Faith blushed. Brigit Kavanaugh could be quite formidable, at times. When Brigit said she saw, she saw with that incising gaze of hers.
“You’re afraid that Ryan is going to turn out to be the rootless, womanizing type.”
Faith said nothing, but her cheeks turned warmer.
Brigit sighed after a moment. “There are no guarantees when it comes to marriage, Faith. But if it helps you any to hear it, I’ve known Ryan since he was about six years old. He and Marc were best friends. In the summer months he was practically one of my own children, he was around the house so much. By the time he was thirteen, practically every girl in Harbor Town had a crush on him, including my Deidre,” she added wryly.
Faith smiled uneasily.
“Lots of men as good-looking, as athletic and smart as a boy like Ryan would have let it go to their head. But he wasn’t like that. He had girlfriends, all right, but to my knowledge, he was always loyal to them. And trust me, I would have heard about it if he wasn’t, with two teenage daughters in the house who somehow always knew what everyone else in Harbor Town was doing.”
Faith laughed.
“There. That’s better,” Brigit said, her gaze warm on Faith.
“Thank you, Brigit,” she said, squeezing the other woman’s hand.
“It’s my pleasure. I wish I could say something more to assure you. In the end I think the only thing you can do, though, is take it one day at a time. Try to trust in Ryan unless you see some clear reason you shouldn’t. I know it’s hard, when you’ve known heartache and betrayal. Trust me. I know. Derry and I made our mistakes in the early part of our marriage, and there were times I wondered if I’d ever be able to trust him again. But in the end, you either choose to have faith or not. I know it’s like tying a blindfold around your eyes and walking along a ledge. It’s terrifying, but it gets easier over time. And that’s just...”
“Life,” Faith whispered, giving Brigit a grateful smile. She stared out the window on to the sunny day, feeling the shadows of her doubts recede into the corners of her mind.
Chapter Twelve
Faith left her bedroom hastily that night when she heard the front door open at around seven. Ryan paused at the entryway of the living room when he saw her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling.
“Hi.”
For a second or two they just stood there, gazing at each other. He looked wonderful to her, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a blue-and-white button-down shirt, his overnight bag slung over his shoulder. The mail had come late today. He clutched the envelopes in one hand. As usual his good looks and utterly masculine aura left her a little breathless. Would it feel like this every time he returned home after an absence?
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yeah,” he said, taking a step into the room. “I met with Nick Malone while I was out there. He told me that I can take Eagle Air as far as I want. DuBois Enterprises can give me enough work to keep nine or ten planes moving alone, and that doesn’t even include the new business contacts I’ve made. I’m thinking of keeping some hangar space in the Bay Area, as well, and keeping some planes there for a more convenient turnaround.”
She beamed at him. “Ryan, that’s wonderful. Nick really believes in your work ethic.”
He shrugged and swung his overnight bag off his shoulder. “He’s ex-Air Force, too,” he said, as if that explained all Nick’s faith in him.
“I think it’s more than just that,” Faith said, smiling knowingly. She noticed him turn his head toward the kitchen and wondered if he’d caught the aroma of the chicken she had baking. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving.”
“Good. I made baked chicken and homemade potato salad.”
“Sounds great,” he said, but she saw puzzlement flicker across his features. Obviously he was confused about her running from hot to cold to hot. She inhaled slowly for courage and stepped toward him.
“Ryan, I want to apologize for what I said in the car the other day. It was wrong of me. I shouldn’t have been so disrespectful about the good feelings we were having, being together. I was...scared.”
She saw his throat convulse as he looked at her. “I know. I understand.”
She sighed and gave a small laugh. “I’m glad one of us does, then. My point is, I realized while you were gone that we just have to take this one day at a time. I’ll try not to give in to my insecurities, but that’s all I can really promise for now.”
“One day at a time is good enough for me.”
She gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you, Ryan.” She straightened and took a deep breath. “Now...dinner is almost ready. Do you want to take a shower before we eat?”
“If there’s time.”