Rubies And Boots (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots) Read online

  Her other relief was her work in keeping the lemonade and iced tea flowing. But her greatest comfort was Jonah, who stayed by her side along with Emmie and Curtis.

  Taking one more deep breath, Ruby left the bathroom and found Jonah talking with Joshua. Lexie was glued to Josh, hanging on his every word. Swallowing hard, Ruby joined them and placed her arm through Jonah’s while learning on him for support.

  “See? I told you I’d get a free drink out of you. Tonight, you’re serving a whole bunch of people for free,” Joshua teased, his eyes dancing with merriment and little too much beer.

  Ruby bit down on her first response and instead fastened a smile on her face. “Congratulations! You two look so happy today.”

  “Oh, we love married life, don’t we, hon?” Lexie gazed up at Joshua.

  Josh pulled Lexie close. “We sure do.” He grinned.

  A spring of hope burst forth in Ruby as she released Joshua’s teasing remark. Maybe Emmie was right. Perhaps with some support and time, Lexie and Josh could make this marriage work.

  A line of folks was waiting to speak to Joshua and Lexie, so Ruby and Jonah moved on. They were greeted by Bert, who stood with his wife, Patty.

  “Sad day all around,” Bert said as he held a cold glass of lemonade. “Still, I got to hand it to you Johannsens. You’re making the best out of the worst situation. This is first-rate lemonade.”

  Patty elbowed him. “Bert.”

  “Well, truth is truth.” He took a slurp of his drink. He leaned in. “I’ll tell you another truth, too. The two of you will be headed for the altar soon enough.”

  Ruby colored six shades of red and her arm tightened around Jonah’s waist. “We’re not talking marriage.” Her voice was stiff.

  Bert bobbed his head in the direction of Emmie and Curtis. “I bet the two of them will beat you to it.”

  Ruby turned to study Curtis and Emmie. There was an ease between them that Ruby had chalked up to their history. Watching them now, she wondered if Bert had a point. Together, they wore a comfortable intimacy that neither one of them had on their own. Emmie’s gauzy shyness was removed while Curtis’s brash opinions were toned down, creating a sweet confidence as they mingled with guests.

  “They do make a lovely couple,” Patty said.

  Ruby softened. “Yes, they do.”

  Bert laughed. “Make sure we get an invitation to the wedding!”

  “Oh, Bert! I think you’ve had one too many lemonades. Let’s go talk to the newly married and happy couple,” Patty said.

  Bert’s face soured before moving off with his wife.

  After checking on the drinks one more time, Ruby led Jonah through the McPhersons’ well-manicured lawn, where they found a quiet bench amid the summer flowers. “I’m sorry about Bert’s comments around marriage. He’s—well, you know how he is.” Ruby bit her lip.

  Jonah grinned. “I know Bert, and I know he’s right about Emmie and Curtis.”

  Ruby pulled back and looked at him. “Has Curtis said something to you?”

  “Not in so many words,” Jonah said. “But I’ve been around him for six years, and he’s smitten with your sister. I’ve never seen him so relaxed and happy.”

  “They are sweet together, aren’t they?”

  Jonah reached for Ruby. “I think we’re pretty good together, too. In fact, I’d say I’m smitten with you. I love you, Ruby,” he whispered.

  Ruby went to him willingly and breathed in Jonah’s clean skin and masculine scent. With him beside her, even the tragedy of Lexie’s marriage was soothed. Cradled in his arms, she relaxed for the first time all evening, her deepest feelings for Jonah tentatively reaching for the light of exposure. “I love you, too.” The words left her revealed, but also free. Her feelings were no longer caged within. “You mean so very much to me, and I’m glad you’re sticking with me even through the McPherson marriage.”

  “There isn’t anything you could do, Ruby, that would make me leave you.”

  “Not everyone in Sunrise Creek would be so generous,” Ruby explained. “There are some families in town that would run the other way once they learned of Lexie’s marriage. Joshua McPherson’s baggage of thievery, alleged drug use, and bullying is more than some would want to carry.”

  Jonah sat back, keeping his arm around Ruby. “I hear his brother is all right.”

  Ruby was thoughtful. “I like Andrew,” she said. “And I feel a little sorry for him. He’s been cast in his brother’s shadow since he was born. That must be hard.” She stood and held her hand out to Jonah. “C’mon. Let’s get back inside. I need to check the drink dispensers.”

  Walking back to the house hand-in-hand, Ruby’s heavy burden was lighter. She loved Jonah, but it wasn’t some silly ethereal concept. They were creating a bond of strength that began with his promise that he would never leave her. It wasn’t just enough; it was all she’d hoped for.

  Twenty

  July slipped into early August, and Ruby sweltered in the coffee shack as the morning wore into afternoon. She kept the back door and the front window open with a fan set up to pull air from the doorway. It was better than having the stifling heat that came with a shuttered shack, but no matter how much air moved, it was still hot.

  She flapped her arms like a chicken to try to relieve some of the sweat that gathered under her arms. It didn’t help. It also didn’t help that business was slow. Few people wanted hot coffee. Sales of iced coffee sprinkled her afternoon, but business dried up as tourists tried to find a way to stay cool that involved immersing themselves in water or climbing to higher elevations.

  Ruby considered an early closing and began counting her receipts. The tourists had the right idea about water activities, and she longed to go home and jump in the lake, but she had promised to meet Jonah at the Triangle 4.

  Ruby and Jonah were scheduled to move the cattle to new pasture closer to home while Emmie and Curtis got the equipment ready for the second cutting of hay. Soon, it would be time to wean the calves. Ruby wouldn’t see much of Jonah during that time. He would be staying up with the weanlings late into the night while she needed to work early the following morning, so she grabbed this time with him.

  Arriving at the ranch, Jonah and Ruby prepared Nex and Stetson for the ride. Once they were in the saddle, Jonah led the way on Stetson. “How was work?” he asked.

  “Slow,” Ruby replied. “I closed early.”

  Jonah grinned, holding out his hand. “Lucky me.”

  Ruby rode close and took his hand. “I want you to know I gave up a swim in the lake to see you.”

  “Double lucky for me, then,” Jonah said as they broke apart.

  They rode for a couple of hours at a walk, and Ruby settled into the late afternoon. “How are things with your family?” she asked.

  Jonah shrugged, and Ruby saw the tension come into his face. “Since the text I received about the party date and airline ticket, I haven’t heard a word. Mom is really good at giving the silent treatment. But I’ve decided to go ahead and talk to a realtor about buying a ranch here. I’m not letting her or anyone stop me.”

  “What about this party and the ticket?”

  “I haven’t decided yet,” Jonah said. “On one hand, I don’t want to go, because I don’t like how she’s insisting and I don’t want to encourage that behavior. On the other hand, I’ve thought about going so I can tell my mom once and for all that I’m not coming home to Texas, and I don’t want to ranch part-time outside of Dallas. It might be helpful if that conversation takes place face-to-face.”

  Ruby’s heartbeat ticked up. She didn’t like the idea of Jonah leaving for any length of time. Maybe he wouldn’t come back. She said nothing as her fear beat to the rhythm of her quickening pulse.

  “Will you come with me?” Jonah asked.

  Ruby gasped. The request was the last thing she’d expected, and her affection for Jonah soared. Could she leave Sunrise Creek for a few days? Her mind worked fast. Maybe Emmie would be able to tak
e a couple days off and cover for her at the Jumpin’ Bean.

  New and uncertain reluctance crept into her heart. “Your mom isn’t going to like it,” Ruby observed.

  “That’s true,” Jonah replied. “But I’m not sure I care.”

  Ruby mulled over the possibility. “This might not be the best way to create a favorable introduction. For instance, would they even let me stay at the house?”

  “No,” Jonah said sadly. “I’d make sure you had a room at the Four Seasons in Dallas. You’d have the very best accommodations.”

  Jonah’s answer told Ruby everything she needed to know, even though temptation piled high and her imagination flew with the possibilities. Traveling with Jonah to his hometown and spending the night in a luxurious hotel was beyond her wildest dreams. But there was more.

  If she traveled to Dallas with Jonah, the fear that rose around the possibility of losing him forever would be squelched. She would be there to monitor the events between him and his family. But her presence in the middle of such serious family discussions would not be helpful and could cause long-term damage if her and Jonah’s relationship continued to grow.

  “Your mother will resent me, Jonah, and then blame me for your change of heart. I don’t want this argument to be about me, and that’s exactly what would happen. I’m sorry to turn you down. I’d love to go; it just isn’t the best thing. Not now, anyway.”

  “You’re probably right,” Jonah replied. “It would be best if I spoke to my parents alone—especially Mom.”

  Ruby looked ahead as the cows came in view. “You’re going back to Texas, then?” She tried to keep her voice steady.

  Jonah turned in his saddle and faced Ruby. “Yeah. But I’m coming back. I promise.”

  Ruby nodded as she continued to focus on the herd. She didn’t want Jonah to see the tears forming in her eyes as dread started to whisper to all of her doubts. She’d heard Jonah’s promise before when it was spoken by Cooper. She changed the subject. “Well, here we are.”

  A few cows and calves lifted their heads at their approach.

  “Let’s flank them and drive them from the back,” Jonah said.

  Ruby agreed, and without another word, taking the left side, she squeezed Nex into a trot as she moved around the cows, glad to have a task and be away from Jonah for a few minutes as she gathered her emotions.

  For hours they drove the cows closer to the Triangle 4 corrals, working with one another as if on some unseen frequency that fed Ruby’s connection to Jonah. As the shadows lengthened over the valley and the sun’s heat turned delicate, Ruby tried to forget that Jonah would be leaving and instead focused on keeping the cows together and moving in the right direction. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget that summer was coming to an end, and Jonah’s ticket to Texas was one-way.

  Twenty-One

  After three days of weaning calves, the herd was beginning to settle. Jonah was bone-weary and ready for bed, but it was his turn to spend the night with the weanlings.

  Fence-weaning calves was hard and watchful work. First, the calves needed to be separated from the cows and placed in the pasture that kept them close to their mothers while not allowing them access. Hay needed to be fresh and abundant, as did water for both cows and calves.

  The new weanlings also had to be closely patrolled. Because they could see and hear their mothers, their stress level was lower than if they were out of hearing or seeing distance, but there was always the odd calf that couldn’t adjust to the feed and quit thriving. That calf needed special attention.

  Once the bawling settled down, a whole new crop of problems developed as calves would now be able to hear the odd noise that might spook them. Curtis or Jonah stayed with the animals both night and day to provide a calming influence and to help them get used to people and horses. At night, they wanted to be on hand in case something scared the calves in the dark.

  As the sun went down, he rode into the weanling pasture, surrounded by a purple twilight ringing the sky while the first stars began to wink into deeper color of the heavens.

  This was day three of weaning, and the calves were beginning to quiet down. Jonah was happy to have a night without a lot of noise. Still, he would need to watch the restless group in case they became anxious, requiring him to stay alert.

  Settling into the saddle, he looked over the calves. They were calm and settling in nicely.

  Jonah didn’t mind working through the dark Montana night. Stars were abundant and in constant motion. The night sky was one of the greatest benefits of getting out of the city. Clusters of stars and even the Milky Way would wind their way through the heavens, keeping him and the calves company through the darkness.

  Just before ten, as the summer sun was fading to black in the west, Curtis came out to check on Jonah before turning in. “Things have settled down,” Curtis said as he looked around. “You’ll have a much quieter night than I had last night.”

  Jonah agreed. “Let’s hope nothing spooks them.”

  Curtis smiled. “That’s why you’re here. Need anything before I head into the house?”

  “Nope. I’m good to go.”

  Curtis gave him a mock salute. “Then I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  Jonah nodded his agreement as his phone rang. Thinking of Ruby, he pulled it from his back pocket to see the home number from Texas. His heart filled with anxious dread as he answered to hear his mother weeping. Alarm spread through him. “Mom? Mom, what is it?”

  “Jonah? Oh, thank goodness I was able to reach you. Your father had a heart attack. We’re in the ER at UT Southwestern Medical Center now. We’re still waiting to get into the cath lab, whatever that is.”

  Shocked disbelief mingled with a fresh pulse of alarm as Jonah heard the rising panic in his mother’s voice. This could not be happening! “He’s only fifty-six. What do you mean he’s had a heart attack?”

  “We were at the Fairmont for the summer gala. At first, he thought it was some indigestion, but his coloring wasn’t good. When he got up to use the restroom, he broke out into a sweat and then stumbled and fell. Oh, Jonah. He was positively gray. I thought I was going to lose him!” she wailed. “Jonah, please come home. We need you here.”

  Jonah closed his eyes to the bright starlight. Calves jostled around him and Nex, but he didn’t notice. All he could picture was his strong, virile father lying in a hospital bed with tubes and needles everywhere. “Yes,” he said. “I’ll be on the next flight out of Missoula. It’ll probably be in the morning. That will be quicker than driving.”

  “Oh, thank heavens.” His mother’s sigh of relief was genuine and honest. “I’ll text you if there are any changes. Let me know when you get in.” She sounded as if she had aged ten years.

  Jonah promised his mother he would be in touch with his flight information before he hung up. Dismounting, he hurried to the barn and removed his saddle from Nex. He gave the horse an absent pat on the neck as he placed him in his stall before hurrying into the house, where he found Curtis with his parents watching TV.

  “What is it?” Curtis asked. “Are the calves all right?”

  “They’re fine. It’s my dad.” Jonah could hardly force the words out. “He’s had a heart attack, and he’s in the hospital. I need to be home.”

  Everyone stood. “Of course,” Linda said. “Your family needs you.”

  “I’ll saddle up and look after the calves tonight,” Jim said as he hurried out the door. “How can we help you get ready?” Curtis asked.

  “I’m going to need a ride to Missoula, probably tonight. We can share a motel room when we get there.”

  “Consider it done. We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready and your flight is booked.”

  A new crop of dread rose up in Jonah. “And we’ll have to stop by Ruby’s on our way out of town.”

  “This will be hard on her,” Curtis murmured.

  Jonah’s dread grew into agony, and he played with the idea of asking her to fly to Dall
as with him. He wanted her to understand that he was coming back, and the best way to do that was to bring her along.

  Other concerns cropped up around the possibility of Ruby’s presence in Dallas. Introducing Ruby at a time when his parents were in crisis would be stressful and possibly life-altering for everyone. The little comfort and peace of mind that Ruby’s companionship would offer would be overshadowed by his mother’s hostility and his father’s needs.

  There was no choice. He had to go to Texas and leave Ruby here with nothing more than an honest promise that he would return.

  Confirming his flight for just after five in the morning, Jonah texted his mother his arrival time and finished throwing his clothes into his suitcase.

  His phone pinged with his mother’s text. Thank you.

  In all of his life, his mother had never shown a shred of gratitude for him. Tears clouded his vision as love for his parents crowded into his heart.

  Curtis was waiting in the truck when Jonah threw the suitcase behind the seat. Once settled, he texted Ruby. I know it’s late, but I need to see you now. I’m on my way. Are you free? I’ll be there soon.

  Ruby’s text came through immediately. Yes. I’ll be waiting.

  Curtis and Jonah rode in silence, the light of the dash their only company.

  They pulled into Ruby’s drive. All the lights were off except the living room lamp that shone through the windows, giving off a soft, welcoming glow in the midst of Jonah’s chaos. He gazed at the house for a moment, longing to walk through the door of Ruby’s home and stay with her, where his secrets were safe and his burdens lessened. But he could not deny the pressing need of his family. He hopped out of the truck.