Red and the Wolf by Cindy C Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

front of him. “Don’t you think it’s time, Dad? She’s been gone nine years now. She’s not coming back. That doesn’t mean you get to check out of life, too. What about me?”
     
    Her father glanced up at her. “Do you know how she died, Rubes?”
     
    She nodded. “Of course I do. She was killed in a car accident.”
     
    He shook his head. “No, Rubes, she didn’t. That’s what you were told because you were twelve. Someone else told you that, and I let you believe it because it was easier.”
     
    Ruby dropped from her squat to sitting on the floor. “She wasn’t in a car accident?”
     
    Her father leaned forward, urgently. “It was the wolf. That’s what killed your mother.”
     
    “No!” The word was exhaled on a breath. “Dad, that’s not true. It was a car—”
     
    “It was the wolf, Rubes. But then it went away. Or they killed it. Or something. I don’t know. I just know that after it killed her, it was gone, and I was left without my beloved wife.”
     
    Ruby’s mouth quivered as she looked at her dad. She’d known his alcoholism was bad, but had no idea it had completely turn his brain to mush. “Please, daddy, please go get help.”
     
    Her grandma had promised to pay the exorbitant fee for rehab if he’d go. That was two years ago. Ruby had been trying to convince him since.
     
    “Rubes, I can’t. Especially not now.”
     
    Ruby had an idea. “What if I leave too, dad?”
     
    His eyes locked on hers. “If I go to . . . that place, you’ll go away?”
     
    Ruby hated lying to her father, but she’d say anything to get him the help he needed. She nodded.
     
    “Where will you go?”
     
    “I’ll go to Grandma’s,” she said.
     
    “That’s too close. You need to go far away, so that you’re nowhere near the forest.”
     
    Ruby quickly agreed. “Yes, okay, I will. I’ll talk to Rafe and see if he knows someone I can stay with in New York for a while.”
     
    She saw the fear and hesitancy in her dad’s eyes. She knew he was terrified of getting sober and facing his personal demons. She got up on her knees and wrapped her arms around him.
     
    “It’s going to be okay, Dad.”
     
    He held her tightly, his tears warming her shoulder.
     
* * * * *
     
    Ulric Wolfe drove her father to rehab. It would take him two days to make the trip. Once Ulric and her father had been close friends, but after the death of her mom, their friendship died. He told Ruby he felt this was the least he could do.
     
    Ruby packed as her father did. She told him she’d leave the next day. Because he’d spent the entire previous night completely drunk, and was now suffering the consequences, he didn’t question her. As soon as he left, she quickly unpacked. Marina had given her the day off so that she could tell her father goodbye. She spent the rest of the day dumping all of his alcohol down the drain and carrying empty bottles out to the trash can.
     
    The following day when she left the shop, she found a pacing, angry Rafe waiting for her out front. Deciding to pretend she didn’t see him, she turned for home. He strode up to her, stepping in front so that she couldn’t continue her progress. Glaring down at her, his anger was momentarily stumped by her hair. He lifted a strand from her shoulder.
     
    “What did you do to your hair?”
     
    “I dyed it.”
     
    “But . . . why?”
     
    “I was tired of red,” she answered, moving around him to continue toward home. As if her action called his anger to remembrance, he stalked after her.
     
    “You lied to your father.”
     
    Ruby glared at him. “That’s none of your business, Rafe.”
     
    “It’s my business when you tell him I’m arranging for you to go away.”
     
    She tightened her lips. She couldn’t really argue with that.
     
    “So that’s what I’m doing, I’m arranging for you to go away, Red.”
     
    Ruby stopped and swung toward him, shoving against his shoulder. It didn’t even move him an inch.