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For a split second, she thought about kissing him. It would be amazing to get lost in the sheer pleasure of a kiss. But enough outlandish things had already happened in the last five minutes. She didn’t need to add to the list. “I’m okay.” She took a step back from him, just to break the allure of being in his strong arms. “We should get inside. I should call someone about getting that tree hauled off or we’ll be stuck here forever.” She was wet and cold, and one side of her ass was throbbing.
“But I really need to speak to my brother. Now.” Deep creases formed in his forehead, as if he was not yet convinced that he was stuck there. He raised his cell phone in the air and peered up at the screen. “There’s no phone service either.”
“Guess that means no one is coming to remove that tree anytime soon.”
“But I have to go.”
“Is this a matter of life or death?”
“To me? It’s the most important thing.”
She was tired of talking in circles with this man. Handsome or not, he was going to drive her up a wall. “But will anyone die if you come back inside with me, warm up and let the weather pass?”
He grumbled quietly and tossed his head from side to side as if he was weighing his options. “No. I suppose not.”
“Okay, then.” She turned and started for the house, being careful not to slip and fall again.
“Okay, then, what?”
She kept going. Hopefully he had enough sense to follow her inside. “Okay, then, get back in my house before we both end up as icicles.”
“Do I have to take off my boots this time?”
A breathy laugh escaped her lips as she took the first step up to the porch. She wasn’t sure how long Heath Thurston was going to be at her house, but she had a feeling this was going to be a long visit. “Yes. I’m not letting you off the hook this time.”
Two
Heath was frustrated, cold, and his knee was killing him. But at least he was inside with a beautiful woman.
“You can’t turn me down for a drink this time. I won’t let you.” Ruby removed her boots, then slid him a stern sideways glance that said the other thing he’d better not refuse was removing his boots.
He planted a hand against her front door and pulled off his boots one by one. “Bourbon?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Going straight to the hard stuff?”
“It’s almost five o’clock and my knee is about to swell up to the size of a basketball.” He wasn’t the only one who’d been injured out in her driveway. “I’m guessing your...you know...backsideisn’t doing much better.”
“Myass? Oh, I’m going to end up with a nasty bruise. I’m sure of it.” She enticed him closer with a wave of her hand, then turned to walk down the hall.
He followed, smiling, loving that she was not a woman who tried to hide from anything. He was also a big fan of the view as he studied the hypnotic sway of her hips. It was hard to keep from imagining what her ass looked like when it wasn’t wrapped up in a pair of jeans. “Sorry about everything outside. I get a little...”A little what? Self-possessed? Irrational?He didn’t want to think about words like that when describing himself. His actions made sense to him, and no one else had walked in his shoes. But he could imagine how outward appearances might show him in a less flattering light. “Overly determined.”
“So that’s what you call it.”
“For now, yes.”
“Got it.” Ruby trailed through her cozy living room, which had tall ceilings accented by hewn wood beams and a stunner of a fireplace with a surround of hand-placed river rocks. Flames danced and flickered, casting a glow and warming up the room, which was decorated in shades of white and cream with the occasional bit of pale pink. These were feminine surroundings he wasn’t quite accustomed to anymore, but when his mother and half sister were still alive, these softer touches would have felt as familiar as anything. Ruby came to a stop before the only dark piece in the entire space, an antique mahogany bar cabinet. She opened one of the doors, revealing a jaw-dropping array of bourbon bottles.
Heath had to step closer, if only to examine the many brands and ages of bourbon she had on hand. “I’m not speechless very often, but I am right now. I’m impressed. You’re a serious collector. I consider myself a connoisseur, but even I don’t have this extensive an assortment at home.”
She looked at the bottles and quietly sighed. She even reached out and touched one with the tip of her finger. “I actually don’t drink it. I’m more of a wine person. But I can’t bring myself to part with these.”
“You definitely shouldnotpart with them. If you’re ever thinking of doing that, call me first. I’ll happily buy the entire collection from you.”
She turned to him, but only held eye contact for a moment. “It’s not for sale.”
Now Heath was confused—she didn’t drink it, but she also didn’t want to get rid of it? “Did it belong to someone special?”
“It did.” She cleared her throat. “Which one would you like to try?”
