Page 51 of Summer of Love (Costas Sisters 2)
He rose to his feet, trembling pig in hand, to find Sam and Zoe staring at him with wide, frightened eyes.
“Your stowaway, I presume?” He held Ima out for Sam.
She grabbed her pet, first wrapping her hand around and around the leash so the animal couldn’t run away again. “You saved her from becoming roadkill,” Sam said, obviously grateful he’d shown up when he had.
Zoe cleared her throat loudly.
“Thank you,” Sam added.
“You’re welcome.” He met her gaze, and for a brief moment, all her teenage anger and resentment disappeared.
Only gratitude and pleasure shone in her blue eyes, and Ryan warmed, happy to be the recipient of something other than her disgust.
“What happened?” Zoe asked.
Sam shrugged. “It was so fast, I’m not sure. I used the bathroom, and then I took Ima out so she could do the same thing. Somehow the leash slipped out of my hands, and she bolted. I was so scared when she started running for the highway.” She shivered. “I didn’t want some car makin’ bacon out of her.”
Ryan shook his head and tried not to laugh at her description. “You should have told me you wanted to bring her along. Then you wouldn’t have had to sneak her out for walks behind my back.”
“We were afraid you’d say no,” Sam said.
“We were afraid?” He glanced Zoe’s way.
She clasped her hands behind her back and began whistling, deliberately not meeting his gaze.
She definitely wasn’t innocent. “You didn’t have much faith in me, did you?” he asked her.
She looked away. “I guess not.”
The admission hit him in the gut and hurt more than it should have. He wasn’t sure what disappointed him more, her lack of trust or himself and what he’d done to bring it on.
In silence, the three of them walked back to the car. Before getting in he paused to brush the dirt off his arms and khaki slacks, figuring he resembled a major-league ball player after a long skid home.
Unable to help himself, he glanced up at the sky and laughed.
Since Ryan wouldn’t hear of Sam staying in a hotel and Sam wouldn’t remain at Ryan’s without Zoe, Zoe found herself unpacking clothing in one of the two extra rooms in Ryan’s townhome in downtown Boston.
The condo was an old brownstone duplex apartment that had been renovated inside with gorgeous crown moldings and auburn-colored wood floors. Although the apartment had obviously been decorated by a professional, Zoe couldn’t fault Ryan for going to excesses. Every piece in the apartment served a purpose or looked as if it belonged.
For warmth and personal touches, on the shelves she’d passed in the living room he’d placed photographs—Ryan and a couple that had to be his parents, Ryan and his uncle, whom Zoe hoped to avoid on this trip because he made her uncomfortable, and a photo of his sister, Faith, at Sam’s age. Forever young because of her untimely death.
Zoe liked Ryan’s home, and the fact that it lacked the uptight, artificial feeling she’d feared she’d find here, gave her hope. Hope that Ryan had more of the man she liked inside him.
It had been a day of contrasts, she thought. Her mind strayed back to the incident at the rest stop with the pig. He’d thought nothing of his own safety or his good clothing, as he’d dived into the dirt to save Ima because he knew how much the animal meant to Sam. And because he knew his life wouldn’t be worth squat if Sam lost her pet.
His expression when he’d handed the pig back to Sam had been priceless, a man so proud of his accomplishment—until he’d realized even Zoe hadn’t trusted him enough to ask permission to take Ima along. The hurt and desolation in his gaze stayed with her even now.
But then there was the moment at the car when he’d brushed off his filthy pants and arms. He’d been dirty, disheveled and sexy. A man comfortable in his own skin. And when he’d laughed—oh, when he’d looked up and flashed those dimples—Zoe could have sworn the sun shone more brightly in the sky. She’d felt the heat and happiness and wished it could always be that way between them.
“I’m unpacked!” Sam bounced into the room and onto the bed.
“Someone’s in a good mood.”
“Yeah well, you-know-who said Ima could stay with me in my room.”
“No kidding? Well make sure you keep her in her crate, so she doesn’t mess the floors,” Zoe warned.
“Yeah, yeah. So how long do we have to stay here before we can go back home?” Sam asked.
Zoe shivered, not wanting to admit to Sam that for all they knew, this would be her home.
Chapter Nine
To Zoe’s surprise, they spent the next few days having a lot of fun. Ryan took them to Faneuil Hall, on the Duck Tour, and they hit many historical landmarks. They had dinner at Legal Seafoods one night and at Union Oyster Bar the next, and Davio’s, an Italian restaurant in the North End on the third evening.
