Normally, I would love riding my bike. It always clears my head and makes me feel better, but riding without Ruby just feels wrong now.

  I stop outside her place and climb out to knock on the door. When Cameron answers a moment later, I know Ruby must be at work.

  “She’s at Nosh,” Cameron says as soon as she sees me.

  “Thanks.”

  “Good luck,” she calls as I head back to my bike.

  I could swear that she mumbles that I’m going to need it, but I don’t turn back to ask her what she means.

  It only takes me a minute to drive over to the diner and park. I’m scanning the windows for my curvy little brunette, but she’s nowhere in sight. When I walk in, I head right up to the counter.

  “Hey, I’m looking for Ruby,” I tell Sandy, one of the other waitresses.

  “She just left, sugar,” she tells me, and I frown.

  “Left? To go where?”

  “I’m not sure, honey. She seemed upset. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well.”

  “Did she go home?” I demand to know, and she shrugs and heads to help a few customers who just walked in.

  Ford comes out of the back, and I wave him over.

  “Where’s Ruby?”

  “She just left. She said her stomach hurt, and she looked kind of pale. She must have gone home.”

  “She didn’t. I was just there, and Cameron told me she was here.”

  “Maybe you just missed her?”

  I frown, but he might be right.

  “I’ll go check again.”

  “Good luck,” he tells me, and I grind my teeth together.

  I’m starting to get sick of people saying that to me today.

  I hop back on my bike and race back over to her house. This time, when I knock, no one answers. I peek in the window, but the place is dark, and I know that no one is home.

  Where could she have gone?

  I climb back onto my bike, swearing under my breath as I start it and take off. I drive all over town looking for her, but she’s nowhere. I head back to the diner, hoping to talk to Cameron, but she’s not there either.

  I sigh as I slide into a booth. Ford heads my way, raising his eyebrow in question. I scowl back at him.

  “Haven’t been able to find her yet?” He asks as he slides in across from me.

  “Nope. I went by her house a few times, but she and Cameron were both out. I’ve been all over town, but she’s nowhere to be seen.”

  “I can try to call Cameron,” he offers, and I nod.

  “Please.”

  He pulls out his phone and I wait impatiently while he calls her. I can tell by how long it takes that she’s not going to answer.

  My hands ball into fists, and for the millionth time today, I wonder why she snuck out and where she could be.

  “Sorry, man. She didn’t answer.”

  “Thanks. Where do you think Cameron is?”

  “I don’t know. She’s probably ducking my calls, too,” he grumbles, and I frown.

  “Trouble between you two?”

  “I’m not sure you can say that since there isn’t really an us two.”

  “What are you going to do about that?” I ask him, and he sighs.

  “I wish that I knew. It feels like if I push her, she pulls back, but if I don’t do anything, then, well, nothing happens.”

  “I know, I get it. It’s the same way with Ruby and me.”

  “It sucks,” he sighs, and I nod.

  “It sure does.”

  We’re quiet for a moment, and then he sits up straighter.

  “Well, they can’t hide forever. Wolf Valley is small, so we’re bound to run into them soon. Then we’ll make them see reason,” he says, sounding so confident.

  I wish I felt as confident about his plan as he does, but I know Ruby. She’s not going to be that easy to convince.

  Still, I’m not giving up that easily.

  EIGHT

  Ruby

  Leaving town was impulsive, but I think I needed it. I needed space and time to get my head on straight and think about what I wanted to do now. I was feeling good about my decision, but as I drive back to Wolf Valley, I’m starting to feel anxious all over again.

  I’ve spent the last two weeks dodging Ransom’s calls. The only people that I had contacted when I left were Cameron and Ford. I told them that there was an emergency and I was going to be out of town for a little bit. Ford must have told Ransom because after that phone call, Ransom sent me twice as many texts and calls.

  He hasn’t stopped trying to get ahold of me, and I know he’s going to be all over me as soon as I get back to town.

  I straighten my shoulders and drive past the Wolf Valley town sign. I’m going to tell Ransom that our night together was fun but that it can’t go any further. I know he’s probably not going to take that well, but I’m sure that after a few days of me ignoring him, he’ll get the message and leave me alone.

  I hope.

  I drive past the diner, and my heart lodges in my throat when I see Ransom’s bike out front. I speed up, hoping he didn’t see me in my old car as I drive past. Maybe he won’t even recognize my car. It’s not like I ever really drive it since I can walk everywhere in Wolf Vallery.

  A minute later, a motorcycle engine roars to life, and I see Ransom peel out of the Nosh parking lot after me.

  “Crap.”

  I try to calm my racing heart, drying my palms off on my jeans as I pull into my driveway and turn my car off. I knew that avoiding him was going to be impossible in this small town, but I thought I had a little more time before he came around. Ransom is already climbing off his bike and I sigh as he opens my car door for me.

  “Where have you been? Why haven’t you been answering your phone? Jesus, Ruby! You’ve scared the crap out of me the last two weeks,” he scolds me.

  “Oh, sorry. I was just taking some time to myself to relax. I’ve been working so much lately and was starting to get burnt out, you know?” I ask him, trying to play it casual.

  Stick to the plan! I tell myself. Just pretend like nothing special happened between you two.

  That’s easier said than done. Just being near him has my whole body tingling. My body aches for him, and I wish I could lean against him.

  Ransom scowls down at me, and I know that I’m pissing him off with my vague answers.

  “Am I expected to believe that? You snuck out of my place and then just disappeared. I know that the two were connected,” he snaps at me, and I lean back against my car, trying to appear unbothered.

  “You’re right, they were. I went home with you to try to blow off some steam. I just wanted to have some fun. It didn’t quite work, though, so I decided to take a little vacation.”

  “Blow off some steam?” He snarls, and I nod.

  “Yeah, I thought that we were on the same page. That night, well, it was just a fling, Ransom. A one-night stand.”

  “Like hell it was,” he growls at me, and I smile.

  “It was to me anyway,” I say with a shrug.

  “Ruby, don’t do this,” he pleads with me.

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  I can feel my mask starting to crack, and I know that I need to get away from him before I break.

  “I’ve got to get going. I need to get caught up on laundry and all of that and then I have to work in a little bit.”

  “We’re not done talking,” he says stubbornly, and I roll my eyes.

  “Well, I am. I’ll see you around, Ransom.”

  With that, I grab my duffle bag, turn, and hurry into my house. Cameron isn’t home, so she must be working at the diner already. I drop my duffle bag next to the washing machine and groan.

  “That was harder than I thought it would be,” I mumble.

  My stomach flips, and I cover my mouth with my hand as I sprint into the bathroom. I throw up the sandwich I ate for lunch and then heave until nothing else is left.

  “Ugh,” I groan as I rinse my mouth up.

  Maybe I should call in to work tonight. Except, I kind of need the money now, especially after my little impromptu vacation.

  I dump my laundry into the washing machine and start it, then shuffle into my bedroom and collapse onto the bed. I’ve been so tired the last few days and feeling nauseous. I guess that I just figured that it was from stress and that’s why I was feeling down.

  I must doze off because I wake up an hour later and have to scramble to move my clothes to the dryer and pull on my uniform. I hurry down the street towards Nosh and rush inside.

  I’m not surprised to see Ransom sitting in a booth in the corner. I’m sure he’s waiting for me and I feel exhausted already from just thinking about pretending to be indifferent to him for the next few hours.

  “Hey, Ruby! Welcome back,” Ford tells me with an easy smile.

  “Hey,” I say weakly.

  “You’re back!” Cameron cries as she comes out of the back and wraps her arms around me.

  “Hey, I missed you too,” I tell her, smiling as I hug her back.

  “The house was so quiet and lonely without you,” she complains.

  “You should have told me,” Ford says with a frown. “I could have come to keep you company.”

  My eyebrows rise at that. It’s obvious that Ford has a thing for Cameron, but he’s never been so bold about it before.

  Cameron ignores him, and I head behind the counter to clock in and grab my apron.

  “Ransom has been losing it ever since you left town,” Cameron tells me as she joins me in the break room.

  “Yeah, he followed me home when I first got back to town.”

  “Oh, I know. He ran out of here like the place was on fire as soon as you drove by. He didn’t even pay his bill,” she says with a laugh.

  I try to smile, but I’m sure that it looks forced.

  “Did you two talk?” She asks me, and I nod.

  “Kind of. I told him it was just a one-night stand and that I didn’t want anything else from him.”

  She snorts, and I glare at her.

  “Sorry. Did he buy that?” She asks.

  “No, not really,” I sigh.

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “Try to avoid him. I’m hoping that after a few days, he moves on.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” she warns me.

  “It will have to. I’m not dating him or anyone else.”

  She looks like she wants to argue, but Ford calls us up to the front, and I’m saved from her line of questioning.

  I paste an easy smile on my face as I head from behind the counter and get to work. I do my best to keep that smile on my face for the next six hours.

  I can feel Ransom’s eyes on me all the time, and with each passing minute, I know that he’s not going to let me go without a fight.

  Cameron left a few hours ago, so it’s just me, Ford, and Ransom left in the diner as we close up.

  “Why don’t you head on home now, Ruby? I’ll finish up here,” Ford tells me.

  Part of me wants to tell him I’ll stay, but I know I’m only putting off the inevitable. If Ransom hasn’t left in the last few hours, he’s not going to leave now that it’s almost time for me to head home.

  “Sure. Thanks,” I say as I head to the back to clock out and hang up my apron.

  I grab my things and wave at Ford as I head for the door. Ransom is already waiting for me, and I smile at him as I head out the door.

  “Are you done with this charade yet?” He demands to know as we walk towards my house.

  “What charade?” I ask, playing dumb.

  “Damn it, Ruby,” he snaps, and I swallow hard.

  “I told you that I don’t date. I don’t know why you had any other idea in your head,” I tell him truthfully.

  “We have something,” he argues. “I know that you can feel this thing between us.”

  I shake my head, walking faster.

  “I don’t. I can’t be with you. I’m sorry.”

  “Wait,” he says as we reach my front porch. His hand shoots out and he grabs my arm to stop me. “Please, Ruby. You’re not your mom. You don’t have to do this.”

  I flinch at his words and jerk my arm out of his hold.

  “I don’t want you,” I tell him. “Leave me alone.”

  With that, I turn and hurry into the house, slamming it behind me.

  My stomach turns over again, and I rush to the bathroom to throw up. I’ve been feeling nauseous all day, and it’s only gotten worse.

  Cameron comes into the bathroom and pulls my hair back.

  “Ugh,” I groan and she gives me a tired smile.

  “Was it something that you ate?” She asks, and I shrug.

  “I don’t know. I barely ate today. I’ve been feeling sick the last few days, so maybe it’s the flu or something.”

  “Or…” she starts, and I frown.

  “What?”

  “Or maybe you’re pregnant.”

  My stomach drops at her words, and I lean over the toilet, throwing up again.

  “I’ll go get you a test,” she tells me, and I groan miserably, leaning against the toilet.

  I hear the door close, and I try to calm my racing thoughts.

  Pregnant? Could I be pregnant? I mean, I know that it’s possible, but…

  Crap. Leave it to me to get pregnant the very first time that I have sex.

  I try to think back to my last period. I think I was supposed to be starting any day now, so technically, I’m not really late, and all of this could just be from the stress.

  Have there been any other signs? There’s the nausea, sure. Plus, my breasts have been kind of sore, and I’ve been so tired.

  “Crap,” I mumble as Cameron comes back.

  She passes me the bag, and I take it reluctantly.

  “I’ll just, uh, be right out here,” she says as she backs out of the bathroom.

  I open the box with shaking hands and read the instructions. I can barely open the package, and I close my eyes.

  It’s just stress; I try to tell myself as I pee on the stick.

  I leave it on the bathroom counter and pace back and forth. Cameron knocks on the door, and I open it, staring blankly at her.

  “Are the results in yet?” She asks, and I shake my head.

  “Two more minutes.”

  She nods, and together, we lean back against the bathroom wall and stare at the little white test.

  “What the heck am I going to do if it turns out that I’m pregnant?” I whisper to her, and she takes a deep breath.

  “Tell Ransom.”

  “He’s going to freak out,” I say, squeezing my eyes shut.

  “I think he might surprise you.”

  I look at her, and she nods to the test.

  “What does it say?”

  I’m so scared to even look, but I force myself to push away from the wall and walk over to the test. I look down at the screen and my stomach drops when I see the two pink lines there.

  “I’m pregnant,” I whisper.

  “Oh, Ruby,” Cameron says, wrapping her arms around me.

  I’m freaking out, but I hug her back.

  Shit, I have to tell him. How do I bring that up after I just spent the last few weeks avoiding him and trying to push him away? What do I do if he says that he doesn’t want the baby or me anymore?

  I pull myself out of my spiral and stand up straighter.

  If he doesn’t want the baby, then I’ll just have to raise it myself.

  I pull away from Cameron and try to look confident as I grab the test and tell her good night.

  “See you in the morning,” I say, and she nods.

  “It will all be okay, Ruby. I promise.”

  I smile and head into my room.

  I just hope that she’s right.

  NINE

  Ransom

  I thought I was miserable the last two weeks when I didn’t know where Ruby was, but now that she’s back, it’s somehow worse. She’s within my reach now but feels further away than ever.

  I’m back at the diner again today. I’ve been coming here every day in the hopes that I’ll get to talk to her. It’s been four days, and so far, she’s been just as distant.

  Something has to give because I can’t take this any longer. I’m reaching the end of my rope. I’m losing my mind, and the ache in my chest is getting worse with every passing second.

  Nosh is about to close, and I watch Ruby like a hawk as she helps clean up. She seems different tonight. She’s actually making eye contact with me today, and seems worried or anxious about something. I don’t like seeing her upset, but at least this change feels like progress in a way.

  I wish she would just talk to me about whatever is going on. Maybe that will finally happen today.

  “Good night, Ruby. See you later, Ransom,” Ford calls as he grabs his keys.

  “See you.”

  “Night, Ford,” Ruby says as she heads for the door.

  I’m right behind her and I catch up to her outside.

  “Want to go for a ride with me?” I ask her, and she tenses.

  “No, I… We need to talk,” she finally says and I let out a big breath.

  “It’s about damn time.”

  She wrings her hands in front of her, looking around the deserted parking lot and street. She’s on edge about something, and I want to grab her and demand that she tells me what’s bothering her so that I can fix it, but I know that won’t get me anywhere with my girl.

  “What is it, Ruby? Talk to me. Please,” I add, and she sucks in a deep breath.

  “I need to tell you something,” she starts, and I nod, crossing my arms over my chest so I don’t reach for her.

  “Okay…”

  “It’s going to be a surprise to you. I mean, it was a surprise to me, too,” she rambles, and I frown.

  “What is?’

  “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I hope you don’t think that I was like trying to trap you or something,” she says as she starts to pace back and forth in front of me.

  My mind scrambles, trying to keep up with what she’s saying, but none of it is making any sense.

  “For what to happen?” I ask her, and she shudders.

  “I…”

  She doesn’t finish the sentence and now she has me really worried.

 

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