Love Finds You at Home for Christmas (5 page)

A church date hadn't been what he'd had in mind, but now that it was scheduled, he had to admit he was looking forward to it.

Very much so.

Chapter Five

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From where she was standing, Ruby couldn't really see what was going on, but she could hear the commotion. Then the line shifted as everyone scooted out of the way, and she got a clear picture of the women yelling right in each other's faces. Their coarse language reverberated through the room, shocking Ruby. She'd heard bad language from time to time, but never from two women. This was just the kind of thing Papa and Wade had been worried about. But Ruby would never be like those girls. Independent was one thing. Unladylike was another.

She was surprised to see Cliff walk right up to them and clutch both of them by their elbows, all the while talking in a low voice. She couldn't hear his words, but it made her think of the way Papa would talk to a new colt so they could saddle it.

Ruby watched as Cliff skillfully calmed the angry girls down. In no time the situation was diffused and they went their separate ways, their argument forgotten—or at least put on hold.

“You'd better hang on to him, honey,” the girl behind her in line said. “He seems like he'd be awfully handy to have around.”

Ruby blushed. “Oh, he isn't my boyfriend or anything. We're just friends.”

The girl snorted. “Right. And my lips are naturally this shade of red.” She shook her head. “You may not see it yet, but that boy is smitten with you.” She grinned. “Besides, he's a real looker. If you don't want him, why don't you send him my way?”

Ruby glanced toward Cliff one more time. He'd stopped to talk to a table of men who had clearly gotten a kick out of seeing the women argue.

She'd been taken aback by his offer to drive her to church on Sunday, and she wasn't sure if he'd really show up or not. She could tell he'd been surprised by her unwillingness to skip church to go on a date with him. He
had
been asking her for a date, hadn't he? Maybe he was only trying to be nice to her because of Hazel.

Regardless of Cliff's intention, Ruby knew her relationship with God had to be the most important thing. Any friend who couldn't understand that wasn't worth her time.

* * * * *

Ruby rushed to her room after her Sunday shift to change clothes. Her new green dress had been calling to her from the closet all week, and she just couldn't resist. She slipped it on and looked at herself in the mirror. Its fitted waist and flared skirt showed off her figure, and its color played up her eyes. She smiled at herself in the mirror. Not bad for someone who'd been working all day. She ran a brush through her hair, pleased it still held some curl. Lola had shown her how to tie up her hair using old rags to make it wavy.

She dabbed on some lipstick and stepped back from the mirror.

The door opened and Lola rushed in. “Wow, look at you.” Lola grinned. “He must be something special.”

Ruby blushed. “You know it isn't like that.” She sat down on her bed and smoothed her skirt, enjoying the feel of the rayon beneath her fingers. She hadn't had a store-bought dress in such a long time. It felt like a real treat to wear something she hadn't sewn herself.

“Well, why not?” Lola asked.

Ruby sighed. “Remember when you asked me if I had a fellow back home?”

Lola nodded. “Sure. You said no.”

“Well, I did have one. We met during our freshman year of college. His name was Joseph.” His face came into Ruby's mind when she said his name.

Ruby had always loved the way Joseph's smile was a little crooked, the way his hair picked up flecks of red when the sunlight hit it just right. She'd told him right after they met that his brown eyes reminded her of chocolate, and he'd thought it was so funny he'd brought her chocolate bars when he picked her up for their first date. Even now she couldn't see chocolate without thinking of him.

She sighed. “After the bombing on Pearl Harbor, he joined the army. So instead of coming back to school after Christmas our sophomore year, he went off to fight. Before he left, he promised he'd come back for me. He even asked me to marry him.”

“He never made it back?” Lola asked softly.

Ruby shook her head. “No. I never saw him again.” She stood and picked up her Bible from the nightstand.

“But don't you think he'd want you to be happy with someone else?” Lola asked. “Surely Joseph wouldn't want you to be alone forever.”

“Do you ever think about all of those men who are never coming back?” Ruby asked softly. “I think of them a lot. Of all those lives lost on a far-off battlefield—and of the lives forever changed back home.” She sighed. “There are four war widows on my shift, and three more whose husbands are off fighting. After Joseph was killed, I realized I don't want to risk my heart again. I don't want to fall for someone who might not be there next week or next year.”

Lola wrinkled her forehead. “Aren't you afraid of being lonely?”

Ruby shook her head. It was the same argument she'd had with Betty Jo last month after turning down Thomas Wilson's date invitation. “That doesn't matter. My mind is made up. I want to live on my own and make my own money. If I ever feel lonely, I just have to look at all those girls on my shift…or at my own cousin Lucille, who's stuck on a pig farm raising a baby by herself while hoping and praying her husband makes it back.” Ruby shook her head again. “I will never let that be me.” She'd protect her heart and maintain her independence. It was a perfect plan.

“I think you're making a mistake.” Lola frowned. “This fellow you're seeing tonight may not be the right one, but there are others.”

Ruby stopped in the doorway. “I will never forget how it felt when I found out about Joseph.” She took a deep breath, steadying her voice. “The grief almost did me in. I can't go through something like that again.” She managed a tiny smile. “Don't worry, though. I'll be fine on my own.” She headed toward the stairs that led to the lobby. Lola would never understand, just as Hazel and Betty Jo didn't understand. Until you'd known the heartbreak that came from a loss like the one she'd experienced, it was impossible to know how it felt.

She stepped into the empty lobby. No sign of Cliff. Had he changed his mind?

She checked the wall clock. She'd need to leave now if she was going to make it on foot.

“You're not planning on leaving without me, are you?” a voice asked from the doorway.

She turned to face Cliff, a smile on her face. “Of course not.”

Instead of the casual work clothes she'd seen him in before, he wore a suit and tie. It made him look like he belonged on the big screen rather than in an electrician's office. She was touched he'd gone to such effort to look nice for church.

Cliff held the door open for her and let out a low whistle as she walked past him. “You look nice tonight. I like that dress.”

Heat flamed her face. “Thanks. It's new.”

He opened the car door, and she climbed in.

“Well, it suits you.”

She cleared her throat. “Do you need directions to the church? It's the one just over the railroad tracks.”

Cliff cranked the car and headed toward the gate. The guard waved them through. “I know where that is.” He slowed down as they went over the railroad tracks. “Thank you for letting me take you tonight,” he said softly.

“You're welcome.”

Ruby couldn't help but remember all the times she and Joseph had attended church services together. They'd sat side by side in the pew, and she'd imagined the years stretched out, a lifetime of Sundays. She'd always figured they'd finish college and he'd work at the bank like his daddy did. She'd teach school until they had kids. But the war had changed those plans and stolen those dreams. She glanced over at Cliff. He was a nice guy, she could tell. He had an air about him that told her he would take care of her. The way he opened doors and carried her suitcase. Even the way he'd refused to drop her off at the bus station or let her walk to church alone spoke to his character.

And if she were in the market for a boyfriend, he would be just the kind of guy she was looking for.

But she'd risked her heart once. And she wasn't prepared to do it again.

Ever.

* * * * *

Cliff pulled the car into the church lot. “Wait here.” He hurried around to the passenger side and opened the door for Ruby. “Do you know many members here?” he asked as he offered a hand to help her out of the car.

“I've met a few.” She grinned. “But since I've been walking, I usually get here just as the service is starting. So there hasn't been much time to visit.”

Cliff followed her into the stone building.

She pointed toward a wooden pew near the back. “There's an empty spot.”

Several churchgoers introduced themselves as they made their way to the pew.

Cliff settled into the seat and looked around. Aunt Ida and Uncle Fred went to a larger congregation closer to their home. They'd asked him repeatedly to come with them, but he'd managed to put them off by claiming he had to work. The plant was open seven days a week, three shifts a day, so there was always work to be done—but he knew that wasn't the only reason he'd stayed as far away as possible.

An older man in a suit stepped up to the podium. “Good evening,” he said. “We're so glad you all could join us tonight.”

Cliff willed himself to concentrate and to keep an open mind. Ever since Charlie's death a year ago, he'd avoided God, avoided church, avoided prayer. He was angry with himself for what had happened in that foxhole, but he was even angrier with the Lord.

His resolve to keep an open mind faltered as the preacher began to emphasize the importance of forgiveness.

“In Colossians 3:12, we are told to forgive as Christ has forgiven,” the preacher said, reminding his congregants that although Christ has every reason to be angry with us, He forgives us instead. “When we harbor bitterness and anger,” the preacher continued, “we are preventing ourselves from having happy, productive lives.”

Cliff considered his own situation. He'd not been able to forgive himself after Charlie's death, nor had he believed his parents could ever forgive him. He knew he was angry and bitter. Was that preventing him from having a productive life?

But how could he possibly forgive or accept forgiveness? Any way he looked at the situation, he knew Charlie's death had been his own fault. If he'd just reacted differently, Charlie would still be alive.

As they stood to sing a hymn at the end of the sermon, Cliff glanced over at Ruby. She had no way of knowing how hard it had been for him to step foot in the church building tonight.

“Thanks for letting me come with you,” he said as they walked to the car after the service was over.

Ruby smiled. “Thanks for driving me.” She looked up at him. “And you're welcome to go with me again if you'd like.”

He nodded. Tonight's sermon had bothered him, but strangely, he'd felt a glimmer of hope during the closing prayer. “I just might do that.” Though he was not yet ready to forgive himself, and though he was still angry at God for letting his little brother die right in front of him like that, he felt that tonight might be the first step in a new direction.

They climbed in the car. “Are you hungry?” Cliff asked.

“I'm starved.”

He grinned and started the engine. “I think I know just the place.” He drove toward a diner not too far from the AOP. “How about burgers and fries?”

She nodded. “That sounds perfect.”

Cliff turned the volume knob on the radio, and Jimmy Dorsey's “Amapola” filled the car. “Do you like this song?”

Ruby nodded. “I do. And it's nice to hear music again.” She sighed. “My radio is on the blink.”

“Oh no.” Cliff looked over at her and grinned. “Not your prized possession. Also known as the cause of my poor aching back.”

She giggled. “It wasn't that bad. I had a lot of shoes in that bag too.”

“Would you like for me to try and fix the radio for you? I'm pretty handy with things like that.” Cliff pulled into the parking lot at the diner and stopped the car.

Ruby smiled. “That would be wonderful. Do you really think you can fix it?”

If it made her smile at him like that again, he'd sure try. “I think so.”

They went inside and placed their orders at the counter.

“Here you go, two Coca-Colas.” The teenage boy working the cash register put two drinks on the counter. “The rest of your order will be right out.”

Cliff led the way to a table for two. “So tell me more about yourself.” He liked the way her green eyes matched her dress.

Ruby took a sip of her drink. “Well, I'm from a very small town in northeast Arkansas. So small it's not even on a map.” She grinned. “Papa is a farmer and my brothers and I grew up working on the farm.”

“I guess that was fun.”

She nodded. “I used to complain about being the only girl in the family, but to tell you the truth, I kind of liked it. Besides, my cousin Lucille lived just down the road. How about you?”

Cliff shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “There's not much to tell. I grew up near Ozark, in a little town called River Bend. My parents still live there.” He stirred his Coca-Cola with his straw. “I played football in high school and college. I went to Arkansas A&M down in Monticello. I haven't finished my degree yet though.” He wanted to stop talking about himself and his past as soon as possible. “What else should I know about you?” he asked.

“Well…I played basketball when I was in high school. I like to roller skate. I love to bake, especially when I'm making up recipes.” She grinned. “You've already heard about my famous molasses cookies.”