Oh yes, she liked how this man made her feel.
When she'd worked for the Secret Service, the agency had frowned on mixing work and pleasure. She'd resented the rule at the time and had bent it on occasion, but with Ryan's relationship to Sam between them, she'd be smart to follow a no-fraternization rule now.
On the other hand, he was hard to resist; his pull was magnetic. And he'd be around for a few weeks, underfoot, watching them and getting to know Sam. She couldn't deny the desire to get to know him equally well. Without a doubt she knew he'd give her all the heat she desperately needed without being any threat to her resolution to advance her career and her life. It was an ideal situation.
"You see? Not only are you one big, loving group, but you say what you think." He shook his head in disbelief.
She swung their clasped hands back and forth. "Better than keeping your feelings bottled up until you explode."
"Or run away," he muttered.
She paused. "Your sister?"
He nodded. "She chafed under rules and restrictions."
"And your parents had a lot of them?" she guessed without too much difficulty.
"You could say that. Ever hear the term upper crust?"
"Of course."
"Well imagine all that term implies. My brother and I conformed. She didn't."
Zoe raised an eyebrow, interested in his background for reasons that went beyond Sam. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"
"There were three of us in total. There's the oldest, J.T., then came Faith, then me." His eyes glazed over at the mention of his sister's name.
"So Faith was the only girl."
He nodded. "My parents had high hopes for her. They expected her to have a traditional coming-out when she turned sixteen, but Faith was anything but traditional."
Being so close to her family, and knowing what Ari had gone through when Zoe'd had to fake her disappearance, she could empathize with his pain over his sister.
She squeezed his hand tight. "I really am sorry." And she was, despite that he might want to take Sam away. "So your folks must be thrilled that you've found Sam." Her voice caught in her throat, this time at her pain over the fear of losing someone.
"My family is adjusting to the news," he said vaguely. "So how do you care for a pig?"
A not-so-subtle change of subject and Zoe made a mental note to mention it to Quinn and Connor during their meeting tomorrow morning. Planning the discussion at the office seemed like an even better idea now, since she didn't want to run the risk of Sam or anyone else in the family overhearing. And now that she'd found out some more info rmation on Ryan Baldwin, she decided to play along with his topic change.
"You can feed and train the pig like any other domestic animal. Don't you read the papers? George Clooney has one and he loves that animal more than any woman he's met yet. Want to go meet Ima?" she asked.
"Ima Pig," he said and shuddered. "No thanks. I'll avoid it for now."
"Chicken." Zoe grinned. "So where are you staying?"
" Trump Plaza ."
"All the way in Atlantic City ?" she asked. With their house right by the beach, there were a number of small, but nice hotels and motels closer to Ocean Isle.
"It's only twenty minutes according to AAA."
She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. A motel close by never even crossed your highfalutin mind."
He opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head. "Never mind. You already seem to have my number."
"That I do, Mr. Baldwin. Just tell me that you're going to honor our deal." Because she had no choice but to trust him.
Trust that he wouldn't go to Social Services and announce his status as Sam's uncle. Trust that he wouldn't tell her parents and completely freak them out, sending them into a tailspin and likely triggering a reaction she didn't even want to imagine. And worse, she had to trust that he wouldn't tell Sam.
Zoe swallowed hard.
This time he squeezed her hand tight. She'd grown so comfortable, she'd forgotten they were still standing that way.
"I realize you don't know me well and that I just showed up out of nowhere and turned your life upside down. But if there's one thing I can promise you, it's that despite my social-worker lie, I'm a man of my word. If I make you a promise, you can believe in me." His voice grew low and husky.
"And?" she asked.
"And I promise to keep my end of the deal." Those deep brown eyes met hers, warm and compelling. Sexy and real.
She had to be a fool— because she believed him. "I have a meeting tomorrow morning so I'd appreciate it if you didn't show up here until after noon ."
He nodded. "I can do that."
She had one more question before she walked him to the door. "What do you do that you can take time off so easily and hang around Ocean Isle until this gets resolved?"
"I'm a lawyer."
Swell, she thought, but she'd had to ask. "Family practice, I take it?"
He shook his head. "I might have conformed better than my sister, but there are still things I do my own way." In his gaze, she thought she saw a hint of mischief. A sexual warning of sorts.
But then she reminded herself that this was Mr. Conservative and she had to be mistaken. Still, she couldn't help but think of him doing things to her his own way.
"I'll keep that in mind," she heard herself say before pulling him back to the family for his goodbyes.
* * *
THE NEXT DAY, Zoe showed up early for the meeting with her partners so she could prep what to tell the two men. Both had a soft spot for very few people, but Sam was at the top of their list. Now Zoe paced the office space she, Quinn and Connor had recently rented, located about a block from the rec center where the men volunteered and where Sam hung out after school. On a clear day like today, the large office windows provided a nice view of the ocean. It was a decent amount of space for their rental money. All that was missing was a firm name, but what had been a priority yesterday seemed insignificant today in comparison to the problem Ryan Baldwin presented.
"Are you going to tell us what's wrong or are you just going to wear out the new carpet?" Quinn asked, his voice tight with frustration.
Zoe groaned and detailed all she'd learned from Ryan yesterday, including his true identity.
"He's Sam's what?" Quinn yelled, shaking the walls if not the foundation.
Zoe winced. If anyone had a stake in Sam's future, it was the man who'd secured her first one foster home, then another in an effort to find her a good, solid home. Being a product of the foster-care system, Quinn understood only too well how abandoned, traumatized and confused Sam would feel upon learning the truth.