Breaking Through to Sue (4th in Breaking Series)

Chapter Eleven

"Ty Hampton, ma'am," Ty replied and then he cleared his throat to try to get rid of the gruffness in his voice that the sight of her had caused. She pulled her hand away and busied herself smoothing out her skirts.

"You can call her by her first name," Jacob assured him. "We don't fool with all of that proper mister and misses nonsense around here very often. I hope that's alright with you."

"That'll work," Ty replied, his eyes still locked on Liza. Try as he might, he couldn't look away from the graceful lines of her throat and neck or her chocolate brown eyes. He had planned on giving Thomas Cooper his paper from the Governor and then leaving out in the morning to go back to Tortulla. Now he was thinking that staying in Bakerstown for a few days might be a good idea.

"Here comes Ryder and Susie. I thought for a minute I'd have to make good on my promise to kill him," Brody stated.

Ty tore his eyes away from Liza in order to look at the woman who had so thoroughly stolen his brothers....attention. Ty refused to acknowledge that it could be love. He still wasn't sold on the fact that his hyperactive brother, with the attention span of a gnat, who had a different woman every hour, was actually truly in love.

When Ty's eyes fell on Susie, he knew he'd have to eat his words. His brother must really be in love. It wasn't that Susie was ugly. No, she had an angelic innocence to her face that was quite attractive but she was so much different from any woman his brother had been interested in before.

She wasn't short and petite. She was quite tall and, though his mama had raised him good enough that he'd never speak the words out loud, she was quite plump. Susie had an average face, nothing strikingly gorgeous, and she had dark freckles across her cheeks. Ryder had always preferred women with clear complexions. Nothing about Susie was what Ryder had always wanted before.

But it was the sight of Ryder standing next to her that truly told Ty he'd been wrong. Ryder had always been different. Idiocy hadn't run in their family but Ryder was the closest thing to it. He had an impulse to touch and pick at things. He could never hold still. He jumped and climbed and most times acted like a child. Ryder had begun drinking at a young age because he said it helped calm down the chaos in his brain. It oftentimes worsened his hyperactivity but the family hadn't stopped him. Anything to give him, and them, some form of peace.

Right now however, Ryder was holding tight to Susie's hand as they approached the family and the only thought Ty could think of to explain the effect she seemed to have on Ryder was he was a boat that had suddenly found its anchor. Ryder was still bouncing around just a little and he had a goofy grin on his face but Ty couldn't see that chaotic look in his eyes or the tense set in his shoulders. Others might not notice the slight changes but Ty knew Ryder better than anyone else and he definitely noticed them. Ryder had finally found someone who helped soothe him and Ty could tell by the way his little brother looked at her that he was head over heels in love.

Ty was surprised that Ryder was holding Susie's hand so soon in front of her family and he could tell that Susie was surprised as well as she kept looking back and forth between their hands and Brody, who's jaw was tight. Ryder however seemed oblivious to anyone's discomfort and even went so far as to rub his thumb gently over Susie's knuckles. Brody stood up and walked off the porch, "How about we go round up Thomas and Sally and we can have an early supper and fire tonight?" he asked, looking at both Ty and Ryder.

Ty nodded and stepped off the porch himself. He cast another glance up at Liza and saw that she had been staring at him when she blushed and quickly looked away.

Ryder frowned and was about to refuse but Brody grabbed him by the back of his vest and tugged him, "Come on, loverboy." he growled.

Ryder grinned and nodded, "See ya later, Susie." he said giving her hand one last squeeze.