Maddy's Oasis (18 page)

"Good. Mark was a pretty boy and knew it.
You're better off with an ugly man, Maddy," her mother said wisely.
Madeleine chuckled. She was quiet for a long moment, her heart
flopping in her chest.

"Mama, I'm thinking about coming home," she
said.

"For a visit or leaving the project?"

"Leaving the project. And Howard
Enterprises."

"I think that's a good thing for you to
do."

"Do you? We might have some money issues,"
she said.

"Baby, you've got the best head on your
shoulders of anyone I know. If you feel it's time to go, then go.
We can spend some time together. Maybe I can get out of the home
and stay with you," her mama said. "And we can finally go on
vacation somewhere."

"After your surgery," Madeleine said
sternly.

"It'll be an easy one. Not too worried. Then
you can show me Texas, and I'll meet Jake."

"Not so sure about that one."

"He called me ma'am. Had half a mind to tell
him I'm not that old."

Madeleine smiled. Her mother sounded tired
again.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Mama. I'm going to
try to fly out in the next day or so," she said.

"Will be awesome to see you, baby."

"You, too, Mama."

She hung up and looked at her BlackBerry, her
leash to Howard Enterprises. For the first time in days, she felt
furious at someone other than Jake. She opened the email
application and sent a simple email to Nigel and Mark.

Consider this my resignation. I'll be on a
plane home tomorrow.

She had twenty emails awaiting her, and the
blinking red reminder made her even angrier. She calmly set down
her tea, shrugged off the blanket Kitty gave her, and then strode
to the kitchen.

Javier and Jake fell silent as she entered.
She ignored them and withdrew a bowl from the sink Kitty had been
using to rinse berries. She filled it with water, pulled the
battery out of her BlackBerry, and dropped the pieces in.

Now she felt a little better. When she
turned, Jake and Javier were staring at her.

"Jake, I need your phone."

He hesitated, gaze going to the bowl, before
handing it to her.

"Thank you."

She took it and left. She dialed Eric and
left him a message asking him to book her a flight. She retreated
to Jake's room, somewhat comforted by his scent in the air, and sat
down with paper and pen to figure out how far her last check would
stretch.

The end result wasn't pretty. She'd be filing
for bankruptcy by the end of the month.

She wiped her face, the image of Alex's body
in her mind again. She'd find a different way-- she always found a
way.

CHAPTER EIGHT

She holed herself up in his room the rest of
the day. Kitty took her food once, and Jake spoke to Deputy Miguel
when he dropped by. He didn't expect Madeleine to come out of his
room until the next morning, but she emerged when Kitty announced
dinner.

Toni and Eric came for dinner, and the five
of them talked while Madeleine ate quietly. Rather than look
broken, as Jake half-expected she would, she appeared alert and
thoughtful. Kitty stuffed her full of food. Eric seemed somewhat
subdued, his normally open features cloudy.

After dinner, Madeleine and Eric moved to the
bay window where she sat earlier to talk. Javier and Toni sat on
the porch smoking cigars. Jake joined them, giving the two
coworkers their privacy.

"Did Howard's folks miss another payment?"
Javier asked casually.

"Yeah," Jake answered. "Should've posted
yesterday and hasn't yet."

"I don't know, Javier, but I think this
project is doomed," Toni said.

"How much we out?" Javier asked.

"Not much. Madeleine cut some corners and
saved us some. We're out of pocket only about a hundred thousand,"
Jake said.

"Much better than the three million we were
out last week," Toni said with a chuckle. "Javier, you're a
brilliant businessman, but I have to tell you, I think this one's
over."

"Looks like it."

"You're thinking of pulling
out,
tio
?" Jake
asked, surprised Javier would admit to making a mistake about a
project.

"Looks like it," Javier said
again. "Think you were right about this one,
mi hijo.
"

"It'd be the first time," Jake said
ruefully.

"Not so. You practically run the
company."

"
We
run the company," Jake
said.

"Could use someone with Maddy's business
sense, though," Toni said. "Jake can build you a palace out of a
stack of sand, but none of us has that money background like she
does."

"No one can fire a man like she can, either,"
Javier agreed. "Poor Smithson …"

Jake smiled.

"Jake knows the offer’s
open," Javier said. "Right,
mi
hijo
?"

"Not my choice,
tios
," he said. "If she
wants to stay, she knows she can."

"Good boy," Toni said.

They fell into quiet, his uncles puffing on
cigars while he wondered what she'd end up doing. If she decided to
stay to finish the project and nothing changed … well, he'd decided
to give up on her.

He hoped it didn't come to that.

"Hey, guys," Eric said, stepping onto the
porch.

"Eric," Toni said as he blew out a puff of
smoke. "You ever try a cigar?"

"No, no, not my thing."

Javier reached into his pocket for another
and clipped the end off. He handed it to Eric, who hesitated before
taking it.

"Puff and I'll light."

Eric obeyed and coughed a few times. Jake
watched, amused. Eric beat his chest and plopped into the chair
between Javier and Toni.

"We'll make a man of you yet," Toni said.

"Great, thanks," Eric managed.

"Jake, do you have a minute?"

He twisted, surprised at her voice. Madeleine
stood in the doorway, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She
wore one of his T-shirts, which hung on her smaller frame, and her
jeans.

He rose and walked into the house. She led
him to the door leading out from the kitchen toward the fence line
and out into the warm night. She didn't go far, instead pausing
beside the fence and facing him. He resisted the urge to move
closer. She still seemed vulnerable and too appealing with her hair
loose. He'd learned the hard way against making the first move and
waited for her to speak first.

"Jake, I wanted to apologize to you for my
behavior. You've been a gentleman, for the most part, and I've been
a bear," she said softly. "You were right about priorities and mine
being somewhat misguided."

"You had good intentions, and you've got a
good heart," he said, taking a step closer. "I understand why you
did what you did."

"Doesn't make it right."

He held out his hand, not sure what she'd do.
She hesitated then took it. He drew her into his body and hugged
her tight.

"When I saw Alex's body, I thought-- you
know, that's me. In over my head, delusional about making it when
the deck was already stacked against me," she whispered. "And I
realized I don't want to end up like him, even if that means I lose
everything."

He was quiet, sensing the heaviness of her
thoughts. He nuzzled her hair with his chin.

"I quit, Jake."

"Seriously?" he asked, his hope rising.

"Yeah. Told Nigel and Mark I'm done. Eric
booked me a flight home tomorrow."

"Home to … "

"New York."

The words fell harder than he expected.

"For once, I want to be with Mama when she
goes into surgery. You know I've never been there? I've always been
at work when she was at the doctor's," she said, guilt in her
voice.

"She understands, Madeleine," he said.

She withdrew from him and wrapped her arms
around her, stepping away. Her gaze turned to the area where they'd
seen the coyote pups several nights before. Jake gritted his teeth,
debating saying what he wanted to when she was already so beat
down.

"Madeleine, I know you're leaving, and I know
this won't mean much, but I really do care about you. If Mama ever
decides to tour the southwest, or you decide to come back for any
reason, I'd really like to see you again and be something more than
what we are now."

She gazed up at him intently. He wanted
neither another rejection nor to pressure her and took a step back,
holding up his hands.

"Just putting that out there. You've got a
lot on your mind, but I couldn’t let you go without telling you
that."

She said nothing, and he turned to leave,
feeling angry for a different reason.

"Jake."

He stopped.

"You asked me something the other night, and
I ran out on you. I wanted to say, if the offer's still open, then
yes."

The pulse of desire that lit his blood at her
words made him clench his hands to keep from grabbing her and
heading for his bed. He turned with restraint. Her gaze was clear,
though her words were hesitant. She didn't look ready to run this
time. He stayed where he was and held out his hand, waiting again
for her to come to him.

She took it, and he drew her against him,
wrapping one arm around her and touching her face with his free
hand. Her face was flushed with what he knew to be desire, her
pupils dilated and her breasts pressing against his chest with each
quick breath.

He took her in, tracing his fingers against
her chest, enjoying the feel of her skin. He brushed her lips
gently with his thumb and lowered his head to kiss her. Her lips
were warm and soft, her kiss hesitant. He savored the sensations,
wondering if this would be the only kiss he'd ever get from
her.

He deepened the kiss and pulled her more
tightly against him. She responded, and heat bloomed fast between
them. He wasn't aware how lost he was in the feel of her body and
mouth until Duke bounded by with a loud bark that jarred them both.
Jake withdrew, listening to her unsteady breathing. His heart beat
fast within his chest, and he couldn't help feeling as if he'd
never needed anyone before this night.

The dog was headed toward the coyote's
den.

"Duke, heel!" he called.

She chuckled huskily, and he rested his
forehead against hers. They stood quietly, breathing each other's
breath.

"You wanna stay with me tonight?" he
whispered. She hesitated, and he prepared himself mentally to slam
on the brakes.

"Jake, I don't know what I'm doing yet. I've
totally changed my life in the course of a day."

"Can't hurt anything."

"What kind of logic is that?" she asked with
a laugh.

"Just you and me. Happy for the night. We'll
deal with tomorrow together when it gets here. Trust me. Things'll
work themselves out."

She met his gaze, troubled.

"I do trust you, Jake," she said.

"Stay with me."

He kissed her forehead and cheeks. She closed
her eyes, and he kissed her eyelids.

"Yes, Jake, I'll stay with you."

He squeezed her closer, breathing her scent
in deeply. He wasn't sure what the morning would bring, but he was
thrilled he'd find out with her in his arms.

* * *

Before dawn, Madeleine gathered her few
belongings under the cover of darkness and stepped into the
hallway. She lingered in the doorway, gazing at Jake's wide, strong
back. He lay on his stomach, sprawled across his bed. She smiled at
the sight and closed the door.

She still wasn't sure what she was doing,
only that whatever snapped in her yesterday-- after she found
Alex's body-- felt permanent. She felt decent despite what awaited
her, the sense of certain financial failure giving her both a sense
of clarity and calm. She'd made her decision-- whatever happened,
happened.

Her gaze went back to Jake's door, and she
couldn't help the heavy regret settling into her gut. Life would be
so much easier with a man like this, one strong enough to help her
and who truly cared for her!

With Jake, she'd be happy. She'd never
thought that way of Mark or any other guy she dated. He accepted
her as she was, and she couldn't help admiring his intelligence and
kindness. She'd never met a man half as good as this one, and she'd
blown off every attempt he'd made at being her friend!

She had a lot to fix, if she were ever to
deserve a man like Jake. She descended the stairs, and Javier awoke
from his doze in the recliner. He sat up and squinted at her
through sleep-filled eyes. His gaze fell to her small bag and
briefcase.

"Leavin'?" he grunted.

"I have to, Javier," she said. "My flight
leaves in a couple of hours."

"Comin' back?"

"I don't know."

"I can fire Jake. You can have his job."

She chuckled. Javier rose and walked with her
to the door. He opened it, and they stepped onto the front porch.
It was still dark.

"I've got a lot to take care of, Javier," she
said, sensing he was waiting for her to say something.

"Less of a burden when you've got someone who
cares about you."

"It's just not that easy."

"The offer's always open. You'll always have
a home and a job with the family."

His words touched her and made her throat
tighten. She nodded, hugged him, and stopped to pet Duke before
crossing to her rental car. Eric had brought over all her bags from
the hotel. She thanked him silently, sure she'd never appreciated
him as much as he deserved.

She drove away from the hacienda, her gaze
turning toward the west, where the Desert Oasis lay wilting in the
desert. With some hesitation, she drove in its direction,
apprehensive about what she'd feel when she saw the disaster that
resembled her life.