"I'm game if you are." In her eyes, he saw the same glimmer of hope and excitement that had flared to life inside him.
They shared this goal. He hoped in time they'd share many more. He didn't know what he'd find here, but he was glad she'd be with him no matter the outcome.
"Go right ahead," Patty told them.
He clasped her hand. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."
She waved away his words. "I wish I could have done more. I wish I had done more. Then maybe- "
"Don't go there," Ryan warned her. "I've learned it does no good. You were Faith's friend. The best kind of friend. Nobody could have asked any more of you."
Patty nodded. "Thanks, Ryan. You two stay as long as you need to."
"We appreciate that," Zoe said.
He led the way, helping Zoe down the long stairs in her heels and together they began to search through the large, unfinished basement. Hours later, they were only halfway through the unmarked, unlabeled boxes.
"Patty's not only a pack rat, she's an unorganized one," Zoe said, wiping her dirty hands against her light-colored skirt. "The bus depot was a breeze compared to this."
As he took in the dirt marks on her clothing and the smudges on her cheeks, she sneezed with gusto. "You're being a great sport."
She shrugged. "It's no big deal. I want to help you find whatever your sister left behind. Besides, the alternative is hanging out at the house with Grandma Vivian." Zoe gave an exaggerated shudder. "And I don't think she likes me very much."
Ryan shook his head. He needed to dispel that notion immediately. Although he hadn't thought his mother would take to Zoe, her turnaround where Faith and Sam were concerned gave him hope that she'd soften her ideas about what kind of woman made suitable marriage material for a Baldwin.
Personally, he didn't care what his mother thought, since his life was his own and he'd long since stopped doing what his parents desired. Yes, this woman could potentially cause a rift in the family, but then, so what? They weren't all that loving on the best of days.
Until very recently he'd feared the family shutting him out the way they had Faith, but he'd grown in the short time since meeting Zoe. He feared losing her much, much more.
"My mother doesn't know what to make of you. There's a difference between confusion and hate. If she can come to understand Sam, you'll be a piece of cake." He winked and, watching the blush suffuse her cheeks, he chuckled.
Zoe rolled her eyes. "Are you saying to know me is to love me?" she asked teasingly.
"You said it, I didn't."
Realizing her word choice, she glanced down and began rifling through her next box. Obviously love wasn't a term she wanted to discuss at the moment. He refused to take those concerns of hers too seriously right now. He'd already decided to keep things between them light and normal in the hopes she'd see how easy they were as a couple. So he began digging through his own treasure chest looking for something, anything, familiar.
Hours passed. His lower back hurt from bending, his shoulders ached from remaining hunched over and his neck was strained from tension and frustration. He was about ready to give up for good.
Zoe had already finished her share of boxes and now sat on the dirty floor leaning back against the cement wall, eyes closed. She appeared so fragile, a complete contrast to the strong woman he knew her to be. But seeing her this way made the ache inside him grow, made him want to take care of her.
He shook the fantasy out of his head and forced his gaze to the bottom of his last box. Unexpectedly, a sheath of papers caught his eye. At first glance they were just numbers on computer paper. Old computer paper, that looked as if it had come from a dot matrix printer, with the perforated edges still attached.
He pulled the papers out and, though the text and ink had faded, the words Baldwin's Department Stores headed the page.
His heart began to race. "Bingo!" he said, excitement rushing through him.
Zoe jumped to her feet and huddled beside him. "What'd you find?"
He sifted through the pages. Although Baldwin's was far more technologically up to date today, these were obviously old insurance claims.
"Old business statements from Baldwin's and…a letter or actually a diary of sorts. It's Faith's handwriting," he said, the familiar scrawl from the past making him feel as if his sister were here with him now. He shivered involuntarily.
"Are you okay?" Zoe asked.
"Yeah."
"Are you going to read it?"
A part of Ryan wanted to get the hell out of the dark, dank basement and read his sister's words in warm, familiar surroundings, and another part of him wanted right now to see what she'd left behind.
Curiosity won out. "Yeah I'm going to read it now. Want to see?" He wiped a hand over his forehead and lifted the old pages closer so he could see.
Zoe inched nearer and read along with him. His first glimpse was shocking and what he saw only became more horrifying as the meaning and intent in the letter grew clearer.
Nausea rose in his throat as Zoe stepped back and met his gaze. "It seems you were right," he said dully.
"Ryan, I'm so sorry."
"For forcing me to see the truth about my uncle? Someone had to shed some light for me." His laughter sounded harsh and gritty to his own ears.
"Could she have made things up?" Zoe asked of Faith.
"Don't try to protect my feelings now," he said wryly.
"It's possible, isn't it? Faith might have blamed your uncle for being thrown out of the house and left these notes, hoping your parents would find them when they found her."
He shook his head. "These sound more truthful than anything I've heard in quite a while."
He was beyond angry that his uncle would betray his sister. He was even more furious that the man would feign such ignorance over the years. Faith had left a thorough diary of her experiences and Uncle Russ's role in her running away. In fact, if his sister's words were to be believed, and Ryan did believe her, his uncle had every reason to want to get his hands on the keys. He'd want to see what Faith had left behind, if for no other reason than to cover his own ass.
"What's next?" Zoe asked.
"It's time I pay a visit to Uncle Russ."
She nodded. "Feel free to drop me off sat your parents' while you go."
Considering how much she disliked his family and their home, her offer meant a lot. "Actually since this revelation is a result of your persistence, you deserve a front-row seat at the confrontation."
"I never wanted to find anything incriminating on your uncle. For your sake, I hoped I was wrong," she said, her eyes huge, her voice imploring.
"But you aren't surprised."
She shook her head.
He rose and extended a hand, pulling her to her feet. They started for the stairs when suddenly he turned and she bumped into him. He grabbed her around the waist to steady her, then lowered his head and kissed her hard. Though he'd taken her by surprise, she responded. Her tongue tangled with his and as he pulled her closer, a soft moan escaped the back of her throat.
He'd needed this, needed her and the reassurance of something good and trustworthy in his life and she seemed to understand. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth first one way, then another, their mutual desire building with each passing second.
Slowly he pulled back with immense regret. He hadn't had his fill, not by a long shot, but he had gotten the fortification he needed for what lay ahead.
"What was that for?" she asked, her tongue dragging over her lower lip, taking in the moisture he'd created.
"It's been too long and I needed sustenance."
She laughed. "That's a unique excuse."
Despite it all, he grinned. "I didn't know I needed one."
"Well, I can't have you thinking I'm yours for the taking, now can I?" She patted his cheek and strode past him up the stairs.
He appreciated her sass and the way she didn't treat him with kid gloves or pity. Another reason this woman was a keeper, whether she knew it or not.