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.”
