the least.
“My boys—your half brothers—will join us another night,” Beau commented. “They’re giving us time to get better acquainted. I hope you don’t mind it’ll just be you and me. And Ruby, of course.”
“I can give you two time alone, too, Beau,” Ruby jumped in, obviously trying to remove herself from the situation.
“I won’t hear of it,” Beau said. “Not after you cooked all afternoon for us. You’re gonna sit right down and enjoy the meal along with us, Ruby. You work too hard as it is. Tonight we’re gonna relax and get to know Brooks.”
Ruby’s gaze dimmed, and Brooks hid his amusement, but somehow Ruby knew he was laughing at her. From behind Beau’s back, she gave him the stink eye.
Now that she was at the ranch, he couldn’t imagine keeping away from her. Not touching her again was messing with his mind. He had bigger problems, but the idea of delicate, petite Ruby Lopez sitting by his side at dinner had him tied up in knots.
She was about as off-limits as a woman could get.
Brooks had never run from a challenge in his life, as old man Sutton Winchester could testify.
But Brooks was used to getting what he wanted in life.
And he was beginning to think Ruby was all that and more.
Once they were seated at the table and diving into the food, Beau asked, “So, what do you think about the ranch so far? Seeing it on horseback is a good way to gain perspective on the property, son.”
Son? Would there ever come a day when Brooks would tire of hearing his father call him that? For so many years, Brooks had wondered what it would be like to know his true father, to sit down with him and have a meal. Now he was living the reality, and it all seemed surreal. “It’s...it’s a great spread, pretty impressive.”
“And I bet Ruby picked out a good horse for you to ride.”
“He rode Misty,” she said.
“Ah, good,” Beau said, nodding. It was the horse Beau had suggested.
“You know, Brooks, Ruby learned from the best. Her daddy, Joaquin, was my foreman and head wrangler for many years.” Beau’s eyes once again touched on Ruby with affection. “It’d make me real proud and happy if you’d think of Ruby as family, son. I mean, once you two get better acquainted.”
Ruby’s olive skin flushed with color. She immediately scraped her chair back, rose from her seat and went over to open the refrigerator. “I forgot the iced tea,” she mumbled.
Beau ran a hand down his face and gave his head a shake. “Uh, sorry, honey. I forget how independent you are. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t,” she said, pouring tea into three glasses, her back to them. “I’m fine, Beau.”
Brooks’s gaze dipped to her rear end in that tight-fitting dress, her long hair falling down her back like a sheet of black silk. He wasn’t about to touch upon this subject, so he stayed silent. His father’s request only cemented his need to keep far away from Ruby, which wasn’t going to be easy since they’d be living on the ranch together now. Every time he laid eyes on the woman, something clicked inside his head. And way farther south.
Shelve those thoughts, man.
She came back to the table, delivered the drinks and scooted back into her chair.
“Thanks,” Brooks said.
“You’re welcome,” she said, giving him a quick smile.
“Yeah, thanks honey. Meal’s real delicious.”
“Yes,” Brooks added. “You’re a talented cook, Ruby.”
Among other things.
* * *
Ruby escaped the dinner early, claiming a case of fatigue and a desire for Beau to get to know Brooks on a one-on-one basis. Beau was ecstatic to have his son finally home. She saw it in his eyes, heard it in his tone. And she was truly happy for him. He’d told her he’d been haunted for years, had searched for and lamented the loss of the children he knew were out there somewhere. Now he’d been given a second chance to father them and bring them into the family.
Twins, no less.
Dios, it was weird having Brooks here. He made her nervous, and she couldn’t say that about too many things. She was a woman who usually didn’t go in for one-night flings, yet the one time she’d indulged, fate pulled a fast one on her by bringing Brooks right to her doorstep. Weren’t one-night stands supposed to be just that—secret liaisons that both parties could walk away from?
She needed to purge thoughts of Brooks Newport Preston. He’d taken up too much space in her mind today. She made a detour and walked the path to the stables. Checking in on her horses always made her feel better.
One peek inside the dimly lit stable told her all was right in the horse world at Look Away. Beau bred dozens of horses to sell, and it was her job to make sure they were healthy and happy and well-trained. She knew enough not to form an emotional attachment to most of them. She knew not to love them, because that bond was sure to be broken as soon as the sale became final. Her papa had warned her enough times when she was a young girl, and after a few pretty brutal heartbreaks, she’d learned that lesson the hard way. Now Ruby knew when to love and when not to love.
Unfortunately she hadn’t been that astute when it came to men.
But the horses in this stable weren’t in danger of being sold off. They all belonged to the Preston family, except for Storm Cloud. He was all hers.
“Hey, Cloud,” she whispered, tiptoeing to his stall. “You still up?”
Cloud wandered over to her, his head coming over the split door to say hello with a gentle nudge. “Yes, you are.” Ruby stroked the side of his face, pressing a kiss above his nose. The horse gave a little snort, and Ruby chuckled. “You want a treat, don’t you?”
She grabbed her secret stash from a bag hooked on the wall and came up with a handful of sugar cubes. “Only a few,” she said. “And let’s be quiet about it. Or the others will wake up.”
Cloud gobbled them within seconds, and Ruby spent a few more minutes with him before she said good-night. Feeling better, she walked toward the cottage she called home while she was staying on the Look Away. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” banged out of her phone, and she glanced at the screen.
Trace?
Her heart sped up. Why was he calling now, of all times? He hadn’t had the balls to call her for six months. She’d invested almost two years in him, mainly during the off-season of the rodeo. They’d dated and had an amazing time together. But it wasn’t all fun and games on her part. She’d fallen hard for the bull rider, giving him something she’d always protected and kept safe—her heart. Yet when the rodeo started up again this year, he’d left her high and dry. He hadn’t called. He hadn’t written. A few texts in the beginning, and that had been it, for heaven’s sake. She’d spent the first months making excuses for him because the rodeo was an important part of his life. He was
