she murmured to Nemo.
From his position on a faded rug near the foot of her bed, the big dog thumped his tail against the floor and gazed at her with his mild, startled eyes.
"That's a lot of help," she told him.
She was an honest woman by nature, and her impulse was to tell Ryder who she was. She had meant to do just that once she'd discovered why he was here. But somehow the words got lost before she could say them.
This situation was different from any she'd had to deal with. For the first time in her adult life she was reasonably sure that a man was interested in her for herself, that he was attracted to her and wanted her because her eyes were green or her hair was red, or because of the way she looked in jeans. That he was drawn to her because of one or more of the many mysterious reasons that drew a man to a woman.
It wasn't her name or family, or the healthy status of her bank account.
Yet that same man was here for the purpose of building his company up to compete with hers.
She didn't know what to do. Tell him the truth? Explain that her being here was just a coincidence? She doubted he'd believe her. She didn't believe it herself.
Amanda rose and went to her dresser, opening the top drawer and gazing down at what she had discovered in her suitcase when she'd finished unpacking last night.
The glass shoe.
Samantha must have put it there, Amanda had realized. Another one of her gentle reminders. But she couldn't—surely she couldn't—have had anything to do with sending Ryder here? No, that was just ridiculous. Ryder had come here to meet with a man about a business matter.
Amanda wanted to forget about the Cinderella masquerade, particularly since Ryder had clearly forgotten all about it. But she couldn't. That had been the first deceit, no matter how innocent; not telling Ryder who she was now was the second deceit.
She thought he might well forgive the first because it had been innocent. But what would he think if she told him now that she was a Wilderman and controlled Wilderman Electronics?
"Why can't it be as simple as a fairy tale?" she murmured aloud.
It wasn't until she was in bed sometime later that Amanda realized something. Hostility hadn't worked. Guardedness hadn't worked. But if she told Ryder who she really was, she had little doubt that his interest in her as a woman would vanish like smoke.
How ironic. The first man interested in her for herself alone could well be the first man to be more angry than impressed by who she was.
The realization should have comforted her. After all, revealing her true identity would resolve the dilemma. She wouldn't have to be wary of being hurt again. She wouldn't have to guard her tongue or examine every word before she spoke. She could be herself again. It was a long time before she fell asleep.
"Amanda, Jeff Haynes just called me."
She kept her gaze fixed on the landing above, wary of having someone—especially a particular someone—overhear her conversation with her uncle. Since he was an early riser, she hadn't hesitated to call him at virtually the crack of dawn. "And he told you that a man named Cyrus Fortune had bought the rights to Dunbar's patent?"
There was a long silence, and then Edward Wilder-man said somewhat dryly, "So you've heard."
"Yes. What did Jeff say about it?" Jeffrey Haynes was the CEO of Wilderman Electronics, and a good friend of Edward's. He was also Amanda's godfather.
"Well, Dunbar's on the verge of signing an employment agreement, but he says the patent's out of reach."
Amanda hesitated, then slowly asked, "Uncle Edward, did you know that Ryder Foxx would be here?"
After a hesitation of his own, her uncle said, "Samantha was planning something, but I gather it fell through; she swears it isn't her doing. He's there to meet with Cyrus Fortune?"
"Yes."
Edward sighed. "When I heard Fortune's name, I remembered he was one of the guests. But Amanda, Ryder Foxx's name wasn't on the list. Cyrus Fortune made
From his position on a faded rug near the foot of her bed, the big dog thumped his tail against the floor and gazed at her with his mild, startled eyes.
"That's a lot of help," she told him.
She was an honest woman by nature, and her impulse was to tell Ryder who she was. She had meant to do just that once she'd discovered why he was here. But somehow the words got lost before she could say them.
This situation was different from any she'd had to deal with. For the first time in her adult life she was reasonably sure that a man was interested in her for herself, that he was attracted to her and wanted her because her eyes were green or her hair was red, or because of the way she looked in jeans. That he was drawn to her because of one or more of the many mysterious reasons that drew a man to a woman.
It wasn't her name or family, or the healthy status of her bank account.
Yet that same man was here for the purpose of building his company up to compete with hers.
She didn't know what to do. Tell him the truth? Explain that her being here was just a coincidence? She doubted he'd believe her. She didn't believe it herself.
Amanda rose and went to her dresser, opening the top drawer and gazing down at what she had discovered in her suitcase when she'd finished unpacking last night.
The glass shoe.
Samantha must have put it there, Amanda had realized. Another one of her gentle reminders. But she couldn't—surely she couldn't—have had anything to do with sending Ryder here? No, that was just ridiculous. Ryder had come here to meet with a man about a business matter.
Amanda wanted to forget about the Cinderella masquerade, particularly since Ryder had clearly forgotten all about it. But she couldn't. That had been the first deceit, no matter how innocent; not telling Ryder who she was now was the second deceit.
She thought he might well forgive the first because it had been innocent. But what would he think if she told him now that she was a Wilderman and controlled Wilderman Electronics?
"Why can't it be as simple as a fairy tale?" she murmured aloud.
It wasn't until she was in bed sometime later that Amanda realized something. Hostility hadn't worked. Guardedness hadn't worked. But if she told Ryder who she really was, she had little doubt that his interest in her as a woman would vanish like smoke.
How ironic. The first man interested in her for herself alone could well be the first man to be more angry than impressed by who she was.
The realization should have comforted her. After all, revealing her true identity would resolve the dilemma. She wouldn't have to be wary of being hurt again. She wouldn't have to guard her tongue or examine every word before she spoke. She could be herself again. It was a long time before she fell asleep.
"Amanda, Jeff Haynes just called me."
She kept her gaze fixed on the landing above, wary of having someone—especially a particular someone—overhear her conversation with her uncle. Since he was an early riser, she hadn't hesitated to call him at virtually the crack of dawn. "And he told you that a man named Cyrus Fortune had bought the rights to Dunbar's patent?"
There was a long silence, and then Edward Wilder-man said somewhat dryly, "So you've heard."
"Yes. What did Jeff say about it?" Jeffrey Haynes was the CEO of Wilderman Electronics, and a good friend of Edward's. He was also Amanda's godfather.
"Well, Dunbar's on the verge of signing an employment agreement, but he says the patent's out of reach."
Amanda hesitated, then slowly asked, "Uncle Edward, did you know that Ryder Foxx would be here?"
After a hesitation of his own, her uncle said, "Samantha was planning something, but I gather it fell through; she swears it isn't her doing. He's there to meet with Cyrus Fortune?"
"Yes."
Edward sighed. "When I heard Fortune's name, I remembered he was one of the guests. But Amanda, Ryder Foxx's name wasn't on the list. Cyrus Fortune made
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