Ruby didn’t slow her mare until she reached her sister’s house.
Patricia raced outside with her husband and held the horse while Michael helped Mercy down, then he reached for Ruby.
“Be careful with her,” Mercy cried out.
“Are you hurt?” Michael asked, alarmed
“She’s pregnant.” A mixture of concern and fright filled Mercy’s wide eyes. She glanced back the way they’d come. “Harrison is after her. He’s plenty mad, and I’m scared.”
Ruby slid her frozen limbs from the horse until Michael caught her and eased her down.
Though her father had essentially arranged Patricia’s marriage, she’d been lucky. Michael was one of the sweetest guys Ruby knew. He was a gentle giant who always had a quick smile and a kind word for everyone.
“Aw, Harrison will settle down, don’t you worry,” Michael said. “Andrew stayed over last night. Harrison won’t get past us. Let’s get you ladies inside.”
“Please put Blaze away,” Ruby pleaded, fearing what her father might do in his uncontrolled rage. She’d seen his anger before, but never, never like this.
“My brother will put her in the barn,” Michael said.
Ruby tried to take a step, but her knees buckled. Michael caught her, then swept her into his arms as if she were a child.
Patricia helped Mercy up the steps, and once they were all inside the house, she brought out blankets and added another log onto the fire. Tucking a blanket around Ruby, Patricia drew back with a frown. “Poor child. Your nose is beet red, and your lips are blue with cold.” She rubbed Ruby’s arms vigorously. “I’ll get a hot water bottle and put on a kettle for tea.”
Huddled on the couch next to her mother, Ruby watched her sister hurry around. With dark blond curls that framed a delicate face, Patricia wasn’t quite as tall or athletic as Ruby. Where Ruby was outspoken, Patricia was the sweet, long-suffering companion to her husband. They were well-suited for each other, and it was beyond anyone’s understanding why they hadn’t been blessed with a houseful of children yet. Michael had even built a home with plenty of bedrooms. Ruby had often wondered if those empty rooms were bitter reminders.
Michael locked the doors and drew the curtains. He woke his brother, who quickly pulled on overalls and ran to secure Blaze in the barn.
Ruby was still so cold she couldn’t speak. Her teeth chattered, and she couldn’t control her shivering. Her mother pulled her close, and as she did, a sharp pain erupted in Ruby’s side. Something wasn’t right. She smoothed a trembling hand around her softly rounded abdomen.
The child Ruby carried was a part of Niccolò. If she could never hold her beloved in her arms again, at least she could cradle their baby, created with the purity of their love. Such a child would be a wonder and a blessing—not the ugly word her father had hurled at her. If she lost this baby now, she would be devastated.
Outside, truck tires crunched on the gravel driveway, and an engine backfired. Sitting beside Ruby, Mercy yelped and clutched her closer. Ruby prayed her father would calm down, but then she heard him yelling outside the house, and a new fear seized her.
This madness was all her fault. She’d driven her father insane.
“Patricia, get them into a bedroom,” Michael said grimly, letting his brother through the back door before locking it. “Andrew and I will handle your father.”
Chapter 25
Texas Hill Country, 1953
* * *
Ruby stared at the barren, frostbitten hills from the bedroom window of her sister’s home, where she’d been staying since seeking shelter from her father a week ago. Another round of coughing racked her body, and she fought to catch her breath.
Outside of her room, a door slammed, and she recoiled under the thick blanket. She could still hear the deafening argument between her father and brother-in-law that had shaken the walls. Pulling the quilt that Patricia had made up to her neck, she listened to voices in the hallway.
Her mother opened the door. “Ruby, Doc Schmidt is here.” Mercy held the door for the old country doctor.
Doc Schmidt shuffled in. “Miss Ruby, I hear you have a bad cough.”
“Among other conditions,” Mercy said, throwing a pointed look at Ruby. “She says she was married in a church, though.”
“Yes, I was, Mama, and I can speak for myself.” Ruby turned to the gray-haired physician who’d delivered her in her parents’ bed, but a coughing fit seized her before she could speak.
“There, there.” The doctor latched on his stethoscope and began listening to her back and chest. While he continued checking her vitals, Ruby told him about her pregnancy.
Doc nodded. “Any problems so far?”
Ruby shook her head. “I was fine before I caught this cold.”
“Don’t forget to tell him about the blood,” Mercy said softly.
Drawing his eyebrows together, Doc continued his exam. “Babies are always a blessing,” he said in a pleasant tone that had likely comforted many mothers before her. “Who’s the lucky father?”
Ruby told him about Niccolò and her marriage in Italy, while her mother sat in a chair and fretted with a cotton handkerchief. Her thin shoulders shivered.
“And will he be joining you soon?” Doc asked.
Ruby clenched her jaw, unsure of what to say. “He was delayed.”
“Oh? I hope not too long.”
Ruby pressed her fingers to the corners of her eyes to stem sudden tears. In the corner, her mother cleared her throat.
The doctor paused and looked between them. “Is there a problem?”
“Her husband suffered an accident,” Mercy said softly. “Ruby is alone now.”
“We’re not sure,” Ruby managed to say. “I haven’t heard from him.”
“It’s been months,” Mercy added.
If Niccolò were alive, Ruby believed he would have contacted her. But now, so much time had passed. There could be no other explanation.
Doc shook his head. “Such a young widow. I’m truly sorry. I’ll do everything I can for you and your baby.”
Widow. Ruby gagged at the label. Is that what I am? Her chest constricted in anguish, and she squeezed her eyes against this probable truth. Ruby covered her face, unable to process this likelihood as its gravity left her void of breath. Yet, with every passing day, the probability increased.
The doctor talked to Ruby about her lung condition, calling it pneumonia. “This is serious, but fortunately, you’re young. Get plenty of rest and fluids, and call me if it worsens. As for your pregnancy, if you want a healthy baby, you’ll need complete bed rest.”
The doctor went on to say things that Ruby didn’t understand, though her mother listened with a solemn expression.
“We’ll make sure she stays in bed, Doc.” Mercy stood to see him out.
Bed rest. As much as Ruby hated staying off her feet, she would do anything for this child.
Outside the door, Ruby could hear her mother and the doctor talking. She could only make out a few words Doc said. “Several years…presumption of death…in order to remarry…or adoption.”