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“Yeah, that will be nice.” Ruby looks at the window. “Looks like it’s going to be a sunny day.” She turns and leaves his room. He stares after her feeling like something has changed between them. He doesn’t like this feeling at all. Cursing to himself, he grabs clothes from his duffle. He shouldn’t have asked her to consider staying with him, but damn it all, he needs her to be close to him.
A few minutes later, he’s dressed in swimming trunks and a t-shirt. He slips on a pair of water shoes before heading downstairs. As he nears the bottom of the staircase, the smell of bacon and coffee brewing hits him. In the kitchen, he finds Ruby at the stove. She’s begun making their breakfast. He walks up behind her to peer over her shoulder to get a look at what she’s preparing. She jumps in fright.
“Tucker!” she exclaims, throwing a hand up to her chest. “Good lord, you frightened me. I didn’t hear you come down.” Tank wraps his arms around her waist pulling her back to his front. He holds her a couple of moments before he speaks.
“I’m sorry, beautiful. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He kisses her temple and feels relieved when she leans into his kiss. He wants to her to talk to him. Give him some indication on what she’s thinking about his proposal, but he doesn’t want to ruin the moment. After all, he just promised her yesterday no more prying questions on this trip. He settles for asking about their breakfast. “Can I help with something?”
“Sure.” Ruby motions to a bowl on the counter. “Would you mind handing me that bowl and getting the loaf of bread? I’ve got the bacon done and thought I’d make us some scrambled eggs and toast too.” Tank retrieves the bowl. Looking into it he sees she’s already whipped the eggs and added some salt and pepper too them. He gets the loaf of bread from the counter and puts slices in the toaster while she’s cooking up the eggs.
In a few short minutes, Tank is setting the table while Ruby places the finished food in the center. She’s fixed them both large cups of coffee. Tank holds Ruby’s chair out for her as they take their seats at the table. The domestic feeling of the moment hits him hard, squeezing his chest. While he’s eating, something occurs to him. This right here is what he wants with Ruby for the rest of his life. The thought slams into him, startling him. His fork loaded with eggs, pausing halfway to his mouth. He’s been attracted to Ruby from the moment he met her. A deep-seated need to protect her has been driving him, but imagining eating breakfast with her until his dying day? Man, that’s a feeling he wasn’t entirely expecting, but one he’s happy to keep feeling. If only he can get her on the same page.
30
RUBY
After breakfast they quickly tidy up the kitchen and pack up their belongings. They head to the beach spending some time walking along the shore before placing some towels down to do a little sunbathing. The water is a little too cool to swim, but the sun is out and Ruby enjoys laying on the beach with Tucker next to her. She is allowing herself to have this time with him. The conversations they’ve had this weekend have been a double-edged sword. She loves him all the more after they’ve shared so much, but at the same time, it only makes her want to keep her past from him even more.
Tucker is such a good, kind man. She just can’t imagine him not being in her life, but can she let him take the risk of being with her? She’s still reeling from him asking her to basically move in with him. They’ve only shared a few kisses and known one another a matter of weeks. Yet he cares enough to want her in his life, near him and those he holds dear to him: Straw, Abigail, and Ellie. He said there’s a spare bedroom, but when, no, if she ever moves in with him, she doesn’t want to be his guest. She wants more. It hits her then. More than anything she wants to be…his, in every way possible.
Ruby doesn’t confess this to Tucker while they’re lying on the beach. Nor does she tell him on the drive back to Jacksonville. She keeps all of her thoughts and feelings to herself, waiting for just the right moment to tell him, but it never seems to come. Tucker pulls his truck into the parking lot behind the shelter. He parks in a space and shuts off the engine. Ruby reaches for her door handle but stops when he reaches across the console to take her hand.
“Thank you for letting me take you away for the weekend,” Tucker states. Ruby glances over at him. His face is unreadable. She presses her lips together and braces for his next words. “I know I’ve pushed you for more than you wanted to share, but I’m not sorry for it. Ruby, I care for you very much. I only want what’s best for you. I hope you know and believe that.”
“I do, Tucker,” Ruby agrees, “I care for you too. I know you are only trying to look out for me and I’m…I’m so grateful, but there’s so much about me, my past…my family that you don’t know.” Tucker starts to speak, but she cuts him off. “Information that if you knew could endanger your life. If something ever happened to you because of me, I couldn’t live with it. I’d never survive. I care for you too much to allow my secrets to cause you harm.”
Tucker doesn’t say a word in response. He just slides out of the driver’s seat and round the hood of his truck, coming to her side and opening her door. Once she’s on her feet, he opens the back passenger side door and collects her backpack and the bag he purchased to put her things in over the weekend. Taking her hand, he leads her to the door of the shelter. Opening it, he holds it open for her as she enters. He walks her down the hall to the women’s room. They stop outside the door as men aren’t allowed inside.
“Good night, beautiful.” Tucker’s deep voice resonates through her. He leans down and kisses her deeply for several long moments. Ruby gets lost in his kiss. Her arms snake up to wrap around his neck. With a groan, he drops her bags and pulls he flush with his body, deepening the kiss. Their tongues dancing and swirling. He breaks the kiss and pulls back to look down at her. “Sleep well Ruby. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She nods her agreement. With a final quick brush of his lips over hers, he waits while she gathers her bags and slips inside the women’s room. She hears his footsteps retreating down the hall.
Ruby leans against the door, trying to collect herself. The man gets her body humming with desire every time he kisses her. He’s becoming an addiction she can’t live without. Shaking her head to clear her lust addled brain, she makes her way to her cot. Settling down on the lumpy mattress, she lets out a deep sigh. After two nights on a well-made mattress, it’s going to take some time getting used to this old cot again. More than the mattress, after sleeping in Tucker’s arms for two nights it’s going to be hard sleeping alone. Ruby tosses and turns, her mind running over all the pros and cons of telling Tucker about her past. Hours later exhausted from the turmoil in her mind, she finally manages to grab a couple of hours of restless sleep.
The next morning Ruby heads off to the diner to work another long, busy day. Which is a little odd. Mondays are usually slower than the rest of the week but not today. She hardly has time to talk to Tucker when he stops by briefly in the early afternoon. He tells her he’ll try to come back and pick her up after her shift, but there are more problems with Abigail’s ex and he isn’t sure what might happen. He’s headed over to Ellie’s school to make sure she’s safe. Ruby worries about the little girl all afternoon and what might happen to her. Hours later, she gets a text from Tucker asking her to call him when she has a free moment.
Ruby asks Becky to keep an eye on her tables for a few minutes. Becky agrees and Ruby slips out the back door of the diner. The phone rings twice before she hears Tucker’s deep voice.
“Evans,” he answers.
“Um, Tucker?” Ruby stammers. She hasn’t ever called him before.
“Hey beautiful,” Tucker replies. “I didn’t look to see who was calling when I answered. How’s your day going?”
“Busy but it’s beginning to slow down,” Ruby answers, wondering why Tucker wanted her to call him. It’s an unusual request. Sure, they text from time to time, but he usually just comes to her when he wants to talk.
“That’s good,” he says almost distractedly. There’s a rustling sound and muffled words spoken before the line clears. “I’m sorry, Ruby. The nurse was just in here checking on Ellie…”
“What??” Ruby exclaims. “You’re at the hospital?”
“Yes, that’s why I asked you to call,” Tucker explains. “Abigail and Ellie were in an accident this afternoon. Ellie is fine, but Abigail…she’s been taken to another facility. Hold on a moment.” She can hear the rustling of Tucker speaking to someone in the background. “I’m going to step out into the hall for just a moment, but I’ll be right back munchkin. Mr. Hawk and Mrs. Charlotte are here with you. I won’t be long.” Ruby hears a sweet little voice reply, “Okay, Uncle Tank. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
Ruby smiles at the sound of the little girl’s voice and her obvious affection for Uncle Tank. A few moments later, Tucker is again speaking to her.
“Abigail’s in surgery,” Tucker informs her and Ruby can hear the fear and anxiety in his voice. “She’s hurt badly. Straw is at the other hospital with her. I’m staying with Ellie until she’s released. I don’t think I’ll make it to the diner in time to pick you up when you shift is over, but if you’ll let me, I’ll have one of the guys come pick you up and bring you to the house. I’ll have to watch over Ellie until Abigail is out of the hospital. I think I can handle it, but I’d feel better if you were there with me taking care of her. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I could use your help.”
“I’ll be happy to help Tucker, but I don’t know anything about kids.” Ruby can feel her heart beating faster just thinking about being responsible for another person. Tucker will be with her though, so she wouldn’t be totally responsible. Tucker’s humorless laugh comes over the line.
“That makes two of us, beautiful,” Tucker replies. “I’ll have Hawk and Charlotte on speed dial. They have three small children. If we don’t know what to do, they’ll be able to answer any questions we have. So you’ll come?” Ruby knows she should just say no, but how can she leave Tucker to handle the small little girl on his own?
“Yes, I’ll come help you,” Ruby tells him. “I’ll need to go to the shelter and get my things, so have your friend pick me up around eight.”
