Free Ruby by Ruth Langan

I am made to sound like the most wicked creature ever born.”
    He didn’t know about the most wicked. But looking down into those fiery eyes, he would have to call her the most beautiful ever born.
    He reached around her and opened the door. As she brushed past, he inhaled the exotic fragrance of her perfume and felt the rush of heat. At once he realized his mistake. If he had half a brain, he’d skip lunch and head right out to Widow’s Peak, where the only trouble he’d have to face would be an outlaw’s bullets.
     
    “Well, Ruby. What a nice surprise.” Millie Potter looked up with a smile. In her hand was a pitcher of buttermilk, which she was pouring into several glasses. “I didn’t know you’d be favoring us with a visit today.”
    “I was in town and thought I’d stay for lunch.”
    “I’m so glad.” When Millie caught sight of the marshal directly behind Ruby, her smile grew considerably brighter. “Hello, Quent. I was hoping you hadn’t forgotten.”
    “Now, how could I forget chicken and dumplings?”
    “I thought that might get your interest. Sit down,” Millie called. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll only be a minute.”
    She disappeared into the kitchen.
    Quent called out greetings to the four ranchers standing to one side of the room, discussing the latest problems with crops and weather. “’Afternoon Gus, Willie, Sam, Gordon. You all know Miss Ruby Jewel.”
    Though the ranchers answered him with nods and murmurs, their gazes were riveted on the woman beside him. Quent felt a moment of annoyance. Ruby Jewel seemed to have the same effect on men everywhere. But, he had to admit, it wasn’t a deliberate effort on her part. She was simply a magnet for men’s attention. Not that he didn’t understand. Besides her obvious beauty, there was that charming manner. She just couldn’t help herself. It was as natural for her to bestow a radiant smile on each man as it was for a cat to purr.
     
    “We were just about to take a seat,” one of the men called. “Glad you’re joining us.”
    All four men fell over themselves to hold Ruby’s chair and sit beside her. But since Quent was the closest he managed to beat them to it. As he took his seat, his thigh brushed hers and he could feel the heat clear through his clothes. Though his first reaction was annoyance, he had to admit that it was not an altogether unpleasant sensation. Especially since she was so busy trying to ignore him.
    Millie emerged from the kitchen, carrying a platter of chicken. Damp little tendrils of red hair had slipped from the knot atop her head to cling to her cheeks. She was trailed by Birdie Bidwell, the neighbor girl who helped with the chores. Though Birdie was tall for thirteen, and clumsy, she made up for it by taking great care not to knock over anything as she served the guests. She seemed especially in awe of the glamorous Ruby Jewel.
    “Help yourself,” Millie called as she set the platter in the center of the table.
    At once hands reached out and plates and bowls of steaming food were passed. But when the men saw Ruby sitting primly, her hands in her lap, they remembered their manners and deferred to her. When it came to impressing her, each of the ranchers seemed determined to outdo his neighbor.
    “Rolls, Miss Ruby?” asked the bewhiskered Gus.
    “Thank you.” Ruby helped herself to one and passed the basket to Quent.
    “Chicken, Miss Ruby?” Tall, mannerly Gordon actually ladled a piece of chicken onto her plate.
     
    “My, these dumplings sure do look good, Miss Ruby. Will you have some?” Willie, toothless and skinny as a fence rail, held the platter for her.
    “ Merci ,” she purred.
    Birdie stood at one end of the table, removing serving dishes as they were emptied and returning to the kitchen for refills.
    “I made enough for everyone,” Millie cautioned as Birdie returned with another platter of chicken.
    Millie, a pretty young widow, was neat as a pin, and kept her