Bells are on my guest list anyway, but I wanted to send a special one to Narcissa.” Poor, misguided Ma. She’d leaped to the wrong conclusion.
“I’m not escorting Narcissa.” Not again. “Normally I let you do what you want, but not this time, Ma.”
“Why?” Confused, his mother slipped onto the chair across from him. “I thought all that time you two spend together meant something.”
“Mostly arranged by you or her mother. It’s very hard to say no to either one of you.”
“Yes, but she sits beside you in church every Sunday.”
“Coincidence on my part. I’m thinking intentionally on hers and her mother’s.”
“I’m terribly disappointed.”
“Of course you want me to marry your best friend’s daughter, Ma, but that’s not going to happen. We’re just friends.”
“I see. Well then, who? There’s plenty of suitable young women in town. Surely her family is on my list?”
“I’ll take care of inviting her myself.” Just as he’d suspected. This was going to be a disappointment to his mother. He was sorry for it. He hated letting her down. He thought of Ruby. How would his parents handle it if they knew the truth?
“I think I hear your father coming. Oh, Jerry, it’s you.”
“Selma, there you are.” Pa’s cane tapped on the hardwood, and although he winced in pain with every step, he transformed when he saw his wife. “I see you are keeping our boy company. You did great work today, Renzo.”
“I did my best.”
“Can’t ask for anything more than that. You’re doing a fine job. Better than your old man can do.” His father’s chest puffed out, full of pride, as he slowly limped across the room. “I’m obsolete.”
“Never you, Pa. I can’t wait to hand you back the reins.” Even as he said the words, they all knew they were only a wish. Gerard Davis had been injured far too badly to ever return to the rigors of ranching work. In deference to his father’s hopes, he shrugged lightly. “I miss being bossed around by you.”
“I miss doing the bossing. But I get my fill on a daily basis. What’s this I overheard about your escorting a young gal to our ball? Selma, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t push the boy.”
“I wasn’t pushing, merely suggesting.” His mother sounded confused as she held out her arms and wrapped them around her husband. The pair cuddled, glad to see each other after being separated for much of the day. “I want to see Lorenzo settled.”
“Yes, dear, but he has enough new responsibility to manage. This ranch is the largest in the county. Renzo ought to be concentrating on learning all there is to know about our land, crops and animals.”
“He’s doing a fine job. Goodness.” Ma’s gentle amusement rang in her chuckle as she gave her husband one final hug. She swept backward, love lighting her eyes. “Gerard, I don’t see why Lorenzo needs to hold off. You managed to run a ranch and court me at the same time.”
“Yes, but I wasn’t barely twenty years old. Renzo’s mature for his age, but I don’t want him distracted. I know how distracting a pretty lady can be.” Pa winked, always the charmer, and Ma blushed prettily.
Ruby was definitely distracting. She was all he could see—snowflakes sifting over her to catch in her hair, big, blueberry eyes shyly looking away, the blush on her heart-shaped face when he’d taken her hand in his to help her from the sleigh.
This wasn’t the right time in his life, and his parents wouldn’t like it, but his heart was set. Nothing could stop it.
“Renzo? Where did you take off to this morning?” Pa leaned heavily on his cane, tapping closer. “Was there a problem I didn’t know about?”
“My trip wasn’t ranch related.” His pulse skipped a beat. What else had his father seen?
“He drove past the window and picked up one of the applicants. He must have taken her home.” Pa’s tone gentled. “She looked like a dear. That Ballard girl, I think. I know her father from church. He’s a good man.”
“The poor girl.” Ma settled onto the sofa, compassionate as always. “My heart aches for her. Being both daughter and woman of the house. They must be as poor as church mice. I’ve seen her getting clothes out of the church’s donation barrel. It was all I could do not to rush up and give her a big hug when she was here.”
Please, he thought. Please give her a chance. A job would mean she could stay in town. That he would have a hope of winning her.
“Selma, I know that look.” Pa chuckled as he eased painfully onto the cushion beside his wife. “Son, something tells me your mother has just made up her mind about the new maid.”
“Those friends of yours are sure nice girls.” Pa knocked snow off his boots on the doorstep. “You all seemed to have a good time.”
“We did.” She doused the last tin cup in the rinse water, glad to see her father back safely from town. Since Solomon’s shoe was fixed, there had been errands needing to be done. “We always have great fun together, and I got a lot of help with my crocheting.”
“That’s nice, Ruby-bug.” He shouldered the door closed against the whirling flakes, and the cold followed him in as he unloaded the groceries he’d bought on the far end of the table. It wasn’t much—a bag of beans, a package of tea, small sacks of cornmeal and oatmeal—but she was grateful for it. When Pa swept off his hat, he looked more tired than usual. “I’m glad you made friends here.”
“Me, too.” She rubbed the dishtowel over the mug, drying it carefully. With each swipe, she felt her stomach fall a notch. Had her father stopped by the post office? Was there a letter from Rupert? Her brother had been hoping to send news of a job.
Sorrow crept into Pa’s eyes, and he sat down heavily on a kitchen chair. “I didn’t want to say anything to you earlier, but I had chance for work in town, unloading cargo at the depot. It went to someone else. A younger man.”
“Oh, Papa.” She set down the towel and the cup and circled around to his side. He was a proud man, a strong man, but hardship wore on him. He fought so hard to provide for them, and had struggled for so long. Just when it looked as if life was going to get easier, the storm had hit. Without a crop, there had been no income, and they were back to desperation again.
How little of their meager savings remained? She placed a hand on his brawny shoulder. He was such a good man, and love for him filled her up. They did not have much, but they had what they needed. They had what mattered most.
“I got a letter from Rupert.” Her father rubbed his face, where worry dug deep lines. “He sent money.”
That explained the groceries. She hated seeing Pa like this. He’d always been invincible, always a fighter, even when he’d been injured. Every memory she had of him was one of strength and determination. He’d always been a rock, the foundation of their family, who never wavered.
Not tonight. He looked heart-worn and hopeless. Like a man who was too
