Chapter 2

Peanut rode in the front seat. After asking for details, learning Ruby’s abductor was her ex-husband, and finding out she hadn’t been the one bleeding, he went silent for miles. He knew she’d been married before, but she’d never once mentioned her ex’s name. Now he was a reality they both had to face.

Lon drove with his lights flashing all the way to the Interstate 16 connection, which took over an hour. When they reached the interstate, he took the northbound route, turned on the siren too, and accelerated.

Peanut sent a message to Laurel Lorde, the woman who cleaned his house, to please change the sheets in his guest room and make sure there were fresh towels in the adjoining bath. Ruby couldn’t go back to her home the way it was, and while he hadn’t invited her to be his guest just yet, he was hedging his bets in case she accepted. While he was waiting for Laurel to text him back, he was trying to gather his thoughts, but it was hard to focus. He kept thinking of how quickly their lives had been turned on end, and how close they’d all come to losing Ruby today.

A few minutes later, Laurel returned a text, letting him know she’d received the instructions. Now that that had been taken care of, he dropped the phone back in his jacket pocket and looked up. The scenery out the side window was a blur.

Despite the raucous sound of the siren’s scream and the flashing lights, they quickly faded from consciousness and became nothing more than background music to the drama in which they’d been caught. The lights and siren sent cars veering off the highway onto the shoulder, giving the cop car all the leeway needed as Lon flew past.

Peanut didn’t look at the people in the cars. He didn’t want to see their curious glances or disgruntled faces from drivers who had been forced to stop. Everyone was always in such a hurry to get someplace. They needed to slow down, think about the people they loved, and let them know it before it was too late. Life was too short to waste. He was still thinking about Ruby when something else occurred to him.

“Hey, Lon, what do you think the odds are of this going to trial?” Peanut asked.

“I don’t know,” the chief answered. “A sane man would get a lawyer and plead out. He was caught with her, and might get a worse sentence once Ruby got on the stand to testify.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Peanut said.

“Why do you ask?” Lon said.

“I’d have to ask someone else to advise her because there’s no way I could be rational about the kidnapper. It would take every ounce of control I had not to break his neck.”

“Can I ask you something personal?” Lon asked.

Peanut sighed. “If you want to know if there’s anything between Ruby and me, I’d say yes and she’d say no, because everything I feel for her has been left unsaid.”

Lon frowned. “But why? I see you guys together a lot. I just thought—”

“That’s because I volunteer for every damn committee she’s on so we can meet for lunch and so I can take pizza over to her house at night while we’re planning the next agenda.”

Lon grinned. “What’s the holdup?”

“Mostly me,” Peanut said. “I love her so much that I was afraid if I told her and she didn’t feel the same way, it would ruin the friendship. I’ve been sending her presents and flowers for a while now, but with no card.”

“Oh, going the secret admirer route? So how’s that working for you?”

Peanut shrugged. “It wasn’t, and I knew it. I was supposed to take her to Granny’s after church today and then planned to confess it when I took her home. Only all this happened.” He wiped a shaky hand across his face. “I spent the whole afternoon thinking of the time I’d wasted and what she might be going through. I thought I’d lost her.”

“I thought we had too,” Lon said. “So you got yourself a second chance, my friend.”

Peanut nodded. “I won’t waste it, either. Do you know how much farther to Dublin?”

“Maybe another thirty-five minutes or so…maybe less,” Lon said.

Peanut glanced at the time and then took a deep breath. He was fresh out of patience.

* * *

Ruby was in the emergency room at Fairview Park Hospital, trying not to panic. As fate would have it, the patient in the next bay over was Jarrod, with the cops who were guarding him. They’d had to bring him in for stitches and X-rays before they could transport him to jail to be booked.

Logically she knew she was safe, but being able to hear her ex’s voice didn’t make her feel that way. She was alone and stranded in a strange place. Then when they told her the police from Blessings were coming to get her, she almost cried. Seeing Chief Pittman or one of the deputies would be a godsend. They knew where she belonged. They would take her home.

She thought about Peanut, wondering what he’d thought when she missed church and then wasn’t there for their Sunday dinner date at Granny’s.

She closed her eyes, thinking of how the right corner of his mouth tilted up just a little higher than the other when he smiled, and how blue his eyes were. He was a fixture in her life. The hero in all her dreams, and she loved spending time with him. Yet the closest thing between them was when he held her hand to help her in and out of a car.

He was a lawyer. She cut and dyed people’s hair. He would likely never think of her as anything but a friend…and the lady who was his barber.

She looked down at her hands—at the scratched and bloody knuckles, and fingers swollen from fighting for her life. She didn’t even want to see her face. She’d lost count of how many times Jarrod had hit her, but the whole incident brought back everything she’d been running from when she first appeared in Blessings.

All she knew was that one eye was swollen because it hurt to blink, and if her mouth looked as bad as it felt, people would be horrified by her appearance. It would take a while before she’d be able to go back to work. The girls would have to pick up her appointments, at least until her hands healed.

She heard a scream and then a long round of curses and guessed Jarrod was getting stitches. She hoped they hurt. She had three stitches of her own on her upper lip. They’d hurt when the doctor was sewing her up. He told her it would probably leave a little scar, but she didn’t care. It would be a reminder that Jarrod Dye no longer held power over her.

A nurse popped into Ruby’s room. “Can I get you anything, honey?”

“Water? Thirsty,” Ruby mumbled.

“Be right back,” she said, and hurried away.

A few minutes later, she returned with a pitcher of ice water, a cup, and a straw. She poured some for her, and then added the straw, making it easier for Ruby to drink.

“Here you go, honey,” the nurse said.

“Thank you,” Ruby replied, and then winced because talking hurt.

“You’ll be drinking your meals for a bit, but you’ll heal. Oh…I’m supposed to tell you that your ride will be here soon. They radioed to have all of your paperwork finished so they could sign you out directly after they arrive,” the nurse said.

Ruby clasped her hands against her breasts, and her breath caught on a sob.

“Home. I’m going home.”

The nurse patted her arm. “I can’t begin to imagine how frightening your ordeal was, but I have to say you are a remarkable woman. Talk about wearing scars. You put some on your kidnapper.”

“Shhh,” Ruby whispered, pointing to the next bay.

The nurse waved away Ruby’s concern. “Oh, he’s gone. They just moved him out. You rest a bit. You’re going to have a long ride back to Blessings. The doctor has some pain pills for you to take home and a prescription you’ll get filled there, as well.”

“Thank you,” Ruby said, pointing at the water.

“Welcome,” the nurse said, and left.

Ruby closed her eyes, intending just to rest, but she drifted off to sleep. She was still asleep when Lon and Peanut walked into the room.

Lon stopped in the doorway, stunned by Ruby’s appearance.

Peanut nearly went to his knees and reached for the wall to steady himself.

“Son of a bitch,” Lon whispered, then put a hand on Peanut’s shoulder. “I’ll go sign her out,” he said, and closed the door behind him as he left.

Peanut moved toward Ruby in a daze. He’d never realized how small she was until now. She’d always been such a bright light that he’d seen her as a kind of Amazon, able to take on whatever she chose to do. What the hell did he say to someone who had endured this?

When he touched her arm, she woke.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said.

Ruby’s heart skipped a beat. Peanut was here, and he’d just kissed her!

The empathy was her downfall. Tears welled. “Thought I lost me too.”

“Are you in much pain?” Peanut asked.

“Some.”

That one word made his heart hurt.

“I need to tell you something. This isn’t how I imagined I would say it, but I’ve spent the whole damn afternoon thinking I was never going to get to say it, and then God gave me a second chance. I have been sending you flowers and gifts for weeks and weeks and telling you in every way except face-to-face that I am head over heels in love with you.”

Ruby gasped, and then reached for his hand. “Once I hoped and then thought it couldn’t be… Not in your league.”

He lowered the bedrail and then sat down on the bed beside her. He slipped his hand beneath her fingers, wanting to hold her, yet afraid even to touch her.

“If I spent the rest of my life in sackcloth and ashes, I would still not see myself worthy of you, but I am a selfish enough bastard to want you anyway. If you could see your way to letting me properly court you in the hopes that you might learn to love me, it would pretty much make my day.”

Ruby choked on a sob as she clutched his hand.

“Today when I thought I would die, your face was the first thing I saw. All the years I’ve known you and asked favors of you, and you always came through for me. You have been a white knight for so many in Blessings. I never dreamed you would ever be mine. Yes, to everything you just said.”

The knot in Peanut’s throat began to ease. Not only was Ruby going to be okay, but she’d said yes to being his girl.

“I’m taking you home with me for the first few days until we can get your house cleaned up. Right now, it is a crime scene. Besides the blood everywhere, there is fingerprint powder, as well as the footsteps of a team of crime scene investigators who’ve tromped all over.”

Ruby blushed at the thought of being a guest in his house, and he saw it.

“You’ll have your own guest room and bath, and all of your friends can come at will to my house to check on you and visit with you any time. I’m just offering shelter, darlin’. I won’t ask for more. Whatever you give me comes on your time, at your speed. Deal?”

“Yes…and a good deal.”

Peanut had a big, silly grin on his face when the chief walked in, but he didn’t give a damn.

Lon was relieved Ruby was awake and talking.

“Hello, Miss Ruby. You sure gave us all a scare. The whole town went into mourning when you disappeared, thinking they might never see you again, and now I’m sure they all know you’ve been found. God only knows what kind of a celebration they’ll be planning for you once you’re back on your feet.”

“Really?” Ruby said.

“Why would you be surprised?” Peanut asked. “Honey, everybody in Blessings loves Ruby Dye, including me.”

Lon eyed the hospital gown she was wearing. “Do you have clothes to wear home? It’s cold outside.”

“I was in my slip and underwear when Jarrod knocked. I put on my robe to go to the door.” Her voice began to shake, and her hands started to tremble. “There’s blood all over the clothes. He…” She took a deep breath and started over. “He hit—”

Peanut couldn’t stand it. “Doesn’t matter. You don’t need to explain. We saw it. Give me a second,” he said, and walked out of the room.

Lon patted her leg beneath the sheets. “He’s had a hard day too,” Lon said.

A few minutes later, Peanut came back with a pair of scrubs, some fuzzy hospital socks with no-skid soles, and a clean hospital gown to wear as a robe. There was a nurse right behind him.

“Ruby, honey, she’s going to help you dress.”

Ruby nodded.

“We’ll be right outside the door with a wheelchair. When you’re finished, we’re out of here.”

The nurse grinned as the men left the room, shutting the door behind them. “Someone sure thinks the world of you.”

Ruby put a shaky hand to her face. “I see that. I wish I’d seen it sooner, but better late than never, right?”

The nurse chuckled. “Absolutely. Now let’s see if we can get this top over your head without hurting you.”

A few minutes later, she walked out to get the wheelchair.

“She’s ready to go,” she told Lon. “I have to take her out and see her to the car. Hospital rules.”

“I’ll go pull the car around to the ER entrance,” Lon said, and hurried out the door.

Ruby was sitting on the side of the bed when Peanut just walked over, lifted her up into his arms and put her down in the wheelchair as if she weighed nothing, then tucked a blanket around her legs.

“It’s getting colder outside,” he said.

“Then we need to get you on the road to home. Maybe you won’t get there too late,” the nurse said.

“I don’t care what time it is when we get there, as long as I’m back in Blessings before I close my eyes tonight,” Ruby said.

“Amen to that,” Peanut muttered, and walked beside her chair all the way to the exit.

“So cold,” Ruby said, shivering as Peanut lifted her out of the wheelchair and into the back seat of the cruiser.

“I’m riding with her,” he told Lon, and crawled in beside her.

Lon grinned at him. “Don’t forget to buckle up,” he said, and shut the door behind Peanut.

Lon got inside the cruiser, then glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were settling in okay.

“Miss Ruby, I have the pills the doctor sent and a prescription to be filled, along with your discharge papers. I’m going to make this as comfortable a trip home as I can for you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Ruby said. Then out of nowhere, she started crying again. “I’m sorry. It’s so surreal…all of this. I thought I was going to die today, and then it turned out to be one of the best days of my life. I’m just so grateful.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lon said, and put the car in gear, then keyed up the radio. “Chief Pittman to dispatch.”

Avery Ames, the day dispatcher, responded. “This is dispatch. Go ahead, Chief.”

“Be informed we’re leaving Dublin. I’m bringing Miss Ruby home.”

Avery let out a little on-air whoop. “Ten-four, Chief. Over and out.”

Peanut put his arm around Ruby’s shoulders and pulled her close against him.

“Lean against me all you want. Sleep if you can. I’ll try to cushion the bumps for you.”

Tears were still rolling as Ruby leaned in. At first, it felt awkward. Her reference points with Peanut had been in friendship. She didn’t know how to be with him as a man who loved her, but she would figure it out.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

Peanut held her in his arms all the way home.

* * *

It was dark when the chief drove back into Blessings. He’d killed the siren over an hour ago but kept the lights flashing, and they were still spinning as he passed the city limits sign.

Ruby woke up when he began slowing down. She was so stiff and sore she could hardly move, and speaking was almost impossible.

“Where?” she asked.

“We’re home, sweetheart,” Peanut said.

Ruby nodded and patted her heart to indicate how much it meant to her.

“Would you look at that!” Lon said, as he turned up Main Street.

People were lining both sides of Main, holding lanterns and flashlights, and some were holding candles. The ones standing beneath the streetlights were holding up WELCOME HOME signs, and signs that read WE LOVE YOU, RUBY.

When they saw the chief’s patrol car and the flashing lights, they began cheering and chanting “Ruby, Ruby, Ruby,” over and over as Lon drove past.

Ruby pressed her hands against her heart as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Peanut was nearly speechless. “Wow,” he said softly, and gently hugged her. “This is how much you are loved.”

Lon drove all the way up Main, then turned right toward Peanut’s residence. “Someone left the lights on for you,” he said as he turned into the circle drive in front of Peanut’s house.

“Probably Laurel. She was here cleaning today.”

Lon put the car in park and killed the engine, but left the headlights on. “I’ll help you get Ruby inside,” he said.

Peanut handed him the house key. “You unlock the door. I’ve got her.”

“Will do,” Lon said as he grabbed all of her paperwork and meds, then headed to the front door.

“Don’t move, honey,” Peanut said. “I’ll come around to the other side.”

Ruby sighed. It was hard to relegate herself to needing help. She was usually the one organizing it for someone else.

Peanut opened her door and then leaned in and picked up her and the blanket. She gasped as he lifted her up.

“Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, honey.”

She patted the side of his face and then leaned her cheek against his jacket as he carried her inside.

Lon had lights on in the front of the house.

“Down this hall,” Peanut said. “First door on the left. Open it please, and turn those lights on too.”

Lon moved ahead of them, turning on lights as he went, and then stepped aside as Peanut carried Ruby into his guest room and sat her down on the side of the bed.

“Welcome back, Miss Ruby,” Lon said. “I’ll leave you to settle in. Rest well.”

“I’ll see you out,” Peanut said, and followed Lon out of the room.

Ruby felt her mouth and her swollen eye, and then got up and gingerly moved to the bathroom. She dreaded facing what she looked like, but she had to know the extent of the damage Jarrod had done to her this time.

When she saw herself in the mirror, she groaned. Oh my God! Will I even look the same when all of this is healed? And then she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was alive, and for now, that was all that mattered.

Peanut came hurrying back into the room and saw Ruby standing in front of the mirror. “That will heal,” he said.

Ruby didn’t know he was there until he spoke, and then she nodded. “Hurts much,” she managed to say.

“Pain pills. You have some pain pills,” Peanut said, and ran back out to the table where Lon had left the meds and her discharge papers. He came back with the pills and a glass of water.

Ruby slipped the pills between her lips, then managed to get enough water in her mouth to swallow them. She set the glass on the bathroom counter and then walked back out into the bedroom where Peanut was busy turning down the bedclothes.

“I don’t have a nightgown for you. Are you okay to sleep in the scrubs?” he asked.

She patted her scrubs. “Sleep in these,” she said.

Peanut sighed. “I want so much to hold you, but there isn’t a spot on your body that I’d dare to touch. I’m so glad you’re safe and that you’re here. Will you be able to manage on your own tonight? My room is just across the hall. I’m going to leave the door open, so if you need anything at all in the night, just call out. I’ll hear you.”

Ruby walked into his arms and laid her head on his chest. “My forever hero,” she mumbled, as he pulled her close.

“If you need, I could call someone to come sit with you,” he offered.

Ruby shook her head. “I can do it,” she said, and then winced.

“Do you want anything? Food? Some milk? I have straws.”

“Tomorrow,” she said.

“Then I’m going to leave so you can have your privacy. The remote to the television is on the table beside the bed. There’s a night-light in the bathroom.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Sleep well, sweet lady. Tomorrow is a new day.”

He shut the door on his way out, and now she was alone.

She sat down on the side of the bed and removed all her clothes, then walked barefoot into the bathroom. She wouldn’t be able to close her eyes until she’d washed Jarrod Dye off her skin.

The warm water burned the skinned knuckles and cuts on her hands, but she didn’t care. She wanted to wash her hair as well, but the thought of getting shampoo in her badly bruised eyes or infecting the wound on her mouth was enough to stop her. Instead, she stood in front of the warm spray and kept soaping and scrubbing, and then doing it again. Finally, she turned off the water and dried, put the scrubs back on for pajamas, and crawled into bed.

The last thought on her mind was that Peanut loved her. Now all she had to do was give herself permission to love him back.