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“Where are you taking me?”
“A little spot I know.”
“We’re in the middle of Connecticut.”
“Remember that whole roadie thing?”
She sighed. “Is that going to be a name drop all the time now?”
“I’ll ignore the catty comments since you’re having a bad day.”
“Big of you.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I remember your time with the famous Flynn Sheppard.”
I shook my head. “Well, he didn’t like to be boxed in. We knew where to find open spaces in damn near every state.”
She grabbed her sweater out of the backseat. “I don’t care where you take me, just as long as it’s far from here.” She bunched up her sweater and shoved it against the window as a pillow then turned away from me.
That damn dress was going to end me. It stretched across her bitable ass and clung to her hips. She kicked off her shoes and curled her knees up under the skirt of the dress. A soft black cocoon created for her to totally withdraw into herself.
I’d hoped to have a little longer before she shut down, but I’d just have to rely on the views from the road.
I headed toward the water and left the music on low. Sure enough, she hadn’t been lying on the soundless sleep. I kept looking over to see if she was awake or not.
But the steady rise of her shoulders told me she was sleeping off the heavy day. I couldn’t blame her. The blank look in her brother’s eyes had cut at me, and I didn’t even know him.
The other men in her life had stared me down like I was a tick on their beloved dog. The older man with the gray hair who looked like he led a motorcycle gang scared me the most. Second only to the brother who bore the same features and temperament. The one in the suit, Rhett, was the only one who hadn’t made me feel immediately unwelcome.
I didn’t have all the details on her family situation, but there had definitely been shock on their faces to see me with Ruby. Was it because I was a lumberjack-looking dude or because I was simply a male? Maybe she was as solitary as she seemed.
As I drove, my gaze returned to her again and again.
I should’ve encouraged her to check in with them, make sure they knew she was okay, but letting her rest seemed more important than giving her family the 411 on her whereabouts.
Since she’d passed out so thoroughly, I opted for a place a bit closer to Crescent Cove. If I pushed it, I could probably get us back home, but I was pretty sure she needed the quiet time. Knowing my Ruby, she’d disappear into her workshop instead of letting herself mend. And I was pretty sure the healing view was worth it.
We were driving into the sun, my belly reminding me I hadn’t had lunch. I’d already raided the club sandwiches I’d ordered from the diner. Ruby barely moved.
Then again, she probably hadn’t slept well last night after that phone call with her brother.
Twice in two days, I’d seen behind the curtain. Her tough girl side was definitely her default setting. It was sexy as hell—especially when she was grouchy—but the clawing pain in those doe eyes had about done me in.
Rest and more rest was on the menu tonight, whether she liked it or not.
I rolled down the window as I sailed through the mouth of the park. It was the off-season, but there were enough people around to take in the seasonal changes that I had to check in for a campsite.
I asked for one off the beaten path. It was too late to hike up into the area with waterfall views, but we’d be able to hear the water from where we were parked.
Driving over the uneven roads should have jostled her awake, but she was seriously deep under.
I parked in the middle of an open field. Trees surrounded us in red, gold, and perpetual pine green. Leaves dusted the grass, attesting to the lateness of the season. The air had the tang of fall laced with the nearby waterfall. An achingly blue sky was already starting to darken in deference to the shorter days.
Shrugging out of my dress shirt, I tossed it into the backseat before I got out and leaped into the truck bed. I always kept my camping gear stashed in my truck. I never knew when I’d have the urge to disappear for a few days. With Caleb becoming more and more unavailable, there wasn’t much to keep me around unless I was working.
I pulled out my gear from my waterproof locker. I was a big guy, so I’d had to special order an air mattress that could handle me. I rolled it out, but held off on blowing it up since that would definitely wake up Ruby.
I sk
ipped the tent cap. A clear night was in the forecast, and the subzero sleeping bags would keep us cozy. Maybe we’d even get to share a little body heat if I was lucky.
