Ryder (7 Brides for 7 Soldiers Book 1)

by Barbara Freethy

  "It's not difficult to believe in you," Brenda said. "We know you."

  "And we love you," her dad finished.

  "Thanks. That means a lot to me. I didn't prepare the food that made the customers sick. If I had been on that dish, I would have checked the fish. And I would have taken responsibility if I had done it."

  "Of course you would have," her father said with a nod. "Now, what's happening with your job?"

  "Well, I was fired, so there is no job."

  "He fired you for what wasn't your mistake?" her dad asked with anger in his voice. "How can he do that?"

  "It doesn't matter. I don't want to work for him ever again. I need to start over, find a new path, get my confidence back." She knew she needed to say something to her father that he probably wouldn't like, but she didn't want there to be any more misunderstandings. "I know that you'd still like me to consider taking over No Man's Land one day, Dad, but I don't think I can do that. I feel badly, because it's the family business, and God knows neither Adam nor Zane could run this place. But whether I go back to New York or somewhere else, it's time for me to do something on my own. I don’t know exactly what it's going to be, but I'm tired of working on other people's dreams. I want to work on my own."

  "I have known for a long time that your destiny is not this diner," her father said with complete understanding in his warm blue eyes. "But you can always work here until you figure out what you want. I'm just glad you came home, Bailey. Not only have we missed you, but I think you need to remember who you are. Eagle's Ridge is a good place to do that."

  "You're the best," she said, giving him a hug.

  "Only when I give you what you want," he teased.

  She smiled back at him. "Even when you don't."

  "You'll find your way," Brenda added. "You've never been short on big ideas, Bailey."

  "I just have to make sure the big ideas are the right ones."

  Brenda turned away as they heard the diner door open and a group of customers enter the restaurant. "Looks like it's time for you two to start cooking."

  For the next several hours, the kitchen was slammed with orders. Bailey found herself reveling in the fast pace, the hot kitchen, the challenge of making sure every dish was perfect.

  Brenda and a young woman named Mandy took the orders out to the diners as fast as they could get them done, and everything ran very smoothly, but Bailey shouldn't have been surprised about that. Her father and Brenda had been working together for a long time, and they seemed to know what each other needed without anyone having to say anything.

  The breakfast rush turned into a lunch rush, and it wasn't until almost two that Bailey had a minute to think about anything but food. However, as the crowd in the diner thinned out, her thoughts turned to Ryder and her promise to come by the airfield. Just thinking about seeing him again sent a shiver down her spine. She'd spun some lovely fantasies in her head last night, but she couldn't or shouldn't go there. At least, not right now…

  She had a lot of things to figure out and throwing Ryder into the mix would not be smart. She didn't even know how long she'd be in Eagle's Ridge. Starting something was a bad idea, but there was a part of her that wondered if they hadn't started something already.

  Still, she had promised to help him with her grandfather, and it would be helpful to see the land in question. Taking off her apron, she hung it on a hook and told her father she was going out for a while.

  "No worries," he returned as he cleaned the grill. "Have fun."

  She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked into the diner. There was only one older couple sitting by the window, finishing up their salads and soups as they looked out at the river. After last night's heavy rain, the sun was shining again, but the river was even higher than it had been the day before.

  "Taking a break?" Brenda asked, as she ran a cloth over the counter in front of her. "It was like old times having you in the kitchen today, Bailey."

  "It felt like I never left, once I remembered that Master Guns meant eggs," she added dryly. "Is there any coffee?"

  "There is," Brenda said. "Help yourself."

  She grabbed a to-go cup and filled it with coffee. "So, how are you, Brenda?"

  "I'm fine. Nothing new. Life goes on."

  Brenda had always had an easygoing and caring personality, never letting her personal problems or feelings affect how she did her job. And it wasn't as if Brenda had always had it easy. Her military husband had been killed in action almost ten years ago, but Brenda had taken only a few days off before coming back to work, saying she needed to be busy.

  "No Eagle's Ridge gossip to share?" she pressed, taking a sip of her coffee.

  "Nothing particularly interesting."

  Brenda's gaze drifted toward the kitchen, and there was something a little off in her response, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. "Everything okay with you and my dad?" she asked.

  "Of course," Brenda said quickly, looking a little flustered by the question. "We're fine. We're always fine. Why do you ask?"

  "I don't know. It just seems like there's something on your mind."

  "Well…" Brenda began. "It's not a big deal, but I've been thinking about taking a class at the community college."

  "Really? What kind of class?"

  "Photography. It's silly because everyone takes pictures on their phone now. It's not like I need to learn how to use a fancy camera or if I should even spend the money to get one. It's not practical."

  "Sometimes it's good to be impractical, and I don't think it's silly at all. When are the classes?"

  "Wednesday nights, which is another problem, because I work most Wednesday nights."

  "So, change your day off; I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind."

  "Maybe not. But then again, he's not big on change."

  She supposed that was true. Her dad was great, but he was quite predictable. Still, he appreciated Brenda so much for all she'd done, not just at the diner but by being a mother to his kids. "My dad would want to support you. Let's ask him now."

  "No, not now," Brenda said with a quick shake of her head. "I need to think about it a little more. I'm just feeling restless. Next week it's going to be ten years since Doug was killed. I can't believe it's been that long. Sometimes it feels like yesterday, and other times it feels like a million years ago."

  "I'm sure it's always going to be difficult."

  "Always," Brenda agreed. "Anyway, let's talk about you. You seemed to be having an interesting conversation with Ryder Westbrook in here yesterday."

  She felt a rush of heat warm her cheeks, which drew Brenda's attention.

  "Well, well," Brenda murmured. "Did I touch a nerve?"

  "No, you didn't touch a nerve. Ryder helped me out with something the other day, and so I told him I would pay him back."

  "What did he do for you and, more importantly, what are you going to do for him?"

  She cast a quick glance around the restaurant to make sure Zane hadn't silently come in while they were talking. "I kind of let Gambler out of the house Wednesday night when I was watching him for Zane. Ryder came by the house to see my dad and wound up helping me with Gambler, but you can't tell Zane. I will never hear the end of it. It will be the goldfish episode all over again."

  Brenda smiled. "Your secret is safe with me. But that doesn't explain what you're doing with Ryder."

  "He wants to expand the airfield, and he needs Tucker land to do it. He wants me to smooth the way with Grandpa."

  "That's going to take a great deal of smoothing," Brenda said with a frown. "He's a Westbrook."

  "I know, but he thinks the feud is stupid and should have ended years ago, and I can't disagree. Plus, I think a bigger airfield would allow larger planes to land, which helps all of us." She paused. "Do you think Grandpa could be swayed?"

  "I don't know, Bailey. He's not one for changing his mind and getting older hasn't made him any less stubborn. When it comes to Westbrooks, he doesn't think with his head
; it's all heart."

  "I agree. I told Ryder that, but he wants me to see the land in question."

  A gleam entered Brenda's eyes. "So, you're going to see Ryder."

  "Yes, but it's business." She paused as her phone buzzed. Looking at the screen, she expected to see a text from a NY friend or some foodie reporter, but it was from her mom. She frowned and opened the message, her stomach turning over uneasily as she read the short text. "I can't believe I have to deal with this now," she muttered. "As if I don't have enough to worry about."

  "Is something wrong?"

  "I don't know. My mom wants me to call her. I just don't know if I can deal with her right now."

  "Maybe she has good news," Brenda said, her expression carefully neutral.

  Brenda had always been careful not to criticize her former friend, even though Brenda had been on the front lines of the terrible fallout between her mom, her dad, and the rest of her family.

  "She doesn't usually share bad news. With my mom, it's always about how wonderful her life is. I don't think she would ever want us to think she'd made the wrong decision by leaving us to take a television role."

  "She hurt all of you terribly, and I don't know how she ever walked away from you and your brothers or your father. Men like him don't come around very often…" Brenda's gaze drifted once again toward the kitchen pass.

  The odd look on Brenda's face made Bailey wonder. Brenda and her dad had always been the best of friends and they ran the restaurant together, but was there more between them?

  Brenda turned back to her. "But your mom was an actress before she married your dad and she gave that up for a long time to be a wife and a mother. Maybe it was her turn to have a chance at her dream."

  "I do understand her decisions a little better now that I'm grown up," she admitted, "now that I have dreams of my own. But my mom didn't do it right. She could have commuted or found a way to merge her dreams with her family. Why did it have to be a choice? All or nothing? That's what I don't understand."

  "It's easier to see other choices when you're looking back. Are you going to answer her text?"

  She drew in a breath. "Later. Don't mention it to Dad. It will just upset him."

  "I won't."

  "I'll be back before the dinner rush."

  "Take your time. And say hello to Ryder for me."

  "I will, but you can get that little smile off your face. I'm just helping out a friend."

  "You and Ryder are friends now?"

  She let out a little sigh. "Honestly, I have no idea what we are."

  * * *

  The Eagle's Ridge Airfield had been Ryder's home away from home when he was growing up. He'd started taking flight lessons when he was fourteen years old. He'd gotten his pilot's license before his driver's license. He'd found joy, adventure, escape in the sky, and he didn't just want to keep the airport going; he wanted to make it better for generations to come.

  He swiveled in his office chair and looked out at the property. The 220-acre airport was owned by the city of Eagle's Ridge, but it had been managed by David Bennett, since its inception. David retired as general manager fifteen years ago and turned the job over to his son Greg, who had been working there since his twenties.

  But now Greg was sixty. His two kids were grown and living far away from Eagle's Ridge, and Greg and his wife wanted to travel. When Greg had heard Ryder was back in town, he'd reached out to him about taking over airport operations.

  He'd brushed the idea aside at first. He was a pilot, not a desk jockey, but once he'd come back to the airfield, and looked at all the ways the airport could be expanded, which would not only bring more tourists and money into town but would also allow them to provide better support for search and rescue and wildfires, he'd known this was what he was meant to do next.

  Getting up, he moved closer to the window, looking out at the runway, the heliport, the half-dozen hangars that could be rented out if they had more aircraft requiring space. In his mind, he could see a bustling airport, far different than the sleepy airfield it was now.

  A knock turned him around, and his heart jumped at the sight of Bailey Tucker. Wearing skinny jeans, boots, and a dark-green wool coat over a cream-colored top, her blonde hair flowing loosely around her shoulders, her light-blue eyes bright and gleaming, she looked even prettier than the image he'd carried around in his head since last night.

  "I'm glad you came," he said.

  "I said I would, and I have a few hours before I have to get back to the diner for dinner prep. I have to say I haven't been out here in years. I always fly into Seattle or Spokane and drive from there."

  "Which is what I'm trying to change. I want to make it a lot easier for everyone to get here."

  "Do you worry it will bring too many people into town? There's a certain charm about the isolation of Eagle's Ridge."

  "Charm doesn't pay bills, and a busy airport will bring in jobs. If you decide to open your own restaurant, you'll be looking for customers, too."

  She smiled. "I agree. Do you want to show me around?"

  "I do, but the best way to really see the airport is from the sky."

  She stiffened. "You want to take me up in a plane?"

  "A helicopter."

  "Oh, I don't know. That sounds kind of scary."

  "It's quite fun, and I'm a very good pilot. You'll be safe, Bailey."

  "I'm sure you are good, but maybe we should just walk around."

  "Come on. I promise to bring you back in one piece, and I think you'll enjoy it." He paused, giving her a thoughtful look. "I know you're not a fearful person. You grew up whitewater rafting with your brothers. So why the hesitation?"

  She gave a helpless shrug. "I don't know. You're right. I used to be a lot braver than I seem to be now. I will go in the helicopter with you."

  "Excellent. I've already double-checked our ride in the hopes that you would say yes, so I'm ready to go if you are."

  "I guess I am."

  As Ryder reached for his jacket, David Bennett ambled into the office. At ninety-three, David had lost a few inches of height, putting him at about five foot seven now, with a wiry frame, olive skin, white hair, still sharp and curious brown eyes, and notably large ears that had given him the nickname Dumbo. Those big ears had ironically started to fail him in recent years, making every conversation more of a shouting match.

  While David no longer worked at the airport, he still stopped by at least three to four times a week to check up on things—as he liked to say—but mostly he just enjoyed being there, watching the action, even if he couldn't direct it anymore.

  "Well, well, well," David said, his gaze on Bailey. "If it isn't the prettiest girl in town."

  "You always say that," Bailey said, giving David a hug. "It is good to see you. How are you?"

  "Getting younger every day," David said with a laugh.

  "I can see that."

  "What are you doing here?" he asked.

  "Ryder is going to take me for a ride."

  "He's going to make you his bride?" David echoed, looking confused. "You two getting married?"

  "No, no," Bailey said quickly, speaking more loudly. "He's going to take me up in the helicopter for a ride."

  "You need to turn up your hearing aid," Ryder said dryly.

  "I can hear just fine," David retorted. "You tell Bailey about your plans?"

  "Yes. I'm going to show her where the extended runway will go before we talk to Max." He paused, his gaze narrowing. He'd asked David not to share his plan with Max Tucker until he formulated his thoughts, but the two men spent time together, having dinner at least once a week. "You haven't said anything to Max, have you?"

  "Nope. Last thing I'm looking to do these days is set a spark to the dynamite keg that has always been Max Tucker," David said.

  "Do you think Ryder's plan is a good one?" Bailey asked.

  "Absolutely. But Max won't sell one inch of his land to the city, because everyone knows the city is run by the We
stbrooks. Sorry, Ryder. But that's the way he thinks."

  He shrugged. "No apologies necessary."

  "But you would be in favor of the plan?" Bailey persisted. "I feel like my grandfather should hear that from you, because you've run the airport your whole life. You know what it needs better than anyone."

  "I know it needs someone younger than me, someone with more fight," David said, giving him a pointed look. "I think Ryder is up for the challenge."

  "It seems more like an unsurmountable obstacle than a challenge," Bailey commented.

  "Well, let's take a ride," Ryder put in, not wanting her to change her mind before he had a chance to show her his plans. "We'll keep thinking about how to approach Max."

  "Have fun," David said, waving them on. "I'll watch over things around here."

  Ryder didn't bother to say that the airport was already under the careful watch of three other employees; David liked to feel useful.

  They made their way downstairs and through the terminal area, which housed the flight school office, a small waiting room, a coffee/deli kiosk and the business offices.

  As they exited the building and headed to the heliport, Jason, one of the older teenagers who worked at the airport part-time so he could pay for flight lessons, came over to help them get set up with headphones and microphones so they'd be able to communicate once they were in the air. Then Bailey climbed into the passenger seat while he slipped behind the controls and went through his final pre-check.

  A quick glance at Bailey showed tension on her face, so he gave her a reassuring smile. "You're going to love this."

  "I hope so."

  "You can trust me, Bailey."

  "I'm counting on that."

  The look in her eyes made him realize that trust for her was probably not a particularly easy thing to come by these days. He was not going to be the man to let her down.

  Eight

  Bailey knew Ryder was an accomplished pilot, but she still couldn't quite shake the waves of anxiety running through her body. She'd never been comfortable giving up control, whether it was in the kitchen or anywhere else in her life. But she was even less comfortable now, having been so recently burned by someone she'd thought she loved and who she'd believed was trustworthy. But this wasn't about love, and Ryder didn't owe her anything except a safe and uneventful ride.