Page 113 of The Moment He Saw Her

“Since when has someone telling you not to do something ever stopped you?”

“I’m trying to be a better person. But,” he raised a hand as Ryder opened his mouth. “I told Zoe and JD to watch her and make sure no one hurts or yells at her. JD said he’d be happy to punch anyone—male only—if they stepped out of line and disrespected Libby.

“Like hell is anyone doing that,” Ryder snarled.

“So, you’re ready to talk to her and work through your shit? Because that girl is yours, bro, we both know it.”

“Yes,” Ryder said. He saw her then, walking between Zoe and JD. She looked small and tired.Mine,he thought.

“Five minutes!” Red called out.

Ryder vaulted the fencing and ran to her. JD tugged Zoe away, and then he was alone with Libby.

“You okay?”

“I need to apologize to you, Ryder,” she said quickly. “I should have told you who I was, and it was wrong of me not too. I liked no one knowing my name here and?—”

“Take a breath, Libby,” he said as her words came out one on top of the other. “Yes, you should have told me, but I shouldn’t have said what I did yesterday either. I was hurt and lashed out, so I owe you an apology too. The problem is I’ve never felt about anyone like I do you, and that made me a little crazy.”

“You make me a little crazy too,” she whispered. “And I really am sorry about evading the truth.”

“We call it lying here,” he said, smiling for the first time that day. He ran a finger down her cold cheek, needing to touch her. “How did it go with your ex and his mother?”

“Ryder!”

“Shit. I need to go, Libby, Red is calling me.” He had a sudden thought. “You’re not leaving, are you? You didn’t come here to say goodbye to me?”

“No. Go and win your curling, Ryder, but first, who won the relay?”

“Zoe tripped me, which means your team won,” Ryder said. “And I’ll make her pay for that when she’s not expecting it.”

“Yes!” She punched the air. “Do I get a medal?”

“It’s more about competing, but I think there may be certificates,” Ryder said, smiling at her enthusiasm. His girl had changed so much from the first day he’d met her.

His girl.

“I’ll be here when you’re done, Ryder.” She stood on her toes and kissed him. “Nice hat,” she added, tugging it down over his ears. “Now go and win and we’ll talk about everything later ok.”

He pulled her in briefly, kissing her thoroughly, which had several people wolf whistling around them. Ryder then vaulted back over the fence and went to his team.

Libby would be here when he was done. His smile grew.

“A smile, hallelujah,” Red said when Ryder reached him. “Now let’s win this!”

The play was intense, with the Lyntacky Legends playing the Brownlee Badgers.

Ryder was lead, with Phoebe second, and then Tripp and lastly Red.

“Give me anL!” Ally shrieked from behind them. She then chanted her way throughLegendswhile everyone around her who was supporting the Lyntacky team joined in.

Libby was still there because he’d checked as each end was completed. He’d tried to block her out and was doing okay so far—mainly because Red kept hissing in his ear the word “focus.” Coming into the final end, the score was four to three in favor of the Legends. They needed to win this end to secure the match.

He placed his stone well, shouting orders to Phoebe and Red to sweep where he wanted them to. It took Red blasting two stones out of the way for them to be declared the winners. After the excitement had died down, he looked around for Libby. She wasn’t anywhere he could see.

Moving to where Brody, Dan, and Sawyer stood talking, he asked, “Where is Libby?”

His brothers looked at him and then around them.

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