Page 4 of Flynn

"Are you certain it's not that poor excuse of a man you were supposed to marry?" She demanded. "Has he called you recently?"

"Yes. And I told him I wanted nothing more to do with him."

"Good for you, darling." Her mother's dark brown eyes searched her face as if seeking the truth. "He wasn't good enough for you anyway," she added.

Ryleigh's eyes twinkled in amusement. "You were the one who said he was a perfect match, an ambitious young man, and we made an excellent team. You also said you were a perfect judge of character, and he would make a perfect husband."

Her mother sniffed and sipped the wine, her brow furrowed. "And I hate that I did not see him for what he is. A duplicitous nobody.

He wanted to portray something he wasn't. I do not quarrel with the gay community. If you are so sexually inclined, then that's your business. I have a difficult time accepting someone who lives a double life. Be your damn self and stop drawing someone else in your drama."

"We are both in agreement when it comes to that mindset. But I do not want to talk to you about it. How was your date?"

Margaret sighed. "I know you don't like Carlos because he is Spanish-"

"I don't like him because he is after your money. Not to mention the fact that he is fifteen years your junior." She pointed out dryly. "He is after your money and reminds me of an oily salesman."

"I suspect you might be right." There was a dejected look on Margaret's face. "He asked me for another loan."

"What is it this time?"

"A business venture he is interested in."

"Another one. The shipping company never panned out. Were you able to get back your money?"

The sheepish look on her mother's face gave her the answer. Ryleigh had tried to talk her mother out of providing the men in her life with financial assistance without much headway.

Margaret Bogle had a very soft heart and tended to fall for all sorts of lies. But who was she to think like that? She wondered grimly. A man had fooled her, she thought she knew, one who was living a double life, right under her nose.

"I had the strength to say no tonight, hence the abrupt ending to the date." Margaret shook her head. "He left in the middle of dinner and stuck me with the bill. So that's the end of that." A sigh escaped her.

"Your father set too high a standard for other men to follow. He was such a wonderful husband and father that I expect the men I go out with to portray the same excellent qualities." Her expression became sober.

"I want that kind of happiness for you, darling. Don't allow the terrible things that happened in your life to turn you away from finding love."

Ryleigh shook her head firmly. "The last thing on my mind is romance. It's going to take a minute."

"Oh, honey! For what that man did to you, he deserves to be hanged."

"He has taught me a precious lesson. One I am not likely to forget."

*****

Even though she had told her mother that she was tired and was going to bed, Ryleigh could not sleep. There were too many things going on inside her mind. The conversation had brought back awful memories that had never been very far from her mind in the first place.

Drawing her knees, she propped her chin on her folded arms and stared into the darkness. She had not bothered turning on the lights but had simply changed out of her lounge pants and sweater and donned a nightgown. Her usual ritual of brushing her hair and wrapping the thick strands around her head was ignored for tonight.

She had loved him, she thought with an aching pang inside her heart. They had spent hours discussing what was wrong with the legal system and how it could be fixed.

"My ultimate goal is to end up in the White House." He had sent her a mischievous look from his light blue eyes. "I hope you are prepared to become First Lady, darling because I think you would make an excellent one. With your candid views and your zeal for the law, we will make a perfect team."

"I don't see myself as a politician's wife." She protested. "I hate politics."

"And yet you are involved with one." He teased. "Ry, I am in love with you," he added soberly. "You are refreshingly honest, and that's not a quality I encounter in my work. You are also wonderful with people. It's not just your beauty; this light inside you shines out and makes us lesser mortals want to do better."

Blinking away the tears, she angrily pushed the memories away. Senator Glen Ritchie was dead to her and will remain that way.

Chapter 2