Redeeming Luke, page 3
part #1 of Days of Grace Series
He looked at his watch. Two-thirty. Ruth would be getting out of school in fifteen minutes. His chest tightened. Maybe he should pick her up today, after finding out about that Grady kid. He rested his hands on his waist and stared at his truck.
What should I do, Kate? Go get her? Watch her every move? How do I keep her safe?
He squinted up at the relentless sun, then pulled his hat lower on his head.
He’d stay right where he was. There was still work to be done. Ruth knew the rules. No boys. If she chose to break the rules, then—well, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to do if she broke them. For now, he’d just have to hope she chose to obey.
Luke returned to the barn, snatched a brush off the hook on the wall, and approached Maude. He clicked his tongue a few times and ran his hand down the mare’s long black nose.
“Ready for your brush down, old girl? Come on out here.” He unlatched the gate that held Maude in her stall and led her out into the open barn.
Luke had just about finished brushing Maude when a knock drew his attention. Who knocked on a barn door? He turned around. Grady Akins‘s form filled the doorway. His jaw clenched as irritation pulsed in his gut. He turned his attention back to the horse.
“Mr. Morgan? I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.”
Luke swept the brush over Maude’s sleek black coat.
Behind him, Grady cleared his throat. “It’s … uh … it’s about Ruth and me.”
Luke’s eyes darted back to the boy.
Grady took a step back. “I mean, it’s about Ruth. I mean me. I mean, I want to talk to you about me. And her.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Luke resumed grooming Maude. “Spit it out, kid. We’ll be here all day at this rate.”
“Right. Well, I wanted to ask your permission, sir, to take Ruth to the church social next Saturday night.”
“Don’t call me sir.”
“Okay. Mr. Morgan.”
“Don’t call me that either.”
Grady heaved a sigh. “What should I call you then?”
“My name is Luke.”
“All right. Luke. So, may I have your permission to take Ruth to the church social?”
Luke led Maude back to her stall and latched the gate. He hung the brush on the wall where it belonged, then crossed his arms over his chest, and studied Grady for a long moment. The kid had a tall, sturdy build, and intensity in his eyes. Only his slightly rounded cheeks gave away the fact that he was just seventeen years old. He wore clean, store bought clothes and slicked back hair. Luke remembered Nella saying Grady’s family had money. He wondered if the boy had ever worked a day in his life.
Luke sighed. “We don’t go to church.”
“I know that. Ruth used to go though. Back in Montana. Before her mother died.” He slipped his hands in his pockets. “She misses it.”
“She told you that?”
“Yes sir—I mean, Luke.”
Luke adjusted his and stared out the barn door. Ruckus lay in a shaded spot under a pine tree. Ruth had never said anything to him about wanting to go to church in all the time she’d been here. Why not? Did she think he wouldn’t let her go? He posed the question to himself. Would he allow her to attend services? Or would he stand in her way because of his own experiences?
Not wanting to know the answer, he turned his attention back to the kid in the doorway. “What kind of church do you go to?”
Grady stood a little straighter and his eyes brightened. “Petaluma Valley Christian Church.”
Luke walked across the barn, and picked up a pitchfork. “Your parents go there too?”
Grady‘s eyes widened as he watched the tool. What, did the kid think Luke was going to attack him? Might not be a bad idea to put a little fear into the boy. Luke crossed the floor to where Grady stood, and stabbed the fork into a pile of straw, inches from the boy’s leg. Grady jumped back.
“Have you gone deaf?” Luke asked, finding satisfaction in the beads of sweat that appeared on the young man’s forehead.
Grady blinked rapidly. “What?”
Luke pulled the fork out of the pile, bringing with it a bundle of loose straw. He tossed it into the stall next to Maude’s, then returned to plow the fork back into the pile. He looked at Grady, who still eyed the pitchfork.
“I asked if your parents go to this church too.”
“Oh. Yeah. Both of them. My dad is a deacon and my mom plays the organ.”
Luke recognized himself in the young man standing before him. The courage mixed mixed with anxiety at confronting the father of the girl he wanted to date. The boy who went to church every Sunday. Always did and said the right thing, having no clue what kind of heartache life could throw at him. No idea that one wrong choice could change his life forever. And cost the lives of others.
Luke tossed another heap of straw into the stall. “Has Ruth told you my rule about dating?”
Grady answered quietly. “Yes, she has.”
“Then why are you here? You’ve been spending a lot of time with my niece already, without my permission, haven’t you?”
“We ate lunch together if that’s what you’re talking about. I didn’t think you would see that as dating. We were in view of everyone, including teachers.”
Truth be told, the lunches in the school yard weren’t what bothered Luke. It was what could happen when they weren’t surrounded by a school full of kids and teachers.
The boy shoved his hands in his pockets and returned Luke’s stare. Weighing the danger level of a church social would take some time.
“I’ll think about it.”
Grady’s brow wrinkled. “Alright—uh—when will you let me know your decision?”
“When I’ve made it.”
“Oh. Right. Okay. Well—thank you.” His thank you sounded more like a question. “I’ll just wait to hear from you then.”
Luke nodded, staring at him until he turned and left.
As the sun sank lower, casting long shadows on the ground, Luke stood and straightened his back. He had replaced three fence posts, and found a large, errant portion of barbed wire in the field where he exercised the horses, thankful a horse hadn’t found it first. He walked across the field toward the corrals, tended to the horses, and headed to the house to wash up.
He opened the door to the kitchen but stopped short. His jaw slackened at the aroma that met him. Ruth stood at the counter, shredding lettuce into a bowl. Olivia Hawkins greeted him with a smile bright enough to light a moonless night.
“Hi Luke!” Olivia chirped.
“Hi. Is that real food I smell?”
Olivia nodded, blonde curls bobbing up and down around her shoulders. “I taught Ruth how to fry chicken.”
Luke pointed at Ruth. “You taught her how to cook?”
Ruth planted her hands on her hips. “What do you think I am? A dumbbell?”
Luke grimaced. “Sorry, Ruth. But you have to admit, cooking is not your talent.”
Shrugging, Ruth returned to her task.
Olivia giggled. “I taught her how to fry a chicken. And we‘ve got lettuce, tomatoes and peas from the garden.”
“Well, it sure smells good.”
Ruth glanced up at him and smiled. “Let’s just hope it tastes good.”
Luke looked to Olivia. “You staying for dinner?”
“No.” The girl’s perky smile faded. “I have to go home and make dinner for my dad and brothers. Mom is in Washington visiting my Grandma.”
“Alright. Your dad find work yet?”
“No. He said he might take the ferry to San Francisco and see if he can get work on the bridge. Mom doesn’t want him to. She says it’s too dangerous.”
Luke nodded. “There are jobs on the bridge that are dangerous, that’s for sure. But there’s also jobs that aren’t. I’d be happy to put in a word for him if he’d like. I know all the men in charge.”
“That’s right!” Olivia’s eyes widened and her smile returned. “You worked on the bridge. Oh, that would be swell. Can I tell him you’ll do that?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Thank you.” Olivia gathered her sweater hanging on a chair, and her books off the table. “See you at school tomorrow, Ruth.”
Ruth looked up from her salad. “See ya, Liv.”
“Olivia, wait.” Luke went to the ice box and pulled out the fish he’d caught that morning. “Take these with you. I just caught them this morning.”
“Ohhh, are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Oh thank you, Luke. My dad and the boys will just love it.”
Olivia closed the door behind her. Luke liked Olivia. She brought a burst of energy with her wherever she came over. He watched Ruth at the counter, now cutting up tomatoes and dropping them in the bowl with the lettuce. He wondered if Ruth ever giggled like Olivia. Did her face ever light up and her eyes sparkle like that? He’d certainly never seen it.
“That was really nice of you,” Ruth said over her shoulder. “You have your moments, you know that?”
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well … I’m gonna go clean up.”
Ruth carried the bowl of salad to the table. “Okay. Hurry up though.”
Luke returned to the table set with plates and silverware and bowls of food. He sat across from Ruth. He took a moment to appreciate the glossy, brown skin on the chicken, creamy, brown gravy, bright green peas, and red tomatoes.
Luke picked up the platter of chicken and served Ruth, then himself. They each dipped into the other dishes on the table and began to eat. Luke wracked his brain for something to say, while the clanking of silverware against dishes filled the silence.
He glanced up at Ruth. “Grady came to see me this afternoon.”
Ruth’s fork paused mid-air. “He told me he was going to ask you about the church social.”
Luke buttered a slice of bread, took a bite and spoke around the mouthful. “He did.”
Ruth set her fork down. She sipped her milk and patted her lips with a napkin. “Well, do I get to know what your answer was?”
“I told him I’d think about it.”
Ruth sat back in her chair and huffed. ““What kind of answer is that? Why couldn‘t you just say ‘yes‘?”
Luke shoveled a fork full of peas into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed. “I don’t know him.”
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
“I’m not talking about his middle name or his favorite color.”
“Then come to the social. You can get to know him there.”
Luke lifted one brow at her. “No thanks.”
“So let me get this straight.” She folded her arms in front of her. “I can’t eat lunch with him, in front of the entire town, because you don’t know him. I can’t go to the church social with him, because you don’t know him. But you won’t go out of your way to get to know him. How is that fair?”
Her green eyes blazed, challenging him to think through his next move very carefully. Luke closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. How did women do that? How did they make a grown man shrink away from them with one look?
Truth was, she had him cornered. He had no rational reason for keeping her away from Grady, who actually seemed like a perfectly good kid.
You were a good kid once, too.
Luke mentally dodged the thought, and accompanying memories. “I have my reasons.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Emma Darby balanced an armful of essays and her pocketbook in one arm, and opened the front door with her free hand. She set the papers and purse on the desk Nella had given her, and shook her arms to get the blood flowing again. She wedged the door open with a broken broom handle as a breeze manifested, and would hopefully cool off her little home, such as it was.
It wasn’t much. At all. She blew out a heavy breath. Her gaze scanned the one room cabin. Jasper Loomis had known exactly where he was sending her when he offered to rent his “charming cottage” to her. Sighing, she picked up a fragment of peeled wallpaper from the floor. She should have expected as much. Payback - or control. It had always been one or the other with him.
It had the necessities, at least. Walls. A ceiling. Functioning kitchen and bathroom. She mopped her forehead with the back of her hand and went to the icebox to take out the pitcher of lemonade she’d made the day before. Pouring herself a glass, she moved a kitchen chair to the doorway and sat down to take advantage of the breeze.
Her front yard consisted mostly of weeds with a few wildflowers that sprung up from the ground in their midst. There was no tree to offer shade, but a willow tree several yards away provided cooler shelter when she was desperate,
Emma drank the last of the lemonade in her glass and sat back in the chair, staring at a broken board on the porch.
Jasper had said she was making a mistake. That she wouldn’t make it on her own and would be back. There had certainly been days when she wondered if he was right. She smiled with satisfaction that today was not one of them.
She had been looking for an opening to talk with Ruth Morgan, to get closer to her. Even though today wasn’t the way she’d hoped it would happen, she saw something in the young girl’s eyes that hinted at a desire to connect.
And Luke Morgan—he was certainly a surprise. Not an altogether unpleasant one. Tall, dark and handsome, she’d had some difficulty concentrating on his words and not the depth of his dark brown eyes.
She frowned, recalling their meeting. Handsome though he may be, something about him evoked caution. Could he be another Jasper Loomis? Her instincts rejected the idea. Luke didn’t seem like the type to control or manipulate. He was … a tortured soul.
Emma shook her head. She’d been reading too much poetry.
Time to get to work grading papers and preparing the rest of the week’s lessons. She moved her chair to the desk. Thumbing through stacks of essays and notes, she searched for her lesson plan and grading book.
Where was it hiding? She searched her pocket book, and under the desk. Then outside to see if she had dropped it.
Then she remembered. She had let Ruth look at it earlier in the day. Ruth still had it.
She looked up at the sun, slinking into the horizon. She glanced down her dirt road. Ruth lived about a half mile from her. Not a terribly long walk, especially with the heat starting to dissipate.
Was there any way she could avoid it? The stack of completed student assignments glared at her. If she didn’t grade and record them tonight, it would only mean twice as much work tomorrow. And there was still the lesson plan for the next day. She hadn’t been at this job long enough to come into class unprepared. What if it got back to the principal?
“May as well go for a stroll.” She retrieved a light sweater and stepped outside, locking the door behind her.
The relative cool of the early evening provided a lovely walk. Petaluma offered beautiful rolling hills, farms, dairies and open fields, as well as the conveniences of downtown. One field bathed in yellow mustard stole her breath with its yellow flowers swaying in the gentle breeze. She breathed in the scent of eucalyptus trees and wild jasmine. As disenchanted as she had been with her little shack, Emma did enjoy living in the small California town.
She passed by two farm homes on Old Adobe Road before reaching the address she had for Ruth.
It was a nice looking place. Single story. White with green shutters and a large covered porch. A stately oak tree shaded the front yard, while several other varieties of trees and bushes dotted the property. Just beyond the house she could see a barn with red peeling paint and a corral with a few horses. Even they seemed to enjoy the drop in temperature as they trotted in circles. Only one russet colored animal stood off by itself, whisking flies away with its tail.
In her mind’s eye, she could picture Luke sitting atop one of the beautiful animals. Tall, and in control. Brooding and mysterious.
Suddenly the thought of meeting Luke Morgan at his home unannounced, struck her as terribly foolish. He didn’t seem the type that enjoyed unexpected company. What had she been thinking?
She turned to leave.
But the lesson plan book. She had to have it tonight. And what if Luke or Ruth had already seen her through a window? The porch steps squeaked. Emma couldn’t help but imagine sitting out here on a porch swing reading a book. The aroma of rosemary reached her and turned to see a full bush just past the porch.
She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and slowly released it before reaching out to knock on the door.
She whispered under her breath. “Dear Lord, please let Ruth would be the one to answer.”
Her legs tingled with the desire to turn around and leave, but the door swung open before the desire turned to action.
She found herself looking up at Luke Morgan.
He towered over her, broad chest and shoulders filling the doorway, eyes questioning. Goodness, he was more handsome than she recalled.
Emma’s breath caught in her lungs. She cleared her throat. “I—I’m sorry to come by unannounced. But I don’t have a telephone.”
Luke inclined his head toward her, brow furrowed.
She absently lifted her hand to her stomach. “You see, I can’t find my lesson plan book. I think Ruth has it.”
“Miss Darby?” Ruth chirped a greeting from behind him.
Luke blinked and stepped aside, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh—sorry. Come in.”
She scooted by the giant of a man, unable to ignore his masculine scent. He closed the door behind her.
Emma relaxed at the sight of her student. “Hello Ruth. How are you?”
“I’m all right.” Ruth glanced up at her uncle, then back to her. “Have you had dinner? We just finished but we have leftovers.”
“Oh, no, that’s quite all right. Thank you.”
“How about a cup of coffee. And we have some chocolate cake that Nella made. You know Nella right?”
