The bastard had added to my problems instead of helping me with them.
“I heard you’re seeing somebody,” Carter said.
“It’s none of your business what I do.”
Carter stood. “Don’t do this to yourself, bro. I checked her out. She’s nobody. A homeless woman off the streets. She’ll take your money and run.”
I stood up. I was furious, and I was done listening to Carter’s bullshit. None of what he’d said had hit home except his statement about Ruby being nobody.
Maybe he didn’t know her, but Ruby was a way better person than Carter would ever be.
I’d talked to my eldest brother, Mason, a few times over the last few weeks, and I assumed he’d told Carter about Ruby.
I couldn’t blame Mason since I hadn’t said that he needed to keep the information quiet, and I wasn’t about to say that.
I was proud of Ruby, and I pretty much didn’t care who knew it.
“Leave,” I said through gritted teeth. “Get the fuck out of my office before I kick your ass.”
“No offense, bro, but I just don’t see that happening,” he shot back at me.
Bastard! Does he think I can’t take him out because I have a bum leg?
My temper suddenly snapped, and I moved forward to teach my brother the lesson I should have given him a long time ago.
Ruby
I sighed as I covered the casserole I was making with shredded cheese, and then put it back in the oven.
It had been a busy day.
Once Jett had left for the office, I’d sourced the products I needed to make a full range of pastries, and then went out to get them purchased.
Then, I’d decided it was time for me to open a checking account, so I’d stopped into the bank and took a reasonable amount of money out of my ridiculous savings account and established a checking account.
Since I wasn’t going to get paid very quickly for doing pastries, and I knew I needed new clothes to go with Jett to his sister’s wedding, I’d caved in and decided to use some serious money from my account. I didn’t want to go to Rocky Springs looking like a homeless woman. I wanted to look like Jett’s girlfriend.
I’d spent most of the afternoon trying to find appropriate outfits for Colorado in the fall. And I found some good prices with Pete’s help. Seattle was a bit overwhelming at times, but I was slowly getting used to the different areas.
I just wasn’t ready to get into the traffic with a brand-new BMW quite yet.
As I walked across the kitchen, I noticed the same sore muscles that had been screaming at me all day. But they still put a smile on my face.
For a guy who claimed to be encumbered by injury, Jett certainly wasn’t lacking in stamina or endurance. We’d woken up a couple of times during the night just to experience the pleasure of being together all over again.
Unfortunately, I was paying for my sexual gluttony with aching muscles I hadn’t even known existed.
But I wouldn’t have traded last night for any amount of discomfort.
It had been…perfect.
I’d been somewhat surprised when Jett had gotten dressed in a gorgeous suit and went off to his offices this morning. But I’d somehow sensed that it was some kind of turning point for Jett, and I hadn’t questioned him after I’d seen the grim determination on his face.
He’d seemed…different. Not in a bad way, but in a I’m-fucking-taking-back-my-life sort of way.
And it looked pretty damn hot on him.
I grabbed a potholder to pull French bread out of the bottom oven.
I was pretty much doing my lazy recipes since I’d gotten home late. Jett was getting a casserole I’d thrown together quickly, the bread I’d just pulled from the oven, and I’d whipped up some easy lemon bars as soon as I’d gotten home.
Not that I thought Jett would know the difference between a difficult pastry and an easy one that could be done in fifteen minutes. Pretty much everything sweet worked for him.
I heard the front door close, and my heart skittered because I knew Jett was home.
He was in the kitchen in less than thirty seconds, and he looked just as hot as he had this morning.
But there was one difference.
“What happened to your face?” I asked as I gently touched the bruise under his eye that hadn’t been there when he’d left in the morning.