Mail Order Ruby
Widows, Brides and Secret Babies
Book 20
By Teresa Ives Lilly
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Mail Order Ruby
(Widows, Brides and Secret Babies-Book 20)
COPYRIGHT Mail Order Ruby © 2020 Teresa Ives Lilly Lovely Romance Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Elissa Strati, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Cover design and logo inset by Black Widow Books, Virginia McKevitt, cover artist.
Chapter One
Ruby Dawson stared into her wardrobe; her mouth opened wide in shock. All her daily dresses had been removed and the space filled with new bright, colorful outfits; the type of dresses her mother wore when dancing in the Golden Dawn. She stepped back, her hand shaking. These dresses were not the right size for her mother, so it could only have one meaning, the thing Ruby had been dreading for the last several years: her mother had finally decided it was time for Ruby to start dancing.
Ruby heard a soft sound from behind, and turned to find her baby brother’s eyes open where he lay in a dresser drawer that doubled as a cradle. She moved across the room and lifted the curly haired child.
“Hello, darling. Did you have a good nap?” Ruby sat down and placed the fifteen-month-old on her lap. The child squiggled around then plopped his thumb into his mouth and leaned his head against her chest.
The boy hadn’t learned to speak yet. There had been a few mumbled attempts, but each time his mother had even taken the time to listen to his attempts when he didn’t say ‘Mama’, perfectly, she’d given the child a shake and put him back in his crib. Ruby believed that kept him from trying to speak.
Her little brother had not been a welcomed child. A wealthy gentleman had fallen in love with Ruby’s mother and planned to marry her, but when he found she was with his child, before the wedding, he’d given her a handful of money and walked away, not wanting his lifestyle to be cramped by a child.
“He thought he could clean me up and take me to his home, but not if I were carrying his child,” her mothered often complained bitterly; however, to Ruby’s relief she’d still gone through with the pregnancy although she’d threatened several times to find someone who could ‘do something about it’.
Those had been worrisome days filled with prayer, and since Timmy was born, Ruby’s mother could hardly even be called a mother. She left the child in the care of other saloon girls and whenever Ruby wasn’t in school, she was the only mother figure he knew.
As she sat holding the boy, the door flew open and her mother, dressed in her noted color of blue velvet, entered the room. She eyed the child on Ruby’s lap, but didn’t acknowledge him. The boy turned his face away from his mother, as if hiding his own eyes would protect him from her displeasure.
“Ruby! I’m glad you’re home. Did you see your new wardrobe?” The women’s voice emphasized each word.
Ruby forehead furrowed. “Yes, Mother.”
The woman swooshed across the room and flung open the wardrobe. She pulled out one dress at a time and held them up for inspection, her eyes glittering. “Yes, yes. These are lovely.” She held up one that was a bold red with black ribbons tied in bows all over its bodice. She pulled out another even more brazen.
Ruby felt her cheeks turning warm from embarrassment. She clenched her hands. “Mother, the dresses are lovely, but where did you put my clothes?”
Her mother waved her hand slightly. “Falderal. You won’t need those schoolmarm things anymore. Next week you turn eighteen and Blake wants you to start your job at his saloon. He purchased all these gowns for you. That was generous I’d say. When I started dancing only one dress was bought for me. I had to earn the rest.”
Ruby bit her bottom lip. She wanted to scream but that had never done any good before. She’d been putting this moment off for two years, having begged her mother to allow her to finish school first. But Ruby did not want to be a saloon girl, even if it was a somewhat respectable saloon, and the dancers were paid well to mingle with the crowd and dance with the men; nothing more. Just the thought of those drunk men touching and holding her, turned Ruby’s stomach.
That lifestyle went against everything she believed in. Her hopes, dreams and belief in God did not include wearing such daring clothes and being held by a different man night after night. She’d been praying for a direct answer to the problem for a long time and thought she’d been given the answer. However, she still wasn’t sure.
She watched as her mother pulled three more dresses out, holding them up in glee. Yet, Ruby thought she also recognized a glint of jealousy in her mother’s eyes. Suddenly, the woman slammed the last dress back into the wardrobe and turned to face her daughter.
“You’ll be the belle of the ball my dear.” Her mother’s words sounded harsh and uncaring.
“But, Mother. Who will take care of Timmy?” She squeezed the child closer, hoping that some ounce of motherly instinct would sway her.
Her mother pointed at the boy. “That has been taken care of.” Her words were hollow and empty.
Ruby, sensing something not right, placed the boy in his cradle and stood tall, her hands on her hip. “What have you done?” She accused, trying to keep her voice calm.
Her mother glided across the room and out the door, but turned to face her daughter once more. “One week darling. Those dresses have to be paid for.” She continued out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
A tear slipped down Ruby’s cheek. Her mother knew she didn’t want to follow in her footsteps, but the woman didn’t care. Her mother had spoken often of the days when Ruby would be old enough to join her at the saloon; always referring to how much they looked alike and how all the men would go wild over their likeness.
Ruby glanced into a mirror. She didn’t see the resemblance much. Her mother wore heavy face paint most of the time to hide any signs of age, while Ruby’s skin was young and fresh.
Ruby reached into the pocket of her practical wool skirt and felt the letter which she’d been carrying around with her for several weeks. This was the letter which would allow her the chance to escape from her mother’s plans, the letter she hoped was God’s answer to her future, but her eyes shifted to the young boy in the crib and her stomach tightened. She’d been putting off following the instructions in the letter because of Timmy. She’d been praying about Timmy every day, wondering how she could leave him behind. She couldn’t leave until she knew Timmy would be taken care of, but so far, she hadn’t found the answer to that problem.
Lord, what did Mother mean when she said, “that has been taken care of”? She whispered to the God she’d learned to take all her problems to, then walking over to the cradle, she lifted the boy into her arms again. The letter crinkled but she tried to ignore the sound. She had to find a place for Timmy before she could become a mail
order bride.
***
Ruby awoke when her mother arrived home that night. As usual the smell of smoke and alcohol lingered on her dress and filled the air in the apartment. Even her mother’s expensive perfume couldn’t overpower the odor. Ruby lay on the sofa, which was the only bed she’d ever known, silent.
She hoped tonight would be a quiet night in which her mother would simply shuffle through the small apartment and fall onto her bed in the other room. Ruby clenched her hands together, hoping Timmy wouldn’t make a sound. If mother had a bad night, any tiny whimper from Timmy could send her into a rage.
Through slit eyes, she watched her mother move across the shabby room. As a child Ruby could remember the once young and beautiful woman; now her beauty faded and garish make-up overly applied was all that made her seem lovely any longer. Ruby felt the age-old ache in her heart, for the love of a mother; something she’d never had from Sophia Dawson, Belle of the Golden Dawn.
Ruby too, had been a mistake. A child brought into the world without a father and barely raised by a selfish, grasping woman who insisted her daughter stay always in the background and take care of herself. Ruby often wondered who had taken care of her when she was only an infant. A memory of a clean faced maid flashed through her imagination.
Oh, if only that maid had taken me with her when she left.
To Ruby’s relief, her mother made it across the room and closed her bedroom door behind her without interruption. Ruby released the breath she was holding and tried to snuggle into the blanket which barely covered her, but it was so well worn and thin from years of use, she got no comfort or warmth from it.
Just as her eyes began to flutter closed, she felt a presence beside the sofa. Ruby’s eyes flew open and found her mother standing there, starring at her. Ruby pushed herself up, into a seated position, ready to take any action that might be required to please and coddle the woman.
“Good evening, Mother.” She kept her voice low in case her mother had a headache. “Can I get you something?”
Her mother only glared at her. “Ruby, do you know why I named you that?” Her mother’s voice was harsh, but also sounded far away.
Ruby sat up straighter, an inner sense of dread taking over. She didn’t answer, she knew better. The woman wasn’t seeking a conversation. She had something to say, and Ruby’s voice would only irritate her.
“I named you Ruby because of the necklace your father gave me. You know, he was a very wealthy man. Respected, powerful. He loved to watch me dance and spent months visiting me at the Golden Dawn.” The woman spoke as if from a faraway dream. “He took me for carriage rides, and to the opera. I was held up as the toast of the town because of him. He begged me to marry him. He offered me furs, dresses and trips to Europe, but I was so young. I thought being married would ruin my looks, take away my glitter. I didn’t want to give up what seemed like a life of glamour. So, after my refusal, he gave me one last gift.”
Her mother’s hand shot out; in it she held a long, slender box. With her other hand she slipped the box open. “See it!” She pulled the necklace out of the box and held it over Ruby’s head. This was something Ruby had never seen before; a beautiful red necklace.
“It was only a few weeks later, I realized I was with child, but by then, it was too late. He’d gone away on an extended trip around the world. There was no one to turn to, no one to help me, except for Blake. He allowed me to live in a room over the Golden Dawn until I gave birth. He paid the doctor; he gave me money for food and things you needed. Every item I thought was a gift, was neatly recorded in his ledger of outstanding debts and when I was able to work, I had to pay it all back.”
Ruby’s hand covered the gasp. She’d never heard this story before. It filled her with sorrow for her mother.
“I could have paid him back, ten times over with this necklace, Ruby. I’ve kept it, always hoping that someday when I was finally tired of this life, I could use it to get away from Blake.”
Tears rolled down Ruby’s cheeks. “Why didn’t you, Mother?” Her voice barely audible. A deep sadness filled her as she realized her mother could have provide them with a better life than the one in which Ruby was raised in a room over a saloon.
“I never got tired. I never wanted to change my life. I’ve always been the main attraction at the Golden Dawn.” Her voice filled with pride. “I’ve paid Blake back and have set aside plenty of money if I ever need to retire.”
Ruby wiped her cheeks in unbelief. Her mother had the wherewithal to have given her a better life and she’d never chosen caring for her daughter over her own selfish ambition. Now, she had the money to give Timmy a better home as well, but she still didn’t do it. Ruby sat feeling shocked at what she’d just learned.
“I thought I would have to quit soon. Blake has made some comments about my age, but now I won’t have to stop dancing. You and I together will shine even brighter.” Her mother’s eyes seemed to fill with a bright gleam. “Blake will see what a great draw the two of us will be.”
Ruby swallowed. She knew better than to speak back to the woman, but she felt she could no longer hold in her thoughts. “That’s not the life I want, Mother. I’ve tried to tell you over and over. Besides, who will take care of Timmy if I ever did work in the saloon?”
Her mother’s countenance changed and a low scream came from her throat. “Timmy, Timmy, that’s all you ever talk about. I don’t have time to raise another child. I don’t want to.” She threw the ruby necklace onto the sofa. “You will join me at the Golden Dawn in one week, Ruby. You will wear the clothes Blake bought. I might even let you wear this ruby necklace.”
Ruby kept shaking her head back and forth. “What about Timmy, Mother?”
“I told you, I’ve taken care of that.”
“How? What have you done?” Ruby’s voice began to raise in distress.
Her mother spun around and she began to stomp out of the room. “He’s going to the orphanage tomorrow. I’ve already made the plans.” She hurried into her bedroom and slammed the door closed.
Ruby was almost gasping for air, through her tears and sobs. She couldn’t believe what her mother had just told her.
Put Timmy in an orphanage? Never!
She held the ruby necklace up and stared at it, thinking of the life it could have provided.
She stood up quickly, knowing she had to do something but not sure what to do. Just then a letter fluttered to the floor. She leaned over, picked it up and spread the letter open.
Dear Miss Dawson,
Enclosed is a train ticket and money for the two stage coach trips you would have to take to get to Waterhole, Texas.
Seth Miller
She’d had the letter for several weeks now. The answer for her to be able to leave home, but not knowing what to do about Timmy had kept her from following through with becoming a mail order bride.
Ruby sat down, her head hung low, whispering a desperate prayer. Lord, what should I do? What can I do?
She crinkled the letter in her right hand, the ruby necklace in her left.
I could sell the necklace, and run away with Timmy, but where would I go? Thoughts seemed to be scrambling her mind. She was unable to think straight. She felt she had to do something now, before morning. She couldn’t let Timmy be taken to an orphanage.
Once more, she opened the letter and reread it. In previous letters, Seth Miller spoke of wanting to civilize the small town of Waterhole, Texas. He mentioned needing a wife with good morals to stand beside him and help his mission to rid the town of its saloon.
Ruby bit her lip, wavering. A young woman showing up with a child in tow, expecting Mr. Miller to marry her didn’t fit that image, but what else could she do? He was the only answer she could think of. She’d told her mother nothing of Seth Miller or Waterhole, Texas and with the prepaid tickets and the extra money the man had provided, she could take Timmy and leave before morning.
Ruby stood back up; this time with determination. She move
d across the room and looked at Timmy, sleeping. He was an innocent angel and needed to be protected. Ruby turned around, quickly accessing everything and making a decision. She would pack bags for herself and Timmy before her mother awoke in the morning. She would take Timmy to Waterhole, Texas with her.
If she even cared, her mother would never think of looking for her in a small Texas town. As quietly as she could, Ruby jotted a note.
Dear Mother,
I’m sorry to disappoint your hopes, but I do not want to be a dancer in the Golden Dawn. I have been offered a different option for my future, which was more to my liking and one in which I believe I can take care of Timmy as well, so I am taking him with me. I’m sorry about the gowns and their cost. If you hadn’t thrown away my clothes, I could have left them behind.
I will not be writing to you or letting you know where I’ve gone, but I’m not sure you would really care. I’ve tried to be a good daughter and in my own way, I do love you.
Ruby
She reread the words several times to assure herself she was giving no indication of where she was going. Then she began to gather Timmy’s clothing, bottles and several jars of food for him. She slipped everything into a small traveling case while keeping an ear open for Timmy and for her mother. She hoped they were both in a deep sleep.
Finally, with the little case packed, she began to fill a larger bag with her own items. She didn’t own many things that were worth taking beside her silver handled hairbrush and her black leather Bible a teacher had given to her in school. For a moment Ruby had forgotten about her clothes, until she opened the closet door again and remembered that her mother had taken all her serviceable clothing. There was nothing left but the ballgowns.
Ruby stepped back as if she’d been bitten. There wasn’t a single dress she felt she could wear without feeling ashamed except the dress she’d been wearing earlier in the day, but even that had a large tear up the side which she didn’t have time to mend.
With a trembling hand, she reached into the closet and moved the dresses one at a time, rejecting each one. She needed to have at least three she felt could eventually be made over into something decent. Unfortunately, she would also need to put on one of those dresses to wear all the way to Texas.
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