Because he hadn’t wanted Tino to question his sudden interest in Ruby’s whereabouts until he had some plausible answers that made sense. And look how spectacularly that had backfired on him now. He frowned at the puppy that stared back at him with huge, guileless brown eyes. He didn’t know what had possessed him to get the mutt either. He’d been walking past the animal rescue centre and the next thing he knew he was signing papers and being instructed on brands of puppy food.
‘You know, I have a mind to call back that fancy-arsed mechanic...’ Tino muttered, issuing a string of curse words under his breath. ‘Guy wouldn’t know a carburettor from a custard tart.’
Sam ignored his brother’s mumblings. He was still reeling from the fact that Ruby would soon be joining them.
Ruby for a whole three days with his brother and fiercely protective sister-in-law in tow...
‘God, I’m good!’ Tino smirked as the boat’s engine rumbled to life beneath his feet, wiping his hands on an old rag.
‘So about the weekend...’ Sam began, thinking that he didn’t care if Tino thought his behaviour was strange or not.
‘Yeah?’ Tino looked at him curiously. ‘What about it?’
The puppy squirmed like a bag of worms in his arms, yapping at something over his shoulder. Sam turned in time to see Ruby coming aboard and his heart did a weird flip inside his chest. She looked confident and radiant, her long hair pulled into a haphazard ponytail, a dazzling smile curving her soft pink lips. He’d rarely seen her without make-up and right now she looked golden and youthful and more beautiful than ever, like a sun goddess come down to earth to shine just for him.
Catching the uncharacteristically poetic sentiment, he shook his head. It didn’t seem to matter to his brain that she was completely off-limits to him. She excited him as no other woman ever had and, while he might not like that on an elemental level, if he was completely honest with himself he didn’t want it to stop either.
* * *
Ruby didn’t notice Sam until she had both feet planted on the boat. If she had when she’d only had one foot on board she might have turned and run. As it was she could only stop and stare at him.
He wore aviator sunglasses, his long, lean body encased in a T-shirt that emphasised his flat belly and wide shoulders, and fitted board shorts that hugged his muscular thighs. His feet were jammed into boat shoes, his arms full of an exuberant black and brown puppy with one adorable ear folded forward. Both their gazes were trained on her. It struck her almost immediately that she had never seen Sam in casual wear before and he was ten times more dangerous to her this way than in a custom-made suit. Heat seared her insides, her body uncaring that last night he had been so arrogant she’d wanted to throttle him.
As she watched Sam lowered the squirming bundle of fluff onto the deck and it raced towards her. She instinctively went down on her haunches and the puppy jumped into her arms, licking her face.
‘Some guard dog he is,’ Sam grumbled, coming to a stop in front of her.
Finding it hard to hold herself aloof with the puppy all over her, Ruby laughed joyously. ‘He knows I’m a friend. Don’t you, boy? Girl?’
‘Boy,’ Sam replied, just as Miller came up from below deck carrying Redmond in her arms.
‘Hey, Ruby.’ Miller hugged her as she stood up. ‘Forty-five minutes. I’m impressed. By the way, Tino invited Sam, so our girls’ weekend has definitely been gatecrashed.’
‘So I see,’ Ruby murmured.
‘Let me take your bag.’
‘I’ve got it.’ Sam reached for it first and hoisted it onto his shoulder before Ruby could object.
‘Thanks, Sam.’ Miller grinned widely, shifting Red to her other arm so that he could reach out and play with Ruby’s hair. ‘I’m so glad you’re here. Tino, Ruby’s—’
‘Here, I know.’ Valentino pushed out of the engine bay one-handed and came up behind his wife, taking an excited Redmond from her arms. ‘Glad you could make it, Ruby. And right on time.’
The puppy jumped up at her again, his nails scoring the skin on her knee. Ruby winced and grabbed his paws, petting his head. ‘You’re going to be a giant, aren’t you?’