Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) (15 page)

             
“We have more than a week, but I can help you.  Where did you not get so cold?  Where did you come from?”  He’d wondered that for six weeks now.

             
She looked down as she answered, “Arizona.  Just west of Tucson, near the Tohono O’odham Nation.  But actually I got cold there too, sometimes at night.  I think it’s hard to stay warm when you’re too skinny.” 

             
He smiled at her.  “But you’re not too skinny now.  You look just right!”

             
She looked somewhat self-conscious.  “I’ve gained thirty-five pounds since I’ve been here.”

             
He laughed.  “Really?  But you needed it.  And you’ll probably do it again, before it gets here.”  He nodded at her tummy.  “I’ve gotten really good at calling it an it.  Have you noticed?”

             
She gave him a hint of a smile and he felt like he’d won a prize.  “I have noticed.  When you smiled at the doctor’s office, I figured it must be the girl you pictured, but now I’m beginning to wonder.”

             
“I’m not letting the cat out of the bag.  You’ll see.  He’ll be two weeks old before you’ll hear anything out of my mouth!”

             
Changing the subject he asked, “Do you like to ride horses?  I have an idea.”

             
“I don’t know.  I’ve never tried.”

             
“Well, it’s time you tried.  We’ll go bareback.  It’s much warmer that way in winter.  And I’ll put you on our sweetest old plug and ride behind you.  You’ll love it!  It’s the best way to enjoy the outdoors in the winter.”

             
Naomi was skeptical when he announced his intentions and said, “Rossen, she’s five months along.  And she has no snow pants.”

             
He hugged his mother and reassured her.  “We’ll take Tessie and walk and stay on the plowed.  And I’ll find something to bundle her up with.  She’ll be fine.  We’ll be careful.  I promise.”

             
They dug through the winter gear until they found a pair of Rob’s ski pants that would fit over her tummy.  They had to roll them up, but they’d keep her warm.  He insisted she wear a turtleneck and fleece and hat and neck gator under her parka, and even Naomi commented, “I imagine she’ll be warm all right.” 

             
She cautioned again as they went out the door, “You be careful with her.”  Turning to Kit she said, “If you’re uncomfortable at all, make him bring you straight in.”

Twenty minutes later Kit
was far from uncomfortable.  He'd helped her up onto a mountain of a horse and then gotten on behind her.  He was right.  The body heat of the horse seeped through their clothes and with him against her back, she was fine.  He had both arms around her holding the reins and she’d pretty much decided that riding horses was her new favorite pastime.

             
She didn’t have to look at him, and the close physical contact was comfortable and the conversation flowed. 

             
                                          ****

She didn’t know it, but that’s exactly the reason he’d chosen to come.  He’d been hoping she would open up to him, and she had.  Just not about what had gone on at church.

              She fit perfectly in his arms in front of him and he could smell her hair as it brushed against his chin.  He realized this wasn’t going to help his heart later, but he didn’t even care.  He was enjoying this ride immensely and he’d worry later.

             
The weather was perfect.  The winter sun was finally moving north again and the wooly livestock were basking in it everywhere they went.  He took her on a gentle circuit up the valley on the route they kept plowed for the animals, and from the top of a ridge they could see down into Slade’s valley that the river wound through.

             
They rode for an hour, during which he felt they'd gone far in renewing their friendship, but she still hadn’t opened up about how she’d been offended, so on the way back he asked her right out.

             
“Kit, what did someone say to you at church that made you worry about my reputation?”  He didn’t think she could sidestep the question, but he assumed she’d try and he was right.

             
After a second she asked mildly, “What do you mean?”

             
He chuckled in her ear.  “Nice try.  You know exactly what I mean.  Answer the question.”

             
“Why does it matter?”

             
He breathed in against her hair.  “Well, since you haven’t cracked a smile since then, I’d say it really matters.”   She didn’t answer right away, and he continued, “And if I ventured to guess, I’d say that come Sunday morning, you’re going to try to stay home in some valiant attempt to defend my honor.  Am I right?”

             
She still didn’t answer and he felt her sigh as she leaned against him.  It was a gesture of sadness and defeat, and it tore at his heart.

             
Finally, she asked, “Do you remember when you were talking to me about this baby and you said ‘it is what it is’?”

             
“Yeah.  Why?”

             
“Well, you were right.  It is what it is.  And I am what I am.  An unwed, very pregnant girl you brought home from the rodeo circuit.  Unfortunately, human beings, being the humans they are, some of them aren’t going to concern themselves with anything more than those couple of facts.

             
“You’re a good man, Rossen.  Too good to let a minor thing like the church attendance of a non-member throw your moral integrity into question.  It’s not some valiant attempt to defend your honor.  It’s the right thing to do.”

             
They rode in silence for several minutes.

             
Finally Rossen asked, “What about taking the sacrament?  What about meeting together often, and regular attendance so you can be baptized, and eventually get a temple recommend?  What about her.”  He placed his hand on Kit’s belly for just a moment.  “And, what about Kit?”

             
She sighed before she answered, “Kit’s tough.”  He could hear some deep emotion in her voice that made him sad as she added, “Someday I’ll deal with all those things, when it won’t hurt the people who have been so good to me.”

             
They rode the rest of the way quietly.  Rossen felt like he’d won the battle and lost the war.  His heart was heavy, but he had to admire her character.

             
The horse took a misstep in the crusty snow and his arm tightened around her waist above the baby, and he just left it there. 

             
Back at the barns, as he slid from the horse’s back, then helped her to the ground, he was more at a loss as to how to handle this girl than ever.

             
She stood between him and the big horse and looked up at him.  “Thank you for taking me.  You’re right.  That is the best way to enjoy the out-of-doors in winter.  I loved it.  Maybe we could go again sometime.”  She hesitated for a second.  “And thanks for trying to change the world, Rossen.  You can’t do it, but thanks for trying.”

             
                                          ****

             
When Sunday rolled around, Kit had actually come down with a cold and it was obvious she wasn’t faking.  Naomi offered to stay with her, but she declined and they left without her.  Rossen’s blue eyes held hers for what seemed like days before he shut the door into the garage.

             
She drank some orange juice, wishing she knew if a cold pill would harm her baby, and then armed with a box of tissue, went back to bed.

             
An hour and a half later there was a quiet knock on her door and Rossen poked his head in.  “Are you up to some company?  There’s someone here to see you."

             
She dragged herself out of bed, slipped on a robe and followed him out, wondering what was going on. 

             
Seated on the couch in the great room was a woman Kit remembered seeing at church.  Rossen made introductions.  “Kit, this is Gladys Maggleby from our ward.  Gladys, this is Kit Star.  She’s an official member of our family now.  I’ll leave you two to talk.  Excuse me.”  Kit’s bleary eyes followed his back out, feeling like she’d been left with the executioner.

             
The two women fidgeted a moment in silence, then Gladys looked up at Kit with troubled eyes and started, “I guess I should tell you why I’m here.  It’s a bit of a long story, so please forgive me.

             
“Today in gospel doctrine class, the bishop talked for a few minutes before the class got started.  He said he had a problem he needed some help with.  He told us a little bit about you and even some personal stuff like where they found you and who the father of your baby was.  I hope it’s okay I tell you that.”  She hesitated, then continued, “Then he told us how you’ve been studying and were about ready to be baptized, but had decided to quit coming to church because you didn’t want to give Rossen a bad name.  Rossen had told him someone at church had insinuated something about Rossen being the father.” 

             
She looked down and back up with tears in her eyes.  “I’m so sorry.  I’m such a terrible person.  The bishop asked if whoever had done that would please apologize and make it right, so you'd come back.  He reminded us all that this was the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I’ve never felt worse in my life.” 

She dug in her purse and pulled out a wadded tissue
, then went on, “I’m so terrible.  My husband knew it had to be me and turned and looked right at me.”  Gladys began to blubber in earnest.  Kit would have smiled at the poor woman, but she didn’t feel good enough to. 

             
The older woman sniffled and blew her nose loudly.  “Please forgive me.  Maybe this can be a big lesson for me and I’ll quit gossiping forever.  Anyway, please know that our ward welcomes you.  They’re such good people.  They’ll love you no matter who the father is.  That’s what the bishop was saying to us.  That Jesus loves us all no matter what the circumstances, and that we shouldn’t be judgmental.  He’s right, and I was wrong, and I’ll just die if you don’t get baptized because of me.  So please come back.  I’ll understand if you can’t like me, but come back to the others in the ward.  They’re all much better Christians than me, obviously.”

             
Kit sneezed violently and Gladys jumped.  She stood up.  “I can see you’re sick.  I’d better let you get back to bed.  Thank you for listening to a silly old woman, and once again, I’m sorry.  Please come back.”

             
She got up and took her purse and wadded tissue, and saw herself out, while Kit sat on the couch wondering what had just happened.

             
Rossen came in with a bowl of cold cereal and a silly grin.  He sat beside her on the couch and crunched away happily.  Kit smiled even as she sniffled.  “You’re pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you?”

             
He nodded his head as he chewed.  “Yes I am.  Your personal salvation is a rather big deal to me.  You should know that by now.”  He continued to eat with gusto.

             
She shook her head and laughed.  “She said her husband turned and looked right at her.  Poor woman.”

             
Rossen chuckled.  “Oh, I think she’s had it coming for years now.  I knew who'd done it.  I just didn’t know what she’d said.”

             
“Did you really tell your whole ward I’m ready to be baptized?”

             
“Yes.  Aren’t you?”  He was looking into her eyes.

             
“Well, yeah.  But you didn’t know that.”

             
He gave her a wicked grin.  “How do you know what I know?”

             
She laughed and waved a tissue at him.  “Oh, you’re easy!  I can read you like a book.”

             
“Really?”  It was a serious question. 

             
She laughed again at his apprehension.  “Yeah, really.”

             
He considered this for a moment, watching her.  He was probably wondering if she meant it.  She did.  He was actually a pretty easy read, all in all.  She smiled at his look and he commented on it, “You haven’t smiled for days, you know.” 

             
She dropped her eyes.  “Yeah, well.  Beginning to know God and being part of a real family are rather extremely gargantuan blessings in my life.  The thought of turning away was pretty bleak.”

             
“Then you’re not mad?”

             
She shook her head.  “No one on earth could be mad at you, Rossen Rockland.  You’re too dang nice a guy.”

             
“Oh, good.  I was kind of worried.”