RYDER: A Standalone Military Romance (Blake Security Book 1) by Celina McKane Read Free Book Online Page A

“Give the baby back, and we’ll talk more about how hot you think I am.”
                  She handed Celia to me and laughed. “If you want a few minutes alone with yourself, I’ll take Celia and you can gaze into the stainless steel appliances.”
                  I had to smile at that. “No thanks. I’d rather look at you.” Her pale skin flushed, and she quickly turned her back to me. She made a play of wiping part of the counter she’d already wiped down.
    “Alicia, tell me about Celia’s birth, please.”
                  She turned back toward me. I was still bouncing my knee and Celia was thoroughly enjoying it, judging by the sounds she was making. Alicia leaned back into the counter and twisted the rag in her hands as she said, “There was a lot of arguing when I first came here. My understanding was that they were having a baby through a surrogate, but neither of them seemed happy about it at all. Then one day I made the mistake of sitting on the sun porch to read my book. The Bransons didn’t know I was there, and they had one of their arguments in the sitting room. I heard Mrs. Branson say she didn’t want to raise his love child. Mr. Branson told her that she was welcome to leave, and she told him she would take as many of his assets with her as she could if she did. I could tell by his voice that he was worried about that. He started talking calmer and telling her how bad all of the publicity of an ugly divorce would be for business. She said something like, ‘Fine, I’ll stay with your cheating butt, but I won’t raise the tramp’s kid.’ They argued a little more…mostly he was trying to calm her down at that point. The voices stopped, and I listened for footsteps. I thought I heard them both leave. When I finally went out, Mr. Branson was still in the sitting room. He looked angry when he saw me and asked what I heard. I told him the truth that I’d heard most of it, but I’d never talk about it to anyone. He was angry and called me an eavesdropper and wanted to know how much money it would take to keep me silent. I told him over and over that I didn’t want money, I wouldn’t tell. He didn’t believe me. In the end, I signed a confidentiality agreement that says if I ever talked about it, I’d lose my job and my wages for that month.”
                  She looked so anxious, and it made me feel really bad. “I won’t tell them you talked to me, Alicia.”
                  She shrugged sadly and said, “He’ll know.”
                  “You know what else he knows?”
                  “What’s that?”
                  “His wife doesn’t want to take care of this baby. I’m sitting here holding her and having a hard time believing it, but it’s true. This baby loves you, and Mr. Branson seems to be crazy about her, but his wife absolutely does not feel that same bond. He needs you, and I’m sure he knows that.”
                  She didn’t look completely convinced, but she let that go and said, “Do you know yet who the man was from last night?”
                  “No. Last night he refused to say anything to anyone. The police took him down and booked him for trespassing. They gave us his name once they got him fingerprinted. He doesn’t have a record, at least here in the U.S. He’s not a citizen though, so he’ll be turned over to the immigration authorities.”
    “So he was Russian?”
    “Yes. He’s from Georgia, and here on a visa. He works for a textile company, but that is really all we know.”
    She made a face at that. I wondered if she was thinking about her job and being deported again. “Alicia, you don’t know anyone from home that might want to do this, do you?”
    “Because I’m Russian too, you think I have something to do with this? I’m from Moscow anyways. Moscow is far from Georgia.”
    “I didn’t say that. What I