“See what?”
“Josh loves you!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
What!” Ruth gaped at Laney.
“That’s what’s wrong. He didn’t want you to leave the house because he loves you and wants you beside him. I know it.” She pressed her hands to her bosom. “I just know it deep in my heart. How could I have been so blind?”
“Laney, you’re imagining something that isn’t there. When a man loves a woman, he’s gentle and kind.”
“Josh is always right there to help you in and out of the buckboard. He’s supporting your plan to build the library.”
“Those are the actions of a well-mannered man. Believe me, I might not know much about men, but when one calls a woman mule-headed, stubborn, and prickly, you can safely say he’s not planning to court her.”
“Ruth, what I think you ought to do is talk to Mrs. O’Sullivan. She’d be able to advise you.”
“I asked her to send Colin to do the cleaning and painting. Clearly, she knows that I’m moving into my father’s cabin. If she considered it an imprudent move, she would have spoken up.”
“You’re using logic.”
“Naturally I am. Women can be every bit as logical as men.”
Laney’s tinkling laughter filled the small room. “Mama always told me the heart has no reason.”
“Well, I seriously doubt Josh is being unreasonable because he’s suddenly fallen madly in love with me.” If only it were true. The thought stunned Ruth. How did that happen? When did I begin to think of him as more than a friend?
“I’ll go ahead and help you fix up this place. It’s quite charming, but you won’t stay here for long. My brother isn’t a patient man. When he decides what he wants, he goes after it. Once it dawns on him that he’s upset because he cares for you in that special way, he’s going to sweep you off your feet and to the altar.”
Resolutely telling herself she wouldn’t allow Laney’s prediction to lead her down a path of hope, Ruth picked up the picture again. “The only problem with your learning to read, Elaine McCain, is that you’ve decided life is like a fairy tale.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I’d rather see a happy ending for my brother and my best friend than a dreadful happening like William poisoning poor Arabella.”
“Where should I hang this?”
Closing her right eye and tilting her head, Laney announced, “Not there. You need a little table there with a lamp on it so you can read and do needlework.”
“I don’t have a table.” Ruth looked around and puffed air upward to get some stray curls off of her forehead. “Bernadette helped me decide what to ship, and with everything else we chose, you’d think we would have included one or two.”
“But the tapestry chairs and fainting couch are beautiful. Originally, I suggested gingham for curtains, but I think you ought to do deep green swags.” Laney gazed about, then smiled.
“I can recognize that look in your eyes,” Ruth said. “You’re scheming.”
Hitching one shoulder, Laney said in an oh-so-casual tone, “I was imagining lining your bedroom with oak bookshelves. This place will be a lovely setting for the library when you move back home as Josh’s bride.”
“That does it. I’m going to order a few medical books so I can be a good friend to you and cure you of your wild notions. Anyone else might overhear you and declare you insane.”
“Well, I’m in good company, then.” Laney’s eyes sparkled with glee. “Plenty of the people I know would worry for your stability if they knew you’ve worn a sash and participated in a suffragette march. I used to be so worried about what other people thought of me, Ruth. Since you’ve come, I’ve learned that I don’t want to be anybody but myself.”
“I’m sure I had nothing to do with that. Josh is the one who’s told me that God made me for His unique purposes and I didn’t have to consider myself a misfit just because I don’t fit into someone else’s mold.”
“See? You may be at odds with him over one tiny issue, but the two of you get along fabulously.”
“Laney?”
“Yes?”
“Will you please find the hatbox I brought over? It has a package of needles and my brush and comb. I can hang the pictures and get things done instead of wasting time on fanciful notions.”
“I’ll get out your brush—but only so I can style your hair for supper.”
After washing up at the washstand that had once been her mother’s, Ruth sat down and let Laney see to her hair. I used to consider the girls back at the academy horribly vain to primp before seeing their beaux. Yet here I am, getting my hopes up. I can’t do that. Lord, help me guard my heart. I’m not sure whether I’m moving out here to get away from Mr McCain or if I’m trying to run away from the feelings I hold for Joshua.
“Exquisite!” Laney set down the brush and clapped her hands. “Now let’s go to supper.”
God bless my little sister, Josh thought as he went out to the barn. Laney prattled about Ruth’s new place at dinner and made a point of looking directly at him when she said Ruth needed a small lamp table.
When the hands moved from the bunkhouse half of the stable into the current bunkhouse, a few pieces of furniture had been left behind. Josh remembered a small pedestal-style table that had gotten shoved into a corner and often held odds and ends in the tack room. In a matter of minutes he cleared it off, dusted the piece down, and decided a dab of stain here and there would hide the scuffs. Women liked those frilly doilies, and one would hide any imperfections until he bought Ruth a new table.
She’d gone back to the cabin after supper—not because she’d spend the night there, but because she simply couldn’t be still. The late evening sun poured through the open windows and door. He stopped at the door and tried not to laugh.
Ruth stood by the far wall. Holding a needle in place with her comb, she poised the brush. “Now cooperate. Just a little nudge is all I ask of you. Then you’ll get your reward. I’ll hang a beautiful picture on you.”
“Talking to needles?”
“Oh!” Ruth jumped. The needle and comb went one direction as the brush went another. “Josh McCain, you rascal! You nearly scared me out of my mind.”
“Honey, you’re already out of your mind.” The endearment slipped out, and he didn’t regret it. Ruth needed to learn how he felt about her.
Busy looking for the needle, Ruth laughed. “You’re not the first person to make that accusation.”
Disappointed she either didn’t realize he’d called her honey or was choosing to ignore it, he walked on in and presented the table. “Where do you want this?”
She sat back on her heels and clapped her hands joyfully. “However did you find one so fast?”
Her reaction pleased him. Judging from her guileless smile, she wasn’t playing coy. She simply hadn’t realized he’d made an open declaration of his feelings. In time, she’ll come to know.
“It’s perfect! Oh, thank you, Josh!”
“It’s not perfect, Ruth. It’s old and scarred. I doctored it up, and you can hide the bad spots with a doily or something.” He looked around the place. It looked nice. Actually far better than nice.
“Could you please place it in the corner over by the chair?”
“Sure.” He did so, then turned. “Ruth, we need to talk.”
“Not until I find that needle. It’s my last one.”
“If you take off your shoes, you’re bound to find it.”
“I thought you were my friend!”
He nodded toward the settee. Ruth relented and took a seat. She’d reclaimed her brush from the plush Turkish carpet and now spun it round and round just inches above her lap.
“I care for you, Ruth. Deeply.” He fought the urge to declare his love for her. A woman deserved to be wooed. He tore his gaze from her and looked out the window to be sure they wouldn’t be interrupted. “In retrospect, I can see how you might have gotten upset that I didn’t want you to move. It wasn�
�t because I think you’re helpless or dumb, Ruth. My reason was painfully simple: I don’t trust Dad.”
“Neither do I, Josh. I’m sorry. You’re grieved over his handling of the finances, and I cannot imagine what a terrible blow that is to you. Nonetheless,” the brush in her hand twirled at a much faster pace, “I had to get away from him. He started acting … odd. Even Laney remarked on it. I feel much safer now that I’ll have some distance from him.”
“Oh, Ruth.” Josh shook his head. “Your safety is exactly why I’m so opposed to your being in this place. When you’re under the same roof with me, I can protect you. Once you’re out here, I cannot keep watch without endangering your reputation.”
She gave him a look he couldn’t interpret. Her lips bowed upward, but her eyes seemed shadowed. “You’d never compromise me, Joshua. Everyone knows you’re an honorable man. Any slurs would be because I have a penchant for finding trouble.”
“Don’t say that about yourself.” He rasped, “You don’t find trouble. You find adventure and fun. It’s not that you seek to cause problems; it’s a matter of your simply being curious and intelligent. That spark is what makes you who you are.”
Her lips parted in surprise.
I have to tell her what I know. And though I wish I had the luxury of expressing how I love her, I must wait. “Ruth, listen to me. I’m not sure, but … I’ve taken in your father’s cigarette case. I’m wondering if—” He fought with himself. He could still back out and say nothing.
But then Ruth wouldn’t be safe.
“If?” she prompted him.
“I think my dad might have poisoned your father.”
“Oh, Josh … no.” The brush slid off her lap and onto the floor.
Leaning closer, he said, “In retrospect, I wonder if many of your accidents were actually attempts to harm you. You said someone bumped you the first time you went to town.”
“That could have been me, being clumsy.”
“In your full hoopskirts, it makes no sense that you’d be so close to the edge of the walk that you’d fall. The burr under your mount’s saddle, the hinges on the outhouse door, and the latch on the pigsty—Ruth, any of those alone would be an accident. Taken together, they spell out something sinister.”
“Why would anyone want to hurt me?”
“The land—the inheritance.”
“ Josh, I’ve said I might not claim the land.”
“But if you did, the books would prove Dad’s been dishonest.” He heaved a sigh. “There’s another motive, too. All of the talk about the railroad going through the Sierras isn’t just talk. Land’s being bought, and a portion of the Broken P is right in line. When Dad went to Sacramento the last time, I strongly suspect he signed a deal. He had no right to sign when there’s a question as to who owns how much of the spread.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “That wasn’t right. He should have at least consulted you.”
“There’s more.” Lord, this is so much to put on her shoulders. The woman I love ought never have to bear such burdens. I can’t stay silent, though. If I do, her ignorance could cost her dearly.
“Please go on.”
“When Farnsworth went to Sacramento to sell the diamonds and get the yellow tint—”
“Isn’t the yellow a lovely hue?”
“Yes, Ruth. But while he was there, I asked him to make some inquiries. It seems Dad borrowed against the land to build the house. The note is due next month.”
“So he probably sold the land to the railroad to make good on the loan.”
“He hasn’t, though. And the money he’s been skimming is far more than the amount owed.”
“Let’s assume, since you asked me to pursue the claim, that we’re partners.”
He nodded grimly.
“Then as your partner and Laney’s dear friend, I’d be more than happy to settle the loan. It’s the least I could do, seeing how you’ve befriended and sheltered me.”
“That’s wrong. I won’t allow it.” He stood up and paced back and forth. “I’m scared to death he’s going to try to kill you. He’s been lulling you into complacency with praise, but I think he’s actually plotting against you.”
“You have no proof of that.”
“I do. Ruth, Laney was hit when she was wearing the riding skirt that matches yours. No one knew you both made a skirt. The only people who saw you in yours the day before were me, Dad, and Toledo.”
Ruth buried her face in her hands. A moment later, she looked up. Eyes shimmering with tears, she said, “Josh, I’m so sorry. Truly I am. If I had just been firm from the start and stood by my conviction that all I really wanted was to hear stories about my father so I could get to know him, I’d never have forced your father into such a state.”
“Don’t you dare take the blame. Ruth, I don’t hold you responsible in the least. Dad bears the blame. So do I. I knew Dad wasn’t a Christian, but I still expected him to behave with morals. Someone who refuses to walk with the Lord doesn’t live by the same rules.”
“When you love someone, you make allowances.” Her voice was soft. “Mama always took my side and explained away or laughed off my escapades.”
“Ruth, she loved you for who you are.” He suddenly offered her a broad smile. “Remember King David in the Bible? He wasn’t at all what people expected of a king—at least not in the beginning. He didn’t look like a king—he was puny compared to his brothers, and he was nothing more than a shepherd. And what about Mary, Jesus’ mother? She was a young girl—nobody famous, just a good person who wanted to do the will of God.
“And that’s what I see in you. God leads you on a path that is unique, and you don’t just walk on it—you skip with joy. How anyone could fault you for that is beyond me.”
She parted her lips but said nothing. Finally, Ruth smiled. “Mama was right to listen to God and send me here. I’ve missed her terribly, but, several times now, God has given you the words that are a balm to my soul.”
“I’m glad you came, Ruth. No matter what happens, I won’t regret your coming to”—he caught himself just before he said me—“the Broken P.”
“Josh, you love your father. You’ve looked past his faults and wanted only the best for him. You followed the commandment to honor your father. Please don’t consider anything that’s happened as your fault.”
“You’ve got a forgiving heart, Ruth.”
“Those of us who manage to make a lot of mistakes learn to forgive freely. We know what a blessing it is when others follow the Lord’s example and forgive us.”
“Honey, for now my big concern is your safety. Hilda’s so excited about living here with you, I’d hate to ruin it, but you have to promise me you won’t ever eat or drink anything brought here. Only stuff Hilda serves at the table or whatever the O’Sullivans have. And I don’t ever want you alone.”
“I’ll keep your concerns in mind, Josh. I’ll be careful.” She waited a beat. “I’ll continue to wear my knife up my sleeve, and I’ll keep the muff pistol at my bedside. Only you and Laney know I can’t aim worth a hoot.”
“You had me calmed down a bit until you mentioned the pistol.”
“My hairbrush is heavy. It would make for a good weapon.”
“I noticed you were trying to use it as a hammer again. Why don’t I help you hang that picture?”
“We can’t. I don’t know where the needle went.” She rose.
Josh stooped and retrieved her brush.
“I’ll put that away.” She went into one of the bedrooms. Ruth mumbled to herself, then he heard a drawer slide open. “What is this?”
Ruth drew the envelope out of the drawer and turned it over. Bernadette’s familiar loopy script across the top read, This came after you left. Hadley and I thought you might want it.
Josh called, “Ruth, are you okay? Is everything all right?”
She stared at the shakily written address. Leticia Caldwell c/o Mr. Hadley with her old address. In the upper left-hand corner
the same handwriting simply read “Broken P.”
“Ruth?”
She stumbled toward the doorway and over to Josh. He met her in the middle of the room. Concern creased his handsome, tanned face. “What is it?”
“Someone from the Broken P wrote to my mother.” She showed him the envelope.
Josh’s hands braced her waist. “Here, honey. You need to sit down.”
Because she hadn’t wanted to struggle with hoops as she worked on the cottage, Ruth didn’t need to tame her skirts. Three rows of petticoats whooshed beneath her as she half-fell back into a chair.
Josh hadn’t turned loose of her but knelt just a little off to her left. “Do you need a little water? Smelling salts?”
“I’m a strong woman, Josh. There’s only been once in my life when I felt in the least bit swoony.” She tore her gaze from his and stared at the battered envelope. “What I just said might be a lie. Maybe I’m not very strong. Josh, I’m scared. What if my father wrote this?”
“I recognize the writing, Ruth.” He paused, then added quietly, “Your father addressed the envelope.”
“The stories you and Laney have told me about him made me grow to like him. If he wrote something unkind to Mama, I couldn’t bear it.”
“When I first met your father, he had a severe problem.”
She nodded. “Grandfather told me my father was a blackguard.”
“I’d never say he was a blackguard. He had a terrible problem with whiskey. Even then, when he’d imbibed quite freely, I never saw him get mean. Part of the deal I made when Dad and I bought into the partnership was that Alan had to cork the bottle. He struggled mightily, Ruth. I wouldn’t say otherwise—but your father had given his word, and he adhered to it. From the time he made the promise, he never again took so much as one sip.”
“He was honorable, then. That’s good to hear. But if he was principled, why would he ever send my mama away?”
“I don’t know for certain.”
Ruth sucked in as deep a breath as her stays permitted, then let it out. Whether Laney was right about Josh having more than just friendly feelings for her, Ruth didn’t know. What she was certain of, though, was that she wanted him to be here now. “Would you remain with me while I read it?”
Letter Perfect Page 30
