The Promise of Forgiveness (17 page)

“What do you see in here?” Ruby stretched her fingers toward the globe, but he blocked her hand.

“Do you have a question for the crystal ball?”

“Yeah. Who shot up Hank's stock tank and tried to scare my daughter?”

He rubbed his hand over the polished quartz and peered into the reflective glass. “My mother was a clairvoyant.”

Of course he wouldn't answer her question. “Did she travel with a carnival?”

“No, but her grandmother did.” He leaned forward, squinting at the ball. “I see a tree with lots of branches. And a mushroom.”

Ruby didn't see a darn thing. “What does that mean?”

“Someone in your family needs your help. A mushroom has to feed on things and a person close to you may become dependent.”

Hank
. The old coot had waited until his twilight years to reveal himself and then expected Ruby to be there for him.

“There's a hammer, which indicates a need to build stability. Perhaps you began something in the past that you didn't finish.”

What had she started, then stopped?
The diary
.

“A bird is flying to the right—the right means the future.”

“Where's the bird going?”

“It's circling the tree. It can't make up its mind.”

Kind of like Ruby hovering over the Devil's Wind, uncertain which direction to go in next.

“The sailboat means you need to have a heart-to-heart with someone close to you. You can't move on with your life until this talk takes place.”

Big Dan's reading was nothing more than a hoax—a way for him to encourage Ruby to patch things up with Hank. But why did he care? Did he believe Cora would want her to forgive Hank? “I've heard enough.” She tossed a five-dollar bill down, then left the table.

“Ruby.”

Her fingers clutched the tent flap.

“What you want in life may not be what you need.”

G
ood grief. If Ruby had wanted a therapy session she'd have gone to a shrink, not a fortune-teller. When she stepped outside the tent, Joe emerged from the shadows.

“How did it go?” he asked.

“Be glad you didn't have your palms read.”

“That bad?”

She reached for his hand, unclear if she needed reassurance or if she just wanted to touch him. Maybe a little of both. “I won't bore you with the details.”

Joe leaned in and whispered, “Did he predict anything about your love life?”

“I don't have a love life.”

His lips brushed her ear, and she shivered. “Maybe we can change that.”

“Don't make promises you can't keep.”

“Nothing I like better than a challenge.”

If she had to pick one adjective to describe herself, it would be
challenging
. “Want to check out the fun house?” She needed a good laugh after the depressing reading. Big Dan was a master at cutting people down to his size.

They made their way to the fun house, which was located at the end of game alley. The line was short, and Ruby wished the wait was longer, especially when Joe stood behind her with his hands on her hips.

“The ride operator looks bored to death,” Ruby said. And as old as Hank. A high-pitched scream rent the air, followed by loud laughter.

“He's probably deaf; that's why they put him in charge of the fun house.” Joe handed the operator their tickets when they reached the front of the line.

“No food or drink allowed.” The man opened the gate, and Ruby stepped onto the platform first. “Keep moving along. Don't want a traffic jam in there.”

She climbed the swaying stairs, stumbling once. Joe gave her a gentle nudge onto the landing. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” he whispered in her ear.

She baby-stepped across the moving ramp, laughing when Joe lost his footing and stumbled to one knee. “Not too coordinated, are you?”

“Make fun of me all you want.” He swatted her fanny playfully. “Your turn is coming.” Sooner than Ruby expected.

When she walked around the next corner, the floor dipped and she landed on her butt, legs sticking up in the air. Joe hauled her to her feet, then tucked her close to his side as they crossed the suspension bridge.

“My superhero.” She smiled at him.

When their feet touched solid ground, he said, “I'm no Captain America, Ruby.”

“I'll be the judge of that.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Not a chaste kiss, but an open-mouth-taste-of-tongue exchange that left them both breathing hard.

He brushed his finger across her cheek. “It's been a long time since a woman kissed me like that.”

“Really?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Joe led the way to the barrel of love. It took several tries, but eventually they kept pace with the turning cylinder. “We make a great team.”

It had taken a coordinated effort to keep moving without falling—perhaps a signal that it was time Ruby stopped believing she had to do everything on her own. If she found the courage to allow herself to connect with Joe on a deeper level, maybe the trust part would come naturally. “Wanna see if we can kiss without falling?”

He pressed his mouth to hers, but the kiss lasted only a moment before their feet tangled and their arms windmilled.

“Try again.” Ruby pursed her lips, but before Joe's mouth touched hers, she pitched forward. Clutching a fistful of his T-shirt, she pulled him down with her as she fell. Laughing, they tumbled on top of each other, body parts bumping in places that hadn't been touched in a long while. After several unsuccessful attempts to stand, Joe set his hands against her rump and pushed her toward the opening. Ruby crawled from the barrel and he landed on top of her.

They ended their adventure in the hall of mirrors, laughing at their three-foot-wide images before they left the fun house and found Hank and Mia waiting in line.

The last thing the geezer needed was a busted hip to go along with his pacemaker. “Hank's too old for the fun house,” Ruby said.

Joe pointed to the games. “I'm pretty good at throwing a baseball.”

“Can you win me a stuffed animal?” Mia asked.

“I'll give it a try.” The group walked over to the milk-bottle toss and the operator handed Joe three softballs. “Knock 'em all down and you win the giant panda.” He waved a hand at the humongous bears hanging on the sides of the tent.

Joe threw all three balls but only two bottles fell from the pyramid.

Mia laughed. “You suck, Joe.”

“Sorry, kid. I tried.”

“Bet I can knock 'em over.” Hank handed the man more money and picked up the first softball. “Everyone watching?”

Amused, Ruby said, “Our eyes are glued to you.”

He wound up his arm like an airplane propeller, clearly hamming it up for his granddaughter. He let the first softball fly. It slammed against the sweet spot in the middle of the stack and the wooden bottles exploded into the air, tumbling off the stand.

Joe stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled.

“You did it, Grandpa! You did it!” Mia hugged Hank.

The blood drained from Ruby's face. Mia had called Hank
Grandpa
—and in the process had sealed Ruby's fate. The question wasn't where Hank would fit into her and Mia's relationship but where Ruby would fit into theirs.

“You want the panda, kid, or something else?” the operator asked.

“The black teddy bear. It matches the zebra-print border in my room.”

The game attendant handed Hank the bear and he turned it over to Mia. She hugged the stuffed animal, then balanced the bear on top of her head and danced in a circle.

“We should get out of here before the concert begins,” Joe said.

“Can I get a soft pretzel?” Mia asked.

They stopped at a concession stand near the gates and purchased drinks and snacks for the drive home. As they crossed the parking lot, Ruby noticed that Hank was moving a lot slower than he had earlier in the evening. He'd probably pushed himself too hard—not that it mattered. The look on his face after Mia had called him Grandpa made all his aches and pains worth it.

Joe got behind the wheel, and Ruby found a country music station on the radio. Ten minutes into the drive, Mia rested her head against the teddy bear and slept. Then Hank's snores filled the cab.

Joe glanced at Ruby. “I had a good time tonight.”

“Me too.” She'd been envious of her daughter and Hank going off together at the carnival, but she was proud of herself for stepping aside and allowing them to have fun. And it wasn't as if she hadn't enjoyed herself with Joe. The last time she'd acted so silly had been back in high school before Mia was born.

It was almost eleven p.m. when they drove beneath the entrance to the Devil's Wind. The bumpy road woke the backseat passengers, and Mia yawned loudly. “I get first dibs on the bathroom,” she said.

“Something's not right.” Ruby leaned forward and peered through the windshield when Joe parked in front of the house.

“What's got you spooked?” Hank said.

Ruby's gaze moved from the steps to the chairs on the porch to . . . The screen door was partially open. “I know I closed the door all the way when we left this evening.”

“Stay here.” Joe unsnapped his seat belt.

“Hank's shotgun is in the umbrella stand at the bottom of the stairs,” Ruby said.

“No, it's not. I put it under my bed.”

“Why'd you do that, Grandpa?”

“If someone breaks in while we're sleeping, I can protect you and your mother.”

“Did you lock the door when we left?” Joe asked.

Ruby nodded.

“The horses,” Mia said.

“I'll check on them after I look around inside the house.” Joe climbed the porch steps. When he turned the knob, the door swung open.

“I knew it,” Ruby whispered. “Someone broke in.” She left the pickup, listening for sounds of a confrontation. She didn't know how much help she'd be if Joe got into a scuffle with a burglar, but she could smash the umbrella stand over the intruder's head if she had to.

The lights inside the house came on and Joe stepped outside, almost bumping into Ruby. “Coast is clear.”

She signaled to Mia and Hank and then all three entered the house. Nothing appeared disturbed.

“They probably gave up when they discovered I don't hide my money in the house.” Hank grabbed ahold of the stair banister, but Ruby's voice stopped him on the second step.

“Who opened the hall closet before we left?”

“Not me,” Joe said.

“Me neither,” Mia answered.

Ruby looked at Hank and he backpedaled down the steps, then peered inside the closet. “It's gone.”

“What's gone?” Ruby asked.

“The cash box on the shelf.”

“I thought you didn't keep money hidden in the house,” Ruby said.

“I don't.”

“Then why would you hide a cash box in plain view?”

“It's not in plain view if the door's closed.”

“What was in the box?” Mia asked.

“My oil papers.”

“The leasing agreement between you and Petro Oil?” Joe asked.

Hank nodded.

“Better check your other valuables,” Ruby said.

“I don't have other valuables.”

“Are you sure you haven't hidden money somewhere in the house?” A man his age was entitled to forget a few things.

“Petro Oil deposits my monthly stipend into my bank account.” Hank climbed the stairs. “I'm going to bed.”

“You need to call the sheriff and report the break-in,” Ruby said.

Hank paused on the landing. “The next time you work at the bar you can talk to Sheriff Carlyle.”

Just what she looked forward to—another productive chat with the lawman.

“Stop by Petro Oil and ask for a copy of my lease.” Hank went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Mia slumped on the stairs. “Guess Grandpa doesn't know what ‘first dibs' means.”

“I
'll take a look outside and make sure whoever helped themselves to Hank's oil papers didn't decide to hang around,” Joe said.

“Can I go with you?” Mia asked.

“You better stay here with your mom.” Joe left through the front door.

“It's kind of creepy that a stranger was in the house.” Mia hugged the black teddy bear. “Mom?”

“What?”

“We had fun tonight, didn't we?”

“Yes, we did.” Ruby sat next to Mia on the stairs and brushed a strand of hair off of her forehead. That her daughter didn't jerk away made up for Mia not asking her to ride the Ferris wheel with her.

“We should do more fun stuff with Hank and Joe.”

“Maybe we will.” Ruby waited with Mia until they heard Hank's bedroom door close.

“Guess it's my turn to use the bathroom.” Mia stood. “Will you please check on Poke for me?”

“I'll do that right now.” Ruby left the house, then cut through the yard to the barn. “Joe? Are you in here?”

He came out of the storage room. “Whoever broke into the house opened the stall doors before they left.”

“Are the horses okay?” Mia would be inconsolable if one of her beloved pets had been harmed.

“They're fine.”

“I'm glad they didn't escape,” she said.

“The old nags have it good here. They're too smart to run off.”

“Joe?”

“What?”

“I'm worried for Mia's and Hank's safety. Do you think we're in real danger?”

“No.” He slid his arm around Ruby's shoulders, then pulled her close.

“It's obvious whoever is doing this wants Hank to sell,” she said.

“They'll give up when they realize they can't push him off his land.”

Ruby peered past him. “Where's Friend?”

“Snoozing on my cot.” His gaze traveled over her face, his eyes softening. “I enjoyed being with you tonight.”

“Me too.” She kissed his prickly cheek. “I'll take Friend into the house. He can sleep with Mia.” She entered Joe's quarters and flipped on the light. The dog lay curled on the bed, loud snores escaping his snout. Some watchdog. Joe had shoved the cot against the wall, and a battery-operated lantern sat on a hay bale that served as a nightstand.

“All the comforts of home,” she said. What a pair they made. He'd left his home years ago. Ruby was in search of a new home. And they'd both ended up at the Devil's Wind.

Friend opened one eye.

“C'mon, ugly mutt. I'll take you to your master.”

The dog jumped off the bed, trotted past Ruby and out of the barn. “I swear that canine is smarter than he lets on.” She turned to leave, but Joe blocked her path. He looked as if he wanted to say something right before he brushed his mouth over hers. “Sweet dreams, Ruby.”

Her dreams would definitely be sweet tonight. Back inside the house, Ruby led Friend to the foyer. “Mia's up there.” After the dog climbed the stairs, she went into the kitchen, drank a glass of water, and then got ready for bed.

She lay in the darkness, listening to the frogs croak and the crickets chirp. Her thoughts drifted to Joe. How had he known his kind words and reassurances had been exactly what she'd needed tonight? In the back of her mind, Ruby had always believed she'd fallen short in her parenting abilities, but maybe she wasn't giving herself enough credit. Despite her mistakes, she and Mia had made it this far together. There was no reason to doubt Ruby would find a way to forgive Glen Baxter. Forgive Hank. Forgive Mia.

And maybe even forgive herself.

“Mom?” Mia appeared in the doorway. “Are the horses okay?”

“They're fine. I thought you were sleeping; otherwise I would have told you.”

Mia crawled beneath the covers.

“What's wrong with your new bed?”

“Friend's hogging my pillow and his breath stinks.”

Ruby smiled into the dark.

“I'm worried about Grandpa.”

“So am I.”

“Do you think the person who broke into the house wants to hurt him?”

“Joe says they'd have done so already if that was their goal.”

“I'm glad Joe's here. He won't let anything happen to Hank.” Mia wiggled into a more comfortable position. “Mom?”

“What?”

“Are you mad that I called Hank ‘Grandpa'?”

Ruby's throat tightened. She wished she knew why it was so easy for Mia to love the old man but so hard for her. “I'm not mad.”

“I think he liked winning the bear for me.” Mia propped her head on her hand. “Did my dad ever win me anything when I was little?”

“Not that I remember.”

“You won me a goldfish at a carnival once.”

“You were only four. I can't believe you remember that far back.”

“Maybe we could see a movie next week,” Mia said.

“That would be nice.”

“I bet we could get Grandpa to go with us.”

“I bet you're right.” Hank would agree to a movie because he could sleep through it if he wanted.

“Besides the fun house, what else did you and Joe do?” Mia asked.

“I saw a fortune-teller.”

Mia sat up and crossed her legs. “What did the gypsy lady say?”

“Big Dan was the gypsy lady.”

“That's weird. Did you ask if we're going to live at the Devil's Wind forever?”

“You don't get to ask questions,” Ruby fibbed. “The fortune-teller does all the talking.”

“So what did Big Dan see when he read your palms?”

Too much of Ruby's character. “Nothing exciting.”

“Oh.”

Ruby waited for Mia to bring up the real reason behind her late-night visit. When she didn't, Ruby said, “Something's on your mind. What is it?”

“Grandpa wishes he had kept you after Cora left.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“Not exactly, but—”

“Honey, it's okay. I've accepted that Hank couldn't raise me.” But forgiving him was tricky. “Things worked out the way they were supposed to. If I hadn't been adopted, I wouldn't have lived in Missouri and I wouldn't have met your father and I wouldn't have had you.”

“Sometimes I bet you wish you hadn't had me.”

Ruby tickled her daughter. “You got that right.”

“Stop!” Mia swatted Ruby's hands away.

After the giggling ended, Mia said, “It's okay if you want to be Joe's girlfriend.”

It wasn't any surprise that Mia knew her mother and Joe were interested in each other.

“I like Joe,” Mia said. “He's nice and he helps take care of Grandpa.”

Any man who watched over her grandfather would be a winner in Mia's eyes.

“Do you like Joe, Mom?”

“Yes, I like him, but you shouldn't get your hopes up that it'll become a permanent thing.”

“It doesn't matter. I have Grandpa now.” Mia rolled onto her side, and a few minutes later soft snoring sounds drifted into Ruby's ear.

She and Mia were making progress. She and Hank were making progress and she and Joe were making progress. The only person Ruby wasn't making enough progress with was herself.

It was time to read the diary.

She would never be able to put the past behind her and move on until she learned what her parents really thought of their adopted daughter. If it wasn't what she hoped, then so be it. She'd focus on the future and only look forward. Now she just had to find the courage to follow through.

•   •   •

S
aturday afternoon Ruby parked next to a patrol car in front of the jail and went inside. The place was deserted. Maybe the lawmen had stepped out to grab lunch. In no hurry to start her shift at the bar, she decided to wait. Her bottom had barely touched the seat of the chair across from the deputy's desk when a feminine giggle drifted from beneath the door of the sheriff's office.

The polite thing to do would be to leave, but Ruby was dying to know who the sheriff was entertaining—especially when women weren't welcome in town. A few minutes later the door opened and an attractive brunette with swollen lips and messy hair appeared. She froze when she saw Ruby.

“What's the matter, Leona?” Deputy Randall nudged his sex kitten out of the way, then stepped into view, his fingers fumbling with his pants zipper.

Ruby's gaze dropped to his open fly, and she quirked an eyebrow.

Avoiding eye contact with Ruby, Leona scurried out the door.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Randall glared at Ruby for a second, then returned to the boss's office.

Curious, she poked her head through the doorway and caught Randall picking up files scattered across the floor. He stacked them on the desk, then gathered the spilled pens and dropped them into a cup holder.

“Nice to know Hank's tax dollars are being put to good use,” she said.

The deputy didn't have a chance to comment before the jail door opened and the sheriff escorted Leona back inside.

This ought to be interesting
.

“Just took a phone call for you, Mike.” Randall closed the sheriff's office door.

“Who was it?”

“Wrong number.”

That was brilliant
.

“Hello, Ruby.” The sheriff nodded to the woman next to him. “This is my wife. Leona, this is Hank McArthur's daughter, Ruby Baxter.”

The woman's eyes begged Ruby even as she smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

“I thought you were heading out to Optima Lake,” Randall said.

“On the way I got a call from Fish and Wildlife. They caught the guy who set the illegal traps.” The sheriff nodded to his wife. “Good thing I wasn't needed out there or I'd have missed Leona's surprise visit.”

If the sheriff had arrived a few minutes earlier, he would have received an even bigger surprise.

“We're going to grab a bite to eat at the diner. Can you handle things here?”

“Of course.” Randall tapped a pen against the notepad on the desk.

The sheriff's eyes narrowed. “Everything all right, Paul?”

“Actually, it's not,” Ruby said, amused by the alarmed look Randall and Leona exchanged. “I'm here to report a break-in at Hank's house.”

“When?” the sheriff asked.

“Last night while we were at the carnival.”

“Take Ruby's statement. I'll be back soon.” The sheriff escorted his wife outside.

“Wow, you have some big cojones,” Ruby said.

Randall glared at her. “How do you know someone broke into Hank's house?”

“Well, for one thing, the idiot left the screen door open. I shut it all the way before we took off for the evening.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, the guy didn't shut the closet door, either, so naturally Hank looked in the hall closet, where he stores his cash box, and it was missing, along with his Petro Oil lease.”

“What makes you think the culprit was a man?”

“Men don't pay attention to details.” Her gaze flicked to the sheriff's door, then back to Randall. “You know it smells like sex in there, don't you?”

His face reddened.

“Men never think they'll get caught.” Ruby enjoyed taunting Randall, especially since he'd proven he wasn't the helpful officer he'd portrayed himself to be when she'd first arrived in town. “Will you be filing a report?”

His eyes darted to the door behind him. “I'll take your statement later.”

No doubt he was debating whether or not to fumigate the room with disinfectant spray before the sheriff returned with his wife.

“I intend to follow up with your boss about this, so you might want to at least call Sandoval and ask his whereabouts last night.”

“You're barking up the wrong tree, Ruby.”

Maybe, but Sandoval had not only offered to buy Hank out, but the man had had an affair with Cora. And as long as the earth turned on its axis, men would do stupid things because of women.

“When did you say you were leaving Unforgiven?” Randall asked.

“I'm not.”

Randall balled his hands into fists. “What do you mean, you're not?”

“Mia and I are staying indefinitely.”

“That's a bad idea.”

“Oh?”

He pointed out the window. “Working at the Possum Belly will cause problems with the oil workers and—”

“What? You and the sheriff might have to keep the peace in this town?” Ruby left the jail, closing the door hard enough to rattle the windows. She walked to the Petro Oil office.

“Hello, Ruby.” A tall, balding man with a potbelly stepped from behind his desk and offered his hand. “Steward Kline. I've heard a lot about you.”

Since she and Mia were the only females within shouting distance of the town, she wasn't surprised they were the topic of conversation. “I stopped by on Hank's behalf to ask for a copy of his lease.”