Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  “In addition to the items outlined in your program, Ryan has provided a signed and dated football. He seems to think there might be some interest because of what happened this week, but I’m skeptical.” A ripple of laughter went through the crowd.

  “Now, I have to live with him,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “So it would really help me out if someone could pony up a few bucks for that ball.” This time applause accompanied their laughter. “If you could also appear to scuffle over it a little bit, well, that would help, too.” She smiled at their enthusiastic reaction, but her eyes were drawn to Henry’s table where he shared a laugh with Betsy James. Ugh! Of all people! “Thank you so much for coming. I’ll leave you with this video the folks from Children’s Hospital asked us to show to give you an idea of what you’re supporting. Enjoy your evening.”

  Ryan appeared at the bottom of the stairs as Susannah left the stage. When he kissed her, his teammates cheered. He escorted her to their table where Duke and Abigail were sitting with the event’s honorary chairman, Chet Logler, and his wife Martha.

  Ryan held Susannah’s chair for her. “Very funny up there, Mrs. Sanderson.”

  “Got to keep that ego of yours in check,” Susannah said with a saucy smile.

  He leaned down to whisper, “As only you can do.”

  Susannah gasped and grabbed the place card next to hers that said, “Henry Merrill.”

  “What’s that?” Ryan asked when he sat down next to her.

  “Nothing.”

  Reaching for her hand, he unrolled it. “Well, someone didn’t get the word, did they?” He tore the card into pieces and tossed it under the table. “No worries, baby.”

  “That should’ve been taken care of,” Susannah said with annoyance.

  “I wouldn’t put it past Henry to have gotten here early to swap out the cards.” Ryan kissed her hand. “Forget about it, okay?”

  She nodded and looked over at Henry’s table. “What’s he up to with that woman?”

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a very good question. An odd pairing, to say the least.”

  When she glanced at Ryan and saw his eyes fixated on Henry’s table, her stomach knotted. The rumors about Ryan and Betsy James had nearly driven Susannah mad, and they had been the final straw for their struggling marriage. She reached for his hand under the table. “What’re you thinking about?”

  He smiled, but there were no dimples, and his eyes were hard. “Dinner. What are we having?”

  Hours later, Susannah was dancing with Ryan when her father tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Do you mind if I cut in for a minute, Ryan?”

  Ryan glanced down at Susannah, and she nodded. “Don’t run away with my girl, Dalton.”

  “I won’t.”

  With an encouraging smile for Susannah, Ryan left them.

  “You’re breathtaking,” Dalton said as he led her around the dance floor.

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “This is a very impressive event you’ve put together, honey. I’m glad we finally got to attend one of them.”

  “I am, too, especially since this’ll probably be my last year as chair.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Well, with Ryan retiring and leaving the team, they’ll probably want one of the other wives to take over.”

  “I was surprised to hear he’s retiring.”

  “I would’ve told you before it was in the papers if I thought y’all would’ve cared.”

  “I don’t know what makes you think we don’t care.”

  “Could be the way you’ve treated him all these years.”

  “Susannah...”

  “Daddy, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure you can.”

  “Do you care at all that I love him? Really, really love him?”

  Dalton softened. “Of course I do. In fact, I told your mother and sister just this afternoon that it’s time for us to let you live your own life and make your own mistakes.”

  “Being with Ryan isn’t a mistake. Being without him was.”

  “All I want is for you to be happy.”

  “If that’s what you want, then you have to accept Ryan. He loves me so much. What more can you ask for in a son-in-law?”

  “Not much, I suppose,” Dalton conceded.

  Henry and Betsy danced up next to Susannah and her father.

  “Hello, Susannah,” Henry said with a mild smile. “Another great success. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” she said, going to great pains to avoid making eye contact with Betsy James, who wore her auburn hair in a sleek pageboy. Her plunging white gown offset a deep tan and showcased a spectacular pair of surgically enhanced breasts.

  “Henry, I’d like to have a word with you,” Dalton said. To Betsy, he added, “Would you please excuse us for a moment?”

  Startled, Betsy said, “Certainly.” With a perplexed glance at Henry, she left the dance floor.

  Dalton kept a hold of Susannah’s hand as he led her and Henry to a quiet corner.

  “You don’t need me, do you, Daddy? I want to go find Ryan.”

  “This will only take a moment, Susannah.” He turned to Henry. “I want to ask you a question, and I’d like a truthful answer, son.”

  “Of course, Dalton,” Henry said with a charming smile. “What can I do for you?”

  Dalton raised Susannah’s wrist, which was still bruised and swollen. “Did you do this to my daughter?”

  “Daddy!” Susannah struggled against the light grip her father had on her hand. “Don’t.”

  “I asked you a question, Henry.”

  “We were talking,” Henry stuttered, “and she was going to leave before I had a chance to tell her—”

  “Did you do this to her?”

  “It was an accident,” Henry blurted out, his ears flaming with color.

  Dalton’s jaw shifted, hardening his usually amiable face.

  Susannah was both mortified by the confrontation and fascinated to see a side of her father that was new to her.

  “I’m disappointed in you, Henry,” Dalton said in a measured tone. “At the very least, I believe you owe my little girl an apology.”

  Henry finally looked at Susannah, but there was contempt in his eyes. “How about what she owes me?”

  “She doesn’t owe you a damned thing,” Dalton growled. “I’m waiting.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Susannah cast her eyes down.

  “Steer clear of her, do you hear me?”

  “Yes,” Henry said, his Southern breeding forcing him to add a reluctant “sir” before he walked away.

  “Daddy,” Susannah sighed, falling into his embrace. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I did, and when I get a chance, I’ll apologize to Ryan. I was wrong to infer that he’d do such a thing to you. He may not have been husband of the year, but he never laid a hand on you as far as I knew.”

  “He didn’t. He wouldn’t.”

  Dalton kissed his daughter’s forehead. “I love you, Susannah, my sweet girl.”

  “I love you, too.

  Susannah lifted her head off her father’s shoulder to find Ryan having an intense conversation with Betsy James in the back of the room. Her hands were on his chest, and she appeared to be pleading with him. He took her by the shoulders as he replied to whatever she had said to him. Susannah felt her stomach clench with nausea when she realized everyone in the room was watching her husband have a passionate moment with the woman most of them had once believed to be his mistress.

  Breaking free of her father’s arms, Susannah crossed the room. She felt her control slipping through her fingers, and as she marched over to Ryan, the room around them disappeared. A red haze blurred out everything except Ryan and Betsy. Touching.

  With his back to her, Ryan didn’t see her coming.

  “Susannah,” Carol said, reaching out to try to stop her.

  Susannah ignored her friend and kept
moving, the roar in her head escalating with every step she took.

  “Get your hands off my husband,” Susannah snarled.

  Startled by her sudden appearance, Ryan cried, “Susie!” He pulled his hands from Betsy’s shoulders like he’d been scalded.

  When Betsy didn’t immediately remove her hands from Ryan’s chest, Susannah shoved her.

  Betsy recovered and took a swing at Susannah, sending a gasp through the room.

  Ryan moved fast to put himself between them and grimaced when Betsy’s fist made contact with his ribs.

  “Get away from him!” Susannah shrieked, flailing against the hold Ryan had on her arms, which was the only thing that kept her from hitting Betsy.

  “Susannah!” her sister exclaimed. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”

  “Shut up, Missy!”

  When Ryan tried to lead Susannah away, she pushed at him. “Don’t touch me,” she snapped. “I can’t believe you’d even talk to her in front of everyone, let alone touch her!”

  “I wasn’t talking to her! She was talking to me.”

  “I saw you with my own eyes!” Susannah knew she was creating a scene that would keep tongues wagging forever, but she didn’t care. That he’d put his hands on that woman and let her touch him had sent Susannah right over the edge.

  His eyes grew dark with anger. “You saw nothing.”

  She burst into tears. “You’re a liar! Everything they said about the two of you was true. You lied to me! Once again you’ve ruined everything!”

  Ryan bent down, scooped her up, and made for the door.

  Struggling against him, she pounded on his back. “Put me down!” Before they turned the corner, she caught a last glimpse of the cream of Denver society watching with astounded expressions on their faces as her enraged husband hauled the star of the evening from the ballroom. The last thing she saw was Henry’s victorious smile.

  Chapter 26

  Ryan carried her all the way to the parking garage where he finally put her down, shed his tuxedo jacket, and wrapped it around her.

  Bernie and Dalton were right behind them.

  “Ryan!” Bernie called. “Wait a minute.”

  “Not now, Bern.”

  Susannah stood in stunned silence as Ryan opened the passenger door and urged her inside the Escalade.

  Bernie put himself between the door and the car, so Ryan couldn’t close the door. “Take a breath, Ry,” he said with a hand on Ryan’s heaving chest.

  “I don’t want a breath. I want to leave, so please get out of the way.”

  “Not so fast,” Dalton said, pushing past Bernie to lean into the car. “Do you not want to go with him, Susannah?” He brushed back the hair that had sprung loose from her French knot. “Because all you have to do is say so, and I’ll get you out of there.”

  “This is between me and my wife, Dalton,” Ryan snapped. “You need to butt out.”

  “I’m not leaving my daughter with you if it’s not where she wants to be.”

  Susannah shivered from the cold and wept quietly, not at all sure where she wanted to be right then.

  Bernie squeezed in beside Dalton and bent over to talk to Susannah. “Susie, honey, I know you’re upset. But you need to give Ryan the opportunity to explain what was going on in there. It’s not what you think.”

  “I know what I saw.”

  “And I’m sure it looked really bad, but you need to hear him out.”

  “I’m tired of hearing him out, and I’m tired of his lies.”

  Ryan exploded. “I’ve never lied to you!”

  Bernie took a firm hold of her hand. “We’re friends, aren’t we, Susie? Good friends?”

  A sob hiccupped through her as she nodded.

  “Do you trust me?” Bernie asked.

  She nodded again.

  “Then please go with him, and let him explain. Will you do that for me? I give you my word that everything he’s going to tell you is true.”

  Susannah studied him for a long moment before she whispered, “Okay.”

  Bernie kissed her cheek. “It’s all going to be fine. I promise.” He straightened and turned to Ryan.

  “Thank you,” Ryan said.

  Bernie hugged him. “Keep your cool.”

  Ryan nodded. “Dalton, Bernie will tell you what’s going on. Will one of you please get Susannah’s coat and purse?” He handed the coat check ticket to Bernie.

  “Of course,” Bernie said.

  Dalton leaned into the car to kiss Susannah. “We’re at the Inverness. If you need me, call my cell phone, and I’ll come get you. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  Dalton closed the car door.

  Ryan got in and started the car. Before he shifted into reverse, he looked over at her with an expression so furious that she burrowed deeper into the big tuxedo jacket.

  He didn’t say a word during the drive home.

  When they arrived, he came around and lifted her out of the car.

  “What are you doing? I can walk! Put me down.”

  “Be quiet, Susannah,” he said as he carried her inside and deposited her in the den. “Don’t move.” He turned around and went back out the front door.

  A moment later she heard the car door close, and he came inside carrying a piece of paper, which he handed to her.

  Her hand trembled when she reached out to take it from him. “What’s this?”

  “Read it.”

  Susannah unfolded the paper to discover some sort of form. She saw his typewritten name and Betsy’s with legal mumbo jumbo typed below the names. “I don’t understand...”

  “It’s a restraining order.”

  Startled, Susannah looked up at him. “She’s got a restraining order against you?”

  “No!” he growled. “I have one against her!”

  “Why?”

  Like a caged tiger, he paced the room. “At first it was a nuisance. She seemed to be everywhere I was. She’d show up at practice, at appearances, in restaurants. If I was there, she was, too. I never paid much attention to it, because there are always so many people around us. I lumped her into the groupie category and went on with my life. But then I found out she was telling people we were seeing each other. This wasn’t long after we lost Justin, and everyone knew we were having a hard time.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Anyway, I went to see her to tell her to stop spreading lies about me. That turned out to be a big mistake.”

  “Why?” Susannah asked in a small voice.

  “Because she secretly videotaped our discussion and threatened to send the tape to you unless I had sex with her. I panicked, because the tape would prove I’d been in her apartment. You and I were on real shaky ground at that time, and I was pretty sure some of the rumors she’d started had reached you by then.”

  “They had.”

  “Anyway, I refused to sleep with her, and she went nuts. She was totally crazy, hitting me, scratching at my face. It was insane.”

  “You told me you got those scratches at practice.”

  “What was I supposed to say?” His eyes were hard and dispassionate. “You know, though, I realized something tonight. When you said I’d ruined everything—again—that was the same thing you said when you threw me out. You heard something about me and her and just assumed I was having an affair with her, didn’t you?”

  “I heard a lot of things.”

  “But you never asked me! You never came right out and said, ‘Are you sleeping with her, Ryan?’” By now he was shouting. “Because if you had, I would’ve told you the same thing then that I’ll tell you now: No, I am not sleeping with her. I haven’t slept with her or anyone else since the day I met you!”

  “Things had gotten so bad between us,” she whispered. “We were hardly speaking to each other. Everyone was saying—”

  “We’d been married for almost nine years, Susannah. Didn’t you owe me more than to believe a bunch of rumors?”
>
  “We hadn’t had sex in months. I thought—”

  “You thought wrong!” he roared. “I couldn’t get rid of her! I found her naked in my car after practice one day. That’s when I told Bernie what’d been going on, and he was all over me to call the cops about protection. I laughed at that. I mean six-foot-four, two-twenty Ryan Sanderson seeking protection from a woman? I was more afraid of the ridicule from the other guys than I was of her.” His laugh was bitter. “Turns out I should’ve listened to Bernie.”

  Susannah was almost afraid to ask. “Why? What happened?”

  “After you and I separated, she really ramped up her game. She popped up every day rather than a couple of times a week. Then, my apartment in the city was broken into and ransacked.”

  Susannah gasped. “Oh my God.”

  “I knew it was her because every photo of you and us together had been shredded.”

  “She should be in jail!”

  “They arrested her and charged her with breaking and entering.”

  “Why wasn’t it in the paper?”

  “The team used its clout to keep it out of the press. I was terrified it would get back to you. I figured you would think we’d had a lover’s quarrel or something. I didn’t want you to know anything about it because I was still hopeful we might get back together. I knew you’d think the worst if you heard my name and hers mentioned in the same sentence.”

  As Susannah sat down on the sofa, she felt sick to realize she had done exactly that tonight, even after all the progress they’d made over the last ten days.

  “The judge put her on probation and issued the restraining order. What you think you saw tonight was me reminding her she can’t be within a thousand feet of me. I was giving her ten minutes to leave, or I was going to call the cops.”

  “You were touching her...”

  “I was trying to get rid of her! For Christ’s sakes, Susannah! After everything we’ve been through, do you honestly think I’d risk it all with a piece of shit like her?”

  Susannah was filled with shame as tears rolled down her face. “I’m so sorry, Ry. I just assumed—”

  “I know what you assumed. Most of Denver knows what you assumed.”