Page 17 of Big Bad Wolf

Making furniture had paid his bills since moving here, and he liked it. Usually. But tonight he couldn’t focus. He’d probably end up making a three-legged table. He took a slug of beer and dropped onto his couch, sinking into the well-worn cushions.

He’d spent far too long alone in this cabin, and most of the time that was fine with him. But lately, the loneliness had opened up its black jaws and threatened to swallow him whole.

Maybe that was all this obsession was, his own loneliness demanding companionship. He was used to being around a lot of people. His whole life he’d been surrounded by family. Maybe being alone for nearly a year now was just too much.

Maybe that was why he couldn’t stop thinking about Ruby.

About her laugh.

And her skirt.

And her lips.

About how he wanted to…

To what? Rafe shook his head at his own stupidity. It didn’t matter how much he wanted her or what he wanted from her.

He could never have Ruby.

He wouldn’t even let himself try.

He wouldn’t let things end the way they did last time. He wouldn’t have another woman’s blood on his hands.

Chapter Eight

“Callie Winters? What the hell are you doing in my living room?”

Ruby had spent the first half of her day off sleeping in. And it had been lovely.

She was not expecting to see her long-lost friend sitting sipping tea on the couch with her sister when she awoke.

“Hello, Ruby,” Callie said, sweeping her thick blonde braid over her shoulder, a movement that was so familiar to Ruby it made her want to cry.

“Hello?! HELLO!? I haven’t seen you in two years and you just show up here and you’re all ‘hello, Ruby’ like everything is normal?”

Callie winced.

Lena’s gaze flicked nervously between the two of them, Callie snuggled up on the couch under one of the many blankets Aunt Millie had crocheted and Ruby frozen on the stairs. Lena had always hated conflict, avoiding it whenever possible. There had been two months in ninth grade when Callie and Ruby didn’t speak, and Lena nearly chewed her nails clear off because of the stress.

“I’m going to get you some tea,” Lena said, starting to get up before Ruby snapped,

“I need coffee,” and stormed through the living room and into the kitchen.

Callie Winters was back.

She hadn’t seen the woman in years and now here she was and … and…

Ruby braced her hands on the kitchen counter and let her head hang. Callie was one of the few people in this town that she’d considered a friend. The only person, really. Besides Lena and her aunt, Callie was the only other person in this world that Ruby had thought she could count on.

And then she’d disappeared.

Some cryptic message texted in the middle of the night about going away for a while and she’d left. Ruby would get an occasional text proving Callie was still alive, and she’d sent Aunt Millie’s favorite flowers when the old woman died, but that was it. For two damn years.

And it had hurt more than Ruby would like to admit.

Just one more person Ruby loved who’d gone.

Except now she was back, and Ruby absolutely did not know how to process that.