Читать книгу The By Request Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 54
ОглавлениеRuby sat down in front of her flat-screen TV and began eating cold chicken salad. She’d deliberately not gone to dinner at the main house tonight. How could she possibly have faced Brooks across the table, eaten a meal with her family and pretended there was nothing between her and Brooks? She was still at odds with herself for what had happened in her office this afternoon. They’d come very close to being discovered. Sneaking around wasn’t in her DNA. She didn’t like subterfuge.
But wow. And double wow. When it came to Brooks, she didn’t seem to have much resistance. Just a look, a word from him, tied her into knots. She had trouble fending him off and found that most times, she didn’t want to. She enjoyed his company a little too much.
A nighttime soap opera played on the screen, a story about oil and country music and cowboys who were too much trouble. She stared at the TV as she forked lettuce into her mouth, trying to concentrate on the story and not the city dude with the deep sky-blue eyes who had turned her simple ranch life upside down lately.
A familiar voice sounded and she blinked. Trace Evans walked into the picture and her spine straightened as she sat up and took notice. Trace was on television?
He had a bit part; he spoke a few words before he disappeared again.
Now, this was news. Trace hadn’t told her anything about it. But then, she hadn’t spoken with him in ages, except for that one phone call a few days ago. Funny that he didn’t mention anything about being on Homestead Hills, even if it was only a small role. She continued to watch, finishing her salad and waiting for him to appear again.
He didn’t.
A knock at her door made her jump. She clicked off the TV and rose from the sofa. Her mind still on Trace, she walked to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Brooks. Seeing him on her doorstep caused her belly to stir immediately. He always made her forget all about Trace and the heartache he’d put her through.
She opened the door and stared into smiling, deep blue eyes. He held a bunch of flowers in one hand and a lavender box from Cool Springs Confections in the other. “Hello, Ruby.”
“Brooks, come inside.” She ushered him in before someone spotted him with date night goodies in his arms. She scanned her yard before closing the door, thankful that no one was in sight. She had no business being alone with Brooks, but she wasn’t about to throw him out, either.
He stood just inside her cottage and grinned. “You look uptight, Ruby.”
If it wasn’t for the light in his eyes, she might have been offended. “Thanks to you. You really shouldn’t be here.”
“I do a lot of things I shouldn’t do. These are for you.” He handed her a dozen beautiful white roses and the box of chocolates. “Listen, I’m not courting you. Well, not in the usual sense.”
“Not in any sense,” she pointed out.
“Still, we’ve been thrown together and it’s been...amazing.” He pushed his hand through his blond hair as he struggled for words. “I don’t know. I had to come. To give you something nice, something you deserve. The way you had to run out from the office after we made love didn’t sit well with me.”
“Thank you, Brooks. But you don’t owe me anything. As you said, we’re not dating. We never could be, and I did what was necessary.”
“I’ve learned never to say never, Ruby.” He glanced at her arms loaded with his gifts. “You want to put those flowers in water?”
“Uh, sure. Follow me,” she said, leading him into the kitchen. She set the box of candy on the table and then opened a cupboard door. “They really are gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
“I don’t remember seeing such perfect white roses this time of year in Cool Springs.”
“They’re not from Cool Springs. I had them flown in from Chicago.”
She craned her head around. “You didn’t.”
He shrugged and gave her a simple nod. Her heart beat a little bit harder.
“My florist is known for his perfect roses. Cool Springs didn’t have anything that comes close.”
She kept forgetting he was a zillionaire. He probably did this kind of thing all the time for the women in his life. Though that might be true, the sweet gesture and the trouble he’d gone through weren’t lost on her. “It’s nice of you, Brooks.”
She found a crystal vase, an heirloom from her grandmother, and filled it with water. Arranging the flowers, she placed the vase in the center of her glass-top kitchen table. “Here we go.”
“It’s a nice place you have here,” Brooks said.
“It was my father’s house, and I’ve sort of made it my own.”
Once Ruby was old enough to make changes, she had redecorated the place, adding modern furniture and window treatments that aligned more with who she was. The cottage wasn’t rustic anymore but had a bit of style and flair. She enjoyed living here when she wasn’t at her apartment in town.
“I can see your personality here,” Brooks said.
Why did he always know the right thing to say?
“Then I’ve succeeded. It was a labor of love decorating the cottage.”
Brooks looked down at the box of candy on the table. “I hear Cool Springs Confections makes a pretty good chocolate buttercream candy.”
“That’s what they’re known for. Want to try one? I can make coffee, or—”
“Sure, I’ll try one. And coffee would be great.”
“Have a seat. I’ll get the coffee going.”
“Can I do anything?”
“Grab two mugs from the cupboard above the stove.”
“Sure thing.”
A few minutes later, she poured two cups of coffee and sat down with Brooks at her kitchen table, realizing this could be dangerous. Spending time with Brooks always seemed to be, yet he was easy company and someone she truly liked. She opened the box and glanced at a dozen luscious candies. “It’s going to be hard to choose. Here’s a buttercream for you.” She pointed it out and he grabbed it.
“I think I’ll try the raspberry chocolate,” she said.
“Is that your favorite?” he asked.
“It is.” She didn’t wait for Brooks. She took a big bite and let the soft, creamy raspberry center ooze down her throat. “Oh, yum.”
Brooks grinned and then downed his candy in one giant swallow. “Wow, that was good.”
“Have another,” she said. “I’m going to.”
They sipped coffee between bites and managed to polish off half the box of chocolates. Brooks took a last swallow of coffee and then set down his mug. “We’re not going to talk about what happened in the stable?”
She replaced the lid on the box, stalling for time, and then finally replied, “No. I don’t think so.”
“So we just pretend there isn’t this thing between us.”
“We don’t have to pretend anything.”
“All right,” he said, rising and reaching for her hand. “No more pretending we’re not hot for each other, Ruby. The truth is, I can’t stop thinking about you.” He gave her hand a tug, lifting her from her seat. He was deadly handsome, but more than that, he wasn’t playing games with her the way Trace had. With Brooks she felt special and cared for, and maybe he was what she needed to get over Trace. She’d protected her heart and would continue to do so, but she had Brooks on the brain lately. She knew he would eventually go back to Chicago. He belonged in the city, and her place was here. Maybe they could keep things light. “I came here only to give you the flowers, Ruby,” he said. “I had no ulterior motive.”
“Really? I thought you needed a good reason to down half a box of candy.”
“That, too.” But the truth was in his eyes, and her heart did that thing it did when she was with him. It spun out of control.
She lifted herself on tiptoe and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “You’re sweet.”
He growled from deep in his throat, a desperate sound that resembled exactly how she was feeling right now, and then his gaze fell to her mouth. His eyes darkening, he backed up a step and put some distance between them. “It really was about the flowers, Ruby. I’d better go.” He turned and headed toward the door.
Seeing him retreat put thoughts of the lonely night ahead in her mind. “You don’t have to go,” she blurted the second he reached for the doorknob. “I mean...you don’t have to rush off. I was just going to pop a movie in and kick back. If you care to join me, I have popcorn.”
“That was the deal breaker,” he said, his lips twitching. “’Cause if you didn’t have popcorn, I was out the door.”
“Go sit in the living room, Galahad. I’ll be right in.”
“Thanks—and oh, I like lots of butter.”
She rolled her eyes, and he laughed. “Anything else?”
“No, just you and the popcorn make it a perfect night.”
Ruby hummed her way into the kitchen and grinned the whole time the kernels were popping.
* * *
Ruby sat cross-legged on the sofa next to Brooks, the fireplace giving heat and a warm glow to the room. They’d emptied the popcorn bowl a long while ago, and the movie was ending, but she wasn’t ready for him to leave. She was nestled comfortably in the crook of his shoulder, and neither one of them made a move to separate when the credits rolled. There was a sense of rightness when they were together, which should have scared her off. She wasn’t looking to get her heart broken again. But it was harder to see him leave than it was to have him here. She didn’t know what to make of that.
“That was good,” she said of the classic Western they’d just watched. “I’ve seen it half a dozen times, and it never disappoints.” What wasn’t to like about horses and range wars and white hats against black hats? It was clear who to cheer for, who were the good guys. If only life was that easy to figure out.
Her body had been in a constant state of high alert since Brooks entered the house. She’d tried hard to tamp down her feelings, to treat him as a guest and not the man who’d turned her inside out. A part of her wanted him to go, so that they could end whatever they had before he tore her life up in shreds. And another part of her wanted him to stay. To keep her company throughout the cold winter night.
She lifted away from Brooks and unfolded her pretzel position to stretch out her legs.
He planted his feet on the floor, bracing his elbows on his knees, and turned to her. “Thanks for the movie. I really liked it. But I think a lot of that had to do with the company.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Welcome. Popcorn was good, too. I can’t remember enjoying an evening like this back home.”
“You don’t go to movies in Chicago?”
He shook his head. “No, not really. I’m usually too busy. It’s not high on my list of priorities.”
“I guess Cool Springs is a totally different experience from what you’re used to.”
“It is, but not in a bad way. Back home, my phone is ringing constantly. My life is full of dinner meetings and weekends of work. I don’t get to play very often.”
“Is that what you’re doing here? Playing?”
“If you knew how hard I tried to find Beau, you wouldn’t even have to ask. I went to great lengths and sometimes, now that I think back, didn’t employ the most honorable means to locate my father. My coming to Look Away is very serious. But I am finding some peace here, and it’s quite surprising.”
“I meant with me, Brooks.”
He reached out to grab her hand, then turned it over in his palm as he contemplated her question. “Not with you, either, Ruby. I don’t make a habit of playing games, period.”
“You probably don’t have to.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, you’re handsome and wealthy and I bet—”
“You’d bet wrong. I’d be the first one to tell you I’ve been obsessed lately with finding the truth of my parentage. I haven’t had a moment for anything else. I haven’t dated in months, and I—”
She pressed her fingers against his lips. “Okay, I believe you.”
He kissed her fingertips. “Good.” He rose then and lifted her to her feet on his way up. “I really should go.”
She waited a beat, debating over whether to have him in her bed tonight, to wake with him in the morning. Picturing it was like a dream, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t invite him to stay. The long list of reasons why not infiltrated her mind, making it all very clear.
“I’ll walk you out.” She tugged on his hand and headed to the door, ignoring the regret in his eyes and willing away her own doubts about letting him go. “Thanks for the candy and flowers, Brooks.”
He bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. The kiss was over before she knew what was happening. “You’re welcome. I had a nice time tonight,” he said and walked out the door.
He had had no ulterior motive for showing up here tonight.
Her heart warmed at the thought.
Galahad had been true to his word.
* * *
The next morning, Ruby entered the shed attached to the main house. It was nearly as big as the Preston five-car garage. Back in the day, the Preston boys would play in here, pretending to camp out in the dark walled recesses and holding secret meetings. Ruby was never a part of that all-boy thing, but she had her own secrets in this place. The shed was where twelve-year-old Rusty Jenkins had given her her first kiss. It had been an amateur attempt, she realized years later, as the boy’s lips were as soft as a baby’s and he’d kinda slobbered. But it had thrilled her since Rusty was a boy she’d really liked. And every time she walked in here, those old, very sweet memories flooded her mind.
She lifted the first box she found marked Christmas in red lettering and loaded it into her arms. Ever since Tanya had passed on, Beau enlisted Ruby’s help in decorating the entire house, claiming the place needed a woman’s touch. And she was happy to do it. It was serious business getting the house ready for the holidays.
When the shed door opened, letting in cool Texas air, she called, “Beau, I’m back here.”
“We’re coming,” Beau said in a nasal voice.
She turned to find not one but two Prestons approaching. She should’ve known Brooks would be with him. There was no help for it; Beau was anxious to spend as much time as he could with his son.
Immediately Beau took the box out of her arms. “Morning, Ruby.”
“Good morning,” she said to both of them. But her gaze lingered on Brooks, dressed in faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt that hugged his biceps. She looked away instantly—she couldn’t let Beau catch her drooling over his son. Brooks had hunk written all over him, and how well she knew. Every time he entered a room, her blood pulsed wildly. It usually took a few moments to calm down. “Brooks is going to help us decorate the tree, if that’s okay with you.” Beau barely got the words out before he began coughing, and his face turned candy apple red.
“Are you sick, Beau?” she asked.
“Trying to catch a cold is all, Rube.”
But he coughed again and again. Brooks grabbed the box out of his arms.
“Not trying,” she said. “You sound terrible. You’re congested, Beau.”
“I think so, too, but he insisted on helping decorate the tree today,” Brooks said.
Beau pursed his lips. It was the closest the man came to pouting. “Is it so wrong to want to put up a tree with my son for the first time?”
Ruby glanced at Brooks and then gave Beau a sweet smile. “Not at all, but if you’re not feeling well, you should rest. The Look Away Christmas party is happening this weekend, and Graham and his fiancée will be here by then. You want to be healthy for that, Beau. A little rest will do you a world of good. I can manage the tree.”
“I’ll help, Ruby,” Brooks added, nodding. “Why not take a rest and come down later for dinner?”
Beau turned his head away and coughed a blue streak. “Okay,” he managed on a nod. He couldn’t argue after that coughing spell. “I guess you two are right. I can’t be sick when Graham and Eve get here. Not with her being pregnant and all. That’s my first grandbaby.” Pride filled his voice.
“Yeah, and I’m gonna be an uncle.” Brooks’s eyes gleamed, showing Ruby just how much Beau and Brooks looked alike.
“That you are.” Then Beau drew out a sigh as if he wanted to do anything but rest on his laurels this morning. “I’ll go now. See you both later on.”
He walked away, and the sound of his coughing followed him out the door.
Now Ruby was alone in the shed with deadly handsome Brooks. He stared at her, a smile on his face.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re a bossy mother hen.”
She shook her head. “I already lost one father. Don’t want to lose another.”
Brooks flinched, and she wished she could take her words back. Brooks hadn’t meant anything by his comment. He was teasing; it was what he did, and she shouldn’t have lashed out. But the man made her a little jumpy and whole lot of crazy.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that my father worked himself into the ground, and I was too young to know enough to stop him. Losing him as a teen was hard. I had no other family, and when Beau took me in and treated me as his own, well...it meant a lot to me. So I’m protective.”
Brooks moved a stray hair from her cheek and tucked it back behind her ear. “I get that. I was only teasing.”
“I know.” She lifted her chin and cracked a small smile.
“Ruby,” he said quietly. His eyes softened to a blue glow, his hand moving to the back of her neck to hold her head in place.
There was silent communication between them. She sensed that he understood, and in the silence of the shed, her heart pounded as she stared at him, wishing that he was someone else. Not Beau’s son. Not a man who would eventually leave Cool Springs. And her.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as if reading her mind. As if he realized the pain she’d experienced losing her mother, her father and a lover who had abandoned her. Her heart was guarded. She’d built up an impenetrable wall of defense against further hurt and pain.
“I can’t let you, Brooks.”
“I won’t. I promise,” he said, his gaze dipping to her mouth. She parted her lips and he took her then, in a kiss that was simple and brief and sweet. Moments ticked by as she stared at him, sad regret pulling at her heart. And their fate was sealed. They had come to terms with their attraction and would put a halt to anything leading them astray.
It was quiet in the shed, and cool and dark. Ruby trembled, and that brought her out of her haze. “We should get these boxes into the house. We’ve got a full day of decorating ahead. Have you seen the tree yet?”
“No, not yet. We should get to it, then.”
Brooks got right on it, pulling down two big boxes and loading up his arms while she grabbed one, too. “You know, I haven’t decorated for Christmas since I was a kid,” he said as they made their way toward the house. “My mom would get this small three-foot tree and put it up on Grandma Gerty’s round coffee table. That made it look just as big and tall as the ones we’d see around town. Then Graham and I would put the ornaments on the taller branches, and my little brother, Carson, would decorate the bottom half.”
“Did you use tinsel?” she asked, her mood lighter now as she pictured Brooks as a boy.
“My mom always made a popcorn garland. And my grandmother would give us candy canes to stick on the tree.”
“My dad and I always used silver tinsel,” Ruby said. “It wasn’t Christmas until we had the tree covered in it.”
“Sounds nice,” Brooks said. “I’m sorry Beau isn’t going to be decorating with us today. Seems silly now that I’m a grown man, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all. You missed out on a lot with Beau. But you know what? I bet before we finish the tree, Beau will come down.”
As they entered the massive living room, Brooks took one look at the tree and the ladder beside it and halted his steps, inclining his head. “Wow. Now, that’s a tree. Must be a fifteen-footer.”
“At least. Every year Beau has the biggest and best Douglas fir delivered to the house. Tanya loved filling up the entire corner of the room with the tree.”
They set their boxes down. Brooks scanned the room again and sighed. “It’s weird, you know. Having a family here I didn’t know about. I’m not complaining. I had a good life. My mother made sure of it. But to think while I was decorating our Christmas tree at home, my father and his family were setting their own Christmas traditions.”
“Just think, Brooks. Now you’ll have both—a Chicago and a Cool Springs Christmas.”
He chuckled. “You’re right, Ruby. I guess that’s not half-bad.”
“No, it’s not. Now, here,” she said, digging into a box and coming up with a string of large, colorful lights. “Before we can hang any ornaments, we need to make this tree shine. Start at the top and work your way down, Mr. Six-Foot-Two. You’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Hours later, Brooks put his arm around Ruby’s shoulders as they stepped back from the tree to admire their handiwork. The tree was stunning, the lights in holiday hues casting a soft glimmer over the large formal living room. “It’s beautiful,” Ruby said quietly.
“It is. We went through six boxes on the tree alone.”
“It looks almost perfect,” Ruby said, noticing a flaw.
“Almost?”
“Yeah, I see a spot we missed.”
“Where?”
She pointed to a bare space toward the top of the tree that had been neglected. “Right there. I’ll get it,” she said, breaking away from Brooks to grab a beautiful horse ornament, a palomino with a golden mane. “We’ll just get this guy up on that branch.”
She hugged the side rails of the ladder and began climbing. Making it to the highest rung, she thought was safe and reached out to a branch just as the ladder wobbled beneath her. “Oh!”
“I’ve got you,” Brooks said, steadying the ladder first and then fitting her butt cheeks into his hands from his stance on the floor.
“Brooks.” She swatted at his hands. “Stop that.”
“What?” He put innocence in his voice. “I’m only keeping you from falling.”
“Shh,” she said, her entire body reacting to the grip he had on her. They’d worked together all day long in close quarters, and it was hard enough to keep from touching him, from brushing her body against his, from breathing in his intoxicating scent while trying to focus on the task. “Lupe might hear you. Or Beau might come down.”
“Lupe went shopping for groceries, remember? And I heard Beau snoring just a second ago. Doesn’t seem like he’s going to come down anytime soon.”
“Smart aleck. You’re got it all figured out, don’t you?”
“Hell, I wish I did, Ruby.”
She ignored the earnest regret she heard in his voice. “I’m coming down. That means you can take your hands off my ass now.”
He grinned and then released her. “I’ll be right here, waiting.”
“Why does that worry me?” she said as she lowered herself slowly down.
He stood at the base of the ladder, and when she turned around, he was there, crowding her with his body, his scent, his blue beautiful eyes. “I think I have a shelf life around you, Ruby,” he said in explanation. “A few hours without touching you is all I can manage.”
The compliment seared through her system and warmed all the cold spots. “I know what you mean,” she said softly. She felt the same way, and it was useless to deny the attraction.
He gave her a bone-melting smile. “Now, that’s honest.”
“I’m always honest. Or at least, I try to be.”
He held her trapped against the ladder, his arms roped around the sides, blocking her in. When he lowered his head, her eyes closed naturally, and she welcomed his kiss.
“Mmm,” she hummed against lips that fit perfectly with hers. Lips that gave so much and demanded even more. The connection she had with Brooks was sharp and swift and powerful. They were like twin magnets that clicked together the minute they got close.
He took her head in his hands and dipped her back, deepening the kiss, probing her with his tongue. He swept inside so quickly she gasped, the pleasure startling her and making her pulse race out of control.
He whispered, “Come to my cabin tonight, Ruby.”
“I, uh...” A dozen reasons she shouldn’t swarmed into her mind. The same reasons she’d tried to heed before, the same reasons that had kept her up nights.
He kissed her again, meshing their bodies hip to hip, groin to groin. There was no mistaking his erection and the blatant desire pulsing between them. She had to come to terms with wanting Brooks. Not for the future, not because of the past, but for now. In the present. Could she live with that?
“Yes,” she said, agreeing to another night with him. “I’ll come to you,” she promised. And once she said it, her shoulders relaxed and her entire body gave way to relief. She’d put up a good fight, but it was time to realize she couldn’t fight what was happening between them. She could only go along for the ride and see where it would take her.
* * *
“Ruby, you sure you don’t want to watch the end of the game with me and Brooks?” Beau asked from his seat at the head of the dinner table. “We can catch the last half. Looks like the Texans might make the playoffs if they win tonight.”
His boys had invited them all to catch the game at the C’mon Inn as they usually did once a week, drinking beer and talking smack, but mother hen that she was, Ruby delicately squashed that idea. Beau needed his rest and some alone time with Brooks, since he’d missed out on being with him today.
“No thanks, Beau. I’ll just help Lupe straighten up in the kitchen and then head home. You boys enjoy the game. And remember, don’t stay up too late. You may be feeling better, but you still need to turn in early.”
“Yes, ma’am, I promise,” Beau said, giving her a wink.
He seemed much better than he had this morning. He’d coughed only once during dinner, and his voice had lost that nasal tone. She congratulated herself on getting him to rest today. It had done him a world of good.
“Thanks again to both of you for fixing up the house. Looks real pretty.”
“You’re welcome.” Brooks looked as innocent as a schoolboy as he nodded at his father, but his innocence ended there. He’d been eyeballing Ruby all during dinner, making it hard for her to swallow her food. She was eager to be with him again, to have him nestle her close and make her body come apart.
“It was a lot of fun, Dad. Ruby taught me the finer points of decorating a tree.”
Ruby wanted to roll her eyes. Everything Brooks said lately seemed to have a double meaning. Or was she just imagining it?
“She’s had enough experience,” Beau went on. “She took over from Tanya, you know. And I know my wife would approve of the way you both made the house look so festive. The party’s on Saturday night, and son, I can’t wait to introduce you to my friends.”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
Beau smiled and then was hit by a sudden fit of coughing. Concerned, Ruby put a hand on his shoulder until he simmered down. “S-sorry,” he said.
“Don’t apologize, Dad. Maybe I should go so you can turn in early.”
“Nah, don’t go yet. It’s just a tickle. I’m fine.”
Beau seemed to recover quickly. He didn’t want to miss out on watching football with his son. It was sweet of him, and Brooks seemed to understand.
“All right, then,” Brooks said.
“I’m making you a cup of tea, Beau,” Ruby said. “No arguments. Go have a seat in the great room and finish the game. I’ll bring it in to you. Brooks, would you like some tea?”
“I’ll just get myself another beer, if you don’t mind. I’ll meet you in the other room, Dad.”
“Okay, sure,” Beau said, heading out.
Brooks cocked his mouth in a smile and followed behind Ruby. When she was almost through the kitchen doorway, his hand snaked out and tugged on her forearm. He spun her around to face him squarely. “What?” she asked, her brows gathering.
“Look up.”
She didn’t have to. The scent of fresh mistletoe filled her nostrils from above, and before she could comment, Brooks was swooping down, giving her a kiss. It was short-lived, but filled with passion—a kiss that had staying power. “Shelf life,” he whispered, searching her face with sea-blue eyes.
“You set me up.” He’d put up mistletoe in half a dozen rooms in the house.
“Guilty as charged.”
She shoved at his chest, but he didn’t budge. “Go,” she pleaded. “Watch football with your father.” Lupe was clearing the dinner dishes from the dining room table and would be back in the kitchen any second.
“Bossy. I love that about you,” he whispered over her lips.
Her skin heated at his seductive words. She pointed toward the great room. “Go. Pleeeze.”
He saluted her. “Yes, ma’am. See you soon.” Then he turned and walked away.
If he wanted to give her a preview of what was in store for her later that evening, he’d succeeded. The kiss had staying power; it had her nerves jumping and her body primed for his touch.
After delivering a steaming mug of chamomile tea to Beau, she bundled up in a warm wool jacket and exited the house. She was halfway home when her phone rang out—Carrie Underwood again, keying her ex-boyfriend’s car.
The screen displayed the caller. “Trace,” Ruby muttered.
She couldn’t talk to him tonight. She let the call go to voice mail.
But curiosity had her putting the phone to her ear to listen to his message. “Hey, baby. It’s Trace. I’m missing you like crazy. I’m coming home tomorrow. I need to see you, babe. We need to talk.”
He sounded serious. Trace wanted to talk to her? The entire time they’d dated, he’d put her off about matters of the heart. He’d always said he would rather show her how he felt than ramble off meaningless words. And she’d bought that, hook, line and sinker. For a time, his actions had spoken louder than words. He’d been an attentive boyfriend, showing up with thoughtful gifts, taking her to country music concerts, letting her drive his most prized possession, his fully restored 1964 Ford truck. For a while Ruby had felt like the queen of the world. And she’d fallen hard for him, thinking him the perfect man for her—a man born and raised in Texas, a man who understood her love of horses, a man of the earth.
Together they could enjoy life here in Cool Springs.
But then something had happened. It had started out gradually. Trace had become restless. His attention had drifted. He seemed unsatisfied, as if he needed and wanted more out of life. He was systematically yet subtly pushing her away, and it had taken his being gone for months on the rodeo circuit without calling her for her to realize she’d been dumped. She’d spent many nights crying over him. Wondering what had gone wrong. She’d been in love with him. She’d banked her future on him, and she’d been sucker-punched in the gut when she realized they were truly over.
She’d asked herself if he’d been tired of her, or if it was his life that needed a big change. She didn’t know, but what she did know was that he didn’t want her anymore. Maybe he’d never really loved her. She’d wasted a great deal of time on a man who, in the end, didn’t want a future with her.
She wouldn’t be that gullible again.
So as she entered her cottage, she showered and changed her clothes and set her mind on keeping her feelings for Brooks neutral. He was a city guy, Beau’s long-lost son and a man who’d be leaving town after the holidays. She couldn’t give herself fully to Brooks, but she could enjoy spending time with him and look forward to the pleasures they could give each other. Once again she asked herself if her attraction to Brooks was real or simply a way to redeem her blistered and battered soul.
Brooks made her feel feminine and special and beautiful.
That was enough for now.
* * *
Shortly after, Ruby parked her car so it was completely hidden from sight behind a feed shed and walked up to Brooks’s cabin. She knocked briskly. Her heart was pounding, her mind made up. When Brooks opened the door, she studied the handsome face, the beautiful blue eyes gazing back at her. “My shelf life for you has just expired.”
Brooks’s eyes flickered, and a growl emanated from his throat.
He took her hand and tugged her inside.
Then slammed the door shut behind them.
Brooks seemed to know. He really seemed to know she didn’t need mindless words as he peeled her dress down her arms and over her hips until she was clad only in a pink bra and panties. His groan of approval gave way to him ripping at the buttons of his shirt and yanking it off. Then he lifted her silently, his strong arms under her legs and his mouth covering hers as he moved down the hall. He didn’t let up on her lips until they reached the bedroom. His room was bathed in candlelight—a nice touch—and the soft beams delicately caressed the bedsheets.
Instead of lowering her onto the bed, Brooks guided her down his body until her feet met with cool wood floor planks. He reached around and unhooked her bra, then slipped his fingers under the straps, pulling them away and freeing her breasts. He gazed at them for several heartbeats before he hooked her panties with a finger and slid them all the way down her legs. With the slightest move of her feet, she stepped out of them.
It amazed her how much she trusted him. How she allowed him to bear witness to her naked body without worry or shyness. Maybe it was the glow of admiration in his eyes, the way they seemed to touch and warm her at the same time. Her nipples tightened under his scrutiny, and he noticed. “You’re cold.”
She shook her head no.
She wasn’t cold. She was turned on. Ready for whatever Brooks wanted to do.
He walked around her and pressed his body to hers. The length of his manhood rubbed against her backside, and her eyelids lowered ever so slowly. He reached around and cupped her heavy breasts in his hands much like he had her rear end earlier in the day, and then nibbled lustily on the back of her neck. If he was trying to drive her crazy, he was doing a good job. Her body was throbbing now, hot and eager for more.
He wasn’t through tormenting her. Next he used his palms to mold her skin from her shoulders down along the very edge of her breasts. He smoothed his hands to the hollow curves of her waist and lower still until his fingertips touched the apex of her thighs, teasing and tempting, bringing her immense pleasure. Instincts had her spreading her legs, welcoming the onslaught, and her breathing escalated. She couldn’t think of anything but what he was doing to her. What she wanted him to do to her.
He rubbed against her as he brought her closer still, pressed so tight there was no doubt about his own thick arousal. And then his hand moved to her core, making her gasp and silently plead for more. His fingertips worked the folds of her skin and drew her out with tender but targeted strokes that jolted her body. “Easy now,” Brooks whispered as he wrapped his free arm around her waist to steady her while he continued his torment. She was so ready, so primed that it took only a few more infinitely refined strokes to send her sailing over the edge.
She rocked back and shuddered long and hard, the spasms ridiculously powerful. When they were over, Brooks braced her in his arms, bestowing kisses on her shoulders, her back, and then spun her around and looked deep into her eyes.
Ruby was in too much awe to say a word.
Brooks wasn’t much in the mood for talking, either. He whipped off his belt and then removed the rest of his clothes. Her eyes dipped to his beautifully ripped and aroused body, and she fell to her knees before him and gave him the same pleasure he’d given her. He groaned from deep in his chest with utter approval, and it wasn’t long before he was reaching for her, lifting her up.
“I need to be inside you,” he rasped.
“Lie down, Galahad.”
And once he was in position, taking up the length of the bed and wearing protection, she threw her leg over his hips and straddled him. “Ah man, Ruby,” he said. “You have no idea how you look right now.”
“Like I’m about to ride?”
Even through his heated expression, he chuckled. “You comparing me to a horse?”
“Take it as a compliment,” she said as she pressed herself down onto him. A low, guttural sigh emerged from his throat as her body took all of him inside. Then she began a slow, steady climb. Brooks’s hands were on her hips, holding on or guiding her—she couldn’t tell—and then the pace changed, surging and building to a crescendo that had her crying out.
Brooks, too, was there, grunting and sighing in a mix of pain and pleasure.
The climax hit them hard together, and their cries echoed from the cabin walls.
Ruby fell atop him and he gathered her in, holding her tight, cradling her in his arms.
She was spent, her limbs like jelly.
It was a good thing she had Brooks on the brain tonight.
Tomorrow she would have to deal with Trace.
