The Promise of Forgiveness (26 page)

W
ednesday morning Ruby woke with a headache. She'd gotten little sleep last night, her mind in turmoil. She had some tough decisions to make, and convincing Hank and Mia to go along with her plan might be her biggest challenge yet.

The sound of the front door opening and closing drifted down the hallway. Hank had finally woken up. Ruby went outside and found him picking through the rubble. “You're supposed to wait until the debris cools off.”

“I'm being careful.” He tossed a wrench into a pile of objects worth salvaging.

“Sandoval isn't the one making threats against the ranch.”

“Didn't think he was. If he'd wanted to, he could have forced me off the land years ago.”

“Then why didn't he?”

Hank kicked a chunk of scorched wood. “He loved Cora, too.”

Oh, Dad
.
Is that what you've told yourself all these years to make Cora's betrayal easier to live with
?

“Roy sends his sympathies.”

He stopped searching the burned remains and stared into the distance. She followed his gaze to the rosebushes. Last night after everyone had gone to bed, Ruby had heard the stairs creak. She'd tiptoed through the house to the front window and had watched Hank spread Cora's ashes beneath the bushes. Then he'd sat on the porch steps in the dark for almost an hour before returning to bed.

Cora had finally come home, and now Ruby was going to ask Hank to move.

“We can't stay here.” Ruby's first responsibility was to keep Mia safe, but she couldn't leave Hank at the ranch. And then there was Joe. She didn't want to leave him behind, either. “I know the Devil's Wind means a lot to you, but Mia and I need you.”

His watery eyes blinked against the sun. “You asking me to go with you gals?”

“We're a family now.”

His gaze swung back to the front of the house.

“We'll take the rosebushes”—and Cora—“with us.”

“You want me to sell the place?”

“You don't have to live on the property in order to lease it to the oil company, do you?”

“No.”

“For now let's sell off the cattle and board the horses closer to Guymon.”

Hank didn't say anything.

“We could rent a house in Guymon; then after school you and Mia could check on the horses wherever they are, and Joe could drive back and forth to the ranch to keep an eye on the property. Just until the sheriff makes an arrest.”

“Mia won't want to leave,” Hank said.

“That's why I need you to tell her.” Mia would follow her grandfather anywhere.

“You're a good mother and a good daughter.”

The Devil's Wind was the only real home Hank had ever known—it was the linchpin that held him, Ruby, and Mia together as a family. The dusty wasteland had helped Mia and Ruby forgive each other. Helped Ruby forgive Hank . . . even Cora. And in between all the forgiving, the ranch was where Ruby and Joe had found each other.

“We'll come back here as soon as it's safe,” Ruby said.

“I'll talk to Mia.”

She was grateful for Hank's support, but leaving would be stressful for him and she worried about his health. “Let's hold off telling Mia until I speak with the sheriff one more time.” If there was the slightest chance the lawman was close to apprehending the arsonist, then they'd stand their ground.

A cloud of dust formed along the road. “Joe's back.” He'd been quiet since the fire, and any attempt to engage him in conversation had been met with a grunt or a nod. She'd invited him to share her bed since the cot he'd slept on in the barn had been destroyed in the fire, but he'd purchased a sleeping bag the day he'd gone into town to get horse feed and at night he bunked down in his pickup bed. Ruby wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but she gave him his space, believing he'd open up when he was ready.

“What have you been up to?” she asked when Joe parked in the driveway.

“I bought extra feed for the horses.”

Ruby peered into the truck bed. He'd also purchased a forty-pound bag of dog food. There was enough feed to last the animals for a month.

“I'll go with you when you talk to the sheriff.” Hank took two steps, then stopped. “You make a fresh pot of coffee?”

“Four scoops—strong enough to blow a hole through your gut.”

“That's my girl.”

Ruby waited for Joe to make eye contact with her, but his gaze skipped across her face, causing alarm bells to ring in her head.

He set the last bag of feed on the ground, then shut the tailgate. “I'm leaving.”

When the meaning of his words sank in, her heart froze inside her chest.

“I thought I could do this.” The pain in Joe's voice alarmed her as much as the vacant look in his eyes.

“Do what?”

“Be with you. Be a part of”—he waved his hand at the house—“a family.”

Nooo!
A shrill voice screamed inside her head
.

“I'm sorry, Ruby.”

Anger shoved aside her hurt. She didn't want an apology—she wanted a fight. “Don't go.”
Damn you, Joe. Don't leave me
. She'd finally found the courage to give him her trust and he was flinging it back in her face.

His head dropped forward, and he stared at the ground. Ruby threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I need you.” She buried her face in his neck. “Hank and Mia need you.” She swallowed a cry when his arms came around her and he crushed her against him.

“You don't understand,” he mumbled in her ear. “Mia could have died in that fire and it would have been my fault.”

Wanting to shake him, Ruby clutched fistfuls of his shirt. “My daughter's safe. Because of you.”

His body turned to stone, and he stepped away from her. “I shouldn't have left Mia alone, not even for a few minutes.”

She smacked her palm against his chest, wanting to hurt him. “Don't lie. You're not leaving because you think you failed to protect Mia. You're walking out on me.”

“I'm no good to anyone, Ruby, especially you.”

“Shit.” She spun away, pressing her fingers against her skull, willing her brain to find the words to change Joe's mind. She had no experience arguing this side of it's-time-to-move-on. “Don't go.”

When she and Mia had left Pineville, Ruby had never imagined that their fresh start would be the Devil's Wind and not Elkhart, Kansas. The ranch had forced her to let her guard down and open herself up in a way she hadn't done before with any of her relationships, including with Mia. She was confident and strong now. And she knew what she wanted—forever with Joe. But like the blowing dust in the Panhandle, he was slipping through her fingers.

“You make me want more out of life than to just exist. But I can't be the man you deserve.”

“Please don't go.”

He shook his head. “Be happy, Ruby.”

Be happy?
When he was giving up on her . . . them? She damned the tears welling in her eyes and poked her finger in his gut. “You're a coward, Joe Dawson!”

He clasped her face between his hands and pressed his mouth to hers, his kiss hot, hard, and urgent. Then he drove off, leaving her gasping for breath and knowing what it felt like to be kicked to the curb.

It didn't feel so hot.

“Mom?” Mia walked toward Ruby. “You want to help me groom . . . ?” She stopped. “You're crying.” She glanced at the road. “Where's Joe going?”

“He's leaving.”

“Did you guys have a fight?”

“No.” She wished Joe would have argued with her. Maybe then she'd have stood a chance of changing his mind.

Hank stepped outside, and Mia called out to him. “Mom's crying.”

Ruby's whole body was numb, her face included, and she didn't even feel the tears running down her cheeks.

“What happened?” Hank joined them, his bushy eyebrows fused together.

“Joe left.” Ruby wiped her runny nose across the back of her hand.

“He's coming home, right?” Mia asked.

“I don't think so.” But Joe had said that Ruby made him want more out of life than to just exist. She tucked the tiny scrap of hope inside her heart.

“It wasn't very nice of him to leave.” Mia put her arm around her mother's waist.

“We'll be okay, honey.” Ruby hugged her daughter. “Hank and I are going into town. You'll have to come with us.”

“When?” Mia asked.

“Right now.”

“I better use the bathroom first.” Mia called to Friend, and the two went into the house.

Hank looked as miserable as Ruby felt, and when he opened his arms, she gladly accepted his hug. “I'm sorry,” he said.

She sniffed against his shirt. “Life is funny.”

“How so?”

“I came here determined to give you a piece of my mind and then spit at your feet and move on.”

“I wouldn't have blamed you for doing that.”

“We both fell for people who ran away from us.” Her laugh turned into a sob.

“We're a pair, all right,” he said.

No matter that she'd lost her fresh start with Joe, Ruby would always be grateful Hank had called her home.

•   •   •

W
hen they arrived in Unforgiven, Ruby parked the pickup at the diner. “Here's a few dollars.” She handed Mia the money. “Get yourself a snack. Hank and I will fetch you when we're ready to leave town.” Ruby waited for her daughter to enter the Airstream, and then she and Hank crossed the street.

“Don't let on that we're thinking of moving,” she said. “I doubt the sheriff and deputy will spend much time investigating if they know we intend to leave the property.”

Inside the jail, Sheriff Carlyle and the deputy were engaged in a heated debate. Ruby closed the door hard and the argument abruptly ended.

“I was updating Paul about the fire out at your place, Hank,” the sheriff said.

“Heard the barn was a total loss.” Randall read the file on his desk as if he couldn't care less about Hank's troubles.

“I'm sending Paul out to talk to the ranchers in the area,” the sheriff said.

Questioning ranchers must be their standard protocol. “You can cross Sandoval off your list,” Ruby said. “Not that he was ever on your radar.”

“You seemed pretty confident he was involved,” the sheriff said.

“I spoke with him after the fire. Based on what he said, I don't believe he had anything to do with sabotaging the Devil's Wind.” She waited for an I-told-you-so, but the sheriff let her off the hook. “Whoever torched the barn has to be someone local.”

“We're checking every angle,” the sheriff said.

Randall set aside his paperwork. “What do you plan to do now, Hank?”

“Build a new barn.”

“Why not sell? Rumor has it your oil lease is up at the end of September.”

“My lawyer's looking into that,” Hank said.

“I know Ruby believes Kline changed the date.” Randall narrowed his eyes.

“Maybe he's in cahoots with the man who wants to buy my ranch.” Hank went to the door. “I'll be in the mercantile, Ruby.”

“Who wants to buy the Devil's Wind?” the sheriff asked Randall.

“One of those wealthy corporate people looking for a place in the country.”

The sheriff's gaze swung to Ruby. “Those responsible for the vandalism and the fire will eventually slip up, and we'll catch them.”

“If you don't crack this case soon, I'll make a big stink about it to the Guymon police.”

“They won't help you investigate a crime that's not in their jurisdiction,” Randall said.

Ruby shrugged. “I'll take my chances.”

R
uby left the sheriff's office, doubting her threat to contact the Guymon police had done much good. She hurried along the sidewalk and caught up with Hank before he reached the mercantile.

“Would you rather I wait with Mia in the diner while you speak to Big Dan?” she asked. Cora was a touchy subject between the two men, and Hank might have a few words for the fortune-teller that he'd just as soon Ruby not hear.

“Doesn't matter to me.” He opened the door and she followed him inside.

“Heard about the fire.” Big Dan stepped into view as if he'd been expecting them. “Glad no one got hurt.”

“We stopped by the sheriff's office to”—Ruby shook her head—“never mind.” He knew why they were in town.

Big Dan's Roman nose twitched. “You found Cora.”

“In Amarillo,” Hank said.

“And . . .” The merchant's bug eyes swung between Ruby and Hank.

He doesn't know
.

“She died six days ago.” That was all Hank intended to say on the subject. He looked at Ruby. “I'll be in the diner.” Then he left the store.

Big Dan's eyes watered. “Tell me everything.”

This time the little man depended on Ruby for information about Cora, rather than the other way around.

“Cora was living in a rented motel room when she suffered a stroke. She never fully recovered, so she was placed in a nursing home, where she contracted pneumonia. When Hank and I got there, she'd already been moved to the hospice wing.”

“She deserved better.” He retreated behind the counter, where he sat stooped over on the stool.

“Cora was offered better, but she snubbed her nose at it.”

Big Dan nodded, his stare distant and empty.

“Hank spread her ashes beneath the rosebushes at the ranch.”

“She'd be proud of you for taking care of Hank.”

“I'm not doing it for Cora.” That was the God's honest truth. Ruby would watch over Hank for herself. Their relationship had gotten off to a rocky start, but the old man had claimed a piece of her heart. When the time came for their final goodbye, she'd be at his side. “I better go.”

“Ruby?”

“What?”

“I'm here if you need to talk.”

The ache that had been stuck in her throat since Joe left slid down and settled in her chest. “Thanks.” Although she appreciated the offer, Ruby would not be using her mother's confidant as her own.

She cut across the street to the diner. The place was crowded with oil workers and ranch hands. She approached the lunch counter, where Hank sipped water and Mia flirted with a young roughneck.

“Too bad about the fire, Ruby,” Jimmy said.

“Thanks.” She sat on the stool next to her daughter, then leaned behind her and tapped the young man on his shoulder. “How old are you?”

He flung a ten-dollar bill onto the counter and left the diner.

“We were just talking, Mom.”

“Talk to boys your own age.”

“He said he had a fourteen-year-old sister, right, Grandpa?”

Hank nodded.

“C'mon, Mia.” Ruby touched Hank's shoulder. “We'll wait by the truck.” She followed Mia out the door and almost ran into Stony. “Go on.” Ruby handed the keys to Mia. “I'll catch up.”

“I assume you'll be giving me your two weeks' notice.”

Before the fire Ruby had tossed around the idea of working at the bar until Mia began school. Then she'd planned to stay home with Hank and work on the house renovations. “Who says I'm quitting?”

Stony frowned. “Didn't think you'd stick around after the fire.”

“You should know I don't scare easily.” The threats might force them to relocate until it was safe to return, but no one was going to steal her and Mia's new home from them.

“I heard about Cora.” He opened the door and Hank stepped outside. “My condolences,” Stony said, then entered the Airstream.

“It's hot out here,” Mia complained when Ruby and Hank reached the pickup.

“I'll drive.” Hank took the keys from Mia and slid behind the wheel.

“If you intend to keep driving, you need to get your eyes checked,” Ruby said.

“I can see the road fine. Just don't see good at night anymore.”

Ruby added an eye doctor appointment to the mental to-do list with Hank's name at the top of it. If he intended to chauffeur Mia places, she'd insist he have his cataracts removed. Until then it was reassuring that he drove well below the speed limit.

Three miles outside of town they passed the first oil pumps. The nodding donkeys brought back memories of the afternoon Joe had given her and Mia a ride to the ranch. She'd almost had it all with Joe and there was no use pretending Joe hadn't hurt her by giving up on them so easily.

Ruby shot forward in her seat, abruptly jerked from her reverie. “What was that?”

“Damn fool hit us.”

She checked the side mirror and spotted a dark sedan riding their bumper. She leaned across the seat and pressed the button for the flashers. “Ease onto the shoulder and let him pass.”

Hank slowed down and moved over in the lane. The car refused to go around them. “What a jerk. Tap your brakes,” she said.

Before Hank moved his foot to the brake, the sedan hit their bumper again.

“What's going on?” Mia removed her iPod earbuds and glanced out the rear window.

“We've got trouble.” Ruby leaned over the seat and pressed her hand against Mia's shoulder. “Stay down.” Ruby stared out the back. “I can't get a good look at the driver's face.”

The car moved into the oncoming lane. “Be careful. He's sneaking up next to you.” Ruby pulled her cell phone from her purse and called 911—still close enough to town to get a signal.

She relayed their location and the situation to the operator, who assured her that help was on the way. “Nice and easy,” Ruby said after the sedan was forced to fall behind them when an approaching vehicle passed by. Ruby prayed Hank's pacemaker would withstand the stress and the three of them wouldn't end up in a cow pasture.

“Slow down some more,” Ruby said. Hank let the speed drop to thirty miles per hour. “He's backing off.” Then suddenly the sedan swerved toward the shoulder. “He's heading back the other way. You've got to follow him.” Ruby didn't want the bastard getting away.

By the time Hank turned around, the sedan was a speck on the horizon. “Can this thing go any faster?” Ruby asked.

Hank pressed the gas pedal to the floor and the truck sputtered and coughed its way up to fifty-five miles per hour.

Mia stared out the rear window. “Here come the cops.”

The blue-and-red flashing lights were gaining on them.

When the patrol car pulled alongside them, Ruby leaned across Hank and shouted, “It's a black sedan with dark tint on the windows!” The officer sped off.

“I didn't catch any numbers on the license plate.” Ruby glanced at her daughter. “Did you?”

Mia shook her head. “Nope.”

Hank leaned forward, his nose bumping the steering wheel.

“The cop pulled him over.” Ruby waited until Hank parked behind the patrol car. Then she got out of the pickup. “Stay here.”

The officer signaled Ruby. “Ma'am, I need you to get back in your vehicle.”

“Call Sheriff Mike Carlyle or Deputy Paul Randall in Unforgiven. They're investigating an arson fire at Hank McArthur's ranch. That might be the guy they're after.”

The patrolman leaned down and spoke to the driver. A second later the sedan's car door opened and the driver stepped out.

Ruby gaped when she recognized Randall. “You're the one who's been sabotaging Hank's ranch?”

The highway patrolman walked over to Ruby. “I don't know anything about an arson complaint. Deputy Randall claims he attempted to pull you over for speeding, but you refused to cooperate. Is that true?”

“He's lying.” She pointed to Hank. “My father was driving fifteen miles below the limit when Deputy Randall rammed the back end of our truck. Go see for yourself. The bumper's probably dented.”

The officer ignored her suggestion. “Deputy Randall says he tapped the bumper when your vehicle drifted into the oncoming lane.”

Holy hell. Randall was going to talk his way out of this and there wasn't a damned thing she could do. “We never crossed the center line.”

“The deputy insists he stopped pursuing you because he was afraid of causing an accident.”

Ruby wanted to slap the smug look off of Randall's face.

“So you're going to believe his version of the story when he's not even in uniform?” Randall had changed clothes before coming after them.

“An off-duty officer has the right to enforce the law.” The patrolman slipped on his sunglasses. “Deputy Randall has offered to let you go with a warning this time.”

“How generous.”

The highway patrolman returned to Randall's car and spoke to him. Once the deputy took off, the patrolman said, “Ma'am, I suggest you continue on your way and watch your driving. Consider yourself lucky that you didn't get a ticket.” He sped away.

“What happened?” Mia asked when Ruby got in on the passenger side.

“Unfrickin' believable.” She looked at Hank, who still clutched the steering wheel. “Randall told the patrolman that you were driving recklessly and he tapped your bumper to get you to pull off the road. When you didn't, he let you go to avoid an accident.”

“What a jerk,” Mia said.

Jerk
was too nice of a word to describe the deputy.

“Now what?” Hank asked.

“We head back to town to speak to the sheriff.”

And this time the lawman wasn't going to brush off her concerns.