by Amy Ruttan
Aran took over to help remove the instruments and close up the wound.
“Good job, Doctors,” Lacey said. “I am beat.”
“You need to rest,” Ruby remarked as she cleaned up.
“Yes. Thankfully Joanna the night nurse will be on duty soon, to monitor all the patients and be here in case of any post-operative complications.”
“We’ll be here too,” Ruby said. “We’re not flying out in this weather. Is there a couple of rooms we can use for the night?”
Lacey gave her a strange look. “A couple of rooms? Don’t you two want the same room?”
Ruby’s heart skipped a beat and she could see Aran’s spine stiffen as he finished bandaging Mitchell.
“Oh...yeah, right. I’m just tired.” It was an excuse but she hoped that Lacey bought it. “One room is all we need.”
“I understand that,” Lacey remarked as she made some notes on Mitchell’s chart. “Besides, we only have one extra room at the moment. Good thing you two are married!”
“Yeah, good thing...”
Ruby glanced at Aran. He wasn’t looking at her, but she could tell by the way his body had tensed that he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of sharing a room with her. She only hoped it had a set of bunks or a couple of beds, like on-call rooms usually had.
After they’d finished with Mitchell, and made sure that he was stable in the post-anesthesia recovery unit, with Joanna the night nurse and Mitchell’s wife Kayla, Lacey showed them to the room that was used for locum medical staff.
“It’s a small room, but it has a double bed.”
Lacey opened the door and Ruby’s heart sank when she saw how tiny the room was. The double bed filled the small space. There really would be nowhere to escape Aran. And if someone found him or her sleeping on the couch in the lounge they would question why they weren’t sleeping together.
It’s only sleeping.
They had slept in the same on-call room before.
Yeah, but you never shared a bed with him.
“This is great. Thank you,” Aran said cordially.
Lacey nodded. “I’m just down the hall. With Jack out of town I’d rather stay close to the clinic.”
“That’s a good plan,” Aran replied, because Ruby was clearly still too stunned to say anything.
“Night!”
Lacey turned and headed down the hall. When she was out of sight Ruby groaned.
“What’re we going to do?” Ruby asked.
Aran ushered her into the room and shut the door, closing it behind him. “What do you mean, what’re we going to do? We’re going to lie down and try and get some sleep so that we can transport Mitchell to Anchorage tomorrow.”
“We have to share a bed!”
“So?” Aran asked.
“We’ve never done that before!”
“We’re married,” Aran stated.
“Yeah, but still...” Ruby rubbed her temple. “I’m freaking out over this.”
“Why?” he asked. “You’re safe with me.”
“I know. I just hate all this deception. I hate this immigration interview looming. I hate it all.”
“I know,” he said softly. “Me too.”
“I know...sorry. I’m tired.”
“We both are.”
Aran glanced down at the small double bed, which was placed up against the wall. There was just enough space to walk in and out of the room. That was it. It was a place for people to rest their heads at night. Nothing more.
“Which side do you want?” he asked.
“I think, given your leg, you should have this side. You’re, like, six foot, and you’re going to need extra space. I’m more compact at five-five. I can cram into the corner.”
Aran looked relieved. “Thanks. I didn’t particularly feel like cramming myself anywhere.”
Ruby kicked off her shoes and then crawled across the creaky bed and tried to make herself somewhat comfortable before Aran got in.
“You ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes. Then slowly he lay down, trying to stretch out his sore leg.
Ruby giggled.
“What?” he asked.
“Your foot touches the door and your head is at the wall!”
Aran craned his neck to look and then shrugged. “I’ve slept in tighter spots than this.”
The wind howled outside. It was a deafening sound as it hit the corrugated steel buildings and whipped across the tundra.
Aran shuddered. “A snowstorm in June...” he mumbled.
“Get used to it,” Ruby replied.
“It sounds a bit like a sandstorm, to be honest. Had a few of those when I was serving. At least snow melts—sand just gets into everything. Even the patients you’re working on.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“Don’t try. It’s awful.”
Ruby couldn’t sleep. All she could do was stare up at the ceiling and count the marks on it. She knew Aran was awake too, because of the way he was breathing. It wasn’t steady and even. And his body was still tense, as if he was trying to give her space.
“I think I prefer snow,” she said, breaking the tension.
“What?” he asked.
“Well, as you say, snow melts. Sand stays and shifts around. It never leaves. Although there are times in the winter when the top layer of snow blows and shifts like the desert. You get white-out conditions—not because it’s fresh snow, but blowing snow when there’s no trees to break it.”
“That would be neat to see.”
“Not if you’re driving in it.”
She remembered the few times her older brother had had to stop on the highway between Yellowknife and Enterprise because the snow had been bad. He always had emergency gear in the back and he always knew the good places to stop.
Their father had taught him that. Taught him how to survive. Because he had run away from residential school. He’d been lucky to make it when so many didn’t. Her dad had been going to show her too, but he’d never got around to teaching her. He’d died before he got the chance.
So she’d taken it upon herself to learn. She’d taken it upon herself to learn a lot of things. All the things her father had promised to teach her.
And now, as she thought about her father, all she could see was his body on that cold metal table. His eyes closed, no life left in him. Just an empty shell.
No.
She was not going to think about that. Not here.
“I could survive a snowstorm, but not sand,” she said offhandedly, breaking the tension and trying to shoo away the memories of her father.
“You’ve taken survival courses?” he asked, intrigued.
“To live and work in remote areas you need to. You need to know how to survive on the land.”
“We took some as part of our training. But I wouldn’t mind a refresher on surviving here in the winter.”
“I can show you,” she offered, pleased that he wanted to learn. She’d always thought of him as a soft southerner, but maybe she was wrong. He was proving to be anything but the spoiled, privileged, arrogant man she’d thought he was when she’d first met him all those years ago.
“Would you?”
“Of course. If you’re going to be part of a medical team, you need to know.”
He turned and looked at her. His face was so close to hers.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” She stifled a yawn.
“You should try to sleep. I can’t fly the plane tomorrow.”
She smiled. “I know. I’m just not used to sharing a bed with anyone.”
“I’m not used to this constant daylight. Although the storm helps to darken the ro
om a bit.”
“You get used to it. It’s why I have blackout blinds.”
“I still can’t sleep. I’m exhausted, but...”
He trailed off and then turned his head away. She could tell that something had changed. That he’d been going to say something and thought better of it.
It’s not your business.
Although she couldn’t help wonder what it was. She didn’t want to pry. Well, she did want to pry, but she wasn’t going to. She couldn’t get involved with him. Sure, he was her husband, but it was just until she got her Green Card.
Still, there was a part of her that wanted to know more about him. There was a part of her that was comfortable being around him. She hadn’t been as lonely since he’d shown up. It was nice having someone to talk to instead of Chinook.
“Count sheep?” she suggested.
“That never works.”
“How do you know? Have you tried?”
He glanced back at her. “No—have you?”
“No.”
“Then why would you suggest it?”
Ruby shrugged. “Everyone suggests it.”
“So, that makes it a certainty that it will put me to sleep?” he teased.
“No, but it’s been common knowledge for a long time. Sheep are kind of boring, right?”
“Why are we having a conversation about sheep?” he asked.
“I don’t know—probably because you won’t stop talking.”
“Sorry about that.” He groaned and rubbed his eyes.
“I can’t sleep either,” she said. “I’m tired, but I really can’t sleep. I’m not used to sleeping next to someone.”
“So you keep saying.”
“Sorry.” Heat bloomed in her cheeks. “Not even Chinook sleeps with me.”
Aran rolled over and propped himself on one elbow. “You’ve never lived with anyone?”
“My parents and siblings. And I had a roommate in university, but we didn’t share a bed.”
“No, I mean...a boyfriend or a fiancé or some other significant other?”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks. “I’ve had boyfriends, but never long-term. So, no, I’ve never slept in the same bed as anyone.”
Ruby was not used to talking so intimately with someone. Not even with her girlfriends. And she didn’t have many of those because her career was her life. She didn’t make much time for her friends, and eventually some of those friends had stopped inviting her to places.
Even if she did go out, she didn’t really open up about her life. Keeping to herself was a way to compartmentalize her feelings, so she could keep focused on her work. It was why any relationships she’d had had never lasted. Men said she wouldn’t open up. That she was too focused on her work.
It had never really bothered her.
Until now.
“You’re blushing again,” he said softly.
“I don’t talk about my personal life.”
“I remember. You were always all business. Which is why I liked you so much.”
“Right...”
Her heart had fluttered when he’d said he liked her.
Don’t think about it. You’re friends. That’s all.
“Why did you like me,” she asked, “if I was all business? I saw you with others...you know...before we were married.”
“You were driven and focused. I admired that. And, to be honest, I thought you were a challenge I wanted to take on. I don’t think that way now.”
“A challenge?” she asked, annoyed.
“Yeah, but once I got to know why you were so focused and what you wanted to do I didn’t think that way anymore. You were not just someone I wanted to conquer. I learned that lesson fast. Instead I wanted to be a part of your work.”
Her heart skipped a beat again.
You’re treading on dangerous ground.
She couldn’t let him get too close. She had to keep him at a distance. But it was nice lying here in bed and talking to him. To have this moment of connection.
“I should know some personal facts before this Agent Bolton comes and talks to us,” he said.
“If I open up are you going to open up?”
“Sure. If I think you need to know,” he stated.
“Ditto.”
“So how do we do this?” he asked.
“We play fifty questions.”
His eyes widened. “Fifty?”
“Or the amount of questions until we get bored and/or fall asleep.”
Aran sat up and she did too. They were sitting cross-legged across from each other.
“What do we start with?” he asked.
“Favorite color?”
“Green,” he said. “Yours?”
“Red. Now you ask a question.”
“I don’t know...” He ran his hand through his hair, as he often did when he didn’t know what to say or was annoyed.
“Just think of one,” she said.
“Uh... I’m not good at this. I don’t want to do this.”
“This was your idea, pal. You wanted to get to know me.”
He ran his hand through his hair again. “What drink would you be?”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “What drink would I be? Don’t you mean what drink do I like?”
“No, what drink would you be. If you weren’t human, what drink would you be?”
Ruby sat there, stunned. And then she saw a strange smirk on his face. She flicked him on his good knee.
“Ow—what was that for?” he asked.
“That’s a stupid question.”
“No question is stupid.” His eyes were twinkling.
“That one was.”
Aran laughed softly. “Sorry.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to convince this Agent Bolton that we’ve been properly married for five years and that we know each other well—especially when we can’t seem to relax around each other. The only time we’re relaxed is in surgery, and I hardly think Agent Bolton will want to do his interview in the operating room.”
“I know one way,” Aran said softly.
Her pulse began to race. “Oh?”
“Well, we can kiss and break the tension that way.”
Say no. Say no.
“Okay.”
Her voice went up one octave as she said it. What was she thinking? This was a bad idea.
Except she was curious. She was attracted to him and she had always wondered what it would be like to kiss him—just once. And he was right. It might ease the tension between them.
“You sure?” he asked.
She nodded. “You’re right. We have to be more comfortable around each other and a kiss is a pretty easy way to do that. Let’s do it.”
“Relax,” he whispered, and he reached out and touched her face.
Just the simple touch made her stomach flip-flop with anticipation.
“I’ll try.” But she couldn’t look at him, and she was sure that her cheeks were bright red. She’d kissed guys before—what was so different about this?
You’re not in control.
Aran inched closer to her and tilted her chin so she was forced to look at him. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.
“It’s okay,” he whispered.
Ruby relaxed, mesmerized by him. His gentle touch was electric, igniting every nerve-ending under her skin. Her heart hammered against her chest.
With that simple acknowledgement that it would be okay he’d cast a spell over her. So much so she felt she was losing control—something she usually kept a tight rein on.
But she didn’t care.
It was okay.
He cupped her face, his thumbs brushing her cheeks, and no matter how much the rational side of her wanted to fight it, she
couldn’t. For the first time in her life Ruby gave over control to a man, when she was usually the initiator of any intimate moments. This time she just reveled in the sensation, in the desire that Aran was stirring in her.
She closed her eyes and let him kiss her. His lips were gentle against hers. And then the kiss deepened and she welcomed it. It had been so long since she had been kissed by a man or had any kind of physical connection with another person.
It was intoxicating. The simple act of human contact with a man she desired was creating a hunger, a need to have more.
Aran wrapped his arms around her and she forgot everything else as she melted against him. In that brief moment he made her feel safe...he made her feel alive.
What are you doing?
As his hands moved down her back she realized this was dangerous territory. She pushed him away. “I can’t. We can’t...not here.”
“You’re right,” he murmured, and pulled away. “I’m sorry. I... I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It was nice.”
He nodded. “Yeah...”
She bit her lip. Her body wanted more, and her pulse was still racing, but this was not the place to do anything more than kiss.
Aran stood.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I need to take a little walk, and then I’ll do a round on the patients. You rest.”
Before she could stop him he’d opened up the door and slipped out into the hallway.
Ruby lay down. There was no way she was getting any sleep now. Not with the taste of Aran on her lips, her blood thrumming in her veins and her body craving more than just a simple kiss.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ARAN TOOK A long walk to try and calm down. He had wanted to kiss Ruby for a long time, although he’d never intended for it to go that far. But the moment he’d tasted her sweet lips he’d just wanted more.
What were you thinking?
It was taking all his willpower not to go back to her and throw himself at her feet. He was attracted to her.
Usually when he was attracted to someone he saw them a few times and then it was done. The romance had run its course.
