Page 18 of Rescuing Ryder

“No. I grew up in Williamsburg. My dad was in the military, and my mother worked as a history professor. What better place to live? When I left the military, I didn’t plan to stick around long and found an apartment that leases month to month. It fits my needs,” Ryder explained as he loaded the last items in the car.

She waited to walk beside him and descended the stairs leading to the kitchen. The kitchen staff busily prepped for the day. A big basket full of muffins, croissants, and banana bread sat at the end of the bar, and a box beside it contained cupcakes and cookies.

Claire agonized over the selection before finally deciding on a cranberry muffin. She went to the kitchen and asked the cook for a bowl of fruit and two scrambled eggs.

After watching her, he peered at the choices before selecting a blueberry muffin and standing beside her while she waited for her order. “Don’t they have a menu or something?” he whispered to her.

“They have the usual fair, but he takes special requests. He doesn’t like making a pan full of eggs until more people arrive. He makes mine when I come down,” she explained.

“Randy. Ryder’s a first timer here. Can you make him a breakfast sandwich and potatoes? I’m planning on working him hard today,” she called to the man behind the grill.

“Sure thing, Claire. Take a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” Randy called as he busied himself with putting sourdough toast in the toaster and cracking a couple more eggs.

They sat at the table. She sipped her coffee and greeted the men and women who ambled in.

Randy brought out two trays and set them down. Ryder stared at the breakfast sandwich… sourdough bread, a large serving of eggs, and bacon. A bowl of fresh fruit accompanied it.

Claire started eating and scrolled through her phone. Glancing up, she noticed him staring at her. “Hurry up, slow poke, no slacking on my dime.” She gestured toward his food and smiled.

“Are you permanently attached to a phone like all the teens?” he quipped.

Claire paused and put her phone in her back pocket. “I wanted to confirm the time with the movers. I received a text earlier. One of their men called out and they texted to alert me. They waited for a replacement before heading to Serenity. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to appear rude.”

“I’m giving you a hard time, do…Claire. Are they bringing everything assembled, or did you conveniently see me coming for free labor?”

“I paid extra for the bed assembly. I didn’t trust myself to put it together by bedtime and don’t want to sleep in a slanted position. You’re a bonus addition,” she teased.

He chuckled, imagining her hanging off the side of the bed.

“Why didn’t you ask the men to come help you? I met Whiskey yesterday and he mentioned the team offered to help.”

Claire’s smile faltered a bit. “They’re busy. Two recently welcomed newborns. The team works locally with law enforcement and such. Two more wives announced their pregnancy, and the others fill in for the ones with families.”

“I can’t picture the men hanging around a bunch of babies, except for Doc. He seems enthralled with his wife and kids,” he admitted to her.

“Kassie and Chase help a ton of people. They have a long, complicated story and deserve every bit of happiness,” Claire lightly admonished him as she sipped her coffee. The head shrink may be good at reading people, but he didn’t survive his military years not knowing when someone hid something. It appeared she held secrets of her own.

“Are you ready? I’ll grab my briefcase from the office and meet you at the car.” Claire rose and placed her tray with the dishes in the receptacle before returning upstairs.

Ryder finished his coffee and dropped off the tray before heading to her car. Slipping into the passenger side, he waited for her to appear. A minute later, she descended the steps. A teen wrung her hands at the bottom and said something to her. Claire paused to place her arm around the girl and listened. He watched and she nodded, squeezed the kid and led her back up the stairs. She glanced back at her car and held up her hand to ask him to give her a moment.

Smiling, she ran down the stairs and jogged to her vehicle. “Sorry. I asked Whiskey to pick you up in an hour,” Claire informed him breathlessly. Starting the car, she drove them down the mountain and pulled into the driveway of a pink Victorian house, beaming with pride at her dream home.

“Geez Doc, you seriously bought this? Did they pay you to take it off their hands? It resembles a mountain of the pink stomach medicine,” Ryder blurted out at the sight of atrocity. He cringed as he saw the horrendous colors. The window shutters and door were painted deep purple, while the trim and porch were outlined in dark yellow.

She reached over and punched him in the arm. “Hey! Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Claire chastised him good-naturedly.He grunted as his gaze floated back to the house, and Ryder raised his eyebrow in question.

Claire shoved him, laughed as she exited, and grabbed a box from the back seat. He did the same and followed her in. The sunlight from the front door showed off the gleaming hardwood floors. To the left, a wide staircase circled upstairs with the same polished hardwood and white trim. To the right, a large sunny room with a bay window stood empty with built-in bookcases. He followed her into the kitchen and admired the gleaming new appliances, and the navy-blue cabinets reaching the ceiling. She set her stuff on the island, and he placed his things beside hers.

“I take it back. It may have hope yet,” Ryder confessed as he scanned the room and walked back toward the hall to view a large area with a fireplace.

“Thanks. I love it. I’ll show you my favorite room.” Claire motioned for him to follow her toward the back of the house to a large bedroom with French doors. She walked across the room and threw them wide open. Beaming, Claire entered the screened-in patio, complete with a fireplace.

“I have my office in the front, which will double as a library. But I imagine working out here. I love the view. I hope they bring the new patio furniture in the first truck. I can’t wait to set it up.” She leaned against the doorframe.

Ryder didn’t say anything. He walked to the screen and gazed at the mountain. The entire view seemed like a painted picture. Wildflowers decorated the landscape in red, orange, and yellow. The majestic and stoic mountains sat in the background. It was easy to see why she loved the area.

“Can I show you upstairs? The men helped paint it for me, but I haven’t gotten to show it off,” she asked him. The excitement in her eyes lit up her face.

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