ll too well. Her inspection continued upward, his neck, his angled jaw. Full lips. Long, dark, lashes. Dirty-blond hair, cropped short. Chiseled bone structure and piercing pale blue eyes...that were looking at her right now. Her cheeks grew hot.
“Winnie’s always been a...charmer,” he said with a shake of his head.
“I wish I had done something. Then I could try to make amends.” It was true. She didn’t have many memories of Winnie that weren’t “charming” in some way or the other. “How do people get that way?”
“What way?” He pulled the truck onto Main Street, waving a greeting as they passed two locals sitting on a bench in front of the old courthouse.
“Twisted inside.” She glanced at him. “Mean. She is. She’s just...mean.”
Ryder’s gaze settled on her before he started laughing again.
“What?” she asked. His laugh was contagious. “Why are you laughing?”
Ryder rolled to stop at the stop sign and looked at her. “Because she was, without throwing a punch, picking a fight. And all you do is say she’s mean?” He checked the street for traffic and headed to her house. “I can think of a long list of words to describe that woman. And mean is the mildest one of them.”
She was laughing now, too.
“You’re amazing, Annabeth,” he murmured, cutting off her laugh immediately.
She glanced at him, curious. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. It might sound stupid, but I’m proud of you.”
“You are?” she choked out.
“You didn’t take the bait, even when it was being shoved down your throat.” He glanced at her, looking a little uncomfortable. His next words were accompanied by a smile. “And... I like looking at you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t decide if you’re making fun of me or flattering me.”
“I was trying to give you a compliment.” He was smiling, but there was no trace of the usual teasing on his face.
“Well...thank you. I guess I could return the favor, but I’m sure you’ve had plenty of women go on about all of your praiseworthy assets. I wouldn’t want to inflate your already healthy ego.”
“All, huh?” He was grinning as he pulled his truck into her driveway next to Lady Blue.
“Exactly.” She was laughing as she pushed open the car door.
And that’s when the smell hit her. Nothing else smelled quite like it. Skunk.
“Don’t see anything on the road.” Ryder came around the front of the truck. “But it’s somewhere close.”
She nodded, her stomach instantly reacting to the fumes. “There goes my appetite.” She shoved the bag with their breakfast into his hands and covered her nose, running to the porch steps.
And there, curled in a ball, was Tom. He was shivering, his pathetic mews instantly plucking at her heartstrings.
“How did you get out?” she said to the terrified kitten, stooping down to scoop the little fur ball into her arms. But the smell was so strong her eyes began to sting. That’s when she noticed how matted and wet Tom’s fur was. “Oh, no...”
“Up to no good, Tom?” Ryder was behind her. “I’ll get him.”
“I won’t argue with you.” She took a step back, her stomach roiling, nostrils burning and eyes watering fiercely. “I’ve got some tomato juice. And some tomato sauce, too, I think.”
Ryder handed her back the bag containing their breakfast. “We’ll need it—don’t let him in the house. I’ll get my gloves.” Ryder made his way to his truck and popped open the lid of the large metal toolbox. “If you can squeeze by him, you might want to prep the bathroom.”
Considering their strange beginnings, giving a kitten a tomato bath on her wedding day didn’t seem all that out of place. She took a step toward the door and Tom leaped forward.
“Here’s the thing,” she said to the cat. “That mean old skunk is gone, so you’re safe now. But I can’t let you in the house smelling like that, Tom, sorry. The worst part’s over.”
Ryder returned, wearing a worn yellow raincoat and some well-used leather gloves. “He might disagree with you once the tomato juice bath starts.” Ryder picked up the kitten, wrinkling his nose. “Whew-y. We’ll wait here. You might want to change, too. Things are going to get loud and messy.”