Page 58 of Heart & Hope

The air leaves my lungs as my head pops up. And all I can do is stare.

Ruby stands, bag in hand, at the end of the table. Addy beams at her. Mack gives her a small wave.

“You are not late! Not at all. Come sit,” Ma says.

Ruby doesn’t move; instead, she looks directly at Pa.

“Harry.”

“Ruby.”

Every gaze alternates between the two. And then Harry says, “Right here, darlin’. Louisa saved you a spot.”

Ruby walks around the back of our bench seat and sinks onto the old wood between me and Harry. “Thanks,” she breathes in the old man’s direction before turning to face me.

“I—What . . . what are you doing here, Rubes?”

“I took some leave. I’m here to help.”

I can’t say a damn word. A stone forms rapidly in my airway as she drops her bag by the chair. “This all smells wonderful; I’m starving.”

“Well, dig in, sweetheart, there’s plenty to go round.” Ma picks up the salad servers, handing them to Addy, and passes the potatoes to me.

“Thanks, Lou,” Ruby says.

My heart thunders a million miles a minute. Harry and Ruby must have buried the hatchet by the looks of things. And her being here is absolutely fucking everything.

I load food onto my plate and Hudson chuckles. “Share some with Ruby, brother. She came a long way for you.”

Addy slaps his arm, and he winks at her.

God, this family. My family.

I smile at Rubes. Her brown eyes, rich and dark and lined with adoration, meet mine as she leans into me. “I missed you, baby.” Her whisper is so soft I barely hear it.

A man has never eaten so fast in living history. I scarf down the plate of food and wait as the minutes tick past as Ruby finishes hers, chatting away to Ma. When Ruby finally wipes her mouth on the linen napkin and sets her cutlery on the center of her plate, I grab her hand and excuse us both.

Ma waves us off with a chuckle.

The car by the white gate is not Ruby’s. Unease settles in my stomach.

“That’s not your car, beautiful.”

She shrugs, letting her bag swing in her hands in front of her. “It’s a rental. I flew in this time; all that driving was getting old. I have to take it back before six tonight, to Great Falls. And...” She bites her bottom lip. “I need to meet Mary-Sue at the inn again. Can you drive me? After I drop off the car, that is?”

“Sure, whatever you need. But how are you going to get around if you don’t have a car?”

“Well, your ma offered me a room here. Butis that spare room of yours free? It will be easier to help you if I don’t have to commute between the two ranches while I’m here.”

She is giving me the cutest little cringy face. Something I’ve never seen from her before. She wants to come play house with me?

Abso-fuckin-lutely.

“Spare room is all yours. And I will happily drive youanywhere you want.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.” She nudges my shoulder with hers.

“Olive gave you leave? Or should I rephrase that. You, Ruby Robbins, took time off?” I feign a stunned expression.

---