“Let me look at you,” her mother exclaimed, pulling back and eyeing McKenzie in the porch light.
“Don’t you dare comment on how I’ve grown,” McKenzie warned, but was smiling and glassy-eyed.
Ryder could see that despite the fact McKenzie lived so far away, there was no shortage of love between the two women.
“Grown? Ha, you look as if I need to put some meat on you. You’re nothing but skin and bones,” her mother countered, which Ryder found interesting as McKenzie’s mother was a tiny thing herself. “This must be your new guy.”
“Mama, this is Dr. Ryder Andrews.” She gave him a here goes everything look. “Ryder, this is my mother, Roberta Wilkes.”
Ryder smiled at the petite woman with dark eyes and hair. Although he could see the resemblance between McKenzie and her mother in bone structure and body build, McKenzie must have gotten her coloring from her father.
He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
McKenzie’s mother clasped his hand between hers, then dropped his hand and gave him the biggest hug he’d ever had. “We are so glad to finally meet you.”
McKenzie sighed. “Mom, you make it sound as if I’ve been hiding him away. Ryder and I haven’t been dating that long. Just a few weeks.”
Roberta gave her daughter a pert look. “Long enough that you brought him home to Reva’s wedding.”
“There is that. Sorry, Ryder.” She turned to her mother. “It’s late, Mama. We have a busy few days ahead of us, and we’re worn out. Can you let us know where we’re sleeping?”
Their rooms ended up being McKenzie’s room. As in singular.
“Your cousin Jeffrey and his wife and kids are in your brother’s old room. Your brother won’t be in until tomorrow and says he’ll take the sofa.”
“I can take the sofa,” Ryder offered despite knowing his six-foot frame wouldn’t comfortably fit. It was the right thing to do and he had to halt the panic rising in McKenzie’s eyes.
“That isn’t necessary,” Roberta assured him, looking quite proud of herself. “I’m a modern woman.”
“You were a modern woman before women were modern,” McKenzie said under her breath, but Ryder heard.
Perhaps her mother had, too, as she gave McKenzie a stern look before smiling at Ryder. “You’ll have to excuse my daughter. Flying addles her mind a little.”
CHAPTER SIX
NOT IN A million years had McKenzie ever envisioned that she’d someday be standing in her childhood bedroom with Dr. Ryder Andrews, with him pretending to be her boyfriend.
r /> One just never knew where life was going to take them.
Most women would be arguing to get Ryder into their bedroom. Here McKenzie was trying to figure a way to keep him out and coming up short for a feasible reason that wouldn’t raise her family’s suspicions.
“Sorry, Mom,” she sighed. “I’m exhausted and like I said, we have a big few days. I want to hit the sack if that’s okay. It’s been a long day and flight.”
They both knew how traumatizing boarding the plane and the five-hour flight was for her.
Or that it usually was.
She still couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep on Ryder’s shoulder and missed almost the entire flight and all of the landing.
Best. Flight. Ever.
Her mother leaned in and gave another big squeeze, as if she knew where McKenzie’s thoughts had gone. “No worries. I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me, too,” she said and meant it. It had been too long since she’d been home, but Seattle was a long way from Nashville for someone terrified of flying. It wasn’t as if she could just hop in her car and go home for a quick visit.
But she could have come home for a visit, a voice nagged. Could have and should have.
Maybe, just maybe her flight back to Seattle would be as smooth as the flight to Nashville and she could put to rest some of her flying fears. Doubtful, but the flight there hadn’t been nearly as bad as expected. Thanks to Ryder.