Page 106 of The Moment He Saw Her

“What the hell happened to you?” The man had bloodshot eyes and wore a thick red knitted beanie that Ryder was sure belonged to Red. His suit was gone, and he wore jeans that hung off him and a charcoal knitted sweater. In fact, the only article of clothing that looked like it may belong to him was his leather lace-up shoes.

“Cider,” Samuel Caldwell said with a shudder. “I have no memory between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.”

“How’s the head?”

“Dee gave me something to ease it, but in all honesty, it didn’t work.”

“Dee? You stayed at the Hecklers?” Ryder asked, eyeing the man that looked a long way from the polished one he’d met yesterday.

“I don’t remember getting there, but their eldest, Jade, said Red carried me in. I woke in a bed shaped like a car.”

“Had to be an eye-opener,” he said, throwing the man a bone when what he wanted to say was “You’re a shit brother, and why did you not look out for your sister better?”

“Hey, man,” Dan said. He’d been flirting with SJ while Ryder talked to Samuel Caldwell. “Those eyes any better from your side? They look like you’re bleeding to death for us.”

“Not much. Do you know where my sister is?”

“She’s at Nina’s,” Dan said before Ryder could say no.

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“Zoe texted me and said it’s a need-to-know situation. Apparently you were on the do-not-need-to-know list.”

“I’m your brother!” Ryder winced at his own roar, as did Samuel. “You didn’t think I needed to know where the woman I care about is?”

“You were all woe is me. Chances are you would have stormed around to Nina’s when you’d had too many whiskeys and confronted Libby. You know how you lose your good-guy halo when you’re drinking.”

Ryder wondered if he could punch his brother and get away with it with so many people around them.

“Excuse me, but why are you confronting or, for that matter, caring about my sister?”

Ryder spun back to face Samuel Caldwell, and unfortunately for him, he was angry.

“Right. So now you want to be an older brother, when before you didn’t give a goddamn fuck that her ex–shit weasel didn’t want to have her in his wedding pictures because of her scar!”

“Ah—”

“And where were you when she wanted to be a chocolatier but your asshat father said she had to become an accountant?” Ryder said.

“Let him answer before you go on, Ry,” Dan said.

But Ryder had a red film over his eyes now. “She’s your sister. You should love and protect her. Being a big brother is your first job before any others!”

“You can’t buy that kind of loyalty, Nancy,” Linda said from behind him. “Dukes, I wish I’d been born into that family.”

“I know I failed Libby,” Samuel said stiffly. “But our lives differed vastly from yours, Ryder. Red gave me a stern talking-to last night with Dee’s help about blood first. No one has spoken to me like that before, which is why I want to see my sister.”

The anger went as fast as it came. “Good,” Ryder muttered.

“Not everyone lives their life like you all do here in Lyntacky,” Samuel added. “It’s like this microclimate of….” He struggled to find the right words.

“Crazy?” Dan supplied.

“Amen,” Ryder muttered. He needed to find Libby and talk to her before she left town.

“And I’ve not even been here a full day,” Samuel added.

“It grows on you. Where is your father?” Ryder asked.

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