the sleigh ceased. The cold vanished, and there was only his sincerity, his caring and the quiet wish in her soul.
Don’t give in to it, Ruby. Don’t start dreaming.
“Here we are.” He tugged on the reins, Poncho drew to a stop. How had three miles passed so quickly?
“Why, young Mr. Davis.” Pa’s voice came from far away, stupefied. He gripped a pitchfork in one gloved hand, emerging from the small barn. “Ruby, is that you?”
“Yes, Pa.” Reality set in. She pushed off the buffalo robe and grabbed up her reticule. Snow slapped her cheeks as she tried to scramble out of the sleigh.
“Allow me.” Lorenzo caught her hand. His warmth, his size, his presence overwhelmed her. Her breath caught. She forgot every word of the English langage. Her knees wobbled when she tried to stand on them. Little flashes of wishes filled her, but she tamped them down as he withdrew his hand.
“What are you doing on this side of the county?” Pa asked, curiously. “Looking at the property for sale down the way?”
“Not in this weather.” Lorenzo released her hand. “I wanted to make sure Ruby got home safe in this storm. I hear you have a horse with a shoe problem. I happen to have my tools in the back of the sleigh. If you wouldn’t mind, I can take care of that problem for you.”
Her jaw dropped. She stared, stunned, as Pa led the way to the barn, taking Poncho by the bridle bits. All she could see was the straight strong line of Lorenzo’s wide shoulders through the storm until the thick curtain of snow closed around him, leaving her standing alone on the rickety, front doorstep of their lopsided shanty. That Lorenzo Davis. He was being charitable, that was all, but her heart would never forget.
Chapter Three
“And he went into the barn with your father?” Kate peered through dark lashes, astonished as she sorted through her embroidery floss.
“And he re-shod Solomon for you?” Newlywed Lila looked up from stitching on a new shirt for her husband. “Out of the blue, just like that?”
“Without being asked.” The tea kettle rumbled, so Ruby set aside her crocheting. The wooden chair scraped against the wood floor as she rose. It was a tight squeeze to have all seven of them in the front room, but it was warm and cozy, and she loved having the chance to host their sewing circle. “You could have knocked me down with a feather, I was so shocked. I guess this proves the rumors true. Young Mr. Davis is as nice as a man can be.”
“That’s what we have been trying to tell you.” Red-headed Scarlet set down her tatting to get up to help with the tea. “He’s amazing. That’s why we have all been in love with him at one time or another.”
“Not all of us,” Fiona corrected as she stitched on baby clothes. Her wedding ring winked in the lamplight as her needle slipped into a seam. The pleats of her dress hid the small bowl of her pregnant stomach. “I’ve always thought Lorenzo was nice, but I was never smitten.”
“Not even a little?” Ruby set the tea to steeping in the old ironware pot. “Lorenzo is terribly handsome. Are you sure you didn’t like him at all?”
“I’m positive.” Fiona’s smile came so easily.
“He adored you from afar. We all saw it,” Scarlet added, taking a knife to the johnnycake cooling on the nearby table.
“You broke his heart when you married Ian. Don’t deny it.” Earlee gave her golden curls a toss as she looked up from basting an apron ruffle. When she smiled, the whole world smiled, too. “If I were penning a story about him, I would have him fall in love with one of you three. A sweet, gentle love with lots of longing and a perfect happily-ever-after.”
A perfect happily-ever-after. Didn’t that sound romantic? She tamped down her sigh right along with the memory of riding alongside Lorenzo in the sleigh. Her hands shook as she carried the pot and the stack of battered, mismatched tin cups to the circle of chairs in the sitting area.
“It sounds like a story I would read,” Lila quipped, the voracious reader of the group. “So, Earlee, who would you match up with Lorenzo?”
“Me!” Kate spoke up before Earlee could as she separated a thin strand of embroidery floss from a green skein. “I would be perfect for him.”
“True,” Meredith agreed, head bent over her latest patchwork quilt block. “Except doesn’t he spend a lot of time with Narcissa Bell?”
“Oh,” they all sighed together. Narcissa had been their arch nemesis for as long as anyone could remember.
“I suppose it’s only a matter of time before we hear of their engagement.” Kate licked the end of the floss and threaded it through the eye of her needle. “It’s inevitable.”
“It’s expected,” Lila agreed. “To hear my stepmother talk, their engagement party will be any day now.”
“They are both from wealthy families.” Ruby couldn’t explain why pain hitched through her ribs.
“And their mothers are close friends,” Earlee chimed in.
“But so are Scarlet and his mother.” She lowered the pot to rest on the short end table Pa had made, which now sat in the center of their circle, a coffee table of sorts. Her hands shook inexplicably. She wasn’t disappointed, so no way could that be disappointment weighing like a lead brick on her heart.
“Yes, but Lorenzo and I don’t keep the same friends.” Scarlet bent over her work, knife in hand. “Did you see Narcissa and Lorenzo at church on Sunday?”
“Sitting side by side.” Kate gave a long-suffering sigh. “Right there in the middle of their families.”
Ruby hadn’t noticed because she didn’t have a crush on the man. She couldn’t afford to have one. Romance was not in her plans. She didn’t have time for it. She wasn’t free to pursue her own life. Her father and brother needed her to help save the farm. And besides, if their efforts failed, she would have to leave town.
She wasn’t exactly the best candidate for romance. Not for any man. As for Lorenzo, he was a dream she didn’t dare have. So why did she ache down to the marrow of her bones as she crossed the room? She couldn’t focus on the conversation surging around her, the laughter and friendly banter ringing like merry bells. She lifted down a stack of mismatched plates.
“How did the interview go?” Scarlet lowered her voice, so the others wouldn’t hear. She cut the final slice of johnnycake.
“Good, but I’m not right for the position. Mrs. Davis is awful fancy. Nice, but fancy.” She set the butter dish next to the plates on the table. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter that she wouldn’t get the job. “I would be totally uncomfortable in that house. I’d worry about everything—leaving dirt from my shoes on the floor, turning around and knocking some expensive doodad to the ground, spilling something on those beautiful carpets. What a relief I’m not suitable.”
“That’s too bad. I thought you would be perfect. My mother said so right to Mrs. Davis. I heard her.”
“Thanks, Scarlet. I appreciate it more than you know.”
