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But Maddy just grinned and nodded. ‘I haven’t told Cal yet, so please don’t say anything.’
‘I won’t,’ Ruby said, feeling awkward again.
‘Rye and I found out two weeks ago. It’s one of the reasons I was so desperate to get Cal to come down this weekend. For once I didn’t want to have to tell him something important over the phone.’ Her voice literally bubbled with hope and enthusiasm. ‘I hope you two didn’t have too much planned—I assume you’re the work he mentioned.’
‘That would be me,’ Ruby replied. Clearly Maddy wasn’t quite as clueless about Cal’s private life as he assumed.
Ruby toasted Maddy’s invisible glass. ‘Here’s to the new uncle,’ she said. ‘I’m sure he’s going to be thrilled,’ she added.
Cal might be cynical about marriage, but what man wouldn’t be thrilled at becoming an uncle again?
Pouring herself a glass of soda water, Maddy clinked her glass to Ruby’s. ‘Let’s hope so.’ She took a long swallow and smacked her lips together. ‘Not quite as good as Pinot Grigio, but it’ll have to do for the next seven months.’
The cheerful comment sent a strange little dart of envy through Ruby. How odd. She wasn’t broody. Not in the least. So where had that pang of longing come from?
Ruby pushed the confusing thought away as Cal walked back into the room accompanied by another man who approached her and offered his hand.
‘Rye King, Maddy’s husband. Welcome to Trewan Manor.’
With sunstreaked blond hair, a lean, athletic build effectively displayed beneath board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and the sort of striking male beauty that could grace the cover of a glossy magazine, the man’s uneven gait only added to his rugged, masculine appeal.
‘Hi,’ Ruby said, shaking his hand. Then recognition hit.
She actually had seen him on the cover of a glossy magazine. A glossy business magazine to be precise. She’d read an article on the phenomenal growth of his sporting goods empire a few months ago. After re-reading it twice, she’d gained some useful tips about how to grow a fledgling idea from the ground up.
‘King Xtreme,’ she whispered in awe, naming the company he had founded after giving up a successful career as a champion surfer.
He ran his hand through his shaggy hair in a charmingly bashful gesture. ‘Guilty as char
ged.’
‘I was in one of your shops last week debating whether to buy a mountain bike.’
‘So did we convince you?’
‘I’m afraid there aren’t enough mountains in Camden to justify letting me loose on an unsuspecting public.’ She grinned at him. ‘But I was very tempted.’
‘I’ll have to arrange a discount so we can tempt you more,’ he said, slinging his arm around his wife’s waist and nudging her hip against his.
The casually possessive gesture brought with it a poignant memory. How often had she seen her father hold her mother that way?
‘Is Mia still asleep?’ Maddy asked her husband.
‘Are you joking? She’s practically in a coma,’ he said, leaning down to kiss his wife’s hair. ‘I’m betting we’re going to get our first lie-in in three years tomorrow.’
‘On her birthday?’ Maddy laughed. ‘How much do you want to bet?’
Ruby observed the conversation. Rye and Maddy’s shared intimacy was a tangible demonstration of how much they loved and respected and desired each other.
The pang under her breastbone sharpened. And she studiously ignored it.
‘Ruby happens to be lethal enough on four wheels,’ Cal mentioned wryly as the four of them seated themselves round the table. ‘So I wouldn’t recommend trying to sell her a bike, Rye.’
‘Hey, that accident was your fault, pal,’ she said, glad to see that Cal seemed to have loosened up a little. ‘My vehicle was stationary.’
‘You two had an accident?’ Maddy asked, passing the salads round.
‘Not an accident. More like a fender-bender,’ Ruby said. ‘It’s how we met yesterday,’ she added slicing into the fragrant pastry. Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth when she saw Maddy’s eyes widen to saucer size.
