Secret Pressure (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 4) (12 page)

Ruby poured herself a cup of coffee, hearing soft footsteps on the floor coming from the hallway. She looked up over the rim of her mug just as Sapphire stepped in.

“Coffee?” Ruby asked.

“Please.” Sapphire sat down on the bar stool.

Ruby took a mug down from the cabinet, filled it with coffee and handed it to her sister. “Thanks for watching Jack.”

“What time did you finally come in?” Sapphire rubbed her eyes.

Ruby shrugged. “Oh, it wasn’t too late.”

One thin brow lifted in accusation. “Try again. This time with the truth.”

She should have known it wouldn’t work. Pushing away from the counter, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “This morning.”

Her sister’s jaw dropped. “Are you telling me what I think you are?”

“Is any secret safe in this house?”

“Is it that tawdry you can’t share?
Go, Ruby. Go, Ruby
.” Sapphire chanted, then held her cup up as if in salute.

“Shh! I don’t want Jack to hear.”

“He’s two. Even if the kid was awake he’d have no idea what we’re talking about.”

Ruby knew she was right. “I feel like a slut. I’ve never stayed out all night since Jack was born.”

“You haven’t been out for more than two hours since he was born. You shouldn’t feel guilty. Yes, you’re a mother, but you’re also a woman. And how will you ever find someone to love, and to love you, unless you explore your options?”

“I certainly didn’t expect last night to happen.”

Sapphire wagged her brows. “I didn’t either, but I’m happy for you.”

“He bid for me and won.” She leaned against the counter, feeling her cheeks warm. She’d taken a shower when she got home, but his scent lingered on her skin. His touch in her mind.

“That’s so romantic. When are you two going out again?”

Ruby shook her head so fast that wet strands of hair thrashed her cheeks. “No, that won’t happen.”

Confusion flickered across her sister’s face. “Okay, you just admitted how amazing last night was, but there’s no chance of a second round?”

Rubbing her temples, Ruby realized she would have to explain. “I knew the man who bid for me.”

“You did? That’s even more romantic.”

“There’s something you need to know…”

Ring! Ring!

The doorbell interrupted her words.

“Who could that be so early? Are you expecting someone?” Ruby asked Sapphire, who shook her head. 

“Maybe it’s Violet. She could have forgotten her key. She didn’t come home last night either and texted me earlier to let me know she’d be here soon.”

Ruby went to the door and swung it open, but it wasn’t Violet standing on the doorstep. Tingles shot through her and her knees wobbled. “Jobe, what are you doing here?”

He looked as handsome as ever, leaning against the door frame like he belonged there.  The sleeves of the checkered shirt were rolled up high on his arms showing off the crisp dark hair. His jeans were worn and had a small hole on the thigh. His hat was slid back on his forehead and he hadn’t shaven, making him look a mixture of dangerous and mysterious—and her inner thighs liked it, a lot. Her nerve endings sparked and she had a hard time breathing. She expected him to call, not drop in.

“That was no way to leave things between us.” His eyes narrowed.

“I-I thought it was best I left before things got sticky.”

“I don’t make it a habit to run after a woman, but you dropped something.” He stuck out her shoe.

She felt her ear lobes warm. “I looked for it, everywhere. Where did you find it?”

“Wrapped in my shirt. I about took out a lamp.” He pushed off the frame, hooking his thumbs into his front pockets.

She couldn’t leave him standing on the doorstep, and he didn’t look like he had plans of leaving anytime soon. “Come on in.” She stepped aside and let him pass. His huge size seemed to take up so much oxygen, but her shaky nerves weren’t helping any.

“Wow,” Sapphire mumbled as she stepped into the foyer.

“Jobe, this is my sister Sapphire.” Ruby shot her sister a narrowed expression.

Sapphire shrugged as she stuck out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Jobe. You’re the fellow from the auction, I assume.”

“Yes. That’s me.”

Ruby cleared her throat. “Please leave us alone for a while. Okay?”

Nodding, Sapphire smiled. “Of course.” She walked to the staircase and turned and mouthed “Hot.”

Ruby couldn’t find it in herself to be amused. Alone, she turned to Jobe, aware of the throbbing at the junction of her thighs. “You didn’t have to come all of the way out here. You could have left the shoe at the customer service desk at the hotel. You could have called like I suggested.”

He blinked. “You suggested I call you?”

She nodded. “I left you a note.”

His jaw softened. “I didn’t get it. Is that what you wanted, sweetheart? For me to call? Or did you leave the shoe for a reason? You really confuse me,” he snapped.

“Of course I didn’t leave the shoe on purpose,” she whispered. The last thing she needed was for her sister to overhear, or worse, for Jack to wake up.

“We had sex and then—”

“Shh, Jobe.” She glanced over her shoulder, uneasiness made her stomach twist.

“Embarrassed are you?”

“No, but…”

“Then what? I wasn’t asking for your hand in marriage, Ruby. I wear big boy pants but there comes a point when a man deserves a goodbye or a see ya later. Even a “kiss my ass” would have been better than you skipping out on me.”

“Okay, I guess I deserve that.”

“You guess? Are you serious?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“So, you didn’t come here to bring my shoe, instead you wanted to interrogate me.” She wrapped her arms around her chest, realizing how unstable her emotions were.

“You can call it interrogation. I call it looking for answers. Why do you keep running?”

Thoughts spiraled through her, gaining momentum. Her world came crashing down around her and she lost grip of the reigns to her secret. “You know why I left three years ago. How could you blame me for leaving when you couldn’t wait to move on? I was giving you what you wanted.” If he wanted to have this out, they would, finally.

He dragged his hat off his head and held it against his chest. His hair laid in a silken mass. Remembering how she ran her fingers through the thick mass made her fingers ache. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

She chuckled, but there wasn’t a sliver of humor to the sound. “Well, since you refuse to admit to the truth, I’ll fill you in on the details. I came to your house that afternoon. I saw you with her.”

He blinked. A long second crawled by. “Who?”

She shrugged. “How would I know? Blonde hair. Big breasts. Ring a bell?”

“Diane?”

“Oh, so she does have a name. I was a bit surprised when a few months later you got engaged. Did she know what you and I had shared? Or did you keep me a secret too?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Wow, so that’s why you left without saying goodbye?”

“I’m glad you find this worth smiling about. So now you know the truth, you can leave.” Anger moved through her. She took a step, but his hand came up, circling his long fingers around her wrist. Her skin tingled and she jerked away.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” he snarled.

“Seeing is believing. But who am I to complain? What we had was a sex only thing. That’s why I walked away.”

“What you saw is off the mark. Diane once dated DJ and I had no clue she had a thing for me until she threw herself at me that day. Too bad you didn’t stick around longer so you could have seen me pushing her away. Hell, why mince words here. You saw your reason to leave and you took it. You didn’t care what the truth was, did you?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but quickly shut it. What could she say? Maybe he was right. She’d cared for him, and then the baby…“Not exactly.”

“Then what, Ruby? Once and for all, face the truth.”

“You didn’t get engaged to Diane?” She wanted to hear the truth too.

“No, I didn’t. I never slept with her either, never wanted to.” His fingers turned white under his tanned skin.

“I misunderstood.”

“You bet your ass you did.”

“Then who, Jobe? Who was she?”

He popped up a shoulder. “No one. Not really. Unfortunately, I hurt her and that wasn’t my intention.”

“I came that day to see you because I had to speak to you. I was reeling, and then…”

He squinted. “Were you planning to leave?”

She gave her head a quick shake. “Truthfully, no. Not until I saw you in Diane’s arms. And then I felt I had no choice but to run. It was easier than facing the facts.”

“Run from what? You could have asked me and I would have told you. I thought you knew how I felt about you.”

She brought her gaze up, meeting his. “How?”

He sighed heavily and shoved his hat back on his head, rubbing it back and forth. “No reason to go there now, darlin’. History.”

“Not quite, Jobe.”

“I think so. You sneaking out explains it all.” He took a step toward his exit.

“Don’t you want to know why I came to see you that day? What I had to tell you?” The locked door was opening, urging her to step through. Not only for Jobe, but for her son.

He stiffened. “If you feel the need to tell me.” His jaw hardened.

“That morning I found out something that would change my life forever. I was scared, wondering how I would tell you, but I knew I needed to. I could blame the mental state that I was in for walking away, but really, there is no excuse. I was wrong. I even believed that I would eventually tell you, explain the truth. I called, several times, but I couldn’t seem to say the words. Even now, it’s so difficult.”

His face paled. “What did you have to say?” The creases deepened around his eyes.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly. She gave herself a silent pep talk.
You can do this, you can do this.
“You and I used protection, but something went wrong.”

“You couldn’t have a disease, sweetheart. Before last night I’ve never gone without a condom. If you’re saying—”

“No. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I was pregnant, Jobe!”

His eye widened, any sign of his tan faded. “Pregnant?” he slurred.

“Yes. It was early, but I took three tests, all three came back positive.”

“Are you telling me…?” His hands dropped to his sides, curling into fists.

“That you and I have a son together.”

A second floated by and suddenly he burst into laughter. “You almost had me, sweetheart.” He slapped his hand against his thigh. “You can stop with the charade.”

“Why would I joke about something like this?”

“Because you’ll say and do anything.”

“Mommy, mommy.” Jack yelled from the stairs. Ruby looked up as Sapphire carried him down.

“I’m sorry, Ruby. He wanted to see you,” her sister apologized.

Ruby’s heart skipped a beat. No going back now. “It’s okay.” She held out her arms and her son reached out to her. “How’s my little boy this morning?”

“Mommy, wook…wook.” He pointed to a small, purple bruise on his knee.

“Oh no. What happened?”

“Fell on wocks.”

She squeezed him tight, meeting Jobe’s gaze over her son’s shoulder. “I want you to meet someone, Jack.” Her throat constricted. Jobe was as white as a ghost. “This is Jobe.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Jobe did a quick calculation, counting back years, months and days. The boy Ruby held appeared about two or three, but when the child turned and looked at him straight on, his big blue eyes, toothless grin, and more black hair than he should have, Jobe knew the answer. This was his kid.

“How did this happen?” The question came out on its own accord.

“The birds and the bees.” Ruby smiled. “He’s your spitting image, Jobe.”

“Holy sh—!” he sputtered, catching himself.

“Can you leave us alone again?” Ruby asked her sister.

No argument, Sapphire turned and fled up the stairs.

Jobe stood there, his hands tingling, his throat tight and his lungs wouldn’t work. Years had passed and he had no idea Ruby had been pregnant. This was a secret, a bombshell, and he wasn’t sure how to swallow or wrap his brain around it. He’d wanted a child—a son—but not like this.

“Jack has everything he needs and I’d never ask anything from you. But you deserve to know about your son. I was wrong and I hope you can forgive me.”

“Down, ma. Down.” Jack struggled in her arms.

She placed him on the floor and he wobbled off toward the toy box, grabbing a foam football. “He’s so much like you. Looks. Mannerism.

“Why now?”

“So many times I’ve wanted to tell you in the past. But days turned into months and into years. I thought you were better off.” She shrugged. “I know it makes little sense”

“Better off? You think I was better off that you kept my child from me?” He had a son. He was a father. Not just a father, but his son looked just like him. He watched as Jack tossed the football. Jobe wanted to go to the little boy and offer help, but what would he say? Would the boy be afraid? Jobe swallowed the ache rising in his throat. He had a child and he was a stranger to him. That cut through him like a jagged knife. His heart dropped into his boots and he waited for her answer. “Well?”

“You and I…well, I assumed…”

“How could you be so cruel?”

She sniffed loudly. “I thought you were with someone else. You didn’t expect me to get pregnant. It was a wonderful accident.”

“And neither did you. It was unplanned, yes, but I had a right to know.” Why hadn’t he run after her years ago? He’d wanted to. He’d had an instinct telling him to, and instead he’d stayed home and in misery, thinking about her day in and day out. “DJ and Nash, did they know about this?” He couldn’t believe his own brothers kept the truth from him.

“No, Jobe, they don’t know.”

Oxygen depleted and his eyes blurred. No way in hell would he cry. Sucking back his emotions, he inhaled. “He’s my son. I want to be a part of his life.”

“We will have to talk, but you have to understand he has no clue—”

“Because of you, that’s right, he doesn’t.”

“I understand you’re angry, but I really didn’t mean for this to happen.”

He held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear what you did or didn’t think. You played your hand at being God, sweetheart. You had no right not to tell me. Why didn’t you? Because you thought I wasn’t good enough? That I didn’t want anything from you except what we could have in bed?” He shook his head, tossing his angered thoughts around. He stepped to the door, put his hand on the knob and turned back to her, “I can’t forgive you.” He stomped out.

****

“You received what?” Violet looked up from the horse she was brushing.

Ruby waved the paper in the air. “I just received a letter from an attorney who is representing Jobe Walters. He’s asking for custody of Jack.” Ruby forced the words through her tight lips. Her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold the paper steady.

Violet dropped the brush into the bucket and walked around to give Ruby a hug. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Ruby sobbed.

“Honey, it’s not like you didn’t expect this.” Violet stepped back.

“I thought we could talk this through. I’ve called him several times but he hasn’t answered.”

“He was hurt. You dropped a bomb on the man.”

“Whose side are you on?” Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist, wishing she could make the clawing pain go away. She hadn’t seen Jobe for two weeks and every second her stomach had twisted tighter and tighter. She knew now what he’d been planning. He wanted Jack.

“Sweetie, relax, I’m on your side. Always.”

“Relax? How can I? I was wrong in keeping Jack from Jobe, but how can he do this? How can he think for a second that I would hand Jack over?”

“Let me play devil’s advocate. One, our family lawyer won’t let anyone take Jack away from you. Two, what judge would take a toddler away from the only parent he’s known. And finally, after what you’ve told me about Jobe, how kind hearted and nice he is, does he really want to take Jack away or is he reacting strongly out of anger?”

Ruby tossed the question around her brain. “I understand he’s angry. But he can’t do this.”

“What you two need is a long talk. This can be solved. Do you think he’ll talk to you?” Doubt spiraled through Ruby. “This could be worse, sis. He could be one of those men who want nothing to do with their child. He’s stepping up and that shows how much of a gentleman he is.”

“You’re right, and I do need to speak with him. But I don’t think he’ll talk to me right now.” She shoved her hands into her back pockets, ideas and thoughts rushing through her. “Yet, I can’t let that stop me.”

“I know that look, sis. What are you planning?”

“I have to get him someplace where he doesn’t have a choice but to listen. Somewhere we can talk in private.”

“Don’t do anything that’s going to make the situation worse.”

“Of course I wouldn’t.” But every idea that came to mind probably wouldn’t make Jobe happy. “I won’t be around for a few days.”

“Where are you going?” Violet asked.

“Rhinestone Ranch.” She was already starting toward the house as she mentally listed everything she’d need to do. This was her only hope.

Grabbing her phone from her pocket, she dialed a familiar number and on the third ring it was picked up. “Hey, Em, it’s Ruby. I need your help.”

CHAPTER NINE

Jobe pulled onto the narrow gravel drive toward the Stone cabin and the truck tires pounded the puddles as the rain continued to pour down in sheets. He knew he should have called Em and told her that he couldn’t make it for Nash’s surprise birthday party. They’d be lucky if they could make it off the hill before the bridge washed out.

Putting the wipers on high, he could barely see ten feet in front of him as he slowly drove on the rutted lane. Any other time he’d be glad to visit the cabin, do a little fishing, enjoy Mother Nature. But right now, she was in a pissed off mood and proving it.

When he finally reached the cabin, he exhaled in relief, but it quickly turned to shock that only one car was parked in the driveway. He didn’t recognize the small car. Climbing out of his truck, his boots splashed water, instantly soaking his jeans.  He raced up onto the porch, but not before his shirt was saturated too. Dragging his hat off his head, he tipped it and water poured from the rim. He gave it a good shake then stuck it back on his head.

The door was unlocked, he stepped through, no lights were on and it was quiet. His phone vibrated against his thigh. Pulling it out, he read the text from Em…

“Sorry. I hope you’ll forgive me and realize I did this because I love you and I love Ruby. I think eventually you’ll thank me.

Em”

He squeezed the phone until he heard plastic snap and loosened his hold. What the hell was going on? And what the hell was she sorry for?

He started to text his sister-in-law back when the door opened. He swiveled on the heel of his soggy boots and his lungs deflated. Ruby stood in the doorway, her long wet hair plastered to her cheeks, her clothes fitting like a second skin. He tore his gaze back to hers, swallowing. “What are you doing here?” Every muscle in his body tightened.

She took a small step inside, shutting the door with a thud. “I knew if I asked to speak to you, you’d turn me down.”

He jerked his head. “That’s about right.” He didn’t like being a bitter man, but after leaving The Stone Hedge Ranch with the realization he had a son, he’d only gotten angrier. He’d missed out on two years of his son’s life. Birthdays, walking, his first words…

The first thing he’d done when he’d gotten back from San Antonio was sit down with a lawyer, paid him a large sum of money, who then assured Jobe he’d be seeing his son within six months.

Six freaking long months to see my own flesh and blood.

He then sat down with his brothers and told them about Jack. Having their support meant the world to him.

Seeing Ruby now scratched at the bitterness. He couldn’t trust her—didn’t want to trust her either. She was the cause of the pain in his chest now.

“I asked Em to get you to come here. Please don’t be angry with her. It wasn’t easy talking her into it, but we have to talk, Jobe. For Jack’s sake.”

He gritted his teeth. How the hell could she look so innocent when she’d done him wrong? “We’re past the stage of talking. That should have been done years ago, when you first found out you were pregnant. Now it’s action time.” He took a step toward her.

“I won’t take no for an answer.”

“This is wrong and it won’t work.” He started to move past her but her hand on his elbow stopped him. He brought his gaze around, looking at her. Her bottom lip trembled and he forced compassion behind a steel wall. He wouldn’t fall for it, not again.

“You have every right to be annoyed with me, but you must be able to see past the anger.”

He chuckled, cold and bitter. “I’m supposed to stop and think of your emotions? That’s a good one.”