Redeeming Luke, page 17
part #1 of Days of Grace Series
“I will.” Ben snatched the sack. “Thanks!” He ran outside, the screen door slapping shut behind him.
The ceiling fan in Nella’s living room did little to alleviate the stifling heat, but the movement of air was better than nothing at all. Nella carried a tray into the living room, holding a pitcher of iced tea, glasses filled with ice chunks, and a plate of ice box cookies. She set the tray down, and planted a kiss on the top of Ruth’s head.
“It’s wonderful to see your sweet face. You two have a nice visit.” She turned to leave.
Emma sat forward in her chair. “Aren’t you staying to visit with Ruth?”
“No, I have things to do in the kitchen. You girls have a nice little chat.” She pointed to Ruth. Her brown skin glowed from perspiration on her forehead. “And don’t you forget to give me a hug before you leave.”
Ruth made the motion of an x over her heart. “I won’t.”
Emma found herself wringing her hands, her mind racing. She hadn’t spoken to the girl since the day Ruth asked her to tell Luke about the baby. Ruth hadn’t returned to school, for obvious reasons. And word had gotten out already. Emma blamed the nurse with the judgmental stare at the doctor’s office. She hoped the hateful things being said about Ruth had not reached her. She longed to know how Luke was doing. How he was handling the situation. She couldn’t very well waltz on up to his doorstep and check on him. Not after the things he said.She poured iced tea into the glasses. “How are you feeling?”
Ruth took a bite of a cookie and seemed to ponder the question. “Well, I’m not as sick as I was before. I guess that’s normal.”
“Yes. It is.”
Only the lopsided whirring of the ceiling fan disrupted the silence between them.
Emma cleared her dry throat and sipped more tea. “How is Grady?”
“About as well as I am, I suppose.” Ruth set her cookie back on the plate. “He’s staying at our place.”
Emma nearly spewed tea all over herself. “Excuse me!” She patted her mouth with a napkin. “He’s—living with you? You and Luke?”
“Well, kind of. Grady’s father kicked him out of the house. He wouldn’t even let Grady in to get his clothes. So, Luke made him let Grady get his things. Then, when Luke realized Grady had nowhere to go, he brought him home with us.” Ruth frowned and sat back on the couch, crossing her arms. “But he makes him sleep in the barn.”
Emma suppressed a grin at what must have been a pretty tense agreement between the two men. She was glad Luke had reached out to Grady, even if it was just to let him sleep in the barn with the horses.
Ruth‘s countenance clouded. “Some men came to the house right after—after we found out.”
The tremor in Ruth’s voice alarmed Emma. “What men?”
“They were from the church. They wanted me to—”
“What? What did they want you to do?”
“To get up in front of the church and—confess.”
Emma stared at Ruth in stunned silence.
“Don’t worry.” Ruth held up a hand. “Luke won’t let it happen.” She smiled. “In fact, he asked them for a list of all the other people who would be doing the same.”
A giggle escaped Emma’s lips. She could just imagine the scene. “Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh.”
“That’s okay. After I got over the horror of it, I laughed too.” Ruth’s smile faded. “I’m worried about Grady though. I’m not sure what Luke has planned for him. I have a feeling it won’t be much more pleasant than if Grady had stayed at home with his father. He pushes Grady so hard.”
Ruth’s gaze couldn’t seem to land on any one thing in the room. She fidgeted with her skirt, picking at invisible lint.
Setting her glass on the coffee table, Emma asked, “Is there something else?”
Ruth only nodded as tears began to slide down her cheeks. Emma her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “What is it?”
Swiping at the tears on her face, Ruth’s voice quivered. “I saw some girls from school today.”
Oh no. Emma had wondered how long it would be before the less compassionate people of Petaluma would add to Ruth’s pain. Her heart constricted painfully.
“Tell me what happened.” Emma stroked Ruth’s hair.
“I was at the grocery store. I was actually feeling pretty good for once. But then— Melinda Sharnell was there with her friends.”
Closing her eyes, Emma fought the motherly instinct to track down the spoiled Miss Melinda Sharnell. She knew the girl all too well to think that she had been anything but cruel to Ruth.
Ruth touched her ring finger. “She made fun of me because Grady hasn’t asked me to marry him.”
Emma held the girl close. “I’m sure he’s simply trying to get his bearings.”
“But what if he isn’t? I mean, it’s been three months. What if he doesn’t want to marry me? I don’t want to force him because of the baby, and have him hate me for the rest of his life.”
“Grady is not going to hate you.” Emma cupped Ruth’s chin in her hand. “Grady loves you.”
Ruth sighed miserably. “Melinda said something else … something I didn’t understand.”
“What was that?”
“She said she knew someone who—well—a girl like me. And—”
“And what?”
Ruth’s brow creased. Her gaze stayed planted on her lap. “She said the girl ‘had it taken care of’.”
Emma stifled her shock.
“What did she mean?”
“Oh. Well.” Emma smoothed her skirt, desperately trying to think of the most delicate way to answer. Perhaps she wasn’t the one who should answer. Maybe Luke should—no. That was a bad idea.
“Ruth,” Emma started. “What she meant was, this girl lost her baby—on purpose.”
Ruth’s frowned.
Emma thought for a moment, and then proceeded slowly. “She paid someone who—caused her to—lose the baby.”
A horrified gasp escaped Ruth’s mouth. She held her fingers to her lips, eyes wide. She stood and touched her hands to her stomach.
“So she thought I should … I would never! That’s awful!”
“I know it is.” Emma reached for Ruth’s hand, and gently led her back to the couch.
“I’m so sorry,” Emma said. “It was a ghastly thing to say to you, and she should be ashamed of herself.”
Ruth wrung her hands. “I’ve never been so horrified in all my life.”
Emma gathered Ruth in her arms again.
“Why did she do that? And why did all her friends go along with it? Why were they so cruel? It’s just an innocent little baby. And it’s not like I did this on purpose. It could happen to any of them!”
“There’s no simple answer to that, Sweetheart.” Emma used a handkerchief to wisk away Ruth’s tears. How she wished she could take all this pain off Ruth’s shoulders and bear it herself. “They aren’t the kinds of girls to stop and think about how difficult this is for you.”
“They think they’re better than me because they didn’t get pregnant in high school. And they’re right.”
“No, they are not.” Emma held Ruth’s chin in her hand again. “Don’t you ever, ever say that. What has happened can’t be undone, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t every bit as good or worthy as any other girl out there. Those girls were plain mean, and rude. If anything, that should make you feel sorry for them. They don’t have the compassion to understand the pain of others.” She looked into Ruth’s eyes. “Ruth Morgan, you are a beautiful, sweet, kind, generous young woman. And you are going to be a wonderful mother to your child. Don’t you let anyone make you feel like anything less.”
Ruth picked up her glass of tea and stared into it.
Emma bit into a cookie. “So tell me, how are Luke and Grady getting along?”
Ruth winced. “Luke told Grady they were going to do more chores today. And I know that tone in Luke’s voice. He’s going to be horrible to Grady.” She stood and paced in front of Emma. “What if he chases Grady away? What if he is so awful to him, that Grady leaves me?” She hesitated, lips pressed against each other. “I would never forgive Luke.”
Emma knew how cruel Luke could be. But she also knew he would never willfully hurt Ruth. Wanting to put Ruth at ease, she side stepped her own hurt feelings she spoke with more empathy for Luke than she felt.
“Luke is probably just testing Grady. He wants to know if Grady will stay, regardless of how hard things get. And things are going to get very hard. If Grady is the kind of boy who would leave you, Luke wants to find out now.”
Ruth stood and walked to the middle of the room, crossed her arms in front of her, lifting her chin. “But Grady says he won’t leave me. Luke doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Then why are you so afraid?”
Ruth bit her lower lip. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I don’t know. I’m afraid of … everything. All the time.”
Emma met Ruth where she stood. She brushed a curl off Ruth’s face and tucked it behind her ear.
“I know you want to protect Grady. But he is going to have to prove himself to Luke. And he will have to do that on his own. You need to step back and let Grady fight this battle. Respect the fact that your uncle only wants to protect you. And trust that Grady loves you enough to go through whatever Luke throws at him.”
Ruth ducked her head. “I’m so worried all the time. I can’t help it. My mind is so jumbled up.”
Emma pulled Ruth to herself and held her. “I know, sweet girl. I know. But you aren’t alone. You have so many people who love you and want to help you.”
Ruth‘s tears ripped at Emma‘s heart as she cried. “I was stupid. So, so stupid.”
“Shhh. You made a mistake. From here on out, you will hold your head high, and carry yourself with dignity. And when this little one is born, the love you have for him or her, will make all of this a distant memory.”
Ruth sighed into Emma’s shoulder. She pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks.
“Everyone has changed,” Ruth continued. “Olivia is different. Luke is different. And you—I haven’t seen you since that day I asked you to tell Luke.”
Choosing not to add to Ruth’s distress, Emma tried to bypass any conversation about her interaction with Luke. “I’m sure Olivia is trying to adjust to all of this.”
Ruth crossed the room and looked out the window. “No, that’s not it. She’s angry with me. She thinks I lied to her all those times—” She looked down at her hands.
Curiosity piqued, Emma pressed. “All what times? What are you talking about?”
Ruth turned to face her. “I asked Olivia to help me sneak away with Grady. A lot. So she thinks we—but we didn’t—only once that last time—” Her cheeks blazed pink.
Understanding dawned for Emma. “Oh. I see.”
Ruth walked back to the couch and sat. “I’ve hurt so many people. And I know you and Luke were becoming close. But he hasn’t talked about you at all, and you haven’t come to see us. What happened? What did he say? And please don’t tell me it’s not important. I want to know. Please.”
Emma sat beside her and released a long breath. Ruth needed honesty. Trying to hide anything from her would only add to her anxiety. “Well, as you can imagine, he was upset.”
“You mean angry.”
Emma tipped her head. “Yes. He was angry. But it was so much for him to take in all at once. And it sounds like he is beginning to deal with it. He’s helping you and Grady, right?”
Ruth eyed Emma. “He was mean to you, wasn’t he? He had to have been. He had to have said awful things to make you stay away like this.”
Emma cleared her throat, smoothed her skirt. “I’m just giving the two of you time to adjust.”
“I’m so sorry I asked you to do that. I shouldn’t have.”
“It was the right thing to do. He was able to let his real feelings show without fear of hurting you. By the time he saw you, he was able to be a little more—rational.”
Raising a doubtful brow at Emma, Ruth asked, “You aren’t going to tell me what he said, are you?”
Emma returned her own raised a brow and smiled. “No. I’m not. It doesn’t matter. All that matters now is making sure you are healthy and that baby is born happy and healthy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Clean out all these stalls.” Luke pointed to the loft above the horse stalls. “There’s fresh straw up there.”
Grady nodded and reached for the shovel.
Luke set his hands on his waist. “What are you doing?”
Eyes wide, Grady held up the shovel. “I’m going to clean the stalls.”
“With a shovel?” Luke shook his head. “Good luck.” He turned to leave.
“What should I use then?”
Luke answered over his shoulder as he kept walking. “Figure it out.”
He walked to the gate of the corral where he kept Leah, the pregnant mare he agreed to board while her owners traveled. He blew out a whistle and clucked his tongue. The black mare ambled toward him with all her girth. Luke ran his hand down her neck and patted her back.
“How you feeling today, old girl?”
Leah whinnied and nudged him with her head.
“I know, I know. You gotta be miserable. Let’s move you to a corral with a little more shade.”
Luke slipped a halter on the animal, then a lead rope, and guided her across the field to another, more shaded, area. With the corral currently occupied by Raffle and Abbey though, he had to tie Leah to the nearby tree and relocate them. Abbey didn’t like Leah, and Leah didn’t like Raffle. Horses were more like people than folks knew. After moving the two horses, and getting Leah settled in her more comfortable environment, Luke went to check on Verna, their milking cow.
At seeing her water trough empty, he kicked the ground and hollered. “Grady!”
The boy came running from the stalls, carrying the shovel. He stopped short at the sight of Luke standing by the trough.
Luke pointed to the empty metal container. “I told you to give her water!”
“I know but then you told me to clean the stalls.”
Luke held his arms out to his sides. “So you just walk away from this? Tell me something, do you like milk?”
Grady stared at Luke. He nodded.
“Well then you better give the cow some blasted water!” He rolled his eyes. “And for cryin’ out loud—get rid of that shovel! Use a pitchfork!”
Luke stalked away shaking his head. The kid was useless. How in the world did he think he was going to provide for a child? He didn’t even know how to muck a stall!
He walked to the water barrel and brought the ladle to his lips. The water was still cool despite sitting in the sun. It ran down his throat, chasing away the burning grit of dust. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. What was he supposed to do with this kid? Why on earth did he bring him home?
Deep down, Luke knew the answer. But he wasn’t about to go soft on the boy. Grady had no idea what he was facing, and Ruth deserved more than some seventeen year old kid who didn’t have enough sense to give water to a milk cow.
Where was Ruth, anyway? He looked down the driveway for a sign of her. He’d been stuck here, alone with Grady for the past two days while she went off and visited with Emma.
Emma. With her blond curls and blue eyes. The way she blushed when he winked at her. The way she felt in his arms. The way her lips felt against his …
Luke threw the ladle back down into the water. It landed with a splash, bobbing a couple of times before settling. He didn’t need all this aggravation. He was glad Ruth had someone to talk to but did it have to mean him being alone with Grady so much? Most of the time he wanted to strangle the kid, and some of the time he—he understood him. Even if he didn’t want to.
Grady walked by Luke on his way back to the stalls to finish cleaning. Luke watched him for a minute. He didn’t want to feel the emotions that came to the surface when he saw Grady. He didn’t want memories reemerging after all the years and effort it took to tamp them down. Luke pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it all out. It didn’t work. So he walked to the garden and Hjerked up weeds. At least he could get rid of something.
The sun had begun its descent when someone’s shadow cast itself over the garden. Luke, on his knees, pulling the last visible weed, turned to see who it was.
Great.
Grady scratched his temple. “Wow. You cleaned up the whole garden.”
“That’s the point of weeding.”
Luke started to gather all the weeds he’d pulled and toss them in a pile. To his surprise—and irritation—Grady joined him.
“What do you do with the weeds?” Grady asked.
“Give ‘em to Jacob down the road, for his goats.”
“You want me to drive them over there for you?”
Standing up straight, Luke pushed his hat back on his head and eyed the kid. “Sure.”
Luke turned to walk back to the house.
“Hey, Luke? Can I talk to you for a minute?” Grady called after him. “I need to ask you something.”
Luke stopped in his tracks. He didn’t turn around. He waited a beat then turned slowly, setting his hands on his waist, and waited, hoping it wasn’t the question he’d been expecting.
Grady rushed to catch up. He reached Luke and cleared his throat.
“Well—uh—I just—I’ve been thinking and—” He took a deep breath and stood to his full height. “I want to marry Ruth.”
Luke knew it had only been a matter of time. He narrowed his gaze. “Sounds more like a statement than a question.”
“Right.” Grady’s eyes grew large. “Sorry. I would like your permission, to marry Ruth.”
Gazing out over the ranch property, Luke answered. “I still don’t hear a question, boy.”
The young man looked down at the ground. Luke watched his hands make fists at his side. Good for him. It was about time the kid started to grow a backbone.
“May I marry Ruth?”
Luke considered him for a moment longer, and gave his answer.
