The Best of Me, page 17
And then she heard voices behind her that did not bode well. She remembered Elliot’s warning about sharp tongues, as she recognized the voices. Mary Faye Giles and Petula Young—best friends who lived up by the golf course. She’d seen them at the service, and she knew their tendency for gossip and snark was at the top of their list of fun things to do.
“I heard Ruby will be looking for someone to adopt the girl,” Mary Faye said.
“Oh really? I just assumed she and Peanut would keep her,” Petula drawled.
Mary Faye snorted. “They’re a little long in the tooth for parenthood, if you ask me. But I’m just telling you what I heard.”
“There are people who would pay big money for a kid that pretty,” Petula said.
Ruby turned abruptly. “Carlie, wait here,” she said, and walked five steps back and pointed a finger in both women’s faces. “Both of you. Shut your mouths and I better not ever hear that again,” she said softly.
Mary Faye suddenly realized she’d just insulted her hair stylist and began trying to backtrack. “I’m sorry, Ruby. I just—”
Petula was also anxious. She didn’t want to be driving all the way to Savannah to get her hair done. “I misspoke, too,” she mumbled.
Ruby turned and walked back to Carlie, took her hand, and kept walking. It was only after they got to the car that Carlie asked, “What happened, Miss Ruby?”
“Nothing, baby. It had nothing to do with us. We’re fine,” she said. She got in the front seat with Carlie in her lap, and then she put the key in the ignition and started the car so the air conditioner would come on.
Ruby was angry and trying to hide it. “Do you want a drink of water?” she asked.
Carlie nodded and took the bottle of water and drank thirstily and then handed it back.
“Is Mama’s buryin’ over?” she asked.
Ruby nodded.
Carlie leaned against Ruby’s shoulder.
“What happens to Mama and her little house?”
Ruby hesitated. This is what I’ve been dreading. “They will put it in the ground for safekeeping.”
Carlie’s eyes widened. “How will she breathe?” she whispered.
Ruby patted Carlie’s leg and snuggled her closer. “She doesn’t need breath now. Remember?”
Carlie shuddered. “Because she died?”
Ruby sighed. “Yes, darling. Because she died. This is what that means.”
Carlie felt the knot in her chest getting tighter and harder, and there were tears burning the back of her throat. When they finally bubbled over into her eyes, she let go again, weeping for what was gone and knowing it was never coming back.
Chapter 11
Peanut excused himself from all the well-wishers and headed for the chief’s patrol car as the mourners began getting back into their vehicles and driving away. The chief was directing traffic as Peanut walked up behind him.
“Hey, Lon. They said you have a message for me.”
“Oh, yes…we got a call at the office this morning.” Lon handed him the paper with the message and the info on it. “It was from a man named Bart Carlson. Said he and Shirley Duroy worked for the same CPA company. Anyway, this is the message, and his contact info if you happen to need it.”
Peanut remembered that name. It was the man Shirley warned them might make a claim on Carlie for the money.
“Thanks,” he said, and put the paper in his pocket. “I’ll read it with Ruby later. I think we need to get our girl home, but I wanted to thank you for you and your men serving as pallbearers. That was unexpected, and most touching,” he said.
Lon nodded. “She came to us for help, but we couldn’t save her. It was the least that we could do. You’re all in our prayers,” he added. “Take care.”
“Thanks,” Peanut said, and then headed back to the car.
When he saw Ruby and Carlie both in the front seat, he knew there were tears, but it was to be expected. Hell. He cried when his mama died, and he was a full-grown man when that happened.
He got in the driver’s seat, shut the door, and then leaned over and gave both of them a quick hug.
“Miss Carlie, you were very brave today. Your mama would be proud of you,” he said, and handed the both of them a handful of tissues.
“She’s going to sit in my lap with me,” Ruby said, and began wiping Carlie’s face as Peanut started the car and drove out of the cemetery.
Ruby gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Mr. Ruby is right. You are a very brave girl, and the rest of today is for celebrating your mama’s life and what a special woman she was. All day today, every time you think of something special about her, I want you to tell us the story. Tell us the funny stuff, even the sad stuff, if you want. Tell us what your favorite things to do were. We’re just going to talk about Mama whenever you want, because it is better to celebrate a life than to mourn a death.”
“Okay,” Carlie said.
She missed having Hoppy to hug, so she pulled Miss Ruby’s arms around her instead and held on as they drove. She closed her eyes, just to rest them, and the last thing she remembered was how good Miss Ruby smelled, and how smooth and soft the skin was on her arms.
She was asleep when they got back to the house. Peanut carried her into her room, took off her shoes, and tucked Hoppy in her arms, while Ruby covered her up.
“She needs to sleep worse than she needs lunch,” Ruby whispered as they went across the hall to change clothes, and she backed up to Peanut for help unzipping her dress. She didn’t have to ask, and he didn’t need prompting. He just stopped what he was doing, unzipped the dress, then leaned down and kissed the back of her neck.
“My beautiful Ruby. Do you want me to go pick up some food somewhere?”
Ruby shook her head. “The other day Carlie and I had such a good time having cookies and lemonade in the gazebo that I think having lunch out there today is the perfect shift from where we’ve been.”
“Oh, good idea, sweetheart. What can I do to help?”
“You can taste test,” Ruby said, and winked.
“My favorite job,” he said, and hurried to finish changing.
A short while later, they were in the kitchen.
Ruby grinned and then turned around and began digging out lunch meat and cheeses from the refrigerator, while Peanut got the bread and mayo.
“Do we do lettuce and tomatoes?” he asked.
“A little lettuce on Carlie’s but no tomatoes.”
He nodded, and then they began making sandwiches and piled them on a platter, then wrapped it in plastic wrap and set it aside. Then they bagged up chips, cookies, and a handful of napkins and packed all of it into a big picnic basket.
“What are we drinking?” he asked.
“I’ll take a Coke, and lemonade for Carlie.”
Peanut finished packing up the basket and then turned around.
“What else do we need?” he asked.
“Our girl,” Ruby said, and they went to get her.
As they approached her door, they heard Carlie talking and paused in the hall to listen.
“Okay, dolly… Your name isn’t Shirley anymore. Shirley is gone. Your name is Girl, and we’re going to the park. Playing at the park is fun. We swing and go down the slide, and sometimes our friends come and play with us. And we have picnics in the gazebo with Miss Ruby.”
“Oh no,” Ruby whispered. “I asked her the other day what she named her doll and she said it was a secret. Now I know why. The doll was a stand-in for her mama, and the hard truth of the funeral has ended the fantasy that Shirley could ever come back.”
Peanut slipped his arm around her and gave her a quick hug.
“I love you, Ruby. We can do whatever it takes to help her, but ultimately, it will be Carlie who shows us she’s ready to move on.”
“I love you too,” Ruby said. “And you’re right. You’re always right when it comes to calm and reason.”
She turned in Peanut’s arms and leaned into his kiss, then smiled when he turned her loose with a little swat to her backside.
“Cutest little butt in Blessings,” he said.
Ruby smirked. “If you say so,” she drawled. “Now let’s get Carlie and get that picnic started.”
Carlie was sitting on the spare bed talking to Hoppy and Girl when they walked in. She’d taken off her Easter dress and was in shorts and a T-shirt.
“Picnic is ready. We’re heading to the gazebo,” Ruby said.
Carlie’s eyes widened as she jumped off the bed.
“Are you hungry, honey?” Ruby asked.
Carlie nodded.
“Then off we go,” Ruby said, and smiled to herself when Carlie bolted out ahead of her, her bare feet making little slapping sounds on the hardwood as she ran.
Peanut laughed at her.
“Hey, sugar… You don’t always have to be barefoot when you go outside. It’s just a good idea when we’re watering stuff.”
Carlie shook her head. “I have to be barefoot so I can feel where the fairies have been walking.”
“Is that so?” Peanut said.
She nodded.
“Then barefoot it is,” he said, and kicked off his shoes.
Ruby laughed. “I’m not going to be the only one with shoes,” she said, and left hers by the door.
“I’ve got the basket,” Peanut said.
“I’ll get the door,” Ruby said, and opened it wide.
Carlie went through first, tiptoeing off the patio because the concrete was hot beneath her feet and then bouncing when she hit the grass.
Before long, the trio was in the shade of the gazebo with their picnic spread out before them, watching birds in the birdbaths, the squirrels in the bird feeders, and hummingbirds in the flowers.
The beauty of their surroundings and the food they were eating was a welcome diversion from the morning they’d had. Once they were finished, Ruby gathered up the bits of bread crusts that Carlie had picked off her sandwich, wrapped them in a napkin, and handed them to her.
“Why don’t you go scatter these crusts out beneath the big oak. The birds will love them.”
“’Kay,” Carlie said, and left the gazebo for the path that led her straight beneath the trees at the corner of the yard.
Peanut was sitting, watching her, when he remembered the message Lon Pittman had given him.
“Hey, honey, I almost forgot. The chief had a message for us. Remember that man Shirley warned you about in her letter…Bart Carlson?”
“Yes. Oh lord, please tell me he’s not going to be a problem.”
“It doesn’t appear so. He called the police station because he didn’t have contact info for us, and basically just sent his condolences and how to locate him in case we ever needed financial help taking care of Carlie. Here, read for yourself.”
Ruby scanned the message quickly, then breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. I guess Shirley read him wrong.”
“I guess,” Peanut said. “At any rate, I do not detect any kind of threat or trouble in this.”
“Neither do I,” Ruby said, and handed him back the message.
“I’ll put it in Carlie’s file,” Peanut said, and then turned to see what Carlie was doing.
She was on the other side of the yard. It appeared she had already tossed the bread and meandered off to the azalea bushes and was on her hands and knees, poking around beneath them.
“I wonder what’s she doing?” Ruby asked.
Peanut grinned. “Oh, she’s convinced fairies live there. She’s always looking for tiny footprints in the dirt beneath.”
“Oh my,” Ruby said. “The belief in magic is one of the joys of childhood.”
“Making love with you is magic and the joy of my life,” Peanut said.
Ruby sighed. “Keep talking pretty to me, darlin’, and you might get lucky tonight.”
He grinned. “It had already crossed my mind.”
Ruby laughed, then got up, circled the table, and sat down in his lap and put her arms around his neck.
“Now, you know Widow Parsons can see into this backyard from her upstairs window, so don’t do anything that will scandalize her.”
Peanut threw back his head and laughed, then wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of Ruby’s neck until she was laughing and squealing and telling him to stop.
Carlie paused from her investigations and crawled around the azalea bush on her knees until she could see the gazebo, and rocked back on her heels. Mr. Ruby was kissing Miss Ruby and she was laughing.
Carlie sat, listening to the joy, and wanted to be a part of that, but she didn’t know how. Being here was too new, and they were still strangers. But it made her feel good.
She got up, brushed off her hands and knees, and then took off for the rose garden to see the bees. If she stood real still and watched very close, she could see the bees crawling deep into the petals and coming out with little yellow dust on their legs. Then they’d fly over to other flowers and crawl into them, too, and come out with even more yellow dust on their tiny legs. She thought it made them look like they were wearing yellow socks.
She wondered where they went when they flew away. Maybe they were going home. If they were, did the yellow dust fall off on the way?
She was still in the garden when Peanut got up and carried their picnic stuff back into the house, leaving Ruby in the gazebo, watching Carlie flitting about her garden like the bees and hummingbirds.
***
The ambulances were gone from the Daltry property. The county sheriff’s car was gone, following along behind them, and Deborah was about a quarter mile from home when her cell phone rang. When she saw it was her mom, she sighed. She’d been gone a long time and guessed Maggie was worried. She answered quickly.
“Hey… I’m almost home,” Deborah said.
“Thank goodness,” Maggie said. “You were gone so long I thought something had happened.”
“Something did happen, but I’m fine. I’ll tell you all about it when I get there.”
“Okay,” Maggie said, and disconnected.
Deborah accelerated up the long drive leading to their house, and when she finally pulled up and parked, she relaxed.
Home had never looked so good. She ran up the steps onto the front porch, entering the house in long, hurried steps.
Maggie came out of the kitchen.
“You have been gone more than three hours. What happened?”
“Give me a minute,” Deborah said, and went to the sink to wash up, then drank a full glass of water before she stopped and dried off. “Oh my God,” she muttered, and sat down at the table.
Maggie sat. “I’m waiting.”
Deborah didn’t pull any punches. “Two men were on Ladd’s property. They walked in on me while I was in the barn, obviously intent on taking whatever they could from the place because they knew Ladd was in the hospital.”
Maggie gasped. “You saw them?”
Deborah grinned. “More or less,” and then proceeded to tell her what happened—from the frantic climb up into the barn loft to watching the county sheriff and two ambulances driving away.
Maggie’s eyes welled. “You could have been killed.”
“Pretty sure that’s not what they had in mind,” Deborah said. “But this is what’s dangerous about living alone anymore…especially in the country. And it’s solidified something I’ve been considering. Dad’s death and then this confirmed it. If I came home to live and work, would you still stay on the farm?”
Maggie gasped. “Oh, honey! I don’t want you to give up your career to satisfy a whim.”
Deborah frowned. “Mom! You and home are not whims. You’re all I have in this world. And my career is the kind that travels well. There are vet clinics within ten miles north and south of Blessings, and there are never enough vets.”
Maggie started crying. “I don’t know what I did to deserve such a good daughter, but this would be wonderful!”
Deborah smiled. “Then it’s settled. And I want you to know, saying this aloud and you being in agreement takes such a burden from me. I want to be here when you need me every day. Not just when the disasters happen. And I miss being here. Louisville was the place I needed to be at the time, but not anymore. I’ll call the clinic there in the next few days, and I’ll have to deal with my furniture and my apartment, but I’m staying here.” Then she reached across the table and grabbed her mother’s hands. “We can do this.”
Maggie’s eyes welled. “Thank you, baby.”
“You’re welcome, Mom. Now, do we go into Blessings, deal with the funeral home stuff, and then grab something to eat at Granny’s, or eat here and then go?”
“There’s not much funeral home stuff to deal with,” Maggie said. “I knew this day was coming. I did all of the hard stuff over a year ago. All there is left now is to just take them the clothes they’ll need to bury him in and set the day and time.”
Deborah nodded. “I should have known. You are always prepared.”
“Well, I’m not prepared to talk to a bunch of people today,” Maggie said. “Let’s eat here and then go. I made potato salad and fried bacon. We can make bacon and tomato sandwiches.”
“Sounds delicious,” Deborah said. “And I will need to stop by the hospital and check on Ladd. I’ll have to let him know what happened on his place this morning. It’s going to bug him, not being able to be there to tend to things, but even after he goes home he won’t be able to tend to livestock for a while. So I won’t be doing any job hunting until he’s well. Someone has to help take care of him, and we’re the closest and oldest friends.”
Maggie nodded.
“I’ll stay in the car when you do all that.”
