Free Secret Pressure (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 4) by Rhonda Lee Carver

planned to show up here just to say hi and then walk away.”
    She laughed. “I would have been highly disappointed if you’d done that.”
    “You pulled the rug out from underneath me,” he said in a raspy whisper that sent sparks through her bloodstream.
    “Seeing me on stage?”
    “Leaving without saying goodbye.”
    She locked her gaze with his, flames coming alive in her stomach. “Let’s not talk about that.”
    “I think it’s too late to pretend it wasn’t spoken aloud.”
    The past was there, between them, like a black hole. It couldn’t be ignored. “I knew we had no future.” She wanted to make it as simple as possible.
    He dropped his fork and wiped his mouth with the white linen napkin. “But no goodbye. No “kiss my ass”. Pretty selfish, Ruby.”
    “I did tell you I didn’t think it was a good idea that we see each other again.” She drained her glass of wine. The waitress was there to refill it. Sipping her second glass, her blood started to warm and her head turned woozy.
    “I just didn’t think you really meant it. At least I’d hoped.”
    “A woman knows when it’s time to make her exit.”
    “Are you intentionally being vague?”
    “I had to get back home, Jobe. No matter what I say it won’t change what happened.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling vulnerable under his scrutiny. She could tell him the truth, blurt it out here in the middle of the restaurant, but her timing always sucked.
    “I heard about your mother and father passing. I’m sorry.”
    The sincerity she saw in his gaze tugged her heartstrings. “Mom was in a lot of pain and I hated seeing that, but life hasn’t been the same without her—especially wasn’t for my dad. I do believe he’s proof that a person can die of a broken heart.”
    “Understandable. That sets the bar high, you know, when it comes to finding a love of your own.”
    She met his gaze, her knees clanking together. “I could only hope for a love like they had.” Had someone turned off the air? The room became stuffy.
    “You got to give a man a chance first.”
    Nope, not going down that path. “I really wish you wouldn’t have bid on me. That’s a lot of money.”
    He smiled and his eyes twinkled. “Hey, at least we get to have dinner together, even if you’re not very happy.”
    She sighed. “You’re determined to make me feel guilty aren’t you?”
    “A person can only feel guilty if they have reason.”
    Her stomach dropped. “I guess so.”
    The waitress stopped to ask if they needed anything. Jobe smiled—his charming smile that could make a woman melt into a puddle of lust. “Bring me your best chocolate dessert. And two forks.”
    When she brought the plate, Ruby stared at the delicious cake, smothered in chocolate sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. She gained five pounds just looking at it. Jobe sank his fork into the richness and he pointed his fork toward her. “You try first and tell me what it tastes like.”
    She wanted to deny the offering, but couldn’t. She leaned forward and took the bite. Ultimate pleasure bursts in her mouth. “Oh. My. Goodness. You’ve got to try.”
    He took another piece, with the same fork, and brought it to his mouth. Knowing he ate off the same tines that she had in her mouth made her nipples pebble. There was an indescribable seduction in sharing dessert.
    She drained the rest of her wine with the last bite of the cake. The golden light of the flickering candle cast a hazy glow on Jobe’s face and the earlier roughness was now gone. The connection she’d felt the first time she’d met him remained strong, an undercurrent dragging her out into an ocean of memories, tossing them into the storm of emotions.
    Ruby couldn’t help but wonder how different things could have been between them if she’d told him the truth. But fate had separated them, and the past remained in the past. There were no do-overs, or second chances. She’d never thought she’d be having