do here. I'll give you one last shot. Tell me what you want...or, leave me the hell alone..."
Penny couldn't help but ogle his muscular body as he charged towards her. Her thoughts jumbled in her brain. She just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Penny. I'm here because of Penny," she stammered.
Then she slowly fished out the letter from her purse and outstretched her hand.
"I found this a few days ago. And I haven't stopped thinking about it since."
Ryder concentrated his golden eyes on the rolled up letter in Penny's hand. Penny just stood there, watching him examine the letter. Suddenly, He savagely gripped on to Penny's wrist.
"Take yourself and this letter..." Ryder fired back in a low growl. "And never come back here again..."
Penny saw a flash of gold in his eyes. She never envisioned her plan playing out this way. Seconds later, Ryder turned his back to her without another thought. Penny glanced down at the red marks on her wrist. Clearly, this Ryder had a brutal temper, foul and sinister, of the likes she'd never seen. It horrified her that man she barely knew could be so cruel. She didn't know what is was, but he still made her feel hot in the pit of her stomach.
Penny, this was a terrible idea. This is probably the biggest mistake of your life. Go back to New Hampshire before you make an even bigger fool of yourself. Penny thought, attempting to talk herself out of this harebrained plan.
But she wouldn't. She didn't come this far just to turn around. Tomorrow she'd be back and resilient as ever. Tomorrow she'd try again.
Chapter Two
H er fantasy of meeting a sexy man on a seaside island, open and looking for love... didn’t turn out exactly as she planned. But Penny still wanted to know more about the very rich and very rude Ryder Strong. When she showed up the next day, Ryder held a spool of long rope and twisted it into a knot on one end. Ryder glowered when he saw Penny traipsing up in his sights.
"I guess you didn't learn your lesson the first time," He grimaced, tightening the knot.
"It's kinda funny too," Penny snorted. "You'd think a teacher would only need to learn something once, ha!"
Ryder cocked his head to one side. "You mean they let you teach kids?"
"' Afraid so!" she smiled, her heart stirring every time she and Ryder met eyes.
"If you're gonna stalk me, you may as well tell me your damn name."
"Penny."
Ryder dropped the rope, and it hit the wooden floor on his ship with a soft thud.
The brawny grump then lurched over the railing on his old boat, staring very seriously. "Do you think it's funny to impersonate the dead?"
"I'm not dead?" Penny didn't understand.
"Penny is the name of my daughter."
Penny felt mortified. "Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss I—"
Now, it all made sense. Penny was the same name in the letter.
"Save it," Ryder grunted. "If you're some undercover reporter sniffing around for a story. I can tell you where to shove it real fast."
"No. See—look." Penny handed over her I.D. "I'm Penny Lane. I came here because I just got so moved by your letter. I had to find the man who wrote it. I really didn't mean to cause any problems..."
Penny considered that hanging around any longer could only be causing Ryder more grief. What in the world kind of coincidence is it that she shared the same name with Ryder's daughter?
"Again, I'm really sorry. I...I've got to go," Penny said half-aloud.
Ryder turned it over in his mind, he knew he'd been pushing the strange and voluptuously curvy woman further and further away. Of course, this woman was silly. Possibly psycho. But the tender look in her eyes almost became unbearable. Even for a man with heart of stone.
He eyed her some more and finally came out with..."Have you ever been on a ship?"
Penny spun on her heels. "No," she sniffled. "Never."
Ryder climbed down the ladder on the side of his yacht and met Penny on the dock.
"If you’d like to learn, then maybe I can teach you how to sail," he aired.
Penny couldn't help but ogle his muscular body as he charged towards her. Her thoughts jumbled in her brain. She just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Penny. I'm here because of Penny," she stammered.
Then she slowly fished out the letter from her purse and outstretched her hand.
"I found this a few days ago. And I haven't stopped thinking about it since."
Ryder concentrated his golden eyes on the rolled up letter in Penny's hand. Penny just stood there, watching him examine the letter. Suddenly, He savagely gripped on to Penny's wrist.
"Take yourself and this letter..." Ryder fired back in a low growl. "And never come back here again..."
Penny saw a flash of gold in his eyes. She never envisioned her plan playing out this way. Seconds later, Ryder turned his back to her without another thought. Penny glanced down at the red marks on her wrist. Clearly, this Ryder had a brutal temper, foul and sinister, of the likes she'd never seen. It horrified her that man she barely knew could be so cruel. She didn't know what is was, but he still made her feel hot in the pit of her stomach.
Penny, this was a terrible idea. This is probably the biggest mistake of your life. Go back to New Hampshire before you make an even bigger fool of yourself. Penny thought, attempting to talk herself out of this harebrained plan.
But she wouldn't. She didn't come this far just to turn around. Tomorrow she'd be back and resilient as ever. Tomorrow she'd try again.
Chapter Two
H er fantasy of meeting a sexy man on a seaside island, open and looking for love... didn’t turn out exactly as she planned. But Penny still wanted to know more about the very rich and very rude Ryder Strong. When she showed up the next day, Ryder held a spool of long rope and twisted it into a knot on one end. Ryder glowered when he saw Penny traipsing up in his sights.
"I guess you didn't learn your lesson the first time," He grimaced, tightening the knot.
"It's kinda funny too," Penny snorted. "You'd think a teacher would only need to learn something once, ha!"
Ryder cocked his head to one side. "You mean they let you teach kids?"
"' Afraid so!" she smiled, her heart stirring every time she and Ryder met eyes.
"If you're gonna stalk me, you may as well tell me your damn name."
"Penny."
Ryder dropped the rope, and it hit the wooden floor on his ship with a soft thud.
The brawny grump then lurched over the railing on his old boat, staring very seriously. "Do you think it's funny to impersonate the dead?"
"I'm not dead?" Penny didn't understand.
"Penny is the name of my daughter."
Penny felt mortified. "Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss I—"
Now, it all made sense. Penny was the same name in the letter.
"Save it," Ryder grunted. "If you're some undercover reporter sniffing around for a story. I can tell you where to shove it real fast."
"No. See—look." Penny handed over her I.D. "I'm Penny Lane. I came here because I just got so moved by your letter. I had to find the man who wrote it. I really didn't mean to cause any problems..."
Penny considered that hanging around any longer could only be causing Ryder more grief. What in the world kind of coincidence is it that she shared the same name with Ryder's daughter?
"Again, I'm really sorry. I...I've got to go," Penny said half-aloud.
Ryder turned it over in his mind, he knew he'd been pushing the strange and voluptuously curvy woman further and further away. Of course, this woman was silly. Possibly psycho. But the tender look in her eyes almost became unbearable. Even for a man with heart of stone.
He eyed her some more and finally came out with..."Have you ever been on a ship?"
Penny spun on her heels. "No," she sniffled. "Never."
Ryder climbed down the ladder on the side of his yacht and met Penny on the dock.
"If you’d like to learn, then maybe I can teach you how to sail," he aired.
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