Love Finds You at Home for Christmas by Annalisa Daughety Page A

borrow your green dress again? Harold just loved it.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œWell, well. Don’t you two make a pretty picture?” Cliff walked over to where they sat.
    Ruby grinned. “You snuck up on me.”
    â€œIt’s from all that time I spend in the woods. I’ve learned to stay quiet. Stealth is my middle name.” He chuckled.
    Lola said her good-byes and hurried back to the dorm room.
    â€œSorry I was late,” Cliff said once they were alone. “I hurried as fast as I could. We were tied up most of the day with an electrical problem over on one of the other detonator lines.” He motioned toward the door. “You ready to go?”
    She followed him out the dorm and to the car. “Lola told me Harold has something special planned for Friday,” she said once they’d pulled away from the dorm. “Do you know anything about it?”
    He looked over at her and grinned. “Can you keep a secret?”
    She widened her eyes. “Of course. Do tell.”
    â€œHarold has tickets for them to go see a game in Fayetteville next weekend. He’s never said for sure, but I suspect he’ll be talking to her daddy while they’re there and asking for her hand in marriage.”
    Ruby let out a breath. “Oh my. Really? Doesn’t that seem awfully fast?”
    Cliff laughed. “I thought girls were supposed to be all caught up in romance and weddings. Is that a hint of cynicism I hear?” He pulled the car into the parking lot at the diner.
    â€œI don’t think I’m your typical girl when it comes to stuff like that.”
    Cliff grinned at her, his blue eyes dancing. “Typical is definitely not a word I’d use to describe you.” He got out of the car and came around to open her door.
    She giggled. “Well, thanks. But I’m being serious.” She took the hand he offered and let him help her out of the car.
    Once they’d ordered and were seated, Cliff looked at her from across the table. “What do you mean when you say you aren’t typical when it comes to stuff like that?”
    Ruby took a sip of Coca-Cola. “You know how some girls are. They think their life doesn’t start until they get married.” She shrugged. “I’m not that way.”
    â€œNo, you aren’t. It’s easy to see that you’ve gone out and grabbed the kind of life you want. I think it’s really neat. You’ll have a college degree soon, and you’re getting great work experience here.” Cliff grinned. “Those are things to be proud of.”
    She returned his smile. “Most people think I’m crazy, you know. Even Hazel.”
    â€œFor wanting to have a little independence and your own job?” Cliff shook his head. “I can’t believe Hazel would think that was crazy. Didn’t she encourage you to apply at the AOP in the first place?”
    Ruby frowned. “I mean, they think it’s crazy that I never want to get married or have a family.” She took a sip of her drink and watched the color drain from his face. Was he ill?
    â€œCliff, are you okay?” She peered at his ashen face, wondering what in the world was wrong.
    * * * * *
    Cliff didn’t quite know what to say. And words usually came pretty easily to him. “Never?” He forced the word out of his mouth.
    Ruby nodded. “I told you that before, remember?”
    He stared at the beautiful girl across the table and wondered if this was some kind of practical joke. Maybe Harold was behind it. He glanced around, but Harold didn’t pop out from behind the next table. “But I thought you just weren’t ready for it now. I didn’t know you never wanted to get married. Why ever not? Is it—is it because of Joseph?”
    Ruby sighed. “It’s true that I don’t ever want to feel hurt like that again. But it’s more than that. Have I told you before about