't have thought to send word where I was, even if there had been a way."
"We all understood what happened as soon as we realized you'd delivered Cassie's baby," Lewis told her.
"I'm sorry I caused you even a moment of worry," she said, meeting Lewis's eyes. "But I don't give up on my commitments. I'm not leaving."
Lewis nodded, his face serious. "I'm happy to hear that."
Once the boys were on their way to school, Ruby found Lewis in the parlor. "We need to talk."
Lewis nodded once. "I agree. I've thought so ever since I found that letter when I was trying to find you yesterday." There was no use beating around the bush, when he could come right out and discuss what was bothering him.
"I got that letter on Saturday, and forgot it until Sunday, while you were out with the boys," she explained. "It was never my intention to hide it from you that I'd received it or to ever write him back. Well, I may write and let him know I'm married now, but there's nothing that would entice me to go back to New York." She walked across the room and sat down beside him on the couch. "I'm not going to leave you and the boys."
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