“Is Casey all right?I mean, Miles said she’d had an accident.”
“Come see for yourself,” he offered.“She’s at the apartment lying down, and I think she’d appreciate her sister’s presence.”
The thought of being in close proximity with Ryder gave Erica a chill.“Oh, I couldn’t possibly leave Miles on his own.Grandmother isn’t here and when she comes in, she’s going to be beside herself that all of this happened while she was having her hair done.”
A quiet anger he’d been trying to stifle suddenly bubbled over.“There’s not a damned thing wrong with Miles.He’s hung over, not hurt.Casey is the one who could have died today.”He slammed the phone sharply onto the cradle and hoped that the disconnect popped in her ear.
Tilly hid her reaction, but she was secretly pleased.It was comforting to see someone else willing to champion her girl, especially a man who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.
Ryder turned, anger still evident in his voice.“Did Casey grow up in the same house with Miles and Erica?”
Tilly nodded.
“Then tell me something—how in blazes did she turn out so right and them so wrong?That pair must have been raised on ice water, not milk.”
“They had each other,” Tilly said.“After Casey’s parents died, she didn’t have much of anyone to baby her.Delaney loved her, but his intentions were focused on giving her the skills to run his empire, and truth be told, Mrs.Deathridge played favorites with the twins.”
“Casey had you,” Ryder said.
Tilly nodded.“Yes, that she did.”She handed him a pot filled with the soup she’d just made.“It’s vegetable beef, her favorite.”
Ryder accepted the offering.“Thanks.Considering the blow Casey took to her mouth, that’s about all she’s going to feel like eating.”
Tilly let him out the door, then watched as he crossed the courtyard, went up the stairs and into the garage apartment, carrying the hot pot of soup as if it were the crown jewels.When he was safely inside, she stepped back and closed the door.For the first time in weeks, she felt confident that things in this household were about to change for the better.
Not only did Ryder seem to respect Casey, but it looked as if he were willing to become her protector.However, just to be on the safe side, she might concoct a little potion.It wouldn’t amount to much.Just a few herbs for good luck that she could sprinkle on their doorstep.Not a real spell.
* * *
Reclining in a nest of pillows, Casey winced as she reached for the phone, then had to shift the stack of papers in her lap to allow room for the smaller pillows beneath each of her elbows.Even though the accident had caused her to miss a stockholder’s luncheon, it hadn’t taken her long to regroup and bring the business to her.
At her request, her secretary had sent files on the most pressing issues and left the others that were pending back at the office.With a bowl of Tilly’s soup for sustenance and the knowledge that Ryder was no farther away than the sound of her voice, she set up office in the middle of her bed and began going over the reports in question.
She read until the pain between her eyebrows grew too sharp to ignore and changed her tactics to returning the phone calls that had come to her office during her absence.It wasn’t any easier.By late afternoon, it felt as if her lip was swollen to twice its normal size and the left side of her jaw was becoming increasingly sore.The last time she’d gotten up to go to the bathroom, she’d groaned at the sight of her face.The abrasion on her cheek was starting to scab, and by tomorrow, she was going to have one heck of a black eye.
Twice during this time, Ryder had appeared in the doorway.Once he’d frowned at the stack of work in her lap before disappearing without comment.The second time he’d come, the glare on his face was impossible to ignore, yet he’d still maintained a stoic silence about her behavior.
But the shock of the wreck was beginning to take its toll.Casey was near tears and wishing she could sweep everything off her bed, curl up in a ball beneath the covers and maybe cry herself to sleep.She heard footsteps coming up the outside stairs, then again inside the apartment.It was Ryder.She recognized the rhythm with which he walked.
He entered her bedroom without knocking just as the phone rang near her elbow.Before she could answer, he had it in his hands.
“Ruban Enterprises.No, I’m sorry, she is out for the rest of the day.Call 555-4000 and make an appointment with her secretary.”
He tossed the portable phone completely out of her reach.
Casey frowned.“Hey!I wasn’t through….”
“Yes, you are.Besides, I brought you a surprise.”
Casey sputtered in useless dismay as Ryder swept aside the files on which she’d been working.When he held out his hand, she sighed and took what he offered, using his strength to lever herself to an upright position on the side of the bed, then groaned when her muscles protested.
“Oh!I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
“That’s not funny,” Ryder said, and scooped her into his arms before she had time to argue.“Besides, if you think you hurt now, just wait until tomorrow.”
If it hadn’t been so painful, she might have smiled.“Thank you for such inspiring words of wisdom,” she said, and slid her arm around his neck for balance as he carried her into the living room.
When he settled her down on the couch, she put her feet up on the footstool and eased herself into a comfortable position.
