But it had been almost three weeks since Ryder left town and with each passing day her hopes of seeing him again grew-
“Sorry to bother you, Blake, but there’s someone here to see you.” The teenager’s voice ripped her out of her reverie.
Feeling guilty that she’d been in her office cum store room daydreaming, Blake got to her feet and came around the desk toward him. “Who is it, Chris? Is it Penelope?” She glanced at the clock. Only three o’clock in the afternoon. She wasn’t expecting the bookkeeper until four.
“No.” He shook his head and his long brown hair fell over his eyes. He brushed it away. “It’s a man, and he looks sort of important.”
She frowned. “A man?” She wasn’t expecting any man. And then, as if her heart knew something she didn’t, it jerked in her chest. Could the man be Ryder?
The thought made her hurry past Chris and head out toward the restaurant. As she pushed through the swinging doors there was a smile on her lips. She couldn’t help it. There was no way she could hide the fact that she was glad to see him.
When she saw her visitor she froze in her tracks. The man who was staring back at her wasn’t Ryder at all. It was Jerome.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out.” He looked around the room, pretty much deserted since the lunch crowd had packed up and gone back to their work. Then he turned his gaze back to her. “Did you think I wouldn’t find you? There’s no place on earth you can go where I can’t track you down.”
For a good few seconds Blake stood there, speechless. The audacity of the man, to hunt her down and now to be staring at her with that sickly smirk on his face. She felt like slapping it off but before she went and did something stupid, something she could get locked up for, she folded her arms in front of her and straightened her back, deliberately making use of her height advantage. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “How did you find me?”
“Ah, that’s for me to know and you to find out.” Looking pleased with himself he put his hand up to push away the lock of blond hair that had fallen into his eyes. He’d always complained that it was a pain and yet he insisted on keeping his hair long. That was another of his shortcomings. Vanity.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. “Did you have me followed?”
He chuckled. “You know I’m good at keeping secrets. I’m not going to tell.”
“Okay, forget about that. It’s not important. The real question is, why are you here in Pequoia? You have no business coming to Beaumont’s.”
“Oh, I’ll be leaving your…establishment in a minute.” He glanced around with a look tinged with disdain. “I just thought I’d pass by to let you know I’d be in town for a while.”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean? What business do you have in Pequoia?”
He tilted his head and smiled. “With the coming of the telephone lines the opportunities are boundless for real estate.” He shrugged. “Things can only go up from here.”
And then, right before her eyes, the self-satisfied look on his face dissolved and he transformed into the guileless, earnest Jerome she’d fallen in love with. “Let’s put all that aside. There’s a business opportunity for sure, but I didn’t come here for business. I came to see you.”
“Why?” The question was blunt and cold. Now that she knew the real Jerome she wasn’t going to fall for his tricks.
“Because I still love you. And you love me, too. I can feel it.” He took a small step forward but the look she gave him made him halt.
“Get out of here.” She said the words through clenched teeth. “Leave and never come back. I’ve had enough of your games.”
He had the gall to look hurt. “I came because I need you, Blake. I can’t live without-”
“Get the hell out.” She released her arms and clenched her fists at her sides. “I don’t want to hear another word from you. They’re lies. All lies. Get out of here before I call the police.”
It took that threat to make him back away. It looked like he was turning to go but then he stopped. “This isn’t over,” he said, his voice soft and almost menacing. “I’m not leaving town without you.”
It wasn’t until he went through the door that Blake expelled her breath. She was not going to take Jerome’s threat lightly. He was the kind of man who never knew when to give up.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“You’re leaving again?” Elizabeth Grant looked up from her computer screen as Ryder walked into her office. “It feels like you just got back.”
Ryder shrugged. “I’ve been here almost three weeks. Time flies when you’re having fun.” He gave his personal assistant a wry smile.
“Or when you’re busy,” she said, swiveling her chair around to give him her full attention. “Shall I arrange for a car to take you to the airport?”
“No. No need. I’ll be driving.”
She smiled. “Oh, not an international trip this time. I’m glad. Those trips to Asia and Europe can be so tiring. The last time you went to China, when you came back you didn’t look quite yourself.”
That made him laugh. “I may fly a lot but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
She shook her head. “I totally understand. I’m not fond of flying either. I’m just glad I only have to do it every few months to visit the grandkids.”
After he’d given Elizabeth instructions for tasks to handle during his absence Ryder headed back to his office, ready to pack up for the day. It had been a hectic three weeks at the office and, in fact, there was still more to be done. The rest of it he would leave for his chief operating officer and his staff to handle. They were an efficient team and were used to his trips and absences so this would be nothing new.
As he gathered his belongings he was smiling. He was looking forward to seeing Blake again. First thing in the morning he would be hitting the road to Pequoia and this time he planned to take things to the next level. Although it had been little more than a month he felt like he’d known Blake for years. There was just something about her, something that made him want to always have a connection with her. Maybe even more than just a connection. Maybe he wanted her in his life.
Ryder knew his feelings for Blake were premature but he also knew he had no say in the matter. His heart had spoken and it said it wanted him to get to know Blake a whole lot better.