Page 29 of Finding Love

CHAPTERTEN

The drive to Seattle the following morning was more fun than any car trip she’d ever been on. Ryder stopped often at roadside attractions, pretty parks, and places where Willy could relieve himself.

She noticed that he’d made a few calls during the day and wondered if he was arranging things for his return. Did he have a house or apartment in the city?

They left at eight in the morning, and the normal five and a half hour trip turned into longer. When they finally pulled up to a large iron gate, the sun was just setting.

“This is Hunt’s Point,” he said after checking in with security and then heading down the long private road.

Brook could see just make out the roofs of some of the houses on the private drive. Each one was twice the size of her dream home and had their own private gates.

Ryder stopped at another gate and punched in a code on the security pad.

“I let the staff know we were coming,” Ryder said as he pulled into the driveway. They weaved around a private tennis court, through large trees and well-manicured greenery.

Nothing had prepared her for the stone French-style home that sat at the end of the twisted driveway. She couldn’t help comparing the massive spread with the simple eighteen-hundred-square-foot ranch home that she’d been raised in. Her parents’ home had always been filled with love and laughter. Still, she couldn’t help thinking just how wide the differences in their childhoods and their lives must have been. He may have been born and raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, but hearing him talk, she knew how lonely he’d been growing up.

“Wow,” she said under her breath while Ryder parked in the circular drive area that sat in front of a six-car garage.

“It sits on four and a half acres, has seventeen thousand square feet, five bedrooms, ten bathrooms, home gym, eight fireplaces, swimming pool with a two bedroom pool house, hot tub, steam room, movie theater, boathouse, four docks for boats, and…” He glanced at her. “Most importantly, I had the fridge stocked.”

She chuckled.

He slid out and rushed over to open the door for her and Willy. Willy jumped out and ran to sniff the green grass.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour.” Ryder took her hand and led her to the front doors.

They stepped up the stone stairs to a massive patio. There were stone columns on either side of the iron and glass doors.

To her surprise, the doors were unlocked, and as they stepped inside, her breath caught.

A massive iron chandelier hung over a warm wood circular table in the two-story entryway. An iron-rung staircase off to the right twisted around to climb to an open-railing walkway. The walls were done in a rich warm off-white, the floors a honey-colored wood with many large carpets in creams and a soft blue. To her left sat a high arched doorway that led into another room. Directly across from the doors sat the living space, with two-story windows that looked out to a patio area. Beyond that sat a green yard, and she could just see the sun setting over the waters beyond, drawing her across the space to appreciate the sparkling water.

“That’s Fairweather Bay,” Ryder said, motioning as he moved beside her. “Come.” He moved over to unlatch the glass doorway.

When she stepped outside, she could see a rectangular swimming pool off to her left down a wide stone pathway.

The stone patio ran the entire length of the back of the house. Directly in front of her was a green yard. The pool house sat lower than the main house and further to the left than the dock area. She did a double take at a massive yacht sitting in one of the slips. Then she noticed the seaplane in another slip.

“Are those yours?” she asked with a frown.

Ryder nodded and sighed. “Yup.”

“You fly?” she asked, a little shocked. Okay, her knowledge of him was embarrassingly lacking.

He smiled. “I like that you don’t know.” He took her hand. “It’s nice. It feels like most everyone I know has stalked me my entire life, since they usually know everything there is to know about me before shaking my hand for the first time.”

She relaxed. “Okay, then I won’t feel bad when I don’t know something about you.”

“Please don’t. In this area, we are on common ground.” He lifted her face up by placing a finger under her chin and kissed her softly. “Come, I’ll show you around. Then we can eat. I had the chef cook us up something for tonight.”

“Of course you have a chef.” She rolled her eyes.

“Only for tonight,” he said smoothly as he took her hand again. “We can eat out here and watch the sunset or head in and do a tour.”

“Eat and sunset first, then tour,” she said after thinking about it. “Willy is enjoying running around.” The little dog was rushing around the green yard as if it was the best day of his life.

“Sit.” He motioned to one of the patio tables and chairs. “I’ll go let the staff know we’re ready for dinner.”