But then his next words threw freezing-cold water on her mellow mood.
“We’ve got to head back to Beaumont’s soon,” he said. “I have to hit the road early in the morning.”
And although she’d known he would be leaving, it was a reminder she could have done without.
After what they’d shared tonight, how could she bear to let Ryder go, knowing she might never see him again?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Cut them off,” Ryder said, his voice cold. “If they want tough we’ll give them tough. I’m not in the mood to play games.”
“You’re sure you want to do that? That’s a couple of million we stand to lose if we cancel the deal.” Phil Bennett, Ryder’s second-in-command, gave him a look tinged with doubt. “Maybe we should give them more time.”
Ryder flashed him a glare of impatience. “We had an agreement. We signed on the dotted line. I’m a man of my word and if I committed to taking the supplies from those dairy farmers I’ll honor my commitment. But I’m not going to sell their stock to a retail chain that suddenly decides they’re going to jack up prices because they can. We agreed on an intro price so consumers could try the new brand. If they’re going to back out of our agreement then forget them. I’ll sell my dairy products elsewhere.”
Phil tightened his lips. “It’s only like three cents, Ryder. Surely you can overlook that. The consumer won’t even feel it.” Then he shook his head. “I mean, come on. It’s not peanuts we’re talking about if we lose a couple mill.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m no fool. I’ve got alternative markets already lined up.”
Phil heaved a dramatic sigh. “Don’t scare me like that again.”
Ryder grinned. “You should know me by now, Phil. When have you known me to be rash? Now ruthless, I can do that when the situation calls for it, but rash? Never.”
Phil chuckled and began to get up to leave but then he paused. “By the way, there’s something I should tell you.” He cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed. “Something of a personal nature.”
Ryder frowned. “Yes? What is it?”
Phil sat forward in his chair as if he wanted to get close enough so he wouldn’t have to speak loudly. “It's Miss Ebbinghaus. She came by while you were away.”
Ryder’s frown deepened. “Karin? Did she say why?”
Phil shook his head. “No, but she said it was very important that you call her upon your return. She didn’t say anything else.” Phil cleared his throat again. “I don’t get it. Why didn’t she just call you? Is something wrong?”
The man was fishing now, prying into matters that were none of his business. He knew that Ryder and Karin were involved and his curiosity was getting the better of him. It didn’t matter that Ryder had known him almost twenty years, from the days when Phil used to work for his father. When it came to his personal life, that was where the conversation would end.
He jerked his head toward the door. “Thank you, Phil,” he said, his voice cold and his look just as frigid. “That will be all.”
Without demure the man got up and left the room. As he closed the door behind him Ryder expelled his breath and sat back in his chair.
So Karin had come looking for him. By now she should have heard through the grapevine that he was back in town. She would be back, he was sure of it. If there was one thing he knew about Karin Ebbinghaus it was that she didn’t stop until she got what she wanted.
But what the heck she could want from him when she was expecting another man’s child, he had no idea.
It was a question for which he had no desire to get an answer.
***
“Don’t you ever do that again, staying away so long. You leave town and you send me a postcard? Your own mother? What ever happened to a good old phone call?” Magdalena Kent gave Ryder a disapproving look and then she spoiled it when she opened her arms wide and gave her son a broad smile. “Come give your mama a hug, you wicked boy, you.”
Ryder was only too happy to oblige. He walked into his mother’s arms and when she gave him a fierce squeeze he groaned in exaggerated agony, hoping he would make her feel just a little bit guilty. He didn’t. She squeezed even harder and then she stepped back to peer up into his face. “You look well,” she said, looking satisfied, and then she cocked her head to one side. “Are you?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” He gave her a quick nod then stepped back before she could corral him and drag him off to some place where she could grill him properly. Mother Kent was famous for digging the deepest secrets out of her four sons and Ryder wasn’t up to the challenge. Not today. It was Sunday and all he wanted to do was relax and enjoy the quiet peace of Westside. It was one of the tiniest towns in Iowa and his parents had decided to leave the busy bustle of the city and retire there. They loved it, being in a town where everyone knew everyone else and it wasn’t hard in a population of just over five hundred.
Ryder glanced over his mother’s head and down the hallway. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s in the den, playing with our brand new grandbaby." Mother Kent was beaming as she said the words.
“Ridge and Lani are here already? I thought I beat them to it.” Ryder set off down the hallway. There was a new baby in the family, his nephew, and he was eager to meet him.
“No, they got here early,” Maggie said to his disappearing back. “A whole hour ago.”
“Cool,” he said over his shoulder, “I’m going to check out the baby.”
“Make sure you wash your hands first.”
Ryder stopped in his tracks then turned to head back to the powder room. On his way he gave an exaggerated sigh. “Mothers. They can be so-”
“What did you say, young man?” Maggie was heading toward him but he veered off just in time to escape into the bathroom.
“Nothing, Mom.”
He heard her chuckle outside the door. “I thought so.”
When Ryder got to the den it was to find Bill Kent sitting in the La-Z-Boy chair, gingerly holding his grandson on his lap. When he walked in his father looked up.
“He’s so tiny,” Bill said with such a look of stress on his face that Ryder almost burst out laughing. His dad was clearly way out of his depth.
He went up to him and bent over to peer down at the tiny bundle in his father’s arms. He gave a soft whistle. “He really is tiny. How do you take care of something so little?”