“Let’s eat before it gets cold,” she said, motioning toward the table.
Pulling out a chair, Ryder waited until Rayna sat, before leaning down to kiss her gently on the neck, right below her ear. “Do you know how amazing you are?”
He was close enough to feel the shudder ripple through her as she responded, “I’m not amazing. I’m just me.”
“You are everything,” he said, kissing her gently on the lips before taking his own seat.
Dinner was good, the company was better, and soon they were clearing the table and doing the dishes together. He wanted this every night with her. Dinner, dishes, laughter, love. He wanted it all.
“Ryder.”
He paused at the serious tone in her voice, placing the dishtowel he was drying his hands off with beside the sink. “Yes?”
“I’m leaving for Virginia tomorrow morning.”
His heart stopped and he felt as if his entire world were falling down around him. “You’re leaving?”
“Yes. Nathan said he was heading out tonight, but I wanted to see you before I go.”
“I thought...” he couldn’t get the words out. She was leaving him?
“What?’
Turning from her, he stalked out of the kitchen into the dining room. He was aware of her following him, but he didn’t stop until she grabbed his arm.
“Ryder, what’s wrong?”
Looking down at her hand, he ground out, “Katy said you were staying.”
Rayna stepped in front of him, cradling his face in her hands, “Oh, Ryder. I should have handled this better.” His eyes met hers, and hope slowly began to build at what he saw. “I have to leave for now, but I’m coming back. I am going to Virginia to hand in my resignation to my boss. I need to pack up my apartment and pay off my lease. And I need to visit my family’s gravesite to say goodbye.” She smiled tremulously, “This is my home, Ryder. I’m going to submit my application to Creed for one of the deputy positions he has open, and I’m going to live here.”
Unable to hear anymore, Ryder lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. She was staying, that was all he needed to know. Sliding his hands under her dress, he cupped her ass, picking her up and turning to place her on the table. She moaned as he lightly stroked a hand up her thigh, pushing her dress up higher and higher. He had to touch her. Had to feel her soft, silky skin against his. She was coming back to him.
Rayna undid the button of his jeans, and Ryder groaned in pleasure when she slipped her fingers inside to find his cock. Taking his hands from her just long enough to slide the jeans down his hips, he groaned, “I need to be inside you, Rayna.”
“Yes,” she gasped, throwing her head back in pleasure when he slipped the strap of her dress down, baring her breast to his hungry gaze. Cupping it in his palm, he captured the nipple in his mouth, sucking gently. Her cries pushed him closer to the edge, and he quickly reached down to remove her panties, reveling in the feel of her fingers moving on his throbbing cock.
Letting go of her breast, Ryder grasped her hips and pulled her closer, positioning himself at her hot core, before slowly pushing his way inside. She felt so good...so right...so perfect. “Rayna,” he rasped, as he began moving slowly in and out of her, “you are everything to me.”
He saw her eyes widen in wonder, then her head fell back as she clutched his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his hips and pulling him deeper into her. “Ryder!”
He tried to make it last, knowing this one night would have to last several days, if not weeks. But the soft pants coming from her lips, her cries of pleasure, the bite of her nails in his shoulders, were all too much, and soon he gave into the need to come, with Rayna quickly following.
They stayed locked together for several minutes afterwards, foreheads resting against each other, trying to catch their breath. Finally, Ryder stepped back, pulling his jeans up. Before she could move, he gathered her into his arms and carried her upstairs. In her bedroom, he removed her clothes and his, then slid under the covers with her. The rest of the night was spent making love and holding each other tight, morning coming way too soon.
Ryder woke to the sun shining through the curtains, the bed empty except for him. There was a note on Rayna’s pillow, and he sighed in disappointment as he opened it. He would have liked to hold her one last time, kissed her, told her how much he loved her. Which made him realize that he never had actually said those three little words to her. Holding the note in front of him, he read:
Ryder,
I loved the sweet boy who took time out of his day to write me a song and make me feel special years ago, and I love the man who stands beside me in life and death now. Until I see you again,
Rayna
Chapter 41
“I don’t want to accept this,” Assistant Director Talbot groused, looking at the resignation Rayna just set on his desk. “You are one of my best agents.”
Rayna smiled, placing her badge next to the letter. “It’s what is best for me, Sir. My life is in Serenity Springs now.”
Talbot pushed his chair away from the desk, standing. “I was afraid that was going to happen, but I’m happy for you Rayna. Or is it Macey now that Cortez is behind bars?”
She had wondered that same thing, but it didn’t take long for her to figure out her answer. “Rayna,” she said with a smile. “A part of me will always be Macey Fuller, the young girl who loved to read and write, and live in a fantasy world. But I’m Rayna Williams now. I’m stronger, wiser, and happier. I make my own fairytales come true.”
The assistant director laughed, coming around the desk to give her a brief hug. “You are definitely one of the strongest people I know. I wish you all of the happiness in the world, Rayna. If you ever need anything, anything at all, you call me.”
Rayna left Talbot’s office with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. It was finally over. All of it. They’d found the mole in the office. One of the secretaries who had worked for the agency for over ten years. Diego had threatened her family, and she’d done what she thought she needed to do to keep them safe. Now, unfortunately, she was facing charges and could get put away for the rest of her life. She promised them she would cooperate and tell them everything she could. Her family was safe now, and that was all that mattered to her.
Lyssa Taylor was going to make it, but it was going to be a long, hard struggle for her. Scars now marred her skin, and fear had settled deep in her heart, causing horrible nightmares. It would take a lot of counseling and hard work on her part, but Rayna knew Lyssa would pull through. Rayna had left her number with the woman after visiting her in the hospital, offering her a room in her home at Serenity Springs, if she ever needed to get away. Since the small town was where the attack took place, Rayna wasn’t sure if she would accept the offer, but it was there in case she needed it.
On her way out of the FBI building, Rayna ran into Special Agent Nathan Brentworth. She hadn’t seen him in the two weeks she’d been back, and assumed he was on another assignment. “Hey Nathan,” she greeted him. “How have you been?”
“Getting ready to go undercover again,” was his response. “I have no idea how long this one will take.”
“I wish you luck, my friend.”
“Thanks.” Nathan stood there for a moment before he said, “Do me a favor, Rayna?”
“Anything.”
“Keep an eye on Harper for me.” She saw the sadness that entered his eyes before he quickly masked it.
“She still won’t talk to you?” Rayna guessed, wishing that Harper would give him a chance. She understood that Harper was looking out for the children on her ranch, but Nathan was a good man, and Rayna hated to see him look so beat down.
“No, she won’t accept my calls,” he admitted.
Rayna placed a hand on his arm, “I promise I will watch out for both her and Nickolas.” When Nathan turned to go, she said, “Thank you for what you did for Nickolas, Nathan. I know he would not be at New Hope Ranch if it wasn�
��t for you.”
Nathan shrugged, “He’s a good kid. He deserves a chance at a different life than the one he was originally dealt.”
“Thank you,” she said again, then watched him walk away, his head down as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Wishing there was something she could do for the man who had risked everything and lost so much, Rayna sighed, deciding the only thing she could do was watch out for the woman he cared about.
Leaving the FBI for the last time, Rayna drove to the cemetery to say goodbye to her family. She was planning on leaving the next day for Serenity Springs, and wanted to get an early start. This was the last thing on her list of things to do today, and she’d waited as long as she could to stop by, knowing it would be the hardest.
Pulling through the gates, she slowly made her way around the outside of all of the gravesites, parking near her family plot. Getting out of the car, she took the roses from the passenger seat, and made her way to their graves. She was almost there, when she stopped in confusion at the sight of the woman standing in front of her parents’ tombstone, a small boy holding her hand. All Rayna could see was her long blonde hair, and tall, slender build from behind. Then the boy turned to look at her, and Rayna gasped, dropping the roses to the ground as she covered her mouth with her hands. He was the spitting image of her little brother. Blonde hair, green eyes, freckles across his nose. “Matty.”
The little boy cocked his head to the side, a small smile forming, “How do you know my name?”
As Rayna stood there in shock, the woman turned to look at her. Dark green eyes to match her son’s, features mirroring Rayna’s mother’s, similar to her own. “Macey?”
“Olivia.” It was her sister! She was alive! Rayna’s eyes misted over as she looked from Olivia to the little boy. Olivia’s son.
Olivia walked over to her, holding out her arms. “Come here, baby sis. I have missed you so much.”
Rayna let out a sob, allowing Olivia to enfold her into her arms. Her sister was alive! Did that mean the rest of her family was as well? Pulling back, she looked around, “Daddy? Momma? Matty?”
“No, it’s just me,” Olivia said quietly. “They are all gone.”
“I’m here, Mommy,” the little boy said. “I’m not gone.”
Olivia laughed softly, “Yes, this is true, Matty. You are definitely here.”
“I don’t understand,” Rayna whispered. Unable to stop herself, she pulled Matty close for a hug, surprised when he didn’t resist.
“You and I are the only ones who survived so many years ago,” Olivia explained, placing her hand on Rayna’s shoulder. “After talking to the U.S. Marshals, I agreed to allow them to split us up. I didn’t want to leave you, Macey, but it was the safest thing for both of us.”
Rayna glared up at her, “It wasn’t your decision to make Olivia. I needed you.”
“Actually, yes it was. I was eighteen, you were seventeen. Technically, I was your guardian.” Her hand tightening on Rayna’s shoulder, she said, “You can be as mad at me as you want, little sister, but I don’t regret my decision. I love you, and would do anything for you, even leave you if it meant you would be safe.”
Rayna rose, looking down when Matty slipped his hand in hers. “We are a family now, Aunt Macey,” he grinned.
“Aunt Rayna,” she corrected gently. “My name is Rayna now.”
“Mommy’s is Charity,” Matty told her. “Isn’t that pretty?”
“Yes,” Rayna agreed, looking at her sister with a smile. “It’s very pretty.”
Olivia held out a hand to her, and Rayna took it without hesitation. “We just flew in from San Diego. I couldn’t wait to see you, and to finally be able to pay my respects to Dad, Mom, and our little brother.”
“You live in California?” Rayna remembered that Olivia always wanted to move to California or New York when she was younger. “And are you a photographer too?” She prayed her sister’s dreams had come true, and that she had happiness and love in her life over the past twelve years.
“She takes lots and lots of pictures all of the time,” Matty told her, his eyes opened wide.
Olivia laughed, “Yes, I do, but that is a story for another time. Matty and I need to find a place to stay while we are in town. I was thinking the Hilton on Greensboro Avenue?”
“Why don’t you both stay with me?” Rayna offered. “I have a lot to tell you.”
Chapter 42
Ryder spoke quietly to Cochise as he ran the brush over his back, but his thoughts were on the woman who left six weeks ago and still hadn’t returned. He missed her so fucking much. He should have told her how much he loved her before letting her go. Hell, he should never have let her go in the first place. He was a fool.
“I’m an idiot, Cochise,” he muttered, resting his hand against the horse’s back. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I let her just leave. What was I thinking?” Cochise neighed softly, turning his head to look back at him. Ryder chuckled, “Yeah, buddy. I’m a dumbass, I know. I never should have let her go.” Running his hand down the animal’s neck, he told him, “I’m giving her one more week, then I’m going to go find her and bring her home where she belongs.”
“Why wait a week?”
The gentle voice was filled with amusement, and something else. All Ryder knew was that it wasn’t the voice he wanted to hear. “Because when you love someone, you give them their space,” he responded, placing the brush down on the railing beside where he stood and turning toward the open barn doors. A petite, curvy woman stood there, her long blonde hair curling over her shoulders and around her waist, laughter in her deep green eyes.
“And what if they find someone else when you are giving them all of that space?” she teased.
Ryder walked slowly toward her, a grin appearing on his lips, “She won’t.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because she loves me,” he said simply, “and when Rayna loves someone, she does it with all of her heart.” Stopping, he held his arms open, pulling her close when she stepped into them.
“Hello, Ryder,” she breathed against his chest, snuggling close.
“It’s good to see you again, Olivia.”
Olivia leaned back, smiling up at him. “That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I go by Charity now.”
Stepping back, Ryder held her hands as he looked down at her. “You look great, Charity,” he replied. “and the name fits you.”
Olivia giggled, “It will take some getting used to for you and your family, I’m sure, but even though Diego is gone now, I’m going to keep it. Olivia is who I used to be, Charity is who I have become.”
Ryder nodded in understanding. “Tell me a little about who you are now.”
Olivia...no, Charity...he was going to have to get used to it, let go of his hands and walked over to sit on a bale of hay in the corner of the barn. “Well, where should I start?”
Wondering where Rayna was, Ryder followed Charity and sat down beside her. “From the beginning is always best.”
Charity cocked her head to the side, staring at him, “You don’t seem surprised to see me alive, Ryder.”
“When you have gone through everything I’ve gone through these past few months with your sister, nothing tends to surprise you,” he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his legs. Shaking his head, he shrugged, “If she survived the accident, it stands to reason some of the rest of your family may have as well.” He looked at the door, wishing Rayna would walk through it. He wanted to see her, to hold her close. And once he got her near again, he wasn’t letting her go.
“You know, you could go see my sister, Ryder. She’s just outside with your family. We can talk later.”
The desire to stand up and go to the woman he loved was almost too strong to deny. “No,” he finally said, shaking his head, “Tell me about you.”
Charity’s eyes were filled with laughter, a wide smile on her face,
“Let me make this fast for you, Ryder. After the accident, the U.S. Marshals moved me to San Diego, California to live. I got married at twenty-two to a man whom I loved very much. He passed away three years ago, but we have a son together. Matty is six now.”
“You named him after your brother.”
“Yes,” Charity whispered, her eyes clouding over. “And before you ask, Macey and I are the only ones who survived.”
“Rayna,” he interjected.
“What?”
“She goes by Rayna now. It’s what she prefers.”
“That’s right,” Charity agreed. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember, because even though you know her now as Rayna, my heart knows her as Macey.”
“Mine knows her as both,” Ryder said, rising. “And it can’t wait any longer to find her. I’m sorry.”
“Go,” Charity replied, pointing toward the door. “Go make my sister happy. She’s been silent for the past hour. I’m sure she’s worried about how you feel about her.”
Ryder didn’t need to be told twice. Walking out of the barn, he looked around, his gaze quickly skimming over his family, and a small, towhead boy playing with his niece, Cassie. His eyes finally settled on the person he was looking for, standing with her arms on the corral fence, looking out over the pasture land beyond. A feeling of completeness settled over him as he forced himself to walk, not run, to her.
Rayna waited quietly by the fence for Ryder and her sister to make an appearance. It had only been fifteen minutes, maybe twenty, since Olivia went into the barn, but it felt like a lifetime. All of Rayna’s insecurities returned where Ryder and Olivia were concerned. Olivia was the one he loved years ago. Would he decide she was the one for him now? And what would Rayna do if he did? She’d given up her position with the FBI to come live in Serenity Springs with him. Even though he never told her he loved her, she was praying he did and wanted to spend his life with her. Now what would happen?
Rayna jumped when she felt strong arms go around her waist, pulling her back against a firm, hard chest. She shivered when she felt Ryder’s breath on her neck, right before he placed a soft kiss behind her ear. “You’re home.”
Saving His Soul (Serenity Springs Series, #3) Page 19
