“They didn’t get it right today. It was driving me crazy.”
“Why didn’t you call me to help you?”
“You were working.” She hated to interrupt him when he was writing. They respected each other’s work habits, which was part of why they got along so well. Maddie never felt crowded or invaded by him. And he had the peace and private space he needed in the room upstairs.
“That’s not a good excuse. Do you know what Deanna will do if you fall off a ladder again?”
“Yeah, she’ll put me in assisted living with an alarm around my neck.” She grinned at him.
“And kill me first. Can we make a deal? No more ladders unless I’m standing next to you to catch you.”
“I promise,” she said as she hopped down next to him. Her ankle was fine, and all the effects of the bombing had healed. It had been a month since she got back.
“Why is it that I don’t believe you? You’re a menace,” he said, trying to look stern. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t. I’m good at it. I’ve only fallen off a ladder once. And that was lucky. If I hadn’t, I would never have run away, driven across the country, and met you in Big Sur. It all started when I fell off the ladder.” She smiled at him so innocently that he couldn’t be angry at her.
“You’ve got me now. Let’s not do it again.”
She was looking forward to spending two weeks in Big Sur with him. She liked having two coasts and two homes for them to go back and forth between for a change of scene. Their lives had meshed incredibly well, better than either of them had expected. And she planned to see Ben and Milagra when she was there.
She went back upstairs with him then, after he put the ladder away, the light was at the right angle now. They had dinner in the kitchen, and he told her about what he had written that day. She loved hearing about his work. And he was fascinated by hers. The piece in The New York Times Magazine had come out by then and been well received. The photographs were extraordinary, including the ones she’d taken of the bombing as she fled.
* * *
—
The Vogue shoot went smoothly, she got great shots of the actress, and the editors were pleased. Two days later, they were on a plane to San Francisco. They were going to stay at The Fairmont that night. They were having dinner with Ben and Laura and their children, and going to Big Sur the next day. There was no sign left of the bombing. Maddie felt fine again and her grandchildren were thrilled to see her and William. He was great with them. They reminded him of Theo. Laura hugged Maddie and said in an emotional voice, “We’re so grateful you’re okay.”
“So am I.” She realized now, more than ever, how fortunate she had been, in so many ways.
They had a noisy, lively dinner with the children, sat and talked among the adults for a while afterwards, and then went back to the hotel. They wanted to get an early start the next day. William hadn’t been home in a month, and he had a list of things he wanted to do.
“I had the gardeners hide all my ladders, by the way. I don’t trust you,” he told her on the drive down and she laughed.
“You’re probably right,” she admitted. She couldn’t wait to get to the house and sit on the deck with him, overlooking the sea. He wanted to write while they were there. They had plenty to do when they arrived. And at sunset, Maddie and William sat on the deck and he poured them each a glass of wine. It was perfect. Somehow, miraculously, they had found each other, and fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Everything had fallen into place. There was enough time together and enough time apart. He worked on his books, and she had her shoots and assignments, all lined up for the next few months. He was going to New Delhi with her in November.
It had all started with a box of old love letters and a fall off a ladder. She had driven across the country in search of the past. She knew now that she had been looking for her lost youth. It was gone, swept away by the winds of time. But what she had found with William was even better, a grown-up love and shared life that served them well. She had found her womanhood in his arms, after having run away from it for so long. What they had made them both feel young again, which was the next best thing to being young. What they had was everything they needed for now, having discovered exactly what suited them. They couldn’t ask for more than that. And they agreed that it had been worth the wait. Everything they had lived through before had been preparing them for this. It was a perfect moment in time.
The future was uncertain, the past a dim memory. Maddie and William had exactly what they wanted in each other. What they had found was a gift, and whatever they had lost didn’t matter at all.
To Tom,
My beloved cowboy,
so greatly loved,
bigger than life,
so vast, bigger than the sky,
forever a part of me,
with all my love,
until we meet again.
And to my so greatly
loved children,
Beatrix, Trevor, Todd, Nick,
Samantha, Victoria,
Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara,
with all my heart and soul
and love for you forever,
Mommy/DS
By Danielle Steel
LOST AND FOUND • BLESSING IN DISGUISE • SILENT NIGHT • TURNING POINT • BEAUCHAMP HALL • IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS • THE GOOD FIGHT • THE CAST • ACCIDENTAL HEROES • FALL FROM GRACE • PAST PERFECT • FAIRYTALE • THE RIGHT TIME • THE DUCHESS • AGAINST ALL ODDS • DANGEROUS GAMES • THE MISTRESS • THE AWARD • RUSHING WATERS • MAGIC • THE APARTMENT • PROPERTY OF A NOBLEWOMAN • BLUE • PRECIOUS GIFTS • UNDERCOVER • COUNTRY • PRODIGAL SON • PEGASUS • A PERFECT LIFE • POWER PLAY • WINNERS • FIRST SIGHT • UNTIL THE END OF TIME • THE SINS OF THE MOTHER • FRIENDS FOREVER • BETRAYAL • HOTEL VENDÔME • HAPPY BIRTHDAY • 44 CHARLES STREET • LEGACY • FAMILY TIES • BIG GIRL • SOUTHERN LIGHTS • MATTERS OF THE HEART • ONE DAY AT A TIME • A GOOD WOMAN • ROGUE • HONOR THYSELF • AMAZING GRACE • BUNGALOW 2 • SISTERS • H.R.H. • COMING OUT • THE HOUSE • TOXIC BACHELORS • MIRACLE • IMPOSSIBLE • ECHOES • SECOND CHANCE • RANSOM • SAFE HARBOUR • JOHNNY ANGEL • DATING GAME • ANSWERED PRAYERS • SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ • THE COTTAGE • THE KISS • LEAP OF FAITH • LONE EAGLE • JOURNEY • THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET • THE WEDDING • IRRESISTIBLE FORCES • GRANNY DAN • BITTERSWEET • MIRROR IMAGE • THE KLONE AND I • THE LONG ROAD HOME • THE GHOST • SPECIAL DELIVERY • THE RANCH • SILENT HONOR • MALICE • FIVE DAYS IN PARIS • LIGHTNING • WINGS • THE GIFT • ACCIDENT • VANISHED • MIXED BLESSINGS • JEWELS • NO GREATER LOVE • HEARTBEAT • MESSAGE FROM NAM • DADDY • STAR • ZOYA • KALEIDOSCOPE • FINE THINGS • WANDERLUST • SECRETS • FAMILY ALBUM • FULL CIRCLE • CHANGES • THURSTON HOUSE • CROSSINGS • ONCE IN A LIFETIME • A PERFECT STRANGER • REMEMBRANCE • PALOMINO • LOVE: POEMS • THE RING • LOVING • TO LOVE AGAIN • SUMMER’S END • SEASON OF PASSION • THE PROMISE • NOW AND FOREVER • PASSION’S PROMISE • GOING HOME
Nonfiction
PURE JOY: The Dogs We Love
A GIFT OF HOPE: Helping the Homeless
HIS BRIGHT LIGHT: The Story of Nick Traina
For Children
PRETTY MINNIE IN HOLLYWOOD
PRETTY MINNIE IN PARIS
About the Author
DANIELLE STEEL has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Blessing in Disguise, Silent Night, Turning Point, Beauchamp Hall, In His Father’s Footsteps, The Good Fight, The Cast, Accidental Heroes, Fall from Grace, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Pure Joy, about
the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.
Daniellesteel.com
Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Twitter: @daniellesteel
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