Page 10 of In Plain Sight

“Would you like to go for a drive?” she asked.

I smiled and nodded. “That would be nice. All I have seen of Collier territory so far was a bit of the fields and a glimpse of the stables and barns.”

“Well, you can get up in the morning and get a look at those up close, but how about a drive around town? I’ll call in an order at the diner and I can swing in and pick it up on our way home. The menu’s on the fridge.”

I looked it over while Ruby disappeared into the next room. She returned a few minutes later in fresh clothes. Her button-down shirt stopped just above the peak of her breasts and I knew I was staring.

She smiled, knowing she was driving me crazy. I hadn’t had her since our initial bonding that morning. The thought of riding in a car with her seemed like a torturous plan when we could simply retire to the bedroom for the night. Who needed food anyway?

My stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me I did. Coming here with only about fifty dollars in my pocket and the clothes on my back to look humble and beg for work meant I’d been starving myself for the last week in preparation to have little or nothing to eat before that first paycheck.

It was necessary to the plan. I had to infiltrate the Colliers and get in good with the Alpha. I needed to be invited to accompany him to Westin Pack. Security there was too tight otherwise. It was my only hope of getting close enough to Kelsey to kill her.

I hadn’t planned on Ruby as part of all of this. I truly hoped that mating her would not affect the plan, at least not in a negative way. As I looked over the menu and the prices, I knew I would have to count on her to provide meals for a while. I hated that more than anything, and would pay her back every penny, but my need to eat was going to override my stubborn pride.

As if sensing my hesitation, Ruby said, “Look. I know we haven’t talked about a lot of the important stuff, but you need to know that we have money. Lots of it. Order whatever you want.”

It warmed my heart to hear her say “we.”

“That isn’t my money, that’s yours. I do have money, Ruby, it’s just tied up and not accessible to me at the moment,” I said honestly. I couldn’t explain it to her, but I needed my mate to know I would care for her. Everything I had would go to her when I died, and she’d know the truth. I couldn’t let myself think about that though.

“Bran, you’re my mate. What’s mine is yours. Period. We can afford to grab dinner out tonight. We can afford to eat every meal out every day, but I don’t make a habit of it, which only means it accumulates faster than I know what to do with it. I know you’re hungry. I don’t know how long you’ve been on your own, but I can tell it’s been a while. I can literally hear your stomach growling. If you don’t want to choose dinner, fine, I will pick it for you.”

I was truly humbled like I’d never been before. Taking a mate so quickly upon meeting her was a rash decision, and probably the best thing I’d ever done in my life. It hadn’t even been a full day, but I knew Ruby was good all the way to her very soul. I didn’t deserve someone like her, but I would selfishly hold on to her for as long as I possibly could.

I knew to fully penetrate the Collier Pack I would need to spend months, maybe even years, getting into position to make my move. That knowledge had almost kept me from her, but looking at the gorgeous redhead before me, it didn’t feel like it would be long enough.

“Steak, rare; baked potato, no sour cream; and green beans,” I finally said.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Ruby asked, leaning in to kiss me as she passed, still flitting around the apartment getting ready.

“Should I be cleaning up for this outing?”

Ruby laughed. “You’re fine, unless you want to.”

I considered that for a moment. I desperately needed a shower, but I needed food more. “I do want a shower, but I want food more,” I told her.

“I was figuring as much. Come on,” she said, grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

I followed her down the stairs and outside where she jumped into a large Ford pickup truck. I climbed into the passenger seat next to her.

“Are those the only clothes you have?” she asked without judgement in her voice.

I shook my head. “I have a spare in my backpack,” I confessed.

She seemed to be sizing me up then nodded to herself. “Gage is about your size. I’ll call Clara and see if we can borrow a few things until we can go shopping. Rumors are too wild right now to really go out in public,” she said.

I wondered briefly if I embarrassed her. I looked down at my dusty clothes. They weren’t ripped or torn or anything. I didn’t feel like I looked like the drifter I was trying to portray at least.

“Oh it’s not you,” she said like she was once again reading my mind. “It’s them. Trust me. All of them.”

We drove around in silence for a while. The only time she really spoke was to point out one place or another. Eventually she began to relax again and tell me funny stories about the different places she was showing me, or tales from her childhood. She even confessed she had always been a bit of a hellion, though she rebelled against her parents and life in general less than her siblings.

“Knowing my entire life what I wanted to do helped that, I think,” she confessed.

“What was it you always wanted to do?” I asked curiously.

“Stay here, work the farm, take care of the animals, basically be a cowgirl. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

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