Rough Ryder Read online

  Brooke just stared at Ryder, blank disbelief in her eyes.

  Summer stood, refilled her coffee cup, then focused on Ryder. “Dixie’s having a hard time letting it go, even after all these years.” She held her cup in both hands. “But I’m sure you’re used to this kind of reception from women you’ve discarded.”

  Ryder felt the blow all the way in his gut. She wasn’t being cruel, just honest, like she always was, but it still stung.

  “Summer.” Hope’s voice carried more sadness than censure.

  “I’m just stating the obvious.” Summer wandered over and patted Ryder’s shoulder. “All the rumors wouldn’t be circulating if it wasn’t true. You’re Ride ‘Em and Leave ‘Em Landry. That’s your style.” She winked at Brooke. “But something tells me you may have found the key to changing all that.” Summer walked into her bedroom.

  Ryder let out a long breath, avoiding Brooke’s eyes. His relationship with Brooke was the last thing he had time to worry about right now. “I’ll go call my attorney.” He stood.

  Hope pointed behind her. “There’s a small office on the other side of the kitchen, if you’d like to use it.”

  He nodded and walked through the tiled kitchen, shutting himself in the little room beyond it.

  When he came out twenty minutes later, Hope stood at the stove cooking something with onions and peppers in one pan, and pancakes in the other. He walked into the living room, Brooke was gone.

  “She left you this note.” Hope handed him a slip of paper, and flipped a gigantic pancake onto a platter full of them. “Sit and eat. It’ll do you good.”

  Ryder slumped into one of the chairs at the breakfast bar, glanced at the paper, chose not to read it, then stuffed it in his pocket. Brooke. What the hell was he going to do about that woman?

  Chapter Twelve

  Brooke called Schmiddy on her elevator ride down from Hope’s hotel room on the 17th floor, to her room on the 3rd.

  “Ms. Davidson.” He sounded like he had been asleep.

  “Sorry to wake you. I need to get home, and I don’t know when my return flight is.” She didn’t want to leave. Not really, but she’d messed things up pretty badly with Ryder. Plus, all the truths Dixie Magnusson and Summer Campbell laid on her made her realize how foolish it would be to expect more time with Ryder than she had already spent with him.

  “Your return is open-ended.” He sounded like he was moving.

  “I’m ready to go now. Any chance—”

  “I’ll contact Mr. Landry’s travel agent.”

  “Thanks.” She waited for more from him, but her phone went silent. “So, you’ll call me?” The elevator door opened and she stepped out.

  Schmiddy stood a few feet away, sliding his phone into his pocket. “If you’d like to pack, I’ll let you know when the limo is here.” Did he have a room on the same floor? Or did he possess teleportation skills?

  “Thanks, Schmiddy. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  He just stood there, waiting for her to enter her room. “Ma’am. Is there anything else?”

  The guy was hauntingly efficient. “No.” Slipping into her room, she let the door shut behind her before setting her suitcase on the bed. She tossed everything in except for the red dress, the corset, and the shoes. Those she put back into the fancy red shopping bag. She didn’t really want them anymore. Except for the thong panties. Those she shoved into her suitcase. Her memento of last night.

  “Pathetic girl.”

  She lay on her bed, turning to her side to look at the big air conditioner outside her window. At the movie premiere last night, she’d watched Ryder going from group to group, lots of hugs and kisses for dozens of beautiful women. She knew he’d been around. A lot. Broken a whole bunch of hearts.

  But she’d thought it might be different between them. Her intuition told her he could be someone special in her life. How long was a girl expected to chase a man who didn’t even ask her for her phone number?

  Well, he had it now. The note she’d asked Hope to give Ryder had her name and her phone number. That was all. The fact that it’d been over a half hour since she’d left Hope’s room and he hadn’t called, should tell her something.

  Hope had been very understanding today, and had told Brooke she was willing to wait until the mess with McCrae got sorted out before she decided what to do with the song. Had Brooke imagined that McCrae would still have Ryder’s cash, and would gladly hand it over to Brooke?

  “Ha.” Her stepbrother had no self-restraint. That money would be long gone.

  Only one person could own the song, and since Ryder had already published it, there was little doubt that it was his.

  Brooke didn’t even want to think about trying to come up with the money to repay Hope. That was another reason, besides wanting to get the McCrae situation taken care of first, why she hadn’t told Ryder the truth about the song until today. Well, those were her initial reasons. But now, after spending time with him, she recognized an additional excuse; just plain cowardice. She wasn’t afraid of Ryder…she was afraid of losing him. If she’d blurted out that she’d sold the song before she and Ryder had a chance to be together for a sweet, sexy night, that’s most likely what would have happened. Was that wrong of her?

  She pressed her fingers to her throbbing temple. The correct question was, “how wrong was it?” Priding herself on her honesty, on her strength and integrity, had always been her foundation. Now she’d made a choice to withhold the truth that could easily cost her what her heart desired most; the one man she could envision a future with. It’d be “Goodbye, Brooke.” And she couldn’t blame him for walking away from her.

  She flopped onto her back, tired, lifeless, damn near defeated. She’d need to do some yoga when she got home. Meditate for a while to bring her chi back up.

  Three knocks sounded on the door. Ryder? She snorted and shook her head as she rolled off the bed and picked up her suitcase, her purse, and the shopping bag. Opening the door, she handed the suitcase to Schmiddy. “I’m ready.” Her voice sounded like the saddest melody on the radio.

  He paused for a moment, suitcase in hand, then stepped back. “Your flight leaves in three hours.” Handing her a printout, he gestured for her to precede him to the elevator.

  “You’re amazingly efficient, Schmiddy.” She pressed the down button to call the elevator. “I hope Ryder knows what a gem he has in you.”

  He cleared his throat and looked away.

  “Kind of a diamond in the rough? Would that make my compliment more palatable?”

  One corner of his mouth twitched a few times.

  They took the elevator down to the main floor and he walked her through the lobby and out the front door to the limo.

  People stopped to look at her, but turned away quickly when they realized she was nobody. Nobody anyone wanted to waste time making a phone call about. Nobody anyone even wanted to make a phone call to. Damn Ryder for having this much effect on her mood. Sighing, she slipped into the limo, giving herself over to the sadness clenching at her heart.

  Schmiddy slid into the front passenger seat and the limo pulled away from the hotel.

  She’d had a wonderful, exciting, amazingly-hot night with Ryder Landry, country superstar. From the get-go, she knew it was just a quick fling for him, so she should have guarded her heart better, but she’d never met anyone so honest about his lifestyle. So unapologetic for his reputation as a hound dog.

  He worked hard, he loved hard, and he moved on. Damn it, though, he was so charming in an artless way, but he still had a cynical edge. Probably it was due to his growing up without a father. But the way he tried to be unemotional made her want to dig deeper, see what he kept covered up beneath his fun-loving, boyish façade.

  “Aw, crap.” Was she in any position to psychoanalyze him since she had a whole closet full of shit to sort through? Kicking the red shopping bag with the red dress in it, she found one thing that wouldn’t make it into that closet. “Hey, Schmiddy?�
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  He turned. “Ma’am?”

  “Do you know of any place in LA that sells fancy clothes and donates the money to charity?”

  He frowned. “I don’t, but I can research it.”

  “Thanks.” She held up the bag. “If you could drop this off, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “Of course.” He turned forward and thumb-typed on his phone.

  Was he informing Ryder of her decision to dump the dress? Oh hell, like Ryder gave a damn. But she was pretty sure Schmiddy had told Ryder she was leaving. And Ryder hadn’t shown up to say goodbye. Typical hound dog behavior.

  What had Summer called him? Ride ‘Em and Leave ‘Em Landry? Yeah, that fit. He’d probably make a fortune selling T-shirts with that slogan on them to each of the women he’d ridden and left.

  She waved her hands in the air to clear the bad Karma she projected.

  The driver caught her gaze in the rearview mirror, and she just smiled. She’d get home, see if Mom had a protest or two she could join in on, re-ground herself in real life.

  And number one on her list—bring each and every one of her songs to the copyright office first thing tomorrow morning.

  ****

  Ryder left the awards ceremony right after it ended, heading to the airport in the limo. He’d let Schmiddy go off duty. The man had said very little about Brooke, just a text that morning saying she’d requested a flight out ASAP.

  Ryder hadn’t replied. What could he say? Tell her goodbye for me, and thanks for last night. “Shit.” He’d finally opened the note from her. Just her name and phone number. He’d loaded it in his phone, but hadn’t had the urge—or was it the balls?—to call her.

  He was still pissed that she hadn’t told him about selling the song to Hope. Maybe pissed was too strong of a word. Shocked was more accurate. It just didn’t make sense for her not to tell him. But her brain worked in quite a different way than his did. He’d evidenced that in the way she’d first approached him, then disguised herself to get to him, then… He closed his eyes and let out a breath.

  Last night.

  The woman was as open and sexy as any woman he’d ever known, and twice as adventurous. This morning, she’d looked sick as hell when they’d been talking to the three country divas. And then she’d disappeared.

  True, it had relieved him to see her gone, but was that just conditioned response? He always felt better when his overnight guest left. He needed that alone time to recharge, reset his priorities, and clear his mind. But when he’d seen Hope’s suite empty of Brooke, he’d felt something else. Something hollow and dry. His heart, probably.

  He closed his eyes, and the next thing he knew, the driver woke him. “Your plane, Mr. Landry.”

  He rolled out of the limo, trudged onto the plane, and crashed on one of the reclining chairs.

  “Crocket, Texas, sir?” The pilot stood at the door to the cockpit.

  “Yes, and could you confirm with Buck that my truck is there at the airport?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Ryder knew it wasn’t the pilot’s job, but he paid the man enough to have him handle Schmiddy’s job once in a while. “Thanks.” He fastened his seatbelt and fell asleep before the plane left the ground.

  ****

  When Ryder drove up to the big house at the McLairn Ranch, he had to park a ways away. It looked like Steele’s truck, their sister Val’s minivan, two ranch trucks, and Angus’s truck had been professionally parked at just the perfect angle to each other. So he mixed it up a little, and angled his red pickup the opposite direction.

  He jumped out of the truck. Where the hell did his rebellious streak come from? Maybe it was the typical youngest-child syndrome, or maybe it was just his hedging his bets against the ease with which he’d been accepted into this family.

  Was he still thinking it could all be undone? That one day they’d find out he wasn’t really Angus McLairn’s son? It’d never happen, not the way he looked so similar to both Angus and Steele.

  “Little brother!” Val came out the front door, her arms out for a hug. Her baby bump stood out a little more than the last time he’d seen her.

  He pulled her into his arms. From the pictures he’d seen, his half-sister looked just like her and Steele’s mother. “You look beautiful, Val. You’re glowing.”

  She pulled back and stroked his cheek. “I am very happy. And I’m so glad to see you. Thanks for coming. I know it was a last-minute request, but…” She rolled her eyes.

  “Yep. When Angus calls, people come a-runnin’.”

  She giggled. “Very true.” She took his hand and led him into the house. The dark hardwood floors shone in the antique lighting of the wood-paneled living room, the enormous fireplace blazed, and the men rose from their seats on the overstuffed furniture.

  “Ryder, me-boy.” Angus switched from his Texas accent to a slight Scottish burr, as he enjoyed doing on occasion. The older man strode to him and gave him a great bear hug. “Glad you came, boy.” He backed up and looked at his youngest. “You’re looking more handsome each time I see you.”

  Steele snorted and Val’s husband, Travis, grinned.

  “Thanks...” Ryder wasn’t ready to call the man Dad, but Angus sounded too distant. “You’re looking good. How was your trip?”

  The man had disappeared for nearly three weeks, not letting any of his children know where he was going.

  “And where was your trip?” Val took a seat on the couch, next to her husband.

  “Ach, you wouldn’t believe the time I had.” He gestured around him. “Make yourselves a drink. Sit.”

  Travis already held a glass of scotch, but Steele gestured to the table next to the fireplace that held the scotch.

  Ryder nodded and plopped in a chair. “Tracy’s not here?”

  Angus took his usual spot in the biggest chair, and Steele brought Ryder a glass of brown liquor. “She’s filming in Canada this week. Couldn’t get away, though she wanted to.” He put his booted foot on the hearth and leaned against the fireplace. “Hell, none of us want to miss hearing what Dad has to spring on us next.” He silently toasted his father and took a sip.

  “Well, since you put it so graciously…” Angus’s brow lifted and he shot his eldest son a look. “I spent the last three weeks in Scotland.”

  Val nodded. “I had a feeling you were there. What made you decide to go?”

  “I have been talking with a cattle breeder. I went to see his stock and to arrange shipment of some semen to give our herd a fresh and stronger genetic line.” Angus looked extremely pleased.

  Steele took a big gulp of scotch. “You verified all this with the local ag service? With our vet?”

  “Of course I did.” Angus didn’t look too pleased to be questioned on his decision. “I’ve been making breeding line choices for fifty years, and I’ve never made a mistake, boy.”

  Steele shrugged one shoulder. “Just checking, Dad. You know, after your heart attack, we need to be sure you’re firing on all pistons.”

  Angus looked half-pissed, half-embarrassed. “Just you don’t mind about my pistons.”

  Val glanced at both Ryder and Steele. The three of them had their doubts that Angus had actually had a coronary episode. They were of a mind to believe the man had faked a heart attack to get Steele and Ryder to come together under one roof.

  “Now, if you’re done questioning my mental capacity…” Angus set down his glass. “I have something else to tell you.”

  Ryder took a sip of scotch, grimacing a little at the taste he hadn’t quite acquired yet.

  Steele poured another inch of the brown liquor into his glass, and refreshed Travis’s as well. “You’re moving to Scotland?”

  “Ach, you’d like to get rid of me, then?” The old man chuckled. “Not that easy to do, boy.” He stood. “The crux of the matter is, I met someone while I was over there.” He looked at his daughter. “A woman. She’s a widow, and close to my age, and I fell for her like a stone in a deep well.
”

  Val just blinked.

  “She’s the reason I stayed away a few extra days. And I want to bring her here to meet you.” Angus looked at Steele.

  The man just nodded.

  “Congratulations.” Ryder was glad to see his father seeking happiness. “When is she coming in?”

  Steele and Val looked at Ryder, who just shrugged. Their mother had been gone a long while. They couldn’t be upset that Angus wanted companionship for the last decades of his life.

  “Ah, Ryder, me boy, you’re going to love her. Her name is Rhona Currie, she’s got a son who lives in the States here, and loves our country, although she’s never seen Texas.”

  Val held out her hand and Angus took it. “Dad, we’re happy for you. It’s just such a shock, coming so soon after everything else that’s happened.”

  “Well-deserved, Angus.” Travis lifted his glass to his father-in-law. “You’ve been alone too long, in my opinion.”

  Angus kissed his daughter’s hand and let it drop, then turned to Steele. “And you, son? You’ve got nothing to say? The man who’s got an opinion on everything is staying silent?”

  Steele tipped up his chin. “Whatever makes you happy, faither.” Steele used the Scottish form of address.

  “Ah, son.” The older man shut his eyes for a moment. “I thank you.” He smiled at his eldest. “Thank you all, but I’m not sayin’ I’ll be marrying the lassie, ye ken? But I would like to spend some time gettin’ to know her. Ach, she’s a bonnie lass.”

  “How soon will she be here?” Val snuggled into her husband, laying her head on his shoulder.

  “Well, she’ll be flying in next week, if all goes to plan.”

  “I can send my plane…”

  “Why don’t I have my plane…”

  Ryder and Steel spoke at the same time, stopped, and smirked at each other.

  “My rich sons.” Angus picked up his drink. “Thank you both for the kind offer, but she’s happy flying a commercial airline.”

  A ruckus sounded in the kitchen, two loud children’s voices.

  “Sounds as if the troops are restless.” Travis stood and held out his hand to his wife.