by Deb Kastner
“Well, sure,” he agreed. “I’d like that.”
“Just to see how you and Oscar are progressing and to make sure there aren’t any new issues,” she added and then wanted to stuff a sock in her mouth. Why couldn’t she just have left her question without the qualifier?
The smile dropped from his face. “Right. Of course, you’ll want to check up on me and Oscar.”
Somehow, she got the feeling that response wasn’t exactly what he’d been expecting. And if that wasn’t it, then...what?
Butterflies let loose in her stomach.
“Our graduation ceremony isn’t what you’d typically find at the end of a program,” she told him, changing subjects before her emotions got away from her. “No ‘Pomp and Circumstance,’ no parading across a platform in front of everyone to receive your diploma.”
“Thankfully,” he muttered under his breath before taking a large bite out of his cone.
She smothered a giggle, knowing how painful even thinking of such a situation would be for him. “We’re having a bonfire on our property this evening,” she said. “Don’t worry. It’s just my family, but we’d all like to celebrate your accomplishments with you. And you do get an official certificate of completion, even without all the hype.”
He just stared at her for a moment, and who could blame him? With Ruby, just family wasn’t exactly a small gathering of people. But she thought he was fairly comfortable with all her brothers and sisters and their families, as he’d spent a lot of time around them, especially Jake and Avery.
“It’s really casual,” she assured him. “My brother Frost may bring his guitar, and then we’ll sit around the fire, roasting marshmallows and singing. Super relaxed.”
“I don’t sing,” he said, his voice extra raspy.
She chuckled. “Oh, no. I didn’t expect you to sing. Not unless you want to. Oscar has a nice voice, though.”
On cue, Oscar howled a few notes.
“Shh,” Aaron said, pulling his hand out from under Ruby’s and pressing his palm over Oscar’s muzzle. “We’re in a restaurant, you silly dog.”
“It’s an ice-cream shop. And I can guarantee you Doug doesn’t mind a little extra doggy noise.”
“I mind.” His voice squeaked.
She laughed. “Breathe, Aaron. You need to relax. The worst part—your final test—is over.”
“Does that mean we get to go home now?”
Home?
What kind of a slip of the tongue was that?
Or had he meant anything by it at all?
Had he been referencing the bed-and-breakfast? Or was it A New Leash on Love he considered his home? She wished she could just ask him. Or invite him to stay in town awhile while she figured out exactly what she was feeling.
Or...something.
But she suddenly became just as tongue-tied as Aaron usually was. Her heart was there but the words were not. And even if they had been, would it really be fair to Aaron to be bringing this up on the day before he was supposed to leave?
What was she going to say? Oh, and by the way, even though you already have future plans, I think I may have feelings for you. Do you want to stay in Whispering Pines for a while so I can figure out my emotions?
Awkward.
Awkward and unfair.
That would be putting undue pressure on him. No. That would never do. She wouldn’t put him in that kind of position, no matter how hard it was on her heart.
This was something she’d have to deal with on her own.
* * *
Aaron squirted gel onto his palm and rubbed his hand through his dark hair, trying to make it look presentable. He’d never worried overmuch about his appearance, but tonight it felt important for him to look his best—and it wasn’t because he was going to receive a certificate of completion tonight.
No, this was for a completely different, pretty redheaded reason.
Despite Ruby having said the evening was casual, he was wearing his best black jeans, and he’d bought a new long-sleeved black button-down shirt for the occasion.
“What do you think, Oscar?” he asked the dog, who was stretched out on the floor in front of the bathroom door. He held his arms out and turned around in a circle. “Do I pass muster?”
He was completely over feeling strange about keeping up a running conversation with his dog. He was so used to it now he couldn’t even remember what it had been like before Oscar was part of his life. He couldn’t believe he’d thrown such a fit about it at first.
Jake had caught him a time or two yapping to Oscar about one thing or another and razzed him about it, but he knew how important Jake’s own dog, Sissy, was to the Cutter family. It was all in good fun. Everything the gregarious Texan did was all in good fun. He’d married into the Winslow family and had found his place in the world, and the man was as happy as the proverbial lark.
Sang like one, too.
Knowing he was tone-deaf, Aaron had no intention of singing a single note this evening, but he planned to thoroughly enjoy this last night with the Winslow clan—especially his time with Ruby.
He’d been thinking about what he’d say to her, how he would approach his ideas and the suggestion that perhaps he could stay around, maybe help her out in some way, as Jake did with Avery. If only he was better with words. Even if he wrote everything down and read it off a piece of paper, he would probably garble the whole thing when it came time to speak.
Actions spoke louder than words anyway. Maybe it would be better for him to hold off on speaking about his intentions until he’d actually gone and done what he envisioned doing—the first half of his plans, at least, so he could come to her with something tangible to offer instead of just an idea.
Then when he approached Ruby, he could do so without putting any pressure on her to make a decision based on the financial condition of the service-dog program, since he didn’t know where A New Leash on Love stood in that regard. He wanted Ruby to know his idea was workable whether she was looking for help in training her dogs or not. He’d even be willing to work for free, assuming everything else went according to plan. This wasn’t about money, or even what position she might or might not offer him when he asked.
Tonight, he decided as he put a newly bathed Oscar in his truck and slid in beside him in the growing darkness, he would try to concentrate on simply enjoying time with Ruby and her family at the bonfire. If he could ingratiate himself to them the way Jake and Logan, who’d married Ruby’s sister Molly, had done, all the better.
When he pulled his truck into the lot at Winslow’s Woodlands and turned off his headlights, he had a good laugh at himself for all the trouble he’d gone through. There was no moon tonight, and he hadn’t thought to bring a flashlight, so the only way Ruby would be able to see him would be through the light of the bonfire.
And he’d bought a new shirt for this.
The whole Winslow clan, along with their families, were already at the bonfire when Aaron approached, but Ruby was the first to see him, and he couldn’t help but think she’d been watching for him, especially when she ran up to him and curled her arm through his, dragging him toward the bonfire.
“You look extra handsome tonight,” she told him with a smile that was even more animated than usual.
Extra handsome?
He wouldn’t have even put himself in the regularly handsome category on his best day.
“That’s only because it’s pitch-dark and you can’t see anything other than my shadow,” he told her with a chuckle.
She moved closer to him, rubbing a hand across his shoulder and briefly around his neck.
“New shirt?” she murmured, her voice so soft it made his gut turn over.
Now, how would she know that when she was flying blind?
“Yes, but before you start thinking I ran out to one of the clothing stores in W
hispering Pines to purchase something decent for tonight... I totally did,” he finished, his voice trailing off.
She threw her head back and laughed. “And you forgot to take off the tag.”
He groaned and swiped a hand down his face, feeling it heat under his palm. He was suddenly glad it was so dark in the woods.
“Here—lean down a sec and I’ll get it for you.” She stood on tiptoe, and with one quick jerk of her hand, she snapped the little string of plastic that held the price tag.
“There,” she said cheerfully, handing him the tag without looking at it. “Now how much you shelled out for your clothes will remain a mystery.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the way she was insinuating he’d ever step foot into a high-end clothing store—although of course, though he wouldn’t admit it to her, the whole reason he’d gone to all the trouble of buying a new shirt at all was just to impress Ruby.
“Like I said, I got it here in town,” he said, feeling silly that they were still discussing his shirt. “I didn’t tap into my pension.”
She laughed again and held out her hand to him, taking his hand in hers and linking their fingers, making his heart warm. “Come on. All the others are waiting for us at the bonfire. Let the celebration begin!”
He’d momentarily forgotten he was supposed to be the center of attention tonight. In effect, this was his graduation ceremony, however casual Ruby had promised it would be.
Breathe, he coaxed himself when everyone’s eyes turned upon him. Ruby would tell you to relax. You know everyone here.
And he did—some only slightly and others with whom he’d spent a lot of time, like Jake and Avery, and Felicity in the gift shop, where he still couldn’t provide enough cupcakes to keep up with the demand for them even though he was now delivering them three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
He wished he weren’t so self-conscious all the time, like tonight, when everyone would be rooting for him. He knew it drove Ruby crazy when he pulled into himself. Before his accident, he never used to be that way. He’d led men into battle with all the confidence in the world. And now it was hard for him to calm down enough to take part in a friendly family gathering?
The bonfire was already carefully and safely built and raging. It looked as if this was something they did fairly regularly, for there was a firepit in a clearing, and they had placed large tree trunks in a circle around the bonfire. Some people were sitting atop the logs, while others were settled on the ground, using the logs as a backrest.
When they reached the bonfire, Ruby sat first, flopping down on the earth with her legs crossed and patting the ground beside her, which was mostly dirt with an occasional swatch of grass covered with green pine needles. He slid down next to her, expecting it to be awkward and possibly a little bit painful, but it was more comfortable than he’d imagined it would be. The pine needles may have looked poky, but instead they felt more like a soft blanket underneath him. He leaned his back against the log and stretched out his arms. Oscar flopped down at his feet and immediately rolled in the dirt. So much for bathing him. Good thing he was dark-colored to hide the dirt.
“This is one of my favorite things to do,” Ruby said with a contented sigh as she curled under his arm and leaned into his chest. “I’m so busy with work that I don’t take too many nights off, but when I do, I want to do something relaxing and fulfilling, something that will fill my creative well, you know?”
“Mmm.” He wasn’t even certain he had a creative well, and he was still feeling a bit nervous about the evening, but he wasn’t going to admit that to Ruby. She looked as relaxed as he wished he could be. He wouldn’t take that away from her.
The fire snapped, crackled and popped worthy of a bowl of rice cereal, and its glow left Ruby looking beautiful beyond words. Aaron choked up as he watched her close her eyes and lean her head back on his shoulder.
As Ruby had predicted, before much time had passed, Frost drew out his guitar. At first, he strummed a couple of tunes and everyone just listened, but then he played a song everyone recognized, and Jake jumped in, his full bass lighting up the night with sound. Soon, nearly everyone had joined in, even Ruby with her silky soprano. The only one not singing was Aaron. His voice was too raspy, and he couldn’t carry a tune, so he wouldn’t torture anyone here by attempting to sing.
No one appeared to notice that he hadn’t joined them, and soon he’d forgotten how uncomfortable it made him. He was enjoying everyone else’s combined voices, complete with beautiful harmonies. The six siblings had clearly grown up singing together, and their voices blended very well.
He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet citrus scent of Ruby’s shampoo. This night could not be any better.
“Time for s’mores,” Frost said at last, setting aside his guitar for the time being. “Sharpe has the sticks. Who was in charge of bringing the marshmallows this time around?”
“That would be me,” said Felicity, patting a nearby icebox. “Marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars. We’re good to go.”
Felicity passed out the goodies, and Sharpe handed each of them a long, green branch on which to spear the marshmallows. Soon, many of Ruby’s siblings had a marshmallow hovering close to the fire.
Aaron had heard of toasting marshmallows and eating s’mores, but this was his very first time actually participating. It wasn’t something he’d ever had the opportunity to do as a child. The only camping he’d ever done was in the military, and he was looking forward to his first taste of this special treat.
“How do you like your marshmallows?” Ruby asked him with a soft smile. “Light brown or black and burned to a crisp?”
“‘Burned’?” he asked, curling his lips down. “Why would anyone intentionally burn their marshmallow?”
“Crisp on the outside, gooey on the inside,” she informed him. “Don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it.”
“I’m pretty sure I would never do that on purpose,” he said. “But to be honest with you, I’ve never roasted marshmallows before. I lived in a big city growing up.”
“Oh, my. Then you really don’t know what you’ve been missing. Be prepared to be amazed.”
She fitted her marshmallow onto the sharp end of her branch. Aaron watched her before doing the same, and then they both put their marshmallows over the fire to roast.
True to her word, Ruby dropped her stick deeper into the flame, and her marshmallow quickly blackened to a crisp. Aaron kept his well above the fire and pulled it out when it had barely turned a light brown.
They made their s’mores, stacking the bars of chocolate and their marshmallows between squares of graham crackers. Ruby took a bite and squealed in delight.
“Oh, this is so good. I need to do this more often.”
Aaron wrinkled his nose. It seemed to Aaron like it was a lot of effort to go through just for a crumbly, sticky mess, but he stacked up his s’more and took a bite for Ruby’s sake.
To his surprise, it was delicious. It was also just as sticky and crumbly as he’d imagined it would be, so he kept taking quick bites, sharing an occasional bit of graham cracker with Oscar until he’d finished it.
“See? What did I tell you?” Ruby teased. “Tell me that wasn’t the best dessert you’ve ever had—well, maybe not the very best. Your cupcakes have earned that honor.”
“You’re right. It was good,” Aaron admitted, licking marshmallow from his fingers. As good as the s’more had been, he didn’t really want to go around for the rest of the evening with sticky fingers.
Thankfully, at that moment Felicity thoughtfully came by with antibacterial wipes, and he was able to get his hands clean.
When Frost picked up his guitar again and resumed his strumming, Ruby rolled to her feet and held a palm out for him to stop.
“Before we get back into the singing,” she said, “I would like to ta
ke a moment to commend Aaron for a job well done in the service-dog program and present him and Oscar with their certificate of completion. Aaron, would you stand and come over here beside me, please?”
He’d rather not, but he’d anticipated this part of the evening, so he used Oscar to help him stand and balance before he moved to Ruby’s side, brushing the dust off his jeans as he went.
“When Aaron first came here to participate in the program,” Ruby said, tears shining in her eyes, “I have to admit I didn’t have high hopes for this to work. Aaron had a lot to overcome. But he’s such a brave man, and with Oscar’s help, he has come farther than I could even have imagined. I’m proud this evening to present him and Oscar with his certificate of completion. Aaron, Oscar is now officially your service dog. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said, then cleared his throat. His voice was so raspy and low he could barely speak. He had something important he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure he could get the words out.
The Winslow siblings applauded him and held up their water bottles to toast him. Jake whooped and whistled.
He waited until the noise had died down before trying to speak again.
“I just want to say a few words about this program—and most specifically about Ruby, and what they mean to me. You already know what a special, beautiful person she is both inside and out. When I first came to A New Leash on Love, I didn’t believe she could help me—especially after she introduced me to Oscar.”
When he said Oscar’s name, he barked, and everyone laughed.
“And believe me, Aaron told me so,” Ruby said. “His froufrou dog.”
“To tell the truth, I didn’t trust her, especially where choosing me a dog was concerned. I didn’t understand at all where she was coming from. And I figured if she didn’t get that part right, how would she possibly be able to train me?” He shook his head. “I don’t have to tell you how wrong I was. She was one brave woman, standing her ground with Oscar and a stubborn marine. Ruby, I just want to thank you for not giving up on me when you had every reason to.”