“I didn’t do a thing, Jimmy,” Ruth blew gently into her cup. “I prayed a lot and believed that Lord had the situation under control.”
“What?” Jimmy’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I’m not meaning anything by it, but you say you pray—read the Bible and all that?”
“Yes, my faith in God is what has brought me here.” Ruth looked at him closely. “Do you not believe in God?”
Jimmy tipped his brown hat toward the front, accentuating three deep dimples. “I do, I guess. Well, Dr. Alexander did, and he made me go with him to church. We sang songs and prayed.”
“Did Daniel go, too?” Ruth wondered out loud, blushing, but Jimmy didn’t notice.
“Well, yes, he did,” Jimmy answered nod. “He was still grieving for Mary Jane, but he was coming right, you know?” He gave a small shrug, “Then Alexander fell sick.” Jimmy shook his head and Ruth saw sadness overtake him. “It almost destroyed Daniel. I think that even now, Daniel is battling it. I see it, but there’s nothing I can do.”
Ruth’s heart ached for Daniel. She wished she could somehow help him, too. She could see the despair on his face when he thought no one was watching.
“Jimmy,” Ruth asked, “What happened to Daniel’s wife?”
He rubbed behind his neck and stared at her. He looked uncomfortable at the question.
“Please, tell me, Jimmy,” Ruth begged. “I want to help Daniel, too.”
Jimmy let out a sigh. “You didn’t hear about it from me, okay? Daniel doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“I understand,” Ruth took another sip of her coffee.
“Her name was Mary Jane, Daniel’s wife and Matthew’s mother. Now I only met her a couple of times.” He rubbed the side of his chin. “She was a real good woman, a godly woman. She was good for Daniel. They lived in Pennsylvania, so Daniel could continue working at the hospital there.”
“I have been to Pennsylvania a few times with my father when I was a young girl,” Ruth remarked, remembering how much she liked Pennsylvania. Her father took her everywhere he went, but there was much she could not remember.
“Daniel was busy the on that day and needed to go to the bank, but he was always busy at the clinic.” Jimmy’s lips pursed. “He blames himself because she did him a favor by going to the bank for him that day. Matthew was just a few months old and he was fussy that day.
“She agreed and went to the bank, taking Matthew with her, and stood in line like everybody else. Outlaws had blended in with the crowd; they were in line with everyone else when out of nowhere they started shooting into the air. Some of them held the bank patrons at bay with pistols while others forced bank officials to open the bank’s safe at gunpoint. On their way out with the stolen money, several men inside the bank made moves to retrieve their own guns to shoot at the robbers, which of course prompted gunfire in return. No one realized that a young mother dropped to the ground, wrapping herself around her son to protect him. She did what any mother would do, and two of those gunshots hit her, one in the back, and one in the head. She died instantly.” Jimmy stopped, looked away and rubbed his jaw with his hand as silence filled the barn.
Ruth shook her head, her hand covering her mouth. “I’m so … That’s simply appalling. I cannot even imagine what that must have been like.” She found herself wiping damp eyes. “She sounds like she was an exceptionally brave woman.”
“It was only when Matthew started crying that someone noticed Mary Jane and by then, obviously, it was too late.” Jimmy looked toward the heavens and clasped his hands together. “Daniel was just devastated, and Alexander convinced him to return to the ranch. Eventually, Daniel did, but he was a hollow man—a man that lost everything.”
Jimmy sighed gustily and met Ruth’s eyes. “Please, now that I have told you, try to understand him.”
Ruth looked away. “So, that’s why he’s mean and bad-tempered at times.”
“He doesn’t mean to act the way he does, it’s nothing personal,” Jimmy clapped his hat on his head. “He’s lost his wife, his father, and now all he has is Matthew. He’s turned to drink, but he’s hurting way down deep. He uses alcohol to dull the pain, even though he knows he shouldn’t. We all keep quiet because we care for him and hope things ease up over time.”
“I appreciate you telling me, Jimmy,” Ruth felt such pity for Daniel and her heart ached near to breaking.
He must have seen her expression as he added, “Now, don’t go pitying him; he doesn’t like that. I keep telling him, he’s stronger than he realizes.” Jimmy stood and stretched, then placed his cup on the barrel. “Please excuse me, I need to finish up my chores. Remember, not a word to Daniel. I saidnothing.”
Ruth brushed her hands over her cheeks, wiping away traces of tears. She didn’t want Jimmy to see her cry.Poor Daniel! And poor Matthew who will never know his mother, she thought.Lord, what a terrible thing to happen.
Now she knew the truth about Daniel and why he acted the way he did. How was she to stop herself from pitying him? She didn’t like it when people had pitied her over the loss of her father. She had wanted to be strong and tried her best to be strong, but she could only do it with the Lord’s help. He’d helped her through her darkest days when she felt most alone. Who was there for Daniel? Who could support him and help him through his pain? He went to church with his father, so he must believe in and walk by faith with Jesus. Did he pray? Ruth remembered his surprise the first night when she asked Daniel to allow her to thank the Lord for their meal. Had he lost his faith? Did God bring her here to help Daniel find his faith?
“Dear Lord,” Ruth lowered her head to her chest and clasped her hands. “I don’t know your plans and I pray that you help Daniel to find his way back to you. Show him your peace, understanding and love. Please lead me forward and show me what I need to do.”
Chapter Eight
Daniel was thankful to have reached home before the sun set for the day. The last thing he felt like doing was riding in the dark. The Langley farm he had just come from was quite a distance away and he wanted to get home as soon as possible. He wanted to see if Ruth liked her new room. It was much more spacious than the guest room, and he knew she would be more comfortable there.
Why was he thinking of Ruth? Just the thought of her made his head spin, and the longer he was away from her the more he wanted to be with her. She captivated him, yet he still knew very little about her. After today he hoped she would not feel scared or awkward around him. He wanted her to feel comfortable. Was it not all for Matthew’s sake?
Spark whinnied as Daniel halted him to a stop and dismounted, tying his mount to the hitching rail. He heard barking from the field; Jimmy must be on his way back with Coyte. Daniel knew that Jimmy would take Spark to the corral for him.
