From Nanny To Wife (28 page)

Later that morning, Ryan moved quietly around the bedroom getting ready for work. Occasionally he would glance toward the bed and his eyes would light up at the sight of Hope. He realized something after waking up beside her for the past two mornings. She was beautiful in the early light of dawn with her golden hair spilling across the pillow and her warm body flushed from sleep. He was a lucky man to have her in his life.

Ryan left the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and headed downstairs for breakfast. He entered the kitchen to find everybody sitting around the table. "Good morning."

"Good morning," everybody repeated.

On his way to the coffee pot, Ryan bent down and kissed Zoe on the head. "The doctor ordered Hope to stay in bed until her ankle heals. I'm going to need you all to help me make sure she does what she's told."

"You can count on us, sir," Maggie declared.

Ryan poured him a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table. Zoe held out a half-eaten banana. "You eat that, baby girl. Daddy will get his own breakfast." He picked up a napkin and wiped
oatmeal off her chin. As he looked at her, he thought of the court hearing coming up soon and his heart leapt into his throat. He shoved the thoughts he was having to the back of his mind determined not to think of them again.

After Ryan left for the office, Hope had breakfast followed by a bath. The latter took every ounce of energy she had. By the time she was done her head and ankle ached. She took something for the pain and propped herself up in bed. Zoe came into the room and climbed onto the bed. She got under the covers with Hope and together they wiled away the morning watching cartoons.

It was shortly after twelve-thirty when the telephone rang. Hope was in the middle of eating her lunch. She set her fork on the plate and grabbed the receiver. "Kendall residence."

"Hello, Hope, this is Laura. How are you?"

"What do you want?" Hope asked coldly. "Ryan is at work."

"I called to talk to you," Laura said. "I was at the hospital yesterday when I overheard a couple of doctors talking about Ryan. Naturally I was curious so I listened in and learned of your accident. How are you feeling?"

Hope resisted the urge to snort. "You don't give a damn how I'm feeling."

"Now that's not true," Laura said. "You are after all Zoe's step-mother and Ryan's wife. Is there anything you need?"

"Not from you," Hope stated.

"I understand you fell and hit your head," Laura said. "Is that what really happened? Or did Ryan have something to do with your accident?"

Hope gritted her teeth. "What are you getting at, Laura?"

"You know how Ryan's temper can be," Laura uttered. "He's dangerous to be around."

Her words had Hope seeing red. "Ryan would never hurt me. He's not a violent man."

"He sure has you fooled, sweetie. There were times in our marriage when I was afraid of him. Of course, I had good reason to be scared. The man liked to shove me around and hit me."

Hope gripped the receiver until her knuckles turned white. "You're lying, you-"

"I am not lying," Laura snarled. "Look, I am trying to warn you to be careful. I don't want what happened to me to happen to you. You should not have married him. He's only going to bring you pain. It's not too late to have the marriage annulled."

It dawned on Hope what Laura was trying to do. "You would love it if I had my marriage to Ryan annulled. It would give you a better chance of gaining full custody of Zoe. I am not leaving Ryan. I love him and he loves me."

"Has he told you that he loves you?"

Hope hesitated. Ryan had never come right out and said he loved her, but he did not need to. She did not need to hear the words. He showed her in other ways how he felt about her.

"I'll take your silence as a no," Laura said. "I'm not surprised. Ryan has always had a difficult time expressing his feelings. He never told me he loved me either. I waited for him to say the words and he never did. The only thing he has going for him is that he's good in bed. Other than that-"

"I am not having this conversation with you," Hope said through clenched teeth. "Don't ever call here again. This is my family now, not yours." She slammed the receiver back in the cradle.

"Who was on the phone, dear?" Maggie asked, breezing into the room.

"Laura," Hope growled.

Maggie shook her head and sighed. "That woman is a thorn in everyone's side. What did she want?"

"To harass me," Hope answered.

"Are you all right?" Maggie asked concerned.

Hope rubbed her throbbing forehead. "I will be fine." She placed the tray on the bedside table. "Thanks to her my appetite is gone."

"Don't let her get to you, dear." Maggie gave Hope's arm a pat. "She lives to make peoples lives miserable. Why that husband of yours ever married her I will never know."

"Ryan married her because he was lonely," Hope said. "He wanted someone to love him and make him feel needed."

Maggie smiled at Hope. "Like you do. Besides Zoe, you are the best thing that has ever happened to him." She picked up the tray. "Try to put what she said from your mind and get some rest. I'll check on you in a little while."

"Thank you, Maggie."

"You're welcome." Maggie turned around and headed for the door.

Hope rearranged her pillow and laid down, willing herself to put Laura and the conversation they had from her head. Her eyes came to rest on the bedside table and the charm bracelet Ryan gave her for Christmas. A smile tugged at her lips and she closed her eyes. Images of their honeymoon in Vegas came to her and brought warmth spreading through her, replacing the cold feeling Laura had left. The last thing she remembered before sleep claimed her was dancing in her red dress with Ryan on her birthday.

Chapter 31

Ryan was standing in front of the floor to ceiling bookcase in his office when the intercom on his desk came on and Pam spoke.

"Harvey is here to see you, sir."

Ryan moved to his desk, bent down and pressed a button. "Send him in and hold my calls. I don't want to be interrupted." He returned to the bookcase and removed a book from the shelf.

The door opened and Harvey walked into the office. "Hello, Kendall."

"Harvey," Ryan said. "Have a seat."

"Pam tells me your lovely wife had an accident," Harvey said, taking a seat in front of the desk. "How is she?"

"Hope is experiencing some pain." Ryan settled in his chair and put the book on the desktop. "She will be fine. She is a strong woman."

"Of that I have no doubt." Harvey adjusted his glasses. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"The hearing," Ryan said. "Are you prepared?"

"I will be," Harvey assured him. "I'm working on something very promising. I can't go into details, but this could very well win our case."

"I hope so," Ryan said. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I have something to tell you. It cannot leave this room. If we lose I plan on taking Zoe and disappearing."

Harvey nodded. "I would expect nothing less from you. Will you leave Hope behind?"

The thought of leaving Hope filled him with anguish. "Yes. I won't ask her to throw her life away for Zoe and me."

"She will be devastated if she loses you two," Harvey stated.

"I know," Ryan muttered, "but I don't see any other way to keep Zoe from Laura. I have set up an offshore bank account in your name. Every month you are to withdraw however much money Hope needs. I would put the account in her name, but the police will be watching her."

"What about the company?" Harvey inquired.

"Pam knows the company like the back of her hand. I cannot think of anyone better than her to take control. I will sign the company over to her." Ryan looked at Harvey. "I trust you to look after Hope."

"I won't let you down," Harvey promised.

"See that you don't," Ryan said. "If we win, and we damn well better, we never had this conversation."

"Got it," Harvey said.

"I need to call and check on Hope," Ryan said.

"Then I will leave you to it."

"You can stay. This won't take long." Ryan picked up the receiver and dialed the number for home. While he waited for someone to answer, he glanced out the window at the rain coming down.

"Kendall residence," Maggie announced, coming on the line.

"Hello, Maggie," Ryan said. "How is Hope doing?"

"She's doing all right," Maggie told him. "She's asleep."

"Good," Ryan mumbled.

"I think you should know that Laura called. Poor Hope answered the phone."

Ryan sighed heavily. "What did she want?"

"I don't know, sir. Hope didn't say."

"I will talk with Hope later. How is Zoe?"

"She's fine, sir. She and Bob are playing."

"I should be home around six. Call me if something happens."

"I will, sir."

Ryan hung up the phone. "Laura called the house."

Harvey grinned at the news. "Did she now? Let me know everything she and Hope said. It might come in handy in court."

Ryan waited until after he put Zoe to bed that evening before he headed to the master bedroom. When he entered the room, he found Hope sitting up in bed reading a book. She was so engrossed in what she was reading that she did not look up. Ryan made his way to the bed and
sat down next to her. He reached out and plucked the book out of her hands. Marking the place with a scrap of paper, he placed the book on the bedside table.

"Hey!" Hope exclaimed. "I was reading that."

Ryan leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. "I want to talk with you."