“We can stop at Dan’s restaurant to eat before we head out to my house if you’d like?” Seth seemed uncertain as he asked it.
Ruby considered it, but shook her head. “Timmy is tired and needs a place to rest.” She tried to judge Seth’s reaction to her words, but he simply nodded.
“I’ve got a wagon at the house, but we can rent one at the blacksmith for today.” Seth explained.
Ruby shrunk inside. “How far is it? We could walk.”
“My place is only a mile outside of town, but that’s too far to walk with a tired baby, today.” Seth seemed to take command on the issue which gave Ruby some relief.
“I don’t want to be a burden.” She whispered, so the pastor wouldn’t hear.
Seth reached over, took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “That’s not the way I feel about you. Remember, I had the choice to marry you or not. You’re my wife now and I don’t plan to make my wife walk that far.”
Ruby giggled. “I appreciate that, Seth. A mile isn’t far though. I walked at least a mile or more every day of my childhood to get to school.”
“Well, today has been long enough for everyone, including Timmy. Today we will ride in a wagon.” Seth stated. “Stay here with the pastor.” He left the building.
Ruby wasn’t sure what to do or say. The pastor must have already formed an opinion of her and she wasn’t sure how to act.
“I’m sorry you won’t be able to meet my wife. You won’t be here long before she’ll have a welcoming committee visit you.”
Ruby eyes opened wide. “How will Seth feel about that?” she blurted out.
The pastor tilted his head slightly. “Seth? There shouldn’t be any problem.” The man stared at her a moment. “How well do you know him?”
She nibbled her lip. She wasn’t sure whether Seth had told this man about her from her letters.
“Seth will be only too happy for you to have visitors. He knows every woman in town. Most of them have helped him from time to time with his son…” The pastor’s voice faded. He met her eyes. “I shouldn’t have said anything about that.”
“I know he had a son.”
The pastor nodded.
“I’ll wait for Seth to tell me all about him.”
Pastor Joshua took her hand in his and patted it. “I think that’s best. When Seth is ready to talk about him, he’ll need someone sympathetic to hear.”
Just then they heard the sound of a wagon outside the door. Pastor Joshua walked beside her and opened the door. Seth was sitting on the buckboard seat, her travel bags in the back of the wagon. When Seth saw the church door open, he jumped off the wagon and came around to help her up on the other side.
Joshua held Timmy until Ruby was settled on the seat, then handed the boy up to her. She lifted Timmy’s arm up and waved it. “Say bye-bye, Timmy.”
Timmy made a small sound almost like a laugh. Ruby was happy to hear it. Just a few days away from his real mother and his true personality was beginning to flourish. She was excited, knowing that over the next few months he was going to really start talking.
She felt the wagon seat lower as Seth got back on the wagon. There was one horse which moved slowly when Seth snapped the reins. Ruby sat very still, one hand around Timmy, the other hand clutching the skirt of her new pink dress.
***
Seth didn’t speak as he drove the wagon. He could sense Ruby was anxious by the way she held her skirt in a vice-like grip. However, her curiosity in her surroundings caused her head to turn from side to side, taking in everything in town and the landscape on the way to his home.
He’d forgotten how much his first wife had hated the house. She’d considered it too small, too far from town and the town too boring. Seth glanced at his new wife from the corner of his eye. She was lovely, with long wavy brown hair and in the pink calico, she looked sweet.
Clothing doesn’t change a person’s heart. The thought flashed through his mind causing him to tense up and grasp the reins tightly. But… I assumed things about Ruby based on the clothes she came to town in. I need to get to know who she really is. Seth kept his eyes straight ahead and lifted a prayer to help him.
As they drew near to his home, Seth slowed the horse. He wanted to give Ruby time to see everything and adjust to her surroundings. When the wagon was about twenty foot from the front porch, Seth pulled the reins and stopped the horse. He waited a few seconds then said, “This is my house. I know it isn’t much.” He paused. “Do you… do you want to turn around and go back to town? Or I can take you to stay with Joshua and Dan, or even Sam and Mark Carlin. They have the big house we passed on the way here.”
***
Ruby had been enjoying the scenery as they traveled away from town. She was glad they didn’t have to live right in the town. It had seemed so dirty and dusty. But, out here, things were fresh and clean. Further ahead, there was what looked to her like a mountain, but in Texas was probably considered a hill. Most of it was covered in the lovely bluebonnets she’d seen in the paintings earlier.
I wonder if they smell sweet?
They passed a large, white home which Ruby felt was a bit too much home for the small western town. She’d ask Seth later, who owned it.
She noted that Seth was very quiet,
