Wanderlust: A Holiday Story (A Heroes and Heartbreakers Original) by Kitty French Read Free Book Online Page A

acknowledged that he’d been running in the wrong direction.

Chapter Nine
    Ruby stood in the doorway of reception a while later, her arms wrapped around her body and her head against the doorframe.
    She had the strangest feeling, as if she were at the movies watching an unimaginably Christmas-y film reach its soft-focus conclusion. The spindle chairs had been stacked to create a makeshift dance floor in front of the roaring fire, and clusters of guests lounged on the leather sofas. Snatches of conversation drifted around her, the clink of glasses, the convivial sound of laughter and good spirits.
    Emma and Niall danced slowly, wrapped around each other and oblivious to the world around them. He held her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, and her head rested contentedly on his shoulder. Every now and then couples drifted around them, drawn to dance by the unmistakable sound of Ford’s sexy, gravel-filled voice as he perched on a stool with his guitar on his knee.
    It hurt Ruby’s heart to look at him, to see him there just as she remembered him all of those years ago. Self-taught on a staple diet of The Beatles tracks, he worked his way through their mellow back catalogue now, interspersed with well-loved Christmas songs.
    Songs about love, songs about hope, and songs about broken hearts. He looked up and caught her eye, sending her the briefest of winks that said “we’ve done it,” and “way to go.” Ruby wished the evening could go on forever. She wanted to hug the day to her and never let go, to hang onto this feeling of completeness that she hadn’t experienced since she’d been eleven years old.
    With just ten minutes left until midnight, the lights flickered back on to a collective cheer. The fairy lights on the Christmas tree winked on, and the amber lamps bathed the room. Relieved of his entertainer duties now that there was music and a New Year’s Eve countdown to go on, Ford wove his way across the busy room to Ruby.
    “I think that was possibly the best wedding I’ve ever been to, Rubes,” he said, sliding his arms around her. “You’re good at this stuff.”
    “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
    “Yes, you could.” Ford smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You can do anything.”
    Ruby cast her eyes down, not wanting Ford to see the tears that gathered there. She wanted to be that girl, but she wasn’t sure that she was. She couldn’t do anything . She couldn’t stop herself from loving Ford this time around, even though he was due to fly out of her life all over again.
    “Come upstairs with me?” he murmured against her hair, his hand rubbing slow circles on the small of her back.
    Had it really only been twenty-four hours since he’d last said those same words? So much had happened since then, it seemed a lifetime ago.
    She took his hand as he led her up the staircase, pausing on each landing to blow out the candles. His room was warm and inviting, and as he closed the door she turned unquestioningly into his arms. He wrapped her close and just held her. Ruby held him back, knowing what was coming.
    “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
    Ford stroked her jaw, and then lowered his mouth to hers. Tears slid down her cheeks as she surrendered herself to his slow, agonizingly tender kiss, as he sighed into her mouth, as he let his tongue slide over hers. He’d kissed her like this once before years and years ago, and then he’d boarded a plane and left her behind.
    “I have something for you,” he said, lifting his head and untangling his arms from hers.
    She sat on the edge of the bed as he opened the bedside table and withdrew two things.
    She looked down as he sat next to her, his body angled towards hers.
    A flight ticket to Barbados with his name on it.
    “Your ticket home,” she said quietly, and he nodded.
    Her eyes moved to the second thing he’d taken from the drawer. A small bundle tied together with Christmas ribbon.
    “These are yours. You