Page 14 of Lonesome Man
“Fine, you win.”
Chuckling, I took her hand, led her outside, and across to the house.
* * *
Ruth helped me make a quick supper. Nothing fancy, just some steaks and eggs.
“You wanna eat in the living room tonight?”
“Sounds good.” The fire was lit and it was warm and cozy.
Ruth carried our plates to the couch, and I poured us both a drink.
“What’s this?” Ruth asked, studying her glass.
“Apple pie moonshine.”
“Moonshine? I’ve never had it before.”
“Make sure you just sip it. It’s potent.”
She took a tentative sip and coughed. “Oh wow, you’re not wrong.” She tilted her head to the side and her brows lifted. “It has a really nice aftertaste though. I get the apples now.”
“It’s a Smith family recipe.”
She took another sip and her cheeks turned pink again, but this time I’d guess it was from the moonshine. “I like it.” She put her glass aside. “So do you have family in the area?”
I chewed my steak and nodded. “There are Smiths scattered all over these mountains, but I see Beau, Hank, and Cash more than the others. They live farther down the mountain with their wives and kids, and Cash, who you’ve met, his wife, Riley, is actually a writer as well.”
She perked up. “Really?”
I nodded and took another sip of my drink. “She’s a romance author.”
Her brows shot up. “I’m a huge romance reader. What name does she write under?”
“Her maiden name, Riley Lewis.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my god! I love her books. I’ve read all of them.” She blinked over at me, looking stunned. “I was in a plane with Riley Lewis’s husband and I never even knew it.” She shook her head. “I mean, it’s obvious now that you’ve told me. She dedicates every book to Cash. Wow, that’s so cool.”
I couldn’t contain my smile. Seeing her this excited was infectious. “I have most of them as well.” I motioned to my bookshelf with my fork. “If you want, I could get Cash to bring you a signed copy of one of her books when he comes back?”
“Could you really?”
I nodded and winked. “No trouble. Riley loves me.”
She chuckled. “I don’t doubt it. That would be amazing. Thank you.”
I shrugged. “Nothing to it.”
She laughed then, full and throaty and sexy as hell. “You’re just showing off now.”
“Maybe,” I said and grabbed the mason jar I’d brought in with me and held it up.
She nodded, all pink cheeked and eyes bright with happiness and held out her glass for more.
“So what kind of farm did you grow up on?”
Ruth stilled, her shoulders kind of coming up. “We had cattle mainly.”
