“I mean, really like her.”
He didnotwant to be having this conversation right now with his father and his stepmother but Ryan couldn’t figure out an easy way to extricate himself.
He certainly wasn’t about to tell them he was very much afraidlikewasn’t the right word. His feelings were beginning to run much deeper than that.
“What does it matter whether I... like her or not?” he said, his tone blunt. “It’s not as if I’m looking for a relationship with her.”
“Why not?”
He shifted his gaze to his father, who was watching their interchange with interest.
“You’re not getting any younger,” Doug went on. “Life is fleeting. Before you know it, you wake up and you’re my age.”
“You’re sixty-four years young, my dear,” Diane told him.
“Yes. And I spent too many of those years focusing on the wrong things. You’re mortal, like the rest of us, son. I would think your recent hard landing would remind you of that. Maybe it’s time you start thinking about what you want to do with your life when you can’t fly helos in the military anymore.”
He frowned, that resentment swelling again. “You really think I would be happy settling down in a small town in Idaho, going to school board meetings, barbecuing on the weekend, shoveling my neighbors’ walks?”
“I never thought I would be. But here I am.”
Okay, the picture he painted for his father actually did sound appealing. But that wasn’t the life he had created. That his father so readily agreed was only further proof that Doug obviously knew nothing about him or what he wanted.
“My life is fine the way it is,” he said, his voice terse. “Exactly how I want it.”
Doug studied him for a long moment and looked as if he wanted to say more. To his relief, Diane stepped in and smoothly changed the subject.
A short time later, Ryan rose. “Thank you for lunch. The soup was tasty. But I should probably grab what I came for andtake off soon, as I have a few other errands before Audrey is home from school.”
His father rose as well. “Come back and take a look in my closet.”
Wishing again that he had come up with a better option, he followed his father to the large bedroom with big windows overlooking the lake and the mountains.
He followed Doug into the walk-in closet. As he might have expected, it was neatly organized, with items hanging by type and color on what was clearly the colonel’s side. The other side was a little more messy, full of the floral prints and bright colors Diane obviously favored.
“I have three suits, charcoal, navy and black. What’s your pleasure?”
He studied the options his father presented him. “Why do you have three suits?”
“I wore one of them when I married your stepmother. Diane helped me buy the other two. She likes me to dress up when we go to church or to the opera in Boise. I also have a couple of sport jackets that might work.”
“I’m leaning toward the charcoal suit or one of the sport jackets.”
“Why don’t you try them on and see which one fits better?”
The last thing he wanted to do was to have a fashion show with his father.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take the suit and a few of the jackets and decide tomorrow.”
“You can take all of them, if you want. I won’t be going anywhere where I need a suit until Diane is feeling better.”
“Right.”
“What about everything else? Shoes, ties?”
He found the colonel’s eagerness to help more than a little disconcerting.
“Not necessary. I bought a shirt, shoes and a couple of ties the other day. I figured I could always use those once I’m back in San Diego. I would have bought a new suit as well but I wasn’t sure if I had time for it to be altered. Anyway, it didn’t really make sense since I have a perfectly good suit hanging in my closet in San Diego, plus my dress uniforms.”
