“A pleasure,” he said as he took her hand and shook.
“I can’t wait to catch up with you guys and hear all about your honeymoon, Elle, but jetlag is a bitch. Flynn and I are going to take a nap before dinner,” Ruby told them.
“Absolutely,” Elle said, her blue eyes crinkled in concern. “You should sleep. We’ll contain our excitement and nosiness about your trip until you’re rested.”
“What she said.” Megan linked her arm in Elle’s, and they started back toward the castle. “See you guys in a little while. And welcome home.”
“They’re very excited to see you,” Flynn commented with an amused twinkle in his eye as she unlocked her front door.
“We’re like family at this point.” She pushed the door open and stepped inside, tugging her suitcase behind her. “We all lived in guest rooms at the main castle when we first got here. But after Elle moved into the owner’s quarters with Theo, and Megan moved into the farmhouse with Jake, I came down here to the guest house. Feels much homier.”
“It’s nice,” Flynn said as he moved the rest of their bags over the threshold.
Ruby clucked her tongue, eager for this next reunion too. “Simon? Oliver? I hope you guys haven’t forgotten me.”
Simon’s gray head poked around the doorway from the bedroom, and he trotted down the hall toward her, meowing all the way. As she turned to greet him, she saw Oliver sprawled on the couch in the living room, eyeing her balefully as if deciding whether he still loved her after she’d left him for three weeks.
“I missed you guys.” She squatted down and scooped Simon into her arms. He pressed his head against her cheek, purring loudly and still meowing his happiness to see her.
“He’s a talkative one,” Flynn commented, crouching beside her.
“They’re Siamese. They tend to be that way.”
Simon leaned out of her arms to sniff Flynn’s extended hand before nuzzling him. Oliver hopped off the couch and strolled over, stalking around Flynn with his tail held high.
“Didn’t want to be left out, hm?” She reached out to pet him, and he rubbed against her thigh, purring even louder than his brother before making his way over to Flynn.
“Well, I guess I’ve passed muster,” Flynn said, laughter in his tone, as both cats circled him, demanding his attention.
“You have,” she agreed, standing.
Together, they moved their luggage to the master bedroom, where Flynn insisted they take a quick shower before bed to wash off any germs she might have accumulated during their travels, despite the private jet. Always so considerate.
The hot shower refreshed her, but somehow made her even more tired. As she slipped into her bed with Flynn beside her, she finally realized the difference between pre and post-trip Ruby. She’d left this house a single woman in search of adventure, and she’d returned a woman in love.
Flynn woketo the sensation of being poked in the crotch. What the hell? He reached out reflexively, his hands encountering fur. One of Ruby’s cats sat on top of him with a paw pressing into his balls. Careful not to startle him and engage the claws, Flynn lifted the cat and set him on the floor. That’s when he saw the other cat stretched out on Ruby’s chest, fast asleep. Apparently, they were glad to have her home.
A quick glance at the clock told him it was just past five. Jetlag really was a bitch, because he was simultaneously restless and exhausted. Outside the window, the sun was just dipping below the treetops as afternoon turned to evening. They were due up at the main castle for dinner soon, but Ruby looked so peaceful, he couldn’t bring himself to wake her. No doubt, she needed the sleep.
He slipped out of bed and padded down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of water. The cat that had awoken him followed, darting in and out between his feet as he walked. “Are you Simon or Oliver?” Flynn asked the cat. They looked very similar, with light gray bodies, darker gray on their heads and paws, and striking blue eyes. Siamese, Ruby had said.
“Meow,” the cat answered, jumping up on the counter to watch as Flynn filled a glass with water from the spout on the refrigerator.
“You guys take good care of her, don’t you?” He drank it down without pausing for breath.
The cat never took its eyes off him. “Meow.”
Flynn set his glass in the sink and moved to the window, staring up at the castle. Somehow, he couldn’t quite imagine Ruby living there. The Ruby he knew was too practical and sensible to live in an overdone mansion of a home like Rosemont Castle. The guest house suited her, though.
“See that tower on the left-hand side of the castle?” she said softly from behind him.
He turned. “I didn’t hear you get up.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “That was my bedroom.”
“What was?”
“The top of the tower.”
