The Promise of Forgiveness

by Marin Thomas

  “Maybe we could see a movie next week,” Mia said.

  “That would be nice.”

  “I bet we could get Grandpa to go with us.”

  “I bet you’re right.” Hank would agree to a movie because he could sleep through it if he wanted.

  “Besides the fun house, what else did you and Joe do?” Mia asked.

  “I saw a fortune-teller.”

  Mia sat up and crossed her legs. “What did the gypsy lady say?”

  “Big Dan was the gypsy lady.”

  “That’s weird. Did you ask if we’re going to live at the Devil’s Wind forever?”

  “You don’t get to ask questions,” Ruby fibbed. “The fortune-teller does all the talking.”

  “So what did Big Dan see when he read your palms?”

  Too much of Ruby’s character. “Nothing exciting.”

  “Oh.”

  Ruby waited for Mia to bring up the real reason behind her late-night visit. When she didn’t, Ruby said, “Something’s on your mind. What is it?”

  “Grandpa wishes he had kept you after Cora left.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  “Not exactly, but—”

  “Honey, it’s okay. I’ve accepted that Hank couldn’t raise me.” But forgiving him was tricky. “Things worked out the way they were supposed to. If I hadn’t been adopted, I wouldn’t have lived in Missouri and I wouldn’t have met your father and I wouldn’t have had you.”

  “Sometimes I bet you wish you hadn’t had me.”

  Ruby tickled her daughter. “You got that right.”

  “Stop!” Mia swatted Ruby’s hands away.

  After the giggling ended, Mia said, “It’s okay if you want to be Joe’s girlfriend.”

  It wasn’t any surprise that Mia knew her mother and Joe were interested in each other.

  “I like Joe,” Mia said. “He’s nice and he helps take care of Grandpa.”

  Any man who watched over her grandfather would be a winner in Mia’s eyes.

  “Do you like Joe, Mom?”

  “Yes, I like him, but you shouldn’t get your hopes up that it’ll become a permanent thing.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I have Grandpa now.” Mia rolled onto her side, and a few minutes later soft snoring sounds drifted into Ruby’s ear.

  She and Mia were making progress. She and Hank were making progress and she and Joe were making progress. The only person Ruby wasn’t making enough progress with was herself.

  It was time to read the diary.

  She would never be able to put the past behind her and move on until she learned what her parents really thought of their adopted daughter. If it wasn’t what she hoped, then so be it. She’d focus on the future and only look forward. Now she just had to find the courage to follow through.

  • • •

  Saturday afternoon Ruby parked next to a patrol car in front of the jail and went inside. The place was deserted. Maybe the lawmen had stepped out to grab lunch. In no hurry to start her shift at the bar, she decided to wait. Her bottom had barely touched the seat of the chair across from the deputy’s desk when a feminine giggle drifted from beneath the door of the sheriff’s office.

  The polite thing to do would be to leave, but Ruby was dying to know who the sheriff was entertaining—especially when women weren’t welcome in town. A few minutes later the door opened and an attractive brunette with swollen lips and messy hair appeared. She froze when she saw Ruby.

  “What’s the matter, Leona?” Deputy Randall nudged his sex kitten out of the way, then stepped into view, his fingers fumbling with his pants zipper.

  Ruby’s gaze dropped to his open fly, and she quirked an eyebrow.

  Avoiding eye contact with Ruby, Leona scurried out the door.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Randall glared at Ruby for a second, then returned to the boss’s office.

  Curious, she poked her head through the doorway and caught Randall picking up files scattered across the floor. He stacked them on the desk, then gathered the spilled pens and dropped them into a cup holder.

  “Nice to know Hank’s tax dollars are being put to good use,” she said.

  The deputy didn’t have a chance to comment before the jail door opened and the sheriff escorted Leona back inside.

  This ought to be interesting.

  “Just took a phone call for you, Mike.” Randall closed the sheriff’s office door.

  “Who was it?”

  “Wrong number.”

  That was brilliant.

  “Hello, Ruby.” The sheriff nodded to the woman next to him. “This is my wife. Leona, this is Hank McArthur’s daughter, Ruby Baxter.”

  The woman’s eyes begged Ruby even as she smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I thought you were heading out to Optima Lake,” Randall said.

  “On the way I got a call from Fish and Wildlife. They caught the guy who set the illegal traps.” The sheriff nodded to his wife. “Good thing I wasn’t needed out there or I’d have missed Leona’s surprise visit.”

  If the sheriff had arrived a few minutes earlier, he would have received an even bigger surprise.

  “We’re going to grab a bite to eat at the diner. Can you handle things here?”

  “Of course.” Randall tapped a pen against the notepad on the desk.

  The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “Everything all right, Paul?”

  “Actually, it’s not,” Ruby said, amused by the alarmed look Randall and Leona exchanged. “I’m here to report a break-in at Hank’s house.”

  “When?” the sheriff asked.

  “Last night while we were at the carnival.”

  “Take Ruby’s statement. I’ll be back soon.” The sheriff escorted his wife outside.

  “Wow, you have some big cojones,” Ruby said.

  Randall glared at her. “How do you know someone broke into Hank’s house?”

  “Well, for one thing, the idiot left the screen door open. I shut it all the way before we took off for the evening.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah, the guy didn’t shut the closet door, either, so naturally Hank looked in the hall closet, where he stores his cash box, and it was missing, along with his Petro Oil lease.”

  “What makes you think the culprit was a man?”

  “Men don’t pay attention to details.” Her gaze flicked to the sheriff’s door, then back to Randall. “You know it smells like sex in there, don’t you?”

  His face reddened.

  “Men never think they’ll get caught.” Ruby enjoyed taunting Randall, especially since he’d proven he wasn’t the helpful officer he’d portrayed himself to be when she’d first arrived in town. “Will you be filing a report?”

  His eyes darted to the door behind him. “I’ll take your statement later.”

  No doubt he was debating whether or not to fumigate the room with disinfectant spray before the sheriff returned with his wife.

  “I intend to follow up with your boss about this, so you might want to at least call Sandoval and ask his whereabouts last night.”

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Ruby.”

  Maybe, but Sandoval had not only offered to buy Hank out, but the man had had an affair with Cora. And as long as the earth turned on its axis, men would do stupid things because of women.

  “When did you say you were leaving Unforgiven?” Randall asked.

  “I’m not.”

  Randall balled his hands into fists. “What do you mean, you’re not?”

  “Mia and I are staying indefinitely.”

  “That’s a bad idea.”

  “Oh?”

  He pointed out the window. “Working at the Possum Belly will cause problems with the oil workers and—”

  “Wha
t? You and the sheriff might have to keep the peace in this town?” Ruby left the jail, closing the door hard enough to rattle the windows. She walked to the Petro Oil office.

  “Hello, Ruby.” A tall, balding man with a potbelly stepped from behind his desk and offered his hand. “Steward Kline. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Since she and Mia were the only females within shouting distance of the town, she wasn’t surprised they were the topic of conversation. “I stopped by on Hank’s behalf to ask for a copy of his lease.”

  “Why does he need a copy?”

  “Someone broke into his house and stole the original one.”

  “I’ll have to check with my supervisor before I print off a copy.”

  Ruby thought it strange that he didn’t ask about the break-in or if anyone had been hurt. “I’m working at the saloon until ten tonight. You can drop off a copy there.”

  Ruby went outside and moved Hank’s truck across the street. “Stony, I’m here!” she shouted when she entered the bar. “Stony?” She hung her purse on a hook, found the spray cleaner and a rag, then went to work wiping down the tables.

  Ten minutes later Stony came through a side door that led from the Dumpster in the alley. “You’re early.” He grabbed a beer from the cooler and sat on the bar. “Heard you went to the carnival last night.”

  She exhaled loudly. “The men in this town act like a bunch of clucking hens.”

  He chuckled.

  “If everyone knows we went to the carnival,” she said, “then everyone must know that Hank’s house was burglarized while we were gone.”

  Stony nodded. He’d probably heard about the break-in before she’d even left the jail.

  “Don’t know why anyone would want to rob Hank. The only thing worth any money on his ranch is the oil being pumped out of the ground.”

  “I’m certain Sandoval is behind this.” She moved to the next table and cleaned the surface. “If your brother believes a piece of paper will make it easier for him to steal Hank’s ranch, he’s got a screw loose.”

  The saloon doors opened and the first rush of patrons pushed their way into the bar. Ruby didn’t make eye contact with the men and their glances bounced off her. She and the roughnecks had struck a silent truce—she pretended to be invisible and they left generous tips in the shit-kicker.

  The bar grew crowded and the hours passed in a blur. Ruby was considering quitting early when she heard someone call her name.

  “Ruby Baxter!”

  A hush fell over the room. She stepped from the shadows, where she’d just delivered a round of tequila shots to three rowdy cowboys. “I’m Ruby.”

  The man looked familiar. Then he removed his cowboy hat, revealing a full head of steel-gray hair. Sandoval. Her first impression of him hadn’t been wrong—he was an attractive older gentleman. His lean face was wrinkled like Hank’s, but his height and broad shoulders made him appear younger and healthier. He dressed the part of a wealthy rancher—Western shirt with black pearl snaps, gray slacks, and freshly shined black boots.

  No surprise that her birth mother had strayed. Even in his prime, Ruby doubted Hank could have measured up to Sandoval. The rancher pointed his Stetson at her. “I haven’t touched a hair on Hank’s head. Nor have I instructed my men to destroy his property. You’ve got no proof and no right to accuse me of any wrongdoing.” He shoved the hat on his head and left the bar.

  Ruby’s gaze swung through the room. “Quit ogling me.” Conversation resumed, and she kept busy delivering drinks. At nine the place cleared out.

  “Where’s everyone going?” she asked Stony after the last customer left.

  “Next door. Once a month Dwayne sponsors a billiard tournament.”

  “Do you want me to take the trash out to the Dumpster?”

  “I’ll get it later.” Stony poured a glass of cold tea and brought it to Ruby. “Sit down and take a break before you head home.”

  “Thanks.” After she guzzled the liquid, she asked, “Did you happen to see Steward Kline come into the bar tonight?”

  No sooner had Ruby spoken than Kline opened the saloon door. The oil agent sent Stony a quizzical look before handing Ruby an envelope. “A copy of Hank’s lease.” Kline left before she could thank him.

  Ruby fetched her purse and collected her tips. “I won’t be in tomorrow.”

  “Why not?”

  “I want to spend time with my daughter.” She skirted the tables.

  “Hey, Ruby?”

  “What?”

  “Hank ever tell you why he and Sandoval don’t get along?”

  “It’s obvious they both wanted the same woman.”

  Stony shook his head.

  “Cora’s not the only reason. You should ask him.”

  Maybe I will.

  Chapter 26

  Ruby turned the pickup onto the gravel road leading to the ranch house. The drive back from the bar took forever—too many jumbled thoughts racing through her mind. Unforgiven would make the perfect backdrop for a male-only soap opera—lies, cheating, deceit, corruption, intimidations, and grudges threatening to snuff out anyone who dared to challenge the status quo.

  Well, screw that. It was only a matter of time before the male morons figured out Ruby Baxter didn’t back down from a fight or scare easily.

  Except when it came to relationships.

  The headlights swept across the front porch and she caught a glimpse of Hank sitting in the chair. What was he doing up past his bedtime? She set the parking brake, then took her purse and got out of the pickup. At the bottom of the steps, she caught a whiff of tobacco smoke.

  “I thought you were giving up cigarettes.” She claimed the seat next to him and propped her sore feet on the rail.

  “Tough habit to break.” After one last drag, he flicked the butt over the rail and it landed in the dirt, the red embers winking in the dark like a bewitching siren.

  “Where’s Mia?” she asked.

  “Listening to music in her room.”

  “And Joe?”

  Hank looked sideways at Ruby. “Something going on between you two?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Joe’s a good man.”

  She knew that. “He’s got a lot of baggage.”

  Hank’s caterpillar eyebrows inched up his forehead. “You got a few suitcases in your closet, and the biggest bag is sitting right next to you.”

  Time to change the subject. “How did you end up owning the Devil’s Wind?”

  His shoulders stiffened. “Did someone tell you this place doesn’t belong to me?”

  “No, but Roy Sandoval came into the bar and insisted I stop spreading rumors that he’s after your ranch.” When Hank didn’t comment, she pressed him. “If I’m inheriting this land, I deserve to know how you came by it.”

  He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his bony thighs. “I won the ranch in a poker game.”

  He might as well have told her it had dropped out of the sky and landed on his head. “You’re joking, right?”

  “I was thirty-six when I hired on as a wrangler for the Bar T. Roy and I rubbed each other wrong from the get-go.”

  No surprise that the son of a wealthy rancher would have nothing in common with a drifter like Hank, a man who hadn’t even finished high school.

  “I was a good poker player. Learned a few tricks from Mr. Charleston, one of my mother’s regulars.”

  Without a male role model in his life, Hank would undoubtedly look up to any man who showed him attention.

  “Mr. Charleston said I needed a way to support myself if I was ever on my own. When I was old enough to gamble, I spent my paychecks at the casinos, practicing tricks. One day I got wind of a high-stakes poker game Roy had signed up for, and I wanted in.”

  “Was Roy surprised when you sat down at the table?”
>
  “He acted like he didn’t know me.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense. What happened?”

  Hank cleared the phlegm from his throat. “The pot grew, and one by one the players dropped out. Came down to me and Roy. I won.”

  Hank had beaten the boss’s son. “But you cheated.”

  Cricket chirps filled the silence until Hank spoke. “I paid the dealer to turn a blind eye.”

  Ruby’s stomach twisted. Just when she was opening her heart to him, he had to go and make it more difficult to trust him. “No one in the poker game accused you of cheating?”

  “Roy did, but the dealer kept his mouth shut.”

  “How much was the pot worth?”

  “Two hundred fifty thousand.”

  She whistled. “I’m guessing Roy’s father didn’t take the news well.” Ruby had caused her parents plenty of grief growing up but had never committed an offense that had taken a chunk out of their pocketbook.

  “Instead of paying me, Roy’s father offered me a thousand acres of the Bar T. I put up a fence and called my side the Devil’s Wind.” He swept his hand in front of him. “The house and barn once belonged to Roy’s grandparents. After they died, the place sat vacant until I moved in.”

  “Why would Benson Sandoval give you land with oil on it?”

  “He’d had the property tested a decade earlier, but they didn’t find enough oil and gas worth drilling for. Benson figured he was gifting me acres of worthless scrub.”

  “Did the oil company botch the tests?”

  “No, but they didn’t test all the land or Fury’s Ridge.”

  “Because it’s an Indian burial site?”

  He nodded. “Benson didn’t want to mess with it, but I wasn’t afraid of ghosts. I gave Petro Oil permission to explore the ridge and the other areas. They struck pay dirt.”

  “Then why don’t you have pump jacks on Fury’s Ridge?”

  “I got enough money coming in from the other ones. No need to be greedy.”

  Ruby mulled over the fact that her biological father was a cheat. If she accepted the Devil’s Wind as her inheritance, did that make her a cheat, too?

  She was no saint. There were days when the fridge in the trailer had been empty and she’d snuck food home from Carmen’s Chicken Fry without paying for it so she and Mia wouldn’t go to bed hungry. Other times she hadn’t reported all of her tips to the boss, because she’d needed the extra money for cigarettes. And once she’d siphoned gas from her neighbor’s car so she could make it to and from work.