I’ll get them later.
“Fiona broke her arm and needs some help,” she answered as they rolled through the rural residential neighborhood. Half of Sunset Ridge’s population lived on the town’s outskirts, preferring privacy they couldn’t achieve in the crowded neighborhoods. And, as had always been her family’s case, the cheaper rent.
“I thought I heard something about that. How did that happen, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Kinley searched her memory for the answer she was certain Ryder already knew. Most of Sunset Ridge had to know. She remembered the night Fiona called to tell her about the incident. But Kinley had been too distracted by the letter to recall the details of Fiona’s mishap. “I’ll let her tell you the story,” Kinley evaded. “She gets a kick out of that.”
“I’m sure she’s happy having you home,” Ryder added as he turned into Fiona’s driveway. “What’s it been? Eight years?”
“Nine.” For nearly a decade, she’d managed to avoid this town by sending Fiona plane tickets to meet her in various places where Kinley was stationed. She never expected Sunset Ridge would summon her back the way it did.
“What’s your plan? Visiting or moving ba—”
“I’m not staying.” Kinley had no illusions that learning the identity of her father would change her feelings about this town. She might view it with a slightly less harsh lens than her grieving teenage self had, but it would never feel like home.
“Considering it?”
“No. I’m in the Army.”
“Forever?” Ryder turned his face toward her, but Kinley focused on the tree-lined road. The man couldn’t be bothered to cover those intense eyes with sunglasses. It wasn’t fair.
“Pretty much.”
“What if—”
“Ryder Grant, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you missed me all these years.”
“I’m just surprised to see you here, is all. After that graduation speech—”
“You would rememberthat.”
“It was quite a speech.”
When the car rocked to a halt in front of the cabin, she curled her fingers around the door’s handle. “I’m here to help Fiona while her arm heals.” Every attempt to look at Ryder failed, so she stared at the handle instead. “I’m not staying, and I don’t expect to come back again any time soon. That’s all there is to it.”
Chapter Two
Ryder
“Kinley James, did you get arrested already?” Fiona James stood on her covered porch, eyes narrowed as both Ryder and Kinley emerged from the patrol car. Fiona’s ankle-length skirt fluttered in the light breeze, revealing painted toes and no shoes. For as long as Ryder had known the woman, Fiona’d kept the same hairstyle—long and fluffy. She’d always worn half of it up, but streaks of gray highlighted along her temples now.
“No, I did not.” Kinley hopped onto the porch. Fingers curled around the door handle, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. “Ryder’s not staying. He just gave me a ride.”
“A ride—” Fiona’s suspicious gaze bounced between the two. Pink sequins sewed along the hem of her arm sling reflected the sunlight, a stark contrast to the sheer black scarf wrapped tightly around her neck.
“I met Ed,” Kinley explained before Ryder could utter a word.
He still wasn’t convinced the infamous moose was responsible for the accident, but he couldn’t rule it out. He’d been given the same explanation multiple times when residents tried to dodge speeding tickets or explain why they rolled through a stop sign. Just last week, Ed startled Geraldine Franks when she left the grocery store. The moose had been standing next to her car, licking the rear passenger window.
“I’m going to take a stab and assume you’re not injured,” Fiona directed at Kinley, who still stood frozen on the porch.
“Kinleyandyour car are fine, Fiona. Just a little scratch on the bumper.” Ryder left out the detail that the town sign, however, had suffered a different fate. He’d give Kinley the honor of divulging that detail.
Kinley added, “Car’s high-centered off the road. Tow truck’s an hour out.”
“I didn’t want her to sit out there and wait,” said Ryder.
“You’re too sweet, Ryder Grant. Anyone tell you that lately?”
