ADAM PUSHED OPEN the door to Ann’s town house Saturday night, then laid her keys into her palm. Where was the desire and anticipation he should have been experiencing as he followed her inside?
He’d taken her to their favorite restaurant, where they’d consumed a very good meal and shared a nice bottle of wine. The conversation had never lagged. Ann was an ambitious and successful fund-raiser. He liked and respected her. They’d shared many similar evenings in the past, ending in mutual sexual satisfaction before he went home. The arrangement worked because neither of them was ready for marriage.
He watched her as she moved around her living room, lighting the candles that littered practically every flat surface. Her movements were slow, deliberate and sensual. She had a great figure and dressed to accentuate her petite curves. The candlelight glinted on her short, spiky blond hair. A pixie cut, she called it. Boyishly short, but totally feminine at the same time. Diamonds twinkled in her ears and a solitaire dangled between her breasts. Numerous rings sparkled on her fingers, and her nails were painted to match her fuchsia dress.
He removed his suit coat, draped it over a nearby chair, then sat in his usual spot on the sofa, trying to rouse his absentee enthusiasm. She crossed the room, then eased down on the cushion beside him. Her spicy perfume penetrated his nostrils. He didn’t remember it being this strong. Perhaps she’d accidentally put on too much?
He stroked her soft cheek, traced her jaw and still...nothing south of the border. “I’ve never seen you looking more beautiful than you do tonight, Ann.”
One golden eyebrow arched. She tilted her face away from his touch. “And yet...”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s bugging you, Adam? Besides worrying about your father.”
He lowered his hand. “Nothing.”
“We’ve been close for almost two years—too long for me to believe that.”
“It’s nothing except that I’ve been trying to cram more work into fewer hours, and I’ve had to stop by the hospital every night this week to give my mother a break and to make sure she eats something. Now that my dad’s home that stress should let up—except while my sister-in-law’s here.”
“Your sister-in-law? You haven’t mentioned her before.”
And he shouldn’t have now, but what was done was done. “Nothing to say. She’s been gone since Andrew died.”
“Why did she come back now?”
“Dad asked her to fill in for him while he’s out.”
“She’s a veterinarian like your brother was?”
“Yes.”
“But how does that affect you?”
“I’m responsible for her while she’s in town.”
A frown puckered Ann’s brow. “Responsible how?”
“I fly her in and make sure she gets to the office.”
“How old is she?”
“Thirty-three.”
“And she can’t get herself where she needs to be?”
The muscles in the back of his neck knotted. “None of us trust her to do what she’s promised.”
“And what exactly has she promised?”
This was beginning to sound more like an interrogation than general curiosity. “To run Dad’s practice two days a week for eight weeks.”
“Why not hire someone dependable?”
“Dad trained Madison. He refuses to consider anyone else.”
“He’s close to her?”
“He used to be.” Ann had met his parents only once. It hadn’t gone well.
She rose and crossed to the window. “Is she pretty?”
He recoiled and stared at her rigid spine. “Ann, she’s Andrew’s widow.”
Ann turned. “But is she pretty?”
An image of Madison flashed into his head. With her dark brown hair scraped back, her face pale and her unflattering, ill-fitting clothing, his answer should be an unequivocal no. She made no effort to enhance her looks the way Ann did. But then he had to acknowledge that while Madison’s hair—straight and parted down the middle—probably lacked style by Ann’s standards, the strands were glossy and thick. Madison’s ivory skin was flawless, save a few freckles on her nose. Her lips were full and naturally dusky red, and her eyes the shade of good whiskey.
He shrugged. “I suppose she is, in a granola-crunching, tree-hugging way.”
“So she’s a natural beauty. Where’s she staying?”
He didn’t like the direction this was headed. “In my guest room.” Ann’s eyes rounded. “At my father’s insistence. ‘She’s family,’ he says.”
Ann said nothing, but her folding arms communicated her objections loud and clear.
“There’s nothing going on between us, but there is something between her and my mother that I can’t figure out and Mom refuses to discuss.”
“Like...?”
“I don’t know. Before the accident they were close—so close that sometimes when I went home for the holidays I felt Madison fit into my family better than I did. Then after the memorial service she bailed. She left town without a word, a forwarding address or even a phone number. I guess my mom hasn’t gotten past that betrayal.”
“And you?”
“Have I forgiven her? I lost my brother to a car accident. She was driving and she was cited, and then she dumped settling Andrew’s estate on me. So do I hold a grudge? Yes. In the months before Andrew died he said some things about her that make me wonder if they’d still be married today if he were still alive.”
“If they weren’t, would you be interested in her?”
Where had the levelheaded woman he’d known gone? “No. Even if they weren’t together, she’d still be Andrew’s wife.”
“You sure about that? Because I’ve never heard you get this worked up about anyone before. Don’t get me wrong, Adam. I’m not jealous. I don’t have the right to be. You and I never promised each other exclusivity. And I don’t hang out with your family. So if you and she—”
The idea made his skin feel two sizes too small. He bolted to his feet. “Ann, it’s not like that.”
She studied him with her head tilted and her lips pursed. “Even if it’s not, I don’t think you should be with me when she’s occupying so much space in your head. Call me in eight weeks—if you’re still available.”
Women. Their logic escaped him. “I will be. Without a doubt. But you’re right. I’m not good company tonight. I’ll talk to you soon.”
He grabbed his coat and let himself out her door, wondering why he wasn’t disappointed that the evening hadn’t ended the way it usually did.
* * *
THE WOMAN STRIDING toward Adam in the airport looked like a different person. As she had last time, Madison wore jeans, laced-up leather work boots and a plaid button-up shirt untucked over a cotton shirt. Again she’d made no attempt to impress with her clothing, and if she wore makeup he saw no evidence of it. Her mink-brown hair draped over her shoulders to the tips of her breasts without even a trace of curl.
Unlike last time, Madison’s brisk pace carried a sense of purpose and her expression was one of determination. She looked more like a professional, confident in her abilities, than the wounded, wary victim she’d portrayed last week. Her self-assured stride caught the attention of the three other men in the echoing, otherwise empty terminal.
Madison nodded to the man behind the desk when he glanced up as she passed. He sat up straighter, then stumbled to his feet. “Evening, miss. Need help?”
“No, thanks.” She flashed a smile at the airport employee.
That smile took Adam aback. It was the first glimpse he’d seen of the woman who’d married his brother. During his trips home prior to Andrew’s accident, Madison had been bubbly, outgoing and always smiling. Her sparkle had lit up the room. Those traits had been noticeably absent last week.
“Are you sure, miss? You’re juggling quite a bit.”
“I’m sure.”
It was only then that Adam registered the plastic wheeled cooler she dragged behind her topped with a larger duffel bag as well as a smaller canvas bag slung over her shoulder. Her gaze met his, and the remnants of her smile faded. He’d been so caught up in his father’s battle that he hadn’t noticed how much she’d changed beyond her clothing size.
Her demeanor was more reserved, making her seem older and wiser, and because of the mental mileage she’d accumulated, more attractive than she’d been as a naive college coed.
No. Not attractive, he rejected instantly.
Liar.
The pretty girl had become a beautiful woman. And while she was too slender in his opinion, she didn’t look unhealthy. Too bad Andrew wasn’t here to benefit from Madison’s maturity. Or would they have divorced if he’d survived the crash? Andrew hadn’t sounded happy during their last conversation the week before he’d died, and Adam hadn’t attended Madison’s graduation party. He’d been new at his job and had chosen to save his vacation days for Christmas. He should have gone to see his brother one last time.
Adam waited for Madison to reach him. “You didn’t answer my text.”
“I didn’t think ‘Same time, same airport’ required a response.”
“What is all this?” He gestured to her bags.
“My food, my suitcase and my exercise gear.”
“I didn’t feed you well enough last time?”
“You told me to take care of myself. This time I came prepared to do so. I will not be a liability or dependent on you or your father’s staff for my meals.” She met his gaze head-on while throwing his words in his face.
A knife of discomfort pricked his ribs. He’d been an ass last week. He would never treat a hospital employee—even one he disliked—the way he’d treated Madison. Admitting that grated.
“Let’s go.” He held out a hand, carefully waiting this time for her to relinquish the cooler’s extended handle. Touching her had an effect on him that he didn’t like, couldn’t control and wouldn’t repeat.
“Have a good flight, miss,” the man called after her, earning him another smile from Madison.
Attractive women always garnered attention, and Madison had the kind of bone structure that made her eye-catching even without the makeup most women couldn’t live without. A natural beauty, Ann had said, and he guessed it fit.
But his lack of sexual interest in Ann had nothing to do with the woman beside him and everything to do with the extra stress, obligations and concerns his father’s diagnosis and surgery had put on him.
He loaded Madison’s gear, then climbed aboard and turned to help her into the plane. The current flowing from her palm to his as she slid into her seat was unwanted and best ignored. “Buckle up.”
He started his preflight checklist.
“Did your father talk to his employees yet?”
“I haven’t had an opportunity to broach the subject. You’ll have to ask him tomorrow evening.”
“You didn’t talk to him? All week?”
“Not about that. Either my mother was present or Dad was too weak. It isn’t urgent.”
“It is to me. I have to face those people tomorrow. And why couldn’t your mother be part of that conversation? You don’t want her to know he lied?”
She dug out her cell phone and offered it to him. “Call him.”
“He goes to bed right after dinner. He still lacks the stamina to do anything else, and he won’t have the energy to call each of his employees tonight.”
Not what she wanted to hear if the downward curve of her mouth was an indicator.
“Want to get out, Madison? Prove me right? Demonstrate that you don’t have any consideration for anyone but yourself?”
Her scowl deepened, and her golden-brown eyes sparked like flint. “Just get the plane in the air.”
She pulled a music player from her back pocket and inserted the ear buds rather than don the noise-cancelling headphones under her seat. The gesture made it very clear she didn’t want to talk to him during the flight. That suited him fine.
* * *
MADISON KEPT HER mouth shut during the drive from the airport. She was peeved. She couldn’t believe that in six days Adam couldn’t have found one moment to talk to Danny. Her integrity with Danny’s employees didn’t matter to him.
Adam turned the car onto a familiar road and her irritation escalated. “You didn’t get a hotel room?”
She hated to be greedy, but she knew the Drakes could afford it.
“No. Dad insists you stay with me.”
Great. She resigned herself to more sleepless nights in the shrine. She’d survived worse. She’d shove Andrew’s junk in the closet. No, on second thought, she wouldn’t give Adam that satisfaction.
They passed through the pillars and his house came into view. The garage door opened, then shut behind them, filling her with a sense of suffocation. She climbed out, took a breath and circled to the trunk. Adam had already picked up both bags and her cooler.
She followed him inside and marched toward the guest room, determined to treat it like an impersonal hotel room. She wasn’t going to let Andrew’s possessions spook her. But regardless of her vow, as she approached the closed door her feet slowed against her will.
But Adam entered a different room on the back side of the house. “You’re in here tonight. I have the air-conditioning on, but if you need to hear the bullfrogs to sleep you can open the windows.”
Dumbfounded, she blinked. His consideration surprised her. She could have sworn he’d taken pleasure in forcing her to face Andrew’s mementos. Why was he being nice? She didn’t trust his motives.
* * *
THE MOTOR HOME parked in the Drakes’ driveway was a far cry from the old pop-up camper Madison remembered from her trips with Andrew. This model was as big as a bus and had walls that extended out on either side. Like a tour bus, the door was near the front. Someone, likely Helen, had flanked the entrance with pots containing red and white geraniums and petunias, and added a welcome mat.
The door flew open before Adam’s fist could connect. Helen wore a scowl. Her pallor and the tension carving lines in her face shocked Madison. She looked even worse today than she had last week.
“Why are you knocking?” Helen had her purse strap hooked over her forearm and keys in her hand.
“Hello, Mother.”
“I need groceries.” Helen barged down the steps before they could ascend. “Dinner’s in the kitchen. Your father has already eaten. Please keep an eye on him and convince him to get in bed if you can.”
Helen directed her comments toward Adam and didn’t even acknowledge Madison as she passed.
Adam, concern clear in his eyes, took a step after his mother. Madison grabbed his forearm. “Let her go. She probably needs a break.”
His muscles tensed beneath her fingertips, then his head slowly turned her way. She saw concern in his blue-green eyes before he lowered his gaze to her hand, making her aware of her instinctive trespass. She shouldn’t have touched him.
Withdrawing her hand, she wished she could attribute her skyrocketing pulse to Helen’s snub, but the tingling sensation that traveled up her arm before raining down like hot ash into her belly made the truth undeniable.
The slam of the car door was a welcome distraction. Madison watched Helen back her sedan out of the driveway and disappear around the corner.
“Don’t just stand there. Bring my girl inside,” Danny called out from the bus.
“After you.” Adam swept a hand, indicating Madison precede him.
Grateful that she wouldn’t have to visit Danny in the house that held so many memories or worse yet, the hospital, she climbed the stairs and found herself standing between the leather driver and passenger’s seats. A large living room as wide as her den at home lay in front of her. Danny was stretched out in a leather recliner beside a fireplace.
A fireplace in a motor home? Above that, a big-screen TV hung on the wall and a long leather sofa occupied the opposite wall. She had no experience with this method of travel, and the luxuriousness of the house on wheels overwhelmed her.
“Maddie, come in and have a seat.”
She crossed the tile floor, stopping in front of Danny with an awkwardness she couldn’t suppress. He extended one arm, demanding a hug. She quickly and gingerly embraced him, then stepped back. She would not let herself come to depend on such demonstrations again.
“You have more color in your face than the last time I saw you,” she observed with her best clinical detachment.
“Hospitals drain the life out of you.”
His words brought a quick jab of pain. She caught herself pressing a hand to her stomach and lowered it to her side. “Yes, they do.”
She averted her face and caught Adam watching her.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Yes.” She wasn’t, but she’d rather Adam believe that than know about the grief that still took bites out of her at unexpected moments.
He passed her, heading toward the galley kitchen. Were those granite countertops? He piled food on two plates. Having him serve her was unsettling in ways she couldn’t even begin to explain. It made her feel cared for.... And that couldn’t be further from the truth. She was a necessary evil to the Drakes—except for Danny—and she’d best not forget that.
She perched on the edge of the sofa, deliberately angling away from Adam, but her ears were attuned to his every move.
“How did it go at the office today?” The hunger in Danny’s eyes plucked her sympathy strings. He’d lived for two things when she’d known him—his practice and his Corvette.
“We had a good day. Busy, but your crew is top-notch even without their captain. Why did you lie to them about your cancer, Danny?”
“Madison—” Adam rebuked.
Danny sliced a silencing hand. “It’s a valid question, son.”
“I told her you didn’t want to worry your employees about their job security.”
“That’s part of it. Primarily I didn’t want my clients deserting me like rats do a sinking ship. Cancer is a death sentence to a private practice. If people believed there was a small chance I wouldn’t make it, they’d start looking for a new vet. And if the doctors are wrong and I can’t return to work, I’ll have to sell out. I want the business to have as much value as possible. Your mother has become accustomed to things like this.” His gesture encompassed the motor home. “I want her to continue to have them.”
That made sense, but it left Madison in a difficult position. “You expect me to keep lying for you.”
“It would be best. For now.”
“No.” Danny opened his mouth again, but she cut him off. “I won’t volunteer the truth, but I will not lie for you. You won’t be sidelined for long—I know you better than that. You might not feel up to it this week or next, but soon you’ll want to get out of this RV and exercise your brain. You’ll have days when you’ll be strong enough to go into the office for a few hours even if all you do is sit at your desk and review files. And when you do, you won’t be able to hide the toll that chemo will take on your body. You’ll need your staff’s support until you’re back to one hundred percent. You won’t get that by lying to them.”
“It’ll be a while before he’s ready to return to the office,” Adam said as he put a plate in the microwave.
“You never know. The meds affect people differently. Some have it rough. Some have few side effects.”
“And you know this how?” Adam asked.
“I’ve seen a lot of patients and their pets through cancer treatment.” Madison turned her attention to Danny. “There’s one more thing I don’t understand. You told me you scheduled your surgery the Monday after I agreed to come, yet your staff knew about an upcoming surgery for a month.”
Adam’s head whipped around. “What? How long have you known, Dad?”
Danny shifted, his expression turning guarded. “About three months,” he admitted grudgingly.
“And you said nothing?” Anger tinged Adam’s voice. “Why?”
“I needed time to come to terms with the diagnosis, to investigate my options and get my ducks in a row.”
“You should’ve told me, Dad.”
“And you would have told your mother. What difference do a few months make?” Danny’s serious expression morphed into a smile. “You and I practicing side by side again. I’m looking forward to that day, Maddie.”
“As long as you remember it will be temporary. I’m not coming back permanently, Danny. You need to accept that, and stop encouraging your staff to expect it. I’m happy with my little rural practice.”
“You can’t be. You’re too smart to stagnate in some backwater town.”
“I’m not stagnating.” Was she? “I get to treat large and small animals there—like I wanted to do back when I started college, before I met Andrew and you asked me to join your small animal practice.”
“I may not treat horses or cattle, but I get more variety than you.”
“True. But I love helping people make a living and that’s what tending livestock does. Remember, I’m a farm girl at heart, and I see a lot of patients on the barter system. Just because someone doesn’t have money doesn’t mean they couldn’t benefit from loving a pet.”
“The risk of getting hurt is higher with large animals. You’re too fragile—”
“I’m stronger than I look, and it’s a chance I’m willing to take. Which brings up another concern. Why have you been spying on me, Danny? And for how long?”
“You call watching out for you spying? Is it wrong to care how you’re doing? You’re family, Madison. I gave you the space you needed to process your grief, but I needed to know you were okay.”
He cared. Emotion squeezed her throat. She gulped it down—she was not family. “I’m better than okay. Jim tells me you’ve finished restoring your Corvette.”
Danny beamed. “Yes. Why do you think I had time to start on the house renovations?”
“I need a car while I’m here, Danny. I don’t like being stranded or taking Adam out of his way, and your practice is on the opposite side of town from the hospital. Since you’re not driving yours...”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Adam’s head snap up, proving he’d been listening.
“Maddie, I love you, but I’m not loaning you the ’Vette. She’s too temperamental.”
“And too valuable,” Adam added.
She ignored Adam. “Then loan me your bicycle. I can bike to work each morning. I brought my helmet and riding shoes.”
“Bike to work in Norcross? It’s not safe. As much as I love this town, the drivers are too aggressive.”
“But—”
“You and Adam end up here every evening anyway, so it’s only a few miles out of the way in the mornings.”
The microwave beeped. She ignored it. “Then how about a rental car?”
“I’m afraid to spend the money when you’re only bringing in a fraction of my usual income and my medical bills are piling up.”
She’d bet the motor home cost more than her entire farm. This wasn’t about the money. “You like me dependent on Adam.”
Danny shrugged and winced. “I like him seeing to your safety. You were raised in a small town, and you’ve been living in one long enough to forget what goes on in a metropolitan area.”
Another valid argument, but she knew she was being played. “I’m not that naive. It’s what Adam said. You don’t trust me to fulfill my promise. Danny, if I wanted to cause trouble I could do more damage to your practice by wreaking havoc with your patients. Either you trust me. Or you don’t.”
“Of course I trust you, Maddie. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be here. Now, who did you treat today?”
Stymied, she bit her tongue and let him change the subject. She wasn’t getting anywhere. “You want a rundown of everyone who came through the door?”
“Each one you can remember.”
“You’re obviously feeling better, Dad, if you want to talk shop,” Adam said.
He settled on the sofa beside her and offered her a plate. She took the dish and their fingers brushed. Her mouth watered and her heart quickened. But that was only her appetite making an enthusiastic appearance because she’d spotted Helen’s fried chicken and homemade macaroni and cheese—her favorite foods.
“Dad, if you want Madison to have the stamina to run your practice, let her eat.”
“But—”
“You can talk after dinner.”
The frustration on Danny’s face was clear, but so was his exhaustion. For a man who lived for his work, it had to be horrible being kept from it. Another wave of empathy washed through her. As he’d said, being a sole provider came with risks that a larger, multidoctor office did not. If something happened to her, she, like Danny, had no one to cover her caseload. But for her it wouldn’t be financially feasible to use the substitute service. Danny, on the other hand, had enough clients to cover the substantial fee.
June’s grandfather had passed away a year before Madison had bought the practice. The area animals had gone without routine care during that period and only dire circumstances had been enough to warrant a long drive to another facility. Madison felt guilty for not being there now. But this was a temporary measure. A means to an end that would bring her peace of mind. Eventually.
She pushed the worry aside and focused on Danny’s tired face. “Tomorrow I’ll bring you the patients’ files. You can review my treatment protocol and tell me if you approve. If necessary, I’ll make follow-up calls next week.”
In her peripheral vision she saw Adam’s head swivel her way. She resisted as long as she could before looking at him. The approval in those eyes meant far more than it should. And when he mouthed a silent “Thank you,” her insides went warm.
She tamped down the reaction. His opinion of her should not—did not—matter.