“Why do you assume it’s a rumor?” Angela asked, a little pissed because Tee made it sound like Ryder was so out of her league. “I did kiss him and it was amazing.”
Tatiana’s mouth fell open. “You did not!”
Angela couldn’t help her small smirk. “I so did.” The smirk morphed into a self-satisfied grin. “And it was freakin’ amazing.”
Tatiana lifted her eyebrows. “I can see that it was. Lucky you.” Then a second later, “Or unlucky you.”
Angela frowned at her friend. “And what do you mean by that?”
“Part of the job of being your best friend, honey, is keeping your feet firmly on the ground. So I’m reminding you that the man you just locked lips with allegedly had an affair with your mom. And there’s also a chance that he blackmailed your grandfather into giving him land.”
Tee’s caustic statement blew away her warm and fuzzies. Dammit, she’d forgotten. How could she? But Ryder had told her that there was nothing more between her mom and him than friendship, and she believed him.
Didn’t she?
“He explained that they were just friends.”
“But you can’t be sure, can you?”
She couldn’t, dammit. She only had the word of a man she’d been taught not to trust.
“You know what your dad always says, Ange. Trust but verify.”
“And who can I ask about the past who doesn’t, to quote Dad again, have skin in the game?”
Tatiana considered her question. “Why don’t you go back up to the ranch, find someone who has worked on the ranch, in the house, for a long time and ask what they remember? Servants know everything and someone will know if anything happened between your mom and Ryder.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion, but Angela wondered whether it was worth the effort. “The thing is, Tee, I really do believe Ryder. While we haven’t had much time to discuss the details, my gut tells me that he’s telling the truth about the past.”
But what if she was wrong? What if she simply wanted to believe Ryder? Was her desire for him confusing the issue?
“What should I do, Tee?”
Tatiana waited a beat before responding. “Like I said, go to the ranch and ask some hard questions. Because if something does develop between you and Ryder, you’ll will always have this cloud of doubt hanging over you. Rather get it sorted now before you are in too deep.”
It was sound advice, even if it was delivered in Tee’s normal shoot-from-the-hip manner. Unfortunately, it was advice Angela really didn’t want to hear. Or take.
* * *
Much later that Saturday, when Cam finally heard footsteps in the hall, it took all his willpower not to bound to his feet like a lovestruck puppy. It didn’t matter that his heart was suddenly revving in the red zone or that his mouth was as dry as the Mojave Desert. He was a grown man—he should know better. Cam kept his eyes on the screen of his laptop and waited until he heard Vivi clear her throat before he slowly raised his head to look at her.
And instantly felt the sharp punch to his heart.
With her makeup-free face and hair pulled back, she looked like the young woman he’d seduced all those years ago. He’d sent Sally out to purchase some clothes for Vivi and Clem, and the denim shorts she’d bought made Vivi’s legs look endless. The T-shirt boldly proclaiming “We the people like to party” skimmed her high breasts and her subtle curves. She was sunshine after a brutal storm, hot chocolate after shoveling snow, a breath of fresh air in an empty house.
She was both lightning and soft rain, strength and fragility, more beautiful than he remembered and more terrifying than he could’ve imagined.
God, he was in so much trouble. “Neck-deep, bleeding and swimming with alligators” kind of trouble.
Vivi pushed her hands into her back pockets and rocked on her bare feet. Sexy bare feet tipped with pale pink nails. “Hi. Where’s Clem?”
It took Cam a moment to understand her question. Clem? Right, her—his, their—daughter. “Uh, we gave her a sandwich and some juice, and she fell asleep while watching Peppa Pig. She’s in the media room, two doors down.”