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The words punctured Ruby’s stomach, made her feel deflated and hurt andtragic. And she wished she had covered her ears.
But she didn’t.
And Dana didn’t stop talking.
“Of course, my first thought was to blame her. But that’s what we do. It’s what we do.”
“What is?”
Dana looked her square in the face. “We blame the mother.”
Ruby hadn’t. Ruby hadn’t blamed anyone. She was...she had been rescued, and that was what counted, not the rest of it.
“I... I’m not angry about it,” Ruby said. “I’m just happy. I’m happy that I’m here. You know, not everyone gets to be so confident their life has a purpose. My life was saved and I... I’m meant to do something with it, I suppose.”
“My daughter’s life meant something too. And she’s still gone.”
Dana started to walk faster and Ruby had to trot to keep up, her each step making pain radiate in her chest. “I... I didn’t mean...”
“Settle down, I know you didn’t.” Dana sighed. “Everyone wants easy answers, easy fixes. You can’t fix tragedy.”
Then they were standing by Dana’s car, and Ruby didn’t know if she was relieved or sorry. “I guess I’ll see you Monday,” Ruby said.
“That is one thing I like about you,” Dana said. “I don’t scare you.”
Then she got into her car and left Ruby standing there feeling... Like Dana did in fact scare her.
But not half as much as the things she had said.
6
The March of Progress
BY JAN EBERSOL
MARCH 5, 1883—With the new railway comes new opportunities in Southern Oregon. The new Eden Valley Orchard in Medford has capitalized on this new era of export, and it seems the expansion is happening here too. The land owned by Thaddeus Brewer boasts 400 acres of pears, expected to be ready to harvest next season.
DAHLIA
When Dahlia arrived back at the shed that night, Ruby wasn’t there. She could tell she had been. The door to her room was flung open and there were boxes everywhere.
Dahlia locked the front door behind her, then went to check the back and make sure it was locked too.
What if the man Ruby had seen really was Nathan Brewer? Though it seemed like if it were Nathan Brewer, rumors about him would have been flying already.
Dahlia heard a key in the lock a moment later, and then Ruby. “Hi,” she said.
“I was worried about you,” Dahlia said.
“Why?” Ruby frowned.
“Because you saw a man skulking around earlier.”
“Ah, right,” Ruby said, as if she’d forgotten about the skulking man. “Can you help me carry stuff in from the car?”
“What did you get?”
“Everything,”Ruby said. “Retail therapy, Dee. It’s a thing.”
