Talia bounced to her feet and over to the cardboard box Madison had pointed at. She peered at it before dragging a finger over the letters Madison had drawn on in bold Sharpie.
“Making Mischief.” Talia glanced at Madison. “What does that mean?”
“It means every time I find something that would make a good present for someone I know, I put it in the box. And usually by the time the holidays come around, or someone’s birthday, I have just what I need already tucked away.”
This little girl had such an expressive face. She seemed to think Madison’s gift box was the most amazing idea ever. “This is full of presents?”
“A little less full now than it was before. I took out the things I had bought for my two brothers and my mom before I left home. But there are some things in there for Christmas here in Heart Falls. But before presents, I need help to hide something for your daddy.”
For the first time, Talia eyed her with something less than approval. “Secrets?”
Madison considered for a moment then shook her head. “Not really a secret. A surprise. See, when your dad and I were friends at school, we had a tradition that always made us happy.”
She reached past Talia and loosened off the lid of the box. The topmost item sat there in all its sparkly glory. Madison lifted it out carefully then laid it on the bed.
Talia was speechless. Then she got a little giggly, briefly covering her mouth with her hands. “That’s for Daddy?”
“Sort of. He gets to have it for a little while. That’s part of the fun tradition.” Madison spread the red, bedazzled sweater out a little more, grinning at Talia. “This is an ugly sweater.”
“It’s very ugly,” Talia agreed, “but I like the sparkles.”
“It’s ugly and it sparkles, which makes it perfect,” Madison told her. “So, here’s how the tradition works. Once we find the sweater, we have to wear it. And not just at home, but out in public where other people will see. Then we hide it all over again so the other person will unexpectedly find it, and so on.”
Talia was giggling again. “I can help you hide it.”
“Somewhere your daddy won’t find until tomorrow morning.” Ryan had said there was an event at the fire hall tonight, and Madison probably shouldn’t be mean to him right off the bat.
Her co-conspirator seemed to know the exactly right spot because her eyes widened, and her mouth formed an excited O. “I know.”
She took off like a shot. Madison followed, not eager to infringe on Ryan’s privacy but needing to ensure Talia wasn’t doing anything like climbing a bookcase to get to the hiding place.
Once the sweater was successfully hidden, Madison curled her finger, motioning for Talia to join her. “Now we have to pretend we didn’t do that and not tell your daddy anything about it so it’s a surprise. Want to help me with the rest of my things? Then I can get out the photo album.”
Talia dashed across the room, catching Madison by the hand and pulling her back to her room. “You should show us pictures when Daddy is home. He’ll want to see them, too.”
For the next half hour, Madison pulled things from her suitcase and let Talia stick them in whichever drawer she wanted. Then Talia arranged the small amount of makeup and personal items Madison had on the counter in the bathroom.
By this time, they were ready to deal with the school things Talia needed to wrangle, but all in all, Madison felt as if it had been a wonderful morning.
She couldn’t wait to see Ryan’s face when he discovered the sweater.
* * *
Ryan pulled back into his own driveway and paused, eyeing the holiday wreath hanging on his front door. A big, gaudy thing with enormous golden bells and a thick, red velvet ribbon poking outward in giant loopy loops.
Madison had found the decorations. But not his decorations, because he sure didn’t remember ever having bought a monstrosity like that.
“Daddy,” Talia shouted as he walked in the door with the first load of groceries. “Madison is making grilled cheese for lunch.”
“Yum,” Ryan announced as expected. “Come help me bring things in and put them away.”
The familiar task turned slightly awkward because they had an audience. Madison was busy at the counter beside the stove, which meant she was out of the way for the most part. It wasn’t until he brushed past her for the third time that Ryan realized how tight the work triangle was in his kitchen.
But Talia continued to chatter. Madison answered when she had to but otherwise just made humming noises when appropriate. Ryan slid past her again to get to the cupboard where he kept the coffee, keenly aware of the lack of distance between them.
Bumping into her soft curves—
Madison laughed at something Talia said, and Ryan pulled himself together. Obviously, it’d been too long since he’d had another adult in his house. That was all.
“Did you get everything you needed?” Madison asked as they sat down to the grilled cheese and tomato soup she’d pulled together.
“I did, including a couple of things you might like.”
“Chocolate,” Talia guessed excitedly.
“Some,” Ryan said with a nod. “Did you have a good morning?”
Talia glanced up at Madison, her little face a bright, open book. “Madison has some pretty clothes. They make me think of sunshine.”
Ryan glanced at the neon-orange socks on his friend’s feet. “Maddy likes to brighten up people’s days.”
The final hour before having to drop Talia at school passed in a blur. Madison offered to stay at home, but Talia had other ideas.
“You have to see where I go to school. And you need to meet my teacher,” his little girl insisted.
Madison checked with Ryan before agreeing. “Just remember I told you if you need space, I can visit quietly somewhere else for a little bit. Having guests can be fun, but sometimes we need a break.”
“I know,” Talia said.
Ryan wasn’t quite sure what his daughter was up to. He attempted to offer a warning, but Madison waved it off. “I have an idea what’s going on. I’ll tell you later, but this is fine.”
He was glad one of them knew what was up, because when they hit the schoolyard, Talia dragged Madison forward to where a whole bevy of little girls waited.
Madison focused intently on each one, solemnly offering handshakes or high fives depending on what they wanted.
A firm grip landed on his shoulder, and Ryan twisted to see his friend Brad Ford, Hanna’s husband and the local fire chief, grinning at him. The man’s shaved head contrasted with the neatly trimmed beard he was growing.
“That your visitor?” Brad asked
“Maddy? Yeah. Good friend from a lot of years ago.” Ryan glanced over, but Madison was now leaning down and listening intently to some story being told by one of Talia’s cohorts. “Hanna met her this morning.”
“Hanna liked her. Said she seems pretty down to earth.” Brad straightened and wiggled his fingers at Crissy, who was waving frantically.
Ryan snorted as suddenly the entire group of little girls waved wildly in their direction. Madison grinned then lifted one hand and did the royal wave while blinking madly. “Maybe this isn’t a great idea. Madison is going to teach them so many dangerous things.”
“Yeah, I somehow doubt that.” Brad took a step back then gave a quick head nod. “I should go. But I’ll see you tonight at the hall.”
“We’ll be there,” Ryan promised.
It wasn’t until the school bell went off that Madison managed to free herself from the clutches of the grade four class.
She laughed as they got back into the truck. “Your daughter is a hoot,” she informed him. Her bright smile grew slightly more serious. “Thank you so much for giving me a chance to get to know her better. And to spend time with you. I think this is exactly what I needed.”
“You had a dire need to come and do somebody else’s chores for a month?” Ryan focused on the road, but he wasn’t going to let h
er get away without ponying up some information today. “Before I drive too far, you want to go anywhere in town first?”
“What’s on your agenda?” Madison asked. “And before you say whatever I want, remember the whole this is your life and I’m invading it point? What do you usually do after dropping Talia off at school on a Wednesday?”
“Usually I’d have just come off a night shift at seven a.m., so I’d be headed home to sleep. And I’d have another twelve-hour shift on Wednesday night, starting at seven p.m. until seven, but this week is out of whack. Between Talia’s short school day and tonight’s team-building event at the fire hall, my friend Alex took last night, and Mack is on duty tonight.”
“That was nice of them.”
Ryan nodded. “It was. Alex and Mack are both rock-solid. Plus, Mack has already warned me that at some point, he and Brooke will be having kids, and then he’ll expect to be given a break.”
Madison nodded slowly. “Let’s head back to your place, and we can talk about what the next few weeks will look like. But it’s pretty neat you’ve got that kind of work setup with your friends. I’m glad.”
“Me too.”
When they got home, he pointed at the gaudy wreath hanging off his front door. Didn’t say anything, just raised a brow.
She grinned. “I’m only responsible for half of it,” she said quickly. “Talia chose the ribbon.”
“Of course, she did,” Ryan said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Thank you for my decoration.”
“You’re welcome,” Madison said cheerfully, grinning as she paced past him into the house.
This time, he didn’t bother to fight, simply dropped his calendar on the table and went through it with her. “It takes a little juggling, but I get Talia to and from school every day, and even though I’m not here every night, I almost always get to phone to say good night.”
“Talia is not hurting one bit,” Madison assured him. “She loves you to pieces, and she knows exactly how important she is to you. I know this because she told me, a number of times.”
Ryan couldn’t stop a grin. “Really?”
“Really.” Madison leaned back in her chair. “I think your schedule is going to exhaust me, but I’m game to try.”
He laughed. “Mad, You don’t have to come to work with me.”
“Oh, I am totally not doing your twelve-hour shifts,” she assured him. “But what I am going to do is deal with a few little things that have kind of flown under your radar.”
“For example?” He hated to ask, but once Madison got her mind set on something, it would be hard to make her change tracks. Better he knew now what she was plotting.
“Unless you absolutely hate the idea, or have some other reason why you’re holding off, you want me to deal with getting you a big-boy bed?” She said it quietly then waited as if gauging his response.
“My bed offends you that much?” If this was the worst thing she wanted to fix, he had no problem accepting her help.
She shrugged. “I’m not offended, but again, unless you have a reason why you want things to stay the way they are, I’ll put together a couple of options, and then all you have to do is approve one. And pay for it, of course.”
Ryan could see zero downfall to this bit of interference. “Have at her.”
Madison grinned. “Thank you. Second thing. You want me to make a list of potential women for you to date? Because I set you up once. I can probably do it again.”
5
Ryan’s ears grew hot, possibly because her words whirled so rapidly, his brain was overheating. “You want to set me up?”
“Well, you said you’re considering getting back into the dating scene. I’ve seen your schedule, dude.” She pointed at the calendar notes spread on the table. “The right woman could walk under your nose, but unless she’s on fire, there’s a good chance you won’t even notice.”
Amusement snuck in hard. “I acknowledge you set me up the first time, but Justina was one in a million.”
Madison dipped her chin. “Agreed. Which is why you need a list of options, because frankly, it sounds as if you might have a problem in this area.”
Indignation rose. Ryan folded his arms over his chest. “A problem in what area exactly?”
She snorted then wiped a hand over her mouth. “Excuse me. Not that way, jeez. You’re such a guy. All touchy when you think your sexual prowess has been insulted.”
Ryan was outright laughing now. “This list is getting more and more curious.”
“I just think, with how much you have on your plate, you should let somebody you trust who has a new perspective on the world around you offer some suggestions.” Madison said it as if she were a lawyer presenting detailed instructions to the most serious jury out there.
Ryan pressed his palms to the table and leaned forward, meeting her gaze intently. “You crack me up.”
She matched him, position for position. “Just call me Yenta.”
He paused. Considered. “That’s got to be from one of your old movies, but hell if I know which one.”
She sat back and waved a hand in the air. “Oh, my young apprentice. So soon you have forgotten the lessons of the classics. From Fiddler on the Roof. Yenta was a matchmaker, which is what I’ll be for you, only I’m less bossy, and you don’t have to pay me in chickens.”
Dear God. “That’s good, because I’m severely short on chickens at the moment. I couldn’t figure out how to fold them to put them in my wallet.”
Madison laughed out loud— a bright, happy sound—as she rubbed her hands together. “But now for the really important thing that I’d like to do. Do you mind if I contact Talia’s dance teacher and see what she’s got in mind? Because, face it, I have more spare time than you at the current moment.”
Having something special in dancing for Talia to look forward to—how on earth could Ryan turn down that offer? “Let me give Charity a shout and see what she’s got in mind. She’s also a volunteer with the firefighting crew, so you’ll see her tonight.”
“A firefighting ballerina—there’s a sight you don’t see very often.” Madison made a few notes on the paper in front of her.
Ryan made his phone call while Madison pulled out her laptop and hooked up to his Wi-Fi. The afternoon passed quickly, and they were heading out the door to pick up Talia when Ryan swore softly.
“I totally forgot I was supposed to make something.” He glanced at Madison. “It’s a potluck tonight.”
Madison stepped back. “Go. This is exactly why I’m here. Grab Talia, and I’ll rampage through your cupboards and figure out something to bring.”
“We can stop at the deli and grab something,” Ryan suggested.
“Already have an idea,” Madison assured him. “Go, grab your kiddo.”
There was no use in arguing. Ryan hurried over to the school, joining a group of other parents by the schoolyard fence as he waited for his daughter to appear.
Talia came racing up to the dismissal gate, peering past him eagerly. “Where’s Madison?”
“Getting ready for tonight. Come on, we need to get ready as well.”
Talia looked totally disappointed, shoulders drooping as she twisted toward where the school buses were lined up. She shouted across the snowy yard. “She’s not here.”
Little Emma Stone made a sad face before waving and joining her sister on the bus.
Ryan kept his amusement to himself until Talia was buckled up in her booster seat and they were on their way home. “Did you have a good afternoon at school?”
“I had a math test that was super easy. And Emma and I made snowmen at recess, only Darren and Josh knocked them over.” Talia reached forward and grabbed the back of the car’s seat in front of her. “Is Madison really staying with us for the holidays?”
“She really is. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes,” Talia all but shouted.
Ryan eyed her in the rearview mirror. Talia was excitable at the best of times, but no
w she seemed to be nearly vibrating.
It had to be them having a houseguest for the first time in a long time. Madison had mentioned Talia sharing how all her friends had people stay over on a regular basis.
He needed to make sure to bring his parents out to Heart Falls a little more often in the new year. Of course, that could complicate his future dating life even more… Once he managed to start having a dating life.
Dear God, Madison was making him a list of potential girlfriends. He didn’t know if he should laugh or start running.
Talia vanished into the house to get ready for the evening’s gathering. Ryan went to grab a shovel to clean the walkways before they left, stuttering to a stop as he realized they were already clear.
Madison had struck again.
Inside the house, he found her tidying up at the sink. She placed a mixing bowl into the drying rack as she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Hey. The tornado that is Talia just informed me that she’ll be out in a few minutes. I’ve got our potluck contribution ready, and I’m dressed.”
Ryan nodded as he glanced over her quickly. She still wore those faded white jeans and the neon-orange socks, but she’d exchanged her shirt for a soft green sweater with a row of pearl buttons down the front. It was slightly festive, a little dressy, but perfect for a small-town community event.
She’d also applied makeup, and the faint black shadows from the accident were no longer instantly apparent. In fact, her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes looked even brighter than usual. The red highlights in her hair seemed brighter than before, the soft length falling around her shoulders.
He dragged his gaze off the shiny red on her lips. “It won’t take me long, either. We’ll still be plenty early.”
She waved him off, and Ryan headed to the master bedroom. He grabbed a quick shower, reconsidering what to wear that night. A plain old T-shirt wasn’t quite dressy enough to match Madison’s outfit, and he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.
When he reached for his towel, it wasn’t there on the towel bar. He didn’t remember tossing it in the hamper, but he must’ve. No way around it. He stepped onto the bathmat, dripped his way across to the linen closet, jerking it open to pull out—
A Hero’s Christmas Hope: Holidays in Heart Falls: Book 3 Page 5