A Ruby Glows (Cutter's Creek Book 15) Page 8

  “I noticed that you drew them all as children, including you. How old are they now?” Beau’s rumbling voice reminded her that they sat in a coffee shop, not a place to cry. She wiped her tears with her kerchief and took a deep breath, taking the edge off the pain in her heart.

  She pointed to the figure on the far right of the page. “I drew us from oldest to youngest, this is me when I was ten. Next is Jennie, she was ten as well, just eleven months younger than me. Then Hattie and Eva, they were twins and were both eight. Frances was the next youngest at age six. Lula was only four. Nora and Daisy were both babies at two and just born.”

  “Why did you draw all of you so young?”

  The drawing made them feel closer than she’d felt to them in a long time. She held the drawing to her heart. “I drew this when I was ten and had it with me the day I was taken. Mama said that after Daisy she wouldn’t have no more babies. She took something that’d make her womb shrivel. I don’t know what it was, but it worked. I was taken seven years later.”

  “So how old are all of you now…if you don’t mind me asking?” Pink crept up his neck and she bunched her hands in her skirt to keep from caressing his cheek.

  Talking about her sisters made the ache for them grow, but there wasn’t anyone else she could trust more than Beau. “Well, I’m eighteen—”

  Beau’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “You’re how old?”

  “Old enough.” She frowned. What could he possibly find amiss about her age?

  “I guess I just thought you were…I mean you act much…”

  “Don’t finish that sentence.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Yes, ma’am. You were telling me about your sisters.” He leaned back in his chair, hiding a lopsided grin behind his coffee cup.

  She smiled, too. “Everyone is seven years older than when I drew that picture. Jennie would be seventeen, she’ll be eighteen in a few months. Hattie and Eva would be fifteen, Frances thirteen, Lula eleven, Nora nine, and Daisy would’ve just turned eight.”

  She turned the paper and glanced down at it. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she swallowed down the tears that followed after it. “This picture doesn’t tell the whole story, though. All of us—at least the older ones—tried to earn our father’s affections. We knew he was capable. He loved Ma…at least some of the time, but he wouldn’t love us. We were mouths to feed that didn’t seem to work hard enough. No matter the job, a boy could’ve done it better, faster…” Ruby met his gaze. “I don’t think Ma told him she didn’t want any more babies. I think she took it upon herself to stop it. I don’t think it was right, but Pa would’ve kept trying until he had a boy, no matter how full the house got.”

  Beau reached across the table and lay his big callused hand over her smaller equally callused one. A slow burning heat started where he touched her and fanned up her arms and straight to her belly.

  “I’m sorry. Seems to me a child should be loved by their parents. I know it don’t always happen, though.”

  “If I could get my sisters away from him, I would’ve. I don’t know how, but some day, I will. If it’s not too late.”

  “If they were a little older, it’d be easier, but eight…that’s still mighty young.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past my father to try to marry her off by age twelve. It isn’t unheard of. I’d be surprised if they are all still there. If his distiller isn’t making enough, he’ll marry the older ones off. Saves him the mouth to feed and he gets a few coins for his trouble.”

  “Distiller?” Beau cocked his head and waited, his thumb whisking back and forth on her hand, sending pleasant tremors through her.

  Ruby closed her eyes and along with them closed the door in her heart that she’d opened when Beau showed her the picture. Beau needed to know what her pa did, he didn’t need to see all the pain she’d stored up for years in fear of what Pa could do, and had done. “Pa made whiskey. But, I didn’t know it until I was married. That was how Pa and Arnold met. Pa sold him whiskey until Arnold couldn’t pay anymore, then Pa told Arnold he’d forgive the debt if he took me to wife. Arnold later said it was the worst decision he ever made ‘cause Pa wouldn’t give him any more credit.” There, she’d admitted to someone what her pa was; a bootlegger who traded his daughters for debt.

  Beau squeezed her hand and she started at the gentle pressure, having forgotten he was holding it.

  “I’m sorry, Ruby. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

  Ruby closed her eyes. Of course, he wouldn’t want to hear about her time after she’d been taken. If only she could come right out and say she’d never let her husband near her. Had managed to elude him for nine long months. Just the thought of talking about something so private sent heat into her face.

  “I’m just glad I’m no longer married to him.”

  “How can you be so sure? I went to the shack and it was empty, but couldn’t he have moved somewhere else?” Beau’s fingers rubbed over the top of her hand, sending a pleasant shiver up her arm.

  “I’m quite certain he didn’t move, because he froze to death and I chucked his carcass into a ravine. He was a dirty rotten, drunken, scoundrel and maybe I should feel remorse, but I don’t. He took me as payment for his debts. I was a possession to him. How do you forgive such a thing?” Her voice quaked but she lowered it to a whisper to avoid the ears near their table. Martha might be nice to others, but Ruby didn’t know if she’d gossip or not.

  “Forgiveness isn’t about him, Ruby. What does he need it for? He’s dead. When you forgive someone, your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. It isn’t easy. It isn’t supposed to be. But maybe it’s easier to think about now, when you’re far away from both of them. Neither Arnold nor your father can hurt you anymore.”

  Her heart ached for her sisters as that small door within her opened once more—just a crack; she missed them terribly. All those years, in that tiny room, it was just her and her sisters against Pa. She could count on them and they could count on her. Now, she had no one… “No, but my Pa can still hurt those I love.” She pulled her hand from his and stood, pushing in her chair. “Thank you for the cup of coffee, Beau. I have to get to the Moore’s, I’m terribly late."

  12

  The cold wind blasting in her face sucked the air from her lungs. Ruby gasped and yanked her scarf over her face. The gale kicked up snow around her and her heart raced as she tried to see and breathe. She took a step back and someone grabbed her arm. Ruby swung around to see who had laid a hand on her. A woman wrapped in a long dark cloak and hood stood behind her, her head bowed.

  “Are you all right. You looked like you might fall.” Ivy lifted her head enough to let Ruby see her face.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. This wind. It steals your breath.”

  Ivy twisted to glance up and down the street. “Come to my house for tea while I make dinner. I’m living with the Williams’s and their house is very quiet right now. I’d love the company.”

  Ruby knew she should get to Maddie’s, but her curiosity was piqued and she hurried to follow the shrouded figure. The wind prevented any talk during the short walk to the Williams’s, and getting home would be a long walk from one end of town to the other. She hoped the wind would calm before the evening.

  Ivy pushed open the back door and invited Ruby inside. The kitchen was small and warm, with a large cook stove and work table in the center of the room. Ivy pulled out a stool for Ruby to sit on. She removed her coat and scarf, hanging it next to Ivy’s.

  Ivy glided over to the stove and moved the kettle to the front. “There. Now we can talk. Montana is bitter cold. I thought I was used to cold and snow from living in Maine, but this is different. It’s as if the very air is made of all that’s cold.”

  “I’ve never lived anywhere but here and Yellow Medicine.” Ruby rubbed her hands together to stop the pain in her fingers from spreading.

  Ivy placed a cup and a tea diffuser in front
of Ruby then put the pot of water on to boil. “I’m guessing Yellow Medicine is nearby? I’m not from around here. I only came to Cutter’s Creek a few weeks ago.”

  “What brought you all the way to Cutter’s Creek from Maine?” Ruby wrapped her hands together wishing she’d sat a little closer to the stove.

  Ivy busied herself pumping water into a large stew pot and then hefting it over to the stove. When she finished, she turned back to Ruby. “I’m sorry. The water takes so very long to heat. I didn’t actually set out to stay in Cutter’s Creek,” she began. “I only meant to visit for a short time, then keep going to California. The blizzard that kept the train from running made it impossible to leave, and now I have a job here. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay, but Cutter’s Creek is nice enough I don’t mind staying until I can go the rest of the way.”

  “What is so important in California? If you like it here, why not just stay?” Ruby felt a kinship with Ivy, some shadow or secret they both had.

  Ivy went to a bin and pulled out enough onions to fill her arms. She set them on the table and sat across from Ruby with a large knife. “In California, there are enough people that I can get lost and not enough people I’ll know if anyone I recognize shows up.” She sliced into the first large onion and the scent stung Ruby’s nose and eyes.

  “The same could be said of Cutter’s Creek. I’ve only seen you twice. It’s like you’re hiding.

  “I am, though I don’t want to hide anymore.” She laid the knife down. “I noticed a couple who followed me here and haven’t left yet. I was rather hoping they would.”

  Ruby leaned forward in her seat and waited as the pot whistled for Ivy’s attention. She stood and wiped her hands on her apron, then poured them each a cup of steaming water, finally returning to her seat. Talking to Ivy was much like talking to Beau, both would say what was on their mind when they got around to it, and with as few words as possible. It was one of the things she liked about them both, she never had to worry about her own hesitance to speak bothering them.

  Ivy settled back into slicing her onions. “I mean Beau’s sister and the lawyer, Caruso, of course.”

  “How did you know about Beau…and his sister…and Caruso? How did you know his name? I’ve never seen you except at Maddie’s.”

  “You’ve probably seen me in town, but didn’t notice me. Mr. Caruso was my husband’s family lawyer. He was easy to spot, but difficult to avoid on the train here. Though, I managed to go unnoticed for the month-long trip by wearing my mother’s deep mourning, including her veil. She helped to hide me for a time until we could manage to get to the train ticket window without detection. It was during that month I learned to hide.”

  “As to the rest of your questions: winter is wonderful. I can go out as often as I like and bundle up my face. No one knows me from any other woman in the street. Since most people walk hunched over in the cold, they don’t notice me, anyway. There are a few people I avoid, like May and Caruso…and others, but for the most part, as long as I’m covered, I can roam.”

  “What will you do when it gets warm?” Ruby dunked her diffuser into her steaming water and let it steep.

  “I’ll leave for California. The road will be easier by then.”

  Ruby closed her eyes. Ivy needed to know the truth before she wasted time planning to leave as soon as the snow melted. “You don’t know Montana. The spring is a dangerous time by road. Mud slides. I’m not sure which is more dangerous, going in the winter and risking frostbite or staying until spring and dealing with the swollen rivers and mud.” Ruby opened her eyes and glanced up from her tea in time to see Ivy’s face go deathly pale.

  “Ivy, what are you running from? You can tell me.”

  Ivy shook her head. “No. I can’t tell anyone where and what I’ve come from. Everyone expects you to just stay, to just be a good woman, a dutiful wife. I couldn’t stay another moment.”

  Ruby sighed. “Did he drink?”

  Ivy’s head swung up and her pinched face and narrowed pain-filled eyes answered Ruby’s question.

  “Was he a mean drunk?”

  “No, he was just mean. The drink just made him invincible.”

  Ruby slowly nodded her head. “You won’t get any judgment from me.” She sipped her tea and fought the urge to wrinkle her nose. As much as she wanted to like tea, like a lady should, she hated the stuff. It had the distinct appearance of swamp water and smelled about the same.

  Ivy laughed and went to the wall near the stove, lifting a small crock. She pulled a stick out from it and honey oozed off the tip. “Let me sweeten that up for you a little.” She wound the honey around the stick then dipped it into Ruby’s tea, stirring the honey off. Then she tossed the stick into her wash water.

  “That should make it taste better for you. I’m sorry. I’m used to everyone drinking tea and it’s difficult for me to get used to the custom of drinking coffee.”

  “You drank it all the time?” Ruby frowned and sipped the tea, it was only slightly better now, but not enough that she’d want it more than on a visiting occasion.

  “Well, maybe not all the time. Tea is costly. But whenever you drink coffee, we’d have taken tea instead.” Ivy went back to slicing onions, her head tipped in a thoughtful manner.

  “Is he dead, is that how you left, or did you just leave and hope to lose him forever.”

  Ivy dropped the knife and Ruby jumped. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep asking these questions.”

  “I’m sorry. I was looking for something in common between us. My husband froze to death when he was in a drunk. Then, Josiah Williams happened by one day, months later. Since I didn’t shoot him on the spot, I decided to come with him to Cutter’s Creek.”

  “You were going to shoot him? Why?” Ivy’s hand steadied and she went back to slicing her onions.

  “He was trespassing. He was in a snit about Penny at the time and came out to the river to do some hollerin’. He plum scared me to death.”

  “When you relax, you talk differently, more natural. Why is that?”

  Ruby sighed. “I guess I always felt like no one wanted the real Ruby, so I just try to fit in with everyone else.”

  “I’m sorry for interrupting you, go ahead and finish your story.” A tear from the onions ran down Ivy’s cheek. At least Ruby hoped it was from the onions.

  “That’s about all there was. Josiah came and when he convinced me he wasn’t there to hurt me, I invited myself to go with him. Living in that shack wasn’t easy and Cutter’s Creek has become home now.”

  “I don’t expect it was.” Ivy gathered the sliced onions and put them in the pot of hot water.

  “You fixin’ to make onion soup?” Ruby asked, wondering what else would go in the pot.

  “Yes. The onions here are small, but flavorful. It should make a good soup. I’d ask you to join us for dinner, but it isn’t my place to ask, and I’ve heard Carol mention how they don’t have much extra. I’ll be putting in a few doves to roast in a bit, but they are so small, they don’t take long. It’s Christmas Eve, so Carlton wanted something a little nicer.”

  “I understand what it’s like to be wanting. Do you think you could do me a kindness?” Ruby felt like a wretch for asking for a favor, but she couldn’t see any other way. When Ivy nodded, Ruby continued. “Maddie, the lady I work for, was told she shouldn’t do much after she had her baby. In fact, the doctor said she shouldn’t even have any more babies. She thinks he’s wrong. Could you ask your doctor friend if he could examine her? Please?” Ruby peered down into her cup and couldn’t force herself to take the last few sips, she glanced at the bottom of her cup flecked with floating leaves.

  “I’ll ask Dr. Gentry. I know he’s some type of specialist for Carlton’s leg. I don’t know if he does work like a regular doctor.”

  “Maddie would sure appreciate another opinion, if he’d be willing to give it.”

  Ivy’s expression softened to concerned. “Will you continue to work there if
Dr. Gentry says she’s perfectly healthy or will you lose your position?”

  Ruby stopped, then slowly gathered her coat and scarf to give her time to think of an answer. “I don’t rightly know. I don’t think she’d need me anymore. But, for some reason, I’m just not fussed about it.”

  Ivy nodded and stirred the pot. “I’ll get the message to him. Stop by whenever you want, but please don’t tell anyone I’m here. It’ll have to remain our secret.”

  Ruby smiled at her new…friend…and let herself out into the blustery afternoon.

  13

  May swished her way into the sitting room and sat next to Beau on the worn couch. She had changed from her day dress into an evening gown.

  “You’re going somewhere on Christmas night?” He turned to face her.

  “Yes. Mr. Caruso is having a small party at his office. I am, of course, invited. There’ll be a few people there he hopes will become clients. It may help him to decide if he’ll stay in Cutter’s Creek. It should be a fun time. Why haven’t you gone out to visit your Ruby today? It’s Christmas, don’t you think she’d like to see you?”

  “I saw her yesterday. She ran off and I haven’t wanted to see her much since.”

  “Leave it to my brother to scare away the only woman who shows him any interest. Except Carol Williams, who gives every man over the age of seventeen her attention.”

  That stung. At one point, Penny had held his attention, but she was now happily married. Now, he never even thought about her. Ruby had said she was late in getting to the Moore’s for their Christmas eve celebration, but he wasn’t sure if she’d spend Christmas Day with the Hanover’s or the Moore’s, and he couldn’t remember if he’d actually asked her or not.

  “I don’t think Ruby has any interest in me at all. Every time I see her, she’s running away.”

  May frowned. “That’s because that’s all she’s known for over a year. A hunted deer doesn’t stop running when it gets away from the hunter. It thinks everyone it sees after that is also a hunter.”