Page 54 of The Moment He Saw Her

“There, see? People who feel nothing for each other can kiss and it’s no big deal,” he said, his voice gruff as he dropped her back in her seat. “Besides, everyone in town thinks we’re together anyway. We’re not and never will be, and we both know that. So, for the love of God, stop walking from one bad situation into another, and I won’t have to rescue you again,” he snapped.

She wanted to touch her lips to see if they were swollen. Why did his dismissal of that kiss hurt so much when she was still reeling from it?

“I usually make good decisions,” she felt the need to say as the car started moving again. Anything to fill the strained silence that now lay between them. “Excellent ones that have been thought through and executed well,” Libby said. “I’m the one in my family that people come to when they need financial help and have to make plans.”

“Perhaps you need to go back to being the clear-thinking Gulliver, then,” he said and then sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that—kissed you. You didn’t deserve it, but I was angry, and that doesn’t happen often to me.”

Libby sighed, too, all fight sliding out of her. “Life was so simple once.”

“You sound like my niece,” he said, shooting her a look. “Life is rarely simple, even for those who choose a simple life. You still have to make daily decisions, Libby. Take Meadow. She made her choice to live a sustainable life and pursue her hippy values, but to keep to those, she has to live in a world where those around her don’t. Daily, she is faced with people who she says are?—”

“Poisoning themselves,” Libby added. She’d had the discussion with Meadow often in the few days she’d worked with her.

“Exactly. But my point is, no one has an easy ride.”

She knew he was right and also knew she was feeling sorry for herself. Libby had made this choice and had to face the consequences of her actions. Then she would need to go home and face her family… one day.

“Are those the Rollaway’s books?” He nodded to the bag at her feet.

“Yes. Delores asked me to take a look, which was odd because she has no idea if I’m a good accountant.”

“As opposed to a bad one?”

She nodded.

“Dee’s a pretty good judge of character.”

“She said seeing as I was your friend, which I’m not, she can trust me.”

“Ouch,” he said with zero sincerity. “You don’t want to be my friend, Libby?”

“My point, Ryder, is that this town is too trusting.”

“You get hurt sometimes, but mostly you don’t,” he said with a shrug.

“You people are unlike any I’ve met before,” she muttered.

“And that’s a good thing,” he added.

“I’m not sure yet,” she said. Her eyes went to his mouth. She could still feel the imprint of it on hers.

Libby watched him roll down the window as they approached a man sprinting along the road who she recognized as Beau Keller who the Duke’s were feuding with. She saw another one further along, and yet another in the distance.

“Practice all you want, but you’re not beating us, Keller.”

“Fuck you, Duke,” Beau Keller said. He then looked around Ryder to her. “Oh, hey, Libby. Real good to see you again.”

“Shit weasel.” Ryder made a growling sound low in his throat.

“Ass face,” Beau responded.

Ryder then drove on. He lowered the window when he came to each runner and hurled out some abuse, which they hurled back.

“Meadow said you and the Kellers don’t like each other.”

“She’d be right,” he said, and she had a feeling that was the last thing he’d say on that topic, which was fine with her because she had a whole host of things she never wanted to talk about, and now that kiss was on that list.

Chapter16

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