Barbara ignored that comment and turned her attention to Ryder instead. “I’m Barbara,” she said, her soft cheeks glowing as she smiled up at him. “I’ve heard so much about you and I have to say it looks like it’s all true.”
That remark was cause for him to raise his eyebrows. “From Ms. Thatcher?” he asked as he took her hand.
“It’s Peggy,” the lady in question said. “Don’t start getting all formal with me.”
“Yes, from Peggy,” Barbara said. “She’s been raving about you, about how handsome you are. She wasn’t lying, that’s for sure.”
Ryder cleared his throat, embarrassed at the woman’s open admiration. “I’m pleased to meet you Ms. Bonner. Barbara.”
“Likewise.”
Now it was Peggy’s turn to clear her throat. She tugged on Ryder’s arm. “Let’s get on inside before Beth starts wondering what we’re doing, standing around on her front porch like this.”
When they got inside Ryder found that Beth wasn’t the only woman there. He was introduced to their hostess, a sweet white-haired lady, as well as to Sarah, Bridget and Martha. “My husband dropped us off and left with the car,” Sarah explained then shook her head. “There’s a baseball game on T.V.. He couldn’t get away fast enough.”
A few minutes later another woman arrived and then another until Ryder found himself surrounded by a bevy of ladies, all chattering excitedly around him.
“Who are your relations?” one of them asked him.
“When did you get here?” was the query from another.
“Are you going to stay?”
At that last query, Peggy sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her bosom. “He’s staying,” she said firmly, “if I have anything to do with it. He’s perfect for our Blake.”
And, as if they’d forgotten he was sitting right there among them, the women took off with a heated discussion on how they could guarantee his union with Blake.
Ryder didn’t say a word. He just kept his mouth shut and let them have their fun.
But when the topic of the conversation changed he knew he was in trouble, at least as far as these ladies’ plan was concerned.
“What kind of babies do you think they’ll have?” Beth asked.
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Peggy declared. “All I know is, they'd better have lots of them.”
***
Blake was up early next morning, intent on dealing with her problem immediately. If Jerome Slater thought he could get away with slander he’d better think again.
When she walked into the kitchen her mother was already there. “Hi, Mom. Whatcha doin’?” She went over and gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Morning, honey. I guessed you’d be up early. I’m making you some warm cereal. Oatmeal.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Blake went over and flopped down on the closest chair then propped her elbows on the kitchen table. She watched as her mother turned back to the stove to stir the stuff she was preparing and it was when she found herself staring at the back of her mother’s head that she realized that a lot more gray hairs had sprung up since the last time she’d seen her.
Life had never been easy for Rosie. A single mother for much of her adult life, Rosie had married Blake’s father after graduate school, just as she hit the quarter century mark. She’d been working three years as a business analyst in an accounting firm when she got pregnant, which would not have been a problem if she’d been in a happy marriage. As it was, she’d been contemplating asking her husband for a divorce when it happened.
Instead of giving new life to the marriage, with the pregnancy things deteriorated. Ernest Beaumont had always been a controlling husband, domineering and overly possessive. With the expected arrival of their child he became even more so, demanding that she give up her position at the accounting firm.
After much resistance she finally gave in, quit her job and dedicated herself to preparing for the arrival of their first child. She figured she could always enter the workforce again, once the baby entered a daycare program. As she’d told Blake many years later, she’d thought that was the perfect plan. Ernest shot it down cold, telling her that once she became a mother he expected her to remain at home to care for their child.
It was the last straw. The divorce came through before Blake was even born and when Ernest refused to support their child Rosie didn’t even bother to take him to court. He made no effort to be a part of his daughter’s life even though Rosie emailed him photos of each of Blake’s little milestones – her first tooth, her graduation from nursery school, her first day at kindergarten. No amount of arguing or pleading would make the man bend his rigid stance. He was divorced from Rosie and anything…or anyone…to do with her.
Because Ernest’s parents had both passed away the only contact Rosie had with his family was a great uncle who still lived in the remote community of Pequoia. Desperate to maintain even one small link with Blake’s Beaumont roots, Rosie took to sending occasional photos to this great uncle and he seemed to take great pleasure from them because he always wrote back and thanked her.
When Blake was eleven her mother remarried but that relationship was just as short-lived as the first. Within a couple of years Rosie was single again and this time she had two mouths to feed in addition to her own. This time around she was not so generous and made sure that Rebecca’s father made his contribution to his child's welfare. Thankfully, he remained a part of his daughter’s life and would have frequent conversations with her on Skype even though he now lived in Europe.
Blake knew very well how stressful life had been for her mother and she did everything in her power to make things easier for her. That was why she had chosen business management as her major. She’d been determined to become a super-successful businesswoman so she could provide for her mother.
And that plan had been working out fine…until Jerome Slater came into the picture. Why she’d given in to his pleas and made him a partner in her business, she would never know.
But actually, she did know. The problem was, she’d succumbed to his silky charm. He’d been such a seducer that she hadn’t just given him access to her business. She’d even given him access to her heart.
And then he’d gone and used it against her.