“Come stand by me and open it,” Jacob said.
She got up and moved over to him slowly, the gift sitting on her opened palm. She stood right in front of him and unwrapped the ribbon, opening the lid to the box. The little ring sat in the box; it’s red ruby shining.
Jacob got down on one knee, holding her free hand in both of his. He looked up at her. “Ruby, will you be my wife?”
She was crying so hard; she couldn’t answer him, just kept nodding her head, pulling him up towards her. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, the box still in one hand, and brought her mouth to his. She kissed him deeply. “Yes,” she said. “Yes.” Then she kissed him again.
The feeling of her lips pressed against his was the single most amazing thing he had felt to date. The connection between them was electric. He willed himself to pull away before things went any further.
He smiled down at her. “I’ll let you get away with that kiss, but let’s save everything else, okay?”
She blushed. “Sorry. I know you wanted to wait, but I just really needed to kiss you.” She held the little box out towards him, wanting him to be the one to put the ring on her finger. He carefully took the ring out of the box and slid it onto the finger of her left hand. Thanks to Elizabeth guessing Ruby’s ring size correctly, it was a perfect fit.
Ruby straightened her arm, holding the ring out, admiring the sparkle under the light. “I love it. A ruby. How beautiful.” She did a full twirl then flung her arms around him again. “We’re engaged!”
“And you are the proud owner of a classic car,” Jacob reminded her, laughing.
She brought her hands to her mouth, “Oh my gosh! The car! Can we go for a ride?” She excitedly hopped into the Spider, starting the engine before he could answer.
They drove over the curvy, tree lined roads with the top down; thousands of stars shining down on them, the night breeze blowing over them, and Ruby smiling the whole time. Jacob reminded her to slow down several times, but laughed at her excitement. Finally, she found a steady speed they both could agree on, and he let himself relax, contemplating the past few months.
Jacob had been chipping away at his plan. He had the perfect ring. A stable job that had good hours and paid well. Though it wasn’t his dream job, it could support them— for now. He planned the proposal; it was easy once he had found the car. Now he just needed to meet Ruby’s family and figure out permanent housing for them.
Dinner was cold by the time they got back to the cabin. He hadn’t anticipated the two-hour long drive Ruby would want to take in her new car. He quickly microwaved the dinner that he had prepared them earlier that night, wanting to get her home before it was late.
Carrying the plates out to the living room, Jacob found his little bride to be curled up asleep on the couch. Clutching a blanket around her with her left hand, he could see her ring shining. There was a little pink fuzz peeking out from the blanket, where her other hand was wrapped tightly around her new keychain. Jacob stopped at the doorway and stared at his fiancé as she slept.
Chapter 4
Jacob’s hands were shaking as he pulled into the driveway at Heather and David’s. He had been volunteering with the fire department and just one hour ago, was in the middle of a close call. He sat at the wheel, composing himself.
Luke and Cole had warned him that even volunteer work at the fire station could be dangerous, but he didn’t fully understand it until he saw it for himself. He pushed down the memory of the burning flames and screams and tried to gather himself.
Tonight, he was introducing Ruby to the family as his fiancée, and he needed to be fully present. They had waited to tell anyone until they were together in person and Jacob felt like Sunday dinner at his mom’s house was the perfect time. Ruby still hadn’t relented on letting him meet her mom, but he could tell that he was starting to wear down her resolve.
Gripping the wheel tightly with both hands, Jacob leaned down, resting his head. He said a quick prayer to calm his nerves. He thought of Ruby and hoped to make her feel comfortable around his family.
“Bang, bang.” Jacob sat up ramrod straight, unbuckling his seatbelt in one fluid movement.
He looked out his window to see his little minx laughing hard at what had to be a shocked look on his face. All he could think of doing was opening his door, lunging at her, tucking her under his arm and spanking her cute butt right there in the driveway for pulling such a stunt. He shook the thought from his head, adjusted his trousers, and smiling, opened his door. All in good time.
Dressed in a lacy ivory colored skirt that brushed the ground and a rose color tee shirt that hugged her chest, her face flushed from her laughter, she looked the part of the blushing bride— his naughty bride.
“Nice one, Ruby,” he said, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. She pressed into him, her warmth radiating over his chest. Man, she smelled good, strawberries mixed with rose water and a hint of cinnamon.
She giggled, pushing her small hands against his chest, which of course didn’t even move him an inch. “Oh, I got you so good, just wait, I have so many tricks up my sleeve.”
“You like to pull pranks, huh?”
“Yes, I love them! One time I had disconnected my cousin’s car battery before he was leaving for a hot date. It was so hilarious. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it and his date had to come pick him up. He was so mad when I told him the next day.”
Jacob frowned. Messing around with a man’s car was a higher crime than just a little prank in his book. “What did your cousin do when you told him?”
Ruby looked puzzled, “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Jacob said, “was there a consequence for your behavior?
Her beautiful brow furrowed, “Well, no, it was just a prank.”
Jacob wrapped his arms around her again. She reciprocated and her face tilted up towards his. “Ruby, when you are my wife, pranks like that will earn you a punishment.”
She gulped. “You mean, a spanking?” she asked quietly.
“Yes. That’s just what I mean. You need someone to set boundaries for you to keep you safe. And that person is going to be me, once we are married.”
She looked down, then placed her head on his chest, tightening her grip on him. “Okay,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
He hoped she couldn’t feel the bulge in his pants and scooted back just a bit.
“Hey, Lovebirds, what’s cooking y’all?” Heather’s voice punctuated the silence, Ruby quickly untangled from Jacob, but he kept a strong arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tight to his side before she could get too far. His plan was to keep her close tonight.
“Hi Mom,” Jacob said, as Heather completely disconnected him from Ruby, wrapping him in a huge hug. He could see that his plan was already coming unhinged.
“Hi honey,” she then turned to Ruby, wrapping her in a tight hug, too. “Let me see, let me see,” Heather immediately grabbed Ruby’s left hand, admiring the sparkling ring while Ruby blushed, looking shy but proud. She snuck a happy glance over at Jacob that made his heart swell.
“Well this was a bea-u-tiful ring, to begin with, sugar, but on you, it’s an absolute masterpiece. I declare Jacob; you have impeccable taste.”
“Did you keep it a secret mom?”
“You know it. I have a little practice in keeping secrets.” She winked at Jacob, her very own living secret that she had kept for so many years.
The sadness that crossed her face pained Jacob. “I know, Mom,” He gave her another hug and a quick peck on the cheek, then putting one arm around each lady, escorted them up the driveway. Heather, back to her jovial self, started talking a mile a minute about the store, and how they were in desperate need of good help, and didn’t Ruby just want to start helping out right away?
Jacob was grateful to his mom and her sisters-in-law. The sooner he could get Ruby working somewhere safe where they could all keep an eye on her, the better.
&nb
sp; Jacob cruised down the streets of the historic neighborhood, his clients sitting in the back of his Camaro. They had eagerly jumped at the chance to ride in the restored car rather than follow him in their vehicle. They both worked full time at the hospital and could only see houses in the evenings. Jacob had begun helping out with David’s real estate business part-time, but was a quick learner and David kept adding responsibilities to his plate. To Jacob’s surprise he was beginning to enjoy the job. Helping people find their dream home wasn’t such a bad gig. And there was so much to learn to pass a real estate exam that it kept his brain engaged as well.
Heather said that it was a gift, being able to match people with their perfect home. He had finally found the perfect place for this particular house hunting couple. Jacob knew they were going to love it. The property met or exceeded every one of the criteria they had laid out for him, and he couldn’t wait to show it to them. Just as they were pulling up to the grey and white craftsman style bungalow, the woman cried, “Oh, my! Look at that itty-bitty thing walking those huge dogs!”
Heat rose to Jacob’s face. It couldn’t be, but as he turned to look out the window that held the woman’s attention, there she was. All five feet of her, being dragged through the dark streets by three huge dogs. Her skirts swished as if she didn’t have a care in the world, her taut arms holding tight to the leads.
Jacob rubbed a hand on his forehead and sighed. He had to maintain his professional composure.
Jacob smiled and spoke in what he hoped was a smooth voice, “I’ll just let you two in and see if that little lady needs a hand.” He quickly jumped from the vehicle, held the car door for them, then sped up the stairs to put the code in the lockbox. Key in hand he opened the door, and flipped on a few lights in the empty home. He held his hand out towards the foyer, “See yourself in, I’ll be right back.” Jacob dashed down the stairs and jogged to the next block as Ruby disappeared around the corner.
He rounded the corner just behind Ruby, her curls bouncing merrily. Jacob stopped to catch his breath. He watched as she walked down the front path to a small brick house. She opened the unlocked door, and he laughed as she tugged the three beasts into the house. Relaxing knowing that she was safely back in the house, he took a deep breath. He shook his head, then turned and jogged back to take care of his clients. After that, he would be taking care of Ruby.
Jacob was supposed to pick Ruby up at their agreed upon meeting point, the baseball field. It was just across the street from where she was pet sitting, at least that is what she had told him. After seeing the true location of the house, he discovered it was almost a mile walk, in the dark, and partly through a wooded area that had no street lights. He had run his clients back to the office, then quickly drove back to the house, knowing she would still be there as she would play and visit with the pups for at least an hour. He was relieved to pull into the drive of the brick house just as Ruby was locking the front door. Her face flashed surprise when she saw him.
She jumped into the car shutting the door with her famous slam. “How’d you know where I was?” She leaned over for a kiss. Jacob gave her a quick peck before putting his arm around the back of her seat and looking out the back window as he reversed down the driveway.
Shifting gears and heading down the street, Jacob shot a quick look out of the side of his eye. Ruby sat with not a care in the world, looking out the window and humming to herself. She jumped at his voice when he said, “I saw you walking the dogs.”
A blush quickly rose in her cheeks. “Oh, um, I didn’t know I would have all three. Martha called me last minute and said that Nikko had kennel cough and couldn’t be boarded. Then I was running late. I had no idea how dark it was going to be.”
“Hmm. Is that so?” Jacob came to a stop sign and looked all ways before continuing through town and towards the cabin.
“Yes, that is so,” Ruby said, indignantly. Watching out the window, her body bristled as the Camaro sailed past her favorite restaurant. “Hey, I thought you were taking me out to dinner.” She watched wistfully out the window as Chubby’s got farther from view.
“I was.” He continued his slow and steady driving.
Ruby crossed her arms over her chest. “They are just dogs, Jacob. And it wasn’t even that dark.”
The car filled with silence, his contemplative, hers brooding. He didn’t mind. He had a cure for her risky behavior and defiant attitude, and her silence told him that she knew it.
Jacob pulled into the drive of the cabin. The front light was on and the door locked, as it should be. He was still helping Ruby to remember to lock her own door and leave her porch light on. Sensor lights on both corners of the cabin came on as he made his way over to open Ruby's door. She did not meet his eyes and stomped her way up the stairs to the cabin.
“Someone hangry?” he asked, chuckling as he unlocked the door. He quickly punched in the code to disarm the alarm, then closed the door clicking the deadbolt into place, behind them.
Ruby stood in the center of the room; arms still crossed over her chest. The defiant look on her face was mixed with a hint of something he couldn’t quite read in her eyes. “That is not a real word. Trust me, I know a lot of words. What does that even mean?”
“It’s a term used for people who get angry when they are hungry, mainly applied to children.” Her defiant stance and small stature made her look like a naughty girl and he couldn’t help throwing in the last part.
“I’m not hangry, Jacob. I’m hungry. And we are supposed to be at Chubby’s right now. Not here at the cabin having a meeting of the minds of made up languages.”
Jacob held a hand out towards the couch. “Have a seat.”
“No, thank you.” Her eyes burned now, challenging him.
He was up for the challenge. “Have it your way. If you want to stand, you are going to be standing in that corner.” Jacob pointed toward the front of the room where there was an empty corner just waiting for Ruby to visit it. “The perfect place for a naughty girl to take a time out.” He took three steps towards her, towering over her tiny frame.
Ruby stared at his face as if to judge whether or not he was serious. Apparently, she came to the realization that he was, in fact, serious and would put her right in the corner. She hesitantly uncrossed her arms and scooted backward until the back of her legs bumped into the couch, and sat with a “humph,” all the while her face reddening.
Pacing back and forth over the living room carpet, close to where Ruby was sitting, Jacob began to list his grievances. “So, let me make sure I have this straight, you were walking several large dogs at night, alone, in the dark. You left the house unlocked; you lied about how far our meeting place was and had I not picked you up you would have been wandering through the dark forest, by yourself. Did I miss anything?”
Looking down, she shook her head. “Well, I wouldn’t quite call it a ‘forest.’ It was a bit more of a small thicket.”
Ignoring the comment, Jacob continued, “You were running late, and instead of calling me to push our meeting time back you decided to walk all three dogs at once?”
A small nod, caused a curl to bounce out of her loose coif and fall across the front of her face.
“And the unlocked door was just because no one ever taught you better?”
She looked up at him. In a whisper, she said, “We said no spankings until we were married.”
The word alone flushed heat through his body. “We also said no lying and no being unsafe. Didn’t we?” He stood over her, tilting her chin up with the gentle pressure of his fingertips. She stared at him, almost expectantly, her eyes shining. She looked, to use her own word, melty.
Jacob sat next to her on the couch, his thigh pressed against hers. He took her hands in his. “Ruby, I can’t let this go. You will be punished. I just don’t see a way around me taking you over my knee and spanking you right now. You have to take your safety seriously.”
Ruby jumped from the couch. “No.” She crossed her arms
and stomped her foot on the ground. “I do not want to be spanked for this, Jacob. I was just doing my job and it’s not time yet.”
Standing slowly Jacob said, “You made it time when you pulled that stunt tonight.”
Looking to the left and right, Ruby seemed as though she actually thought she could make a break for it. He took a step towards her. “Ruby,” he said, his tone a warning.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Ruby took off towards the kitchen. Jacob, the soccer player, always had a knack for anticipating his opponents next move. He stuck out a long arm wrapping it around her and pulling her body tight against his. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Oh yes, I think I will.”
He pulled them back to the couch and quickly hauled her over his lap in one fluid movement. He pinned her legs down with his. She was wriggling and fighting him to no avail. He grabbed her hands as she put them behind her to defend her posterior.
“Ruby, this is overdue. I am sorry to do this before we are married, but I have to do what I can to make sure you are safe.”
His hand started to slap her bottom over her skirt. She continued to wriggle around, trying to miss the oncoming smacks. “Jacob!”
He held her hands tighter and continued to spank her all over her bottom. Jacob had worried the first spanking going so smoothly was a fluke, but this one came to him just as naturally. It was as if he had done this a hundred times before. He smiled to himself as he happily smacked away. Maybe he had just pictured this scene enough times to pull it off effortlessly.
“Jacob, stop. It’s hurting!”
“Good.” He focused on the tender place where she sat down, hoping she would be thinking of him when she was avoiding chairs the next day.
“Owie, owie, owie,” Ruby stopped wiggling and started to cry.
Jacob immediately stopped and flipped her up to sit in his lap. Wrapping his arms around her tightly he buried his face in her curls, inhaling the scent of strawberries. He couldn’t help his quick reaction to her crying.
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