didnât know which was worseâsleeping on Hankâs porch or in Elvisâs pop-up trailer behind the diner.
A scuffling sound alerted her that she and Hank werenât alone. âI told you to wait in the truck.â Not that sheâd expected Mia to listen to her. The teen had a mind of her ownâlike her mother.
âYouâre my grandfather?â
Hankâs expression softened as he peered at his granddaughter. âYou have an unusual name, Mia.â
âMom named me after a stupid character in
The Princess Diaries
. They made a movie out of the books.â
âYou donât say.â
âDid you name my mom Ruby?â
Of all the questions that had come to mind when Ruby had learned sheâd been adopted, who had named her hadnât been one of them.
âIâm afraid I didnât.â
Good
. Hank hadnât earned the honor of naming her.
âYour grandmother called her Faith,â he said.
âWhy?â Mia asked.
Hankâs gaze traveled around the room, skipping over Ruby. âWhen she held your mother in her arms, she said she knew the baby would remain loyal.â
Loyal to whom
? Hank, herself, orâRuby glanced at Miaâher daughter? The old man was in for a big surprise if he believed heâd win her over with a sentimental story about her birth moniker.
He lifted a cowboy hat from a hook on the wall and clucked his tongue. The hound padded after him through the porch and out to the backyard, where he stopped to light a cigarette.
Mia watched the pair through the kitchen window. âWhatâs the dogâs name?â
âIt doesnât have a name.â
âYour dadâs not very friendly.â
âNo, heâs not.â
Chapter 4
âA re we gonna stay?â Mia asked Ruby.
âHank said we could sleep on the porch. Letâs take a look at our accommodations and then decide.â
Ruby surveyed the cramped quarters. A washer and dryer had been placed in the corner across from the door that opened to the backyard. A generic brand of laundry detergent and a jug of bleach sat on the shelf next to the machines. Old-fashioned roller shades, yellowed from age, hung above the window screens. An inch of dust coated the furniture, and when Ruby walked across the rug in front of the queen-size bed, puffs of dirt swirled next to her feet. The only sign that anyone occupied the room was the pair of menâs athletic shoes resting beneath a chair in the corner and the quarter, two dimes, and penny left on the nightstand.
Ruby had slept in worse places, but she didnât feel right about evicting the foreman from his room. Why hadnât Hank suggested they use one of the second-floor bedrooms? Mia pointed the remote at the TV on the dresser, then stretched out on the bed.
âWhat do you think?â Ruby said. âIs it okay with you if we stay?â
Silence
.
âIf Hank makes you feel uncomfortable, we can leave.â
No answer
. Ruby was damn tired of being ignored, but she squelched her frustration. âIt doesnât matter to me whether we stay or not. Itâs more important that you feel safe here.â
Mia flipped over on the mattress. âWhy wouldnât I feel safe?â
Well, for one thing, your grandfather answered the door with a shotgun in his hands
. âIâm not saying it isnât safe. Itâs just thatââ
âYou want me to decide. Then if anything goes wrong, itâs not your fault.â The accusatory glower in Miaâs eyes cut Ruby to the bone.
âLetâs not make this into a big deal.â
âFine. We can stay.â
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ruby went out to the pickup to retrieve their luggage. One bag slung over her shoulder and two more in hand, she returned to the porch just as the back door opened and Joe stepped inside. He froze when he saw Mia on the bed.
âHank said we should sleep here tonight, but if