Summer of Love - Carly Phillips Page 0,54

sorts and that included a stricter code of behavior. Especially if he was going to convince his parents to accept Sam, as they hadn’t accepted their own daughter.

Ryan had never faced a greater challenge. Except for keeping Zoe happy. He had no idea how he’d accomplish both goals.

“I’ll try to be more understanding,” he promised, not just for Sam’s sake, but for his and Zoe’s. The key to any kind of future with this woman lay in her believing in him.

She nodded. “That’s all I can ask for.”

Her hand still lay on top of his, and as gestures went, he knew it was a big one.

They waited five minutes more, but there was no sign of Sam. “Want to go in after her?” he asked.

“I guess I’d better.” Zoe reached for her seat belt buckle when a piercing scream shattered the silence.

Both Ryan and Zoe darted out of the car.

He ran to the end of the small building in time to see Sam running and shrieking.

“Come back!” she yelled and began to run toward the patch of grass on the boulevard.

In that instant, Ryan somehow knew exactly what was going on, and he sprinted past Sam, determined to stop the wandering pig. Unfortunately, Ima had other ideas, and the little runt continued to bolt toward the grass. The highway lay just beyond.

He managed to step on the leash, which gave him a chance to reach for the pig, but she was more than an arm’s length away. He stumbled, and she scooted ahead, giving him no choice but to dive into the grass and grab her leash just in time.

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