Page 8 of The Moment He Saw Her

Libby Gulliver had secrets, which most people did. He had at least two that his family had never found out, and that was because he’d never spoken them out loud to anyone. But Ryder was sure she was running from something, and it wasn’t his problem to find out what. She was pretty much everything he stayed clear of when it came to women: all about appearance and thought life stopped outside big cities.

“I’ll take a coffee to finish my walk, thanks, Ryder,” LouJean said, bustling in at full speed, like she did most things.

“First batch is ready!” Meadow said, carrying a tray to the cabinets. The smell wafted to Ryder, and he realized he hadn’t eaten yet. Shooting Libby a look, he wondered when she’d had her last meal, and then he wondered why he cared.

“What are those?” LouJean asked, moving to inspect them.

“Scones with orange and date.”

“Scones, not muffins?” The woman didn’t look convinced about his baked goods.

“Don’t knock it until you try it,” Ryder said, putting the lid on her coffee.

“Well, all right, but I prefer the raspberry-chocolate muffins.”

“It’s not even opening time, LouJean, give me a break here. I haven’t got the cabinets loaded yet because our mayor made me dance on the icy street in frigid conditions,” Ryder said.

“You young’uns need more stamina,” LouJean said, taking the bag Meadow handed her. “I’ll try this and let you know what I think.”

“As you can imagine, your opinion means everything to me, LouJean,” Ryder said solemnly.

She moved to where he stood and then leaned over the counter to pat his cheek. “You’ve got a smart mouth, young man.”

He gave her a kiss on one ice-cold, paper-thin cheek.

LouJean left clutching a coffee in one hand and the bag holding a scone in the other.

Ryder’s eyes went back to Libby, who was now pacing between tables. Head lowered, she was speaking quietly into the phone again, and then suddenly she stopped, stabbed a finger at the keypad, and shoved it back into her pocket. She shot him a look, and he saw the tears. Libby then blinked, and they were gone.

Chapter3

Libby couldn’t believe she’d just danced in the street, and that was after her car had broken down and she’d ended up in the Swing Through Cafe. Today had started out bad and gone downhill from there.

“Do you want another coffee?” Ryder Duke asked her when she reached the counter.

“Yes, please.” Libby was sure that today she’d never have enough coffee… or warm up completely.

She’d given her youngest sister the number for the phone she’d purchased the day Libby had walked out on her wedding to stop her family from worrying. Of course, after her actions, they’d be doing that, but at least they’d know she was safe.

Savannah had made it clear their father was not impressed with what she’d done and the humiliation she’d brought down on the Gulliver family with her actions. He wanted her to come home, but she wasn’t ready to do that yet.

“Okay there, Libby?”

“Yes.” She inhaled slowly, counting to four, and then exhaled, doing the same.

“You sure about that?”

She nodded and then made herself smile, knowing it looked as fake as it felt.

Ryder Duke was one of those men that were effortlessly good-looking. High chiseled cheekbones, dark brows and lashes, and deep brown eyes. It was a face women would take a second look at, if they hadn’t just ruined their life beyond repair.

His ball cap was black with a logo, and he had light brown hair that was a little long and curled up over the edges at the back. He wore a gray sweatshirt and faded jeans, and over the top he’d tied a striped navy-and-white apron around his waist. Her sisters would think he was handsome. Libby had no time for that; she was in survival mode.

“So, you want to work here?”

When he’d walked up to her car window, Libby had been terrified, which had pretty much been her mood since she’d left, or more accurately, run away. She’d withdrawn cash that day, but it was almost gone, and when she’d tried to withdraw more, her card was declined. Her father had to have done that to get her home. What Libby hadn’t realized was that he could.Which should tell you how spoiled and coddled you’ve been your entire life!

“If you have a vacancy, I would… please,” she tagged on.

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