“I’m sorry, Ryder. I-I can’t go with you.”
Rowdy trotted down the hall, her claws clacking against the laminate. The sound of Kinley’s voice made her ears perk. She sniffed loudly at the bottom of the door, dust motes swirling under the crack. “You really want to tell Rowdy good-bye through a closed door?”
“I—”
“At least tell her face-to-face.”
After a bout of silence, the door opened. Kinley’s smile was nonexistent, but her eyes softened as she squatted down to meet Rowdy at eye level. The shepherd’s tail swished against the doorjamb as she snuck a lick to Kinley’s cheek.
“Okay, okay!” Half a smile flickered across Kinley’s pale cheeks.
Rowdy gave her another lick, then two.
“I’ll go, girl. Are you happy now?” Kinley scrubbed both hands over Rowdy’s face and neck, pulling the dog against her for a hug. Emotion twisted inside Ryder at the sight. Everything he wanted was right here in this crowded doorway.
Kinley stretched to her feet, inviting Rowdy into her room. “Give me five minutes?”
“Of course.” The relief that flooded through Ryder was undeniable. The idea of travelingtoPalmer without Kinley was one thing. But he hated the idea of making the three-hour trek home by himself even more. No matter what happened today, Ryder wanted Kinley at his side.
“Coffee?” Fiona offered from the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Ryder felt so relieved she wasn’t offering him sweet tea that he took the mug without looking at the color of the contents. He could stomach sugary coffee better than sweet tea any day.
“Let me fix you a to-go cup.”
His first sip was heaven.Black, just like I like it.
“I’m glad you’re getting her out of that room.” Fiona patted him on the arm, keeping her voice low. “I-I just couldn’t go through that again. Watching her waste away in there until the day she can leave. Waiting another decade for her to brave coming back.”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” Ryder said.
Fiona adjusted her sling, the pink sequins catching the morning sunlight. “You’re good for her, you know. You always were.”
Claws clicked down the short hallway. “Ready?” Kinley asked, appearing in the kitchen. He caught the distinct scent of lavender. The blonde hair she usually wore up hung down in soft waves, covering the shoulders of a zipped-up jacket. Rowdy seemed torn between searching for goodies and sniffing the purse that dangled from Kinley’s fingers.
Fiona handed Ryder a lidded cup that warmed his hand through. “You kids let me know when you get there, okay?”
Sensing Kinley needed some time, Ryder let the light hum of the radio fill the cab until they were several miles outside of town. Rowdy lay on the blanket he wadded in the back seat, content to lift her head out the back window and watch the world go by. Ryder felt just as comfortable with Kinley in the silence as he did in the throes of conversation. He’d miss this more than he cared to admit.
When the station turned to static, Kinley flipped it off. “I’m sorry I acted . . . crazy yesterday. I was just so mad about that ticket. Seeing Melba on top of all that, it just set me off. It felt like I was seventeen again, waiting to bust out of this forsaken town. If you and Rowdy hadn’t come to my rescue . . .”
He passed Melba yesterday on her way out of city hall, not realizing the two women had an exchange, though the scowl on Melba’s face should’ve given it away. It was no secret in Sunset Ridge that the woman didn’t care a bit for the James family. Ryder never understood the extent of her disdain, but it’d started before his time.
Ryder reached his hand across the center console, resting it on top of Kinley’s. “I’m glad you’re coming with me today. Couldn’t imagine doing this alone.”
Kinley spread her fingers, interlacing them with his own. “I really hope you can keep her, Ryder. I do.”
Me, too.He cleared his throat, uneasy about the emotion this situation was conjuring up. “Who ripped up the ticket?”
“Lee.”
“You’re kidding.”
“It was . . . weird, Ryder.” Her fingers tightened around his, but he ignored his racing pulse to listen to her. “One minute he was threatening me with the bill to commission a new town sign, and the next he said he’d take another look at your police report.”
Lee wasn’t known for rash actions, especially those that countered any of his previous decisions. He was a man who always knew his end goal. Ryder frowned, wondering what could’ve caused the mayor to have such a drastic change of heart. “Should keep it off your record, anyway. Sure that helps your situation with the Army some.”
“I didn’t really want to explain it to my commander,” Kinley admitted with a light laugh.
