It was early, and the last thing Ruby wanted to do was walk the narrow path through the trees to Seth’s house. But she bundled up in her ski jacket and heavy winter boots and made her way along the path anyway. The cold morning air almost matched the cool air of the cabin. The trees were shrouded with frost, their branches laden with thick blankets of snow that glittered in the morning light. Despite the chill, a sense of peace washed over her. It was almost as if time had stopped here, everything suspended in a kind of dreamlike state.
She remembered her grandmother telling her that Seth had moved into the Hansons’ old farmhouse. The muffled whine of a power tool came from a brand-new pole barn in the backyard. It sat on a small hill overlooking the lake. Ruby walked around the house and made her way to the barn.
She wasn’t sure if it was wise to show up unannounced after his reaction to the kiss they had shared last night, but when she woke up this morning, the cabin was freezing and no matter what buttons she pressed on the thermostat, the furnace wouldn’t start. She thought of starting a fire in the fireplace but was worried she’d do something wrong, and the fire department would have to be called a second time in 24 hours. Instead, she decided to find Seth, who was the caretaker, after all.
Her knock went unanswered; the whining sound of the saw hadn’t stopped. She tried the door handle. Unlocked. Stepping into the warm shop, she shut the door to keep the warmth inside. Seth stood with his back to her, wearing ear protection. His woodshop was immaculate. The epoxy floors almost glistened underfoot. A large workbench sat in the middle of the room, fully surrounded by impressive equipment. She knew better than to sneak up on someone wielding a dangerous-looking saw, so she waited.
Seth reached over and hit the power button on a large cylinder contraption, then turned off the table saw. He must have caught sight of her bright blue jacket in his periphery. When he turned, she swore the temperature rose a couple degrees.
“Ruby.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.” He wiped his hands on his jean-clad legs.
The longer he stood there without a word between them, the more Ruby wished for the noise to start again, because the quiet surrounding them was making her nervous. She struggled to figure out what to say. “Nice—”
“About—”
They’d both spoken at the same time. “You go first,” she said.
He walked toward her. “About last night. I’m sorry. I was way out of line. It won’t happen again.”
He didn’t enjoy the kiss? That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Though she had a legitimate excuse for being here, she had hoped, maybe a little, that there would be a repeat performance of last night.
“No worries. Really.” The awkwardness continued for a beat. She glanced around the room. “Nice shop.”
“Thanks.” He edged a step away.
Where was the confident, infuriating lumberjack from the night before? Did he really not feel the radiating connection between them? Even now in this awkward silence, she felt drawn to him, as if a powerful force pulled them together like the magnetic building blocks she played with as a child. It was silly, really. She should keep her distance, ignore the tension.
Instead, she took a tentative step closer to see what he’d do. For a moment his gaze was on her, warm like the sun, until the door of the shop opened, letting the cold in. They both turned at the intrusion.
A man in an impeccably tailored suit and expensive overcoat entered the shop. He exuded power, the kind of man who would hold his own in the boardroom, someone who commanded attention and respect everywhere he went.
“Michael.” Seth said in a lower octave laced with slight disdain.
The man removed his black leather gloves. Whoever this Michael was, he had aged well.
“That’s ‘Dad’ to you.”
Did he just say Dad? Ruby glanced between the two and noticed a slight resemblance across their alert dark eyes.
“What are you doing here?” Seth asked.
“Listen, I—”
Seth crossed his arms, his features sharpened. “Don’t waste your breath. I’m not coming back.”
“That’s not—”
Before Seth’s dad could say anything more, a striking blonde who looked as if she’d stepped off a runway in Paris during fashion week, strolled through the door.
“Kimberly? What are you doing here?” The look on Seth’s face quickly shifted from surprised to guarded as he reached for Ruby’s hand and held tight.
Something wasn’t right. Minutes before, they were figuring out what to say to each other, and now their fingers interlaced, and he held on like his life depended on it.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you, son.” His dad addressed the woman next. “I thought I told you to wait in the car.”
The woman, at least twenty years Michael’s junior, wrapped an arm around him.
“Hi, Seth. We wanted you to be the first to know. We’re engaged!” She stuck out her hand and wiggled her finger, showing off the biggest diamond Ruby had ever seen.
“How long has this”—Seth gestured between the two—“been going on?”
Ruby looked back and forth between father and son, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to understand what was happening.
She wished she’d worn her power suit. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife—or power saw in this instance. She straightened and stepped even closer to Seth, wanting to be his armor.
Seth’s jaw was clenched as he stared at the two lovebirds. Ruby gave his hand a quick squeeze in silent support.
Kimberly snuggled into Michael’s side and ran a hand along his chest. “We started dating about a month after you left the firm. Right, honey?”
Seth’s dad nodded, then caught Ruby’s eye. “I’m sorry. Who are you? I didn’t catch your name.”
Seth let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. “This is Ruby, my fiancée.”
Ruby wasn’t about to let the shock she felt show; instead, she decided to play along. She could feel Seth’s anger about the news reverberating through his muscles. She reached up and placed a hand on his chest, cuddling close.