Page 24 of The Moment He Saw Her

“Yeah,” he answered his phone on the second ring.

“They left town, Ryder. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, all good, Uncle Asher. No damage done.”

“You should have phoned me or your brother before you took them on, Ry, I know you probably dealt with them easily because I’ve seen you in action, but still, I would have rather been there at least for backup.”

“I promise to do that next time. I guess the anger got the better of me seeing them about to break into Bob’s shop.”

“Strange that, Ryder, seeing as you’re the Duke who doesn’t let his anger out often. You got nothing else riding you?” his uncle asked.

“You know the history we have with Grill and how he’s always threatening someone in the family,” Ryder said. No way was he mentioning Libby.

“I do, and because of it, I thought I told you to make sure you never deal with any of those idiots alone.”

“Okay, lecture over, and I promise I won’t again.”

“I have another question for you now because your brother’s been gnawing on something.”

“You know Dan, there’s always something on his mind.”

“True that. Do you know where Libby Gulliver is staying tonight? Dan was worried about her after he saw her when he was picking up my waffles for dinner. He questioned her about where she was sleeping, and she said she had it covered. He wasn’t so sure.”

Fuck!

“I don’t like to think she’s out there somewhere sleeping rough. I called everyone I could think of, but?—”

“Okay, if I tell you she’s here, will you swear not to tell anyone else, and by anyone, I mean my family and everyone in this town,” Ryder said.

His uncle’s chuckle was low. “Night, Nephew, you sleep well now, and your secret is safe with me.”

Ryder exhaled and then sat back to continue eating his meal. His uncle was possibly the only member of his family who would keep a secret like Libby staying at his house, but even then, he couldn’t be 100 percent sure.

What fool does something like sleep in their car in the middle of winter?A desperate one, he answered himself. Ryder remembered a few times in his life he’d been desperate, but he’d never been desperate and alone, which Libby Gulliver clearly was.

She’d come out of that car ready for an argument, so he’d dragged her to his and left her there while he collected her things and called Dan about the Bandits. He’d also taken a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

What the hell was that woman’s story, and why did he want so badly to know it?

He hadn’t been lying when he’d said she wasn’t his type. High-maintenance women never had been, but he’d felt something deep in his chest when he’d seen those red-rimmed eyes after he’d pulled Libby out of her car.

She clearly had pride, which he understood, but not when it could be dangerous. Ryder heard the shower start and thought that at least now she was showing some sense. Or would she later slip out of the house when he was asleep? He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

His eyes moved around the living room. Like the cafe, this was his place, and he loved it. He’d bought it on a whim because it was close to work and gave him space. His family thought it a good investment, but the first night he slept here he realized that this was just another something that had been missing inside him.

Ryder was cautious, and he’d not left home until now. He’d heard his mom talking years ago about it to his uncle, saying that out of all of them, it was Ryder who had the deepest scars after their father died.

More fears if he was honest. Fear that someone else would be taken from him and his life would be plunged into hell again. He was an adult now and had worked through stuff, but that small boy was still inside him.

When his uncle had told him about the old Hamilton place, as everyone in town called it and would for at least another decade, he’d gone for a look and bought it that day.

It had suited him to have his mother fuss over him and make his meals because let’s face it, why would you leave that? But it was time for him to be independent. So he’d finally moved out of the family home.

There was plenty of renovating to do. Ryder wanted to open this area up so the living, dining, and kitchen were all one big space, and he would get to that with help from his brothers—two of whom owned a timber yard and were good with their hands.

He’d worked on their properties and knew that when he asked, they’d do the same for him.

“Hey.”

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