“Who said that? I said we—” he pointed back and forth between the two of them “—weren’t good at it. With other people? I’m not so sure.”
“She’s more likely to argue than listen,” Ryder grumbled.
This time his father laughed. “Well, son, that’s good news.”
Ryder shot him a look. “How’s that?”
“Arguing. Looks like that baby isn’t the only thing you have in common.”
Ryder shook his head. “Babies.”
His father slapped his hand against his thigh. “I’ll be.” His father was all smiles for the rest of the ride.
But Ryder thought, maybe, his dad had a point. And, at this point, talking was the only thing he hadn’t tried. He could only hope he’d find the right words.
* * *
ANNABETH STARED AT the flowers on her desk. Ryder had sent her yellow roses. Why? Because she loved yellow. He’d also sent her lemon soda. Why? Because she liked lemons. It was like he was trying to lessen the blow that was coming. And it was coming, she knew it was. He’d been home late for the past few weeks, sneaking in when she was supposed to be sleeping. Even though all she’d done was lie there and worry. She had a hard time believing there were that many fences to mend or that there was a rodeo every night... Not that it mattered. It was good he was putting distance between them.
So all the little gifts were to ease his guilt. Did he think he could buy her off? That sneaking off to do whatever he was doing was okay? She’d hoped he’d behave until after they were divorced. And they hadn’t even begun to talk about divorce proceedings.
Her attention wandered to the beautiful framed picture of her, Cody and Ryder at their wedding party. And another one, just the two of them. He was looking at her the way she was looking at him—as if there was love there.
She sighed, filing away the papers from this afternoon’s parent-teacher conference and scrolling through her emails. She had a few parent complaints and a meeting request from the school board, but nothing too pressing. It could wait until tomorrow.
Right now, there was nothing she wanted more than to cook dinner with Cody and to try to hunt down her husband for a long-overdue talk. She loved him and she wanted him to know that. She didn’t know if they could make it work, if he could find a way to love her forever, instead of for the time being.
She stopped by the gym for Cody, thanked Bryan for letting him hang out and drove Lady Blue to the Lodge.
“When’s the h-house going to be fixed?” Cody asked.
“Ryder said there was so much work to be done that it was going to be a while. Tired of the Lodge?”
Cody laughed. “No way.”
Annabeth shook her head. “Oh really?”
Cody nodded. She knew how close Teddy and Cody were getting, their love of model cars acting as a sturdy glue. But that’s what worried her. Cody was getting too comfortable in the Boone family—they both were. Maybe the babies would ensure they were always family no matter what happened between her and Ryder. But how would she cope with that? Seeing what she wanted, what she had and what she lost.
She drew in a deep breath. No more speculating until she’d worked things out with Ryder.
“How about spaghetti and meatballs tonight?” she asked, turning at the impressive wrought-iron-and-stone gate that announced they’d reached Boone Ranch.
She saw Cody press his nose to the glass, hoping for a sighting of Uncle Hunter’s whitetail or axis deer. Or maybe even some of the exotic game he’d started working with. Cody thought the animals were fascinating. Not as fascinating as cars, but a solid second. It probably helped that Eli was really into animals. He was older, the kind of kid someone Cody’s age would look up to. The fact that he was a good kid, kind to Cody, respectful to his family, and funny, was a huge relief for Annabeth.
Teddy looked up from the check-in counter at the Lodge. “You’re home early.”
“I thought I’d make dinner for you tonight,” she offered. “Spaghetti and meatballs? I know that’s Ryder’s favorite.”
Teddy frowned. “He said something about working late tonight.”
She nodded, trying not to be disappointed. “It’ll keep.”
Teddy’s smile was strained. “I’m sure he’ll be starved when he gets home.”
“How was y-your day?” Cody asked Teddy, climbing up onto the stool beside the older man.
“Well, let’s see. We have a couple here all the way from Minnesota. And a few businessmen thinking about renting the place out for a retreat or something. Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet.”