by Judy Angelo
“Ridge and Lani are here already? I thought I beat them to it.” Ryder set off down the hallway. There was a new baby in the family, his nephew, and he was eager to meet him.
“No, they got here early,” Maggie said to his disappearing back. “A whole hour ago.”
“Cool,” he said over his shoulder, “I’m going to check out the baby.”
“Make sure you wash your hands first.”
Ryder stopped in his tracks then turned to head back to the powder room. On his way he gave an exaggerated sigh. “Mothers. They can be so-”
“What did you say, young man?” Maggie was heading toward him but he veered off just in time to escape into the bathroom.
“Nothing, Mom.”
He heard her chuckle outside the door. “I thought so.”
When Ryder got to the den it was to find Bill Kent sitting in the La-Z-Boy chair, gingerly holding his grandson on his lap. When he walked in his father looked up.
“He’s so tiny,” Bill said with such a look of stress on his face that Ryder almost burst out laughing. His dad was clearly way out of his depth.
He went up to him and bent over to peer down at the tiny bundle in his father’s arms. He gave a soft whistle. “He really is tiny. How do you take care of something so little?”
“You let Mother Nature guide you, I guess. You just do it.” Bill was speaking in hushed tones, almost whispering, as his grandson slept in his arms.
“So where are Ridge and Lani?” Ryder glanced out the window but the backyard looked empty.
“They’re in the guest room, fixing up a temporary crib for Leon. I’m holding the fort till they come back.”
Ryder gave his dad a smile of encouragement. “With the way little Leon's sleeping it looks like you’re doing a pretty good job.”
His father nodded slowly, as if to accept the compliment. “I try.”
When the brand new parents came back to the den Ryder gave Lani a hug and then he had to endure a bone-crushing embrace from his brother. “Okay, so you’re bigger than me and you’ve been working out. You don’t need to rub it in.” He flexed his shoulders, trying to get feeling back in his arms. “You’ve got a tiny baby to take care of now. You need to start practicing something called gentleness.”
“Not where you’re concerned, little bro. I’ve got to shake you up a bit. You’re always too serious.”
“Ridge, leave your brother alone.” Lani reached over and slapped her husband on the arm. “Just because you’re an inveterate joker doesn’t mean he has to be.”
“Yeah, Ridge, leave me alone. Listen to your wife. She wields a big stick.” Ryder was laughing as he ducked and shifted away from the cuff aimed at the back of his head.
Lani shook her head. “You’re such big kids. May I remind you that you’re both in your thirties? Time to grow up, guys.” The baby gave a soft mewl and she glanced over at him. “Okay,” she whispered, putting a finger to her lips, “get out of here before you wake the baby.”
Ridge jerked his head toward the door and both men left mommy, granddad and baby to bond. They headed for the rec room where Ridge immediately walked over to the pool table and picked up a stick. “Ten bucks says you can’t beat me.”
Ryder gave a snort. “Make it twenty and you’re on.”
It didn’t take Ryder long to whip his brother soundly. He stuck his hand out. “Pay up.” Then he scowled. “And don’t give me that age-old story about not having any money on you. That game’s old and tired and ready for the grave.”
“This time I really don’t.” Ryder patted his trouser pockets for emphasis. “Lani’s got my wallet.”
“Yeah, and you expect me to believe that.”
“Well, it’s the truth. You can ask her. I’ll pay you when we get back to the den. Promise.”
“Mmhmm.” Ryder still didn’t believe a word of it but he wasn’t going to press. “Forget about it,” he said with a wry grin. “Since you’re a brand new daddy I’ll let this one slide.” Then he flopped down onto the nearby sofa and put one foot up on the soft cushion.
Ridge stayed by the pool table and propped his behind on the edge. “So what about you?” he asked. “When are you going to get back on the bandwagon? You fall off the horse, you get right back on. Know what I mean?”
Ryder gave a noncommittal grunt. That was as much as Ridge was going to get out of him. Tact had never been his brother’s strong point. Although his brother didn’t know the reason, he was aware that his engagement to Karin was off. It would take a guy like Ridge to bring that up. “I could do with a drink,” Ryder said to him, ready to change the subject. “Bring me a beer, will you?”
To his surprise, Ridge stood up and without protest he headed off to the kitchen, leaving Ryder alone with his thoughts, at least for the moment. And right then he was wishing he could pick up the phone and call Blake. It had only been a week and a half since he’d left Pequoia but he was missing her like hell. But his longing was crowded out by another thought that was far from pleasant. It had nothing to do with Blake and everything to do with that one person he was trying hard to forget.
Knowing Karin as he did, he could tell something was up. The fact that she’d gone looking for him meant that things weren’t over, not as far as she was concerned.
And that could only spell trouble.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Peggy hurried up the driveway to Barbara’s house and rang the doorbell. What Barb could want to see her for at six o’clock on a Friday evening, she couldn’t tell.
After all, she’d already seen her friend this morning. They’d picked up groceries together at Samuel’s store. Then she shrugged. Whatever it was must be important because Barb had sent Theresa’s little boy to get her.
When over ten seconds passed and the door didn’t open Peggy rang the doorbell again. Still nothing. Then, frustrated at the wait after she’d worked herself into a sweat hurrying over there, she tried the knob. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when the door swung open.
Peggy pushed it open wider and peered in. “Barb, I’m here.” There was no answer so she stepped into the foyer. “Barbara.” Her second call echoed in the house but again, there was no answer. Peggy gave a soft hiss of annoyance. Knowing Barbara, she’d made this arrangement and then forgotten all about it. She was probably tucked away in bed, lost in a good book, not remembering that she should be expecting a visitor.
“Barbara,” she yelled a third time and then she was walking down the hallway, intent on finding her friend, grumbling as she went. She was marching past the dining room when she stopped short. Good heavens.
She turned and stared at the dining table, a piece of furniture Barbara hardly used because she always hung out in the kitchen. This evening the usually bare table was elegantly decorated with a collection of red and white scented candles clustered in the center of a circle of tiny bowls filled with rose petals. On one side of the table were covered dishes from which wafted the delicious aroma of food and on the other side were two tall-stemmed glasses and a dewy silver wine bucket from which the top of a bottle stuck.
“That little devil.” The words left Peggy’s mouth in a soft whisper, a mixture of annoyance and pleasure. Barbara Bonner was something else. Her friend was giving her a taste of her own medicine, playing the same trick on her that she'd played on Blake and Ryder. That was what you got for letting your friend in on your secret.
And then, like she guessed would happen, there was a knock at the door. She didn’t have to open it to know who was standing on the front porch and, poor thing, he was probably as much in the dark as she’d been.
Or was he? Peggy’s eyes narrowed as she thought about that. What if Ted had been in on the plan? If so, she would kill him. But she wouldn’t make him see her suspicion. No, she would greet him as friendly as always, but she would be watching him like a hawk. He’d never been able to keep a secret. His face would tell the whole story.
But when Peggy went to the door and threw it open she cou
ld tell by his reaction that he knew absolutely nothing about the affair.
As the door opened and he saw her standing there his eyebrows shot up. “Peggy? I thought…where’s Barbara? I got a message that she needed to see me right away.”
“Yeah, you and me both.” Peggy wrinkled her nose. “Our good friend is playing tricks on us.” She stepped back and held the door wide. “Come on in. I’ll show you.”
When they got to the dining room and Ted saw the spread he gave a low whistle. “Looks like she’s getting ready to receive a very special man this evening.” Then he gave a slight frown. “Barbara’s got a beau? How come I didn’t know that? After Gordon passed away I thought she'd given up on men.”
Peggy glared at him, not believing he could be so slow, and then she punched him on the arm. “She hasn’t got a beau, you dolt. That’s for us. That’s why she invited us here.”
His brows lifted. “For us?” And then, as the realization sank in, his face relaxed into a smile. “For us.”
Peggy almost punched him again. “Don’t get too happy about that. I don’t know if I like Barb fooling me like this. It’s not right-” She stopped, again remembering she’d been the one who tried the trick first. She was the last person to be chastising her friend for using her sneaky little trick.
“Well, we might as well see what she fixed us. Have a seat.” Peggy knew she wouldn’t win any prizes for congeniality but she was in no mood to be nice to Ted. He might not have been part of the planning of this rendezvous but she had to be annoyed with someone. Barbara wasn’t here so he was the easiest target.
“So are you going to sit or not?” she bit out, when it didn’t look like he was moving fast enough.
“Hold your horses, little lady. Let me get the chair for you before you bite my head off.” Ted was pulling out the chair as he spoke and his look of reproach made Peggy feel a tiny thread of remorse.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice not so bold and forceful this time. “Barbara just threw me upside down, that’s all. I shouldn’t take it out on you.” She slid onto the chair then glanced up at Ted, hoping her look was sufficiently apologetic to appease him.
“That’s all right,” he said. “I know how you feel. She threw me upside down, too.” Then he grinned. “In a good way.”
After that they settled into a comfortable silence as Ted lifted the covers from each of the dishes and began to ladle a little of each onto Peggy’s plate. “I know exactly what you like,” he said, “and how much. I’ve watched you eat at enough events to have this down pat.”
“You’ve watched me eat?” Peggy didn’t know if she liked the sound of that.
Ted gave a nervous laugh. “Well, not like a stalker or anything. I just notice you a lot.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You notice me? A lot?”
By this time Ted was looking like he was sorry he’d opened his mouth. He closed his lips tight and dumped a much too generous portion of mashed potatoes on her plate and then he made his escape to the other side of the table.
Peggy almost felt sorry for him. She could be such a contentious harridan when she was ready. She’d just apologized to the man and here she’d gone and spoiled it so soon. She drew in her breath and closed her eyes, willing herself into a better mood. When she opened her eyes Ted was staring at her, a look of concern on his face.
“Are you all right?”
She smiled at him. “I’m fine,” she said then patted the seat beside her. “Now I know we’re not going to have dinner with you sitting all the way over there. Why don’t you sit right here?”
When his face brightened and he hurried over to do her bidding she knew she’d done the right thing. The truth was, she’d been cantankerous for one reason and one reason only. She was beginning to like Ted and she’d been doing everything in her power to resist it but it wasn’t working. He was growing on her and she didn’t like it. What made it worse, it looked like she wasn’t the only one who knew about it. Barbara had noticed it, too. Why else would she have gone to all the trouble of setting up this dinner date?
As Ted pulled out the chair beside her Peggy gave a soft sigh of resignation. Did it make sense to even fight this? After all, life was too short to decide to be lonely or unhappy just for the heck of it. If her happiness was to come through Ted then so be it.
And so, long after the sun had gone done and they’d finished their meal, they relaxed on the sofa in the living room and talked about old times in Pequoia. And when Ted slid closer on the sofa, slipped his arm around her shoulder and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek she did not pull away.
Because somehow she had a feeling that after all these years this was meant to be.
***
If Blake had had any complaints about business being slow in the early part of the month she had no such complaints now. She didn’t have enough hands to keep the telephone company workers fed. In fact, she’d had to hire a couple of high school seniors who were saving up for college. They were grateful for the cash and she was more than grateful for the help.
And, more than anything, she was grateful that the telephone company had finally decided to provide service to Pequoia. That was the cause of the influx of workers and the drastic increase in business at Beaumont’s. They were busy putting up telephone poles and were even planning on setting up a cell phone tower in the area. And it was about time.
Things had been so busy lately that Blake was up before dawn and didn’t get to bed till past midnight. And in the midst of all that busyness she still found the time to miss Ryder. She was missing him so bad it wasn’t funny.
When Ryder left he’d made no promises but she’d thought…hoped…he would have come back. He’d made friends in Pequoia and the ladies from the sewing circle, Moonwalker and even Ted would ask about him from time to time.
But as her mind dwelled on the stranger who had come to mean so much to her she smiled to herself. Who was she kidding? It wasn’t the sewing circle ladies she wanted him to come back to see. It was her.
But it had been almost three weeks since Ryder left town and with each passing day her hopes of seeing him again grew-
“Sorry to bother you, Blake, but there’s someone here to see you.” The teenager’s voice ripped her out of her reverie.
Feeling guilty that she’d been in her office cum store room daydreaming, Blake got to her feet and came around the desk toward him. “Who is it, Chris? Is it Penelope?” She glanced at the clock. Only three o’clock in the afternoon. She wasn’t expecting the bookkeeper until four.
“No.” He shook his head and his long brown hair fell over his eyes. He brushed it away. “It’s a man, and he looks sort of important.”
She frowned. “A man?” She wasn’t expecting any man. And then, as if her heart knew something she didn’t, it jerked in her chest. Could the man be Ryder?
The thought made her hurry past Chris and head out toward the restaurant. As she pushed through the swinging doors there was a smile on her lips. She couldn’t help it. There was no way she could hide the fact that she was glad to see him.
When she saw her visitor she froze in her tracks. The man who was staring back at her wasn’t Ryder at all. It was Jerome.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out.” He looked around the room, pretty much deserted since the lunch crowd had packed up and gone back to their work. Then he turned his gaze back to her. “Did you think I wouldn’t find you? There’s no place on earth you can go where I can’t track you down.”
For a good few seconds Blake stood there, speechless. The audacity of the man, to hunt her down and now to be staring at her with that sickly smirk on his face. She felt like slapping it off but before she went and did something stupid, something she could get locked up for, she folded her arms in front of her and straightened her back, deliberately making use of her height advantage. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “How did you find me?”
“Ah, that’s for me to know and you to find out.”
Looking pleased with himself he put his hand up to push away the lock of blond hair that had fallen into his eyes. He’d always complained that it was a pain and yet he insisted on keeping his hair long. That was another of his shortcomings. Vanity.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. “Did you have me followed?”
He chuckled. “You know I’m good at keeping secrets. I’m not going to tell.”
“Okay, forget about that. It’s not important. The real question is, why are you here in Pequoia? You have no business coming to Beaumont’s.”
“Oh, I’ll be leaving your…establishment in a minute.” He glanced around with a look tinged with disdain. “I just thought I’d pass by to let you know I’d be in town for a while.”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean? What business do you have in Pequoia?”
He tilted his head and smiled. “With the coming of the telephone lines the opportunities are boundless for real estate.” He shrugged. “Things can only go up from here.”
And then, right before her eyes, the self-satisfied look on his face dissolved and he transformed into the guileless, earnest Jerome she’d fallen in love with. “Let’s put all that aside. There’s a business opportunity for sure, but I didn’t come here for business. I came to see you.”
“Why?” The question was blunt and cold. Now that she knew the real Jerome she wasn’t going to fall for his tricks.
“Because I still love you. And you love me, too. I can feel it.” He took a small step forward but the look she gave him made him halt.
“Get out of here.” She said the words through clenched teeth. “Leave and never come back. I’ve had enough of your games.”
He had the gall to look hurt. “I came because I need you, Blake. I can’t live without-”
“Get the hell out.” She released her arms and clenched her fists at her sides. “I don’t want to hear another word from you. They’re lies. All lies. Get out of here before I call the police.”
