Ruby nodded toward Lexie and Joshua. “Do Mom and Dad know?”
Emmie shrugged. “Yeah. I heard a heated exchange between Mom and Lexie the other day. Mom emphasized that dating Joshua was dangerous.”
Ruby exhaled as she watched Joshua bend down to kiss Lexie. “I can tell that conversation made a huge impression.”
Emmie turned toward her with a worried expression. “Do you really think he’s as bad as they say?”
Ruby’s jaw tightened as her contempt mingled with concern before overwhelming anxiety washed up on the shores of her mind. She met her sister’s gaze. “Yeah,” she said. “He’s one of those men who doesn’t think of anyone but himself.” An idea slowly began to come into focus. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage.”
“What do you mean?” Emmie asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Let me think about it.” She narrowed her eyes at the scene of Joshua hovering over her sister while a chill ran through her. Going up against Josh McPherson could carry some stiff consequences, but Ruby would face them a hundred times over if it meant keeping Lexie off-limits to the small-town thug.
Four
Four days later, Ruby was carrying milk and a box of flavored syrups into the Jumpin’ Bean as the topaz sun met the blue gem of sky. Balancing two milk jugs on her knee, she was fiddling with the key when the familiar sound of Curtis’s diesel closed in on the coffee shack.
Absently, she wondered where Curtis was going at this hour.
The diesel came around the back of the small building. Ruby didn’t turn.
“Hey, let me help you with that.” Jonah’s voice carried over the brightening morning. Before Ruby could protest, he was by her side, relieving her of the milk and box and allowing her to get the door fully opened.
Once inside the coffee shack, Ruby turned to Jonah and took his burden while giving him her best professional smile. Their fingers brushed, and a jolt of something new passed through Ruby, as if she’d received a shot of caffeine straight to her veins—until she remembered the last time she brushed up against a man. Cooper had flinched.
Quickly, Ruby pulled away and retracted her thoughts. “Thanks,” she murmured.
Jonah grinned at her, showing white, even teeth, and the cheerful light that beamed from his midnight-blue eyes took her breath away. There was nothing in his demeanor that gave her the indication that he wanted to pull away from her. His expression was engaging and happy. Against her own desire, she was drawn to his lightheartedness, which mirrored the budding summer morning.
Before she was aware of it, her skillful smile turned into something more genuine. “What can I get you this morning?”
“One of those sixteen-ounce bone-dry cappuccinos would be nice.”
Ruby’s earlier feelings of goodwill drained slightly, and she could feel the light from her eyes diminish. Even though she kept her smile in place, she gritted her teeth. Thirty-two ounces of milk. If she served him very often, she’d have to stock more. “Coming right up.”
She wanted to shut the door and get to work, but Jonah stayed rooted to her bottom step, his infectious smile beaming at her. She was torn between irritation over having to start her morning off with a costly and laborious drink, and a new and unfamiliar softening around this man and his cheerful company.
She chose the first. “I’m not really open for another fifteen minutes,” she said. “So, if you want to hang out in your truck, I’ll get settled in and get your drink started.”
“Oh! Sure. Sorry.” Jonah backed up from the steps, covered the short distance back to the truck, and swung around to the window.
She got to work on the drink right away, hurried through the finishing touches of the decorative foam, and opened the window.
Jonah took the drink from her and sipped. “Ahhh…that’s good. I wish you could make me one of these every morning.”
Ruby remained noncommittal, even though she wanted to scream about the waste. “I’m glad you like it. That’ll be six-fifty.”
Jonah handed her a twenty. “Are you open in winter?” he asked.
Ruby thought it an odd question. “Yeah. Why?”
“Well, when I buy my place, I’ll stop by. A hot cup of coffee made by expert hands is the perfect way to start the day.”
Ruby blinked at him as disbelief and the old outrage rattled her. Another newcomer, and this one was the same age as her and Cooper. “You’re moving here?”
“Yeah. Well, I hope so. I want to buy a ranch. It’s beautiful.”
Says everyone, Ruby thought. Practically every tourist that came to her window talked about the breathtaking beauty and their desire to make Sunrise Creek a part of their life. Only those with money to come and go made that dream a reality, to the detriment of the community.
The fragile warmth that had propelled Ruby toward Jonah evaporated as a car pulled in behind the truck. She was grateful to be able to move Jonah away from her window. She turned to her cash register and began making change.
“Keep it,” Jonah said as he took another sip of his drink before beaming at her. “I’ll see you next time.” He stepped on the gas and drove off, the sound of the diesel fading as it ticked up in gear.
Ruby served her next customer in a blur, a young couple with kayaks attached to the roof of their Subaru. She almost wanted to ask if they were moving in, too. She chastised herself, kept her conversation to a minimum, and sent them on their way with two lattes.
Bert came to her window next, sporting a grin on his unshaven face.
“You’re here early. What’s so funny?” Ruby asked as she poured him his usual drip coffee—black, no sugar—and handed it to him.
“I like that kid,” he said.
Ruby furrowed her brow. “Jonah? You like him?”
Bert nodded as he leaned against the coffee shack. “He’s a hard worker, for starters. I was over at the ranch last night, and Jonah had been out all day with Curtis getting the cows to and from the pasture. Curtis said he’s constantly out in the field checking fences to make sure they don’t have any escapees or any predators getting in. He’s good with horses, too, and he obviously doesn’t mind helping you out in a moment of need.”
Ruby gave Bert a look of warning. “I’m glad to hear he’s so helpful at the Triangle 4, but he’s a newcomer with one thing on his mind. He wants to move here.”
“Oh, I think he’s got other things on his mind.” Bert grinned at her.
Ruby knitted her brows in exasperation. “No. He doesn’t. And neither do I. And neither do you.”
“It’s time you started dating again, Ruby.”
Ruby’s laugh rang out. “And now you’re the town matchmaker, too?”
Bert shrugged, saying nothing as he took a sip of coffee, the silence growing between the two of them.
Ruby waited. Bert loved to talk, and he wouldn’t be quiet for long.
“For a city boy, he’s good at ranching.”
Ruby wanted to quell the curiosity that rose within her, even as it bubbled to the surface. “He’s a city boy?”
“Yeah. Originally from Dallas. You should talk to him sometime.”
“No thanks.” Ruby turned away from Bert and grabbed the washrag. “Newcomers are a pain, especially the ones who come from the city. They’ll be the ruination of this town and valley. I’m surprised you like him so much.”
Ruby felt Bert’s eyes studying her as he took another sip of coffee. “Me too, now that you mention it. But he sure has made life easier for Curtis and his family this summer, and I can’t argue with that.” Bert dug around in the pocket of his grubby jeans before handing Ruby payment for the coffee and his usual tip of two quarters.
“Thanks,” Ruby said as she opened the till. The quarters pinged against other coins.
Raising his cup, Bert grinned at her one more time before ambling toward his shop.
* * *
Later that afternoon, as Ruby was closing up, she noticed the usual gossipy characters hanging around Bert’s
garage, sitting on a mishmash of plastic chairs and crates surrounding the car Bert was working on.
Even from several yards away, Bert’s voice carried. He was praising Jonah while buried up to his elbows inside the engine of an older Chevy Bronco.
Ruby slowed her walk to the car as her interest surfaced in spite of her best efforts. She didn’t want to think about Jonah or hear about his horsemanship or his expert way with cows and fences. Anyone could mend a fence. Still, hearing his name made her pause.
Bert’s voice dropped, and Ruby couldn’t catch what was being said, but within seconds, everyone sitting on plastic turned to look at her. Bert peeked out from behind the hood and offered a grin before going back to work. Was she the subject of Bert’s gossip now? What could he possibly have to say that would link her to Jonah except his own clumsy efforts at putting her and Jonah together as a couple?
Ruby pulled her purse and deposit bag close to her chest before hurrying toward her car and letting herself in. She should know better than trying to listen to Bert’s gossip. She loved the man. He was a fixture in Sunrise Creek, but he adored juicy chatter, and with her workplace standing within sight of his mechanic shop, any visitors she might have would be fair game, including Jonah.
Driving from the lot, Ruby checked her rearview mirror. No one was watching her now. If she wanted to stay out of Bert’s verbal gossip column, she could only hope that Jonah wouldn’t show back up at the Jumpin’ Bean.
Five
Driving into town with Curtis the following afternoon, Jonah drank the last of his coffee for the day from the brew Curtis’s mother had made, his memory lingering over the cappuccino he had shared with Ruby. He was glad he’d come in early to see her and had been able to offer her some help before she opened. The Jumpin’ Bean would be closed by now, or he would have made another stop. He hoped to become familiar with the residents of Sunrise Creek, and who better to start with than the pretty local barista?
A small nub of distress pinched him, making the coffee in his stomach sharpen. Had he told her a lie when he said he’d be moving to Sunrise Creek? Was he lying to himself? He glanced at Curtis, who took everything around him in stride. A small bead of envy entered Jonah’s mind. He refused to entertain the thought as the silence between him and Curtis grew. Curtis was blessed with his future already decided and intact, but that didn’t mean it was out of reach for Jonah. Or was it?
Turning toward the passenger window, Jonah was reminded of everything he wished for, even though his mother was constantly admonishing him of what he owed the family. The conversation between him and his mother on the day of his graduation still rang shrilly in Jonah’s mind.
“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Jonah’s mother said as she snapped the final picture of Jonah in his Texas A&M colors of maroon and white.
“Now, Lizbeth, this is a big deal,” Jonah’s father said. “Our only son got a master’s degree. Let’s enjoy the moment.”
Jonah’s mother smiled brightly. “Yes. You’re right, of course, and I know you’re off for the summer with Curtis and his family somewhere in the wilds of Montana. After that, though, you’re coming home and going to work with your father. No more wasted time on this hobby. It’s time you settled down, got married, and gave us some grandbabies. We’re not getting any younger, you know, and someday your dad is going to want to turn the business over to you.”
Jonah wilted in his cap and gown, and it wasn’t because of the Texas heat. It was the way his mother promoted her own hopes and dreams without any thought to his.
She continued, “If you want, you can buy hundreds of acres somewhere and visit it on the weekends or during summer vacations. We know folks who’ve done that very thing, don’t we, Trevor?” His mother turned to Jonah’s father.
“Yes, we do. The Charles family, for instance. Thomas and his wife, Stephanie, have a second home outside of Dallas where they run a few head of cattle and have someone live on the property as a foreman. They’re out there every chance they get. That might work for you, son.”
A gentleman’s ranch. The thought made Jonah perk up. This was his mother’s way of offering a compromise and an olive branch, and his father approved of the idea.
The thought still rolled in Jonah’s head like a magnetic ball in search of something to adhere to. Would weekend or summer trips be enough? What about the responsibility of Stiles Oil? If Jonah’s father’s life of business travel, late nights, and little family time was any indication, the land he loved would become a distant dream no matter how many acres he owned.
Jonah crumpled his coffee cup and threw it in the garbage bag hanging on the gearshift as he looked out the windshield. His eyes were drawn to up to where Sunrise Falls met the sky before tumbling down the mountain. His mouth fell open in awe. The light from the lengthening evening sun was closing the doors on the day, turning the water into a ribbon of white mist against the cold stone.
“The falls,” Jonah whispered. “They’re stunning.”
Curtis glanced at them. “Yeah. You should take a hike up there sometime.”
Rolling down his window, Jonah let the breeze, heavy with the evening air, filter through the truck, and he breathed in the sweet scent of summer grass, dust, and mountain pine. He almost expected to feel the mist on his face from the falls, and he vowed he would hike up to that refreshing place. Maybe he would ask Ruby to go with him. The thought filled Jonah with happy anticipation, and all thoughts of his family and responsibilities grew dim as the day was laid to rest.
Jonah tore his gaze away from the surrounding artistry of nature and tucked his awe back inside as Curtis pulled into the lot of the feed store. Maybe he wouldn’t hike Sunrise Falls. It might be better if he didn’t court the love of this place or its residents—and that included Ruby Johannsen.
Six
Five days later, Ruby sat on the back deck of her home as the sun soaked into her skin, warming her through to the bone; the dappled light made her drowsy. The landline phone clanged into her thoughts, and she considered letting it go to voicemail. Instead, she roused herself and checked the screen, surprise mingling with curiosity when Curtis’s mother’s number flashed.
“Linda! How good to hear from you,” Ruby said with genuine happiness. “You must be thrilled to have Curtis home.”
Linda laughed. “We are so happy he’s finished with school. He plans on staying home for good now.”
“That’s great news!” Ruby made a note to inform both Willow and Emmie, for different reasons.
“Yes! Finally. He’s brought a friend with him, too. Have you had a chance to meet Jonah?”
A quick jolt ran through Ruby as her mind flashed back to the soft dawn when Jonah had shown up and helped her manage her supplies—before drinking most of them in his one beverage. A smile touched her lips. That wasn’t quite fair. She had enough milk that day, but she did hope he’d learn to love another coffee brew if he planned on stopping by often.
Then there was Bert. He hadn’t said anything more about Jonah in his daily visits to the window, and Ruby hoped to keep it that way, especially since Jonah was a newcomer. She cleared her throat as her feelings cooled a little. “Yes. I have met him. He’s been by the Jumpin’ Bean a couple of times.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Linda replied. “He told me you make one of the best bone-dry cappuccinos he’s ever tasted.” She laughed. “Not that I even know what that is. I like my coffee straight up.”
Ruby’s smile grew. Jonah liked her coffee after all. That little bit of news pleased her more than she wished. She let herself feel the pleasure of knowing she was good at her work.
Linda changed the subject. “Well, I didn’t call to talk about Jonah’s coffee habit. Is your mom home, by chance?”
“Not yet. She’s still at the feed store. She gets off around six.”
Linda’s disappointment came through the line. “Oh. Well, I was hoping to invite your family over to the house. I’m throwing a welcome home party for Curtis
. He’s been gone so long, and it’d be really nice for him to reconnect with some of the community. Could you all come by on Friday night?”
The earlier jolt sent a deeper shock wave through Ruby. What would it be like to spend the whole evening in Jonah’s company? Ruby pushed back at the intrusive thought. Newcomers weren’t reliable, especially those with money.
Before she could answer, Linda continued with hesitation. “There’s something else, too. I’m glad you answered the phone, because I’m wondering if you’d be willing to bring some of your iced tea and homemade lemonade for the evening. I’ll pay you, of course. Your drinks are so refreshing, and iced tea or lemonade on a warm June evening sounds delicious.”
“It’s no problem. I can bring the drinks,” Ruby said. Her thoughts wandered to Jonah. As long as good ole Jonah doesn’t order another one of his bone-dry cappuccinos, we’ll be fine, she thought. “Is there anything else you’d like me to bring?”
“No. Just the iced tea and lemonade in those pretty dispensers you’ve got.” Linda discussed the details of the evening before asking, “Can you have your mom call me when she gets home?”
“Sure thing,” Ruby replied before hanging up the line.
Turning to her cell phone, she tapped the date into her calendar and started planning how much product she would need. This job would mean another trip to Missoula sooner than expected. Maybe she could get one of her sisters to work within the next day or two, allowing her to take the day trip for the necessities.
Turning to another app, Ruby made her list for supplies before dialing Willow’s number. She grinned when Willow answered the phone. Whenever the two of them spent time together, it always felt as if Ruby was slipping into a pair of her favorite jeans.
“I wanted to make sure you knew that Curtis is home, and it looks like he’s staying,” Ruby said. Her voice softened. “Did you know?”
Rubies And Boots (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots) Page 3
