He cupped her chin with one hand, and his thumb caressed her lower lip. His lips slowly captured hers, and she drank in the sweetness of it.
After years of dreaming impossible dreams, hope fluttered in her chest.
Sky made it to work with ten minutes to spare. “Is Ruby in her office?” she asked the cook on duty this morning.
“Yeah. Said tell you to go on back when you got here.”
A million thoughts ran through her mind as she made her way to the back room that served as an office. The door was open, so she cleared her throat to announce her arrival.
“Hey,” said Ruby with a big smile. “Come on in. Shut the door.”
Uh-oh. A closed-door meeting. What did I do? Crap. I bet she’s already heard about Doc’s offer.
“Have a seat.”
Nothing in Ruby’s manner suggested bad news, so Sky tried to relax.
“I’m guessing the date night went well after all?”
Sky sputtered and ignored the rush of heat to her face. “Um, yes. It did.”
“I must say, it was really nice of you to offer Anna Sue a place to stay last night.” Ruby chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d have been so noble.”
“It’s no big deal. She and Max are friends, and she was in a bind.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?” Ruby shuffled papers on her desk. “The friends part, I mean.”
“No. Why should it?”
Ruby sighed and crossed her hands on top of the desk. “I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’m just gonna say it.” She paused as though gathering her thoughts. “I like Max. Have from the beginning.”
“But?”
“But he’s carrying around a lot of baggage.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“And now that baggage contains a woman and a boy.”
“Your point?” It was difficult not to take exception to her remarks, but Sky kept her voice calm.
Ruby sat back in the chair and ran one hand through copper-colored curls. “I’m handling this all wrong. I’m sorry.” She sat forward, hands folded together on the desk. “I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy. If Max is the ticket to achieving that, great. But right now, all I see is you caught in the middle of a hot mess. I’m worried about you.”
Explained that way, Sky understood her friend’s unease. Nonetheless, she resented the interference but chose her words carefully. “I appreciate your concern, Ruby. I do. But I can handle things.”
“Cade is feeding the damn rumor mill fast as he can. He’s saying—”
“I know what he’s saying. So does Max. Nothing of what that—that SOB says is true.”
“I know that.” She paused. “We’re a small town. The majority of folks are decent, God-fearing individuals. And then you have people like Edith Huffman who loves gossip like a cat loves cream.” She held Sky’s gaze. “Her favorite adage is where there’s smoke—”
Patience limited, Sky spoke up. “I don’t care what Edith or anyone else says. People who matter know the truth. The rest are irrelevant.”
“I like Max, honey. I do. He’s a good man and has helped a lot of people around town. Including me.” She shook her head sadly. “When those gossipmongers get their teeth in something, they won’t let it go. I just don’t want you to be hurt by something they might say.”
“Words are just words. A few days from now they’ll have someone else to rake over the coals.” She straightened in her chair. “If there’s nothing else, I have something I meant to talk to you about yesterday.”
Ruby hesitated. “You mean Doc’s offer?”
Disappointed, Sky sank back in her chair. “I’m sorry you had to hear that from the rumor mill and not from me.”
Ruby waved a dismissive hand. “Not to worry. I know how much you want to get back into nursing. So, what’s the plan?”
“Well, evidently it’s not going to be as difficult as I thought to get my license reactivated since it’s been less than four years, but I need to start the process soon.”
The next few minutes passed quickly as Sky outlined the details Doc provided in the package Coop had dropped off the other day.
“So, basically, I’d work for her in the office until I complete all the steps needed to get reactivated.” She couldn’t keep from smiling as she added, “Then I’ll be a nurse again.”
Ruby nodded. “That’s terrific, Sky.” She rubbed her hands together. “There’s no need for you to wait to accept the offer. You can start whenever you want.” She pulled an envelope from a drawer and slid it across the desk. “A little early Christmas present for you.”
It took a couple of heartbeats for her words to sink in. “You’re firing me?”
Ruby regarded her with frank amusement. “Of course not. Doc is ready for you anytime, and while we’ll certainly miss you around here, you’re going to be much better off working there.”
Sky looked at the envelope like it was a snake.
