‘Only you missed him,’ he finished for her, accurately interpreting the forlorn note in her voice.
‘Yes.’ She blinked back tears she hadn’t realised had collected behind her eyes. ‘Which is stupid because it probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway.’ She tried to smile to lighten the moment but her mouth wobbled and she ducked her head against Sam’s shoulder. ‘Why is love so difficult?’
‘Because the human need for connection is so powerful, and sometimes you want that any way you can get it. Even if the other person doesn’t want the same thing.’
Sensing that Sam was speaking from personal experience and more than ready to talk about something else, Ruby tilted her head back. ‘Has that happened to you?’
‘In a fashion.’ His mouth twisted into a slight grimace. ‘My old man was hardly ever around when I was growing up but that didn’t change the way I felt about him.’
Ruby already knew from when Miller and Tino had got together that Sam’s father had died in a fiery racing accident when Sam was young. ‘Because he died, you mean?’
‘No. He was unavailable long before that. He had his career and he didn’t need much else.’ Certainly not him, his tone implied. ‘He was a larger-than-life figure who lived a life far removed from the real world.’
‘Did you ever consider following him into racing like Valentino did?’
Sam laughed. ‘Once. But I was told that I didn’t have the reflexes for it so instead I concentrated on my studies. I decided if I couldn’t impress him with my physical prowess, I’d do it academically. I should have known from watching my siblings that it wouldn’t work. Not even Tino got our father’s full attention and it was clear from early on that he had racing talent. I think it’s fair to say that my father wasn’t very family-oriented.’
Ruby had had no idea that they shared the similar experience of having emotionally distant fathers and her arms instinctively went around his waist to offer comfort. ‘I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t know.’
‘Why would you?’ He smoothed her hair back from her forehead. ‘But the past is the past. You can’t change it. You just deal with it and get over it.’
‘Do you?’ she asked, thinking about herself as much as Sam. ‘Do you get over it or does it change you in ways you can’t reverse?’ Because love wasn’t something she’d ever trusted and she didn’t know how to get around that. Or even if she wanted to.
‘Who knows?’ he said, scooping her into his arms so suddenly she squealed.
Kong barked, dancing around Sam’s feet as he sensed the rising excitement between them.
‘What are you doing?’ Ruby clung to Sam’s neck.
‘You’ll find out.’
‘Sam?’ She spied the sparkling swimming pool with dubious delight. ‘I’m not wearing a swimsuit.’
Sam grinned down at her, his gaze hot. ‘Neither am I.’
* * *
Kong scratched at the bedroom door later that afternoon and Sam buried his head beneath the pillows. ‘That dog is going back to the rescue centre as soon as we get back to Sydney,’ he grumbled.
Ruby stirred beside him and planted a kiss on his shoulder. ‘No, he’s not. You love him too much to give him back. But stay here. I’ll let him out this time.’
Sam rolled over and snatched her close against him before she got very far. ‘Can you bring back my phone? I should check when Tino is picking us up later on this evening. Not that I want the weekend to end.’
‘All good things come to an end,’ she murmured, wriggling out of his arms and throwing on his T-shirt.
Closing his eyes, Sam wondered about her last comment. Was Ruby right? Did all good things have to come to an end or could they go on endlessly? Before he could conjure up an answer Ruby flew back into the room.
‘Oh, my God, you have to get up. Valentino is here.’
‘Already?’
‘Yes, it’s five o’clock in the afternoon, and I think he saw me.’
Sam’s gaze drifted down over her figure, clad in another one of his T-shirts and nothing else. They hit her mid-thigh and had become her weekend wear because they were so easy to remove. ‘That could be a problem.’ His eyes turned heavy-lidded. ‘I’ll have to kill him if he saw anything.’