Page 48 of All Because I Found You

She’d take a bath, but only because her body ached from all the sex. She wouldn’t relax, though. Not unless those bath bombs exploded a field of lavender.

Chapter 15

Ryder had always been good with his hands. He credited his dad for that. From the moment he was old enough to pick up a hammer, Dad had him working on the farm with him, teaching him how to build sheds, shelves, and repair fences, equipment and whatever else needed tending to. He’d always enjoyed it. It was why, when they discussed expanding and adding a haunted house to their portfolio, Ryder had taken the lead and drew up the plans.

He'd planned to build shelves to house jars with fake body parts in it, platforms with motors to make clowns and witches move. He had wanted to build a coffin that opened and a mummy would sit up and turn to look at the visitors. That dream died along with his family. Now the barn, instead of being a Halloween attraction, would be a venue for a wedding this weekend. And instead of building a coffin, he’d be building a bar.

He pulled in front of the shed where all the old wine barrels were stored. There were still plenty left after he already delivered a bunch to Raelyn last week. He hopped out of his truck and headed inside, laughing as his paced slowed as if the lady in white was going to jump out in front of him. Man, he was glad Raelyn wasn’t with him. She’d never let him live that down.

She was hopefully soaking in his bathtub. He was kind of disappointed he couldn’t join her, but he was excited to be able to build something again and to build it for Raelyn.

Using the flashlight on his phone, he found four barrels that were in good shape and hauled them out into the daylight. Dust covered the tops, but it was nothing a rag couldn’t take care of. He turned the flashlight off and called Gene.

“Hullo?”

“Gene, it’s Ryder. Do we have any wood lying around that’s not being used?”

“Aye.”

“Good, I’m going to come pick it up.”

“Now?” The surprise in Gene’s voice wasn’t lost on him. He never ventured far from his house, and when he did, it was always under the shadows of nightfall. But Raelyn needed him, and he couldn’t wait until tonight. He needed the wood now to see if it was enough to accomplish what he had in mind or if he’d need to make a trip to the store.

“I’ll be by the main barn in ten minutes.”

“I’ll be there.”

Ryder ended the call, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and put the truck in park. It was a bumpy ride out, and he smiled, thinking about how he’d brought Raelyn down this rutted path. If someone would have told him that she’d be occupying his bed at night, naked and begging for his touch, he’d never believe them. He still didn’t quite believe it himself.

It had been a whirlwind from the moment he met her, but that was Raelyn. A powerful force that swept everyone up into her world. It was a world he liked. It reminded him of a time when he wasn’t alone and he was happy. It had been so long since he’d felt either of those things, and somehow, even though it was just the two of them, Raelyn brought the world back to him.

Now she was in a rut, and he was going to help her get out of it. He drove with the windows open, hair blowing off his face, and the radio blasting some old rock song from the seventies. The air was thick with humidity, but he didn’t care. He missed being on the open road in the sun, letting the rays beat down on his arm while he maneuvered through the streets. It had been too long, preferring to stick to the fields while the rest of the world was awake.

He made it to the main barn in exactly ten minutes. Gene met him at his door, and he jumped out.

“I got a pile you can go through right through here,” Gene said.

He heard the voices of other workers and suddenly the easy, carefree joy he’d felt began to flee. A panic he didn’t expect rose inside him, and it took all that he had to control himself from jumping back in his truck and tailing it the hell out of there.

The wind had blown his hair back, putting his face on full display, so he tilted his head forward, letting the strands fall forward. Ryder followed Gene into the barn, and he was grateful that the voices stayed outside.

He’d never met most of his employees, and he should go out and thank them for a job well done—introduce himself and let them know the man who signed their paychecks, but he couldn’t do it. While he’d let Raelyn into his life, he still wasn’t ready to let the rest of the world in.

Disappointment poked at his gut, and he silently cursed himself for thinking that he could magically decide to change and all his problems would go away. His problems were beneath the skin and etched right into his bones, consuming his entire being. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be comfortable meeting anyone new.

A problem for another day. Right now, he was a man on a mission. Gene motioned toward a pile of wood in the back of the barn, and Ryder kneeled to sift through the pieces. He found a few four by fours and several panels. All would be perfect with a little stain.

“These are exactly what I need.”

“Let me help ye toss them in the truck.”

“Thanks.” Ryder handed Gene a couple pieces, then picked up the rest himself. Gene led the way to the truck, and they both dumped the load into the bed.

“You think this will be enough?” Gene asked.

“I think so. If not, I’ll be back.”

“Call me if ye need a hand.”

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