was about to carve her name in her guy’s leather seats, and Ruby had a mind to do that very thing to Trace’s truck if she ever saw him again. But her curiosity got the better of her. Before her cell went to voice mail, she answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Ruby? Baby, is that you? It’s Trace.”
“I know who it is, Trace. Are you bleeding or on your last breath or something?”
Silence for a few seconds, and then, “No, baby. I’m not. What I am is missing you.”
“You’re not dying and trying to ease your conscience?”
“Ruby, listen to me. I know it’s been a while.”
“A while? Is that what you call six months of deafening silence? Why are you calling me now, Trace?”
“I told you, babe. I miss you like crazy. It’s been hell on the circuit and I couldn’t think straight, so I had to close off my mind to everything but what I was trying to accomplish. I needed the space to keep my head in the game. You can ask anybody around here. They all know about you, baby. They’re sick of me pining for you. They all know I’m crazy about you.”
Ruby’s heart dipped a little. Trace was saying all the right things. He had charm and dark dastardly good looks. His voice, that deep Southern drawl, could melt an iceberg. But her wounds were deep, and she wasn’t through being mad at him. “Not good enough, Trace. I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Ruby, baby...wait.”
“I have, Trace. For too long. Good night.”
She pushed End and then squeezed her eyes shut. Pain burned through her belly, and those old feelings she’d managed to bury threatened to bust their way back up and slash her again and again.
He’s like the horse I wasn’t supposed to love.
Dios, why did he have to call her tonight?
She didn’t want to think about him anymore.
Carrie’s voice carried the same tune again, Ruby’s cell phone drowning out the night sounds and coyote calls. No, damn it. She wasn’t going to answer her phone again. No matter how many times Trace called. Her finger was ready to push the end button again. Until she saw the name flashing on the screen.
Serena.
Oh, thank goodness. She picked up quickly.
“Serena, hi,” Ruby said anxiously. “I’m glad you called. You must’ve been reading my mind.”
“Ruby, wow. Is everything all right? You sound stressed.”
“I just got a call from Trace. And yeah, I’m a little stressed. I need to talk to you.”
“Tell me. I’m listening.”
“Oh boy, it’s almost too much to explain over the phone. Can we meet for lunch tomorrow?”
“Of course, sure. That’s the reason I was calling anyway. I wanted to catch up with you. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you. I miss my friend.”
“I miss you, too. And there’s a whole lot to catch up on. I’m buying. Root beer floats and sliders at the diner sound okay?”
“I won’t pass up that offer. I’ll see you there at noon.”
Ruby sighed. Her bestie from high school was the only one she could confide in. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Ruby didn’t have a mom or an aunt or anyone female in her family she could talk to. Without Serena, she’d have been lost. Ever since they were kids, they’d shared their secrets with each other. Ruby ended the call, feeling a little better about things. Just knowing Serena would listen and not judge her made all the difference in the world. Though they didn’t share bloodlines, they were sisters in all other respects. She’d relied on Serena’s friendship to see her through some of the really tough times in her life.
* * *
“I’m eager to show you around Look Away, Brooks. Mind if we saddle up after breakfast and take us a ride?” Beau asked on Brooks’s second morning on the ranch. “I’d love for you to see our operation.”
“Uh, sure. I’d like that,” he said, setting aside his coffee cup and patting his belly. “If I won’t break poor Misty’s back after the giant meal I just consumed. It was delicious, Lupe. I ate up everything in sight.” Breakfast had included maple-smoked bacon, ham, eggs, chile-fried potatoes and homemade biscuits with gravy. “If I keep eating like this, I’ll be as big as this house, but smiling all the way.”
Lupe gave him a nod. “Gracias, Brooks. I’m happy to cook for Beau’s son.”
“Lupe is a triple threat to all of us. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have to work out hard around here to avoid putting the pounds on.”
Beau’s eyes were on him—the blue in them the exact same hue as his own—and he was beaming. Having his father look at him that way humbled him and made him feel as if he belonged. Even though ranch living was foreign to Brooks, it felt damn good knowing he was welcomed and—yes—loved by this obviously decent, successful and well-respected man.
A sudden case of guilt spilled into his good mood. Would Beau approve of the tactics he’d used to bring Sutton Winchester down? Brooks hadn’t taken any prisoners on that score, too eager to exact his revenge on the man he believed had immeasurably hurt his mother and his family. Brooks had looked upon Sutton as his enemy and hadn’t held back, using all the tools at his disposal to get back at the dying man.
But was Sutton the monster he’d made him out to be? Or had he simply protected his mother’s secrets at her urging, thus refusing to reveal who Cynthia really was? Had Sutton truly loved his mother enough to withstand all the media and personal attacks Brooks had thrown his way? It was hard thinking of Sutton in softer terms, as a man who’d go the distance for a woman to protect her. Everything else about Winchester pointed to him being a ruthless bastard.
Brooks was still sorting this all out in his mind.
“Son?”
Beau was on his feet, waiting for him.
“Yep, I’m ready, Dad.” His lips twitched, and suddenly he felt like a child being given an unexpected gift. He had a sense that Beau was feeling that way, too, as they walked out of the kitchen, ready to take a ride together as father and son.
Minutes later, Brooks had saddled up and mounted Misty. Beau was atop a stunning black gelding named Alamo. “I figured you’d be a fast learner. You saddled up that mare almost perfectly.”
Brooks lowered the brim of his hat and nodded at his father’s praise. “Thanks. The truth is, I don’t know much about horses. I don’t get out of the city much. My friend Josh Calhoun owns a dairy farm in Iowa, and that’s about the only time I’ve seen the backside of a horse. Let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty.”
Beau chuckled. “I think I learned to ride before I could walk, son. You’ll get the hang of it, and if you need any help, just ask me or Ruby. She’s actually the expert. She’s got the touch,
