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It said plenty, Angela agreed silently as Mavis moved off to help a young mother with her baby. Watching Ryder now, Angela tried to compare the man she thought she knew with the one Mavis had just described. If he’d loved his wife Elinah so much that he continued with her contributions to the shelter as a tribute to her, could he really have cheated on her with Angela’s mother?
Now Angela had to wonder if she’d made a mistake in believing those rumors.
As if he could feel her gaze, Ryder suddenly looked up and across the room, straight into her eyes.
Angela felt a rush of something confusing swim through her bloodstream. Drawn to him, horrified by the rumors about him and her mother and touched by what Mavis had said about the man, she felt as if she had been blindfolded and spun in circles. She simply didn’t know what to think anymore.
As if hypnotized, Angela stood perfectly still and watched as he walked toward her, a tall man in a long-sleeved white shirt, black jeans and hard-worn, black boots. His dark blond hair was a little long and his dark blue eyes shone with purpose as he approached, and Angela thought she’d never seen a man walk with more confidence, more rugged masculinity oozing from every pore. And she had never in her life met a man who affected her as he did.
The question was, had her mother once felt the same?
“Angela,” he said when he stopped just inches from her, “I think we should talk about what happened.”
Would talking make it worse? She didn’t know. “Ryder—”
He held up one hand, but it wasn’t a command for quiet, more of a silent plea for her to listen. “I know why you slapped me that night.” His voice was low and soft, and he gave a quick look around to be sure they weren’t being overheard. Then he looked at her with such complete focus she felt as if he were staring directly into her soul. “Look, I heard the rumors you must have been reacting to. I couldn’t believe they were springing up again, like mushrooms after a hard rain.” He shook his head and muttered, “Probably because of the new TCC. People just naturally take sides in old rivalries.”
“That’s what this is? Rivalries?”
He looked at her. “Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that it’s just rumors. Angela, I’m asking you to let me tell you the truth.”
His eyes met hers and held her in thrall. That’s the only word that could explain why she felt as if she were caught in amber. Paralyzed. Unable to look away.
What she might have said, Angela wasn’t sure, but whatever it was died unuttered when the young couple who’d arrived a few hours ago with their two small children came rushing up. The man—Hank—grabbed Ryder’s arm.
“Our little girl’s missing. Our Junebug. She’s just...” He looked around, clearly frantic. “Gone.”
Hank’s wife, Rose, slapped one hand to her heart and kept a firm grip on her little boy with the other. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “She was there a second ago. I turned to talk to someone and when I looked back...”
Mavis was nearby and overheard. She hurried to join them, swept that scared little boy up into her arms and said, “Now, don’t you two worry. I’ll take care of him. You all go find little June. She’s probably scared and lost, poor thing. This old building is so big, even I get turned around from time to time.”
“She’s right.” Ryder took charge and Angela had to admire that. His voice was low and steady, and got through Hank’s panic and Rose’s fears. “Mavis will take care of your boy, and you don’t need to worry on that score. Hank, you and Rose take the upstairs. Angela and I will search down here.” He reached out and clapped one hand on Hank’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. She can’t have gone far. We’ll find her.”
“Okay.” Hank took a breath and seemed to gather himself, reaching for strength for his wife’s sake, if not his own. “That’s a good plan.” Hank grabbed Rose’s hand and the two of them headed for the stairs.
Ryder shot Angela a quick look and said, “All right, let’s go.” He crossed the floor with long, measured strides, headed for the main supply room, with Angela right behind him. “We’ll start here, then hit the kitchen and the service porch. You’ll have to look everywhere. A child that small can squeeze into unbelievably tiny spaces.”
