From Nanny To Wife (10 page)

Ryan snorted. "Keep telling yourself that, Laura. Maybe someday you'll believe it."

"Will you stop being so damn sarcastic?" Laura snapped. "I'm sick to death of it."

"Then why do you keep coming back for more?" Ryan asked dryly.

"I don't have time for this," Laura sneered. "I have last minute wedding plans to see to."

"Tell me what you want and then get out." Ryan jerked open the top drawer of his desk and grabbed a box of paperclips.

"I want Zoe to be the flower girl," Laura said.

"No," Ryan said. "I don't want her participating in your circus."

Laura slammed her fist on the desktop. "It is not a circus!" she yelled.

Ryan smirked. "Calm yourself. It's not good for your health to be getting so upset."

Livid Laura jumped out of her chair, leaned across the desk, and grabbed Ryan's tie. "Listen to me, you cold hearted son of a bitch. Zoe is my daughter too and I-"

"Let go of my tie, Laura," Ryan snarled.

Laura gave him a look of pure loathing. "And if I don't? What are you going to do?"

"You have ten seconds to let go of my tie and get the hell out of here before I call security."

Slowly Laura released Ryan's tie and straightened up. "It's my wedding," she whispered. "I want our daughter to be a part of it."

"Zoe is getting over the flu," Ryan said. "She's still weak. Her immune system isn't strong enough to be around a bunch of people. The last thing she needs is to have a relapse. The answer is no."

"You're going to regret this, Ryan." Laura pivoted on her heels and marched toward the door. "When you least expect it I'm going to bring you to your knees." She left slamming the door behind her.

Ryan reached for the phone and dialed the number for home. Hope answered on the third ring.

"Kendall residence."

"Hope, the minute you hang up the phone I want you to go find William. Tell him if Laura shows up don't let her in the house. If she refuses to leave call the police."

"All right," Hope said. "Is something wrong?"

"Laura is angry because I won't let Zoe be in her wedding on Saturday," Ryan said.

"Zoe is still sick," Hope said. "She doesn't need to be going around a bunch of people. Hard telling what kind of germs she could come in contact with. She doesn't need to get sick all over again."

"My sentiments exactly," Ryan said. "How is Zoe?"

"She's doing fine," Hope said. "The whole carving the pumpkin thing was too much excitement for her and wore her out. She's napping with Bob right now."

"Good," Ryan said. "She needs her rest. I have paperwork waiting for me. I'll call back later."

"We'll be here," Hope said.

Ryan hung up the phone and sat fuming. Laura's words kept echoing in his head.
You're going to regret this. When you least expect it I'm going to bring you to your knees.

Chapter 1
1

It was early November, two weeks before Thanksgiving. Hope was in the kitchen with Gordon making a list of food needed for the upcoming holiday. The pantry shelves were scanned and the cabinets were checked. While they were doing this Hope kept an eye on Zoe who was sitting in her booster seat at the table chewing on an orange slice. Juice ran down her chin and onto her pink t-shirt.

Hope ran a clean dishtowel under the faucet and wrung out the excess water. She moved to the table and bent over Zoe. "You're a messy little thing," she said, wiping the little girl's sticky hands.

"Messy," Zoe said.

"That's right," Hope said. She wiped Zoe's face and then kissed her cheek. "Let's see how long you can stay clean, kiddo."

"If I was a betting man I would give her ten minutes," Ryan said, strolling into the kitchen.

Hope smiled. "Then it's a good thing you're not because this little one can get into anything in a blink of an eye."

"Down," Zoe said.

Ryan lifted her out of the booster seat, kissed her head, and set her on her feet. "Run along and play, baby girl." He turned to look at Gordon. "I'm flying to Jacksonville in a little while. I have some business to take care of. I'll be back tomorrow night."

"Yes, sir," Gordon said.

"Have you told Zoe yet?" Hope asked, running the damp towel over the booster seat.

"There's no need to." Close to the refrigerator, Ryan opened the door and took out a bottle of water. "You and Zoe are coming with me."

Hope stopped cleaning the chair and gaped at him. "You know I-" She glanced at Gordon. "Would you mind checking on Zoe?"

"Of course not," Gordon said.

Hope waited until the cook had left the kitchen before she spoke. "You know I don't fly."

"I think it's time you give it a try." Ryan moved closer. "What happened to your family won't happen to you."

Hope swallowed hard. "You don't know that."

"Hope." Ryan paused. "Plane crashes happen because of malfunctions, because something was wrong with the plane. Before I fly, I make sure the jet has gone through a thorough inspection. Everything is checked. Do you think I would take Zoe with me if it wasn't safe?"

"N - No," Hope muttered.

Ryan gazed into her eyes. "Your family wouldn't want you to live in fear. If you won't do this for you then do it for them. I'm leaving at six. Let me know beforehand if I need to say to goodbye to Zoe."

Hope stood there long after Ryan had left the kitchen. Her heart was telling her that he was right. What happened to her family was not going to happen to her, but her head wasn't listening to what her heart was saying.
What should I do?
she asked she sat down at the table and buried her face in her hands. Never had a decision been this frightening.

Ryan folded a pair of slacks and slipped them into an overnight bag. A dress shirt, boxer shorts, t-shirt, socks and pajamas went in on top. He headed to the bathroom and came back with a toiletry bag. Tossing it in on top of the clothes, he zipped the bag up and picked it up. Ryan glanced at his watch and saw it was a few minutes before six. He left the bedroom and made his way downstairs. As he reached the bottom step, he spotted Zoe's backpack and an overnight bag, similar to the one he had in his hand, on the table beneath the chandelier. Hope, he realized, was going.

"Bob can't come with us, sweetheart," Hope told Zoe as they entered the foyer. "He has to stay here. Maggie and William will take care of him."

Ryan gathered up the bags. "Are you ladies ready?"

"No," Hope mumbled. "So let's go quickly before I change my mind."

The jet was fueled and ready for the flight when Ryan, Hope and Zoe boarded twenty minutes later. While Hope strapped Zoe into her seat, Ryan went up front to speak with the pilot.

"How long will it take to get to Jacksonville?"

"Two hours and thirty minutes," the pilot answered. "I checked the weather. It should be a

smooth flight."

"Good," Ryan said.

"I'm almost ready here," the pilot said, putting on his headset. "If you will take your seat I'll get us airborne."

Ryan exited the cockpit. "We're getting ready to take off," he informed Hope.

Hope's face lost all color. She tightened her seatbelt and squeezed her eyes shut. "Knock me out," she croaked. "Please."

"I can't hit you," Ryan said. He took the seat next to her and fastened his seatbelt. "Everything will be fine. Just take deep breaths and try to relax."

"I can't relax," Hope hissed.

"Yes, you can," Ryan told her. "Try picturing something in your mind, something-"

"All I can picture is-" She swore under her breath, as the plane started moving. Gripping the armrests until her knuckles turned white, she glared at Ryan. "If we make it through this I'm never talking to you again."

Ryan arched a brow. "Never?"

"Never," Hope snapped.

The plane began picking up speed and then left the ground. Feeling Hope tremble, Ryan reached out and gently grasped her hand. He tried to ignore how right her hand felt in his and instead concentrate on comforting her. "Talk to me. Tell me why someone who adores children doesn't have any of her own."

"I can't have children," Hope whispered. "My ex husband and I tried for years to conceive. We saw doctors. They ran tests on me and Luke, that's my ex husbands name. The problem was with me, not him. The last doctor we saw sent us to a specialist who sent us to another specialist. The bills started piling up. Finally, we gave up. I gave up on trying to have a baby and Luke gave up on me. Our marriage was falling apart. He grew cold and distant, hateful. In his eyes, I was damaged goods, a poor excuse for a woman. He's happily married now with four children."

"You are not damaged goods, Hope," Ryan said softly. "And you are not a poor excuse for a woman. That would be Laura." He squeezed her hand. "Your ex husband was selfish and heartless. You needed him and he deserted you. You're better off without him."

"I know I am," Hope muttered.

"Daddy," Zoe said.

Ryan released Hope's hand, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stood. He moved toward Zoe's seat and squatted down in front of her. "Do you want out of your chair?"

"Yeah," Zoe said.

"Why don't you lie down and Daddy will put
Beauty and the Beast
on for you?" Ryan removed Zoe from her chair and carried her to the small couch toward the back of the plane. He laid her down and fetched a pillow and blanket from an overhead storage compartment. After covering
her up, he slipped the DVD in the small player and pressed play. He rejoined Hope and settled into his seat once more. "She'll be asleep before it's over. You can get up and move around."

"No, I can't." Hope rested her head against the headrest. "My legs are trembling badly. Tell me why we're flying to Jacksonville."

"There's a shipyard I'm looking into buying," Ryan explained. "I'm meeting with the current owner tomorrow and he's going to give me a tour. I thought you and Zoe might like to come along. Zoe likes to look at the big boats, that's what she calls ships."

"I thought you were in the shipping business," Hope said.

"I am," Ryan said. "I want to branch out into other areas of the shipping industry. Owning a shipyard seemed like the next step to take."

"I wouldn't mind watching a ship being built," Hope said. "Do you think that instead of flying home I could get a ride on a ship?"

"No," Ryan said.

Hope sighed. "How long is the flight?"

"Two hours and thirty minutes."

"Oh, God."

The plane landed in Jacksonville a few minutes after nine. A waiting car picked up Ryan, Hope and Zoe and took them to a nearby hotel. Ryan had reserved a room for Hope and Zoe and one for himself. Once they checked in, they retired to their rooms for the night. Before Ryan turned in, he rang Hope's room.