Once Ivy is safely on the road, I go back into the living room to check on Ruby. I sit beside her legs, gently jostling her awake. “Take these for me, baby. Then I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
Baby.
Fuck, how the hell did that slip out? With any luck, she won't remember it in the morning.
I hold out the meds in the palm of my hand. She takesthem, and I twist the top off the bottle of water and hold it to her lips.
“Thanks.” Her voice is sleepy, and it’s clear she’s still a little drunk, but it’s the cute kind of drunk, not the sloppy kind. “‘Night,” she murmurs.
“Goodnight, Goldie.”
When those two words leave my lips, I’m drawn back to another night I’d said them to her—in this same small town under that same sky, two people with imperfect timing.
10 years ago, After the Prom
I steal a glance at Ruby, still in her silky prom dress in some shade of green I don’t know the name of, with the windows rolled down and her once perfectly styled hair blowing in the breeze.
She has one hand out the window like she’s trying to take flight, and she’s about to take my goddamn heart right along with her.
But I can’t let that happen. I shouldn’t be thinking about my brother’s girl like that.
Except… she’s not his anymore.
“Want me to take you home?” I ask.
She turns toward me, all traces of sadness forgotten. “I have a better idea. Turn left up here.”
“Gonna tell me where we’re going?”
“Oh, come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?” She tosses her head back and closes her eyes, letting the wind whip around her. “Live a little.”
She directs me down a gravel road that travels through a wooded area on the outskirts of Oak Ridge.
“You’re not some kind of secret serial killer luring me to my death, are you?” I ask.
“If I were, I wouldn’t do it in a satin ball gown and heels.”
“But clearly you’ve given it some thought.”
“The chances of me committing murder are low, but never zero. Watch your back, Murphy.”
Fuck, she’s adorable.
Ruby catches me staring, and a wide smile breaks across her face. It’s the real one—the kind that makes that dimple appear in her cheek. Being on the receiving end of a Ruby Hayes smile is like basking in the warmth of the summer sun. Exhilarating. Comforting. And deadly if you’re not careful.
The splashing sound of rushing water drifts through the open windows as we pull into a clearing near a small waterfall. Water cascades down the side of a cliff into the pool below before it flows into the creek.
I glance around the area, looking for a familiar landmark, but we’re surrounded by only nature. “Where are we?”
“Home.”
“The ranch?”
“Yep. Took the backroads to my favorite spot.”
She hops out of the truck as soon as I put it in park, and kicks off her high heels before tossing them through the open window.
I lean against the hood and cross one foot over the other, watching, waiting to see what she’s going to do next. Ruby is a walking contradiction, all softness and light but fierce as hell. Unpredictable like wildfire, and fuck if I don’t want to light the spark and watch it burn.
