I don’t think so,” she said. “I liked Houston, but I’m a small-town girl at heart. After so much upheaval in my life lately, I’m looking forward to a stable, comfortable routine.”
“If you say so. I could do with a bit more excitement, myself.”
“I guess the new highway is going to bring a bit of excitement to town,” she said.
“It already has, what with folks taking sides over whether or not this project is a good thing for Cedar Grove.”
“And what do you think?” Christa asked.
“My view is, it’s already a done deal, so we might as well make the best of it.” He gave her the forms to complete to open a checking account and she was busy writing when Paul looked over her shoulder and said. “Hey, Ryder. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
She turned to see a good-looking, tall man striding across the bank. Dressed in pressed khakis and a sport coat, he stood out among the jeans and snap button shirts of most of the men. When he smiled, dimples formed on either side of his mouth. His sandy brown hair dipped low across his forehead, above a pair of deep blue eyes.
“Christa Montgomery, I’d like you to meet Ryder Oakes. Ryder’s staying in town for the summer, too.”
Christa rose and took Ryder’s offered hand. “Hello, Mr. Oakes.”
“Please, call me Ryder. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His voice was soft and deep. A caressing kind of voice.
Where had that thought come from? She wasn’t the type of woman who was easily bowled over by a handsome man—but she had to admit Ryder Oakes made her heart flutter a little. The thought almost made her laugh. Talk about bad timing. She needed to focus on finding a new job and getting her life back on track—the last thing she needed was the distraction of a romantic relationship.
“What brings you to town, Ryder?” she asked, determined to regain her composure.
“Work. My job takes me all over.”
“Ryder’s an engineer,” Paul offered. “He’s a University of Texas alum, like you.”
Too bad she’d never run into him on campus. He looked a few years older than her, tiny lines fanning out from the corners of those gorgeous eyes. She searched for some remark to keep the conversation going. “Traveling all the time must get old.”
“I grew up in a military family. My dad was in the army, so I’m used to moving a lot.”
“Christa’s family owns the Rocking M, just south of town.” Paul apparently felt his role was to fill in details, like a teacher coaxing two reluctant children together.
Or a matchmaker. She bit back a groan.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Ryder said.
So he knew the ranch. That wasn’t so unusual. If he’d spent much time around Cedar Grove at all, he was bound to have driven by her parents’ place. “We think so.”
“I’m sure Bud and Adele are happy to have you home.”
His use of her parents’ first names surprised her. “How long have you been in Cedar Grove?” she asked.
“Not quite a month. I’ve really been trying to get to know people though.”
He’d covered a lot of ground in that month—odd for someone who was only going to be here temporarily.
“Christa could introduce you to a lot of people,” Paul said. “She was Miss Cedar Grove her senior year of high school. And growing up here, she knows pretty much everybody.”
Paul was definitely matchmaking—as if a man like Ryder would be impressed with her brief stint as the local beauty queen. “You know more people than I do now,” she said. “After all, I’ve been in Houston the past few years.” She handed him her stack of papers. “I think that’s everything.”
Paul looked at the papers in his hands, as if he’d forgotten why they were all gathered around his desk. But he recovered quickly. “Great. Let me get you an account number and you’ll be all set. We can transfer funds from your account in Houston and you’ll have access right away.”
“Are you moving back to town from Houston?” Ryder asked.
“Just staying here for a little while, visiting my parents.” She wasn’t about to explain her job and money woes to this handsome stranger. She might not be interested in dating Ryder, but she didn’t want to come off like a loser in front of him, either.
Thankfully, he didn’t ask for more details. His phone buzzed and he slipped it from his pocket. “I’d better get this. It was nice meeting you, Christa. I hope I’ll see you again.”
These last words sent another shiver of awareness through her. Oh, Ryder Oakes was something all right. Too bad it was impossible for her to get involved with anyone right now.
CHAPTER TWO
THE CALLER ID on Ryder’s cell indicated that the call was from his mother. His mother who, as far as he could remember, had never called him in the middle of a work day. “Mom! Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine. Why would you think something is wrong?”
“You never call me during the day.”
“I’m on my lunch break and I wanted to catch you while you were still in cell range. I know how it is on some of those ranches—no cell tower for miles.”
“Okay.” He relaxed a little. “So what’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking—instead of you coming for dinner on Saturday, I’d like to come there and see you. We can go to lunch somewhere.”
“Sure. If that’s what you’d prefer.” His mother lived in Dallas and since Ryder had relocated to Cedar Grove, she’d made it a point to have him over for a meal at least once a week. He hadn’t spent so much time with a parent since he’d graduated high school, but he had to admit, it was nice having Mom close.
“I want to see where you live,” she said.
“It’s nothing fancy—just a furnished rental.” He didn’t need more, since his stay here wasn’t going to be permanent.
“Humor me. Now give me your address.”
He rattled off the details and the main cross streets. “My new car has GPS,” she said. “I’m sure I can find it. I’ll see you about noon Saturday, then.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
He pocketed the phone and added “Clean apartment” to his mental to-do list. He wondered if his mom wanted to see him so much because she was lonely. After all, she’d married Ryder’s dad right out of high school. To be on her own at this point in her life had to be tough. Of course, she’d been the one to ask for a divorce—something that still shocked Ryder. He’d thought his parents were happy in their marriage, or as happy as any
