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The truth.
Okay. She was going crazy. She was sitting on her sofa, having a conversation inside her head. Trying to convince herself to go and see Travis. He wouldn’t want to see her. Not now. Not after the things she’d said this morning.
How do you know that?
Frustrated, she rolled off the sofa and staggered to her feet, taking the blanket with her. Shivering, she stood by the garden doors and looked out over the steel-gray lake. Whitecaps crashed against the beach as the wind picked up speed. It washed an air of desolation over the place, and the ache in her heart grew bigger.
She’d never felt so damn alone in her entire life. Not even after Nathan. She rested her cheek against the cool glass, drinking in the silence of her home, and jumped when Tasha barked. She ignored it. But the dog barked again, and she turned around to find the small animal sitting at the front door, tail wagging like a windmill. Tasha jumped up and scratched the front door, which was weird. The little thing went into the backyard to do her duties.
“Hold on,” Ruby said, shedding the blanket. She grabbed a small plastic bag from the kitchen and headed for the front door. She let Tasha out, but the dog didn’t run onto the grass. The dog stood and waited.
Ruby knelt down and scratched behind her ears. “What do you want?” Of course, the dog couldn’t answer. All Tasha could do was wag a tail and bark. Slowly, Ruby straightened and walked over to one of the large Adirondack chairs on her porch. She scooped up a faded Yankees ball cap. Travis must have tossed it there the day before and forgotten about it.
She fingered the frayed brim and turned the cap over. It was his favorite. Just the week before, she’d told him she would buy him a new one, but he’d given her that sexy, lopsided grin and shaken his head. The hat had sentimental value, and he’d wear it until it fell apart. A drop of rain hit her square in the forehead, and she swiped at it absently, still holding on to the ball cap. She glanced at her car and then over to Tasha, who still stood on the porch, wagging her tail crazily as if she were going somewhere.
Another drop of rain fell, and she turned, running back into the house for her purse. Maybe there was still time to at least make Travis understand. Time for her to apologize. He could accept it or not. But at least she could give back his hat.
Like that’s not the
lamest excuse ever.
She told off the voice inside her head, scooped her keys from the counter, and, with Tasha hot on her heels, headed for the car. Her cell phone was dead, though she doubted Travis would answer anyway. Ruby tossed it onto the seat and sped down River Road. It didn’t take long to reach Travis’s brother’s resort, and she whipped around several tradesmen’s vehicles and headed for the cabin. She spied Zach out front on his cell phone and skidded to a halt, her heart dropping because Travis’s truck wasn’t there.
Heart pounding, she gripped the steering wheel and tried to calm down. Shit. Where was he? Eyes on the porch, she reached for the gear shift. She should leave. This was a dumb idea. Zach pocket his cell and jumped off the small porch, his long legs eating up the distance to her car in no time.
Not really sure what she was going to say, she hit a button, and her window slid down. He leaned on her car and bent down so their faces were level. His eyes seemed curious, and she glanced down, embarrassed to realize she was still in the clothes she’d thrown on after her shower. The loose cotton shorts, the tight tank top that clearly showed anyone with an eyeball in their head, she wasn’t wearing a bra.
Tasha growled and barked, and that jumpstarted Ruby’s heart again. She exhaled and offered a wan smile, though she couldn’t quite meet his gaze.
“Hi, Zach.”
“Ruby.”
“I don’t suppose you know where Travis is?”
“I might.”
She glanced up sharply, a spark of anger lighting a fire in her chest. “Might as in, I have no idea? Or might as in, I do, but I don’t want to share the info?”
“He’s not in a very good mood.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Maybe you should give him some time to cool off. Go see him in Detroit.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. She was too late. “He’s left town?” She slammed her palms against the steering wheel and felt the hot prick of tears. She couldn’t lose it here. She’d wait until she was alone.
Zach straightened and nodded toward the road. “He was swinging by his dad’s first. You might be able to catch him there. He left maybe twenty minutes ago.”
His dad’s. She looked at the clock. She could do this. She put the car in Reverse and sped back the way she’d come. By the time she reached the Blackwell home, rain was pelting the windshield, but she ignored it as she hopped from her car and ran up the steps. She rang the doorbell, shivering as she waited, and was about to ring it one more time when the door opened.
Darlene didn’t seem surprised to see her there, but the expression on her face wasn’t reassuring. She looked sad.
“He’s already gone.”
“Oh. I…” Ruby whipped around. She’d been so focused on getting here. On ringing the damn doorbell and falling into Travis’s arms to beg for his forgiveness that she’d not noticed his truck wasn’t there.
“I’m sorry, Ruby.”
