After parking outside, I jogged to the door. The sun was bright and the birds were happy. Unlike last night when I’d entered a quiet cabin. Ruby had been asleep in the guest room.
She hadn’t helped herself to my bed while I wasn’t there. I’d stood in the hallway like a fucking stalker, watching her door, listening for any movement, desperate to see her after a long week of coming home to an empty house.
Fuck, I was in a bad way.
I entered the house. The place was quiet.
“Ruby?” I went to the kitchen and deposited the huckleberry muffins on the counter. Mom had also sent another dozen eggs. My stomach clenched. The breakfast sandwich I’d brought with me to do chores had long since burned off.
No answer came. I checked the garage. Her car was gone.
Dammit. I closed the door and peeked into the guest room. Her suitcase was open on the bed.
I pinched between my eyes.Get it together.We had a date tonight. Not a date, dammit. We were going out to eat. For show.
I could wait until she returned to see her. Was she wearing a dress or a skirt?
I’d know in a short time. All I had to do was be patient. I could paint a couple of models while waiting. Mow my lawn. Pull some weeds. Dust. There was plenty to do while waiting for her.
I reached for my phone before I could deliberate further. I typed outWhere are you?and sent it.
I waited, rooted in place in my hallway.
Ruby: Mountain Perks.
I was outside and in my pickup within seconds. I flew to town, only obeying the speed limit when I hit city limits. Downtown bustled with activity on a Saturday morning. Carslined the block around the coffee shop and the boutiques next to it. I took the first spot I could find a few blocks down.
In the coffee shop, I spotted Ruby right away. She sat at a back table, facing away from the entrance, book in hand. Her coffee mug was pushed to the side and an empty plate was at the edge of her table.
The couple who owned the hardware store passed me.
“Hey,” Buddy Kenwood greeted, sticking a hand out. “How’s it go?—”
“Good to see you.” I gave him the quickest handshake ever and continued past him.
I probably knew everyone in the place, but I didn’t stop to look. My strides ate up the distance between me and Ruby until I leaned down, tipped her face up, and pressed a kiss to those lips that continued to haunt my dreams. It was for show. That was the only reason I was kissing her.
A small, surprised squeak left her, but she brought a hand to my face and ran her thumb over the scruff on my cheek.
I pulled away enough to say, “Hey.”
Her lips curved up. “Hey yourself.” Bewilderment filled her gaze. She closed her book and set it down. ThePride and Prejudicecover was firmly in place. “Is everything okay?”
The conversation around us had dwindled. Attention was likely planted right on us, but I didn’t care. “Yes.” Now it was.
I swiveled around and sat on the small, round metal chair across from Ruby. I glanced at the other customers. Some curious looks were cast our way. My high school tennis coach gave me a nod, his smile wide. I dipped my head in return.
I folded my hands on the tabletop. “I missed you.”
She lifted her brows and looked around. Comprehension filled her eyes, along with acceptance. Damn. She thought I was doing this all for show.
I was. I had to be. I could not miss Ruby this bad when next weekend was our last time together. “You’re not wearing a skirt.”
She was wearing goddamn blue jeans and those fuckers might undo me worse than a dress.
“I wore a dress last night.” She shrugged with the sassiest attitude I’d ever seen.
Another thing I’d missed. “What do I gotta do to get you to wear it to dinner tonight?” I leaned to the side just a little and checked out what I could see of her lower half. “Those jeans though, Goldilocks. Damn.”
