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Joy leaps into her eyes. “Good. My partners put the word out. I’m so glad, Charlie. It’ll only get better. You’ll see.”
Her sincere yearning to help us, her kind words kick me in the balls. I’ve never met anyone like Ruby. Someone so ... so good.
Golden.
Self-control fucked, I cross the space between us. “How many you have in there?” I ask, slipping her hand into mine. I run my thumb over the delicate skin on the underside of her wrist.
She stares at me. “How many what?”
“Hearts.” She jerks her wrist away, but I lean in, my gaze locking with her gorgeous blue eyes. “Because you, darlin’, have got more life in you than a field of wildflowers.”
Her lips curve upward. “Sweet talk will get you nowhere, Cowboy.”
“No sweet talk. We got some important things to address.”
“Oh?” she says, studying me with curious eyes.
“You’ve been staying away,” I say, backing her up against the stall door and pinning her in place. My voice comes out thick, strained.
“We both have.” She meets my stare with steely defiance. “This is a job. That’s all.”
Fuck, but I hate how much it stings.
“It is, but—”
She puts a palm on my chest. “No buts, remember? We agreed.” Her gaze drifts down, her long lashes black against her cheek. “One time.” She says it easily like it hasn’t just set off a lightning strike inside of me.
“That’s bullshit.” I say it before I can stop myself.
Her blue eyes widen. “Charlie—”
“We’ll come back to that.” I run my hands down her shoulders, over all that smooth skin, and hold her close. “Now we’re gonna have a talk about your open-door policy.”
Ruby’s cheeks pink up. “It’s the country.”
“It’s Resurrection.” Skimming a hand over her delicate jaw, I tilt her chin up so she meets my eyes. “You lock it, you hear me? It’s not up for debate.”
Her luscious lips part. “I will.”
“Good.” I drop my hands to her waist, needing to come clean. She expects honesty from me and she’ll always get that. “I won’t lie, Ruby. I went into your cottage looking for you. I saw your list.”
Fear flashes in her eyes. “And?”
“Mighty long list of to-dos.”
“So. I’ll get them done.”
“Maybe I can help.”
“Help me? How?”
“You’re helping us, and I’ll help you finish up that list.” Her attention flicks to the pony. “No horses,” I say, clenching my jaw. The thought of her on a horse has me losing my mind. “And no California sunset. But everything else I can do.”
Her brow arches. “You’ve got big ambitions, Cowboy. Don’t you have a ranch to run?”
The thought comes automatically—fuck the ranch.
I run a thumb over her full bottom lip. Hands-off isn’t happening. Not anymore. “Whatever you want this summer, Ruby, I’ll give it to you.”
