MADISON PERCHED ON the edge of her chair, last night’s conversation with Adam still ricocheting around in her brain, the way it had been all day. Helen flitted about the kitchen like a nervous hummingbird. No wonder her ex-mother-in-law couldn’t stand to look at her—Andrew had filled their heads with lies. But informing Helen that her precious son had been a liar was hardly what the woman needed to hear right now.
A mouthwatering fragrance filled the motor home, but the idea of eating made Madison queasy. Danny looked pale and drawn. “You should be in bed instead of entertaining me.”
“I’m sick of that bed. I’ve been there all day.”
“I didn’t come to stay. I just wanted to drop off today’s files before I headed north.”
“Leave the rental car at the depot here and let Adam fly you home after dinner,” Danny implored.
Adam... She’d avoided him this morning by slipping out of his house while he was in the shower. And if she had her way she’d be out of Norcross before he arrived at his parents’ tonight. She checked her watch. She needed to hit the road now.
“Thanks, but no. I don’t mind the drive. It gives me time to get my thoughts together for the week ahead.”
“If you take the car you won’t get back until 2:00 a.m.”
“That’s one of the reasons I need to leave now. Tomorrow will be a long day playing catch-up. I feel bad enough that I left my assistant to do all the setup for our week ahead.”
“You could live better if you charged more for your services, Maddie.”
“But I couldn’t live with myself. I work in a rural farming community. Folks back home are doing everything they can to make ends meet. My clientele is very different from yours.”
“It hurts me to see you wasting your talents. You’re better than this.”
“I don’t want anything bigger or better or different. I love my farm and my practice.” She pushed to her feet. “I forgot to tell you, I checked in with Mrs. Woods this morning. She wants to keep that momma cat, which she has named Silver Lining. I promised we’d help her find homes for the kittens in a few weeks, and that I’d spay Silver after the kittens are weaned. Anyway, rest up, Danny, and good luck with your second chemo on Friday. I’ll see you next week.”
He held out a hand. She placed hers in it. He squeezed weakly and tugged her down for a hug. “Take care, Maddie. I’ll be waiting until you come again. I might need you to spring me from this joint. I love you, girl.”
Madison heart skipped a beat. Love you, girl. The phrase he’d used so often in the past rocked her, scattering her composure. She struggled to regain it.
“Behave, Danny. Don’t give Helen a hard time. Goodbye, Helen.”
Her ex-mother-in-law paused in wiping the counter, her face an emotionless mask. “Thank you for the groceries.”
Then she resumed her task. Madison assured herself she wasn’t disappointed by the lackluster response.
“You’re welcome.” She hustled out the door. Adam’s car turning into the drive dropped an anchor of dismay in her stomach. So much for a clean getaway. He climbed from the vehicle. The brisk evening breeze stirred his hair and flattened his shirt against his lean abdomen. Her mouth dried.
“Where’re you going?” he asked as he closed the distance between them.
“Home.”
“You’re not visiting Dad?”
“I already did. He needs to be in bed and he won’t go if I’m here.”
Scowling, Adam reached into his pocket, then offered her a roll of bills. She kept her hands by her sides. “What’s that?”
“Money to cover the food you purchased and gas for the trip.”
“I don’t need your money.” Her momma had always said pride would be her downfall. That thought unearthed another can of worms that she refused to open.
“You need to fill up the rental before you return it or they’ll charge the fuel to my card. I’ll pay for it either way. It’s cheaper if you do it on your own.”
That was true. She swallowed her pride, took the wad and counted the twenties. “This is two hundred dollars. I won’t need that much.”
He heaved an exasperated breath. “Then give me the change next week, Madison. I’m not going to argue over a few bucks with you. Text me when you arrive.”
“It’ll be the middle of the night.”
“Do it anyway. Do you have a ride from the agency or do you need to keep the car and turn it in tomorrow?”
“I left my truck parked in their lot.” As long as Ol’ Blue started she’d be good to go. If not, she’d sleep in the camper shell. It wouldn’t be the first time.
He stared into her eyes until she was ready to climb out of her skin. Her pulse fluttered irregularly. She blinked to break the connection.
“See if you can get your dad to bed. He’s wiped out.”
Adam nodded, then headed for the motor home.
Tension drained from Madison. She’d survived another week. Only five more to go. Then Adam paused at the top of the stairs and looked back. Their gazes met and her hormones shot off like a Fourth of July fireworks display gone haywire.
What was wrong with her?
She was going to need the long ride to get her head on straight, because despite everything she’d learned this weekend about Andrew’s underhandedness, her hormones were apparently still nostalgic for the past. For another Drake. One who was exactly like her husband and yet different in every way.
* * *
MAYBE MADISON’S EARLY departure hadn’t been as selfish as Adam had believed. His father looked bad—his face and even his lips were colorless. And as Madison had said, he should be in bed.
Adam scanned the living area. The smells permeating the air made his stomach growl in anticipation. He’d been in hostile negotiations all day and had skipped lunch. But there was no sign of his mother. “Where’s Mom?”
Before Danny could answer, the bedroom door opened, and Helen came out wearing her walking clothes and sneakers. She looked almost as rough as his dad.
“Hello, dear.” She dusted a kiss across Adam’s cheek without meeting his gaze. “Go ahead and eat. It’s roasted pork chops with vegetables—full of the nutrients your father needs. Make him eat if you can. I’ll be back in a while.” She let herself out the door.
Him? If her snide tone hadn’t clued Adam in that something was wrong between his parents, her frozen expression would have. He hadn’t seen that numb look since Andrew’s funeral. But he didn’t follow her out to ask what was bothering her. He and his mom had never had the confidant type of relationship.
He turned to his father. “Should I ask what that was about?”
“She’s been hovering. Practically worrying me to death. I can’t even vomit without an audience.” He looked at his hands. “I might’ve upset her when I told her to get out of the bathroom.”
“Cut her some slack. She’s scared.”
“You think I’m not?” his father snapped. Then instantly his face filled with regret.
That was the first time his father had admitted to fear. Prior to this he’d acted as if having lung cancer was no more serious than getting a cavity filled.
“I know you are, Dad. But we’ll get you through this. You have the best oncology team in the area. I did the research and made damned sure of that.”
His father stared into the unlit fireplace. The creases on his forehead and around his mouth cut deeper than ever. But as rough as he looked, his hair had been combed. His dad was vain about his thick salt-and-pepper hair and had been seeing the same overpriced stylist for decades. How would he handle losing it? Odds were it would start coming out soon.
“What if I don’t make it, son?” Adam stiffened in apprehension. Did his father know something he didn’t? “Will you look after your mother? All she does is shop and cook. She has no clue how to manage our finances or—”
“That’s not going to be an issue.”
“But what if it is? Don’t hide your head in the sand, Adam. What if I’m one of the ones who doesn’t come through this?”
“You only had one tumor, Dad, and it was less than three centimeters in diameter. Your survival rate after surgery should be close to one hundred percent unless the doctors have told you something they haven’t told me.”
“They haven’t. Their fancy scans haven’t identified any more tumors. Yet. You know surgery increases the likelihood of spreading the bad cells?”
“Your team is hitting hard and fast with the chemo to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is the one cancer that hasn’t been proved to respond to chemo.”
“It’s better to take the precaution.”
“Damn it, it’s not fair. I never smoked.”
“I’m sure they told you BAC is more common in nonsmokers. The good news is that means your lungs aren’t already compromised by years of smoking.”
“I don’t know if I can take six weeks of this.”
Anxiety clenched Adam’s gut. What choice did his father have if he wanted to survive? “The first day after chemo is the toughest. You’ll feel better tomorrow and even more so on Thursday.”
“Then they’ll hit me with another treatment on Friday and I’ll feel like death all weekend. I’m going to ask them to move Monday’s chemo treatments to Tuesdays—at least then I’ll have one good day with Madison before they hit me again.”
Unfortunately, true, if they stuck to the prescribed regimen. “I’m sorry, Dad. I know it’s hard. But it’s a short-term misery for a long-term goal. Focus on that if you can.” Wanting to change the subject Adam crossed to the kitchen. “Dinner smells good. Want me to fix you a plate?”
“It probably won’t stay down.” Hearing the defeat in his father’s voice was hard. Danny Drake had never been short on ego or confidence. He couldn’t give up now or—
No. He couldn’t give up. End of subject.
“Try some food. You need to keep up your strength.” Adam served the meal his mother had left on the stovetop. He set the plate and a glass of ginger ale on a TV tray in front of his father, but Danny made no attempt to pick up his fork or glass.
“The infusion center really shook up Helen. There were a lot of sick people there. I don’t know if she can handle going back.”
It didn’t sound like his mother was the only one who’d been rattled by the visit. “She’s a caretaker. She’ll want to be with you. Mom’s pretty tough.”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. Since Andrew died she’s been clingy, morose and stuck in the past. Some days he’s all she talks about. You missed most of that when you were living out of state, and you don’t come around often enough now to see past the act she puts on for you. But Andrew was here almost every day—to get a free meal, to get his laundry done. She loved that.”
Guilt took a bite out of Adam. “I’ve been coming every day lately. But I do my own laundry, and I don’t need to be waited on. Have you talked to her about seeing someone?”
“I tried. She gets too emotional, and she’s beyond listening to reason. She’s been downright rude to Madison, and we need Madison here. I can’t afford to have your mother run her off.”
A week ago Adam would have insisted they could do fine without Madison, but after seeing the way she handled his father... Maybe they did need her. “Mom’s been through a lot, and it sounds like Andrew might not have been completely honest with us.”
Danny’s eyes snapped up. He searched Adam’s face. “It’s about damned time someone got Madison’s side of the story.”
“Are you confirming Andrew lied?”
“Adam, I loved your brother, but loving him doesn’t mean I didn’t see his faults and didn’t know that he always put number one first. Madison was the best choice he ever made. She was strong where he was weak, and ambitious when he was apathetic. He was a better man when she was around. But she raised the bar around here, and he couldn’t keep being lazy and meet her standards.
“Andrew could be pretty convincing when he wanted something, and I always suspected he might’ve embellished the truth. How much remains to be seen. I never once believed Madison capable of having an affair—no matter what Andrew said. I saw the results of the extra hours she put in. But he had your mother convinced that Madison was as shallow as a petri dish.”
And him, Adam admitted. He had a lot of research ahead to filter fact from fiction. But that would have to wait until the crises at work and with his father had passed. By then what Andrew had done wouldn’t matter, because Madison would be long gone. And that moment couldn’t come too soon.
Whether Andrew had told the truth or not was irrelevant. Madison would always be his brother’s wife. He would not fill his brother’s shoes. And he definitely would not fill his brother’s bed.
* * *
RESENTMENT BURNED IN Helen’s belly. “I love you, girl,” she mimicked Danny’s words to Madison and then glanced around to make sure no one had overheard her talking to herself. But the professionally tended yards around her were empty.
She couldn’t remember the last time Danny had told her he loved her. Not in years. And she was honest enough to admit she resented Madison sweeping in like a savior, running the practice, buying groceries and entertaining Danny. By doing so Madison had managed to make Helen feel unprepared, neglectful and inadequate in her own home. The same way Madison had made Andrew feel.
Helen knew she should’ve gotten the shopping list sooner, but... She kicked a piece of gravel. It rolled and bounced along the asphalt, finally coming to rest on the edge of an emerald-green lawn.
Part of not preparing for Danny’s care after chemo had been denial, she admitted to herself reluctantly. She hadn’t wanted to believe Danny’s reaction to the medicines would be this bad. She’d hoped he’d be one of the patients who went on as usual with few to no side effects. Instead, he looked far worse than she’d ever seen him. And it terrified her. The man was rarely ever sick, and even when he had been, he’d never missed a day of work. Seeing him struggle today to lift a glass to his lips tore her apart.
She rounded the curve and spotted three of her neighbors coming her way. She’d dubbed them the supercilious trio, because the women thought themselves better than everyone else. They’d moved into houses formerly occupied by Helen’s friends.
It was too late to turn around. They’d already seen her. She didn’t need them now, not when her nerves were already frayed to the snapping point. Blanking her expression, she quickened her pace, nodding hello and hoping to pass without speaking. The women were twenty years younger than Helen and career focused like Madison. The few times she’d interacted with them at neighborhood functions they’d acted as if Helen was a housewife because she wasn’t smart enough to be anything else.
And maybe she wasn’t. She was certainly failing Danny. No. She had her priorities right. Her family had always come first. But if something happened to Danny, how would she support herself? It didn’t help that Madison had said the same thing years ago when she’d tried to coerce Helen into going back to school.
But no, she wouldn’t think that way. Danny would be fine.
Her neighbors wore perfectly coordinated exercise clothing and each looked as if she’d just stepped out of the salon. Helen hadn’t even checked herself in a mirror before racing out. She’d been up since five this morning and hadn’t checked her makeup since putting it on.
“How are the renovations coming?” one asked as they drew alongside. They all stopped, forcing her to do the same.
“The remodel’s on hold for now.” They didn’t know about Danny and she wasn’t going to tell them.
“We were wondering how long the motor home would be parked in your driveway,” the second added.
“Until we no longer need it.” She laced the phrase with a saccharine smile.
“What’s the holdup? Did you run out of money to pay the contractor?”
The insult snapped her spine as tight as a kite string. “Danny prefers to do the work himself. He’s very skilled with his power tools and loves creating things when his busy practice allows him a few moments of free time.”
Since none of these women’s husbands even owned a lawn mower, Helen doubted they could identify a power tool at the hardware store. It saddened her to see professional companies mowing their yards and trimming their shrubs. Her sons had learned responsibility by doing those chores, and Adam had made money mowing yards while neighbors were on vacation.
“Isn’t having that thing parked in the yard against neighborhood covenants or something?” the third chimed in.
“Danny and I were the first homeowners to buy and build in this development. There were no covenants then and aren’t now.”
Dear heaven, she was being a bi—witch. Her grandmother would be ashamed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my husband and son are waiting for their home-cooked dinner.”
She hustled back toward her house. Even listening to Danny singing Madison’s praises was better than hearing these waspy women buzz.
* * *
“THANKS FOR COMING early,” Adam said as Madison met him beside the airplane Sunday afternoon. “I hope it wasn’t an inconvenience.”
As it had every other time, seeing Adam did crazy things to Madison’s equilibrium. “Meeting at three instead of six forced me to juggle a few things, but I managed. What’s the rush?”
Adam took her cooler and bag. The accidental touch of their fingers made her heart trip. If it affected him at all he covered it well. Then she noticed the splash of red on his neck and the extra firmness of his mouth. Knowing he wasn’t unaffected was not a good thing.
“Dad wants to have a Sunday dinner like the good ol’ days. He’s afraid he won’t be fit company on Tuesday after his next infusion, and he’s determined to squeeze in two visits with you each week.”
Madison’s heart ached in sympathy, confirming she’d totally failed at keeping herself detached from the Drake family.
“How did he handle Friday’s?”
“Not great. He’ll be weaker each time he goes in. But he was well enough this morning to make demands.”
They boarded the plane and Adam fell into his usual takeoff procedures, but the atmosphere wasn’t filled with resentment this time. She preferred the tension. It kept her hormones in check.
Flying to get her was both expensive and time-consuming, but if he resented either she had yet to see him show evidence of it to his parents. Andrew never would have been so generous. He’d have made sure everyone knew how much he was putting himself out.
Determined to keep her thoughts from wandering into the danger zone of comparing brothers, she pulled out the stack of veterinary magazines Danny had loaned her and immersed herself in reading each from cover to cover. Adam didn’t interrupt and she preferred it that way. Really, she did.
Other than an occasional glance out the window to check the scenery and their progress, she kept her nose in the pages until they’d landed. Not that she hadn’t been distracted occasionally by the competent way Adam handled the controls or his deep voice talking to someone on the other end of the radio.
In the same situation Andrew would have demanded her attention and even done foolish things to get it. He used to swerve the car or slam on brakes when she had her face buried in a textbook just so she’d look up. One thing was for sure, she’d have never trusted Andrew at the controls of an airplane. With hindsight she realized he’d often been like a child squealing, “Look at me!” Adam didn’t need his ego stroked with attention.
When the wheels rolled to a stop, she marked her place for the transfer from the plane to the car, then read some more. Rude? Maybe. Smart? Definitely.
“Are the articles that engrossing?”
“Yes, but more important, I borrowed the magazines from Danny. I want to return them.” She didn’t lift her head again until he turned off the car engine and she discovered he’d parked by the Drakes’ motor home.
Gathering the magazines she’d finished, she pushed open her door. “Could you unlock the trunk?”
“Why?”
“I need to get some things out of the cooler.”
Adam did as she requested. Madison stacked three containers on top of the magazines. Her tower slipped precariously.
“Let me have those.” He took the resealable plastic bowls, and again their hands collided. She had the same breath-catching, heart-hiccupping reaction as before. Their gazes met and held, and the awareness of that blasted kiss arced between them. She ducked her head on the pretext of checking to see if she’d left anything behind, breaking the connection.
Four more weeks and she’d never have to see him again. Her life would return to normal.
Helen met them at the door. Everything about her, from her drawn face, flat hair and wrinkled clothing, screamed exhaustion. Madison ached to wrap her arms around her former mother-in-law and reassure her, but the gesture wouldn’t be welcome.
“Hello, Helen.”
Helen nodded. Her neutral expression brightened when she spotted the containers in Adam’s hands. “What did you bring us, dear?”
“Madison brought a surprise.”
Helen’s lips curled downward. “What kind of surprise?”
Madison climbed the stairs and entered the living area, trying not to be put off by the woman’s cool reception and suspicious tone. Danny looked worse than Helen. “Hi, Danny. I brought a few things to try to tempt your taste buds.”
He held out his hand. She set the magazines on a small table and crossed to give him the hug he demanded. He wasn’t wearing the cologne he usually doused on liberally—another sign that he wasn’t himself. Was that because chemo made his sense of smell more sensitive or was he just too sick or tired to care?
“What do you have there, Maddie?” he asked after she straightened.
“I brought batches of my grandma’s banana-pudding and chicken-salad recipes, and my tenant’s famous double-chocolate brownies.”
“You’ve learned to bake?” Helen asked and Madison grimaced.
“No. I’m afraid that’s a lost cause. June made the brownies for us.” June had made them for Madison, but she would share.
“Banana pudding is my favorite,” Danny said. “And Helen always loved your chicken salad. You’re a good girl, Maddie.”
“It’s the least I could do.”
“I’ll try some of that pudding,” Danny said.
Helen frown deepened. “You haven’t had dinner.”
“Life’s short. Dessert first,” he protested.
Helen shot Madison a now-look-what-you’ve-done look, then retrieved a stack of plates. She gave Danny small helpings of everything, including the pot roast from the cast-iron Dutch oven on the stove.
Danny went straight for the dessert. He put a forkful in his mouth and rolled it around as if testing it. “Mmm. You never gave Helen this recipe, did you?”
Helen hadn’t asked for it or the chicken-salad recipe. “No.”
“Serve yourselves.” Helen gestured to the plates on the counter.
Adam indicated Madison go first. She fixed a plate, keeping an eye on Helen’s drawn face as she did so. Danny’s treatment was hard on her. Madison carried the filled plate to her former mother-in-law. Helen looked surprised. “I can fix my own.”
“I know you can, but please, sit down. Get off your feet.”
She hesitated. “I— Thank you.”
Madison returned to the kitchen, fixed herself a plate then sat across from Helen at the table, aware of Adam’s eyes on her every step of the way.
Helen watched Danny. “Danny Drake, you’re not eating my pork roast.”
“My jaw aches too much to chew.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Helen protested. “I could have fixed something else.”
“Because I whine enough already,” he snapped.
“It’s not whining, Dad. Your nutrition is important. If you need softer foods you need to say so. Mom can’t read your mind.”
The three seemed locked in a standoff. Madison decided to defuse the situation. “Helen, why don’t you take a few hours for yourself tomorrow evening? Adam and I will take care of dinner and stay with Danny until you get home.”
“Why would I do that?” Suspicion once again filled her tone. Dealing with Helen reminded Madison of trying to befriend a dog that had been beaten.
“Tuesday’s chemo is going to be hard on both of you. You should rest up while you have the chance. Go see a movie, grab dinner with a friend, have your hair done or get a massage. Do something for yourself.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need your food or your help.”
“Helen!” Danny protested.
Helen glared at Adam. “Did you put her up to this?”
“No, Mom, and frankly giving you some time to yourself never occurred to me, although it should have. Madison’s trying to help.”
Madison ignored her hurt feelings. “Helen, you need to take care of you so that you have the strength and endurance to take care of Danny.”
Helen’s anger faded and her eyes filled with tears. Blinking furiously, she turned away. When she faced Madison again she’d regained control. “I don’t want to put anyone out.”
“You’re not. We’ll be here anyway. Right, Adam?” Madison turned to the man seated beside her for backup and found him once again studying her as if she were a new species.
“Right. I’ll bring Dad an order of breadsticks and some minestrone soup from his favorite Italian restaurant.”
“He’d like that.” Helen hesitated. “And...so would I. Thank you for suggesting it, Madison. And thank you for the chicken salad. Danny’s right. I always loved your grandmother’s recipe and if you’ll share it I’d like to get it from you.”
“Of course.” And that, Madison decided, was a step in the right direction toward repaying the Drakes for the kindness they’d shown her before they’d turned on her. Before long she’d have a clean slate, and she’d be able to walk away without a backward glance.