Major angled himself in the seat so he was facing her. “Cash mortgaged his house to get the startup money for his company. It’s doin’ pretty good, but he’s on the fence of success and failure right now. He needs to grow so he can compete with theestablished brands, but he needs to sell the stock he’s already invested in. This show is his ticket. There’s a lot ridin’ on this weekend.”
“Oh.” Rubi slumped. While she’d been joking and teasing, Cash had some pretty serious things going on in his life. “No wonder he’s grumpy. I should probably stop pushing his buttons.”
Major laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about him. He’ll lighten up once he gets settled in and talkin’ with folks about his gear.”
Rubi smiled in return. Inside, she was cursing herself. She’d been self-absorbed in her quest—not thinking that Cash may be struggling with something of his own. Well, she knew now and she’d do her best to stay out of the way.
CHAPTER SIX
To Cash’s great relief, Rubi did not follow him back and forth as he and Dad set up the booth. They’d gotten into a rhythm when it came to working together.
As a boy, he’d follow Dad like a shadow as he fiddled with the boat motor or assembled bookshelves for his well-red wife. They’d joke that Mama could get lost in a good book and they’d have to put out a missing person’s report. She’d shake her head and blush, knowing it was all true and still coming home from the library with a weekend’s worth of books.
After a while of work without Rubi under his feet, he looked around, wondering if she’d gotten bored and wandered off. Nope. She had a stack of papers and was leaning up against the wall. If she was trying to be inconspicuous, she failed miserably. She had this air of command in her posture that was difficult to ignore.
He’d tried.
It didn’t help that she was so pretty. Her high heels made her legs look a country mile long. The footwear wasn’t meant for an outdoor expo where camo was the pattern of choice among participants. He wasn’t the only man watching her. To hercredit, Rubi ignored them all. He knew, because he watched for her reaction.
After an hour, he got curious about what she was reading. She flipped through a three-ring binder, sometimes scanning quickly and other times studying intensely. Once, he swore he saw her lips move.
Curious or not, he wasn’t going to interrupt. The less time they spent talking, the better.
Cash finished straightening the banner across the top of the booth and stepped down from the ladder. “Looks good.” He nodded once.
“Here.” Dad handed him a folding chair.
“Thanks.” Cash opened it up and slid it behind the spot where he’d take money. He didn’t expect to sit much today, but it was nice to have the option.
“It’s not for you.” Dad jerked his chin towards Rubi. “She’s been on her feet all morning.”
Cash’s eyes ran the length of her body, noting that she didn’t look at all tired out. She looked fresh and all too healthy. Cash scratched his head, trying to figure out how to explain the situation to his idol—especially when he knew Dad wouldn’t like what he had to say. “Dad, I don’t want to make her comfortable. I don’t even want her here.” Apparently, Rubi had explained her mission to Dad on the ride over. He’d grumbled a bit to Cash, letting him know where his loyalties lay.
Dad’s jaw jutted forward. “What have I told you?”
Cash snagged the chair. There was no disagreeing with that set of Dad’s jaw. “Always treat them like a lady.”
“Get goin’ boy,” Dad growled, leaving no room for argument.
Cash walked quickly, having so much more to do than make sure Rubi had a place to sit. The expo doors were pushed open and a wave of voices washed through the warehouse-sizedbuilding, letting him know that customers would trickle to the back of the room soon.
He set the chair up behind the back curtain of their booth. If she was closer, he wouldn’t have to work so hard to keep an eye on her with all these men around. Not that the attendees were a bad sort. There were just so many of them. A little thing like her? someone could throw her over their shoulder and march on out the back door. Not that he’d thought about doing that.
Clamping his teeth together, he crossed the back alley way.
“Prove it, then. Kiss me,” she said quietly.
“What?” Cash jerked to a stop.
Rubi blinked. “What?”
“Did you just tell me to kiss you?”
She slammed her folder shut. “No.”
She blushed, her cheeks dusting pink.
Cash grinned, finally feeling as if he had the upper hand in a game of poker he’d been losing at since last night. “You did.”
