“I know just what you need.”
Madeline’s attention snapped back to the present, and she blinked over at her assistant. “I’m sorry?”
Laurie Beth rolled her eyes and grinned. “Boss lady, you’ve been a million miles away this week. How about you take a break and come to my book club tonight?”
As much as she wanted to deny it, Madeline had been distracted this week. She still felt rotten about what she’d said to Tanner, and how frosty their parting had been. The women at the office had invited her out a few times that week, but she’d used the unpacking excuse to sit at home and wallow in the misery of being stuck here. All she wanted was to get in the car and not stop until she saw New Jersey in the rearview mirror.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I doubt I’ve read the book, anyhow.” Actually, she probably had read the book. Reading was her one true escape, and she’d devoured countless books since moving here. Thank God for e-readers, since there wasn’t a bookstore around for miles.
Just another thing this town didn’t offer.
Laurie Beth flapped a hand. “That don’t make no nevermind. We never stay on topic more than five minutes, anyhow. We’re really there for wine, Clarita’s famous cupcakes, and good old-fashioned gossip.”
“Tempting, but no thanks.”
Sitting in the chair on the other side of Madeline’s desk, Laurie Beth leveled a persuasive stare at her. “Now, Ms. Harper, I’m not one to pry, but I have it on good authority that you finished unpacking days ago. Mrs. White’s daughter Sierra said there haven’t been any more boxes in the trash since garbage pickup day on Tuesday.”
Despite Madeline’s scowl, her assistant pressed on. “You need to get out and enjoy your new town! You’ll have fun, I promise. Oh, and Mr. Harvey over at the general store said you’re partial to chardonnay. Since Ms. Letty never hosts a book club without bottles of the stuff, I know we’ll have you covered.”
Madeline let out a long breath. Would she ever get used to all the noses in her business here? She opened her mouth to turn down the offer again but found herself hesitating. She was a social person. All this solitude had long past worn thin. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put names to faces around here. At least then she’d know who was gossiping about her.
Squaring her shoulders, she nodded. “Alright, fine. Text me the details and I’ll see if I can make it.”
A triumphant grin lit Laurie Beth’s face. “Perfect! Why don’t I pick you up at a quarter to seven? Ms. Letty lives out in the boondocks, and I wouldn’t want you to get lost trying to find it in the dark.”
“How about I meet you here and follow you over? That way we can leave whenever we are ready.” Though she’d agree to come, she wanted an escape plan in case the night didn’t go well.
As it turned out, Laurie Beth hadn’t been exaggerating. By the time they pulled up to the quaint ranch house that night, Madeline was so turned around she doubted she could have found her way there with a police escort. She’d have to have Laurie Beth write out the directions home before she left.
What was it with these people and their desire to live in the middle of nowhere?
Shaking her head, Madeline stepped out onto the gravel drive and looked around. Muted laughter filtered from within the gaily lit house, while the late dusk light hinted toward wide-open spaces all around them. She took a bracing breath. This would be her first purposefully social experience in this town. She sincerely hoped it went better than her interactions with Tanner.
She ducked back into the car to grab the bottle of wine she had brought—there could never be too much chardonnay at a party—before following Laurie Beth to the front door. Before they could knock, it was flung open by a short, well-padded older woman with bouffant white hair and bright-red glasses.
“Goodness gracious, I thought y’all would never get here. Come in, come in,” she said, waving them both inside.
Laurie Beth gave the woman a quick hug before gesturing to Madeline. “Ms. Letty, this is my new boss, Ms. Madeline Harper. She’s from New York City!”
The older woman smiled widely before wrapping her in a hug that left Madeline a little flustered. New Yorkers did not hug at first meeting.
“I knew who you were by process of elimination,” she said as she’d pulled away. “I can’t wait to hear all about New York. The book was a snooze this month—it read slower than molasses in January, I swear—so I’m in dire need of some entertainment. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone, then you and I can find us a quiet corner for some quality conversation.”
Madeline allowed Ms. Letty to sweep her along to the living room, where a dozen women were busily chatting. She made the introductions, and Madeline did her best to keep up with all the names and faces.
The last woman she met, Ashley, looked vaguely familiar, and suddenly, Madeline remembered where they’d met. “Oh,” she said, snapping her fingers, “I remember you. You were the accomplished mechanical bull rider at The Rebel Yell.”
The brunette brightened. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Good to see you again. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat more that night but, well, you seemed a little preoccupied.” Her wink was subtle and friendly, but Madeline felt a blush rise to her cheeks anyway.
“Yes, well, I’m glad we had a chance to meet again.” She cleared her throat and looked to Ms. Letty. “Would you by chance have a glass for this wine?”
“Does a cat have climbing gear?” she replied saucily before slipping her arm around Madeline’s and steering them to the kitchen. “We’ve already got a bottle or six open, so please help yourself.”
Armed with wine in one hand and a red velvet cupcake in the other, Madeline sat in on the meeting, observing more than participating despite having read the book. They were actually a well-read group, referencing a dozen other books in their discussion. For the first time, she felt as though she had something in common with her new neighbors. It helped that they were all so friendly and welcoming.
She smiled. It was fascinating, listening to them chat and banter, gossip and confide. They were so easy with each other, it seemed they’d been friends for decades.
They probably had been.
Some of the more colorful Texan phrases made her laugh out loud, like when one of the women declared that the heroine was as dumb as a soup sandwich, and when Ashley complained that her Bundt cake turned out as dry as a bag of sawdust in July. The others rushed to assure her it was delicious, but she just waved off their compliments and dunked it in her wine.
It felt good to laugh with these women, even if Madeline did feel a little out of place. When Ms. Letty crooked a finger at her while the others were debating how satisfying the ending was, Madeline readily followed her into the dining room.
“I can’t hear another word about that silly book,” the older woman said as she settled into the chair at the head of the table and took a healthy swig of her wine. “That main character was as dumb as a bag of hammers. Truth be told, I’d rather read a romance any day of the week, but this was Betty Anne’s month to choose, and we all humored her and her it-ain’t-over-till-somebody-dies literary tastes.”
Madeline bit back a laugh. She hadn’t disliked the book, but the heroine’s little brother had died at the end in what felt like an emotionally manipulative climax. “I see,” she said diplomatically when she realized a response was expected.
“Now then, I would much rather hear all about where you’re from.”
Madeline smiled and took the seat next to her. “What would you like to know?”
“Oh, honey, it don’t matter. I’ve just always wanted to go and never made it happen. My husband would sooner walk barefoot in a briar patch than take a trip to New York City. I’ve had to make do with Law and Order and Sex and the City for my NYC fix. Tell me everything.”
Barely stifling a giggle in time—she did not want to think about Ms. Letty watching a show like SATC—Madeline nodded and scooted forward in her chair. With the warm buzz of wine flowing through her veins and a friendly, eager listener at her disposal, she launched into a tour-guide-worthy conversation about her home city. The older woman asked questions, laughed at the appropriate times, and lit up with delight at several of Madeline’s descriptions. It was everything she hadn’t realized she needed.
“Well, my goodness, what are you two chattering on about?” Laurie Beth stood smiling in the doorway, her hands full of foil-wrapped leftovers.
Ms. Letty chuckled as she patted Madeline’s hand. “Ms. Harper here was just regaling me with stories from the city. I’m green with envy from this girl’s storytelling. Tickled pink, too!”
Laurie Beth smiled and leaned down to brush a kiss on the older woman’s cheek before straightening. “That’s sweet. Well, I’m fixin’ to head out. Do you want to follow me, Ms. Harper?”
“Oh, I probably should. I’ll get lost otherwise.”
“Nonsense, dear,” Ms. Letty said, tightening her grip on Madeline’s fingers. “I’ve got directions printed up around here somewhere, so there’s no rush. Besides, I may have plied you with a bit too much of that wine for you to be rushing off just yet.”
Madeline conceded the wisdom of that with a nod, even though she’d only had two glasses of wine over the past two and a half hours. She bade good-bye to Laurie Beth before turning back to her host.
“I think I did all the talking tonight, I’m sorry to say. It was wonderful to talk with you, though. You should come visit me in the city when I go back.”
Her penciled-in eyebrows rose. “You’re going back? But you just moved here!” She seemed genuinely dismayed.
Madeline smiled gently. “And I’m happy to be here, but this is only a temporary move.”
When the older woman chuckled, Madeline raised her brows in question. “I think I said the same thing forty years ago before I married my husband. I was from San Antonio and couldn’t imagine living in the wilderness like this.”
“Oh?” Madeline said, surprised to learn she wasn’t a native of the town. “What changed your mind?”
“I loved my man, and my man loved this land. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the way I fell in love with the land, too.” Her pale-blue eyes were wistful as she seemed to look into the past. “Funny how things like that sneak up.”
Nodding, Madeline smiled. “I’m glad it worked out for the best for you.” She stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock. It was almost nine thirty. Pushing away from the table, she rose and said, “Let me help you clean up a bit before I go.”
Ms. Letty started to answer, but the sound of the back door opening had her hopping out of her chair. “Oh, good, that must be my grandson.”
Madeline had done so much of the talking, she hadn’t even asked the woman about her family. She’d have to make an effort to meet up with her again so they could talk more about her life next time.
Pasting a polite smile on her face, Madeline turned to greet the boy, but immediately froze when her eyes locked with the tall, broad, very familiar man who walked through the door.
“Ah, Tanner,” the older woman exclaimed, delight brightening her voice. “Do I have someone to introduce to you.”