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You sure?
Heath had to smile at the question. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life.Yes. Kill it.
Right away.
“Everything okay?” Ruby asked, coming up behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders.
He turned and pulled her into his arms. “Everything’s perfect.”
She rested her chin on his chest and peered up at him. “Want to get out of here?”
His body responded with a wave of warmth that only Ruby could bring about. It was amazing that she had that sort of effect on him. “I do. Are you and Chelsea all done?”
“Yep. And guess what? Chelsea and I made a date to go shopping together at the Rancher’s Daughter next weekend. Morgan will have all of the new spring clothes then.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“So maybe you and Nolan can get together to talk about the riding center then.”
“That should be perfect. I should have the full plans by then.” He took her hand and they walked over to Chelsea and Nolan in the living room area, where they were seated on the couch, looking over their house plans. “Hey, Nolan. Ruby and I are going to head out. Do you want to go over the riding center plans next week when Chelsea and Ruby are shopping?”
“Sounds good,” Nolan said as he and Chelsea got up from the couch and made their way to the front door. “I’ll talk to you soon?” he asked Heath.
Heath loved that everything was coming together so well. The woman he was head over heels for had already become close with his brother, the person he cared about most in the world. And as for Chelsea, Heath’s opinion of her had softened considerably. Seeing her interact with Ruby so effortlessly certainly helped. “Yes. And thanks again to you both for dinner. It was an amazing night. I hope we can do it again.”
Nolan opened the door for Ruby and Heath. “I’m counting on it.”
Ten
Ruby was excited by the prospect of her shopping trip with Chelsea, and not just because Heath had given her his credit card and instructed her to buy whatever she wanted. Chelsea had quickly become a good friend, which really helped Ruby feel more connected to Royal. Before she met Heath, she’d felt like a stranger in this small town, but as he introduced her to the people in his life, her social circle was widening, and she realized how much she’d cut herself off from everything and everyone after Lucas died. It was nice to be a part of something once again, and Chelsea was definitely a big piece in that puzzle.
“Are you sure you want to pay?” Ruby asked Heath as they stood outside of the Rancher’s Daughter, waiting for Chelsea and Nolan to meet them. It was a chilly morning, and she and Heath had their arms wrapped around each other, although, to be fair, that was the case most of the time.
“I’m positive,” Heath said. “Buy whatever you want. I don’t care how much it costs.”
“I have my own money, you know.”
“I’m aware of that. But your birthday wasn’t everything I wanted it to be. So let me do this one nice thing for you, okay?”
Ruby peered up at him, admiring his handsome face and also getting warm and fuzzy feelings about his generous nature. “You do nice things for me all the time. You were more than nice to me last night.” Ruby had been staying over at Heath’s all week long. Every night was an exploration of the heat and passion between them, but Heath had really outdone himself a mere twelve hours ago. Just thinking about it sent a thrill along her spine.
“Hey. I enjoyed it, too. Trust me.”
“Jeez, you two. Get a room.” Nolan’s voice came out of nowhere, making Ruby jump. He placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze.
“Good morning to you, too,” Heath said.
“Hey, guys,” Chelsea chimed in as she appeared and patted Heath on the arm before directing her attention to Ruby. “Are we ready to do some serious damage in my sister’s store?”
Ruby grinned. “Absolutely.” She slid Heath a look of reassurance. “Well, not too much damage.”
“You guys are going to go grab a late breakfast at the diner?” Chelsea asked.
Heath nodded eagerly, holding up the cardboard tube that contained the architect’s plans. “Yes. I’ve got the drawings and the preliminary budget for the riding center. I want to go over all of that with Nolan, and we’ll talk about funding the endowment.”
“I’d love to volunteer when it’s up and running.”
“Thank you.” Heath leaned closer to Ruby and kissed her. “Have fun.”
