Page 38 of All Because I Found You

She gave each of them a hug.

“Where’s Isla and Harper?” Raelyn asked. The three girls had been glued to each other’s hips since they were kids.

“Harper is closing up her studio. She, Tom, and Milo will be here in a bit. And Isla and Nolan are buying tickets right now.”

Speaking of tickets. Raelyn reached into her bag and pulled out the check for eighty-five hundred dollars that she rewrote before leaving her house.

“What’s that?” Cindy asked.

“I have some tickets to buy.”

Cindy narrowed her eyes. “You have that look.”

“What look?”

“The look that tells me this is about to get interesting.”

Raelyn laughed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Chapter 12

Ryder sat at the kitchen table, finishing dinner like he did every night. It was a quiet evening. Even the crickets seemed to have taken the night off. The quiet had never bothered him before, but after having Raelyn over for dinner, he missed conversation. Some nights Gene ate with him, and though he loved the man like a father, it wasn’t the same. Raelyn brought so much light and life to a room that filled Ryder with a sense of joy he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

When he was a kid, Mom would ask him about his day, Dad would ask about football, and Julie would sneak glances at her phone under the table when Mom wasn’t looking. Ryder never thought much about dinner with the family until they were all gone, and he was the only one left.

He ate in silence then put his dish in the sink. It had never been a boring existence. He just did what he had to do to get by and continue on with his life, but now, because of Raelyn, his simple life was tainted.

He might not have been happy before—he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be happy again—but he was content, damn it. That was until she came along with her cheery disposition and refusal to back down. She was pushy and annoying, but she also reminded him of what it was like to smile, to look forward to something.

But what happened when the wedding was over, and she didn’t need his barn anymore? She’d go back to her life, and he’d be stuck in hiding like before. But how could he go back to the silence after allowing so much noise in?

There was only one thing he could do. He needed to keep his distance, so when the time came, he could get back to normal without any issues.

In order to do that, he had to stop thinking about her. It didn’t matter that she once stood at his sink, washing dishes while humming to herself and swinging her hips to whatever song was on her mind. Or how she sat on his counter or moved through his kitchen like she belonged.

He shook his head. Enough.

He snatched the sponge from the edge of the sink and squirted a decent amount of soap onto the green scrub. He picked up the dish and got to work.

A knock at the door echoed through the house, cutting through the silence. Ryder wiped his hands on the dishrag and walked out of the kitchen. The only person who would be stopping by at this hour was Gene. He must’ve remembered something he’d forgotten to tell him earlier, and Gene was always more of a house call kind of guy then a phone guy.

Ryder pulled the door open, and his eyes popped wide at the giant teddy bear staring at him. It was by far the largest stuffed animal he’d ever seen. It had to be at least eight feet long. “What the—”

“Hey!” Raelyn’s head burst out from between the bear’s arm and body. “A little help.” She thrust the bear at him, and the weight of the bear nearly toppled him to the floor. He lost his footing but pushed up, getting a hold of the massive bear. “Oh thank heavens.”

Raelyn pushed past him, letting a bunch of baskets slide down her bare forearms and into her hands.

“What the hell is all of this?” he asked, batting the limbs of the bear out of his way.

She spun around to him. The dress she was wearing flared out, giving him a subtle peek of her tanned thighs. The baskets moved with her as well, but he was too focused on her legs. “You won!”

Her voice knocked him back to reality, and he glanced up. Won? What the hell was she talking about? “Won what?”

“You said to donate the money to the fundraiser. The fundraiser was actually a raffle, so I bought tickets with the money, and you won.”

“You bought eight grand worth of tickets?” He tossed the bear onto the couch, and its bulk nearly made the couch disappear.

“You told me to donate it, and now look at all this awesome stuff.” She held up her arms, multiple baskets dangling from both. “This is just the start. I have the good stuff in the car.”

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