Madison sank to her knees in front of Mama’s grave. Her dress was already ruined by the rust smudges, so a little dirt wouldn’t hurt it now. Her eyes filled with tears as she read the headstone: Charlene Myers Wallace Daughter, Wife, Mother, Friend Matthew 6:21
She pulled her phone out of her purse and opened her favorite Bible app. Every Sunday she was always afraid the preacher would think she was texting in church, but really she loved being able to have the Bible with her everywhere she went. It even had a cool audio feature that allowed her to listen to the scriptures instead of reading them. Every time she had to fly, the soothing words calmed her nerves.
The verse in Matthew had been her Mama’s favorite verse, one she’d quoted so many times when Madison was a little girl.
“‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ “
Madison traced her fingers over the birth and death years embossed on the stone. Mama had only been a few years older than Brook was now when she’d died of breast cancer. Madison remembered exactly how she’d felt the day the casket had been lowered into the grave. With Grandma on one side of her and Brook on the other, she had stood trembling, a fifteen-year-old about to become an adult overnight. Brook was a freshman in college who rarely came home, and Daddy spent the next three years lost at the bottom of a bottle.
Madison had fended for herself okay, but those milestones in a teenage girl’s life—her first date, picking out a prom dress, applying to college—had been lonely reminders of what she’d lost. At first she’d tried to imagine what her mama would’ve said on each occasion, but soon it had become too painful.
She plucked a rose from the container that she guessed Brook had left at the base of the headstone. Was she selfish for staying away for so long? Or had that been the only way she could survive the pain?
“Mama, would you be proud of me? I did what you weren’t able to—left this town and tried to make something of myself.” Madison wanted to believe that her mama would’ve been happy with the way she’d turned out. But there’d been a niggling doubt about that ever since her conversation with Scott last week. He’d made no effort to hide his disapproval.
Lord, help me to face the past. Give me patience and wisdom as I deal with my daddy. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees. She hated that Grant had been with her for this. But at least he’d given her some privacy. She walked toward the bench where he sat. It wasn’t that she thought he was a jerk or anything, but he was the kind of guy she’d made sure never to get involved with. The outdoorsy, no-ambition kind of guy who’d be content to stay in a rural town forever.
Just like her daddy.
So no matter how cute he was, with his blond curls and tanned skin, she’d just have to stay strong. She marched over to where he sat fiddling with the GPS. “We can go now,” she announced.
He looked up. “Are you okay?”
At the concern in his voice and on his face, she almost faltered. But he wasn’t the kind of guy she needed to confide in. She tossed her hair. “I’m fine.” He’d seen her too vulnerable already. Time to toughen up. “What’s next on the agenda?”
“How about we grab a bite to eat somewhere?” he asked as they headed toward the truck.
She wrinkled her nose. That seemed an awful lot like a date. “What did you have in mind?”
He opened the squeaky truck door and waited for her to slide in.
“Nowhere fancy. We can just grab fast food and eat on the way to the next cache.” He fired up the engine. “If that’s okay with you.”
She shrugged. “Don’t you think the truck is kind of … dirty to be eating inside of it?”
Grant rolled his eyes. “It might not be five-star like you’re probably used to, but it would save us time.” He raised an eyebrow. “But if you insist on going in somewhere and eating together, it’s fine by me.” He turned onto Highway 54 and headed toward Osage Beach.
His tone of voice irritated her. Like he’d be doing her a favor by gracing her with his presence at the lunch table. “You know what? Driving through for burgers is fine.”
Grant slowed down as they approached a McDonalds. “This okay?”
“Fine.”
He pulled into the parking lot. “It will probably be quicker if we order inside.”
She was dying to use the restroom, so that was fine by her. “Okay.” She slid across the seat and hopped out of the truck.
“You’re an old pro at that now.” He grinned.
Madison rolled her eyes and followed him inside. The cold air conditioning was a welcome relief from the heat. “Here’s a five.” She handed him a bill. “Just get me a burger and a chocolate shake.” She hurried off to wash her hands and see if she could do anything about the splotches of rust and dirt on her dress.
Grant watched her go and shook his head. Just when he’d decided she was horrible and spoiled, she’d been a lot of fun as a geocaching partner. But then she’d been uptight again in the truck on the way here, acting like eating inside the vehicle was beneath her.
He wished she’d pick a side and stay there.
Grant quickly placed their order and waited at the counter.
“I’ll stand here if you want to go wash up,” Madison said.
He glanced at her. Her hair was freshly brushed, and it looked like she’d touched up her lipstick. “Sorry about the rusty spots.” He nodded toward the skirt of her sundress.
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ve had this for a long time.”
Ten minutes later they were back in the truck.
Grant picked up the GPS and turned it on.
“Are there any other caches nearby?” she asked.
He scrolled down the list. “There’s one on the way back to Brook’s house. Are you up for one more?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“This is another easy one that we should just be able to park and grab. Not much hiking.” He pulled onto the highway. “Did you ever go over to Ha Ha Tonka State Park when you were a kid?” The park, located just south of Camdenton, was one of his favorite places. In fact, the section of the Lake of the Ozarks that ran through there was where he liked to fish. “Of course.”
“There are several caches around there. I was thinking, maybe we can plan to spend all day there one day next week. I’ve got work to do the next two days, and I promised Grandpa I’d help him do some repair work at his house on Saturday. But maybe Monday?”
She nodded. “Monday works. I’ve got some stuff I need to do this week anyway.”
“Just a hint though,” he said, glancing over at her. “You might want to dress for hiking. Do you have sturdy shoes? Hiking boots?”
She furrowed her brows. “I’m sure I can find something suitable.” She turned her attention back to her burger.
At least he’d made the suggestion. Whether she wanted to take it was up to her. But from what he could tell, some of the caches at Ha Ha Tonka would take some major hiking. And if she showed up in flip-flops on Monday, he didn’t know what he’d do.
“Brook told me you just moved here a year ago.” Madison glanced over at him. “Where had you been living before that?”
“I’m originally from a little town in Arkansas called Flippin. It’s on Bull Shoals Lake. My dad worked for Ranger Boats until he retired.”
“So that explains your love of fishing?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I guess. Grandpa and Dad took me fishing all the time when I was a kid.” He wasn’t ready to tell her that he’d been a professional bass fisherman for several years. He had a feeling she wouldn’t be impressed by that, just like his ex-girlfriend hadn’t been. In fact, his choice of career had eventually led to the demise of that relationship.
“I think my daddy was disappointed he didn’t have boys to take fishing. Brook went with him, but I never did.” Madison crumpled the wrapper from her burger and tossed it into the bag.
“Is your dad still around these parts?” he asked. She nodded. “Yeah. He still lives in Roach.” “I guess he was glad to see you.”
Madison didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I haven’t been to see him yet, actually.” She cleared her throat. “He and I … well, we don’t get along.”
“I’m sorry.” He flipped on the blinker and turned into the parking lot of the park where the next cache was supposed to be. Relationships were complicated, that was for sure. He and his parents had gone through some rocky times, but they’d remained close.
“Don’t be. Those things happen. I’m going to visit him this week, and we’ll see how it goes.”
He knew forced cheerfulness when he heard it. “I’ll pray that the reunion goes well.” He turned off the engine and turned to look at her.
Madison widened her brown eyes. “Thanks,” she said softly. “I can use all the prayers I can get.”
“We all can.” He climbed out of the truck and offered her his hand.
She hesitated then accepted his help.
And as soon as he felt the electricity pass between them, he immediately wished he’d not been so gallant.