“Yes. Of course,” she insisted, wishing everyone would stop asking her that.
Ryder’s gaze flickered to Bess. “Ma’am,” he drawled, nodding at her. Since he was the first customer, he took the booth he’d had the day before.
“What can I get you?” Ashley had followed him and waited by his table for his order, silently wondering what she was going to do. She had to get rid of him. If he hung around too long, he’d soon find out he was going to be a father. She couldn’t risk that.
Ryder didn’t even look at the menu. “A big breakfast. Pancakes would be nice. You decide what to bring with them,” he answered, still smiling. “And coffee, black—”
“No sugar. Right,” she replied, then could have smacked herself. She didn’t want him to think she paid particular attention to his habits. Flushing, she rushed on, “I have an excellent memory.”
Blue eyes met dark brown ones and suddenly it seemed as if they were alone in the room. Somewhere in the distance, Ashley heard the bells over the door jingle as other customers came in, but her gaze seemed to be glued to Ryder.
His voice was low when he spoke. “Good. That means you haven’t forgotten.”
Feeling as if she were under hypnosis, she asked, “Forgotten what?”
Ryder took hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb over the pulse point of her wrist. “What it was like between us that night. What it felt like when I touched you, when you touched me.”
Ashley wet her lips. God, she didn’t want to remember, but she hadn’t been able to forget. “Ryder,” she whispered. She’d meant it to sound like a warning, but it came out more like a moan. She couldn’t let him do this to her. She turned and quickly walked away, eager to get herself on sure footing once again.
Fascinated by her body, Ryder watched Ashley hurry away from him. Several people had come into the diner, which seemed to be a popular morning spot. Ryder continued to watch Ashley as she worked. She had a good rapport with the customers, both the men and the women. In the short amount of time she’d been here, it seemed she was really well liked.
Well, Ryder could understand that. There was a lot to like about her. Today she was dressed once again in jeans, which encased her derriere and hugged her thighs. The sleeveless shirt she wore with them was white and had an open collar. She’d braided her dark hair in some sort of twist that made it look shorter than it was, but it was really pretty.
His eyes skimmed hungrily over her. She’d changed a lot in the past months. That night in the bar she’d reeked of class and high society. Now she looked as if she could have come from any one of the nearby farms or ranches.
She still looked mighty young. Ryder grimaced. Her age had given him more than one nightmare since the night he’d spent with her. He didn’t need Jacob Bennett coming after him with a shotgun. Since she’d been about to get married, he’d assumed she was over eighteen. If she wasn’t, he could be in a heck of a lot of trouble.
The door to the diner opened, and Ryder’s gaze shifted to the man who walked in. He was tall and of medium build, well-muscled and looked somewhere around his brother Jake’s age, which was thirty-two. Dressed in a khaki uniform, he had a badge pinned on his shirt and a lethal looking gun strapped to his hip.
Ryder didn’t have to guess who he was. The sheriff in the flesh. Ryder watched him move through the room, his gaze resting for a split second on Ryder before he continued on.
Apparently the sheriff missed nothing. Ryder gritted his teeth when the man took a seat at the counter and called out to Ashley. She turned and smiled, her eyes softening as she spoke to him. Ryder had the sudden urge to go over and sock the sheriff square in the jaw, then told himself to calm down. Punching out the sheriff wouldn’t do a thing but land him in jail.
Ashley seemed to remember Ryder was there, because her gaze locked briefly with his before going back to the sheriff. When Ryder saw the sheriff reach for Ashley’s hand, he wondered again just how friendly they were.
Ryder slid deeper into the seat and settled back, trying his best to look nonchalant while every single muscle in his body tensed. Maybe that’s why Ashley wanted him to leave her alone. Maybe she hadn’t told him the truth and had something going with the sheriff.
He released a pent-up breath when Ashley withdrew her hand and poured coffee into the sheriff’s cup. Ryder noticed her hand shook a bit. He wished he could attribute that to his presence and not the other man’s. Ryder wanted to be the one to make Ashley tremble. He wanted to make Ashley remember how it had been between them.
Trouble was, Ashley kept insisting she wanted to be left alone. Still, there were some answers he wanted and he was going to get them...whether she liked it or not.
She came back to Ryder’s table long enough to set his breakfast in front of him. It seemed to Ryder that she took great pains to keep her distance. Her eyes guarded, she made sure he had everything he’d asked for without really looking at him. Then she took off again as quickly as she could. For a while Ryder had to be satisfied with watching her wait on the other customers that came in for breakfast.
While he was eating, Ryder caught a speculative look or two from the sheriff. From anyone else, he would have assumed the cursory glances were nothing more than curiosity about a stranger passing through the town. Instead, because it was the sheriff doing the looking, he felt as if he were being sized up.
He evened up the score by checking out the sheriff as he finished his meal. He seemed relaxed as he sipped his mug of coffee, yet Ryder wasn’t fooled. There was a tenseness about him, a quiet sense of awareness. It showed in the way his shoulders never loosened and in the alert look in his eyes. And Ryder didn’t like the way the sheriff never quite took his eyes off Ashley.
Ryder, too, was aware of every move Ashley made, which included each time she spoke to the sheriff, each smile she sent his way, the soft look that came into her eyes when she spoke to him. A spark of jealousy stirred deep inside Ryder, which surprised him, because he’d vowed never to care that much about another woman. Ariel had done a job on his heart. No other woman was going to get the chance to humiliate him again. But wanting Ashley Bennett didn’t mean he wanted to spend his life with her. No way.
Ryder had made himself content to run the ranch with his brothers and sister. His family meant everything to him. They’d stood beside him when Ariel had made a laughingstock of him, when everyone in the county had heard what a fool he’d been.
He was drawn from his reflecting when Ashley approached his table. She didn’t look at him as she worked her pencil across the tablet, then ripped off a page and placed it on his table.
Six
“Join me for a few minutes,” Ryder said quietly.
“I’m working. I don’t have time.” Ashley had done her best to stay as far away from him as possible, to avoid any chance of physical contact. It was true she was attracted to him; there was no way she could deny it to herself. What galled her was that apparently it was obvious to him.
Ryder’s gaze surveyed the diner. The breakfast rush was definitely behind her. The only customers remaining were a young couple at a booth and the sheriff, who hadn’t so much as budged since he’d walked in the door.
“You can give me a few minutes. Sit.” He wasn’t giving her a choice. She could sit in the booth with him or he’d personally put her there. His expression told her as much. He grasped her hand and tugged until she finally slid onto the seat across from him, her shoulders tensed as if preparing for battle.
“Stop manhandling me,” she snapped, glaring at the grip he had on her. Just as she feared, his touch was doing wild things to her, making every single nerve ending along her skin tingle with excitement. She fought the delicious sensations and frowned.
Ryder easily read her expression and wanted to chuckle, but thought better of it. Still, he didn’t let go. “I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t ignore me.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” she protested, her dark eyes shooting sparks at him. “Unlike you
, I was working. Don’t you have a job to do or something?” Though he’d said his family owned a ranch, he looked like a man who worked hard for a living. His shoulders were broad and hard-muscled and his big hands were callused. Surely his family was missing him by now.
“Sure I work,” Ryder assured her, a disarming smile curving his lips, “I’ve just finished negotiating the sale of some horses for the ranch. I was on my way home when I came to see you.”
Ashley glared again. “Well, don’t let me hold you up.” She pulled at her hand again, but he held on to her.
“Is there a problem here?”
Both of them turned toward the person intruding on their conversation. Ryder wasn’t really surprised to find the sheriff standing beside the table. He’d been keeping his eye on him for the past few minutes and was aware they had captured his attention. Up close, the man exuded a presence of determination and will...and authority. Ryder didn’t want to tangle with him, but he would if it came down to it.
“No problem that I can see, Sheriff.” Loosening his grip on her somewhat, his gaze flickered to Ashley. “We’re just having a private discussion.”
The sheriff’s gaze shifted to Ashley, and the harsh look in his eyes gentled as he lifted an eyebrow. “Ashley?”
“It’s all right, Slade.” She took advantage of Ryder’s relaxed hold to remove her hand from his grasp, which afforded her a sharp look from him. “This is an acquaintance of mine, Ryder McCall.”
Acquaintance. Damn it all to hell, Ryder thought, there was that word again. It was beginning to grate on his nerves.
“Acquaintance,” he repeated, then gave Ashley a smile chock-full of charm, the look in his eyes beaming with mischief. “That’s real cute, darlin’, considering how well acquainted we are.”
“Ryder.” She sent him a blistering look.
His expression was one of unabashed innocence as he added, “I’m only speaking the truth.” Very deliberately he raised his head and met the speculative look in the sheriffs eyes. “There’s not another man on earth that knows Ashley as well as I do.”
Fuming, Ashley reared her foot back and kicked Ryder’s shin as hard as she could.
“Ouch!” Ryder growled, then reached under the table and kneaded his leg with his hand. He looked at Ashley, and she was smiling sweetly.
“So help me, Ryder McCall, if you don’t behave I’ll borrow the sheriff’s gun and shoot you.” She looked up at Slade and smiled sweetly.
He shifted his stance and appeared to relax a little.
“Well, if you’re sure you’re okay.” He didn’t exactly sound convinced. “You know where to find me if you need me.” His last words were spoken with a warning glance at Ryder.
“Thank you, Slade.”
Ryder was still scowling as the sheriff walked out the door. “Dammit, what was that for?”
“You know exactly what it was for. How dare you imply there’s something between us?”
Ryder straightened and glared at her. “It’s the truth,” he answered obstinately.
“Only in your mind.” She got out of the booth, and Ryder followed, detaining her by pinning her between him and the table.
“Like hell.”
Ashley wanted to move away from him, but there was nowhere to go. Her rear was pressed against the table, and she braced her hands against its edge, trying to overcome the spark of awareness that shot through her.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
Ryder leaned closer to her, so close that there was barely breathing space between them. “Because we have some unfinished business. You know it and I know it and the sooner you admit as much, we can get on with it.”
His mouth was only a breath away from hers. His lids slid halfway over his blue eyes, dropping his gaze to her mouth. His lips hovered, his breath tantalizing hers as she breathed in the very essence of him.
Ashley knew he was going to kiss her, and despite her resolve, she held her breath in anticipation. Never before had a man affected her like this cowboy. She placed her hands against his chest as if to hold him off, though aware that she ached to pull him closer.
“Ryder—” She clenched her hands in his shirt.
“I still want some answers,” he insisted. “When you’ve told me everything I want to know, I’ll leave if you still want me to,” he whispered, his breath fanning her ear. His tongue slipped out to caress it and his teeth nibbled her lobe. To anyone else in the room, it would appear he was merely whispering to her.
Ashley knew she had only to move her head just slightly and her lips would meet his. Ryder reached behind her, which drew him closer still. She closed her eyes and lifted her face, aching for the contact of his mouth on hers.
His lips touched her lips briefly, then they were gone. The fleeting contact was so unexpected, Ashley opened her eyes in surprise. To her chagrin, he was adjusting his hat on his head. He tilted it just so, then winked at her.
Ashley’s face reddened.
Ryder looked at her stunned expression, her slushed face and the sultry look of desire in her eyes. “As I said, darlin’, we’ve got unfinished business between us. I’ll pick you up at seven sharp.”
Before she could answer, he turned and strode out the door. It took a moment for her to realize he’d teased her on purpose, just to prove some sort of macho point. It was a good thing he was gone. If he had still been standing in front of her, she’d have crowned him with his breakfast plate!
She glanced at the remaining occupants of the diner, and they quickly averted their eyes. Hurrying to the kitchen, she began cleaning the dishes.
Ashley spent the rest of the day working hard and trying to forget Ryder McCall. Try as she might, it was just too impossible a task.
The night she’d spent with him had taught her a lot about him. He was compassionate and kind. He’d taken care of her when he could have left her alone and sick. His family meant a lot to him. She could see the love he had for them in his eyes when he spoke of them. She shook her head. He was also tenacious when he was after something. To her, that spelled trouble.
At closing time Ashley was alone in the diner. Bess had left earlier, having received a call from home that her youngest boy was sick. Ashley locked the diner door, then looked both ways down the road. Ryder was nowhere in sight.
“Well, doesn’t that just beat all,” she said to herself, annoyed that deep down she felt the slightest bit disappointed. Here she’d spent the entire day worrying over seeing him again, and he’d stood her up. Relief washed through her as she reminded herself that her goal was to get rid of him. Apparently she’d accomplished that.
She started toward Miss Tilley’s but had gone no further than a block when she heard the sound of an engine winding down. Without moving her head, she darted her eyes to the street and recognized Ryder’s black, dust-covered truck. Ignoring him, she continued to walk.
“C’mon, darlin, hop in,” he called through the open window. His coaxing tone was carried to her on a soft summer breeze.
Ashley kept the same pace and tried her best not to respond to his cheerful mood. She wasn’t at his beck and call. She’d never agreed to meet him. Sooner or later he would learn he couldn’t just tell her what to do.
“Ashley,” he called again, some of the patience now absent from his voice.
When she didn’t respond, he sped on up ahead of her. She watched him pull to the side of the road, his tires skidding on the rocks as his brakes jammed.
Ryder quickly got out, leaving the door open behind him and the engine idling. He came around the back of the truck just as she was approaching. Ashley started to cross the street, but he blocked her path with his body.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” He grabbed her shoulders and held her still. She tried to shrug off his hands.
“Get out of my way.”
“Get in the truck.”
“No.” She stared up at him, unblinking, her chin tilted at a stubborn angle.
“All right.”
Before Ashley could breath a sigh of relief, Ryder bent down and scooped her up in his arms. He stalked over to the truck and deposited her inside. Ashley promptly scooted to the other side of the seat and reached for the passenger door handle. As she tried to grasp it, Ryder got in the truck and hauled her back to his side.
“Let me out of this truck this minute!”
“Not on your life, darlin’.” Ryder shifted the gears and made a swift U-turn, then picked up speed as he headed out of town.
“Where are you taking me?” Ashley demanded.
“To dinner,” he answered without elaborating.
“I don’t want to go to dinner with you.”
Ryder shot her a hard look. “I figured that much out when you refused to get in the truck.”
“Look, you can’t arrange my life to suit you,” she insisted, her gaze boiling. Ryder remained silent, his attention on the road. “Ryder, I mean it. Turn this truck around.” She paused, then added firmly, “Now.” Her tone was adamant and forced him to look at her.
“What could having dinner hurt? After we talk things over, I’ll leave you alone if you want.” It was becoming apparent that she didn’t want anything to do with him. If she continued to persist, he’d give her what she wanted. Hell, there were plenty of other women out there. He didn’t have to have this one.
“If I go to dinner with you, you’ll leave me alone?” Ashley asked, sounding distrustful. She didn’t want any contact with him. The less she saw of him, the better. If he walked out of her life, maybe she wouldn’t feel so guilty about keeping the baby a secret.
To be truthful to herself, it was getting harder and harder to say no to him. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel as if this man had the power to fill some need in her? It was the same strong feeling she’d experienced the night they’d spent together.
Gritting her teeth, she looked away from him, determined to remain aloof. She couldn’t let him get too close. There was the baby to think about.
Cowboys, Babies and Shotgun Vows Page 7