Emma finished reading and looked at Ryan. “Humph. I don’t like this Miss Van Leer person.”
Ryan arched a brow. “Why? It seems she wants the best for Mary.”
“Yeah, but to practically tell the girl she should go against her own mother? It sounds a bit sordid.”
“I think it’s far worse that her mother won’t let her marry the man she’s in love with.”
Staring at the letter in her hands, Emma re-read it. He did have a point. The poor girl was in love with a man, and her mother wouldn’t even consider discussing it.
There was nothing on earth that would stop Emma from talking to her daughter, let alone banish Nicole from her life. “Yeah, you’re right. From reading only two letters I can tell Mary's mom isn’t exactly maternal. I can’t believe she’s more concerned about social standing than her daughter’s fear of the man she’s trying to pair her with.”
Sitting upright, Ryan tilted his head from side to side. “Let’s move on.”
After reading several more letters, Emma still wasn’t convinced of Miss Van Leer’s innocence. However, she was damn sure Mary’s mother wouldn’t win Saint of the Year. “Wow, Mary did it. She married her love. I wish we knew for sure that she’d made the right decision.”
Ryan leaned close to the candle and reread the letter. “She took a huge gamble, leaving her mother and the life she knew to run off and marry some guy.”
Emma stretched her hands high above her head. “Not just any guy. The man she adored. I think she was very brave.”
“Yeah, brave.” His swallowed hard, his voice toneless.
Confused by his sudden change in mood but reluctant to bring up anything that would make him leave, Emma reached for the remaining letters. “There are only three left. Two addressed to Rebecca and the one addressed to Ruby Van Leer.”
“Okay, read them in order.”
“Gotcha—wait a minute.” Emma studied the letters in her hand. “I didn’t notice this before.”
Ryan sat forward. “What?”
She held up one of the letters addressed to Rebecca. “This one has a stamp on it, but it was never canceled and it’s unopened.”
Ryan’s brow shot up, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. “Really? Wow. Read the opened ones first. Save the mysterious one for last.”
Rubbing her thumb and forefinger over her strained eyes, Emma shifted in her seat on the floor and gently pulled the letter from its envelope. She wished the power would come back on, but with the way the storm raged outside, she didn’t expect it anytime soon.
Dearest Sister, Rebecca. I know it has been a few weeks since our last correspondence. I hope this letter finds you well. I am so sorry for any concern I might have caused. It must have come as quite a shock to read that Walter and I planned to elope. We married two days after I sent my last letter. I can only say I will be forever grateful to Miss Van Leer for her encouragement. I am deliriously happy and relieved. Relieved because I recently heard Charles Henderson has fallen on hard times. He lost his fortune and has been seen drunk. He was arrested for beating a woman. Rebecca, that could have been me, had it not been for Miss Van Leer’s guidance.
As happy as I am, I cannot truly be filled with joy. As with you and Sara, Mother refuses to speak with me. I know you both must miss her as dreadfully as I do. Please, can we not find some way to get through to her? I want us to be a family again. Mother shall not live forever and I do not want to spend the rest of my life regretting that we never tried to make amends.
Please, write back as soon as you can. Your loving sister, Mary
“Wow, I guess Mary dodged a bullet.” Emma put the letter back in the envelope and placed it in the pile of letters she’d already read.
Ryan shifted in his seat. “I guess Miss Van Leer wasn’t so devious after all.”
“Oh, come on. How could that woman have known Charlie was going to lose his money and become an abusive drunk?”
His brow shot up. “After everything we’ve been through the last few days, how can you possibly not believe in the paranormal?”
“You think Miss Van Leer had some kind of foresight?”
“I think it’s possible.”
She didn’t respond as thoughts of her unexplainable visions invaded her mind. Okay, so the man had made another good point.
Emma picked up the next letter, the letter addressed to Ruby Van Leer. “Well, let’s see what this one has to say about this odd woman.”
Dear Miss Van Leer. I hope this letter finds you well. I am sorry I have been remiss in my correspondence with you. I have faith you understand my rudeness is due to the upcoming birth of our first child. However, your understanding makes me feel that much guiltier for what I am about to ask of you.
You have done so much for my sisters and me. We will be forever in your debt. You seem to have a knowledge of people and circumstances I believe is shared only by God Himself. On behalf of my sisters, I ask you once again to intervene on our behalf. Please, help us to mend the torn relationship we have with our mother. She is getting on in years and I do so want my child to know its only living grandparent.
I have enclosed in this box the letters my sister, Mary, has sent to me in the hopes you will understand, not only her adoration of you and all you have done, but also her sorrow at not being welcome in our mother’s home. Please read them carefully and look into your heart. Will you help us? Write back as soon as you can. In your debt, Rebecca
Emma placed the letter aside with a frown. Something had bothered her about these letters for quite some time, but it wasn’t until that moment that she could put it into words. “How the hell did these letters wind up behind the mirror in the brownstone?”
Ryan scratched the top of his head. “I figured Rebecca lived in the brownstone after her mother died.”
Emma shook her head. “The house went to the state after Hilary Smith’s death.”
Ryan jerked up from his slumped position. “You’re right. None of her daughters inherited because, in Hilary’s eyes, none of them found a suitable husband.”
“Exactly. So how did they get there?”
“You got me.”
Emma reached for the last letter and turned it over in her hands. “Ryan, do you think it’s illegal to open a century old letter?”
He grinned. “Well, technically it was never mailed. Therefore, it was never a possession of the United States Post Office.”
“I’m going to open it.” As if unwrapping a fragile porcelain doll, she unsealed the letter.
Dearest Rebecca. How lovely it is to hear from you. Of course I understand about your lack of correspondence. Having never had children of my own, I am thrilled you shall begin a family soon. I am a servant of the Lord and as such I will do all I can to help His devoted children. I will indeed help you in any way I can, but please know this: your mother’s aversion to me is very strong, so I am not sure what I can do.
Right now there is a blizzard raging outside my window, the likes of which I have never seen. I promise you, as soon as the roads are clear and I can fetch a carriage over to your mother’s house, I will do so. I know she will not listen to me, but I feel if I give her the letters you sent, it will, in effect, be like Mary and you speaking to her. Perhaps if she sees how happy you are and how much you miss her, she will stop this silliness and welcome you all back into her home.
God willing, I shall be writing to you again in a few short days with good news. Until then, my dear Rebecca, may God bless you and your growing family. My deepest regards, Ruby Van Leer
Emma looked up from the letter to Ryan, hoping to see some sort of revelation on his face. When none was apparent, she sighed. “Okay, now what?”
Ryan just shook his head. “Are you sure that’s all of them? You didn’t miss any or leave any behind at the brownstone?”
“No, I read them all, but if there are any left at the house, you can bet your ass that’s where they’re staying.” Emma threw the letter down with a huff. “I
can’t believe I was nearly killed for these.”
With a deep breath, he held up his index finger. Oh, here we go again. Finger math.
“So, what have we learned? One, Hilary Smith disowned all three of her daughters. Two,” his middle finger shot up, “they all married men they were introduced to by Ruby Van Leer, and three,” now his thumb, “because of that, Hilary detested Ruby.”
“None of this tells us anything.” Emma struggled to get to her feet.
With a throaty chuckle, Ryan stood and reached out a hand. She gripped it and allowed him to pull her up.
Emma caught her breath. He stood so close, his hand still holding hers. Oh God, how she wanted him. On pure instinct, she inched her lips toward his.
He dropped her hand, his face a tight mask. “It’s getting late.”
Emma pulled back. Hoping to hide the heat growing within her, she walked to the window and stared out. Rain pelted the glass. The wind whisked the trees violently. “I don’t like the way it looks out there.” Searching out her purse for her cell phone, she brought up the weather station app, hoping to find out how long the storm would last.
As she waited for the connection, Ryan took her place at window. He looked so sad, so lost.
Why?
A few seconds later, a chirping sound pulled her mind off her guest and onto the WeatherBug alert message. She scanned the forecast. “There’s a tornado watch in effect until two a.m.”
He turned to her, his brow furrowing. “A tornado? On Long Island?”
She nodded. “It says the storms will continue until early morning.” She dialed the electric company. The recording informed her lightning had struck a transformer and power wouldn’t be up for several more hours.
Great, just great.
“This is going to be a fun drive home,” Ryan muttered.
Emma stood next to him, fear replacing the embarrassment she felt a few moments ago. “I think you should stay.”
The terrified look on his face pissed her off. What did he think she was going to do, devour him? Okay, yeah, so, she wanted to, sure, but that didn’t mean she was going to.
“Now, let me explain,” she said. “There are potential tornadoes in the area and there isn’t any power in the vicinity. That means the streetlights and traffic lights are out. It’s too dangerous for you to drive home.”
He stared at her, his eyes glazing over. Stepping closer, his gaze roamed her face. The smell of his masculine cologne didn’t help either. Luther had long since been quieted by the power outage, but the high winds and thunder produced their own kind of music. God, he hadn’t even touched her, and already her body trembled and fought palpitations.
“You want me to stay here with you?” His voice was deep and sexual, as if made for seduction.
“I have a guest room.” Yeah, that ought to get the point across that she was only asking him to stay for his safety. Forget the fact that her voice was breathless, that her body was visibly shaking, and that she couldn’t take her eyes off those incredible lips of his.
She had a guest room.
“Of course. The guest room.” He leaned down and captured her lips.
Emma wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back, ignoring the thought that it might be a good idea to think this through first.
Framing his face in her hands, Emma opened her lips and speared her tongue inside, searching, finding, and mating with his. He tasted of the wine he’d had at dinner, which was fitting since he was making her feel slightly drunk.
They had to move fast, because if they took it slow, it would give them time to think. If they took time to think, they’d realize what a mistake this was.
Backing her against the wall and out of the glow of the candlelight, Ryan lifted her hands over her head, holding both her wrists with one hand.
Emma gasped when Ryan ran his hand up under her T-shirt. He cupped one breast and brushed his thumb across its peak, causing it to strain against her bra. Heat like warm honey melted between her legs. She pressed into him, rubbing against his erection.
Ryan’s breathing accelerated. He slid his hand inside her bra, massaging and pinching its hardened crest.
“Oh, yes, touch me, Ryan.” It’d been so long since she’d felt a man’s caress, but his was the only one she wanted.
“This has got to go.” Releasing her wrists, he had her T-shirt up over her head in one fluid motion. His fingers then moved to the back of her bra, undoing the hooks. Emma felt her breasts spring free mere seconds before warm wet lips engulfed her nipple. Ryan’s tongue flicked and teased, causing her to moan deep in her throat.
“Oh, I gotta hear more of that.”
Working his shirt over his back, she whispered, “Keep doing what you’re doing and you will.”
Emma placed her hands on his chest, not really able to see it, but, oh, could she feel it. Hard plains gave way to deep valleys, all with a sprinkling of masculine hair. His chest was so hard, yet soft at the same time. Trailing her fingers lower, she encountered his rock-hard abs. God, she wanted to feel every inch of him, but how much bolder could she dare to be?
This was wrong. It was too fast. Hell, the guy barely even liked her.
But Emma knew even as his lips closed around the peak of her nipple once more, this is what she wanted. This man had held her captive from the moment he’d first touched her. He had saved her life, and the second he’d broken through that door earlier this evening, she’d fallen in love with him.
And the desire to please him was all she thought about.
Just as she hooked her fingers under the edge of his jeans, Ryan pulled away.
“Emma…Nicole.”
She leaned into him, her lips angry at being deprived of his kiss. “It’s okay, she sleeps like a log.”
He groaned but refused to placate her. “She’s standing in the hallway.”
With a gasp, Emma jumped back, grabbing her T-shirt from the arm of the chair, praying it was too dark for her daughter to have seen anything.
Okay, that’s it. I’m buying a bell for this kid tomorrow!
She rushed over to her. “Hey, sweet pea. What’s wrong?”
“The thunder woke me up,” Nicole said, her voice sounding sleepy. “I can’t see. Is Ryan still here?”
“Right here, angel.” Ryan stepped into the pool of candlelight, his shirt back on.
With her hands on her shoulders, Emma nudged her daughter down the hall. “Let’s get you back to bed. You have school tomorrow.”
Nicole turned toward the stairs. “Can Ryan come, too?”
Surprised, Emma turned to him for approval.
He looked like he might melt into a puddle on the floor. “Sure, angel.”
After they tucked Nicole into bed, Emma closed her door and faced Ryan, praying that God would give her the right words to say. “Ryan, I—”
“If I were a sane man, I’d go out into this storm and take my chances.” His voice held none of the passion or emotion from before. “Instead, I’m going to ask you where that guest room is and get out of your hair.”
Sorrow engulfed her, but she forced a smile. Now that she was out of his arms, she felt cold and lonely. “Thanks for not making me beg.”
His brows shot up.
Oh jeez, she hated herself sometimes. “I mean, to make you stay. It wouldn’t have been pretty.”
Instead of the smile she’d hoped for, he simply nodded.
She looked away. “The guest room is the second door on the left.”
She watched him walk down the hall, fighting tears and the urge to call him back, if for no other reason than to have him hold her in his arms.
But she didn’t. Instead, she waited until he closed the door and went back to her daughter’s room. She just wanted to look at her, because right now, with the way she was feeling, Nicole was the only one who could give her some peace.
“Mommy?”
Emma sat on the edge of her bed. “Sweetie, you should be sleeping.”
Nicole rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “I really want you and Daddy to get back together, but I know you’re not going to.”
She stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“I wouldn’t mind having a second daddy—”
“Oh, honey, you don’t have to worry about that just yet.”
“—as long as it’s Ryan.”
Damn, this girl knew how to punch her in the stomach without even touching her. “Nicole, I told you, Ryan and I aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“But, Mommy, I like him.”
“I know you do, but if I were to marry someone, it’d be because we both love him.”
“He gives you warm fuzzies, you told me he does.”
Oh God, what was she going to do? She took a deep breath. “Okay, yes, he does give me warm fuzzies, but that’s not enough to marry someone. I don’t know if I’ll ever get married again.”
Nicole turned to face the wall.
“I love you, honey.”
Letting out a long, slow sigh, Nicole faced her again and held out her hands to her. “I love you, too, Mommy. Now give me a hug-a-bug.”
Emma held her daughter, wondering when the hell their roles had reversed.
***
Ryan lay on his back, watching the storm through the window. He should go. He should go and never step foot in this house again. Never see Emma again, never see Nicole again.
So why wasn’t he moving? Why was he lying there, thinking about Emma’s hot lips on his, her breasts in his hands, and wondering just how soundproof these walls were.
He tossed and turned, simply because if he lay on his stomach he’d put a hole in the mattress. He wore nothing but his boxers, yet he still felt confined. Think of baseball, think of global warming, think of anything except crawling into Emma’s bed and letting her use those skilled hands of hers to find ways of relieving the tension in his twig and berries.
So maybe coming for dinner wasn’t crossing the line, but he was pretty sure kissing and touching her was. He couldn’t stand this! He loved her, God, he loved her, but he loved Tag too. Ryan wanted to rip his hair out in frustration.
Ruby's Letters Page 19