Let's Make a Baby! by Jacqueline Diamond

Author:Jacqueline Diamond [Diamond, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romantic comedy, steamy romance, secret baby, heartwarming romance, pregnant heroine, surprise baby, amnesia romance, virgin romance
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Ryder should have worn sunscreen. As his watch edged past noon, he could feel the back of his neck frying, and his arms were turning suspiciously pink. He’d figured that having a modest tan would protect him. He’d forgotten how much sand and water intensified the effects of the sun’s rays.

An hour of distributing flyers and chatting with people might have toasted his skin, but it hadn’t netted much information. Not many girls had Ginger’s distinctive coloring, and a few people thought they’d seen her, but none could pin down a location.

The weather was hot for April, he reflected grumpily. If only it were raining, Ginger would be easier to spot in the deserted beach area. She might even have returned home.

The canvas bag of flyers was nearly empty. By the edge of the sidewalk, Ryder paused to flex his back and gaze over the crowd of wall-to-wall beachgoers. A red-and-blue disk whirled past him. A girl caught it, giggled, and heaved it into the air, without appearing to know who had thrown it in the first place. Down by the surf line, a group of kids was building a sand castle. Despite the stubby walls and crumbling turrets, their construction clearly soared in their imaginations.

The scene oozed peacefulness and safety. A sense of community. To a pampered girl like Ginger, this must seem like one big playground. Ryder hoped she would have no reason to learn how dangerously deceptive beach life could be.

Among the throng, he spotted a couple sitting on a towel, gazing out to sea. One had a mane of rusty hair spilling over her T-shirt. Ginger? Right there in front of him?

He picked his way cautiously between discarded soda cans, umbrellas and sunbathers. He was drawing close when the redhead turned to frown at him. Beaked nose. Stubbly cheeks. Sideburns. A guy, and not a friendly one, either.

Ryder handed him a flyer and beat a hasty retreat. The scent of fish frying in a seafood outlet reminded him that it was lunchtime. He ought to check on Lisa. It also wouldn’t hurt to buy a bottle of sunscreen at the surf shop. Ryder could endure pain, but suffering unnecessarily wasn’t brave, it was stupid.

As he set out, his thoughts flew ahead to Lisa. Would she still be there? Had he been a fool to leave her alone with the run of his friend’s business? She wasn’t a thief, in his judgment, and he didn’t believe she was up to anything else underhanded, either. More and more, Ryder admitted, as he stepped aside to let a skateboarder pass, he was beginning to believe her claim of amnesia.

Everything she said and did fit the story. Maybe he simply wanted it to be true. To believe that for a little while she belonged exclusively to him. Even here at the beach, where young, scantily clad women abounded, no one attracted him like Lisa. It wasn’t only her striking appearance, but something deeper. Intelligence, humor, warmth...

Ryder gave himself a mental shake.

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