Page 92 of The Moment He Saw Her

Goodbye, Libby, I won’t be seeing you again.Ryder had said those words to her, and she’d never forget the look in his eyes when he’d spoken them. Betrayed, hurt. It had all been there even as he’d defended her, but that was Ryder Duke. No matter what hell raged inside his head, he would always remain true to the man his upbringing had made him.

“I don’t know what this is all about, Elizabeth?—”

She turned from where she was, storming up the street with her father and brother on her heels, to look at them. “I like the name Libby. Elizabeth is my grandmother. The rest of my family can call me that, but not you, Father?”

“Libby, don’t speak to him like that,” Samuel said, catching up to her. “Show some respect.”

“Respect?” she scoffed. “Perhaps you should have both shown me some of that instead of worrying about the family reputation. Do you think I did what I did because I wanted to, Samuel? That I destroyed all my hopes and dreams I’d been building toward for fun?” She was yelling now, and the shock on her brother’s face was real. Libby was usually a good girl and never raised her voice.

“What has gotten into you? Get in the car.” He tried to grab her arm again, but she pulled away and saw the black Escalade crawling along behind them, looking conspicuous on the main street of Lyntacky.

“How did you find me?” Libby asked.

“You used your card in the next town, so we started there,” Samuel said.

“Well, you’ve wasted your time. Go home, both of you,” she added and carried on walking.

Ryder never wanted to see her again, and that hurt so much, she wanted to bend at the waist and give in to the pain.

“Libby, wait.”

“I’m not going with you, Samuel, so go home if you don’t want to listen to what I have to say.” She continued walking, feeling a little freer inside for standing up for herself like she should have done years ago.

“We never have to worry about Elizabeth because she’ll always do the right thing,” she’d heard her parents say many times. And she had, because she’d wanted to be the good girl, and where had that got her?

This is what happens when you don’t speak up when you need to. You’re never heard.

She had no right to her anger; Libby knew that. She’d been raised with everything, and this, what was happening now, was her fault alone.

Running across the street, she stopped in the middle when she saw Bart and LouJean with a spray can. There were signs everywhere about what would take place tomorrow. The town of Lyntacky had been building toward this day since she’d arrived. The Lynpicks were something she’d wanted to watch. Libby had wanted to support Ryder and his family, but he wouldn’t want that from her now.

He’d seen her secrets as a betrayal of trust after everything he’d done for her, after they’d shared what they had today in his office.

“Libby, be a dear and take that tape measure to June,” LouJean said. “Bart and I are marking out the relay transition distances.”

“I’m a little busy, LouJean,” Libby said, taking the tape anyway and walking to where June stood in fluffy boots and matching ear warmers. Her lime-green jacket had “Lyntacky For Life” on the back.

“Hello, I’m Bart.”

She turned to see her father and brother shake Bart’s hand in the middle of the street.

They’d followed her instead of leaving because Phillip Caldwell never took no for an answer when he wanted it to be yes.

“Phillip Caldwell,” her father said, his eyes going to Libby. “Libby’s father, and this is my son, Samuel.”

That was the first time he’d ever called her that, and all because she’d spoken out.

“Well now, that’s nice you’re visiting her. We’re just finishing the setup for the Lynpicks,” Bart said. “I hope you’re sticking around?”

“What is a Lynpicks?” Samuel asked.

“Are you all right, Libby?” June patted her cheek with an ice-cold hand as Bart launched into a detailed explanation of what would take place tomorrow.

“Yes,” she said. “Not really, but I need to go now, June.”

“You look a little panicky, dear. What can I do to help you through that?”

Libby had cried more since her car limped into Lyntacky than she had in a lifetime. She fought the need to rest her head on one of June’s shoulders.

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