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Chapter Four
Ruby Allen hadn’t planned on kissing a total stranger the day before. In fact, she’d taken an instant dislike to the guy who thought he was God’s gift to women. She could tell he’d expected her to swoon and bow to his demand to be let in closer to the bar, and she’d be damned if she was going to step back and take second fiddle to his demands.
She’d been waiting for her ginger ale for almost fifteen minutes and had been ignored by more than one waitress on the prowl for big tips from spirited cowboys. Deciding to get the blasted thing herself, she’d approached the bar only to be met by the pretty-boy ornament who wanted her space.
Screw him. Or so she’d thought until checking behind her, she noticed the same asshole who’d followed her more than once that day. The Chinese jerk had unnerved her each time she’d noticed him, and he did so again. Deciding to let him know she wasn’t available, she grabbed Adonis and planted a kiss on him, expecting that to be the end of her problem.
Crazy thing… the electric infusion of their lips had stunned her. Shocked by her reaction, she saw an opening on her left and bolted. Screw him. In fact, screw the whole male population.
Especially the ghost who impregnated her without her consent or without her knowledge. Okay – worst of all, she didn’t even have any memory of their coupling.
And she’d never… ever been with a man she wouldn’t remember.
Between her and her conscience, admitting there were only two men in her life she’d had sex with might have portrayed her as a pitiful girl who couldn’t get laid, but in reality, the opposite was true. She was picky as hell.
She’d had a lot of offers. Too many. That’s kind of the reason why she became so fussy. After her first relationship, a long-term love affair that ended in Rod’s death in a fire, on the rebound, she’d only been caught one other time in the romance net and lost again. Derrick had turned out to be a prick, plain and simple. Since then, she’d shied away from more entanglements. That was almost a year ago.
So how in the hell can I be pregnant? I must be under a spell or going senile. How in all that’s holy could I possibly forget something like that?
Stopping at the restaurant for a quick breakfast before heading to talk with her cop friend, she thought about the bar she’d visited the night before and prayed she’d find her phone in their lost and found. Since it was the last time she remembered having it in her hand, it had to still be there.
Blasted cowboy had put a spell on her or something as dodgy. No way would she normally walk away without her only link to the rest of the world. Especially when she was on call.
Suddenly, the smell of bacon and eggs cooking nearby hit her and she gagged. Determined to overcome the nausea, she stayed in her seat, sipping her tea… the only liquid she could seem to keep down.
When Jill passed by, she waved her over. “Mom, can I borrow your phone?”
“Sure, honey, but where’s yours? I thought it was crazy-glued to your hand.”
“So not funny, Mrs. Allen.”
“It was a bit funny.” Jill’s eyes twinkled as she passed over her Samsung.
Using her mom’s cell, she’d found hers on the GPS map, and yep – it still showed up at the same address as the bar. Deciding to get there as soon as possible to pick it up, she nibbled on the dish of fancy biscuits her mom had placed on the table when she’d appeared. Realizing she was staring at animal crackers, she almost laughed. Her mom had a strange sense of the ridiculous, and it usually tickled Ruby’s humor.
Unfortunately, today she seemed to have lost her humor. Everything had become serious. Lord’s sake, she was going to be a mom herself. How much more severe could life get? Especially when there was no father in the picture. Holy hell, she was screwed. A tiny grin split her face. Screwed? Okay – that was kinda funny.
She’d taken a day off from the firehouse, not wanting to face the rest of the gang with her news. She knew they worried about her recent behavior, not eating, and getting nauseous from certain smells, all the weird things women suffer while pregnant. Except, from her complaints about the male species, they also knew she hadn’t been with anyone for a long time.
When Phoebe, one of the other firefighters had suggested her symptoms were like those she’d undergone during her first trimester, they’d all scoffed… Ruby the loudest. “Hell, I’d have had to carry on with some guy for that to happen, and trust me, it’s been a ridiculously long, dry spell since I’ve had that kind of exercise.”
***
A short time later, Ruby drove up to the tavern with windows filled with neon signs, approached the bartender, and smiled when he obviously recognized her.
“I just stopped by to pick up my phone. I’m pretty sure I left it here last night.”
Looking flustered, the older man grinned his apology. “You did but I’m afraid your boyfriend picked it up for you.”
Ruby shook her head in confusion. Automatically, her mind pictured the stalker who’d followed her, and she felt her heartbeat quicken. Her temper stirred, and she had to force herself not to react. “My boyfriend?”
“Yeah, the fellow you were kissing.”
“What? He’s not my boyfriend. I don’t even know him.”
“Excuse me?” His eyes widened. “It sure looked different from my side of the bar.”
“I mean, I kissed him, yeah. But it was because I… ahh, wanted to get rid of some guy who’d been following me. But Romeo was a stranger too.”
“Okay. If you say so. But Storm came in earlier and took the phone with him. Sorry, miss. He seemed happy to get it.”
Without thinking, Ruby reacted out loud. “Son of a bitch, I can’t get a break.”
The bartender grinned and patted the hand that white-knuckled the counter. “Don’t you worry none, honey. Kurt Storm is an FBI agent and the most honest dude you could ever be lucky enough to meet. Sure as the daisies come up every spring, he’ll be contacting you to return your phone.”
“See… that’s what I’m worried about.” Ruby gave a gentle slap to the hand that had been resting on hers and muttered, “Another problem to deal with.”
