Page 12 of The Sound of Sleighbells

Around eleven o’clock, after Abner had gone to his room for a nap, Jess Chapman arrived with the pies and dinner rolls. “Sorry I didn’t show up until now,” she apologized. “If I’d realized you were doing this all on your own, I’d have come sooner. You look a little frayed, Ruth. Is everything all right?”

Ruth managed a tired chuckle. “I thought I was holding up pretty well. Trust a psychologist to see right through me.”

“I saw your station wagon outside.” Jess took a potato from the bag and began peeling it. “What happened to the rear window?”

“I found it like that. Somebody must’ve smashed it.” Ruth didn’t want to mention the stolen groceries or her mystery benefactor, not even to her friend. “I only have liability insurance on the car. I’m hoping Silas at the garage can find me a replacement from a junkyard. Still, it won’t be cheap to fix, and with Christmas coming, the timing couldn’t be worse.”

“If you need my help, just ask—although something tells me you won’t,” Jess said. “Your strength has been amazing this past year—what you’ve been through, divorcing Ed and losing your home, finding a job and a new place to live, and protecting your children the way you have. You’ll get through this, too.”

“Sometimes I wonder.” Ruth began grating the carrots she’d scrubbed to make one of the salads. “Speaking of children, did Trevor tell you that he and Skip are going to rebuild the parade harness at Judd Rankin’s place?”

“He did. It sounds like a lot of work, but it will keep the boys busy, and they might even learn a thing or two.”

“And you’re all right with their spending time there, given his past and all . . . ?” She let her words trail off, fearful of revealing too much.

“With Judd? Yes, Cooper and I are fine with it. We’ve known Judd for a year. He’s worked hard to make a good life for himself. And he’s very open about having served time. My only worry is that the boys will get in the way and distract him from his own work.”

“So I shouldn’t be concerned? Skip’s at such an impressionable age, and he’s looking for role models. I imagine Trevor is the same.”

“I know how protective you are of your children, Ruth. But from what I know of Judd, he’ll be nothing but a good example.”

Ruth muttered as the grater nicked her finger. She stopped working long enough to get a Band-Aid from the cabinet and wrap the tiny but painful cut. Jess was wise and a good judge of people. But she didn’t know about Ruth’s history with Judd or his relationship to Skip. Ruth didn’t plan to tell her, or anyone else. That was a secret she meant to keep forever.

* * *

Working together, the two women finished most of the dinner preparations. The table was set, the salads and other dishes assembled. Only the last-minute tasks waited for the turkey to be done and the guests to arrive.

“Why don’t you go home now, Ruth?” Jess said. “You’ll have time to rest a little before you bring your children back here for dinner. I can keep an eye on things while you’re gone. I hear Abner stirring. He’ll be around in case I need help.”

“Thanks.” Ruth untied her apron and hung it behind the kitchen door. “My feet could use some time off. And thanks for showing up to help, Jess. You’ve made everything easier—and more fun.”

Jess grinned. “Run along now. Get some rest. You deserve it. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

After a quick phone call home, Ruth put on her coat and went outside. Abner had been right about the storm blowing in. The clouds she’d seen earlier were darkening the sky like spilled ink. A frigid wind whipped her coat against her body as she crossed the yard and climbed into her station wagon.

With the engine running, she punched the heater up all the way. By the time she’d reached the highway, warmth was blasting out of the vents, but most of it was flowing out of the broken rear window. Ruth was still shivering. With a storm coming, she would need to cover the opening as soon as she got home. Maybe Skip could help her find something that would work.

The house was warm, the girls watching the Disney Channel while Skip read a science fiction novel from the library. Ruth called her son outside to look at the damage to the station wagon.

“We can’t drive around with the window out,” she said. “The girls will freeze. It’s got to be closed off before we go back to Abner’s. Any ideas?”

Skip took a moment to think. “Remember when we moved into this house, we painted the living room. We bought some plastic drop cloths to protect the rug. There might be one or two we saved. Maybe that would work. I’ll check the storage space.”

The storage space was little more than a gravel-floored hollow under part of the house. The rickety stairs went down from the laundry room. It was windowless, lit by a single flickering bulb, and populated by spiders. Ruth disliked going down there. Even now, as her son descended the stairs, she felt a nervous prickle. Time seemed to crawl before she heard his voice.

“Found it!” Seconds later, he emerged with a plastic-wrapped packet. “Now let’s hope it works.”

Outside, the wind had picked up. Leaning into it, they staggered to the vehicle and opened the tailgate. The plan was to wrap the transparent drop cloth around the frame of the broken window, then slam the tailgate shut to hold it. It took both of them, fighting the wind and wrestling with the blowing plastic, to do the job. But finally, everything was in place. On the count of three, they closed the tailgate. The plastic held.

Skip raised his hand. Ruth slapped it in an enthusiastic high five. “Thank you!” she said. “I could never have managed it myself. Now let’s get inside before we blow away!”

Ruth was proud of her son, and the way he’d grown up to become a responsible young man. His actions had worried her for a time—making mischief, cutting school, and sneaking out at night. But those behaviors were behind him now. He had good friends, and he appeared to be on the right path.

His father would be proud of him if he knew . . .

But where had that thought come from? Ruth scrambled to blot it from her mind. Even if he were to want children, Judd didn’t deserve a son like Skip. And Skip deserved better than a man who would surely break his young heart—just as Judd had broken hers.

* * *

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