Chapter 10
At night when it was time to go to bed, Ryder no longer wandered in and out of the bedroom in various stages of undress.
Casey had her bathroom all to herself and began to realize why Ryder had become so upset when she’d moved him out of her life.
The routine they’d been in had become normal, even comforting, and it was over.
Because of the new bedroom, whatever connection they’d made between themselves was gone.
In an odd sort of way, it was like being divorced.
But the awareness between them kept growing.
It was there in the way Ryder watched her when he thought she wasn’t looking—and the way his hand lingered on her arm long after the need for keeping her balance had come and gone—even the brief, sibling-like kisses they left on each other’s cheek before saying good-night.
They were wanna-be lovers, playing at being friends.
And always, in the back of their minds, was the knowledge that the marriage they shared was a farce and the lie they were living was the very wedge that kept them apart.
* * *
It was just past noon when Casey turned off the highway and accelerated up the driveway into the Ruban estate, gunning the engine of her new car and taking the curve in a near skid.
She pulled up to the garage and stopped just as Ryder slid out from beneath the Lincoln.
His black hair was windblown and the grin on his face was too devil-may-care to ignore.
His jeans were oil-slicked, his chest brown and bare.
He was wiping his hands on a rag as he headed her way.
“Where’s the fire?”
She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and beg him to crawl back under that car and take her with him, but she couldn’t. At least, not today.
She bolted for the stairs. “I know, I was driving a little too fast, but I’m in a hurry.” She hiked up her skirt and began to run up the steps, two at a time.
“Take off those damned high heels if you’re going to run like that,” Ryder yelled. When she didn’t oblige, he threw down the grease rag. “Hardheaded woman,” he muttered, and followed her inside.
She was in the bedroom. A suitcase was open and she was yanking clothes from a hanger and tossing them on the bed with abandon. Anxiety seized him. She was packing to travel.
“What’s the rush?”
“I’ve got to be in Chicago by morning. I have less than an hour and a half to get packed and get to the airport..” She turned in a helpless circle, then dived back into the bottom of her closet, muttering as shoes came flying out behind her. “I can’t find my black heels.”
Ryder bent down and picked up a pair from the pile in the floor. “Like these?”
She straightened. A smile creased her face as she yanked them from his hands. “Yes! You’re a magician. Thanks a bunch.”
His belly was starting to turn. He kept telling himself it was going to be okay, that the only reason this was bothering him was because the news was so sudden.
“So, what’s in Chicago?”
“Digidyne Industries. We’ve been after them for years. Once before, Delaney had the deal all but done and they backed out. I just got a call that the CEO had a heart attack and died. The heirs are going to put it on the auction block and I want first dibs.”
Ryder started to pace, sidestepping her trips from the closet and back as she packed what she needed to wear. “So, it’s a big deal, huh?”
“Very! I’m lucky that Delaney’s old contact even thought to make the call and let me know. Otherwise, we would have been out in the cold.”
“Yeah, that was lucky all right.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the toes of his boots.
Casey glanced up. “You need to hurry and clean up. We’re going to have to drive like mad to make my plane.
” Then she grinned. “However, that should pose no problem for you.” It was a joke within the household that the family chauffeur drove, as Eudora had put it, “Like a bat coming out of hell with its wings on fire.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Ryder said, and walked out.
A few minutes later, Casey burst into his room, her face flushed with energy, her eyes alight with excitement. “I’m ready.”
Ryder walked out of the bathroom, buttoning a clean shirt. He didn’t stop to analyze the wisdom of what he was about to do, he just knew that if he let her get on that damned plane without a piece of his heart, he wouldn’t make it until she got back.
Casey went willingly as he took her in his arms and crushed her against his chest in a smothering embrace.
“Just be careful, okay?”
She laughed. “Tell that to the pilot. I’m afraid it’s out of my hands.”
He groaned and threaded his fingers through her hair, crushing the curls and dragging her closer. “Don’t make light of fate, Casey Dee. Sometimes when you’re not looking, it’ll kick you right in the teeth.”
The first thought in Casey’s mind was that he wasn’t kidding. Even more, he seemed panicked about the upcoming flight.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “This happens to me all the time. Year before last, Delaney and I logged over seven thousand miles in the air. Of course we were in Europe three times, but that was an unusual year.”
God, keep her safe, Ryder thought, then he lowered his mouth and drew her close. Casey closed her eyes, yielding. bending to his will and embrace, swept away by the unexpected demands of a kiss that left her breathless and more than a little bit stunned.
When he whispered against her cheek, she opened her eyes. His panic had become contagious.
“I want you back in one piece.”
She shivered. She’d never seen him like this. It was almost as if he were in some kind of pain.
“I’ll certainly do my best,” she said, trying to lighten the moment. She grabbed at the undone buttons on his shirt and started buttoning them up. “I’m sorry to repeat myself, but we’ve got to hurry.”
He tucked in his shirt and picked up her bags. His heart was pounding.
“Go get in the car,” he grumbled. “I’ll make sure you catch that damned plane. But when you get back, we need to talk.”
Casey looked startled. An ultimatum?
She got in the car, watching as he dumped her bags in the trunk and then slid behind the wheel. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. If only they had time to talk now. She looked at her watch. They would be lucky if they made the plane, never mind finishing a conversation.
He only glanced at her once. “Buckle up.”
She’d ridden with him too many times before to doubt the necessity of doing as he’d asked. She did as she was told.
* * *
Casey was the last passenger to get on. She stood in the boarding area with her ticket in hand, waiting for the attendant to give her a boarding pass.
Ryder stood beside her, pale-faced and stoic, yet his eyes never left her face.
She reached out and touched his hand, wishing their circumstances were different, wishing she could throw herself in his arms and tell him he meant more to her than she could say.
“I’ll call as soon as we land and let you know where I’ll be staying.”
Ryder nodded, trying to maintain his equilibrium, but he felt sick.
The high-pitched whine of the jet’s engines vibrated the windows overlooking the runway.
In seconds, Casey was going to be up in that sky, and he knew only too well it was a hell of a long way down.
He wanted to grab her and shake her until she listened to sense.
Ruban Enterprises didn’t need another Fortune 500 business.
It was already a gargantuan conglomerate of its own accord. Why acquire more?
But he couldn’t find a way to say what was in his heart. He couldn’t say, I’m afraid I’ll lose you like I lost my father. He couldn’t say, I’m afraid I’ll lose you before we ever make love. He couldn’t say, I love you—because that wasn’t part of the deal.
And then waiting was no longer an option.
“Take care!” Casey shouted, and started running down the gate toward the plane.
Ryder took several steps forward when the attendant grabbed his arm. “Sorry, sir, this is as far as you can go.”
He groaned. God help him, but he’d missed his chance. Just when he’d found a way to say the words without coming apart, she was gone.
He went to the observation deck, watching as the big silver plane started backing out of its slot.
His fingers knotted around the rail as it rolled onto the runway.
And when liftoff came, sweat was running down the middle of his back and he was praying with every breath.
When the plane was no longer in sight, Ryder leaned his forehead against the vast expanse of glass, unaware of the heat against his brow.
He closed his eyes, trying to picture her face.
“I love you, Casey.” But when all was said and done, he was a case of too little, too late.
* * *
It was almost sundown when Ryder walked into the apartment. His heart sank as a red blinking light winked at him from across the room. He tossed the car keys on the kitchen counter and pressed the button, waiting for the sound of Casey’s voice.
“Hi, there. Sorry I missed you. I’m staying at the Ritz Carlton.
Here is the number.” Ryder jotted it down as she spoke, then settled back to listen to the rest of the message.
“The flight was fine, just a little bumpy. I’ll be in meetings all day tomorrow, but I’ll try to call you tomorrow night Take care.
” She paused, and Ryder would have sworn he heard her take a deep breath. “Well…anyway…I’ll miss you.”
The machine beeped. The message was over.
Casey was gone. He played it over once more just to listen to the sound of her voice, and wished to hell that Dora hadn’t broken a nail.
She’d had a fit the size of Dallas and nothing had satisfied her but to make an emergency run to her manicurist to get it fixed.
He’d missed Casey’s call because of a broken nail.
The house phone rang. “Now what?” he muttered, and shoved himself out of the chair. Tilly was on the line.