The Crown Jewels (45 page)

“That douchebag? He was a total prick,” Seth said.

“Yes and he still is,” I replied. “As you can imagine, the meeting did not go well, especially not after we kicked him out of the diner. So, like I said, he’s not interested in negotiating and he’s demanding the full payment of the loan.”

“Well, can’t we just pay it? The farm’s doing alright these days, isn’t it?” Jesse asked, his eyes full of confusion and worry.

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option,” I replied.

“Oh, come on, we have a little savings,” George said.

“George, the loan is a hundred thousand dollars. And this prick wants interest, too, but I have no idea how much that is.”

“What!” my siblings shouted in unison.

“Yeah, so now you understand the seriousness of the situation,” I said.

“Well, what if we don’t pay it back? Olly LaCroix made that loan, not the nephew…what’s his name?” George asked.

“Lincoln. Lincoln LaCroix.”

“
That
guy?” she exclaimed.

“You’ve run into him, too?” I asked.

“Well, not exactly. Ruby met him at the saloon the other day, and went out on a date with him. Tall guy? Dark hair? Rich as hell, apparently. He flew her to Dallas for dinner in his private plane!”

“What did you just say?” I asked through clenched teeth, anger beginning to boil through my veins. “Surely, you’re mistaken, sis.”

“I doubt it, Crit. There aren’t too many people with that kind of money in Sugar Hill. And she said his name was Lincoln, anyway. Definitely the same guy.”

I was about to come out of my skin, I was so pissed off. Ruby went out with this fella? Why the fuck would she do that? Why would she cheat on me like that?

“I can’t fucking believe this,” I replied, continuing to swear under my breath as I stood up and began pacing around the kitchen.

“Why are you so angry about that?” George asked suspiciously.

After all this time, for some unknown reason, I still couldn’t tell my sister the truth. But knowing Ruby had gone out with Lincoln just made me crazy. If this fucker thought he was going to take my farm and my girl, he was sorely mistaken.

“I’m angry because this asshole holds the deed to our farm, goddammit! And I don’t have a hundred thousand fucking dollars to give to him to get it back. As of now, this asshole owns our farm! You should all be pissed!”

I was screaming now, any sense of calmness about all this bullshit having gone out the window.

“What do we do?” Jesse asked, his voice so low I could barely hear him. I looked at him, and saw the fear in my heart reflected in his eyes, which only made me angrier.

“We fight. Because that’s what Hopes do.”

Ruby

My phone rang as I was getting ready for bed. I picked it up and saw it was Crit calling, and my heart skipped. I debated whether I should answer it or not for a second, but couldn’t resist.

“Hey, Crit,” I answered.

“So you cheated on me?” his voice roared through the phone, angry and accusing.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“George told me you went out on a date.”

“Oh. She did? Why would she do that? Well, sure I did, but Crit, nothing —.”

“—why would you cheat on me like that, Ruby?”

“Cheat on you? Crit, darlin’, I’m sorry but I’m looking at my left hand right now and I don’t see a ring on it. Hell, honey, you won’t even tell your family you’re seeing me, and to be honest, you’ve been quite rude to me lately. What am I supposed to do? Just wait around for you to call me up in the middle of the night for a booty call for the rest of my life?” Tears stung my eyes, and I fought to keep my voice from breaking.

“Look, Ruby, you can do whatever you want, but do NOT and I repeat, do NOT, go out with this Lincoln asshole.”

“You’re telling me to do whatever I want, but just not with this guy? Is that what I’m hearing?” I asked, feeling like my heart was begin stabbed.

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. This guy is bad news, Ruby,” Crit said, his voice low and angry.

“What is it you don’t like about him, Crit? That he has money? That he treats me like a man should treat a lady? He wasn’t afraid to be seen with me, not like you!” I hollered accusingly into the phone.

“Ruby, I’m not playing around here,” he slurred.

“You’re not, huh? So up till now, you didn’t care who or what I did, but since you have it out for this guy, for God knows why, you think you can tell me what to do?”

“Ruby, look, just do me this one favor. Don’t go out with him again.”

“I’m not making that promise, Crit. Why should I? You have no claim on me, not that you’ve ever even tried to make one anyway. Are you ready to tell your family and everyone else in Sugar Hill that I’m your girl?” I asked, my heart filling with the tiniest bit of hope that he had finally come to his senses.

“Not yet, Ruby. In time. I can’t deal with this right now!”

“Well, then I guess we’re at a crossroads, Crit. If I want to go out with Lincoln, or anyone else, for that matter, I sure as hell will. And I don’t intend to ask your permission either!”

“Ruby Rae, I mean it, goddammit!”

“I mean it, too, Crit. I’ll go out with who I damn well please!”

I hung up on him and sat down on the side of my bed. My hands were shaking, hell, my whole body was shaking, and as I laid back, hot, wet tears began sliding down my face.

I crawled into bed, turned off my phone, and cried myself to sleep.

Crit

“Howdy, Mr. Rust,” I said to Ruby’s dad. He had opened the door for me and let me in. I had only been to Ruby’s house a few times before. We had preferred to spend time outside of the suffocating air of sadness that permeated from her father.

“Crit, haven’t seen you in ages, boy, how’ve you been? How’s your folks?” he asked, his eyes glassy and yellow from years of drinking.

“My folks? They died, sir. Remember? In a car accident,” I said.

“Oh, damn, I forgot, Crit. I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget my own name!”

“That’s alright, sir. I understand. Is Ruby around?”

“She’s in her room,” he replied. “You can go on back,” he said, just as Ruby walked into the room. She looked surprised to see me, and her eyes were puffier than I’d ever seen them. I hoped it was from sleeping and not from any tears I may have caused. I already felt like an asshole for calling her last night. Her bright red curls bounced wildly around her face, and the red and white checkered dress wore made her look like she just stepped out of a magazine. My cock twitched in my jeans, but I ignored it as best I could.

I pushed the white roses I had picked at the farm at her, and tried to grin. It was hard to smile, not only because I felt like shit after drinking all that whiskey last night, having finished the entire bottle after I retired to my room, but also because there wasn’t much for me to be happy about right now.

Hell, Ruby was the only light I had in my life these days, and I was doing my best to sabotage our relationship.

“Thanks,” she replied, looking at me warily. “I’ll put these in some water.”

She disappeared into the tiny kitchen of the trailer, and I stood awkwardly while I waited for her to return. When she did, I tried to smile again, but I couldn’t help but notice her coldness.

“Can we talk?” I asked, stealing a glance over at her father. “Alone?”

“Sure, come on,” she said, walking back to her bedroom with the vase of flowers. Her room was small and completely pink, with clothes strewn all over. She sat down on her bed, and looked away from me, her gaze focused out the window.

“Ruby, I know you’re mad at me, darlin’. And hell, you have every right to be. I’ve been acting like a bullheaded fool and there’s no excuse for that.” I sat down next to her, and gently pulled her chin my way. Her bright green eyes met mine, and I felt my heart skip in my chest. She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen, and she deserved a lot more than I could ever give her. But I wasn’t about to give her up. She was all I had. “I’m real sorry, Ruby Rae.”

She didn’t smile, she didn’t say anything, she just sighed and looked at me with those sad green eyes and I felt my heart break, knowing I was the one that put that sadness there. I cursed myself silently, vowing to make everything right with this beauty, if it was the last thing I did.

“Ruby, please forgive me? I’ve just had a lot on my mind, and I know it’s not an excuse, but I promise not to snap at you like that again. I just got so mad when George told me you went out with that fella —,”

“I can go out with whoever I damn well please, Crit Hope!” she hollered, so loudly my ears rang a little.

She said it with such force, such determination, that it almost seemed like she had rehearsed it. But of course she had, I had given her every reason to. Her lip quivered and tears filled her eyes. She lifted her chin defiantly, and instead of upsetting me, it just made me realize why I loved this woman so much.

She was fiery. A spitfire. My own little firecracker.

Ruby Rae didn’t back down to anyone or anything, and I loved that about her. Before I could stop myself, my lips were on hers, and I was pushing her back on the bed, lying on top of her and kissing her with a passion I didn’t even know I possessed.

She moaned beneath me, her lips pliant and soft, letting me kiss her, letting my tongue slip between her pretty pink lips and explore her soft wet mouth. My cock hardened in my jeans till I was throbbing painfully against her center and all I could think about was being inside of her, being close to her, forgetting about everything that was swirling around in my stupid head for just a few minutes and basking in the pleasure of her sweet body.

Ruby was my escape, my little piece of paradise, and I needed her as much as a sunflower needed sun. I was thirsty for her. Hungry for her. Yearning to hear her moans, to feel her soften beneath me, to feel the soft caress of her hands on my back.

She wrapped her thighs around me, and I melted into her embrace as I kissed her harder. Her hands snaked to my chest, her fingers unsnapping the buttons of my shirt, sliding her hands across my shoulders as she pushed the shirt from my body. I pulled my lips from hers, reaching up and pulling her dress over her head quickly.

Her bare breasts pressed against me, smooth and silky, heaving against my chest. Her skin was on fire, and our lips crashed together again.

I reached down and slipped my fingers into her panties, moaning when I felt her sweet slickness. I plunged inside of her, her heat scorching my fingertips as she rocked against me, her moans turning to whimpers as I thrust into her center, over and over, harder and harder, until I was drenched in her sweet flowing nectar.

Her mouth broke away from mine, my name escaping from her lips as she threw back her head. I watched the stunning beauty dance across her face as I brought her over the edge, her soft, velvety walls spasming around my thrusting fingers rhythmically.

Slowly, I slid my body down her slick, taut skin, planting kisses along her belly until I reached her hips. She raised them readily, as I pulled her panties down her creamy thighs. My mouth enveloped her center as she cried out softly, her fingers sinking into my hair, pulling me closer into her rocking sex. She tasted like sunshine - clean, crisp and sweet. I moaned against her, pulling her clit beneath my teeth, sucking and licking it, softly at first, and then harder, rougher, faster, until she was begging me to stop.

I had no intention of stopping.

My gaze traveled up her magnificent body, splayed out on her bed like an angel of sin, writhing wildly, her copper curls a sharp contrast to the pink sheets on her bed. I smiled to myself, love rushing through my veins for this beautiful goddess.

She was everything to me.

Hunger surged through my body, and as she softened beneath me, her panting slowly subsiding, I slid my fingers and mouth away from her, standing at the side of her bed as I stared down at her. She smiled up at me, her green eyes shining bright and clear with such starkness that it took my breath away.

I kicked off my boots and unbuckled my belt buckle, leaving it dangling as I unzipped my jeans and pushed them down to the floor. When I stood back up, my cock was aching painfully - erect, ready, twitching with anticipation.

“I love you, baby,” I said, hovering over her, our naked bodies sliding smoothly together, our lips finding each other again at the exact moment that my cock slid deeply inside her.

Pleasure washed over my body, the warmth enveloping me as I moaned against her, our kiss deepening with every inch that brought us closer and closer together, until I was rocking against her, her thighs pulling me closer, deeper, burying me inside of her softness.

Slowly, I pulled back, and then plunged back in, again, again, and again, until I became so lost in her that everything disappeared, the world melted away, the weight of everything that had fallen upon my shoulders vanished - leaving nothing but the savage animal that rested below the surface of my existence.

I gave in to it, groaning into her mouth as I rocked against her faster and harder, until I was slamming into her with all my strength. She opened her thighs wider, welcoming me, opening and softening beneath me as I reached down and dug my fingers into her perfect ass, pulling her hips up, digging deeper into her, until the world stopped completely, and I stiffened in ecstasy, my cock exploding hotly inside of her, filling her with my pulsing pleasure, our bodies slick and sweaty and our arms wrapped around each other so tightly, that I knew I never wanted to let her go. She whimpered below me, pressing her hips up into me and moaning seductively.