The combines were circlingthe fields by the time Ruston had made it back to the farm. He parked the little yellow car, got out, and saw Tess holding John Henry. The boy wiggled free and ran to Ruston, and, with a smile, he caught the little boy in a hug. Carrying him over to the women, he realized Hazel was in the field with the guys.
The book club had actually brought food for lunch. Since they had no idea what Hazel had in the house, they thought it would be easier just to bring out some stuff. They sat in the kitchen chatting about this and that as Ruston played with the little boy.
Soon he was joined by Natalie, who sat across from him and started to push around cars on the carpet.
“The house hasn’t changed a bit since I was last here. It’s like they’re here; I just haven’t found them. It’s eerie,” Natalie whispered to him.
“How does that make you feel?” Ruston asked as the boy grabbed a few more toys from a box in the corner to show him.
“Sad. It’s been almost six years,” she said. “It’s also upsetting because Hazel can’t move on if she’s reminded of this every day.”
“That’s what I thought this morning, too,” Ruston confided.
“This morning?” Natalie questioned with a knowing smirk. After all, she was the one who had left him here.
“Shit,” Ruston said under his breath.
“Hey, I’m not judging. Hazel deserves all the happiness in the world. But if you ever hurt her, I will hurt you.”
“I hurt when she hurts,” he said with a weary smile, knowing that he wanted to take all that hurt away from her. Never let her hurt again.
“Good.” Natalie nudged him with her shoulder.
They played for a little while with the boy until he wandered into the kitchen to get a snack. John Henry recognized an easy mark, and it seemed Tess would give him anything he wanted. Tess wasn’t going to tell the boy no to anything.
Ruston stood up and asked Natalie, “Can I show you something?”
He hadn’t been able to get the two bedrooms out of his mind since he saw them. They were hovering there, and he knew how Hazel felt. It was just there, and he couldn’t get away from it.
Natalie got up wearily. “Okay.”
Going up the stairs, he indicated for her to follow. It was a place she was far more familiar with then he was, but it was him leading her through the house. At the top of the stairs, he opened the ghost bedroom of Henry first. “They haven’t done anything with these rooms since that day.” Going across the hall, he opened the other door, history book still open on the bed. “This is what I saw this morning. She doesn’t know that I looked in here.”
“Oh my God. I can see them both in there. I expect them to walk in the door at any time—except Henry would never have made his bed, and Hanna would have a pile of clothes on the floor. Someone must have cleaned them up at some point,” Natalie said, unable to stop the tears.
“I didn’t show you to make you cry. I’m sorry.” Ruston pulled her into his arms and held her until the tears disappeared. When they were gone, he let her go and showed her Hazel’s room. “Then Hazel lives in this little room.”
He wondered what she thought about the little bed and the crib crammed into the tiny room. The room was messy, but there was nowhere to put anything. He knew she could touch the crib while lying in bed; he had seen her do it last night. For most of the little boy’s life, she had slept close enough to touch him.
“I think I’m going to cry again. Do you think they won’t let her move into one of the other rooms? That they’re forcing her into this little room with all her stuff? His stuff?” Natalie asked. Backing away from the room, her friend called home. A room that meant Hazel couldn’t move beyond the past. It was alive and well just on the other side of her door.
“I don’t know. I think she needs out of this house, though. Maybe away from her grandparents altogether,” Ruston replied as they descended the stairs, hating to admit that the older couple might be part of the issue.
“Me too. This is why she can’t get over the past. It’s still the present for her. Like I said, it feels like they’re still here,” Natalie whispered so the others wouldn’t hear.
As they entered the kitchen, he could smell food being prepared. He had expected that Tess, the bank president, wouldn’t help much with the food, but she had jumped in with both feet mixing big bowls of who knows what. They were all here for their friend because she needed help, and there was no way they wouldn’t help. Ruston loved them all for just being there.
“Ruth, I need an apartment,” Natalie announced to the group.
“Moving out on Sam already? Not going back to your dad’s?” Ruth asked from the stove, her eyes never leaving the pot she was stirring.
“It’s for Hazel. Two bedrooms, cheap rent. Possibly no rent.” Natalie pushed for her friend.
“I really don’t have much right now. Tess’s place is empty, but it’s a one-bedroom,” Ruth replied, her attention completely on the pot still.
He had recently heard that Ruth owned around a half dozen buildings in downtown Landstad. Not that he knew much about the woman—she didn’t go to his church and wasn’t someone he had run into in the years he had been in town. Until now.
Tess looked up at them and grinned. “Maybe she would be okay there for a while until something else becomes available. It won’t be long. People are constantly moving, you know.”