Chapter 31
Ryder’s skull throbbed because he’d brought out the whiskey and drank a vast amount of it to get Libby out of his head. After a shower that was mainly just him leaning his forehead on the stall and letting the warm water pelt his tired body, he’d dressed in the clothes he’d wear today. Sweatpants and three shirts. On top of his thermal, he wore his curling one with “Lyntacky A Team” on the front, and over that, he wore the one he’d wear for the relay that had “Duke #3” on, which his mother had printed for him and the rest of her sons.
Pulling on a hooded sweatshirt, he found cleanish socks that passed the sniff test and then his sneakers. Running down the main street in these conditions would likely result in a serious injury, but right then, he didn’t care.
Where is Libby?
He missed her in his house. Missed hearing her humming and the sounds of her moving around in her room.
“Fuck.” His head ached thinking about Libby and that maybe he wouldn’t see her again. She’d hurt him with her lies, but he also knew now that she’d never deliberately set out to do that.
Leaving his room, he passed hers. The door was open, and Dan was snoring softly on Libby’s bed. Not Libby’s bed, as she was staying with Klaus and Lea, but he also knew their son was home. So where had she stayed last night? Is she still in town?
Picking up a pillow that had found its way to the end of the bed, he threw it at his brother.
“Get up. We need to eat and get to the start line.”
Dan’s eyes sprang open. “Morning already?” He stretched. “Cool, it’s going to be a great day. I’ll catch a shower. You get the coffee on.”
Ryder had often envied his little brother’s ability to wake alert. He wasn’t sluggish or in need of at least thirty minutes to get his shit together. No, Deputy Dan was ready for action right off, which was a good thing, considering his job.
Ryder grunted and headed to the kitchen.
He’d toasted bread and made eggs by the time Dan arrived.
“You all good, Ry?”
“Ready to win.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“I don’t know what I am, and it’s too early for this conversation, so eat and let’s go.”
“Here if you need me, bro.”
“Know it.”
They left soon after and walked to the main street to reach the start line. The street was heaving with people, even considering it was early. The day was icy but clear, and he could feel excitement in the air.
“My money is on you, Dukes. Don’t let me down now,” Nancy from the Circle Left said. She was standing with her husband, Frank, wrapped in a thick coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. In her hand was a small flag.
“Count on it,” Dan said with his trademark smile.
They talked and slapped hands the entire way up the street, and Ryder spent most of it looking for Libby. She was a good person he knew that. Also, that he’d likely overreacted because of his feelings for her. Lashed out instead of taking his usual controlled approach to things. He found her brother near the start line.
“Ryder Duke, right?”
“What the hell happened to you?” The man had bloodshot eyes and wore a thick red knitted beanie that Ryder was sure belonged to Red. His suit was gone, and he wore jeans that hung off him and a charcoal knitted sweater. In fact, the only article of clothing that looked like it may belong to him was his leather lace-up shoes.
“Cider,” Samuel Caldwell said with a shudder. “I have no memory between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.”
“How’s the head?”
“Dee gave me something to ease it, but in all honesty, it didn’t work.”
“Dee? You stayed at the Hecklers?” Ryder asked, eyeing the man that looked a long way from the polished one he’d met yesterday.
“I don’t remember getting there, but their eldest, Jade, said Red carried me in. I woke in a bed shaped like a car.”
“Had to be an eye-opener,” he said, throwing the man a bone when what he wanted to say was “You’re a shit brother, and why did you not look out for your sister better?”
“Hey, man,” Dan said. He’d been flirting with SJ while Ryder talked to Samuel Caldwell. “Those eyes any better from your side? They look like you’re bleeding to death for us.”
“Not much. Do you know where my sister is?”
“She’s at Nina’s,” Dan said before Ryder could say no.
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“Zoe texted me and said it’s a need-to-know situation. Apparently you were on the do-not-need-to-know list.”
“I’m your brother!” Ryder winced at his own roar, as did Samuel. “You didn’t think I needed to know where the woman I care about is?”
“You were all woe is me. Chances are you would have stormed around to Nina’s when you’d had too many whiskeys and confronted Libby. You know how you lose your good-guy halo when you’re drinking.”
Ryder wondered if he could punch his brother and get away with it with so many people around them.
“Excuse me, but why are you confronting or, for that matter, caring about my sister?”
Ryder spun back to face Samuel Caldwell, and unfortunately for him, he was angry.
“Right. So now you want to be an older brother, when before you didn’t give a goddamn fuck that her ex–shit weasel didn’t want to have her in his wedding pictures because of her scar!”
“Ah—”
“And where were you when she wanted to be a chocolatier but your asshat father said she had to become an accountant?” Ryder said.
“Let him answer before you go on, Ry,” Dan said.
But Ryder had a red film over his eyes now. “She’s your sister. You should love and protect her. Being a big brother is your first job before any others!”
“You can’t buy that kind of loyalty, Nancy,” Linda said from behind him. “Dukes, I wish I’d been born into that family.”
“I know I failed Libby,” Samuel said stiffly. “But our lives differed vastly from yours, Ryder. Red gave me a stern talking-to last night with Dee’s help about blood first. No one has spoken to me like that before, which is why I want to see my sister.”
The anger went as fast as it came. “Good,” Ryder muttered.
“Not everyone lives their life like you all do here in Lyntacky,” Samuel added. “It’s like this microclimate of….” He struggled to find the right words.
“Crazy?” Dan supplied.
“Amen,” Ryder muttered. He needed to find Libby and talk to her before she left town.
“And I’ve not even been here a full day,” Samuel added.
“It grows on you. Where is your father?” Ryder asked.
“He’s got a meeting today he needed to be in Piedmont for.”
“Right. Because the implosion of his daughter’s life is clearly not as important,” Ryder said. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into his little brother’s eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, but maybe rein in the ugly Duke and be good Ryder again for a while. You can let him out later.”
“My father is a busy man,” Samuel stated and then winced because raising his voice clearly hurt his head.
“And again, more important than his daughter?” Ryder said slowly.
“What is between you and my sister?” Samuel asked. “Red and Delores alluded but wouldn’t say anything outright.”
“None of your business. All you need to know is that your dear daddy cut her off and her ex behaved like an asshole, and from what I’m seeing, there was no sibling support,” Ryder said.
And you turned on her too.
He and his siblings were pissed with each other on a weekly basis, but never, not once in his life, did he think they wouldn’t be there for him.
“Look, I don’t know you, and quite frankly my sister is my main concern right now, but you need to back off insulting me and my family,” Samuel said.
“At least you’re showing some backbone now,” Ryder said. “It must be Red’s clothes rubbing off on you.”
He watched Samuel’s fists clench.
“I think we’re done here,” Dan said, shoving Ryder hard in the spine. “Move it.”
“Stop pushing me,” Ryder snarled as he was maneuvered away from Samuel Caldwell.
“Calm down. Whatever this shit between you and Libby is, it’s nothing to do with him… okay, maybe indirectly, but provoking him is not ending well for anyone. Especially if that man could be your relation one day.”
That last sentence didn’t shock Ryder as much as it should.
They reached the start line and found Brody and Sawyer there.
“What the actual fuck are you doing?” Dan asked as the eldest Duke lunged.
“Stretching. I’m older than you lot. I break easier,” Sawyer said.
“There is that,” Dan added.
Looking around, Ryder searched faces and didn’t see Libby.
“She’s not here.”
“What?” He spun back to face his big brother.
“Libby. I haven’t seen her.”
“I’m not looking for her.”
“Sure you’re not,” Brody drawled. “I hope you’re feeling better than you look,” he added, studying Ryder. “We got shit to win today, and the whole town is counting on you in the curling. So, get your head in the game, and you can start groveling later to Libby.”
“I have nothing to grovel for,” Ryder said, looking for Libby again. But he did need to apologize… they both did. “And this is meant to be a Lyntacky event, and suddenly it’s a win at all costs thing including teams from other towns?”
“Apparently the Facebook page got a lot of views,” Dan said.
“All contestants for the relay, please take your places down the course!” Tripp yelled.
“I told Uncle Asher it was a bad call to buy him another megaphone, but no one listens to me,” Dan muttered as it screeched out a sound.
“Turn down the volume, Tripp!” someone yelled.
“Run fast,” Sawyer said to his brothers.
“Is that it? No pep talk about doing this for the Duke name and pride in ourselves or some shit like that?” Dan asked.
Sawyer ignored him and headed off down the street with Ryder and Brody. His brothers stopped in their places until he reached the end of the street.
“Ugh, I blame you,” his sister said, stumbling toward him. She then leaned her head on his chest. Ryder wrapped his arms around her and felt her sigh.
“What did I do now?” He continued to scan the street, looking for Libby, while his sister got herself together.
“We had girls’ night, and while it was already planned, the Libby and you quandary, as we’re now naming it, called for talking well into the night.”
“Quandary?”
“It’s a fancy word for dilemma, according to Cill.”
“Right.” He wanted to ask about Libby. How she’d been and what she’d said, but then Zoe would ask him about what he felt for her, and things would escalate.
“Where is she?”
“Running the third leg since June Matilda had a last-minute issue with regards to the winners’ certificates she needed to deal with.”
“We get certificates?” Ryder whistled. He’d see Libby soon because he was running the fourth leg, as was Zoe, who Libby was passing the shoe to.
“Bart got a new printer, apparently.”
“Nice.”
Ryder rested his head on Zoe’s while around them competitors all lined up and waited for their turn to run. He saw the man standing on the sidewalk, his eyes scanning the scene before him. Dressed in a black overcoat, tartan scarf, and trousers, he looked out of place surrounded by others in more casual dress.
“On your marks!” Bart roared.
“At least when I kick your ass today, you’ll have an excuse.”
Zoe pushed off him and glared through her squinty eyes.
“I could beat you on one leg,” she snapped, suddenly all business.
“You’ve never beaten me.” Ryder looked at the guy again. His eyes were scanning the street.
Ryder’s leg was from his cafe to the Gnat, and he was running against Zoe, Bart, who obviously didn’t need to use the new printer, Luca, and a few others he didn’t know because they weren’t local. Beau Keller was also lined up.
“You Dukes are going down!” he yelled. “Hi, Zoe.” He then blew her a kiss. Ryder watched his sister raise a middle finger and smiled.
“Get bent, Keller!” Ryder said, giving him the same gesture.
“I haven’t heard that in a while,” Bart said as he did a stretch that shaped his body into a pretzel.
“What does it mean?” Luca asked.
“Basically get lost,” Zoe said.
“Nice. I might use that,” the boy said.
“Don’t tell your father it came from a Duke,” Ryder said. “He put so much hot sauce on my pizza the last time I pissed him off, my mouth was on fire for days.”
He looked at the man again and saw he was standing with Samuel Caldwell, and Ryder just bet he knew exactly who he was now and didn’t like that he was in Lyntacky one bit.