Trouble in Sudden Falls: A Sudden Falls Romance (10 page)

“All in favor?” He gave the entire council an evil eye.

A chorus of “Ayes” quickly followed.

“Opposed?”

Maddie held her breath, but no one spoke.

“Motion passed.” Mayor Watson looked to the secretary. “Next order of business?”

Maddie’s face felt hot and the back of her eyes burned. How humiliating. How could he ignore her plea like that? What had she ever done to Mayor Watson? She wracked her brain, but nothing came to mind…

Unless he was part of the Lisbet Roarke fan club and was meting out his own personal brand of justice.

If she could take back her actions, she would. Unfortunately, no one had invented a reliable time machine. Tears threatened to spill and she returned to her seat, her steps wooden as the next person made their way to the podium. Eli took her folder from her numb fingers as she collapsed in the metal folding chair beside him.

“Nice job, all the same,” he whispered.

“For all the good it did me.”

Clearly, the town of Sudden Falls wasn’t yet ready to forgive her.

“I’ve got good news,” Eli said to Maddie as they left City Hall a half hour later.

“I could use some good news. Or ice cream.” She reached up and rubbed the tight muscles over the top of her shoulder. “Or a massage.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I’d be happy to give you a massage.” It was the third or fourth overt pass he’d made at her. All of which she’d turned down, of course. He suspected Maddie wasn’t taking him or his bet seriously. He let her continue to think he was kidding.

For now.

“I’ll pass. You’re just trying to win the bet. It’s not gonna happen.” The casual way she responded made him certain she didn’t think he was serious. He didn’t mind lulling her into a false sense of security before he made his real move. He was going to win the bet… but it had nothing to do with her car.

He grinned at her rejection and shrugged. “You’ll change your mind. They all do.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” She rolled her eyes. “So what’s this good news?”

Eli placed his hand at the small of Maddie’s back to guide her toward the car, liking the feel of her warm skin beneath his palm separated only by the thin fabric of her blouse. “I spoke with Howard McAdams while you were in the ladies’ room.”

“Coach McAdams?”

“Who’s also the county inspector.”

Her spine arched ever-so-slightly, escaping his hand. She turned to face him, coming to a standstill in the middle of the parking lot before he could resume contact. “Why?” she asked, not sounding quite as grateful as he’d hoped.

“Your store inspection is on Monday morning.”

She raised an eyebrow. “But when I called earlier this week, his first opening wasn’t until three weeks from Tuesday.”

“Sometimes it’s not what you know, but
who
you know.”

“Yeah, and Howard McAdams coached my high school softball team. He and I go way back. It’s not like I couldn’t have gotten in touch with him myself if I had known
he
was the county inspector.”

He’d kind of forgotten that. But still… why the attitude? Eli watched as Maddie clenched her jaw, not understanding why she wasn’t happier at the prospect of accelerating the process.

“Thank you.” Her voice was firm if not warm.

He looked at her, still a little confused by her tone.

“However, I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t take over in the future.”

“What?”

“Look, I appreciate the help.” She fiddled with the strap of her purse and looked around the parking lot instead of at him. “However, I would really like to be able to do this on my own. I haven’t stood on my own two feet in too long and I need to do this myself. Just because the town didn’t welcome me home with open arms, doesn’t mean I want you to jump in and save me.”

Eli blinked. At no time in their lives had she ever stood up to him. Not that he generally gave her cause to do so. Even after that fiasco of a few years ago, she’d slunk away and stopped speaking to him. “Fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to step on your toes.”

“I’m grateful for the assistance. I really am. I just…” She sighed. “I know I sound unappreciative, but after living with a power hungry control freak for years, I can’t help but be unnerved when people take over.”

“No worries,” he said, feeling frustrated at her disapproval and angry at what her ex had put her through. But she had a point. He
had
taken over. He wouldn’t make that same mistake again.

He replaced his hand on her waist as they strolled across the parking lot toward her car. She had such a small waist, especially for a woman with hips as full as hers were. Somehow, he couldn’t stop touching.

And wasn’t that an interesting little development? Sure, he’d always found Maddie attractive. He was an appreciator of the female form and Maddie’s form was delicious. But there was something…
more
since she’d returned home. Something about her that made him want to pull her into his arms and never let go. Something that had kept him up more nights than not, contemplating a variety of things he’d never allowed himself to think about before. Even after she’d made a blatant pass at him a few years ago. Seeing Maddie naked, being able to run his hands over her body, well, he’d give nearly anything to experience that.

Their bet made for prime opportunity.

“Let me drive?” He grabbed at her keys as they reached the car.

“Not a chance.” She pulled her keys out of range of his grip.

Having known that would be her answer, he stepped to the passenger door. When she popped the lock, he eased himself into the car. “That’s okay.” He grinned. “She’ll be mine before you know it.” He made a show of looking at the calendar on the dial of his watch. “Less than two months, fifteen days and an hour or so until she’s mine anyway.”

Maddie looked at him sharply. “I wouldn’t count on that. There’re no single men in Sudden Falls I’d be willing to lose the bet for… and let’s face it… you turned it down the last time I offered.” She winced which he took to mean she hadn’t meant to say that. She nibbled on her lower lip as she started the car.

“Maddie, I—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

He was getting darned tired of dragging that elephant around everywhere they went.

He took a deep breath to try to change her mind. Before he could begin speaking, she continued. “Your little joke of a bet aside, I wouldn’t date you. You’re like my ex-husband: You have relationship A.D.D. I wasn’t his Ritalin and I don’t expect to be yours.”

She knew right where to throw the darts when she got going. Of course, she also had a point. He hated that she was right almost as much as he hated for her to compare him to her ex. “So that’s why you married him? He reminded you of me?” he asked, suddenly feeling a little snarky about the whole conversation.

Given that she’d broken things off with Darren right before she’d come home three years ago and then patched things up after Eli tried to postpone her seduction attempt, he had to wonder.

She winced. “Sorry. Unfair comparison. But to answer your question, no. Had I known that he would continue to date other women for the entirety of our marriage, I certainly wouldn’t have married him.” She put the car into reverse gear and eased out of the parking space.

“For the record, I’ve never cheated on anyone.”

“I believe you.” He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth.

Something ached in Eli’s chest. Maddie really didn’t think much of him. Even without him having rejected her. Well, in her mind, he was certain, it was a rejection. In his, he’d been trying to avoid something she’d have regretted.

A quick mental re-run of his history with the opposite sex and suddenly Eli didn’t much respect himself either. If he had any hope of gaining her trust, then he needed to make her see him in a different light.

It was time to form a new plan. He needed to show Maddie that he was not like her ex in any way shape or form. He needed to find a way to show her that he was serious.

Maybe the bet hadn’t been such a good idea. Thus far, she’d taken it as a big joke.

Eli was playing for keeps, however. And soon, Maddie would realize it too.

Chapter Six

“Are you coming to bed soon?” Emma Watson looked from her husband to the stack of work on his desk in front of him and realized the answer, even before Rob spoke.

“In a few more minutes.” She translated that to mean at least an hour and a half. Not that falling asleep by herself was anything new. It was one of the things she’d learned to expect as the wife of the mayor and a very busy realtor.

She was beginning to wonder about this marriage of hers. After eight years, she should be confident enough in the relationship that she wouldn’t have these doubts. Rob had never given her any real reason doubt his feelings or his faithfulness.

Well except for whatever he did the second Saturday of nearly every month for the past four or five years. Whatever he did always went late and he never said where he went or who he met. The few times she’d asked he’d responded with an offhand remark and immediately changed the subject. Of course he’d never invited her along but she’d offered to go with him twice. Both times, he’d made it clear that he wasn’t interested in her company.

It had become a topic that they both took a lot of effort to avoid.

She might think that it was an affair, except that he came home almost every time and initiated sex, which had become an increasingly rare occurrence otherwise.

Their sex life has always been… well,
nice
. It was polite. Part of her wanted it to be something more, but she figured she signed on for the long haul, and she didn’t really think she could change the rules at this late date. The second Saturday of the month was the only time it got even remotely interesting… and that was simply by comparison. She loved Rob… she definitely felt passion for him. But it was like he thought she might break or something.

He was extremely considerate. He always… got the job done. And she wasn’t complaining. The missionary position was nice… but not
every time
. Unfortunately, sex was not one of those things she’d been brought up to talk about. Her girlfriends rarely discussed it—at least not with her. Rob had been her first and only lover. She didn’t know how to start the conversation.

She knew he’d have a heart attack if one night she said, “Fuck me like the bad girl that I am.” Good sex wasn’t worth becoming a widow for.

She’d been dying to know for years what his second Saturday of the month event was, and as much as she wanted to ask again, she knew that once she found out, she wouldn’t be able to take back the knowledge. And there were some things she didn’t think she could handle knowing.

“Honey?”

Emma shook her head. “Sorry. I was woolgathering. What did you say?”

“I was wondering if we could return to the topic of you getting a job?”

Emma’s internal fight-alert came on. She didn’t have the energy for it tonight. “This is a discussion we’ve had. We’ve argued it time and time again. You don’t want me to work outside of this house and I’m tired of staring at the same four walls. I think that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? I don’t exactly see a halfway point or compromise.”

Rob looked up sharply. She knew his arguments. If she got a job it would change their tax bracket. And how would it look if the town mayor couldn’t support his own wife? She was sure he could summon additional arguments as well, but the bottom line was that he wanted to make sure that he had a hot meal on the table every night. When had she become this person? This…
ninny
who couldn’t even stand up to her husband?

She’d gotten tired of no one really needing her anymore. Her daughter, Judy was in first grade and her twin boys, Jack and Jeff were in all-day kindergarten.

A job wasn’t too much to ask. Unfortunately, one semester of college hadn’t prepared her for much. It had only served to give her a healthy respect for privacy and rum punch. She rarely regretted not finishing college, and she never regretted having married Rob. In spite of the problems they seemed to be having, she loved him. She did regret not having a life outside of her family, however.

And mostly it had become and increasing issue for the past year because her family needed her less and less.

“How would you feel about owning your own store?”

She forgot how to breathe for a second. Once she thought about it, she realized the idea has some merit, though it was a bit more responsibility that she’d been thinking about. On the other hand…

“What store?” she asked.

“I know the O’Callaghans had the antique store on the market for quite a while. I suspect at this point Maddie would be willing to sell. Perhaps
we
could buy the store.”

And then Emma would have a make it or break it kind of endeavor. And she hated the idea of failing. She also hadn’t been entirely on board with Rob’s decision and actions against Maddie during the council meeting—not that she would ever say so.

“I doubt she’d be willing to sell. She did come back to town to open that store, after all. I heard from one of the ladies at the gardening club that if the store isn’t profitable in six months, the O’Callaghan’s will put it back on the market. We could buy it then.”