Ryder's Bride (Brides Bay Book 1) Read online

  The two most important people in his life, his father and his wife, had both had treated him like dirt. Even now, he wondered if there was something wrong with him that made people he cared for act that way.

  He looked at Claire, afraid he might see pity in her eyes.

  “Let me revise my previous opinion of your wife,” she said in a voice that shook a little. “Yes, she was troubled and unhappy, but as far as I can tell, she was also a sociopathic, stone cold bitch. And if she were here right now, I’d give her a good kick in the ass. More than one, in fact.”

  As Ry took in the righteous anger of her gaze, an old, exhausting weight slid away and something inside him expanded, as if it—whatever it was—could finally breathe. It was so surprising—Claire was so surprising—that he wanted to laugh.

  And he did.

  * * *

  Claire stared at him, stunned by his reaction. She’d figured he’d either shrug off her go-with-her-gut assessment of his ex-wife and go into hermit mode or be offended by her raw words.

  Laughter was not at all what she’d expected.

  “Okay, I think we’ve pretty much dealt with my ex.” With a final chuckle, Ry pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. “Let’s talk about something less depressing than that ancient history.”

  She was tempted to suggest that they bag conversation entirely and just make out under the stars. But if he wanted to talk—which was a rare occurrence—they would talk.

  “Anything specific in mind?”

  “How about art? That seems only fitting after your big victory in the quick draw. But you’d better start from square one, since the only paint I know anything about goes on with a roller.”

  Art. Apparently he’d reached the limit of talking about feelings for at least one evening.

  “Well, I know for a fact that you have a good eye for art.” She was thinking about what she’d discovered in his office not long before he’d come downstairs. “And that being said, I’m afraid I have a little confession to make.”

  Ry stared at her, obviously puzzled as she gave him a sheepish smile. But then his eyes narrowed. “Ah, okay. Ms. Maddox has been snooping. Maybe that’s really why you got up in the middle of the night.”

  “No! Not at all. Okay, yes, I have to plead guilty to snooping—well, sort of, anyway. But it certainly wasn’t deliberate.”

  “Full disclosure would be the way to go at this point,” he said in a dry tone.

  She wasn’t sure whether he was angry or just yanking her chain. “The reason I woke up is that I heard a weird noise coming from downstairs. I almost shook you awake, in fact. But then I figured it was probably just Stanley chewing on one of his toys.”

  “And?”

  “And I decided I’d better go check on him. You know, to make sure it actually was a toy he was chewing on and not a piece of furniture or something he pulled out of the trash. Anyway, I found him in your office, and when I went in there, I—”

  “Saw the painting,” he said with chagrin. “Dammit.”

  She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  Ry’s expression eased into a smile. “Don’t worry about it. It was in the office because I was still thinking about the best place to hang it. I was going to surprise you the next time you were over. I just hadn’t figured that the next time would end up being tonight.”

  “I was so surprised to see it that I almost fell on top of Stanley. I’m so thrilled that you liked it enough to buy it. Truly.” Then her anxiety stirred again. “You do like it, right? It wasn’t a duty purchase, was it?”

  He kissed the top of her head again. “Of course I like it. It’s amazing. You won the contest, remember?”

  “Actually, I keep forgetting. You have to admit that it’s been a pretty action packed day.”

  “No shit.” Laughter threaded his deep voice.

  She stretched up to give him another quick kiss. “Well, thank you so much. I’m sorry I ruined your incredible surprise.”

  He kissed her back with a lot more intensity. They played a little, with him holding her close and gently stroking the side of her breast through the starched cotton of her shirt. She breathed a soft sigh into his mouth, ready for a lot more.

  Too soon he pulled back. “When the new house is finished, I’m going to find the perfect spot for it. Somewhere everybody can see and appreciate it.”

  “You mean for all those guests you’ll constantly be having over?”

  “Touché, smartass.”

  “Well, you’ll certainly have plenty of room for guests and parties, given the palace you’re going to be building.”

  “Hardly a palace. But yeah, I’ll have a big terrace and pool out here and a fountain too. People can dance in the fountain and get shit-faced, and we can bet on who’ll tumble down the bluffs. Hell, maybe my concierge could even do the party planning.”

  She laughed. “Brides Bay Concierges can handle anything. Generally speaking though, we frown on having guests of clients go tumbling over the edge of cliffs. That sort of thing creates too much paperwork.”

  “Okay, it’s settled then. We’ll schedule the parties for weekends that I’m away racing.”

  “Oh, man, you are hopeless.”

  “Well, they don’t call me the Hermit of Promise Island for nothing.”

  She winced. “You heard that name?”

  “It’s Brides Bay, remember?” he said sardonically. “Nothing here stays secret for long.”

  “True. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. The hermit description kind of fits. My idea of a party is what we’re doing right here now.”

  When he drew her closer and nuzzled her neck, she practically melted. “This is my kind of party too. It’s been a special, special day.”

  “Really special, but I like the night part best.”

  “Me too. If I could sit out here every night for the rest of my life, just like this…” Claire let her words drift away on a dreamy sigh.

  He gave a quiet snort. “I was talking more about what went on inside earlier.”

  “I know you were, you pervert.”

  “You’re complaining?”

  “Only if you don’t wake me up in the morning with a little…you know,” she finished, just a bit too shy to put it right out there. It was silly, given that she was practically naked in his arms. Still, she didn’t want to take anything for granted.

  “Oh, you can take that to the bank,” he said.

  When his hand drifted up the back of her thigh to her naked butt, she sighed and pressed her lips to his shoulder. He rumbled approval deep in his throat but didn’t go any further, just keeping his warm hand resting gently on her body. She leaned into him and let her gaze drift upward to the majesty of the night sky over the silent bay.

  They quietly watched the stars, the air clear and dry and the constellations shimmering like fine crystal. When she lived in New York, she’d deeply missed the ethereal landscape of Brides Bay. Even with all the sacrifice and hardship of the past few years, she realized how blessed she was to be here in this moment, in this place.

  With Ry.

  He finally stirred, moving his hand down to her knee. “Claire, about the painting.”

  “Hmm?”

  “When I watched you working on it this afternoon, I could feel how much it meant to you. The scene. This view. This house.”

  She sighed as the beautiful moment began to slip away. “Yes.”

  “I want you to know that I get it, and that I feel pretty lousy about…about what I have to do.” He paused. “But I don’t have much choice. I wish there was some other way, but I don’t see it.”

  She stared off into the depths of the darkness that was broken only by a handful of tiny lights from homes of insomniacs across the bay.

  When she finally looked at him, his somber expression made her realize that he did get it, and that he truly was sorry. And he was right. What choice did he have? She doubted that anyone with a part
icle of financial sense would do what she’d do if she ever got the chance—spend tons of cash to lovingly preserve an old home that was decades past its prime.

  “I understand, Ry. And I’m okay with it.”

  “Are you sure?” He was clearly skeptical.

  “I will be.” She shook her head, impatient with herself. “Yes, I am.”

  Liar.

  Chapter 18

  Ry was poring over the architect’s sketches, still not having much of a clue about how he wanted his new house to look. Some days it all seemed too bizarre—Maine, Promise Island, and building some monster house that he really didn’t need or want.

  Still, there was definitely one cool thing about Brides Bay—a certain hot concierge who’d managed to burrow far deeper into his heart than anyone in his life.

  Stanley started to woof, and a couple of seconds later the doorbell rang.

  “Hold on.” Ry got up and headed to the door.

  He’d texted Carter and asked him to come to the house as soon as he got on site.

  “Stanley, sit!” The dog stared up at him with baleful eyes but obediently plunked his furry butt down. “Now, stay.”

  Thanks to Claire, the dog was a lot better behaved than when he first brought him home. He gave Stan a quick head rub.

  He swung the door open. “Come on in, man. How about some coffee?”

  Stanley wagged his tail like crazy and drooled but didn’t jump up on Carter. Progress.

  “I’ll never say no to coffee.” Carter gave Stanley a little pat.

  He joined Ry in the kitchen and leaned back against the counter. Stanley plopped down at the builder’s feet and gazed up at him with his typical goofy expression.

  “You want me to check out the latest ideas from the architect, right?” Carter asked.

  Ry poured him a cup and refilled his own. “I’d appreciate it.”

  They headed to the living room, where the architect’s renderings were spread out over the coffee table.

  “I bumped into Claire yesterday afternoon at the supermarket.” Carter’s tone was carefully nonchalant as he sat down on the sofa.

  Ry cut him a sideways glance. “Uh, huh.” He had no intention of giving Carter any leeway when it came to that subject.

  “Man, she was dragging, big time. It was a bit weird to see her that tired. She’s always such a dynamo.”

  “You have a point you’re going to get to eventually?”

  Carter gave him a mocking smile. “Got out on the wrong side of bed this morning, did we?”

  Ry waved his hand in a get on with it gesture.

  Carter said, “I couldn’t resist kidding her about it. Especially since she left the Dory pretty early Saturday night. With you.”

  “Huh, I didn’t realize until now that you wrote for the local gossip column.”

  Carter’s smile took on a hint of steel. “I’m only mentioning it to you, my friend, in case you forgot what I said about the folks around here taking care of their own. Believe me, I wasn’t the only one who saw you two leaving the Dory together.”

  Ry stifled his irritation. “Speaking of forgetting, I guess it’s slipped your mind that Claire’s a grown woman. I’m sure she’d be the first to tell you she doesn’t need a town full of overprotective busybodies dogging her every step.”

  “Yeah, you got that right. It’s just that we’d really hate to see her get hurt again after everything she’s been through.”

  “Okay, but since I have absolutely no intention of screwing her over, you’re telling me this why?”

  “Claire goes back a real long way with Landon, Colton, and me.”

  “Yeah, yeah—so you keep saying. The Punishing Pierces, you’re all like brothers to her. I get it.”

  “Not to be a meddling asshole, but we do things different here than in the big city. We don’t just stand around and talk it out when someone we care for gets hurt. I just thought you should be completely clear on that point.”

  Ry snorted. “I can’t believe you just threatened me. But what the hell, okay. Message received. Again.”

  A small part of him wanted to fire Carter’s ass on the spot, but that wasn’t the way he dealt with problems. Besides, it always impressed him that Claire inspired such deep feelings in her friends.

  Carter quietly drank his coffee for a few moments before finally turning his attention to the sketches. He pored over them carefully and then said, “Okay, tell me what you don’t you like.”

  Ry was glad to be switching the discussion to the house plans. He sure as hell hadn’t needed another reminder about everything that could go wrong between him and Claire. That was one reason why he didn’t plan on seeing her again for a few days. They both needed time to absorb what had happened.

  Because it had rocked his world and then some.

  “It’d be easier to tell you what I do like, since there isn’t much. I said the only thing I really wanted was to have multiple rear-facing decks, so that way as many rooms as possible would overlook the bay. Maybe it was a mistake not to give the guy more direction, but I figured it was better to give him free rein and see what he could dream up.”

  Carter picked up a couple of the sketches that showed the house’s rear elevations. “He definitely managed plenty of decks, including the one way at the top of…that, uh, thing. Man, that cube stack looks like a sixty-foot tower.”

  “Yeah, the Coast Guard could practically use it for a lighthouse. It looks like a giant Lego set to me. Just cubes stacked to make up a bunch of different levels.”

  “Well, it’s probably a pretty functional design, and it’s definitely very…uh, forward-looking,” Carter said.

  “I think you mean it’s butt ugly.”

  Carter laughed. “I know one thing for sure. It would raise some eyebrows around here. There’s obviously nothing even remotely like it on the island or anywhere else.”

  “Different is okay, but not this little exercise in weirdness. And while I like Derek’s place, I don’t want to build a cookie cutter replica of that either. He and Jane would kill me if I did.”

  “You want something essentially classic and relatively simple in design, right?” Carter asked. “Not some uber-modern mansion, or something that looks like it should have a moat around it.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s about right.”

  “Okay, let me think about it for a bit. And, look, if you think it would help, I’d be happy to sit in with you and the architect the next time you get together.”

  “I’d appreciate that, man. It’s obvious that I’m way over my head here. I’m a hockey player, for God’s sake. Or was a hockey player. This is only the second house I’ve ever owned. After my divorce, I stuck to condos.”

  Carter’s eyes moved around the rustic living room and then raised his eyes to take in the cathedral ceiling. “You know, I think you could do a lot with this place if you wanted to use it as a building block for your new home. I mean instead of tearing it down and starting over.”

  Ry frowned. “But—”

  Carter held up a hand to forestall his protest. “Yeah, I know that’s not your preference. I’m just saying it’s an option if you don’t find any plans for a new build that suit you. This place needs a lot of work, but it has good bones and there’s plenty of room on the property to expand. You could easily add another wing or even two.”

  That twist surprised Ry and raised his suspicions. “Carter, to be blunt, is that your professional opinion as a builder, or did Claire have something to do with laying it out there?”

  Everyone he’d talked to, and especially Derek, had strongly advised him to pull down the old house in order to maximize the property’s value.

  Carter’s gaze went into the deep freeze. “Dude, you must not know me well enough yet. Nobody puts words or opinions in my mouth—ever.”

  Ry had no trouble gauging the man’s obvious sincerity. “Okay, sorry. But from what I’ve been told, the new place should be at least three times the size of this one
or even bigger. Do you actually think you could triple the existing footprint without making it look…well, weird? Jury rigged?”

  “Sure. I can see some definite possibilities. It would probably mean going no higher than the existing two stories. No multiple sky decks overlooking the bay, because I can’t see how something with a lot of different levels could fit with the existing style. But, hey, you’re high up on the bluffs anyway. You don’t need a mini-skyscraper to have amazing vistas.”

  Ry had a hunch Claire might be okay with that sort of design. While it wouldn’t end up looking much like her old family home, at least the house she loved wouldn’t be bulldozed into dust. Still, he couldn’t bet the bank on Carter coming up with a plan that would work.

  “You could be right. If you can come up with some ideas for both replacement and expansion scenarios, I’ll be happy to think about them and talk to the architect.” He paused. “I just have one thing to ask.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Don’t say anything about discussion to Claire, okay? As far as I’m concerned, your idea is a longshot, and the last thing I want to do is get her hopes up and end up having to smash them.”

  “I get it. No problem.”

  Ry polished off half his tepid coffee in one swallow. “Now, about the garage.”

  Carter waved a hand. “Don’t worry, it’ll be finished in about a week. We’re down to interior details, that’s all.”

  That’s what Ry had counted on. “Good, because I want to get my bikes out of that sad sack old garage before the roof caves in on them.”

  “Speaking of the bikes, congrats on that big win in the Massachusetts race. I kept forgetting to say that. It was a damn impressive victory, especially for a guy who hasn’t competed much. Hell, as if you weren’t already a big enough sports hero around here.” His grin made it clear he was just ragging Ry in a friendly way.

  “Thanks. Finally getting a win under my belt was pretty special. Now that the pressure’s off, I’m hoping there’ll be a lot more good finishes to come.”

  “You’re really getting into it big time, huh? Even after all your hockey injuries?”