by Barbara Gee
“I don’t,” Ryan said shortly.
“Okay, just wanted to make sure I issued the invitation. I won’t bug you about it.”
“Appreciate it.”
***
Ryan went through the living room and said goodnight to Virgil, Kay and Maddy, but Libby wasn’t around. He told himself he wasn’t disappointed, but as he went out into the cool June night he felt a little cheated. He could have used one of her warm smiles before heading out.
He had just stepped off the porch when the front door opened.
“Ryan, wait a sec.”
And there she was, walking toward him with something in her hand.
“I was in the kitchen and didn’t realize you were leaving. I wanted to send this back with you.”
He took the plastic container she handed him and raised a brow questioningly. She grinned at him. “It’s fudge. Equal parts chocolate and peanut butter, because those are the ones you liked the best.”
How could he not return that smile? He held out his hand. “Walk with me,” he said softly.
Libby hesitated for a moment, then took the hand he offered.
“I’m sorry the letter and phone call didn’t give you more answers,” she told him. “I know you’re frustrated.”
“I just want it finished,” Ryan said. “This spinning my wheels is getting real old. And now I have to wait another couple days for that guy to get here.”
“I don’t suppose you’d want to come to church with us in the morning to help pass the time?”
“Tuck already asked me, but I’ll pass. Thanks, though.”
“I could stay here with you, if you want. So you’re not twiddling your thumbs alone.”
He looked down at her, surprised by her offer. “You’d hang out with me instead of going to church?”
“Sure, if it would help. Hey, we could do that ride to the butte after breakfast. You really do need to get back on a horse.”
He chuckled. “So I need to choose between a nice long Sunday morning sleep in, or a horseback ride that’s going to cause me immeasurable amounts of pain.” He pretended to think hard about it. “That’s a tough one.”
Libby raised her hand and wagged a finger at him. “It’s not quite that simple. If you sleep in, you’re going to miss Kay’s Sunday morning sticky buns straight from the oven. And since you’ll want to get up for those anyway, we might as well get a ride in.”
They had reached his cabin by then, and he let go of her hand and shoved his into his pockets. “I’m not totally opposed to a ride, but I’m not sure Tuck will like the idea of us spending time together. Big brothers can be weird like that.”
“It’s not like that, though,” Libby said quickly. “It’s going to be a long morning for you, and you could use a friend. And I’m a pretty good one, if I do say so myself.”
Ryan wasn’t so sure it wasn’t like that, for him at least. When he looked at Libby, he didn’t see only a friend, he saw a woman that appealed to every part of him. Every single part. If Tuck knew that, he would definitely have a problem with the two of them spending time alone together. However, having someone to pass the morning with was appealing enough to overrule his worry.
“Okay,” he said, smiling down at her hopeful face. “Sticky buns and a ride it is.”
“It’ll be fun,” Libby declared. “See you in the morning. The buns will come out of the oven at seven or so.”
“Got it. Good night, Libby. Thanks for the fudge, and everything else you did for me today.”
“Anytime. Sleep well, Ryan.” Her parting smile was warm and lovely. And oh so dangerous to his peace of mind.
He went inside, took some ibuprofen for his headache, then got in the shower, hoping the warm water would relax him enough to fall asleep. He didn’t know if it had been smart to accept Libby’s offer to stay hang out with him tomorrow morning, but he couldn’t deny that his heart felt a little lighter with that to look forward to.
CHAPTER 12
“Tell me more about yourself,” Libby requested the next morning as they rode their horses out of the corral. She hoped Ryan wouldn’t think she was being nosy, but she wanted so badly to know more about this man who intrigued her like no other. “It doesn’t have to be anything deep, just something to help me get to know you better.”
He gave her a serious look. “Hmm. Okay, well, in case you didn’t notice, I’m a man who has a real weakness for sticky buns. When I know I should stop at three, I go for six, even when I know I’m going to be bouncing along on a horse shortly thereafter.”
Libby broke out into a laugh. “Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be normal if you could resist those buns. But seriously, Ryan, I want to know more. I feel like I already have a handle on your professional side. I know you’re a kick-butt cop and you’re basically fearless in a fight. That’s obvious from what you and Tuck did here at the ranch. And I know you’re a good leader who had the support of the entire police department in your bid to be appointed chief. So tell me about your childhood and school years. Were you a little angel or a rebel?”
He grinned. “Which do you think?”
Libby’s brow furrowed. “I think maybe you were a mix of the two. I imagine your mother got exasperated with you on a regular basis, but all you had to do was look at her with those big dark eyes and say you were sorry and she forgot all about being mad.”
He chuckled. “That worked sometimes, but not always. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn’t determined to keep up with my brother, Tom. That made me do some pretty foolish things.”
“Did you get along with your parents?”
“I did, actually. Dad took me to work with him a lot when I wasn’t in school, and I started officially working for him the summer I turned fourteen. Both Tom and I loved construction, and that made Dad happy. My mom didn’t work outside the home. She always had a snack waiting on the kitchen counter when I got off the bus, and made me tell her about my day while I ate it.”
“I had that, too. I wish I’d appreciated it more.”
They rode in silence for a little while, then Libby asked if his family still lived in North Carolina.
“No. Tom moved to Florida when he got married, and started his own contracting company there. Mom and Dad sold their business and joined him down there a year after the first grandkid came along.”
“How often do you see them?”
Ryan shrugged. “A few times a year. It works out okay. I’m not sure we’d get along as well if we lived closer. Mom likes to be very involved in my life, and that can get old real fast. When they moved to Florida, it actually made things better. We talk often, but she can’t give in to her desire to meddle.”
“You’re fortunate to have a loving family. I’m so glad Tuck and I are close. I couldn’t have gotten through losing Mom and Dad without him. I was twenty when they died, and Tuck was my rock. I did some dumb things in my grief and I used to get so mad at him for being so grounded and mature about it all, but thank goodness he was.”
“Tuck is definitely the most grounded, mature person I know,” Ryan agreed. He looked over at her, his eyes soft. “Car accident, right? That’s how you lost your parents?”
“Yeah. An unexpected snow storm caused a twenty car pile-up on the interstate.”
“I wish you still had them. Makes me want to hug my own parents a little harder next time I see them.”
Libby smiled. There was just so much about this man to like. She didn’t want the mood to turn melancholy, though, so she changed the subject. “We’re only about half a mile from the creek. Wanna pick up the pace a little?”
Without warning, Ryan urged his horse into a gallop, leaving Libby to try to catch up. She was only a few lengths behind when they got to the creek. Ryan pulled up and turned his horse around, his grin making her catch her breath. She had never, ever known a more gorgeous man. She had also never, ever been so afraid that a broken heart was heading her way.
“Just for that, I hope your legs hurt li
ke fire tomorrow,” she told him.
“Nah, I’ll be good. I did an awful lot of bending and squatting this week. I don’t think this ride will do too much damage.”
They let their horses drink from the creek, then they rode alongside it for a while, enjoying the peaceful sound of the water trickling over the rocks. The warm spring-summer breeze wove its way through the long grasses on the creek bank and Libby felt the peace and beauty of the ranch clear to her core.
“Why did you choose law enforcement?” she asked.
Ryan raised a brow in her direction. “I’ll answer one last question, then it’s time to talk about you. Deal?”
She nodded. “I suppose. But you’re much more interesting.”
“That’s doubtful,” he replied. “Let’s see, why did I go into law enforcement. Well, it was kind of a natural move when I left the Army. One of the things I appreciated about the military was the structure and order. People know what’s expected of them, and they know the consequences of not following the rules. It’s amazing how smoothly things can run when there’s that kind of order. I guess a profession that encourages people to follow the rules and reprimands those who don’t was appealing to me.”
“I think it was a lot the same for Tuck,” Libby mused. “I have a million more questions, but I won’t ask them. I know there are things you don’t want to talk about, plus we made a deal. Just let me say that I’m glad your time in the military wasn’t all bad, and the city of Chandler is better off as a result of your choice of career.”
“I hope so. We just need to see where it goes from here. What about you? I’ve seen you wearing a lot of different hats since I’ve been here. You’re obviously a good business woman, is that what you majored in?”
“No. I have a Marketing minor, but I majored in Graphic Design.”
“Ah, so you’re an artistic gal. That’s why your designs for the lodge rooms are so good. I saw them yesterday when we went to meet with the flooring contractor.”
“That’s just the layout portion—wait until I get started on the interior design and decorating. I’ve also done a lot of work on a marketing campaign. We want to offer our retreats free of charge to the veterans and their families, so I need to make sure we have a viable program in place so people will want to support it financially. I’m waiting to get a little farther along in the construction process before we start hitting up donors and sponsors, though.”
“I’m sure you’ll get what you need. Your enthusiasm is catching. I knew next to nothing about your plans for the retreat center when I got here, but I’m already excited about the possibilities. I have a list of people I want to contact when I get back east. I’m pretty sure they’ll want to be sponsors.”
His support made Libby feel so good she had to blink back tears. “Thanks, Ryan. That means a lot. This project is so important to me. I never dreamed I’d be in a position to help give back to our veterans. Jolene said that the key to getting the wounded vets to their full potential is keeping up with their physical therapy, and getting their families involved is the best way to make sure that’s done. That’s what we want to focus on, teaching them the benefits of an ongoing physical therapy regimen so they can get back as much as they can before it’s too late. We want their whole family to be able to come and spend a week or two here learning about PT and just having a blast together. They deserve that and so much more.”
“It’s definitely a worthy cause.”
Libby looked at Ryan and saw his jaw clench. She wanted to ask whether he had friends who had been injured while in the military, but he’d already made it clear there were things he didn’t want to talk about, and she wanted to honor that. Instead she tightened her grip on her horse’s reins. They reached the butte, and Ryan remarked that it looked a lot less ominous in the light of day.
“We’ll come out with the others and climb it sometime,” Libby promised.
They rode back toward the stables, talking a little more about the retreat center, but mostly just enjoying the beautiful morning. When the stable came into view in the distance, Libby grinned over at him.
“Wanna race again?” she asked just before she dug her heels into Jet’s sides and they took off.
“Dang it, Libby!” he called as she shot away.
His riding skills had definitely come back to him, and he came way too close to catching her. His eyes were bright and energy was crackling off him when they dismounted and led their horses into the stable. Libby knew it was a short lived reprieve for him, but she was glad the ride had taken his mind off his troubles, at least for a little while.
They laughed and joked as they rubbed down the horses, but by the time they got back to the ranch house, she sensed him growing tense and pensive again. She went into the kitchen to put together the salad Kay wanted to serve with lunch, and he followed her in, taking a bottle of water from the fridge.
“What smells so good?” he asked.
“Kay’s roast beef. You’ll love it.”
“You stuffed me full of sticky buns at breakfast, and now I’m supposed to find room for roast beef?”
“Trust me, one bite of that Full Heart Ranch beef and you’ll get your appetite back.”
“Anything I can help with in here?”
Libby stopped at a sink to was her hands. “I can find something if you want, or you can go out to the living room and just relax. I’ve already monopolized your whole morning.”
“Find me something. It’s better if I keep busy.” He flashed her an unexpected smile. “And you’re not bad company.”
“Why thank you. For that I’ll let you chop the peppers instead of the onion,” she said, trying to ignore how his words made her heart flutter.
“You don’t want me to cry?” he asked, setting his empty water bottle on the counter and looking down at her, his dark eyes warm.
“Nope. Not even if it’s just from an onion.” Libby tore her eyes from his handsome face and went to the fridge to get the vegetables for the salad. She put three peppers on the counter, red, green, and yellow. “We’ll use half of each one. Kay’s all about presentation, and she’ll like the extra color.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Libby smiled and added the onion, a cucumber, and some radishes. “I’ll get you a good knife.” She opened a drawer in the island and took out two. “This is my favorite,” she said, handing him the mini-cleaver she preferred for chopping vegetables. “But be careful. It’s really sharp.”
***
He carefully took the knife and frowned. “If it’s your favorite, you should use it. I won’t know the difference.”
Libby cocked her head and looked a little confused. Ryan realized that it had never even crossed her mind to keep the good knife for herself. It was a little thing, but it told him more about her than hours of conversation could. She shrugged and took the vegetables to the sink to wash.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was more beautiful to him standing there at the sink, dressed in simple jeans and a tee shirt, than any of the women who had tried so hard to catch his attention over the years. His resolve to keep his distance was wavering, he knew that, and he tried to summon the strength to renew it.
She turned back to him then, that sweet smile curving her soft, pink lips, and he knew he’d lost the battle. When she brought the vegetables over and stood at the counter next to him, he set the knife down and stepped closer to her, so close he could feel the warmth of her slender body just inches away.
He raised a hand and planted his palm on the cabinet above her head, dropping his face near her hair, inhaling its fresh fruity scent. Her movements stilled and she stood there frozen, one hand still full of radishes. Ryan knew she felt the attraction, just as he did. He slowly smoothed his other hand down over her hair, letting it come to rest lightly on her lower back.
She swallowed hard and he felt her shiver under his hand. “Libby,” he murmured.
She slowly turned sideways to look at him, her pretty eyes r
eflecting the need he knew was showing in his own.
“Can you remind me why we’re fighting this?” he asked softly.
Her lips parted to form an answer, and then they heard the front door open, followed by the sound of voices. Libby’s eyes widened, and then glinted with sudden humor. “Because Tuck’s home?” she suggested, her lips quirking into a smile.
He couldn’t help but grin down at her. “A very good reason,” he said, stepping reluctantly away from her. “We’d better get to chopping.”
And that’s what they were doing when the others wandered into the kitchen.
CHAPTER 13
On Tuesday morning, Libby knocked on the cabin door, smiling tentatively when Ryan opened it. “You ready?”
“Yep.” Ryan closed the door and walked with her to her car. “Want me to drive?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. In fact, I’d prefer it if you drive a car like you drive a Gator.”
Her laugh eased his unbearable tension. He got in the car and greeted Maddy, who was waiting in the back seat.
“Tell him I’m a good driver, Maddy,” Libby said as they fastened their seat belts.
“She’s a good driver,” Maddy said obediently. “When she’s not distracted. She tends to miss her turnoffs when she gets to talking. And that’s most of the time, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Ryan grinned when Libby gave an exasperated huff, but he noticed she didn’t deny the accusation. Pretty soon Maddy launched into a story about how they had once driven more than a hundred miles out of their way because they were both talking and didn’t realize they’d completely missed their exit.
“After that we stopped turning down the volume on the GPS,” Maddy said. “We realized she’s our friend and we need her.”
“And we named her Sally,” Libby said, “after one of my bossy high school friends.”
“Any chance you two know the way to Tuck’s office, or do we need to fire Sally up right now?”