Had he really been the taker in their marriage? Had he been wrong to put his career first and his wife second? Obviously, Ruby had felt that way. And she’d never said a word. Until now.
Not until she’d believed that he’d betrayed her one time too many. And he’d been a clueless idiot until the day he’d received that letter from her lawyer.
Chapter Fourteen
Ruby fitfully brushed at the thing fluttering lightly against her cheek as she roused slowly from a deep, restful sleep. Whatever it was brushed her again, and Ruby slowly opened her eyes.
“Good mornin’, darlin’,” Sam drawled, from slightly above her. He was propped up on one elbow, a half smile on his handsome face, teasing her cheek with a tangled lock of her hair.
“Morning,” she murmured, stretching languidly as she slowly came awake. The light coming through the sheer curtains on the window was dim, diffused, making colors barely distinguishable as night gave way to morning. “What are you doing?” she asked sleepily. “What time is it, anyway?”
“Early,” Sam said. “Time for me to start making good on my promises, darlin’,” he added. “You went to sleep on me last night,” he said, smiling.
“Oh, Sam. I’m so s—”
Sam stopped her apology with a touch of his fingertips against her mouth. “Hush now. I know you haven’t been sleeping so well, so I let you. We have the rest of our lives together to finish this. One day’s delay won’t much matter in the scheme of things.”
A rush of love and joy threatened to overwhelm her, and Ruby blinked back the hot tears that flooded her eyes. She knew Sam would never understand tears at a time like this, so she did the first thing she could think of to keep them from falling. She reached up and drew his dear, handsome face, scratchy with morning stubble, down to hers. “I love you so much, Sam,” she whispered, and then she kissed him.
As Ruby knew he would, Sam circled her with his arms. She wrapped her own around him, holding him tightly as if she’d never let go. As their bodies performed the familiar dance and became one, only a single thought echoed in her brain.
How could she ever have considered facing the rest of her life without Sam?
“I RECKON WE’D BEST get moving, darlin’,” Sam whispered into Ruby’s ear later, after they’d finished and lay sated in each other’s arms. He loved the way Ruby felt when he held her, but they did have a farm to run, the sun had long since risen, and Nick would show up in the kitchen sooner or later and want breakfast.
“Oh my gosh,” Ruby exclaimed, pushing herself up with a jerk. “Nick! What will he think?”
Sam laughed. “He’ll think we’ve been doing exactly what we’ve been doing,” he said, then shrugged.
Ruby blushed, her creamy face going from white to rosy-pink in seconds.
“Why should he care? We’re married, and we’ve only been doing what married couples all over the world do.” Sam swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Last one up has to wait on the shower.” Then he got up and headed for the bathroom, leaving Ruby to dress. Or not.
Or join him in the shower to save time.
Of course, Sam knew there was a chance Ruby wouldn’t accept his unspoken invitation. She might not be quite as ready to leap back into their old, familiar habits as he was. Only time would tell.
Sam pulled open the shower curtain and adjusted the spray while he waited for the water to get hot. He’d have to talk to Nick about redoing this bathroom, he thought. It would be great to have one of those whirlpool baths, big enough for two. It would be great for his injured knee. And for their love life, as well.
He stepped into the shower and pulled the curtains shut behind him. The water was hot and steamy and the stinging spray was just what he needed to finally shake off the languor of their morning of lovemaking. He began to wash, and only half noticed when Ruby drew the curtain open and stepped inside.
He felt first a brief rush of cool air, and then the impression of her perfect breasts against his back as she pressed herself to him. “Help, call 9-1-1! There’s an intruder in my shower,” he teased as he turned his soapy wet body around in Ruby’s arms to face her.
She laughed. “There’s no such thing as sophisticated as 9-1-1 way out here,” she said. “You’d have to call Luke McNeil, and this bathtub is not big enough for the three of us.” She slid her hands slowly and seductively up Sam’s wet and soapy chest. “But it’s been much too long since I’ve had my back scrubbed.”
“Well, don’t I know that,” Sam drawled, and he soaped up one of Ruby’s bath scrubbies and began to spread frothy, foamy bubbles all over her slender white back.
“Mmm,” Ruby murmured with obvious pleasure, shifting her shoulders to direct Sam’s ministrations. “I could stay here all day.”
“I’m sure we could, but having Nick standin’ outside, poundin’ on the door and yelling at us to hurry can sure be distractin’.”
Ruby grabbed the scrubby from Sam and tossed it at him. “Well, go then. You’ve had plenty of time to get clean. And Petunia and the piglets don’t care whether you’ve shaved or not,” she said.
Sam pulled her to him and rubbed his bristly cheek against hers. “What about you, sugar?”
“I’ll be fine,” Ruby said primly. “Just as long as a you’ve shaved by bedtime.” She pushed him away. “Now go. My beautiful new kitchen is waiting.”
SAM WAS NOWHERE to be seen when Ruby finally made her way into the makeshift kitchen in the dining room. Nick looked up from his coffee as she entered, and grinned knowingly. Why she felt her face warm with an embarrassing blush, Ruby didn’t know, but blush she did. “What did Sam tell you?” she managed to ask as she tried to push her embarrassment aside.
“Nothing,” Nick said as he watched her over the brim of his coffee mug. “Didn’t have to.”
Still feeling awkward about what her cousin had figured out, Ruby busied herself with her own coffee. She carefully kept her back to him as she poured. Thank goodness for automatic coffeemakers.
“You’re running short of milk, and cereal’s about gone,” Nick said from behind Ruby’s back. “Good news, though. Your kitchen should be finished and ready to go by the end of the day. And I’ll be able to go home.”
Amazed that the wreck of a room could be transformed so quickly, Ruby turned. “So soon? How can you possibly…?”
Nick pushed himself up out of his chair. “I’ll be heading on out in a day or so,” he said. “No matter what you say. You two don’t need me around while you’re getting reacquainted.”
“We love having you here,” Ruby protested.
“Speak for yourself, woman,” Sam said, coming in through the kitchen.
She was about to object to Sam’s statement, but then noticed the grin on his face. “That was rude,” she couldn’t resist stating.
“Nick knows I’m kidding,” Sam said, taking her into his arms and kissing her possessively. It felt so great to have his arms around her, but Sam knew that if they kept this up they’d never get anything done around the farm. He let go of her and turned to Nick. “Seriously, man. I appreciate all you’ve done for Ruby while I was away.”
“No big deal,” Nick said, shaking his head and backing away. “Ruby’s family. We might not see each other very often, but we come when we’re needed. We do for each other.”
That was quite a speech coming from Ruby’s usually taciturn cousin, but Sam understood and appreciated the sentiment. “And you know we’ll do anything we can for you, if you need us.”
“I know that,” Nick said, suddenly turning his head toward the window. “I think I hear a truck coming.” He hurried outside to investigate.
“Your cousin is a good man,” Sam told Ruby. They watched through the window as Nick strode out to greet the craftsman who would help make Ruby’s kitchen a dream come true.
“Yes, he is,” Ruby agreed. “But a cousin in the hand is not the same as a husband in the bed. I love you, Sam,” she said, turning back to face him. “I’m so gla
d we’ve been able to work through our problems.”
“Amen to that, sugar,” Sam said. He kissed her lingeringly even though he knew the kiss could lead to nothing else. Right now.
Ruby turned quickly and pulled out of Sam’s embrace at the sharp sound of footsteps, then laughed as Oscar stepped daintily into the dining room from the kitchen and oinked indignantly. “How did you get in here?” she asked as the pig trotted up to her.
“That back door hasn’t been closing properly since we’ve been working in the kitchen. I bet the dampness from last night’s storm kept it from shutting when Nick went out.”
Ruby bent down to look at the piglet, which was inquisitively rooting around the legs of the dining room table. Oscar stopped his exploration of his surroundings and looked up at her. “Did he eat?” she asked.
“I fed the other pigs, but Oscar wasn’t around,” Sam said. “He’s the only one who’s still small enough to slip under the fence rails.”
“Well, I’ll go give him some piggy chow while you eat. You are hungry, aren’t you?”
“Only for you, darlin’. Only for you.” Sam could tell exactly when Ruby went all soft and mushy inside. Man, he thought, it was going to be a long time until tonight.
“MAN, I DIDN’T THINK we were going to make it,” Sam said as he stood back and admired the finished kitchen. “It sure was a lot of work to accomplish in one day.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Nick said. “And getting everything coordinated so that it all comes together is the hardest part.”
“Yeah, I bet it is. Especially when you have to order everything from so far away.” That was another reason Sam had never considered coming out here to Montana to stay. But in spite of that, he’d learned to appreciate the quiet and serenity he’d found out here on the farm. And of course, he loved Ruby. That was a hell of an incentive to hang around.
If Ruby loved this place, then he could learn to love it, too.
“Yeah,” Nick said. “We just have to do a little cleanup, and we can call Ruby in for the unveiling.”
“Sending her into town and out of our hair was a stroke of inspiration,” Sam said. “Otherwise she’d be here underfoot now.”
Nick snorted, then stepped back as well, surveying the completed project. “I don’t know how long she’ll stay gone with that wild-goose chase you sent her on.”
Sam chuckled. “Yeah. I just hope she won’t be spitting mad when she finds out we didn’t really need that box of finishing nails, but it kept her out of our way. How did you know they wouldn’t have any on hand at Faulkner’s Hardware?”
“Called first,” Nick said, grinning. “If they’d had them, I’d have just thought of something else they wouldn’t be likely to have.”
“As long as Ruby had to go to Pine Run to get them,” Sam concluded. That was probably the longest conversation he’d ever had with Nick, he thought as they settled into a comfortable silence. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on Ruby’s face when she saw the finished project.
Sam glanced at the clock on the newly installed microwave oven. Was it really nearly seven?
Ruby should have been back hours ago. Where in the hell was she?
THE TEMPTING AROMA of fried chicken taunted Ruby all the way back from Pine Run. She’d finally located the finishing nails Nick needed, then had decided to make the best of her trip to Pine Run and had done some other errands while she was there. Now it was late, and she was tired and hungry, so she’d stopped at the fast-food chicken place on the way out of town and purchased a bucket and all the fixings for dinner.
She parked in front of the house and grabbed the red-and-white bucket of chicken and the bag of extras off the seat next to her and headed up the path to the house.
Then she looked up to see Sam and Nick grinning at her from the front porch. “What has you two looking so pleased with yourselves?” she called as she hurried up the walk.
“Oh, nothing much,” Sam said, feigning an innocent expression as he took the bucket of chicken out of her hands and Nick took the bag. Come to think of it, Nick was looking pretty smug himself.
“Hurry up. You’ve got a couple of starving men on your hands,” Nick said as Ruby reached the foot of the steps.
Nick opened the front door with a flourish, and Sam escorted her inside. “Here, I’ll put this stuff on the dining room table and you can get the iced tea from the refrigerator,” Sam said.
“Why don’t you fetch the tea, and I’ll get the food ready?” Ruby said. “I think I have some paper plates in the buffet cabinet.” She stopped short.
The formal dining room table was spread with a white linen tablecloth and set with her best china, including the crystal stemware that Sam had sent her from one of his trips to Germany. “What’s…going on?” Then it dawned on her, and Ruby let out a whoop of joy. She dropped her pocket book on the floor and rushed to the kitchen, pausing on the tips of her toes in the doorway.
“It’s finished! Hoo-yah!” she cheered, giving her own imitation of Sam’s military cry.
“Just for you, cuz,” Nick said, grinning.
“You like?” Sam said.
“What’s not to like?” Ruby asked as she took in all the details of the sparkling new kitchen, from the polished, terra-cotta tile floor to the gleaming stainless steel appliances. The countertops gleamed, and the guys had even put up the curtains she’d made.
“I love it!” Ruby started across the floor to get the iced tea out of the refrigerator, but Nick pulled her back.
“You can look, but don’t touch,” he said. “The grout has to set before we can walk on the floor. Wait till morning.”
“But what will we drink?”
Sam took her by the upper arms and turned her around to face the table. There in a champagne bucket they’d seldom used was a bottle of champagne, chilling. “Thought we might need this for our little celebration.”
“Where did—I’m…I’m stunned. Speechless,” Ruby said, her heart skipping a beat. “Oh, you guys.”
“Bought it in Pine Run last week,” Sam said. “I hoped to have a use for it sooner or later.”
Ruby blushed, realizing what celebration Sam had probably bought it for.
“Sit. Eat,” Nick demanded, apparently not noticing her flushed face. “I know you and Sam have better things to do than have me hanging around.” He grinned. “I’ll just eat and then leave you two alone. I figure you have some private celebrating to do.”
“You don’t have to leave, Nick,” Ruby said, her words sounding insincere, even to herself.
“Yeah, right,” Nick said. “Sam and I might have buried the hatchet, but he’ll bury one in me if I overstay my welcome.”
“Got that in one,” Sam said, uncorking the champagne with a gentle pop. He poured the foaming beverage into three glasses, then lifted his in a toast.
“To Nick, who made this happen,” he said.
Ruby lifted hers. “May he find as much happiness as we have.” She brought her glass to her lips, enjoying the feeling of the effervescent bubbles beneath her nose before she sipped.
Nick lifted his glass to his lips and drank. “I’ll be outta here first thing in the morning. I’ve got a business to get off the ground.”
Sam lifted his own glass. “To Nick and his new undertaking. May it be successful.”
“To Nick,” Ruby echoed.
Nick just smiled.
LATER THAT NIGHT, as a gentle, cooling breeze blew in the open window, Sam held Ruby nestled in his arms. The soft glow of one flickering, scented candle allowed him to gaze down at her lithe, slender body, pressed against his. He couldn’t believe how happy he was. How happy this one lovely woman had made him.
There had been a time when he’d selfishly believed that nothing could beat the adrenaline rush and excitement of leaping from a plane and landing on his feet in the middle of a dangerous situation. Now here he was, cradling the woman he loved in his arms, looking forward to the rest of his life wi
th her. On a farm—a farm, for God’s sake—and he was loving it.
Sam kissed the top of Ruby’s tousled head, her fine curly hair still damp from their lovemaking. How could any man prefer jumping out of airplanes to this?
How could he have ever been so damned stupid to risk losing it all?
“You know what, Sam?” Ruby murmured sleepily, shifting in his arms.
“Hmm?” he answered quietly. He hadn’t realized that Ruby was still awake.
“I think we should celebrate,” she said softly, her warm breath fanning his chest and setting the banked fire inside him ablaze again.
“I thought we already had,” Sam said. “But I’m game for another go at it.”
Ruby chuckled, doing nothing to dampen his ardor. “I’m sure you are,” she said dryly as she slid her fingers seductively along his sensitive skin and tangled them in the hair on his chest. “But I meant with our friends. We should have a party.”
“Ah, I see,” Sam concluded. “You want to show off your new kitchen and make all your friends insanely jealous.”
Ruby pushed herself up on her elbow and looked down at Sam in the flickering candlelight. “No, silly. I want to show off my wonderful old husband. And all my friends already are green with envy.”
Sam could see the teasing smile on her face and knew he had to do something about it. “I like the ‘wonderful’ part,” he said as he quickly grabbed her and pushed her back down on the sheets, pinning her hands to the mattress with his. “But I take offense at being called old,” he growled.
“What are you going to do? Challenge me to a duel?” Ruby teased. “Call me out at dawn?”
“No, woman,” Sam said, covering her with his body. “But I’ll show you that there is still plenty of life in this ole Georgia boy.”
Ruby laughed, her body vibrating beneath him, making him want her more. “And just how are you going to do that?”
“Oh, I can think of something,” he said, lowering his face to squelch Ruby’s teasing smirk.
“Show me,” Ruby demanded, her lips puckered below his.
Priceless Marriage Page 17