Broken Love (15 page)

“Ryder, how are you doing today?”

Spinning around, I saw Destiny standing at the entrance to the barn.

“Hey, Destiny. I’m doing great. Yourself?”

She shrugged and made her way in. “Oh, I guess I’m doing okay. Been trying to get a few things taken care of around the place, but you know how that is. It’s a lot of work.”

With a chuckle, I nodded and turned back to brushing my mother’s paint, Lucky.

“Are you looking for Dad?”

“No, I was actually looking for you. Is um … is Ava still here?”

I paused for a moment before continuing to brush the horse. “Yep. I don’t think she is planning on leaving any time soon.”

“Really?” she asked in a surprised tone. “Doesn’t she have commitments she needs to get back to in Austin? Or you, for that matter? I didn’t think you were planning on staying in Montana for so long.”

“I wasn’t going to stay this long, but it’s nothing Nate can’t handle. Besides, he’s going to be handling it full time soon enough.”

She stopped right next to me and leaned against the stall door. “Rumor has it you’re playing house with your new
friend
.”

I dropped my hand and looked her way. “Ava is much more than a
friend
.”

Rolling her eyes, she looked away and mumbled, “Whatever,” as I went back to brushing the horse.

“Do you remember all the fun times we had in this barn?”

“Were you needing something, Destiny? If so, maybe you should just get on with it.”

Before I knew what was happening, she had her body pressed against mine with her arms wrapped around my neck as she tried to kiss me.

I grabbed her arms and pulled them down as I pushed her away. “What in the fuck are you doing?”

Her eyes looked pleading. “Come on, Ryder. Ava is locked away in that house and she’ll never know. You know you want me. I see it in your eyes and the way you look at me. Remember how many times we fucked in here? God, the thought of it makes me so horny.”

My mouth dropped as I stood there staring at her in disbelief as her hand moved over her body.

“Have you lost your damn mind? If you think for one moment I would ever cheat on Ava, you have another thing coming. I love her and nothing is going to change that.”

Destiny laughed. “You love her? Didn’t you just start dating her? No one falls in love that fast. Not even a helpless romantic fool like you.”

“I feel sorry for you. You really never have felt love, have you?”

“Fuck you, Ryder.”

“You already have.” Turning away from her, I looked back over my shoulder. “And if my memory serves me right, it was my best friend Roy you fucked in here, not me.”

With a huff, she stormed off and out of the barn, passing my mother without so much as saying a word.

Mom stopped and said, “Why hello there, Destiny.”

After she blew past her, mom turned to me and winked. “I take it she made a pass at you and got turned down.”

With a surprised look, I asked, “How did you know?”

Shaking her head, she chuckled and said, “Because I’m a woman, and I know how vile some of us can be. Jealousy does terrible things to people.”

Walking up to me, she kissed me on the cheek and then handed me a basket.

“What’s this?”

“A picnic basket.”

With a frown, I shook my head. “No, I know what it is, what’s it for?”

“It’s for you to take Ava lunch. With as much as you have been working the last few days around here, I’m sure she is going out of her mind in that tiny house all alone. I thought about inviting her up to the house tomorrow for lunch.”

With a smile, I said, “She would love that, I’m sure. She’s really getting around pretty good, I have to say.”

“So, with Thanksgiving next week, I dare say Ava will be joining us?”

Setting the basket down, I put all the grooming supplies back in the tack room. “If that’s okay with you?”

“Of course it is!” she exclaimed. “I really am found of her, Ryder. I see how happy you both make each other, but I must admit, I was worried.”

“Oh? Worried about what?”

“The two of you living together so quickly. Her being stuck in that small house twenty-four seven. According to your sister, it’s the most romantic thing she’s ever seen.”

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Jennifer would think that.” Reaching for the basket, we walked together out of the barn. “But you have nothing to worry about, Mom. Everything is going great with us.”

She remained silent as we walked out of the barn. “So tell me, Ryder. How are you going to feel when Ava has to go back to reality? When your two worlds are separated by the paths you have both taken?”

My chest felt tight as I stopped walking and faced her. “I guess we’ll deal with that when the time comes. For right now, we’re living in the moment and isn’t that what you’ve always said to do?”

With a smile, she nodded. “Throwing my words back in my face, are you?”

“I learned from the best,” I said with a wink.

She waved me off with her hands as she said, “Go bring that sweet girl some food and let her know I’d love for her to join me for lunch tomorrow.”

Reaching down, I kissed her cheek lightly. “I will.”

The short walk to the stone house had my stomach in knots. There was going to come a time when Ava and I would have to face reality. But for now, I was going to lose myself in the world we knew at the moment.

“I’M STUFFED,” AVA said as she leaned back and sighed. “I swear I think your mother is trying to put weight on me with the amount of food she keeps sending over.”

With a chuckle, I nodded. “She’s worried you’re bored.”

“Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? This morning I finished a design I had been working on and it was amazing to have full concentration on it.”

I gathered up the paper plates and brought them over to the trash. One thing my mother believed in was making things simple. Thank God for that.

“Have you sent it to Maurice?”

She gave me a wide smile. “Yep. And he loved it! I’m not sure if he’ll use it, but he had very good things to say about it!”

I couldn’t help but feel her excitement. “I’m glad he liked it.”

Standing, she nodded her head. “Me too. I hate to say it … but breaking my leg might have been the best thing to ever happen to me.”

I broke out into a full smile. “And why is that?”

She made her way over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Well, first off, I’m living in a terribly romantic stone house with the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Go on,” I prompted as my hand moved down to cup her sweet, tight ass.

“Second, sex with this handsome man is beyond amazing.”

With a wider grin, I winked. “He is rather good.”

Ava held her laughter back as she said, “Yes he is.”

I lifted my brow and asked, “And is there a third reason?”

Her eyes danced with passion as I pulled her closer to me. “I can’t explain it, but I feel like I’m at home here. Like something about this old house brings out something in me.”

I pulled my head back and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “Really?”

She nodded her head. “Let’s just say I’m thinking it’s really too soon for me to be traveling. It’s probably a good idea for me to stay at least until I get my cast off.”

I don’t think I’d ever felt so happy in my life. My hand laced though Ava’s hair as I pulled her lips to mine and kissed her. It didn’t take long for things to heat up and we soon were lost in each other.

As I held Ava in my arms after we made love, I couldn’t help but feel the same way she did. There was something about this old stone house. It was almost as if I could feel it in the very core of my body. The more time we spent together, the more I realized I wasn’t going to be able to live without Ava in my life.

RYDER HAD GOTTEN up early and headed out to do some work on the ranch, giving me a chance to finish up a design Maurice asked me to fix up. It was a new designer he had brought on full time in his store in Paris. I knew had I taken him up on his offer to work for him full time, my wedding gowns would be among top designers who graced the catwalks.

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and it had been almost a month since I had broken my leg and set up camp in the old stone house. This morning’s conversation with my mother didn’t go at all like I planned.

“Your father is ready to fly up there and drag you back to Texas.”

With a chuckle, I shook my head. “I know I’ve stayed longer than we planned, but it’s worked out really well. Ryder and I have gotten to know so much about each other. Plus I’ve gotten to know Lucy and Nate Sr. Not to mention Dani is teaching me how to knit.”

“Knit?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Mom. I’m making her a blanket for the baby.”

The silence over the phone was almost too much to bear. “I’m coming home soon.”

“When?”

“After Thanksgiving.”

My mother let out a frustrated sigh. “Ava! Thanksgiving is tomorrow and that is a very vague answer!”

Pressing my lips together, I held back my laughter. “Well, ya know it’s almost been a month; I could just stay here and go to the doctor for my six-week checkup.”

“Christmas. I demand you be back home by Christmas.”

My mouth dropped open. “You demand it? Mom, I’m a grown woman, you can’t demand anything of me. Besides, I like it here. I feel … at peace here. Although sometimes I swear this old house is haunted … it sometimes feels like I’m living in a romance novel.”

I could hear her taking in a calming breath. “I, for one, can certainly see the romantic side to all of this, Ava, but sometimes you have to go with reality over a romantic dream. I also understand I can’t demand you come home, but it’s hard for me knowing another family is taking care of my baby. It should be me taking care of you.”

And there lies the real problem.

“Mom, no one on this planet could ever replace you. It’s just a part of me is almost afraid to come home. I know it’s childish, but the moment I set foot on that plane, it’s reality and the fact that at some point in the future Ryder and I will be living thousands of miles apart from each other. Please just give me more time. I have the perfect excuse to be here right now. Let me explore this road.”

I could hear her sniffle and it broke my heart. “He’s going to steal you from me … I just know it.”

Quickly wiping a tear from my face, I tried to make my laugh sound sincere. “Nonsense! No one is stealing anyone.”

I was positive my mother didn’t believe that statement any more than I did.

Making my way into the kitchen, I leaned the crutches against the wall and took the boiling water off the stove. Pouring it over my tea bag, I let it seep while I peeked around the house.

“Today I shall explore every single corner of you,” I said as I smiled.

Yesterday I had tried to make it upstairs when Ryder came home and caught me half way up the stairs. I soon realized I had made a mistake when I got stuck half way up the steep narrow staircase. We both agreed if I wanted to explore, I should start downstairs.