From Nanny To Wife (11 page)

"How are you doing?" he asked when she answered the phone.

"Other than my legs being a little wobbly, I'm all right," Hope said. "I'm just relieved to be back on the ground."

"You'll get used to flying," Ryan said.

"I doubt that highly," Hope said.

Ryan perched on the side of the bed. "Is Zoe asleep?"

"Yes," Hope said. "I was getting ready to turn in myself. What time do you want to leave for the shipyard?"

"Nine-thirty," Ryan said. "I thought we would have breakfast first. I'll come to your room and get you at eight."

"We'll be ready," Hope said.

"I'll see you in the morning then." Ryan said. "Good night, Hope."

"Good night," Hope repeated. "And thank you for helping me get through the flight."

"You're welcome." Ryan dropped the receiver in the cradle, switched off the light, and laid down. With thoughts of Hope swimming around in his head, he knew sleep would be a long time coming.

Chapter 1
2

As the car approached the iron gates Hope saw the sign hanging from a fence post. Someone had painted a piece of plywood white and written on it in black paint
Monroe Shipyard.
Hope tried to imagine the sign saying
Kendall Shipyard
and could not. She glanced Ryan's way and found he had his cell phone out. He was frowning at the small screen and muttering under his breath, what he was saying she could not make out.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"My attorney wants me back in Newark as soon as possible. He has some urgent news to share with me."

"Maybe you should give him a call," Hope suggested.

"What he has to tell me can wait." Ryan switched his phone to vibrate and slipped it into his pocket. "I came here on business. Nothing is going to distract me. Once we're done here I'll call him."

"Okay, Zoe." Hope smiled down at her. "Your Daddy is here for work, so we need to be on our best behavior. Can you be a good girl for Daddy?"

"Yeah," Zoe said, nodding her head.

The car came to a halt. Hope picked up her purse from the floorboard and took Zoe's hand. They got out of the car and moved to Ryan's side. Hope scanned her surroundings and was shocked to see the shipyard was nearly deserted. "Business is slow."

"It's worse than slow," Ryan murmured. "It's dead."

"Can I help you?" a man asked, approaching the small group. He looked to be in his early sixties with white hair and brown eyes. He walked with a limp and used a cane.

"Are you Burt Monroe?" Ryan inquired.

"I am."

Ryan stuck his hand out. "Ryan Kendall."

"Mr. Kendall." Mr. Monroe shook his hand firmly. "I wasn't expecting you until nine-thirty."

"If you're in the middle of something I can wait," Ryan said.

"I have time for you." Mr. Monroe turned and smiled at Hope. "And your name is?"

Hope extended her hand. "Hope Landry."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Landry." Mr. Monroe grasped her hand gently and shook it.

"Please call me Hope and it's a pleasure to meet you, too," Hope said. "This little angel is Mr. Kendall's daughter. Zoe, say hi to Mr. Monroe."

Zoe stared up at the elderly man. "Hi."

"Hi," Mr. Monroe said. "Zoe is a pretty name. How old are you, Zoe?"

"Three," Zoe said, holding up three fingers.

"You're getting to be a big girl."

"I know," Zoe said.

Mr. Monroe chuckled. "Let's get started on that tour I promised."

"Lead the way," Ryan told him.

Mr. Monroe walked them through the giant warehouses, introducing them to the crew as they went along. Courteous, Ryan would shake their hand and listen to what they had to say before moving on. Once they left the warehouse, they headed to the painting facilities where a crew was busy painting a boat white. Hope did her best to keep Zoe out of the way of the crew. The little girl was constantly tugging on her hand, trying to get a closer look at what the men were doing. Hope was relieved when the tour was over and they left the building.

Mr. Monroe took them to his office. The air conditioner was on and the room was comfortably cool. It was far more pleasant than being outside where it was humid and miserable. He had a box of toys that belonged to his grandchildren and told Zoe she could play with them. She settled in the corner of his office and began digging through the toys. Glad that Zoe had something to keep her occupied, Hope and Ryan sat down in the old leather chairs in front of a large desk. After offering Hope and Ryan, something to drink Mr. Monroe took a seat behind his desk.

"Burt," Ryan said. "May I call you Burt?"

"Only if I can call you Ryan," he said pleasantly.

"Please do," Ryan said. "I couldn't help but notice that business is slow."

Mr. Monroe sighed heavily. "You don't have to be polite."

"All right," Ryan said. "Business is dead, Burt."

"It has been for some time now." Burt turned his head and gazed out the window. A melancholy look came to his face. "It wasn't always like this. There was a time when business was booming. Ships were being built; there wasn't an empty dock in sight. This shipyard has been in the family
for three generations." He shook his head. "I never thought I would see the day when I would have to sell it."

"Why are you selling?" Ryan asked.

"I'm looking at bankruptcy," Mr. Monroe said. "I need the money from the sale of this place to pay off my debts."

"I see. " Ryan rose from his chair and wandered over to the window. He stood there and glanced out at the yard, his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks. "Three generations, you say?"

"That's right."

"Are you going to buy this place?" Hope asked.

Ryan turned away from the window and faced Mr. Monroe. He studied the elderly man for a moment. "Yes, I'm going to buy this place. Burt, I want you and your crew to stay on and run it. I'm not going to change the name of the shipyard. It will remain
Monroe Shipyard.
I want this place to remain in your family, so the sell will be temporary."

Mr. Monroe frowned. "What do you mean by temporary?"

Ryan scratched his jaw. "I have money and connections. When I get back to Newark, I plan to make some calls. By this time next week, you're going to be a very busy man. If I have my way, this place will be prosperous again. When that happens I'm going to sell it back to you, at a fair price I assure you."

"Are you serious?" Mr. Monroe asked softly.

Hope found the question amusing. Ryan Kendall was the most serious man she had ever met. "He's serious, Burt."

"Your blood, sweat and tears are in this place," Ryan said to Mr. Monroe. "I can't take your business from you. It should be passed on to your family. If I knew you would let me, I would give you the money to pay off your debts. That way you wouldn't have to sell."

"I don't take charity," Mr. Monroe stated.

"Damn stubborn male pride," Hope said disgusted.

Ryan smirked at her. "You're right."

"I know I am," Hope said.

"Do we have a deal, Burt?" Ryan asked. "I buy your shipyard, return it to its former glory, and then sell it back to you."

Mr. Monroe stood and moved slowly toward Ryan. "When I heard about you, I thought to myself, here comes some big city slicker with money to burn. He'll buy my precious yard and tear it apart."

"I don't want to tear apart your yard, Burt," Ryan said quietly. "I want to build it back up. Do we have a deal?"

With tears in his eyes, Mr. Monroe reached out and clapped Ryan on the back. "We have a deal."

"Good," Ryan said. "I'll have a contract and a check sent to you by Wednesday. I have one condition though. Let's keep this deal between us. As far as everyone is concerned, you still own this place. I prefer to keep things private."

"He's a very private man," Hope said, rising from her chair. "A decent, trustworthy man, but private."

"There's nothing wrong with privacy," Mr. Monroe said. "Too many people nowadays sticking their noses into other peoples business."

"I couldn't agree more," Ryan said.

"I have one question though," Mr. Monroe said. "Why are you doing this?"

Ryan cleared his throat. "I was in a similar situation once. I had a small shop that sold sporting goods. It was my first business. I poured everything I had into that place, but I made a few bad decisions and I had to sell it. Some big shot bought it, tore it down, and put in a parking lot. Everything I worked so hard for was gone. I don't want some big shot doing to you what they did to me."

Hope swallowed past the lump in her throat. She realized that if she let herself she could easily fall in love with Ryan. Standing there, she wondered if maybe she all ready was.

Chapter 1
3

Hope sat across from Ryan during the plane ride home. She alternated between gazing his way and out the window. Every time she looked his way, their eyes would meet and her heart would skip a beat. She kept telling herself it was not wise to think of Ryan as more than her employer. As long as she worked for him, there could never be anything between them. The sooner she got that through her thick head the better off she and everyone else would be. Sighing, she shifted in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, and checked her watch.