Circle of Family

by Mia Ross

  Gratitude flooded Ridge’s eyes, and he gently grasped her hand before turning back to Kyle. “When school was out, we came to North Carolina to live with Mom’s cousin.”

  “To keep you away from your father,” Marianne guessed.

  Ridge nodded. “After I graduated, we went back to Denver because she missed her parents. When my father died in a car accident, I knew she’d be safe from him, so I left.”

  Kyle met Marianne’s gaze with a hardness she’d never seen. “Did my father do that to you?”

  “No,” she assured him quickly. “This is Ridge’s story, not ours.”

  Still holding Marianne’s hand, he rested the other one on Kyle’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I wanted you to know I get it. It’s tough to be around someone who can hurt you and the people you care about.”

  “Kyle.” Marianne waited for him to look at her. “I promise you don’t have to be alone with your father if you don’t want to. I’ll be here, or Uncle John or Ridge.”

  Her motherly instinct urged her to forbid the visits completely, but she realized that would only anger Peter, and he might end up taking her to court to enforce his rights. While she didn’t like the idea of his invading her home, she could manage it.

  Her concern was that if Peter chose to take her to court, Kyle would be dragged into some judge’s chambers to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions about the father he barely knew. As mature as he seemed, he was still only ten. If she could spare him that, she would. She hoped that, in time, Peter would tire of driving to North Carolina and would stay in D.C. with the other sharks.

  To her great relief, Kyle smiled, once again her generous, easygoing boy. “Okay, Mom. I’ll give it a shot.”

  She could hardly believe her ears. Apparently she could add magician to Ridge’s eclectic résumé. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, it’ll be fine.” Swinging up from the bench, he whistled for his dog. “Me and Tucker are going for a run. Okay?”

  Marianne was so proud of him, she didn’t even bother to correct his grammar. “Sure. Come back before dark, though.”

  “We will.”

  The Lab barreled in from wherever he’d been roaming, and the two of them headed to the shed where Kyle kept his mountain bike. Watching them fly down the nearest field road, she smiled and then turned to Ridge.

  “That can’t have been easy for you,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “Glad I could help.” Stifling a yawn, he groaned. “All this football is killing me. I can’t keep up with those kids.”

  Laughing, Marianne reached into the cooler beside the table and fished out a half-frozen water bottle for him. “I warned you.”

  Cracking open the bottle, he poured icy water into his mouth. “It’s my own fault. I always leap before I look.”

  In truth, she liked that about him. So many people were cautious to the point of paralysis, watching the world spin around them with no idea how to join in. If she was completely honest, lately she’d begun to think she was one of those people.

  She didn’t make changes unless she was forced to, like with her masters course on child development that she was enjoying so much. The revelation didn’t thrill her, but Ridge’s embrace-everything philosophy had made her take a good, long look at herself.

  “Ridge, may I ask you something?”

  Shifting, he slung an arm over his bent knee and gave her one of his charmingly crooked grins. “Sure.”

  “If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?”

  “I’d be smarter,” he replied instantly.

  “Come on. I’m serious.”

  “So am I.”

  “You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.” He gave her a doubtful look, and she added, “Really. I didn’t think so at first, but you are.”

  His grin widened, and she felt her face getting hotter than the air around her. “What I meant was—”

  “I don’t come across as well educated and shrewd.” He winked before swallowing some water. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “That’s not it, exactly.” She tried to explain, searching for the right words. “You’re smart, but you don’t hold it over people. You’ve had a really interesting life, but instead of going on and on about yourself, you focus on the person you’re talking to. You make them feel that you’re interested in what they have to say.”

  He’d been watching her while they chatted, but his demeanor suddenly shifted. He didn’t move closer, but his gaze locked with hers and, try as she would, she couldn’t look away. The gold in his eyes warmed, making the green look even more vivid than usual.

  “I’m interested, Marianne,” he murmured, his voice filled with something she couldn’t begin to define. “You can count on that.”

  When she heard gravel crunching in the driveway, she angled a look over her shoulder. Peter’s silver Jag pulled in and parked next to her van. Wonderful.

  As he strolled over, she stood to greet him. He looked down on her in every figurative way possible. She didn’t want him doing it literally, too.

  The fact that she didn’t mind Ridge standing over her flashed into her mind. Pushing that thought away, she braced herself for another confrontation with her arrogant ex-husband.

  “Marianne.” Completely ignoring Ridge, Peter acknowledged her with a curt nod and looked past her toward the field road where Kyle was racing Tucker. “How’s my boy doing?”

  “Fine.”

  Peter’s condescending tone brought back a flood of memories she’d thought were dead and buried. She didn’t want him anywhere near her or her children. Standing in her yard in his Italian suit and shoes, he stuck out like a peacock in a henhouse.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” Ridge said as he stood, “I’ve got some work to do. Nice seeing you again, Pete.”

  “Peter,” he said to Ridge’s back. Sauntering past him and into the barn, the pilot didn’t respond, but Marianne could imagine him grinning.

  Hiding a smile of her own, she made an attempt at being civil. “Would you like something to drink, Peter?”

  Intent on scowling at Ridge, he didn’t seem to notice she’d said anything. Finally he looked at her. “What?”

  She repeated her question, and he replied, “Iced tea would be nice.”

  Out of habit, she reached toward the ice chest to get it for him. But something stopped her. A murmur in the back of her mind reminded her that this man was no longer her husband. Not only that, he’d proven himself many times to be the enemy. Even the most old-fashioned Southern lady wasn’t expected to serve the enemy.

  Stepping back, she gave him access to the cooler. “Help yourself.”

  When he finally looked at her, the shock she saw in his angular features was priceless. He opened the lid and reached inside to rummage through the assortment of bottles. Pulling out one labeled Sweet Tea, he frowned but twisted it open.

  “I keep forgetting the Southern fondness for sweetening everything to death,” he complained. “The dentists down here must make a real killing.”

  Because she had no desire to spar with him, Marianne let the snide comment go. She was dying to ask him how long he’d been living in Washington, but she cautioned herself against showing interest in anything he did. He’d neglected her and the kids for years. She refused to give him the satisfaction of appearing to care.

  Her phone dinged from the picnic table, telling her she had a text. She wasn’t surprised to see Ridge’s name on the screen. When she opened the message, she couldn’t help smiling:

  is that yutz bothrng u?

  She glanced through the open door of the barn, but he was doing a good job appearing to be concentrating on something clamped into a vise on the workbench. She smiled at his inventive way of communicating with her. Ridge kn
ew Peter didn’t like the idea of them together, but he wanted Marianne to know he was watching out for her.

  So she replied, fine here, adding a smiley wink so he’d know she really was okay.

  Shifting his head, he angled a look back at her while he loosened a bolt with a wrench. She almost waved at him, but felt Peter watching her intently. So she kept up the ruse and texted, really.

  Turning around, Ridge shook his head, and even from this distance she could tell he was debating whether to come over and see for himself. How could she ever have considered him selfish and irresponsible? Not only did it feel as if she’d made that judgment a very long time ago, it seemed impossible. As she had after Peter’s first visit to the farm, she got a warm, comforting feeling knowing that if she needed him, Ridge was there.

  It gave her confidence a nice boost, and she turned her attention back to Peter. His concentration was completely fixed on Kyle, smiling as he cleared a low jump with a flourish in the air. “That’s my boy.”

  That he had the gall to claim anything as far as Kyle was concerned made Marianne’s temper simmer. Rather than get angry, though, she decided to take the high road. Sort of.

  “He and Ridge built that ramp,” she commented lightly. “They’re having fun with football, too. After practice, they come home and run more plays till it’s too dark to see.”

  Mention of their semi-permanent guest had just the effect she’d anticipated. Peter’s gaze left the field and landed squarely on her. There was a time when such intense contact with him had made her fidget, wondering what she’d done wrong. Now it just made her smile.

  Her heart soared as it dawned on her that she wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

  “I’d rather you didn’t flaunt your boyfriend in front of Kyle,” Peter snarled. “He has a father.”

  She almost told him Ridge wasn’t her boyfriend, but something made her hold back. The idea that she had someone in her life seemed to aggravate him, and she was enjoying his reaction.

  “Fathers do more than conceive a child. They certainly don’t leave them a note and never look back.”

  “Our circumstances had become untenable.”

  “Hauling out the big words now, are we?” she taunted, which was very unlike her.

  Years of pent-up anger bubbled dangerously close to a boiling point, and she struggled to keep her composure. Peter wanted to upset her because that would give him a cool, logical advantage over her. She knew that letting him rile her would only play into that, but she’d had enough of his upper-crust attitude. He was on her turf. She didn’t have to take any nonsense from him.

  “I know perfectly well what they mean, you know,” she continued. “You’re only half as smart as you think you are.”

  His eyes became dark slits, and she knew she’d pushed him too far. Old fears curled around her, and she fought the urge to take a step back. Those days were gone, she reminded herself.

  She would never give ground to Peter Weston again.

  “You used to be so sweet and accommodating.” His silky voice did little to disguise the malicious current running beneath his words. “What happened to the girl I married?”

  “She grew up.” Raising her chin defiantly, Marianne glared at him. “With two children to raise, she didn’t have a choice.”

  After a pause, Peter smirked. “I know Emily isn’t mine.”

  Several unspeakable things popped into her mind. Somehow she managed to keep them to herself.

  “She most certainly is,” Marianne hissed. “Whatever problems we might have had, I was always faithful to you.” Narrowing her eyes, she summoned all the humiliation he’d put her through during their marriage. “It’s too bad you can’t say the same.”

  From the astonishment on his face, she knew she’d hit the mark with that one. Peter thought she was a simple, foolish country girl so in love with him she couldn’t see his flaws. It gave her great satisfaction to prove just how wrong he was about her.

  After several moments, he apparently gave up trying to come up with a response. “I have a meeting elsewhere. Tell Kyle I’ll see him tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow isn’t good. He gets home from school at three o’clock, and he does homework until we leave for practice at five.”

  Peter obviously had no clue school was even in session. Why would he? People without children didn’t follow academic schedules, much less plan ahead for homework and playtime.

  “Fine. I’ll come Wednesday around four.”

  She hadn’t invited him to come back, and his arrogant assumption galled her. Even though she knew immediately the time fit into their schedule, she made a show of thinking it over. “That’s fine.”

  Peter walked away, then turned back. “For the record, Marianne, I don’t like the changes I see in you. You’ve become bitter and manipulative, and I’m concerned that you’re a bad influence on my son.”

  “Tell it to the judge.”

  He scowled his opinion of that. “I just might.”

  “Go right ahead,” she shot back. “I have a few things to tell him myself.”

  That set Peter back on his heels, but only for a moment. Marianne savored the brief victory, but decided it was best to let the subject drop. After they glared at each other for what felt like a very long time, Peter finally retreated to his car.

  The sound of gravel dinging the glossy finish on his Jag as he drove away was one of the nicest things Marianne had ever heard.

  * * *

  After a late supper, the kids were still wired. Ridge was afraid one of them might actually get hurt. Hoping to avoid a trip to the hospital, he suggested, “How ’bout a swim?”

  Whooping their approval, they bounded upstairs to change into their suits. While they were gone, he grinned across the table at Marianne. “Gonna tell me why you look like a cat in cream?”

  “Do I?” she asked, standing to start clearing the dishes. “I didn’t realize.”

  “What did Petey want?”

  He’d used the childish nickname to make her smile, and it worked. “To mark his territory. Unfortunately for him, Kyle isn’t his to claim.”

  While she seemed fine to him, Ridge’s back went up anytime he even thought of her ex being around her or the kids. Ridge had met a few men like Peter in his travels. Rich and arrogant, they assumed everything—and everyone—they saw was theirs for the taking. Trouble was, they didn’t consider the fact that some folks didn’t want to be taken.

  “What did he say exactly?” Ridge pressed. He had a golden gut, and it was telling him there was trouble ahead somewhere.

  Shrugging, she began loading the dishwasher. “He said he didn’t like the changes he saw in me, that I was a bad influence on his son. He threatened to tell the judge, and I told him to go ahead because I have some things to tell the judge myself.”

  “Whoa!” Hands up, Ridge flung himself back in his chair, exaggerating his astonishment but not by much. “Nice one.”

  “I thought so.”

  She was still smiling when the kids barreled down the stairs and out the side door. As he followed Marianne outside, Ridge said, “That can’t have been easy to do. You should be real proud of yourself.”

  “You know, I am.” As Tucker and the kids simultaneously hit the water, she laughed. “He looked like he’d been kicked in a very bad place. You would’ve loved it.”

  “Wish I’d been there,” he said lightly, hoping she’d get his real meaning.

  Her grateful look told him she’d heard him loud and clear. “That’s sweet, but I really was fine.”

  “I’m glad.”

  And proud, he added silently. He’d never been prouder of anyone in his life. How she’d gone from the trembling woman he’d seen during Peter’s first visit to this growling mama bear was beyond him. He was just glad she’d made th
e leap. Things could only improve from here.

  “Peter didn’t stay long after that, but he’ll be here Wednesday at four. That was the best I could do,” she insisted, clearly anticipating his objection. “The law says he has a right to see his children, and I won’t go against that.”

  Her mention of children got Ridge’s temper going again. “How can he ignore Emily the way he does?”

  “I’m not sure. But I think he’ll get tired of Kyle’s attitude before long, and our lives will go back to normal.”

  Except for mine, he thought as Emily shouted, “Watch me, Ridge!”

  Watching her swim the width of the small pond, it occurred to him that he’d really come to care about this little family. It was uncharacteristic of him, and totally unexpected. The past few years he’d drifted wherever the wind took him, enjoying things as they came without becoming too attached to any place or anyone in particular. It worked for him, and he enjoyed his life. But sitting on the dock next to Marianne, watching Kyle and Emily play water tag with Tucker, he knew.

  He didn’t want to leave.

  In his shorts pocket, his cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out and checked the caller I.D. When he saw it was Matt, he clicked the on button. “What’s up?”

  “There’s a package here for you.” His old friend chuckled. “It came earlier, but Caty just found it in a rosebush. The delivery guy must’ve set it on the porch railing and it fell into the garden.”

  Ridge’s heart lurched, and he tried to sound normal. “Is it damaged?”

  “Nah. It’s a hard-sided case coated in plastic. Could probably survive being shot out of a cannon. What is it, anyway?”

  “Just some books I ordered.”

  “From England?” Matt sounded suspicious. “Shakespeare’s journals or something?”

  “Something like that.” He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly eight. “I know you go to bed early, so I’ll come get it now.”

  “Don’t bother. We’ll keep it here for you.”

  Ridge repeated his plan, and he could hear Matt’s shrug over the phone. “Suit yourself.”