Free From Nanny To Wife by kate hopkins Page B

asked.
     
    Ryan turned away from the window and faced Mr. Monroe. He studied the elderly man for a moment. "Yes, I'm going to buy this place. Burt, I want you and your crew to stay on and run it. I'm not going to change the name of the shipyard. It will remain Monroe Shipyard. I want this place to remain in your family, so the sell will be temporary."
     
    Mr. Monroe frowned. "What do you mean by temporary?"
     
    Ryan scratched his jaw. "I have money and connections. When I get back to Newark, I plan to make some calls. By this time next week, you're going to be a very busy man. If I have my way, this place will be prosperous again. When that happens I'm going to sell it back to you, at a fair price I assure you."
     
    "Are you serious?" Mr. Monroe asked softly.
     
    Hope found the question amusing. Ryan Kendall was the most serious man she had ever met. "He's serious, Burt."
     
    "Your blood, sweat and tears are in this place," Ryan said to Mr. Monroe. "I can't take your business from you. It should be passed on to your family. If I knew you would let me, I would give you the money to pay off your debts. That way you wouldn't have to sell."
     
    "I don't take charity," Mr. Monroe stated.
     
    "Damn stubborn male pride," Hope said disgusted.
     
    Ryan smirked at her. "You're right."
     
    "I know I am," Hope said.
     
    "Do we have a deal, Burt?" Ryan asked. "I buy your shipyard, return it to its former glory, and then sell it back to you."
     
    Mr. Monroe stood and moved slowly toward Ryan. "When I heard about you, I thought to myself, here comes some big city slicker with money to burn. He'll buy my precious yard and tear it apart."
     
    "I don't want to tear apart your yard, Burt," Ryan said quietly. "I want to build it back up. Do we have a deal?"
     
    With tears in his eyes, Mr. Monroe reached out and clapped Ryan on the back. "We have a deal."
     
    "Good," Ryan said. "I'll have a contract and a check sent to you by Wednesday. I have one condition though. Let's keep this deal between us. As far as everyone is concerned, you still own this place. I prefer to keep things private."
     
    "He's a very private man," Hope said, rising from her chair. "A decent, trustworthy man, but private."
     
    "There's nothing wrong with privacy," Mr. Monroe said. "Too many people nowadays sticking their noses into other peoples business."
     
    "I couldn't agree more," Ryan said.
     
    "I have one question though," Mr. Monroe said. "Why are you doing this?"
     
    Ryan cleared his throat. "I was in a similar situation once. I had a small shop that sold sporting goods. It was my first business. I poured everything I had into that place, but I made a few bad decisions and I had to sell it. Some big shot bought it, tore it down, and put in a parking lot. Everything I worked so hard for was gone. I don't want some big shot doing to you what they did to me."
     
    Hope swallowed past the lump in her throat. She realized that if she let herself she could easily fall in love with Ryan. Standing there, she wondered if maybe she all ready was.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 1 3
     
    Hope sat across from Ryan during the plane ride home. She alternated between gazing his way and out the window. Every time she looked his way, their eyes would meet and her heart would skip a beat. She kept telling herself it was not wise to think of Ryan as more than her employer. As long as she worked for him, there could never be anything between them. The sooner she got that through her thick head the better off she and everyone else would be. Sighing, she shifted in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, and checked her watch.
     
    "We'll be in Newark in forty minutes," Ryan said. "You're doing good. You haven't asked me to knock you out yet."
     
    Hope smiled weakly. "I can't believe I asked you to do that." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I will never like flying, so please don't ask me to do it