Chapter 10
When he reached the ground floor, he found his brother Dan leaning on the counter, talking to Libby, who looked cute in an apron with her face flushed from working.
Cute in a “purely not interested in a person but can see when someone is hot” kind of way.
“I’m the hot Duke.”
“Now we all know who really earned that title,” Ryder said, coming in for a hand slap and chest bounce. “You just heading home from the late shift, bud?”
Dan was in uniform, and the smudges under his eyes told Ryder his little brother needed sleep. Moving behind the coffee machine, he nudged Libby aside.
“He’s been up all night, and while he usually goes home and falls into bed, he’s decided to come and see me, his favorite brother.”
Dan rolled with the dig because they both knew their mother would have sent him here to check on Libby, just to make sure she didn’t want to harm one of her precious kids.
“I told you I met Dan in the waffle place, Ryder,” Libby said, moving to the cabinets, where she proceeded to wipe the glass fronts with a thankfully clean cloth. Those things were hell to keep streak free.
“You did, that’s why I’m surprised to see him,” Ryder said, glaring at his youngest brother, who smiled back.
“Just need some coffee and food to eat before I sleep for at least two days.”
“How were the streets of Lyntacky? We been hit with a crime wave yet?”
“I arrested Bud Till for drunk and disorderly. He pulled down his pants and danced outside Jessica Randall’s house. Her daddy called me and said, ‘In my day we courted women by taking them out for a nice dinner or to a movie. My daughter is never marrying a fool who thinks baring himself from the waist down is romantic.’”
“Did he really do that?” Libby asked, pausing the cleaning briefly to look at Dan.
Ryder thought she looked better this morning. Rested, or maybe lighter for sharing the shit show that had been her reason for running out on her wedding.
“Yes, and it’s not the first time he’s had too much to drink and done something dumb,” Dan added. “I told him that it”—he waved a hand at his groin—“would be no good to any woman if he didn’t put it away in this cold weather.”
Libby giggled, and the sound was sweet.
“Here you are, Dan.” Meadow burst out of the kitchen in her socks and sandals and handed Ryder’s brother a breakfast sandwich.
“You’re paying for that,” Ryder said.
“No, I’m not because I keep you safe.” Dan took the sandwich and kissed Meadow’s cheek. He then took his coffee from Ryder.
“I’ll get you to give me a hand on those dishes, Libby,” Meadow said.
Both men watched the women leave.
“You shouldn’t have taken on those Bandits alone, Ryder. Anything could have happened.”
“And didn’t. Now, like I told Mom, Libby needed a place to stay for the night and is not anyone to worry about, Dan. You met her and should know that already,” Ryder said.
His brother studied him closely.
“What?”
“You like her,” Dan said.
“Correction, I feel sorry for her. She’s had a shitty time, and don’t ask me to go into details. All I’m saying is, she’s not my type?—”
“More mine at a guess. High-maintenance and really hot.”
Ryder battled the need to punch his brother hard and smiled instead. Never let a sibling see they got to you, or they’d come at you harder.
“Exactly. So get lost and let me work. Sleep well, bud.”
“Will do, and if you need help with your Libby, you just let me know.”
“I’m not answering that.”
Dan laughed. “The relay isn’t far away, and we need to practice. Sawyer worries me. I don’t think he’s been training.”
“It’s not the real Olympics, Dan, relax.”
“I won’t lose to those shit weasel Kellers. They roped Zach into their team.”
“No way.” Ryder whistled. “He’ll be quick.”
“But you’re quicker. Remember that, Ry,” Dan said. “See you.”
Ten minutes later, JD walked in the door.
“Not you too?” Ryder glared at him.
“Need one of your coffees to get me started for the day,” his future brother-in-law said with a shit-eating grin.
He was Sawyer’s friend who had made Lyntacky his home and then fallen in love with Zoe, which her brothers had allowed after a lot of arguments.
Like Libby, JD was stylish and wore clothes with label names Ryder had only learned about to mess with him. He’d come from money and a family that wanted him to be part of that. He’d turned his back on that life and walked away, also like Libby. However, Ryder was sure she’d find her way back, but hopefully on her own terms.
“In case you and the rest of my family don’t realize it, I’m running a business here,” Ryder said.
“And I’m giving you business. Add two breakfast sandwiches and four of those date and orange scones. Who knew they’d be that good,” JD said.
“I did. But they’re lemon and blueberry today.”
JD thought about that while Ryder put the lid on his coffee. He then moved to look in the cabinets. “I’ll try them.”
“Big of you.”
“So tell me all about this Libby Gulliver, Ryder. Zoe wanted to come and meet her, but she had to get to the shop early today. So here I am because she said I had to sleep in the spare room if I didn’t get all the info about your lodger.”
“I hate my family.” Ryder sighed. “I’m a big, grown boy, and I don’t need this shit.”
“No, you don’t, so spill,” JD said, sipping his coffee. “Nice work on dealing with the bikers, by the way, even if your sister will blast you when she sees you for taking them on alone.”
“Thanks. Now, like I said to the other members of my family, there’s nothing to tell about Libby, and I’m sure you know everything anyway. She broke down. I found her sleeping in her car and made her come home with me. I also gave her a job.”
“My hero,” JD said. “What else you got on her?”
Ryder shrugged. “She’s not a talker?—”
“Can’t be easy when we are,” JD interrupted him.
“And then some,” Ryder muttered. “Can you think of anywhere she can stay in town?”
“I’ll let you know if I come up with anything. Zoe did a search on her this morning but came up with nothing, which is weird, don’t you think?”
“Tell me that’s not true,” Ryder said.
“You really have to ask that about your extremely overprotective sister?”
He sighed again.
“So just let her rent one of your rooms. You have three.”
Ryder didn’t like the look in his brother-in-law’s eyes as he spoke.
“I don’t know the woman,” he lied, because after last night, he was fairly sure he knew her well. “I don’t want a stranger living in my house. I like my privacy now that I finally have some.”
“You miss having Dan in your face constantly?” JD smirked.
“Do you remember that ingrown hair I had under my knee?” JD nodded. “I miss him as much as I miss that.”
The door burst open, and in marched four of the walking group. The seniors then went to study the contents of his cabinets, while marching on the spot.
“You four all good?” Ryder asked.
“Can’t stop,” Bart said. He was carrying a bag over one shoulder. “Just popped in to deliver something to Libby.”
“Libby!” Ryder bellowed. Seconds later, she appeared. “These people want to talk to you.”
She looked confused, and who could blame her. She hadn’t been in town long, and suddenly people were calling in to the cafe to visit her.
“Hello, Libby, dear. After you visited Lyntacky Leftovers yesterday, I pondered your footwear,” June Matilda said while beside her LouJean went through a series of lunges.
“My footwear?” Libby said, looking at her feet.
“They’re not warm enough for you, dear,” Esther from CTC said. “I saw that right off last night.”
Bart was now pulling his knee up to his chest in a stretch that made him look like a stork. His sister took the bag from his shoulder, and Ryder had to admire the man’s balance; he didn’t wobble even slightly.
“So LouJean found these that her granddaughter had left behind the last time she visited,” June said, opening the bag and pulling out a pair of bright red boots with fur trim around the top.
Ryder moved out from behind the counter to get a better look. They laced up the front and had a thick rubber sole.
“Oh, thank you, but I couldn’t take them,” Libby said after shooting Ryder a panicked look.
“Of course you can,” Esther said. “Plus I brought you a pair of knitted socks because I noticed you weren’t wearing any yesterday.”
The socks came out of the bag next.
“I made them out of an older sweater,” Esther added.
They were the color of a science lab he’d used in school. Not exactly a green, but not a brown either—a sad, faded mix of in between. Shooting Libby a look, he noted tears were welling up again, but she was trying to hold it together.
“I remember that sweater, Esther. It always looked good on you.”
“Nice interruption,” JD said out the side of his mouth. “Your girl looks ready to lose it.”
He didn’t dignify the “your girl” part of that statement with a response.
“Thank you,” Libby said when she could. “I will treasure those socks, but you didn’t need to.”
“Nonsense,” Bart said. He was now doing side lunges while LouJean jumped from one foot to the other, like he’d seen skiers do in training sessions.
“Now you go on and take those shoes off, and we’ll see if they fit,” June said.
“Oh, no, I really shouldn’t.”
“Protest is useless,” JD drawled. “I’m JD Hopper by the way. This idiot’s brother-in-law.”
“Not yet, you ain’t, but Mom’s fixing to change that,” Ryder said loudly.
“What?” June spun to face JD. “You’re having a wedding?”
Happy with his efforts to move the elderly fitness nut jobs on to another topic, he moved closer to Libby.
“Well, go on. Try them on before they force you down into a chair and do it for you.”
“I don’t need boots.”
“I heard the bit you didn’t add.”
“What?”
“And if I did, it wouldn’t be those ones,” Ryder said.
“I would never say that when they’ve been so kind,” Libby said, bending to untie the laces of her sneakers.
“Well now, if you need a cake, Abilene is excellent with fondant roses, JD,” LouJean said.
“And I have loads of crepe paper from the last wedding,” June added.
“Hurry it along there, Libby. JD looks ready to explode,” Ryder whispered.
She quickly pulled on one of the boots.
“Socks first,” he hissed.
She took it off and pulled on a sock and then replaced the boot.
“Well, would you look at that? They fit perfectly, and the socks too,” Ryder said loudly, which drew the gathering of interfering busybodies back to focus on Libby. He watched JD walk around the counter to stand behind the coffee machine and then disappear.
“Oh, now I am pleased,” Bart said. “And the socks too. Well done there, Esther.”
“Well, you all get on with your walk. I don’t want you out when the snow starts falling again,” Ryder said, shooing them to the door like he would a gaggle of geese and a single gander.
“Thank you so much!” Libby called after them. “I’m touched that you thought of me!”
They all turned and did a square with their hands and had gone seconds later.
“What was that they did with their hands?”
“Other normal towns do hearts, but Lyntacks do squares, and believe me, it’s not as easy as it looks.”
JD rose from where he’d been hiding behind the counter. “I feel violated.”
Libby started laughing and was soon bent at the waist gasping for air.
“I thought you said she was sane,” JD said, helping himself to a scone out of the cabinet, which he ate without buttering it first.
“I thought so. Now tell me you’re using Abilene’s cake-decorating services?” Ryder said.
JD raised his middle finger. “So, Libby, nice shoes. Come see me if you want those put back on,” he said, pointing to her eyes.
“Th-those?” She tried to get herself together.
“Eyelashes. I own the Gnat, a one-stop beautifying, hair, and tattoo shop. Now I need to get back because Kevin, the idiot who does all the things no one wants to, up and quit last night so he can leave Lyntacky to study.”
“Can you imagine someone wanting to leave sweeping your floors and running coffee to you every ten minutes? Selfish bastard that Kevin,” Ryder said.
Libby sucked in a deep breath from beside him, and Ryder studied her pink cheeks and thought, That woman packs a punch . The sparkling eyes and genuine happiness on her face—something he’d not seen before—were all compelling. Of course, not to him; he was immune because she wasn’t his type.