Ruby's Rhapsody by Vicki Hunt Budge

Author:Vicki Hunt Budge [Budge, Vicki Hunt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eastwood Press
Published: 2019-08-21T04:00:00+00:00

Early Saturday morning, Ruby bundled up in warm clothes and a heavy shawl to help Nathan attend to the animals and milk the cow. Her youngest sisters stayed snuggled in their beds. Nathan placed a cap on his head and wore an extra flannel shirt and followed her. Mrs. Gardner and Belle were getting a fire started in the cookstove and starting to prepare breakfast.

“Did you hear Gunner barking last night?” Ruby asked as she milked the cow and Nathan mucked out one of the empty stalls. She had already done enough work that her shawl had come off and hung on a peg.

“I did,” Nathan said. “I thought I’d take a look around this morning as soon as it’s light.”

“Gunner seldom barks without a good reason,” Ruby said.

By the time they finished milking the cow, gathering eggs, and making sure all the animals had food and water for the day, a reddish sunrise filled in the eastern sky. Ruby wrapped up in her shawl again, and she and Nathan walked around the barn and other outbuildings, looking for anything amiss. Gunner ran ahead of them and found a spot near the corral where he sniffed and barked excitedly. Ruby and Nathan hurried over and examined the ground.

“Mountain lion,” Nathan said.

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked. She knelt by a set of large prints in the dirt. “Could it be a big dog?”

Nathan placed his hand by the paw prints. “It would have to have been a huge dog,” he said, pointing out Gunner’s paw prints as the dog sniffed around. “See how much bigger this print is than Gunner’s? And there’s no claw or paw marks. Mountain lions retract their claws unless they’re using them.”

Ruby let out a shudder. “We’d better make sure the younger girls stay in the house until we leave for town.”

“Good idea,” Nathan said, taking Ruby’s hand and helping her stand. “We’ll secure the animals and leave Gunner in charge when we leave. Gunner’s a smart dog and pretty alert. He’ll protect the place. I know your ma wants to leave early and take care of some errands she has in town. I need to take care of a few things for school next week and help set up for the dance.”

At the mention of the dance, Nathan gave Ruby’s hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. And then he gave her one of his stoic looks. Ruby was already reeling from the touch of his hand holding hers. His piercing dark eyes looking into hers, made her heart feel even more faint. She turned and started walking back to the barn, but then a thought suddenly came to her mind and she stopped, causing Nathan to bump into her. “Sorry,” Ruby said, turning and finding him uncomfortably close, “but I was just thinking . . .”

“About what?” Nathan asked.

“Well, about the dance.”

“What about the dance?” Nathan’s voice suddenly grew softer, his eyes even more intense.

“Well, I really like playing accompaniment for you, but why don’t you .

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