“Kids?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said.
“How many?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “The biological clock is ticking. I don’t think I’d mind adopting though.”
He winced. “You’re still in your prime.”
“You have something against adoption?”
He shook his head, his thick, dark hair moving in tantalizing ways around his face and neck. “No, I just hate seeing you think you’re too old to have your own if you want to. I think adoption is amazing.”
She smiled because she could see he was being genuine. For some reason, he didn’t seem like the type to lie. Maybe the type to put his foot in it by telling too much truth too fast, but not a snake like Scott.
Even if she did get the feeling Ryder was hiding something. Then again, they barely knew each other. It was natural to keep some things hidden.
At least that’s what she told herself.
“So your friends. Tell me about them,” he said.
“My friends?”
“Yeah, the girls you were with when I first met you. Seems like you’ve found something good there,” he said.
She warmed at the fact that he’d been paying attention. One of the things she’d always hated about Scott was how he didn’t seem to listen or notice little things that were important to her. “Well, I guess that’s one thing I should be grateful to Scott for. Without him, I wouldn’t have met Kylie or Leslie. They’ve made all the difference in my life.”
“I’d say that’s because you made all the difference in theirs, not because of any virtue of Scott’s.” He frowned, and she could swear the big man was pouting. The thought made her heart skip a beat. If he were just a one-night stand looking for a local girl to romance for a week, would he look that jealous whenever Scott’s name was brought up?
“Still, I never would have met them if I hadn’t gone to Leslie’s bar, trying to drown my sorrows. And Kylie has her own story.”
“They’re both locals?” Ryder asked, seeming genuinely interested in a way that made her warm inside.
“Yes,” she said. “And they’ve been a huge blessing. I wish they could come up here.”
“You could invite them,” he said. But he seemed to regret that the moment it was out of his mouth, and she was glad. Because as much as she loved seeing her friends, she couldn’t resist the thought of just a little more time with Ryder Hart. All to herself. She could castigate herself afterwards for being stupid about it.
For now, she wanted the fantasy.
And even if it went bad, wouldn’t she have the most amazing story to tell?
“Now, how about you?” she asked, turning the empty mug in her hands. “What are your hopes and dreams, Ryder Hart?”
When he grinned at her and started to speak, she found herself simultaneously second-guessing herself and falling in love with him.
Ryder Hart was indeed going to be trouble.
7
“I want to make a difference in the world,” he said, and Janna’s heart gave a nervous little double thump.
“Yes, I got that about you when you came up with the locals-only discount idea.”
He eyed her narrowly, as if trying to decide if she was making fun of him or not, and then relaxed. “I know it sounds odd. The consummate capitalist caring about something like that. But I want to leave a legacy.”
“What about children?” she asked, fingering the lip of her mug pensively.
“What about them?”
“Won’t that be your legacy?”
He bit his full lower lip and she crossed her legs to hide the effect it had on her. For some reason, he seemed nervous about the topic of children. “I do hope to have kids. But I also hope to leave a better world for them. And to change the lives of other kids.”
“I had heard Ryder Hart was big into philanthropy,” she said quietly, not knowing where to push forward or pull back with the big, quiet man. Sometimes, he could be so forceful and intimidating and other times, so thoughtful and drawn in on himself.
“I am. Because I’ve been given much, I too must give.”
“Well, given and earned.”
“Same thing,” he said. “There are people who work just as hard as I do and don’t make the same. That makes me feel responsible to even the stakes.”
“How?”
“Donations. Building shelters for the less fortunate. Sponsoring foreign aid programs. I could go on and on, but the list would bore you.”
“I thought you were just trying to impress me,” she said with a warm, knowing smile.
He grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Is it working?”