Dear Mother,
I’m sorry to disappoint your hopes, but I do not want to be a dancer in the Golden Dawn. I have been offered a different option for my future, which was more to my liking and one in which I believe I can take care of Timmy as well, so I am taking him with me. I’m sorry about the gowns and their cost. If you hadn’t thrown away my clothes, I could have left them behind.
I will not be writing to you or letting you know where I’ve gone, but I’m not sure you would really care. I’ve tried to be a good daughter and in my own way, I do love you.
Ruby
She reread the words several times to assure herself she was giving no indication of where she was going. Then she began to gather Timmy’s clothing, bottles and several jars of food for him. She slipped everything into a small traveling case while keeping an ear open for Timmy and for her mother. She hoped they were both in a deep sleep.
Finally, with the little case packed, she began to fill a larger bag with her own items. She didn’t own many things that were worth taking beside her silver handled hairbrush and her black leather Bible a teacher had given to her in school. For a moment Ruby had forgotten about her clothes, until she opened the closet door again and remembered that her mother had taken all her serviceable clothing. There was nothing left but the ballgowns.
Ruby stepped back as if she’d been bitten. There wasn’t a single dress she felt she could wear without feeling ashamed except the dress she’d been wearing earlier in the day, but even that had a large tear up the side which she didn’t have time to mend.
With a trembling hand, she reached into the closet and moved the dresses one at a time, rejecting each one. She needed to have at least three she felt could eventually be made over into something decent. Unfortunately, she would also need to put on one of those dresses to wear all the way to Texas.
Holding her breath and with closed eyes, she reached out and grabbed one dress. No matter what, this would be the one she would wear. When she opened her eyes, dread filled her. The sleeveless white dress with its black velvet corset and bows over a layers of silk chiffon ruffles was a beautiful ballgown, but not anything a girl her age should wear to travel across the country. However, there was no other choice, so she quickly slipped into the dress.
From outside the small apartment window, she could see the sun beginning to rise which spurred her into further motion. Two more dresses, silk stockings, undergarments and leather boots, all bought by Blake went into her bag. Then finally, with a small stole wrapped around her shoulder, she woke Timmy with a whisper for him to be quiet.
His eyes flew to the door behind which his mother slept. Ruby recognized the look of fear. The boy was afraid of waking her, so he allowed Ruby to help dress him, never making a sound.
His behavior tore at her heart. He’d never been allowed to live as a normal child should. Mother insisted he be kept quiet and in the cradle most of the time. Anything would be better for Timmy than the life he’d led up until now.
Ruby could only hope that the man in Texas would accept the boy.
The last thing she noted was the ruby necklace which still lay on the sofa. She wanted to leave it behind, but knew it could be the only thing to keep her and Timmy from being destitute if Seth Miller decided he didn’t want to marry her. She also realized she couldn’t trust leaving the necklace in her travel bags. She’d have to wear it, although the thought made her cringe. Determination to save her little brother made her clasp the necklace around her neck. Grasping the small case and travel bag in one hand, she lifted Timmy onto her hip with the other hand and they quietly slipped out of the apartment.
Chapter Two
Seth Miller stood and wiped the dirt off his knees. He’d spent a half hour pulling the stray weeds off the small grave. Soon enough the rose bush beside the headstone would bloom. There was nothing more he could do here and the tears had long since stopped flowing. He shook his head and sighed.
How do I go on, Lord? It’s been a year already and all I can do is think about him. There’s nothing to fill the emptiness in my heart.
Seth ran a hand through his overly long blond hair. He hadn’t been to the barber in a quite a while; in fact, there were many things he hadn’t done or kept up with, but it was time for him to stop grieving and get back to work. Waterhole, Texas was a pretty quiet town, but he wanted to make it a family friendly town and that meant turning his sorrow into action.
The main thing Seth wanted was to close the saloon. As sheriff, he was able to arrest anyone who got out of line, drank too much or in general behaved badly, but he wasn’t the mayor and the mayor wanted to keep the saloon open.
Seth had decided the only thing he could do was run for mayor himself, in the upcoming election. He was confident he would win. Most of the folks in town were tired of the late hours, loud music and drunken cowboys who frequented the saloon and they all knew Seth was an upstanding, church-going man. As mayor, Seth could fix the problem.
