LITMIR.BIZ

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head bent over her latest patchwork quilt block. “Except doesn’t he spend a lot of time with Narcissa Bell?”

       “Oh,” they all sighed together. Narcissa had been their arch nemesis for as long as anyone could remember.

       “I suppose it’s only a matter of time before we hear of their engagement.” Kate licked the end of the floss and threaded it through the eye of her needle. “It’s inevitable.”

       “It’s expected,” Lila agreed. “To hear my stepmother talk, their engagement party will be any day now.”

       “They are both from wealthy families.” Ruby couldn’t explain why pain hitched through her ribs.

       “And their mothers are close friends,” Earlee chimed in.

       “But so are Scarlet and his mother.” She lowered the pot to rest on the short end table Pa had made, which now sat in the center of their circle, a coffee table of sorts. Her hands shook inexplicably. She wasn’t disappointed, so no way could that be disappointment weighing like a lead brick on her heart.

       “Yes, but Lorenzo and I don’t keep the same friends.” Scarlet bent over her work, knife in hand. “Did you see Narcissa and Lorenzo at church on Sunday?”

       “Sitting side by side.” Kate gave a long-suffering sigh. “Right there in the middle of their families.”

       Ruby hadn’t noticed because she didn’t have a crush on the man. She couldn’t afford to have one. Romance was not in her plans. She didn’t have time for it. She wasn’t free to pursue her own life. Her father and brother needed her to help save the farm. And besides, if their efforts failed, she would have to leave town.

       She wasn’t exactly the best candidate for romance. Not for any man. As for Lorenzo, he was a dream she didn’t dare have. So why did she ache down to the marrow of her bones as she crossed the room? She couldn’t focus on the conversation surging around her, the laughter and friendly banter ringing like merry bells. She lifted down a stack of mismatched plates.

       “How did the interview go?” Scarlet lowered her voice, so the others wouldn’t hear. She cut the final slice of johnnycake.

       “Good, but I’m not right for the position. Mrs. Davis is awful fancy. Nice, but fancy.” She set the butter dish next to the plates on the table. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter that she wouldn’t get the job. “I would be totally uncomfortable in that house. I’d worry about everything—leaving dirt from my shoes on the floor, turning around and knocking some expensive doodad to the ground, spilling something on those beautiful carpets. What a relief I’m not suitable.”

       “That’s too bad. I thought you would be perfect. My mother said so right to Mrs. Davis. I heard her.”

       “Thanks, Scarlet. I appreciate it more than you know.”

       “So, does this mean your family will have to move?”

       “I think so, since I won’t be getting that job.”

       “I’m so sorry, Ruby.”

       “Me, too.” She wished she felt comfortable saying more, but she wasn’t good at expressing her feelings. They made her feel awkward and exposed, but she knew Scarlet understood. Best friends had that ability.

       The cornmeal’s sweet, warm scent and aroma of melting butter had her mouth watering. She’d been too nervous to eat all of her breakfast, fearing the interview and too unsettled to eat lunch afterwards. Leftover nerves from meeting Mrs. Davis and not because of her encounter with Lorenzo.

       At least, that’s what she told herself.

       “So, what happened after he fixed Solomon’s shoe?” Earlee asked, setting down her work to come help distribute the cake. “Did you offer him a nice, hot cup of tea?”

       “And then lunch?” Lila inquired.

       “And afterwards, a nice, long chat around the table?” Kate knotted the end of her thread.

       “You did invite him in, didn’t you?” Scarlet asked, two plates of cake in hand.

       “Well, no. It wasn’t like that. He and Pa were visiting in the barn.”

       “Did you even go out there?” Fiona set her sewing aside to accept a plate of cake.

       All eyes turned on her.

       “No. Why would I? I’m not as brazen as the bunch of you.”

       Laughter flourished, echoing off the walls cheerfully. She couldn’t very well admit that she’d kept an eye on the window, glancing out from time to time, straining to see a glimpse of Lorenzo through the snow. She hadn’t. She’d only spotted her father stomping the wet off his boots on the lean-to steps. He’d been alone.

       “Next time, go out with a nice hot cup of tea for him,” Meredith advised.

       “And some of this cake,” Earlee added. “If he takes one bite of this, he just might propose.”

       “Oh, I doubt that.” She retrieved the last plate from the table, but her stomach had bunched in knots. She was no longer hungry. “He drove off without a word to me, but Pa was mighty pleased with the shoeing job. I’m surprised Pa accepted his charity.”

       “Maybe he did it for you, Ruby.” Scarlet sounded thoughtful as she brought the last plates of cake into the sitting area.

       “For me? No. Don’t even start thinking that.” She had best forget the snap of connection when Lorenzo had taken her hand. Wishful thinking on her part, that was all it could be. “I have Pa to care for. He’s the only man in my life. Besides, Lorenzo has Narcissa. Who can compete with that?”

       “I wouldn’t mind trying,” Scarlet spoke up, making everyone laugh.

       Ruby settled into a chair, laughing with her friends. How much time would they have together? She didn’t know. That question haunted her as talk turned to other handsome bachelors in town. If one particular bachelor lingered in her thoughts, she didn’t have to admit it.

       Lorenzo leaned back against the chair cushion, grateful to be sitting in front of a warm fire at the end of a tough afternoon. Half frozen, he soaked in the fire’s blazing heat, hoping to thaw. After returning from Ruby’s home, he’d saddled up and resumed his afternoon shift in the fields, checking cattle, hauling feed and taking a pickax to the animals’ water supply, which had frozen up solid.

       Ruby. Thoughts of her could chase away the cold. He stretched his feet toward the fire. He still didn’t know what his chances were, but she’d been easy to talk to. He would like to talk with her some more. But what were the chances of that if she didn’t get the maid’s position? She kept to herself, she lived on the other side of town, and their paths rarely crossed. He didn’t want to go back to sneaking gazes at her in church because his mother or one of her friends were going to catch him at it, and then his secret love for Ruby would no longer be private.

       “Hot tea for you.” The upstairs maid was doubling her duties and slid a tray onto the table at his elbow with a bobbing curtsy. “Cook added some of those scones you like.”

       “Thank you.” He didn’t wait for her footsteps tapping on the polished oak floor to fade before he wrapped his hand around the scalding hot cup. He was so cold, he could barely feel the warmth. He blew on the steaming brew before he sipped it. Hot liquid slid down his throat, warming him from the inside. The first step to thawing out.

       Ruby. His thoughts boomeranged right back to her. Why her? Her big, blue eyes, her rosebud smile, her sweetness had snared him the instant he’d laid eyes on her. He didn’t want to feel this way, he wasn’t ready to feel this way. He had a lot to learn about ranching, he had a lot to prove as his father’s foreman. And responsibility? That was a huge burden on his shoulders these days. He was in charge of providing for the family and preserving the Davis legacy. No, this wasn’t the time to be smitten with anyone.

      

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