Page 104 of Heart & Hope

She beams up at me. The crooked arm, the ‘milady,’ it’s kind of our thing, and she slides her arm through and takes my hand with her free one. Rising on tip toes, lips brushing against my ear, she says, “To a magnificent first event.”

My breaths shallow out.

Ruby has always taken my breath away. But this? This is a whole new level. Doing the thing I love with the person I adore—it feels too good to be true.

So, I smile and track my gaze to inside the double doors. Guests mingle, some by the rustic bar on the right that marks the front of the servers’ kitchen, some by the tables, already settled in and waiting for the meal. Some wander around the big old barn, pointing and chatting. The drone of the music is an elegant background for the night.

And, of course, draped strings of fairy light twisted with long sheer panels of cloth, strung between the rafters. Countless candles blaze along each table. The wildflowers that Addy is so fond of that grow on the hills of Rosewood Ranch are dotted across them in jars, rattan chairs in front of each place setting.

The entrées are carried out to the crowd by a handful of servers as we enter. We head for the table closest to the dance floor, where Harry and Ma are already seated. Mack rolls in the door behind us and catches up. “Hey, sorry I’m late, got stuck in traffic,” he says with a grin.

Red lipstick stains the corner of his mouth.

“What in the red-light district, bro?” I grin at him like a fool.

“Huh?” Mack says, wide-eyed.

Ruby steps closer and plucks a tissue from the pocket of her dress. “Here, you must havehita red light.”

I cackle beside her as I tap the corner of my lips to clue Mack in.

“Oh shit.” He wipes the lipstick away and hands Ruby the tissue.

“That one’s all yours, Mack. Keep it. Never know, you might need it later.” She winks at him, and I swear our sergeant blushes.

We turn and make for the table as I lean down, arms winding around Ruby’s waist. “What else you got in that pretty white dress, Ruby baby?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Rawlins.”

“Rawlins!” The familiar voice prickles the second it lands.

And when I turn back to find Justin Morley with the two women from the bar hanging off his arms, my gut plummets. Starr steps forward, still half swinging off Justin’s arm. “Wow, who’d a thought you two would be a thing.” She chews on her gum, running her stare up and down the both of us, and it snags on our wedding-band-less fingers.

How the hell did these three book seats for the dinner? Ruby’s face falls, and I know she’ll be scanning the last few months through her memory, fast. She grabs my arm hard, spinning me away from them. “I didn’t vet the guest list. I always vet the list, for this very reason. How could I be so damn stupid?” Her words are no more than a frantic hiss.

“Morley, sure you don’t have somewhere else you’d rather be?” Mack says, stepping over to where I now stand rigid, palms sweaty and heart hammering. I move forward, putting myself between Morley and Rubes.

“So, you twoaren’tmarried?” Skye says with a taunting laugh.

Fuck off, bitch.

Rub salt into a man’s wounds, why don’t ya? I home in on her with a glare that could melt a glacier when Morley smirks.

“You oughta watch that mouth of yours?—”

Ruby grabs my arm before I can make a scene in her honor. I absolutely fuckin’ would, too. Mack is staring at us in confusion.

“Our personal life is not a topic up for discussion tonight. If you wouldn’t mind returning to your vehicle,” Ruby says in her bestI-mean-businessvoice.

Starr glances at Mack, who sets his shoulders back. Hudson files in on the other side of me. Intimidation pouring from his posture, he says, “Guess y’all should head back to town, Morley.”

“I paid good money to have Thanksgiving here, Rawlins.”

“I ain’t askin’, Morley.” Huddo sets his shoulders back, jaw clenched. The ultimate Harry move. An incredulous expression claims Starr’s face as she checks out Hudson.

“Now, Justin,” I growl.

“I will happily refund your money, Justin. Sorry for the inconvenience,” Ruby says with absolute mockery. But we’ll have to give him his money back—it is against the law to keep it if he’s unable to attend. And with no refund policy to protectthe ranch, we have no choice. That will be the first thing that is adjusted come Monday morning.

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