Authors: EMILIE ROSE
Adam was not her problem. But she couldn't endure the thought of being responsible for another Drake death.
She grabbed her phone, stomped into her rubber boots and headed outside to see if the storm had caused any damage. The heavy dawn air promised a muggy day ahead, but at least it didn't carry the panicked cry of a critter in need of rescue. The massive old oak and pecan trees surrounding the house were notorious for dropping branches, birds' nests and baby squirrels. It had only taken her a couple summer thunderstorms to discover why the former vet who had owned the farm had also owned a very tall ladder and a collection of incubators.
Bojangles nickered. She made her way to his enclosure, cataloging the debris on the ground. Nothing major, but enough that she'd have to find an hour this evening to clean up.
“Morning, buddy. You and Josh getting along?”
The gelding leaned across the fence for his scratch. She stared into his big brown eyes and fought for calm when what she yearned to do was jump on his back and ride like the wind away from this whole situation. But that would only confirm Adam's accusation that she ran from her problems.
Ned, her Nigerian Dwarf goat, bleated and jumped from the roof of his doghouse, then hopped and skipped across the yard toward the barn. His limp was barely visible now that he'd healed. He reminded her of the goats her family had kept on their farm in Lafayette to keep the fence lines clean.
The chickens scratched in their coop, tilting their heads as if to ask, “What's the holdup?” Madison picked up her pace. Three cats raced toward her. Prissy immediately started her figure eight through Madison's feet. Bossy and Cleo strolled beside her as she maneuvered to the barn without tripping. Even before she got there she heard Wilbur, her guinea pig, whistling from his cage inside the barn. Wilbur's racket roused Buster, the de-scented, domesticated skunk she'd adopted when his owner had threatened to release him into the wild after getting tired of his high-maintenance antics. She'd exiled him to an elaborate cage in the barn after the rascal had stolen and hoarded too many items to count.
Everybody was hungry except her, but she vowed to eat a yogurt-and-fruit smoothie before going to work rather than listen to Piper lecture. She bent over the food barrel to scoop out grain, and the cell phone in her pocket thumped against the steel. Instantly thoughts of Adam jumped to the forefront of her brain. She debated texting him, but suppressed the urge. He was fine. She'd checked the news online this morning and there had been no stories of plane crashes. If a hospital executive had gone missing, someone would have noticed.
She fed the indoor critters first, then turned her attention to the outside pets. After delivering Bojangles's oats, she fed Ned and scattered cracked corn for the chickens before releasing them from the coop. Coyotes had become a problem lately, requiring her to secure the hens at night. The birds filed out. Bug control at its best. There were only a few eggs in their nests. She carefully placed each one in her basket. Either Josh or June must have been collecting them during her absence.
She finished the remainder of her chores by rote, but her routine failed to soothe her as it usually did. The phone in her pocket kept distracting and tempting her. She headed to the house and encountered June in the backyard with a pair of coffee mugs in hand.
“Morning, Madison. You don't look like a woman who got her groove on with a handsome man. In fact, you look worse than you did before you left.”
“Thanks, I missed you, too,” she responded with a touch of sarcasm and accepted the dark brew. June made coffee like she did browniesâstrong, dark and sweet. Heaven in a cup. She took a fortifying sip. “Mmm. Good. The storm kept me up.”
“It was a doozy. I heard a big crash behind the vacant cottage sometime around four.”
“I'll check it out before I head to the office.”
“I'm off today. I'll do it and let you know if there's any damage when I swing by for lunch.”
“We're doing lunch again?”
“Wednesday is your new Monday. Works for me 'cause it means I get a free lunch.” June tilted her head. “Are you losing more weight?”
Madison braced herself for a speech. “I'm run off my feet in Norcross, but they feed me, so take off your mother-hen suit.”
“Don't try to snowball me. I know stress kills your appetite. If you'd unwind a little with Adamâ”
Madison held up a hand. “Not going to happen.”
“You're the one who always said you wanted a man from out of town for a scorching encounter.”
“That was the margaritas talking. Remind me to never attend another bachelorette party with you and Piper.” They had partied a little too hard at Piper's.
June grinned. “Your brother-in-law fits your no-strings affair description perfectly unless you don't feel any attraction toward him.”
The memory of Adam's mouth elicited a rush of desire so potent she missed a step. Shame scorched Madison's cheeks, and unfortunately, the deputy's narrowing eyes said she hadn't missed the reaction.
“Ah...not the case. Well, Doc, you have six more weeks to wise up and take advantage of him. And you have the added benefit of knowing he's not going to turn into a psycho stalker afterward. Can't say that for the guys we've met elsewhere.”
“Adam can't stand the sight of me.”
So why had he kissed her? That question had done more to keep her awake than the thunderstorm. She didn't have an answer.
The few times she'd cried in front of Andrew, her husband had developed an urgent need to be elsewhereâas if she'd become contagious. He'd never held her or gently stroked away her tears. And Andrew had never kissed her as if he didn't want to but couldn't help himself.
Adam had. Thoroughly. She'd felt his arousal against her leg andâ
Oh, boy. Don't go there.
Too late.
She shuddered.
Why had he done it? He hated her. He'd called her a liar and selfish. He resented her helping his father, though she didn't know his reasons.
The only way to protect herself from being sucked into the Drakes' world was to find out and then fortify herself against them.
“Madison?”
She jerked to the present. “Wow. Look how late it is. I'd better get moving. Thanks for the coffee. See you later.”
And she boltedâexactly what Adam had accused her of doing. But June was too adept at questioning, and if Madison wasn't careful she'd get information that Madison wasn't ready to share.
* * *
“D
ID
YOU
SAY
it?” Adam repeated when his mother ducked her head and developed a sudden, intense interest in stirring her marinara sauce.
“Did
she
tell you that?”
The mortified flush streaking her cheeks gave him the confirmation he needed. Madison hadn't lied. But had Madison's motives for abandoning them been a genuine wish to spare his mother's feelings or something more egocentric?
“Does Dad know you ran off his star pupil?”
His mom darted a look over her shoulder. “Shush.”
Negative, then. “He's in the bathroom with the exhaust fan running. He can't hear us. Why, Mom? I've never known you to be malicious before.”
She flinched. “She killed my son and grandson! I was distraught. And it was the truth. You know it was. Looking at her makes my stomach churn. You can't tell me you don't feel the same way.”
What would she say if she knew he'd kissed Andrew's wife? He certainly had no way to explain it to her. Hell, he couldn't even explain it to himself. One moment he'd been impatient to get Madison out the door, to his parents, then on the plane and out of his way. And the next...
He'd screwed up.
He had zero experience with crying women, unlike Andrew, who'd broken hearts regularly before Madison had come along. He didn't know how to handle tears or the agony that Madison had fought so hard to hide from him.
But the offense wouldn't be repeated.
His mother wrung her hands. “Adam, I don't want Madison moving to Norcross. I know she's good with your father, but we have to find a way to convince him she's not the saint he thinks she is. I couldn't stand it if he persuaded her to return to the practice and I had to cook her meals and pretend nothing happened. Please tell me you agree.”
“I do. But let her get Dad through the worst of his treatment. Morale is an important component of his recovery. Right now he thinks he needs her, but Madison will reveal her true nature eventually. Then if he still needs help, we'll convince him to hire the substitute service until he's back on his feet.”
“It's good to know I'm not alone. It's just that sometimes...” Her eyes closed and she went pale.
“What?”
She shifted, and when she lifted her lids the turmoil in her eyes made his heart contract. “Madison and Andrew were arguing before they left her graduation party. She was angrier than I've ever seen her. I've never seen that look of fury and desperation in her eyes before. Sometimes I wonder...if she wrecked the car on purpose.”
He gaped. “That's a serious accusation, Mom. You'd better have facts to back it up.”
“I don't. I just have a...feeling, a mother's intuition that the marriage was in trouble.”
“Are you saying Madison was suicidal and she tried to take them all out?”
“No. But she hated the car and the house he bought her, and she resented the baby. Andrew said she didn't want children getting in the way of her career.”
All things Andrew had told him in the months prior to his death. But wrecking deliberately? If she wasn't suicidal that seemed unlikely, given Madison couldn't have controlled the outcome. And the report had said black ice.
“If she felt that strongly about not having children, she could have had an abortion.”
“Andrew would never have agreed to that.” She ducked her head and stirred.
His mother could sometimes be dramatic, and he wanted to dismiss the wild allegation. But the seed had been planted. Andrew had always been closer to her than Adam had, and his brother had confided in her. If Andrew's marriage had been less than perfect, there was a good chance their mother knew more about the difficulties than anyone else.
But if there had been the slightest chance Madison had wrecked the car on purpose, the cops would have charged her with a more serious offense than driving too fast for conditions, wouldn't they?
CHAPTER NINE
P
IPER
BREEZED
INTO
the office Friday morning like a woman on a mission. “Roth has an old marine buddy coming to visit this weekend. We need you to even the numbers at dinner tonight.”
The way her assistant busied herself and refused to look Madison's way set alarm bells off in Madison's head. “You're trying to set me up on a blind date? Again?”
Piper hesitated. “Not exactly.”
“You know I hate it when you do that.”
“He's Roth's best friend. He used to be his spotter in the marine corps.”
Roth had been a sniper. That had been a big bone of contention between him and Piper in the early days. “Not a good idea. If something happened then fizzled it would put you in the middle.”
“Nothing has to happen.”
“But you're hoping it will.”
Piper's cheeks pinked. “Sam is a really good guy. He's the only man I've ever heard Roth say he trusted with his life.”
“You're my closest friend. He's your husband's. Anything less than happily ever after is going to cause problems. And you know I don't believe in fairy tales.”
“Exactly. You'd readily accept that there could never be anything long-term between you and Sam. He's a lifer who plans to die with his boots on. He will never leave the corps voluntarily, and you won't leave your practice. But he's recovering from some kind of eye surgery and he needs a distraction.”
She wished she could do itâpick up a man and have wild sex with no expectations. It would be nice to give her excess estrogen an outlet and get her hormones back under control. But she couldn't. She'd tried it once years ago when she'd desperately needed to prove to herself that she hadn't died with Andrew and Daniel. The night had been a disaster from the first hello to that final awkward, painful goodbye. She'd hated herself afterward, and it had taken ages to forgive herself. It wasn't going to happen again.
“Ask June.”
“She's working.”
“Piper, I've never had a good blind date.”
“You need to do something to get your mind off Norcross. You've been jumpy all week, and you only remember to eat when June or I feed you.”
“The summer heat's killing my appetite.” Her toes curled inside her sneakers. It was a partial truth. This had been a record-breaking hot and humid July.
“You're running more and eating less. You can't keep going like this.”
“I promise I'll be fine.”
“You need some TLC, boss. Come and enjoy a dinner you don't have to prepare. The men are grilling. We'll drink margaritas and watch them flex their muscles.”
She sighed. “There's no way you're going to let me out of this, is there?”
“Not a chance.”
“Just dinner. No margaritas or man dessert for me.”
Piper grinned. “Deal. I won't push for more, butâ”
“See that you don't.” She didn't plan to pursue a relationship with Roth's friend, but she had to admit her male-female social skills had dipped below rusty a long time ago. They could use a little polish. And she could use a night of someone's company besides her own.
* * *
S
HE
HATED
BLIND
dates.
Hated them.
Madison refused to dress upâif she was going to be tortured, she would at least be comfortable.
The smell of meat on the grill greeted her when she climbed from her truck, and her stomach rumbled. Her sandals scraped up the walk, reluctance weighting her steps. The side gate flew open and Piper's son, Josh, raced toward her with Sarg, the dog Madison had patched back together, by his side. The abandoned mutt had been one of her successful adoption stories.
“Dr. Madison, we're out back.” He eyeballed the fruit trifle in her hands. It was the fanciest summer dessert she had in her limited repertoire. “Want me to carry that?”
She surrendered the dish and petted the dog. “Thanks, Josh. How are you and Bojangles making out?”
“Great. Mom's giving me some pointers. I jogged him this week for the first time. It's kind of bumpy.”
“You'll get the hang of it. I'm sure he loves your company.”
“I'm trying to convince Mom to let me get a skunk. Buster's so cool.”
“Not a good idea. Skunks steal and hide your things. Before I moved him outside, Buster swiped so much of my stuff that I'm still finding stashes of his ill-gotten goods.”
“Oh. Maybe a guinea pig, then.”
“A safer choice, for sure.”
They reached the privacy fence that surrounded the backyard and nerves clutched her stomach. Showtime. Even if the meeting tonight wasn't going anywhere, she hadn't dated in a l-o-n-g time. Josh and Sarg raced ahead toward the table already loaded with food.
The buff blond marine stood just inside the fence. He also wore jeans and a T-shirt, making her glad she hadn't dressed up. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. He had a longneck bottle in his hand. Without waiting for Piper or Roth, he crossed the grass to meet her. “Hi, I'm Sam.”
His greeting was cool, polite. Nothing more. Nothing less. Definitely not flirtatious. Good.
“I'm Madison. And I'm sorry about this. I tried to talk Piper out of the setup, but she's deaf when she wants to be.”
His grin should have been lethal, but her hormones kept snoozing. “About as deaf as her husband, I suspect. No offense, but my life's a little unsettled now. I wouldn't put that on a woman.”
“Understood. And ditto for me.”
“Piper said I should get you a margarita as soon as you arrived. She's inside making them now. Want me to track her down?”
“No, thanks. Piper's trying to get me in trouble. I'll stick with sweet tea.”
“Can't handle tequila?”
“Apparently notâa lesson I learned the hard way at her bachelorette party.”
“Copy that. Roth has enough beer in the cooler for a platoon. Tea's this way.”
She waved at Roth, who stood by the grill, and walked beside Sam across the lawn to the food tableâit felt like the right thing to do. No pressure. No awkwardness. He was here under protest and so was she. Both duly noted.
He filled a glass and passed it to her. Their fingers brushed. No tingle, no fizz, no skipping heart. Nada. Not his fault, because he was definitely gorgeous and well built.
“So you're a veterinarian. I've done a little work with military working dogs. They're a nice taste of home when you're deployed.”
“And dogs are more loyal than any human you'll ever meet.”
And so the night went. Sam was charming and interesting company, but he'd elicited nothing from her in the feminine department. She hadn't even noticed the passing hours until a lightning bug flashed in front of her.
“Wow. I'd better get going.”
“I'll walk you to your car,” he offered and Piper's eyes sparkled with interest in the flickering torchlights.
“Thanks.”
Madison's heartbeat quickenedânot out of interest or excitement, but out of dread that she might have to head off an unwanted embrace. Sam stopped by her truck and offered his hand.
“It was good meeting you, Madison. Thank you for tonight and for being a good sport.”
Surprised, Madison put hers in his. “It was good meeting you, too, Sam. You're good company. I hope you get the desired result at your checkup next week.”
She'd learned the marine scout sniper had suffered a detached retina from an explosion. He was optimistic that the surgical repairs would allow him to return to the field.
The handshake was brief and without fireworks. She climbed into her cab with no exchange of phone numbers or mention of getting together again. Then she glanced toward the house and saw the poorly concealed disappointment on Piper's face before the curtain dropped.
But as far as Madison was concerned, the night had been a success of sorts. She'd passed an enjoyable evening in male company and she hadn't acted stupid.
All she had to do was keep up that winning streak when she returned to Georgia.
* * *
A
DAM
HAD
SURVIVED
the storm. That had been Madison's first thought when she read the text message Sunday morning.
Can't get away. Rental car paid for. Pick it up and get yourself here. Do not disappoint Dad.
The address of the rental car agency and the reservation number had followed.
She hadn't been happy about the relief rushing through her when she'd read his message. But she hadn't heard from him since he'd dropped her off after their white-knuckle flight until this morning's text and she'd been worried.
She turned into his driveway Sunday evening just shy of bedtime. She'd delayed leaving home because she wanted to avoid one-on-one time with him. Climbing from the car, she stretched her stiff muscles. In an attempt to block the memory of the kiss from her mind she'd spent five days working herself to near exhaustion, first in the office and then in her yard after yet another summer storm. She'd succeeded. Mostly.
Then Adam opened his front door. His gaze hit her with the impact of a charging bull and every sensation came stampeding back. Her stupid heart sprinted just as fast as it had when he'd held her. Her palms moistened and her short, shallow breaths resembled an excited dog's panting.
So much for her lucky streak.
She yearned to turn and run the opposite direction. But she wouldn't, because no matter what he thought of her, she wasn't a coward.
He looked tired. Tension furrowed his brow and bracketed his mouth. His hair looked like he'd raked his hand through it a time or five. Compassion that she didn't want to feel kicked in. “Rough week?”
“The nurses are threatening a strike.”
Don't look at his mouth. Or his wide shoulders.
“How's Danny?”
“His labs are where they need to be for him to have his first chemo treatment.”
“Good. And Helen?”
“Holding it together.”
His eyes narrowed on her face. She wished he wouldn't look at her that wayâit reminded her of the moment in the prep room when she'd realized what he was about to do and done nothing to prevent it.
“Come in. You know the way to your room.” He took her cooler and opened the door wider.
She shouldered her bags and bustled past him, hyperconscious of him shadowing her down the hall. When they reached the bedroom her nervousness ratcheted up several notches. Stopping just inside the door she shifted on her feet and searched for something to say.
“I'm surprised you moved back to Norcross.”
His lifted eyebrow told her the unexpected question had caught him off guard. “Why?”
“Andrew always said you couldn't wait to fly the coop and that once you left you'd never come back.”
His lips compressed. “Priorities change.”
“Why did you come back?”
“I had an opportunity and my parents needed help. Your point?”
“I don't have one. I was just curious.” She'd spent far too much time wondering how much of what Andrew had told her had been a lie.
“Can I trust you to get yourself to the office on time?”
Insulted, she straightened. “I'm here, aren't I?”
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day. I'll meet you at my parents' after work.”
He turned on his heel and left.
Tension drained from her. What had she expected? For him to kiss her again? Of course not. And she didn't want him to.
Madison needed to work harder on distancing herself from the Drakes. Adam in particular. Because if she didn't, disaster was pretty much guaranteed. Maybe once this weekend was through they'd trust her enough to keep renting her a car and the intimate flights would no longer be necessary.
* * *
H
ELEN
PUSHED
OPEN
the bathroom door. Danny was on his hands and knees in front of the toilet. “Are you okay?”
He clutched the bowl and vomited, then sank back on his haunches. “Does it sound like I'm okay?”
She bustled to the sink and dampened a washcloth for him. “What can I do?”
He snatched the cloth from her hand and mopped his pasty face. “Stop hovering, Helen. Can't a man puke in peace? I had the door closed for a reason. Get out.”
It wasn't like Danny to be nasty, but he'd had his first chemo today, and he had a right to be testy. The chemo nurse had warned them that some medicines might make him sick, and it looked like this was going to be one of those meds.
“Can I get you anything?”
“Privacy. You've been in my armpit all day. Go buy yourself something pretty.”
She tried not to take offense. The day had been long and arduousâfor both of them. “I don't need things, Danny. I just need you to be okay.”
“I will be.” He contradicted the statement by heaving again.
She felt helplessâjust as she had each time one of the boys had been ill with something she couldn't fix. But at least they'd let her tend to them instead of being cranky. Well...Andrew more than Adam. Her firstborn had always been the more independent one.
Speaking of Adam... “I'll call Adam and tell him you're not up for Madison's visit tonight.”
“No. I want to hear how she's managing.” He bent back over the bowl, retching until he had nothing left.
“Danny, you can't handleâ”
“Don't tell me what I can't handle. I'll be fine in a few minutes.
If
you leave me alone.”
What if he wasn't? What if it only got worse from here? What if she had to watch him waste away like some of the others they'd met in the infusion room today? There had been some who she'd been convinced would not be there next week or next month orâ She severed the thought.