“Did you make dinner plans?” Ruby asked, bending down to scratch between Tasha’s ears.

“I did. But if you’d rather head home, I can take you.” Had the day gone down in flames when he wasn’t looking?

Ruby grabbed Tasha’s leash. “I’m hungry.”

Travis had been so sure she was about to end their day together that it took a few seconds for him mind to process what his ears had just heard.

“Okay, let’s go.” He held out his hand.

Four or five of the longest seconds of his life passed. Sweat pooled at the back of his neck. This was worse than the conference finals when his team was up by one, the clock was ticking, and he faced three forwards from the opposing team streaking down the ice.

One hundred times worse.

He held his breath, never in his life as unsure as he was in this moment.

And then she took his hand.

Chapter 16

Ruby Montgomery hadn’t gotten to where she was in life by hiding behind someone else. By being a coward or avoiding complicated situations. She reveled in confrontation and loved being right. When her mother left, she learned to stand up for herself because no one else would. It was in her blood to fight, and she came by it honestly, her handy right hook included. Good old Irish blood, she’d been told by her pugilist grandfather before he died. She thought of her mother, something she hadn’t done in years, and just as quickly shook the memory of that weak, selfish woman from her mind.

It must have skipped a generation.

Which was why she wasn’t used to feeling like this. She was being a coward. She was hiding behind the men sitting across from her.

But for the moment, she was okay with that. For the moment, she needed to regroup and get her head screwed on right. Seeing Travis holding that child had been like a knife to the chest. It was an open wound that had never healed, and she hadn’t realized until now just how painful it still was.

Maybe she should have just kept her butt in Crystal Lake where it belonged, because coming here had to be a mistake. She didn’t want to remember the pain, because along with the pain was the other stuff. The love.

God, was it too late to save herself?

“Darlin’, you lo

ok way too serious for a gal whose had at least half a bottle of that lovely Pinot Grigio. Everything okay?” Tim’s slow Southern drawl shook her from her thoughts, and she sat up with a smile.

“Yes. I’m good. Just taking it all in.”

They’d come back to the marina, and like the coward Ruby now acknowledged she was, she’d pretty much hogtied Dalton and Tim and convinced them they needed to come aboard the Black Note for dinner.

Of course, Travis most likely had something else in mind, but he graciously agreed and insisted the men join them. He’d taken the boat onto the lake, and they anchored in a spot that afforded them a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Thick, lush forests as far as the eye could see, covering hills and valleys and blanketing them in a deep green. They’d had a lovely meal of grilled steaks, fresh summer salad with strawberries, caramelized pecans, and goat cheese, as well as baked potatoes and jumbo shrimp to start. The wine was expertly paired, and the dessert, chocolate mousse with cinnamon and nuts, was to die for.

Well, Ruby was going to assume it was to die for, because truthfully, she’d spent most of the time monopolizing the conversation and pushing her food around her plate. The wine-to-food ratio wasn’t in her favor, and that probably explained why she was feeling a bit light-headed.

“The view sure is something,” Tim said, winking and then nodded toward Travis and Dalton. The two men were on the other side of the boat discussing motors and horsepower and something about a rotor.

“How long have you and Dalton been together?” she asked, curious about the pair, deftly changing the subject.

Tim wasn’t fooled—she could tell—but he played along, and for that, she was grateful.

“Well, we have officially been a couple for coming up to three years. Unofficially? We’ve been together for almost fifteen. Next week is our anniversary of the uh, first time we…danced the dance, so to speak. It’s partly why we’re up here. Early anniversary trip for a memory only the two of us acknowledge.”

“Unofficially?” Ruby asked. Tim made no effort to hide who he was, and as far as she could tell, neither did Dalton. Both men seemed very secure and happy.

“Unofficially, Dalton was married to his high school sweetheart for seven years. I met him and his wife when he was transferred to Springfield for work, and they moved into the house beside my mama’s bed and breakfast.”

“Oh.”

“Uh-huh. Yep.” Tim shrugged. “It was all quite scandalous when the truth came out. My mama didn’t talk to me until last year, when she came down with breast cancer. I guess being sick was enough to erase the embarrassment of her only son having an affair with a married man. Either that, or she didn’t want the hired help getting all up in the more delicate matters and such. She’s a real Southern woman and doesn’t like anyone to see her unless she’s made up to the nines.”

Tags: Juliana Stone The Blackwells of Crystal Lake Romance
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