by Katie Lane
“It’s sorta funny. Here we are, two oddballs out. You because you were too extroverted and me because I was too introverted.”
He did have a point. She laughed. “You’re not that introverted. You seem to be able to hold your own with an intense extrovert.”
A smile creased his face. “And you aren’t that intense. At least, you’re not when you finally let yourself relax.”
“Tequila helps.”
He moved closer to her, his eyes doing that look-right-through-her thing. “Was it really only the tequila?”
She knew what he was talking about, but she didn’t want to answer him. Answering him wouldn’t do anyone any good. “We should probably get back. Granny Bon will be wondering where we are.” But before she could move, Ryker spoke in a low, sexy voice.
“I lied.”
Her voice came out sounding breathless. “About what?”
He lifted a hand and traced a finger down her cheek. “About what I remembered the night we were together.”
She stared at the hollow between his clavicles that had filled with droplets of water and tried to keep her voice steady. “How’s that?”
His finger slid under her chin and lifted until she was forced to look into his deep brown eyes. “I remember everything. Everything.” He lowered his head and kissed her. She’d hoped that the tequila had blurred her memory of Ryker’s kissing skills.
It hadn’t.
He wielded his lips like a master of pleasure. They sipped softly before molding to hers for a deeper taste. While they worked their magic, his tongue brushed against hers in a sensual slide of wet heat. The only other point of contact was his finger beneath her chin. And there was something so erotic about standing in the cool water with it bubbling and frothing all around her as he took control of her mouth.
Kids’ shrieking laughter had them pulling apart. After one breathless, heated gaze, they turned to see three boys on the opposite shore stripping off their clothes and diving into the water as naked as jaybirds.
Summer wanted to come up with something witty to say that would make what had just happened seem less intense, but she couldn’t come up with one thing. It had been intense. Too intense. And she was still reeling from it. Thankfully, Ryker broke the uncomfortable silence.
“Race you back.” He dove into the water and headed for shore. She didn’t even try to catch him. Instead, she waited until he was on shore and had pulled on his pants before she swam in. Once out of the water, she immediately grabbed her shoes, socks, and bandage and headed to the car.
He caught up with her. His pants were soaked from his wet undershorts, and he was carrying his shirt, socks, and shoes. “Look, Summer, I’m sorry.”
She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She was too stunned. It hadn’t been the tequila. It had been Ryker all along.
They didn’t talk on the drive home. And instead of parking when they reached Dirk’s, she pulled up to the front porch. “Let me know what you think about my business plan.”
He nodded, then reached for the door handle. He paused and turned to her. “Just to clarify, I’m not sorry I kissed you, Summer. And I’m not sorry that we spent a night together.”
She stared out the windshield. “Then what are you sorry about, Ryker?”
It took him awhile to answer. “I guess I’m sorry that we’re two different people living two different lives.”
She couldn’t argue with that. She turned to him and smiled sadly. “Yeah, me too.”
He held out a hand. “Friends?”
“Friends.” She shook it. “And I’ll expect a full report on my business plan as soon as you get back to Dallas.”
He started to say something, but then stopped. “Yes, ma’am.” He lifted the door handle. But before he could open it, Granny Bon came out the front door.
“Crap,” Summer said. “I was hoping you’d get inside before Granny noticed your wet pants.”
“Maybe she’ll just think it’s sweat.”
She glanced at the soaked front of his pants. “Doubtful.” Before she could come up with a plausible lie, a man stepped out the door behind Granny. A man Summer had never met. At least, she couldn’t remember meeting him before. And yet, there was something vaguely familiar about him.
“We’re in luck,” she said. “Granny won’t question you in front of company. Just say a quick hello and head inside.” She glanced over to see if Ryker was listening. He wasn’t. His attention seemed to be riveted to the man standing on the porch with his cowboy hat in his hand. “Do you know him?” she asked.
After a moment, Ryker answered. “You could say that. He’s Cord Evans . . . my father.”
Chapter Eleven
“Your father is Cord Evans? I thought you said he was a rodeo bum. Cord Evans isn’t a rodeo bum. He’s a six-time world all-around champion!”
Summer’s excited voice barely penetrated Ryker’s mind. He was too busy trying to come to terms with the fact that his father was standing on Dirk’s porch.
“Oh my God,” Summer said. “Autumn and Spring are not going to believe this. Cord Evans used to be our main celebrity crush in junior high and high school.” She leaned up to look in the rearview mirror. “Great. I look like a drowned rat.” She glanced over. “And he’s coming down the steps. He’s walking right up to your window.”
Ryker didn’t make one attempt to roll the window down. He just turned and gave Summer an order. “Drive away.”
Summer stared at him. “What?”
“I want you to drive—” A tap on the window cut off his words. A second later, Summer was rolling it down from her controls. She leaned over him like a crushing teenager with flushed cheeks and a big smile.
“Sorry about that. I guess the passenger’s side window doesn’t work.” She held out a hand. “I’m Summer Hadley.”
A callused, suntanned hand came in the window and engulfed Summer’s. “Cord Evans.”
The name made Ryker want to punch something. Like his father’s face.
Summer pumped Cord’s hand up and down. “My mama took me and my siblings to the rodeo once to see you ride. You rode this wild bronco—I can’t remember its name—for the full eight seconds and then some. It was amazing.”
Summer’s praise finally tipped Ryker over the edge and he looked up at his father. Of course, he had always looked up to his father. Even after his mother had divorced Cord, Ryker had still thought his dad was a god. He’d kept a scrapbook hidden in his closet with all the clippings from newspapers and rodeo magazines. And he’d dreamed about the day Cord Evans would finally realize his mistake and show up at their apartment in Dallas, begging his mother to take him back. Or at least begging for partial custody of his son. But he never showed up. He hadn’t even tried to contact Ryker until a few months ago.
It was too late.
“What do you want?” he asked in a cold voice that didn’t sound like his own.
Cord released Summer’s hand and stepped back as if hit.
He had changed. He wasn’t the vibrant, young dad of Ryker’s childhood. Silver threaded through his hair at his temples and sun wrinkles creased the corners of his eyes. When he spoke, he sounded tired. “Your mother called me and told me you’d been in a car accident. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Ryker tensed at the mention of his mom. “That’s a lie. My mother wouldn’t ever call you.”
“Ryker!” Summer grabbed his arm as if she thought he was going to punch his father. When he glanced down, his fist was clenched as if that was exactly what he’d planned to do.
“Goodness, it’s a hot day.” Granny Bon came down the stairs with a warm smile as if she didn’t have a clue about the tension in the air. “Summer, turn off that car and help me fix some sweet tea for our guests.” She looked at Ryker. “You and your daddy sit right down on the porch and make yourselves comfortable.” There was compassion in her eyes, but also a stern set to her jaw that said it wasn’t a request, but an order.
; If it had been another woman, he would’ve ignored her and remained in the car—regardless of the fact that Summer had turned the engine off and sweat was already collecting on his forehead. But Granny Bon had shown him nothing but kindness since Dirk had introduced them. He opened the door and got out.
Both Granny and his father glanced down at his wet pants, but he was in no humor to explain. He grabbed his shoes and socks out of the car and carried them up to the porch where he tossed them down and took the first rocker.
He watched sullenly as his father walked around the Jeep and opened the door for Summer. Something Ryker should’ve done. His father then followed the women up the steps. As she passed, Summer sent him a sympathetic look. If anyone should understand what he was feeling, she should. But he didn’t want her sympathy. He wanted his father gone.
He turned away while his father held open the screen door for the women. Once they were inside, Cord hesitated for a moment before he walked over to Ryker.
“Such a gentleman,” Ryker said sarcastically.
Cord rolled his cowboy hat in his hands and looked out at the pasture that surrounded Dirk’s ranch. “I guess if you can spit at me, you’re okay. Your mama was worried about whiplash.”
Ryker’s brows knitted. There was only one way his father would know that the doctors were worried about whiplash, and that was if he’d talked to his mother. “She did call you?”
Cord looked at him. “I might be a piss-poor husband and father, but I’m not a liar. Yes, your mother called me. We’ve been talking for the last couple months. Ever since I flew out to see her.”
It ticked Ryker off that his mother hadn’t said a word about talking with Cord or that he’d flown out to see her. Although every time she’d tried to bring up his father, Ryker had cut her off and informed her that he didn’t want to talk about his dad. If he had listened, maybe he could’ve avoided the face-to-face conversation he was forced to endure now.
“Why would you fly out to see my mom?” he asked. “Did you seriously think that she’d take you back after all this time?”
Cord stared down at his scuffed cowboy boots. “It had nothing to do with trying to get her back—I blew that a long time ago. I went to apologize for being an asshole.”
“I hope she slammed the door in your face.”
“She probably should’ve. I certainly deserved it. But instead, she invited me in and introduced me to her husband. He seems like a nice man.”
“Michael is a good guy. Unlike you.”
Cord moved around Ryker and sat down in the chair next to him. He rocked for a while before he spoke. “He’s certainly proud of you. He couldn’t stop talking about all your accomplishments.” He glanced over. “Sounds like you’ve built quite the company.”
“One of the top five job placement companies in the world.” He didn’t know why he spouted that out like some sullen teenager begging for praise. Especially when he felt so angry when his father gave it to him.
“Impressive.”
“What do you want?” he snapped. “Are you here to apologize to me for being an asshole dad? Because if you are, I wouldn’t waste my breath. I don’t forgive you for choosing stupid wild horses over me and my mother. I’ll never forgive you for that.”
Cord hooked his hat over his knee and played with the cheap colored beads that hung from the leather hatband. “I don’t blame you. And I wouldn’t have blamed your mother if she’d refused to see me either. But your mama has always been the forgiving sort. She certainly put up with a lot from me before she finally had enough.”
“Well, I don’t forgive that easily.”
Cord nodded. “I’m afraid you get that from me.”
“I get nothing from you.”
Cord squinted out at the pastures, the wrinkles around his eyes becoming even more pronounced. “That’s not true. Whether you like it or not, the same blood that runs through my veins runs through yours.” He turned to Ryker. “I’m sorry, son. I’m sorry I was too young and stupid to realize what I had until I lost it. I spent a lot of years in a bottle after you left. Then I spent a lot of years trying to prove that I wasn’t a loser like your mama said.” He smiled sadly. “But it turns out that championship buckles aren’t what makes you a winner. What makes you a winner is being a good man. Something I failed terribly at.”
He went back to rocking and fiddling with the beads on his hatband. “This counselor I’ve been going to is convinced that it’s never too late to change your ways. He believes it’s never too late to be the man you wished you were when you were younger.” He glanced at Ryker. “I was hoping you might let me start being that man with you.”
It was like his childhood dream all over again. His father was there asking for a second chance. Except Ryker wasn’t a child anymore wishing for a larger-than-life daddy to come back home and make him popular with all the kids on the block. His father wasn’t larger than life. He was just a poor excuse for a man—a man Ryker no longer needed.
“Sorry.” He got to his feet. “But I don’t have time. You know how it goes. Work before family.” He turned and walked away.
When he got inside, he felt like he had gotten sunstroke. He was sweating profusely, and his knees were shaking so badly, he was lucky to make it to the guestroom without falling on his face. He stripped off his clothes and got in the shower. He stood under a stream of cold water until he felt semi-normal, then he got out and toweled off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door.
Summer was sitting on the bed with a glass of tea in her hand. She had changed out of her wet clothes and was wearing a floral dress that resembled a Hawaiian muumuu. She stood and curtsied. “One of Granny Bon’s sundresses. I would’ve borrowed something a little more becoming from Gracie, but she’s taken the triplets to visit her brother Cole, his wife Emery, and their daughter Lucy. And I didn’t want to pilfer through her drawers without her permission.” She handed him the glass. “I put a shot of whisky in it. I figured you could use it. The reason it’s half-full is because I got thirsty waiting for you to get out of the shower. You don’t believe in water conservation, do you?”
“I needed to cool off.” He took a deep drink of the spiked sweet tea. It was icy and strong. When he lowered the glass, he caught Summer eyeballing his naked chest—just like she’d been doing at the motor lodge and Whispering Falls. Which was how he’d ended up kissing her both times. Didn’t the woman know what her hot looks could do to a man?
He finished off the tea and handed the glass back to her. “Thanks. Now you probably better go. I doubt that your grandmother would be real happy to find you in my bedroom when I’m half dressed.”
“She won’t catch me. She’s entertaining your dad.”
Ryker shot a look at the open door. “What’s he still doing here?”
“I don’t think he had much of a choice. As you know, Granny Bon can be extremely persuasive. Or demanding might be a better word. Anyway, he’s sitting on the porch with Granny as we speak. And with the way my grandmother can talk, he could be there until nightfall.” She sat down on the bed and crossed her legs up on the mattress, the material of the dress ballooning around her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He didn’t need to ask what she was referring to. “Not really.” He walked to his suitcase to search for something to wear that wasn’t dirty or wet and was surprised to find a folded pair of clean jeans and a t-shirt.
“I didn’t want to pilfer through Gracie’s drawers, but I had no problem pilfering through my little brother’s,” Summer said. “You two look about the same size. Except in height. But I figure you can cuff the jeans if they’re too long. So why didn’t you tell anyone that your dad was Cord Evans? Does Dirk even know?”
“No.” He pulled on the t-shirt. “And why does it matter who my dad is? If you knew my dad was a famous rodeo star, would you like me better?”
“Actually, yes.” When he turned to her, she held up her hands. “I’m kidding. Having a fa
mous dad makes no difference in how I feel about you.” She sent him a sassy look. “I still don’t like you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Thanks. Now could you leave so I can get dressed?”
“I’m not leaving until I get the full story about your dad. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”
He turned to her again. “I thought you said that you didn’t remember much from that night.”
She opened her mouth, and then closed it. “I might remember a few things.” She paused as an evil smile spread over her face. “A few little things.”
The cold shower hadn’t eased his tension over his father being there. Nor had the spiked tea. But Summer had. The woman had a way of making him smile.
Ryker quirked an eyebrow. “Little, huh?” He dropped the towel, then took his good sweet time getting dressed. He expected Summer to blush and look away. He should’ve known better. When he finally turned around, she was staring at his butt in the Wrangler jeans. Although her cheeks did look flushed.
She cleared her throat. “Those seem to work just fine.”
He started packing his suitcase. “I’ll give them back to Dirk when I get back to Dallas.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you were a geek, but I never thought you were a wuss who would run off just because his daddy showed up.”
So much for making him smile. His shoulders tightened as he continued to pack. “I’m not leaving because of my daddy. I need to get back to work.”
“Bullshit.”
He zipped up his suitcase and turned on her. “Fine, you want the truth. Here’s the truth. I am leaving because of my dad. I can’t stand the sight of a weak man who couldn’t take care of his wife and son. A man who traveled too much, drank too much, and caroused too much under the guise of being a rodeo star. But he wasn’t a star. He was just a bum who didn’t love his wife”—he thumped his chest—“or his son enough to grow up and become a man. And if I have to stay in the same town with him for any length of time, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from beating the crap out of him and getting my butt tossed in jail.” After he finished his tirade, he felt foolish as hell. But Summer didn’t look the least bit fazed by it.
