Letter Perfect ( Book #1) (29 page)

Three hours later, Josh came back into the house. He’d tried to catch up on more chores since he’d lost half the day by taking Ruth to town. The ranch hands were a good bunch—reliable and motivated by decent pay. They’d accomplished their usual duties without him present. Nevertheless, Josh monitored everything and paid one last visit to the stables to see how the mares and their new foals looked.

Light shone out of the parlor. Someone hit a note twice, then struck another one a few times. Ruth was talking to herself as she hit the next note.

He stood in the parlor entrance and watched her. She sat at the piano, her skirts now billowing out thanks to the hoops she’d donned … but the hoops circled behind her perfectly.
She’s managed
to wedge the piano stool beneath her gown
.

Josh backed up several steps and cleared his throat loudly.

“Oh!” A flurry of activity ensued.

His boots made a lot of racket as he half-stomped back to the parlor and found Ruth struggling to subdue her skirts in the middle of the room. Standing in the aperture, he waved at the piano. “Don’t stop playing on my behalf.”

“I wasn’t playing.”

“You weren’t?”

“Not exactly.” She gestured toward the piano. “I was preparing a surprise for Laney.”

“What kind of surprise?” He walked toward the instrument. His eyes narrowed as he viewed the keys. “You wrote on the ivories?”

“Only lightly, with a pencil. It rubs off. See?” She scrambled over and rubbed the pad of her forefinger on Middle C. The mark on it disappeared. “Laney has a hard time figuring out where the notes are on the keys compared to where they appear on the staff. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that the alphabet begins with the letter A, but music revolves around C.”

“I never thought of it that way.” He smiled at her. “Ruth, you’ll never know how grateful I am for you. Eavesdropping is supposed to be rude, but I listened to her reading aloud today. I stood there for a good five minutes, and Laney was reading—really reading.”

“Of course she was. She’s been working so hard, Josh. God’s blessing her effort.”

“You can take a little credit, too, Ruth. No one else ever made it so she could understand—and believe me, Mom tried. I tried. The teachers tried, too.”

“You all sowed the seeds. I’ve just watered them so she flowered.”

“You discount the importance of your patience and caring. You know, Ruth, you’re quite remarkable. All of those fancy schools were so busy trying to string girls onto a cord as if they were all similar pearls, they never realized the fire-bright diamond you are.”

“Joshua!” She blinked at him in shock.

He grinned. Finishing schools taught women to lower their lashes and simper something about flattery, but Ruth couldn’t hide her shock.
The men back East must be blind idiots not to have appreciated her
. “Truth is truth.” Folding his arms across his chest, he nodded to emphasize his point. “Your mother was right to send you here. In the right setting, you shine.”

The sweetest smile he’d ever seen lit her face. “That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Mama must be looking down from heaven and glowing at your words.”

Only Ruth. Only Ruth would receive a compliment and turn it around to
belong to someone else
. She looked so genuinely happy, he refused to ruin the moment by trying to get her to understand his praise. “Laney pictures our mothers having tea together in heaven, you know.”

“From what I’ve heard of your mother, they’d be good friends. If there’s going to be a banquet table in paradise, I don’t see why there can’t be a tea table, too.”

Josh drummed a few bass chords on the piano. “Mom didn’t have any more musical talent than Laney. I hope there’s a tea table, because she’d be terrible on a harp.”

Ruth giggled, but when her laughter died out, her smile faded.

He probably wasn’t supposed to notice how her skirts shifted a little this way and that. Ruth never managed to hold still for very long. “What are you nervous about, Ruthie?”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know I’m nervous?”

He shrugged.

Her hair started sliding, and she automatically reached up and shoved in the pins. “Well, since we’re talking about mothers …” She sucked in a quick breath and said in a rush, “I already broached the subject at lunch, so I suppose it’s not completely unexpected.”

No, you are not going to invest in the ranch
.

“You were right.”

Well, well. You can say that anytime
.

“About me. And budgets. I really haven’t ever had to do any practical budgeting. Mrs. Tudbert made us work on pretend household budgets regarding servants, entertaining, and such.”

Tudbert? How many schools does that make now? Four?

Ruth kept talking, “That was a while ago, and she listed all of the expenses—we just had to assign them to the proper category and do the sums to total them. I thought maybe you could help me estimate the cost of setting up the library.”

“We could do that.”

“I know you’re busy. You’ve started working before you come to breakfast, and after supper, you go back out and do more. I’ve never seen a harder-working man, Josh. Just tell me what time is best for you.”

“It’s not wise to do anything until you know how much you can afford to commit to the project.”

“We picked up mail. Remember? I received a letter from Mama’s attorney.” Her shoulders lifted and fell with the deep breath she took and expelled. “At lunch, you felt I should have said something sooner about my finances. Well, I now have a general idea as to what my inheritance will be.”

He nodded toward the settee. Ruth took the cue and had a seat. Josh sat down in his customary winged chair.

“Before I left home, I asked the attorney to keep whatever was invested in stocks and bonds to remain as my grandfather had seen fit. At the time, he estimated approximately twenty percent of the estate was either in cash or the house and property. I felt …” She sighed.

“You felt …” Josh prodded.

“I felt that if he sent me the proceeds from the sale of the property and the belongings I didn’t have shipped, along with whatever cash that was in the bank, it would be gracious plenty to see me through a few years.”

“Ruthie, I told you in town that you don’t have to fret about having a home. You’re welcome to stay here.”

“I appreciate that, Josh. Truly I do.”

If she wrings her hands much more, they’ll be raw
.

“Mama sent me to exclusive schools. Considering that we lived modestly and had only two servants, I always imagined we were comfortably situated.”

“Honey, if you can’t fund the library, that’s okay. We can make it a town project. You don’t need to scrimp on your living expenses so you can budget for—”

“Twelve thousand dollars,” she blurted out.

“Twelve thousand,” he repeated, sure he hadn’t heard correctly.

“Yes.” She tried to cram in another hairpin and wound up having the bun skid downward and off to one side as she added, “That’s how much the attorney is sending.”

Josh sat there, unmoving. A man could make a decent living at three hundred dollars a year. Highly skilled men might make twice that. Housing and food were included for ranch hands, so they averaged one hundred forty dollars a year; Dad and he talked it over and felt keeping a stable crew was worth paying a bit more, so the Broken P paid hands one hundred eighty dollars.
Twelve thousand—
and that was only one fifth of her inheritance. Twelve thousand times
five … she’s wealthy beyond belief!

Josh strove to keep his tone even. “You were prudent to keep your investments as they were. As for the um … sum that is to arrive, you’ll need to consider several issues in budgeting that.”

“Half of it is tithe. That would make it ten percent of the inheritance. I’m hoping maybe now the congregation will be able to hire a full-time pastor instead of using a circuit rider.”

“We’d certainly be able to afford it.”

“I’d really love to commission a pair of stained glass windows, too. It wouldn’t be part of the tithe, of course. You see, I’d like to do one in honor of each of my parents—but I wouldn’t tell anyone that’s what they’re for. I’d just know deep in my heart.”

“That’s mighty sweet, Ruthie.” He still couldn’t quite comprehend the sum she’d mentioned.

“The one for Mama would be based on that verse in the Bible that talks about the Son of Man coming back in the clouds of heaven. Mama and I loved to look at clouds.”

Josh nodded. “Laney told me about the game you and your mother played, finding pictures in cloud formations.”

A bittersweet smile sketched across her features. “Yes. It’s been harder to decide on one for my father. You and Laney have been so kind to tell me about him, and I think I found a fitting verse. Tell me what you think of Psalm 104:14: ‘He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”’

“The farmers and the cattlemen in the area would both appreciate their work being represented.”

“I hoped so. Does anyone in Folsom do stained glass, or will we need to commission someone in Sacramento?”

We. She’s cooked up yet another scheme, and I’m agreeing to be part of it
. “Sacramento is a beehive of activity. I’m sure there are a couple of places that would be glad to be given such a contract.”

She started fidgeting again.

“What else, Ruth?”

“Oh, I couldn’t keep a secret from you if I tried. How is it you always know when something’s on my mind?”

Josh’s heartbeat quickened. “I just do. So what is it?”

“I’m not good at being discreet. I’m trying to find a delicate way of saying it.”

“Ruth, you don’t have to pussyfoot around with me. I’m a simple man. We’re friends. You can speak freely.”

She smiled. “We really are friends, aren’t we? That’s such a twist. I’ve never had a lot of friends, but now I have you and Laney. If I didn’t have one red cent, I’d still feel rich as Midas.”

Josh sank more deeply into the chair. She’d gone off on a tangent, and pleasant as it was, he needed to get her back on track. “So what was it you were trying to say?”

Ruth’s expression turned sober. “Laney told me your mama and daddy lost several babies.”

Josh nodded. He was more than a little surprised they’d discussed that fact. After Laney was born, there’d been two more little girls—neither lived to be two, and three little babies that sickened and passed on in a matter of months. All of their graves were grouped together by Mom’s in the Sacramento graveyard. Whenever Josh went to Sacramento, he always took care to visit them and place flowers by the stones.
I hope Dad remembers to do that while he’s
there
.

Unaware of his thoughts, Ruth continued on. “Mrs. O’Sullivan lost two sons, too. I thought it would be precious to have a third window done of Jesus with seven little children all about Him.”

He studied her in silence.

She sighed. “I told you the subject wasn’t very discreet.”

“I’m not offended. Ruthie, sometimes you concoct plans that make my hair stand on end; but this time, you’ve come up with one that touches me deeply. I’m sure many in the congregation will find solace in such a window.”

“Thank you, Josh.” She stayed still all of three breaths before turning to the side and grabbing a sheet of paper from the cherrywood end table. “I already made a list of items I expect we’ll need for the library.”

“Before you do that, Ruth, you need to make decisions about your inheritance.” He stood and went to the desk. “I’ll get some paper, and we can outline the considerations.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

He opened the top desk drawer and found a pencil among a few receipts and scraps of paper. Taking the key, he reached for the locked drawer. “There’s got to be some paper here somewhere.” A moment later, he sat on the settee by Ruth.

She twisted to face him and fleetingly touched his hand. “First off, I want to say that it’s ludicrous for me to ever receive an inch of the ranch. You and your father deserve it. Daddy would understand if I said I wouldn’t pursue a claim.”

Josh tapped the pencil on the tablet. “I can’t say I don’t appreciate that—I do. But let’s set that aside for now.”

“You haven’t read the mail yet, have you?”

“No. Why?”

“Because I received a letter from that kind Mr. Maltby in town. It informed me of a court date. The circuit judge is due here, so Mr. Maltby set the hearing for the third week in July. I presume you and your father also received notification. I could ask Mr. Maltby to assist me in relinquishing any claim on the Broken P.”

“Ruth, you’re reacting to stunning news and may not have considered all of the ramifications. It wouldn’t be honorable of me to accept your offer—generous as it is—without allowing you time to mull over exactly what you want.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “For the life of me, I can’t imagine how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Manage to be honorable and stubborn all at the same time!”

Josh leaned toward her. “I could say precisely the same thing about you.”

She started laughing, and he joined in. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “What am I going to do with you?”

You’re going to marry me someday
. The thought ran through his mind, and he stayed still for a moment, allowing the notion to sink in.
Yes, I’ve grown fond of Ruth—very fond—but I hadn’t realized just how
deeply I feel until now. Yes, though. It’s right. I’m going to make you my wife
someday. If I declare myself now, you’ll always wonder if it’s because of the
money, but it’s not. I’d marry you if you were a penniless beggar
.

“Oh no.” Ruth laughed. “I shouldn’t have asked what I was going to do with you. You’re probably trying to come up with a polite way of running for your life.”

Josh chuckled at how she thought he was trying to get away when he was thinking just the opposite. “For now, Ruth, you’re going to work with me on a budget. I assume you will want to open a bank account and keep a portion of your assets readily available.”