them, but she waved me off with a shake of her head.
"I'm stronger than I look," she told me with a laugh. "All this gray hair doesn't mean I'm a senior citizen quite yet."
I trailed along beside her as she headed back to her car and loaded the bags into her trunk. Why I was still lurking around her, I had no idea. I needed to politely thank her and go back into that store. No matter how panicked I was at the idea of being pregnant, I needed to take the damn test.
"Well, thank you for everything," I told her with a tight smile. "I don't even know what just happened back there. I think I'm coming down with something."
Ruth let out a long sigh and gave me a knowing look. "Hop in the car, Brooke. I'll take you to my place until your parents can come get you."
My lips parted, a refusal on my tongue, but Ruth pulled a box from the pocket of her coat and handed it to me before I could speak.
A pregnancy test. I swallowed hard, trying to get myself together; I was crying way too much at the moment. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you,” I choked out.
She just patted my arm. “Sometimes all you need is a little help to get through the day. Let me be that help for you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t deserve you, but I sure am glad you stopped for me today.”
Ruth didn’t know it, but she might have just saved my life. Again.
19
Ruth lived in the most perfect little house on an acre just outside of Warde. Her land was flat, dominated by the white farmhouse and red barn beside it. When she stopped the car, I had to take a second to really take in the perfection of the entire property.
I stared wistfully at the wide front porch strung with fairy lights, and white picket fences that lined either side of the house. In a side paddock were some goats and chickens, just topping off the perfection. "You live in paradise."
Ruth chuckled, taking a second to look around as well, like I'd reminded her of how picturesque her life was. "Yeah, you know, there are some benefits to no longer basing your life choices on what a man wants. You get the exact life you always imagined."
Playing with the box in my hand, I followed her up to the porch. A homemade wreath decorated her front door, and to me it was utter perfection. "Are you not lonely, though?"
She looked over her shoulder and dropped the bags on the ground to fumble with her keys. "I mean, sure, I definitely have nights when the snow falls so peacefully and I'm snug and warm with a hot cocoa where I feel like I'm missing that one person to share it with, but on the other hand, I sleep in a king-sized bed on my own, and it’s fucking fantastic."
I hadn't heard her curse before, and I had to laugh, enjoying this new side of her.
"You know, that doesn't sound too bad to me."
She winked before grabbing up the bags and gesturing for me to head in first. When we reached the front room, with its paneled walls and cathedral ceiling, she dropped her bags again. Little decorations were dotted around, but I could tell she wasn’t trying to win any competitions with her sparing use of tinsel.
"I just need to duck out and get all of the animals into the barn before the storm hits. Will you be okay here?"
Needing to stay busy so I didn't think about the box I'd shoved into the pocket of my jacket, I turned with her. "Can I help?"
Ruth paused, her smile broad and genuine. "I'd really appreciate that. I know it doesn't feel too bad at the moment, but this storm is going to be a doozy. I predict that by tomorrow morning, we'll be knee-deep in snow."
She did put her food away first, and then together, we coaxed and half carried a bunch of cute-as-fuck goats and chickens into the red barn. Ruth got them all settled with fresh straw and feed, and then she secured the door tightly, making sure no swift breeze would blow it off.
By the time we'd done that, it was near 2 A.M and there was an icy chill in the air that took my breath away and froze my lashes. I thought back to how cold they were