But could he tell Clarissa? No, not yet. He didn’t want to worry her. However, he could tell her just enough to stop her curiosity.
“I hesitate to tell you for fear you’ll laugh,” he finally said.
“Me? Laugh? Why would I laugh at you? Come on, Ryder, you can tell me.”
“Well, all right, but I warned you...”
She rolled her eyes. “Just tell me.”
“When I entered college, I was hoping to learn all I could to be the greatest sleuth this kingdom had ever known.”
Gasping, she shook her head. “Ryder, I’m not going to laugh at all. That is absolutely brilliant! And you know, it fits your personality, too. I recall several times while we were in school that you searched for mysteries to solve.”
He arched his eyebrow. “You remember that?”
“Oh, yes. In fact, one stands out in my mind more than the others.”
“Which one?”
She shifted in her saddle. “We were thirteen or fourteen. In one of my courses...English, I believe it was, my test scores kept dropping, and yet I’d been an adept student throughout school. I recall telling you about this issue, and you searched around until you found out what had happened.”
He laughed. “I remember. It was the teacher’s aide who was changing your test scores.”
“Exactly.” She shook her head. “Candace had always loathed me. That girl, I do not like.”
He couldn’t believe Clarissa would remember something like that. It softened his heart to know she’d thought enough of him to keep that incident in her memory. “Candace certainly wasn’t one of my favorites, either.”
“So, Ryder, what stopped you from going after your dream?”
Ryder brushed a leaf off the mane of his horse and frowned. “I returned home to find a sickly father. He told me I was wasting my life if I tried to pursue that particular career. He told me in order to make my life successful, I should follow in his footsteps and the footsteps of my grandfather.”
He could still hear his father’s voice when he’d told Ryder this. Although they weren’t the last words his father had said before he died, they were the most memorable.
“Why can’t you do both?” she asked.
He held back a laugh. In a way, he was doing both, but he wouldn’t let her know it. Not yet. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“Anytime my father needs something investigated, you should volunteer to do it. I’m sure he’ll catch on quickly how eager you are to do this kind of work. And you will simply be the best sleuth in the land.”
“You know, I think I will.” He gave her a wink. “Thank you for the suggestion.”
“You are most welcome.”
As they rode toward the village, he couldn’t stop the smile tugging on his face. How could he keep a serious expression when he was thinking of her? He never thought she would find him interesting enough as an adult to want to be with him, let alone allow him to kiss her the way he had. It was hard to believe everything was falling right into place with their relationship. He prayed nothing would ruin things for him.
Yet, something—or somebody—hadruined their kiss.
He glanced behind him, searching the woods to see what could have possibly interrupted their passionate moment. But he saw nothing. Something was out there. They’d both heard it. Whatever it was, it had only taken a few steps before disappearing. It had disappeared into thin air.
Had someone followed them after they left the hospital? Or was someone in that same location when they arrived? The mystery behind this would drive him crazy if he didn’t discover answers soon.
One thing was for certain: they had been watched. Just knowing someone had spied on them during their kiss was unsettling. Next time he wanted a moment with her alone, he’d have to pick a spot even more private, because there definitely was going to be a next time.
###
CLARISSA PRACTICALLYfloated on air as she swept in through the front doors of the palace. Being in Ryder’s arms and kissing him so passionately hadn’t left her mind, even during the very short visits she’d had with a few of her friends.
She had to admit how much she enjoyed the way he gazed at her...as if she were the most beautiful woman he knew. Mixed emotions had coursed through her this afternoon. At times she felt giddy and like a real woman, and then at other times she’d revert to her childhood when the two of them used to have so much fun together.
