Blake gave herself over to Ryder’s kiss, melting in his arms, feeling like this was where she was meant to be. As he kissed her she held nothing back. It didn’t matter if her response revealed her deepest secret. She didn’t care if he could feel her longing to hold him close, her ecstasy that she was now in his arms. She just wanted his kiss to last forever.
But all good things had to come to an end and soon, much too soon, Ryder was releasing her lips and lifting his head to gaze down at her flushed face. Thankfully, he did not release her from his arms. “Thank you,” he said, his voice quiet and his face serious, “very much.”
Now how do you respond to that? No man had ever thanked her for a kiss. Not knowing what to say she just gazed back at him and when he smiled she dropped her eyes and rested her cheek against his cotton-covered chest. It felt so good that a tiny shiver ran through her body.
“Cold?” Ryder ran his warm hands up and down her arms, making her shiver again. He had no idea that her shivers had nothing to do with the evening air.
“Come on, let’s get you warmed up inside.” He put a hand on her shoulder to turn her toward the pathway and as they walked toward the house he rested his arm gently around her waist.
Blake leaned into him, reveling in his warmth and his strength. Maybe it was because they’d both shared their stories of trauma and betrayal. She didn’t know what it was and she would not question why. All she knew was that it felt so natural to be with Ryder, to have him there by her side.
As they stepped onto the porch he released her and held the door open. “You go in and relax,” he said. “I’ll do the cleaning up.”
Blake could only smile. He was such a gentleman, almost too good to be true. He’d made her get past all the baggage she’d thrown out on the table and now she was at peace.
But then his next words threw freezing-cold water on her mellow mood.
“We’ve got to head back to Beaumont’s soon,” he said. “I have to hit the road early in the morning.”
And although she’d known he would be leaving, it was a reminder she could have done without.
After what they’d shared tonight, how could she bear to let Ryder go, knowing she might never see him again?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Cut them off,” Ryder said, his voice cold. “If they want tough we’ll give them tough. I’m not in the mood to play games.”
“You’re sure you want to do that? That’s a couple of million we stand to lose if we cancel the deal.” Phil Bennett, Ryder’s second-in-command, gave him a look tinged with doubt. “Maybe we should give them more time.”
Ryder flashed him a glare of impatience. “We had an agreement. We signed on the dotted line. I’m a man of my word and if I committed to taking the supplies from those dairy farmers I’ll honor my commitment. But I’m not going to sell their stock to a retail chain that suddenly decides they’re going to jack up prices because they can. We agreed on an intro price so consumers could try the new brand. If they’re going to back out of our agreement then forget them. I’ll sell my dairy products elsewhere.”
Phil tightened his lips. “It’s only like three cents, Ryder. Surely you can overlook that. The consumer won’t even feel it.” Then he shook his head. “I mean, come on. It’s not peanuts we’re talking about if we lose a couple mill.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m no fool. I’ve got alternative markets already lined up.”
Phil heaved a dramatic sigh. “Don’t scare me like that again.”
Ryder grinned. “You should know me by now, Phil. When have you known me to be rash? Now ruthless, I can do that when the situation calls for it, but rash? Never.”
Phil chuckled and began to get up to leave but then he paused. “By the way, there’s something I should tell you.” He cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed. “Something of a personal nature.”
Ryder frowned. “Yes? What is it?”
Phil sat forward in his chair as if he wanted to get close enough so he wouldn’t have to speak loudly. “It's Miss Ebbinghaus. She came by while you were away.”
Ryder’s frown deepened. “Karin? Did she say why?”
Phil shook his head. “No, but she said it was very important that you call her upon your return. She didn’t say anything else.” Phil cleared his throat again. “I don’t get it. Why didn’t she just call you? Is something wrong?”
The man was fishing now, prying into matters that were none of his business. He knew that Ryder and Karin were involved and his curiosity was getting the better of him. It didn’t matter that Ryder had known him almost twenty years, from the days when Phil used to work for his father. When it came to his personal life, that was where the conversation would end.
He jerked his head toward the door. “Thank you, Phil,” he said, his voice cold and his look just as frigid. “That will be all.”
Without demure the man got up and left the room. As he closed the door behind him Ryder expelled his breath and sat back in his chair.
So Karin had come looking for him. By now she should have heard through the grapevine that he was back in town. She would be back, he was sure of it. If there was one thing he knew about Karin Ebbinghaus it was that she didn’t stop until she got what she wanted.
But what the heck she could want from him when she was expecting another man’s child, he had no idea.
It was a question for which he had no desire to get an answer.
***
“Don’t you ever do that again, staying away so long. You leave town and you send me a postcard? Your own mother? What ever happened to a good old phone call?” Magdalena Kent gave Ryder a disapproving look and then she spoiled it when she opened her arms wide and gave her son a broad smile. “Come give your mama a hug, you wicked boy, you.”
Ryder was only too happy to oblige. He walked into his mother’s arms and when she gave him a fierce squeeze he groaned in exaggerated agony, hoping he would make her feel just a little bit guilty. He didn’t. She squeezed even harder and then she stepped back to peer up into his face. “You look well,” she said, looking satisfied, and then she cocked her head to one side. “Are you?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” He gave her a quick nod then stepped back before she could corral him and drag him off to some place where she could grill him properly. Mother Kent was famous for digging the deepest secrets out of her four sons and Ryder wasn’t up to the challenge. Not today. It was Sunday and all he wanted to do was relax and enjoy the quiet peace of Westside. It was one of the tiniest towns in Iowa and his parents had decided to leave the busy bustle of the city and retire there. They loved it, being in a town where everyone knew everyone else and it wasn’t hard in a population of just over five hundred.