Page 31 of A Lot Like Love
Chapter 7
Ryder waited outside the restroom for Chloe, pulling out his iPhone and scrolling through his emails. His phone vibrated and Chase’s name came up on the screen. He was going to send him to voice mail but changed his mind before he pushed the button.
“Hey,” he said, leaning back against the wall and scanning the crowd.
“You landed?”
“Yeah, just arrived. We’re still at the airport.”
Ryder frowned, waiting for Chase to get to the point of his phone call. They only usually dialed when they needed something, and either of his brothers calling him when they thought he was away on a dirty vacation was even more unusual. They didn’t exactly call one another to chat for the hell of it.
“I just got back from the feedstore and old Paddy there had a tale and a half to tell me.”
Ryder swallowed, pulse starting to race. Chase sounded too calm to know, but…
“What’d that old woman have to say?”
Paddy was more of a gossip than half the ladies in town, and he talked every rancher’s ear off when they called in for their feed orders. If anyone was going to tell Chase or Nate, it’d be him.
“He had some bullshit story about you gambling up big-time and that schmuck Parker winning the deeds to our ranch.” Chase laughed. “I told him to keep his mouth shut and stop spreading stupid rumors. Can you believe it?”
Ryder cleared his throat. “Parker’s always been a big talker. Full of shit.” He kept his voice level, blatantly lying to his brother and hating himself for doing it. He might have caused his big brothers some gray hairs in his time, but it was never for lying. “Don’t tell me you believed him?”
Chase made a snorting noise down the line. “Believed him? Not a chance. Just thought I’d let you know what was being said. Our family’s pissed Parker off for years, so it’s not exactly news that he hates us.”
“Thanks.” Ryder waved Chloe over when she appeared. Her mouth hovered into a frown and he realized she be mimicking the look on his face. “Anything else?”
“Nope, just filling you in,” Chase said. “Nate would have flipped if he’d heard, but if I see Parker I’ll teach him a lesson for you, okay?”
Ryder’s heart started pounding again. He’d pressed his balled fist into the wall, ready to slam the hell out of it. “Don’t bother. I’d rather do it myself, let him tell me to my face.”
“Whatever,” Chase replied. “Now go have some fun. I wanna hear all the details when you get back.”
Ryder hung up and turned all his attention to Chloe. She looked worried.
“Problem?”
He unclenched his fist and bent to pick up their bags, shoving his phone into his pocket. “Yeah. But there’s nothing I can do about it so let’s leave it.”
Chloe didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push the point. “Okay, how about we go find a cab. Unless you have a car waiting for us?”
“Sure do.”
He laughed as she made a face. “You do realize I’m not your real girlfriend, right? That means you don’t have to try to impress me all the time.”
“Darlin’, this isn’t me trying to impress you,” he told her, nodding toward the exit. “I just don’t like waiting for cabs.”
“Did you live like this when you were riding your way around Texas on your own?”
“No.” He glanced at her as they walked. “I slept rough until I won my first belt, which didn’t take long, then I just rolled with the punches. Hung out with the other riders. But falling back into this lifestyle hasn’t exactly been difficult.”
He clenched his jaw at the thought of losing it all for real. He might have wanted to do his own thing for a while, but it wasn’t because he didn’t appreciate being a King, he’d just wanted to make a name for himself. Now he’d gone and screwed up everything he’d worked so damn hard to prove.
Chloe rolled her eyes and pulled her case behind her. “You’re worried they’re going to find out, aren’t you? Before we win it back?”
“Chase has already heard something,” he told her, waiting for her to walk through the doors and waving to a driver holding a sign withKingdisplayed on it. “Even if I stop them from finding out before you win it back, they’ll find out one day. It’s like trying to stop a train from crashing, and knowing it’ll derail on its own anyway.”
Chloe’s gaze was sympathetic, her brown eyes warm when they fixed on him. She touched his arm as they walked.
