Rick's Ruby

Chapter 10

"Rick, this is quite the spread! Ruby says there's more?" She said from her place at the sink, washing the vegetables.

"Plenty, and we'll go back when you need more." He said, taking a place at the table across from Ruby. He watched her work at the beans, a peaceful expression on her face.

"Ruby, I never asked what you like to eat." Carol said from behind him. "All this work you all did to bring us these things, I think you should get first choice of what we have for dinner."

Ruby grinned into the bowl as she worked. "I miss radishes, I love 'em. Really anything fresh is good by me, though, not from a can."

"I don't think we'll have to touch the cans for a while. Do you cook?" Carol asked, wiping her hands free of water on a kitchen towel. They'd found more of those, too, at the farmhouse, embroidered with delicate lavender flowers around the edges. It was unneeded fluff, but it was nice to have around.

"Lord, no. But I can microwave a mean bag of popcorn. You had to show me how to do this, Carol."

They laughed lightly between the three of them. A tour bus probably isn't the best place to learn culinary skills, Rick thought. Carol took a place next to him with a handful of radishes, a knife and a plate. She quickly cut a few in half and pushed them over to Ruby.

"Oh yum!" Ruby said excitedly. "Where's the salt?"

Carol pushed the shaker over to her as well and Ruby doused the plate. "You want some food with that?" Rick asked jokingly as she popped one half of a radish in her mouth.

"Bite your tongue, this is the only way to eat them." Ruby said, chewing. "Try it."

He took a piece and raised an eyebrow warily at her as he tossed it back. He started coughing at the amount of salt, grainy in his mouth, and he winced at her. "Delicious." He sputtered and the women laughed at him.

"I know, right?" She said sarcastically as he struggled to swallow.

"God, woman. I need water now." He went to the counter and put his whole face under the tap, drinking furiously. When he was done he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and grimaced. "How are you doing that?"

She ate the last one and pushed the plate out in front of herself, laughing at him. "Guess I'm tougher than you."

"You gotta be." He came back and grabbed his seat.

"What's so funny?" Daryl opened the back door and looked at them curiously. "Could hear you out in the yard."

"Sorry." Carol said, but she kept the smile on her face as he came in and put his crossbow on the table before dunking his face under the tap. It was getting to be a routine for him, running water was a luxury they had missed.

"Ruby tried to kill me." Rick said as he crossed to a chair across from Carol, next to Ruby.

"How's that?" He cocked his head at Rick.

"I like salt." Ruby said, holding her hands up innocently and Daryl grunted.

"Whatever you say." He looked over at Rick. "Two cars passed us a while ago, didn't come back." Rick's face went from happy to concerned in a moment, and Carol and Ruby weren't far behind. "I made sure they didn't see me, don't worry. They didn't even know we were here." Daryl finished, his voice going a little higher.

"Good." Carol said softly, frowning into the wooden surface of the table. "You didn't have to say it before, we knew that's what happened last time. People just cause trouble."

"That's why we doctored up the front of the house, nobody's gonna think to stop here." Rick said, and when he saw Ruby's face go a little sad he knew it was the right thing to say to Carol, but the wrong choice for her. She got up and walked out of the room, Daryl and Carol's eyes on her back.