by Linda Style
Besides, the UN job would be the opportunity of her life and no matter what qualms she had about making the move, if they offered her the job she was going to take it.
“Won’t your family miss you when you move away?”
“Yes, of course.” Maddy sighed, remembering that she needed to call her parents. A knot formed in her stomach just thinking about it; she knew exactly how the conversation would go, and then she’d hang up feeling bad about being an ungrateful daughter.
“Maybe you’ll find yourself a nice man in New York, get married and have lots of children.”
“Nope,” Maddy replied quickly. “That’s not in my game plan.”
Juana gave a wave of dismissal. “You just haven’t found the right man.”
“There isn’t a right man. Besides, I don’t need a man to complete my life or be happy,” she said. It wasn’t that she didn’t ever want a relationship, she just didn’t want another person controlling her life. And she didn’t want to put herself in a position where that might happen.
She had to make it on her own before she could even give a thought to a relationship.
On that note, she steeled her resolve and went to make the call to her parents. There was no point in avoiding it any longer.
Avoidance had been her modus operandi all her life. She was an expert on it.
But no more. Not with her mother or father.
Not with anyone.
Michael Bruchetti would be proud.
J.D. FINISHED UP the last of his work and headed for the house. Now that some of the building materials had arrived, he’d start on the interior tomorrow. Because his aunt had had the plans, the supply list and blueprints drawn up by professionals, he only needed to assess what he could do himself and what he’d have to hire other people to do—if he could find anyone who’d work for him.
He’d begun on the outside—tearing apart whatever needed replacing. He’d sold Ethel’s car for immediate cash to purchase some of the supplies so he could move ahead. He’d used his own disability checks to make up the difference. Once the trust kicked in next week, he’d see what he could do about hiring some help. Carlos had mentioned he knew a few people who might be available.
But first, J.D. had to have a talk with Grady.
His friend’s motives were good, but dammit, he didn’t need anyone fighting his battles. Especially not a family man with a wife and a baby on the way.
If the big guns in town wanted to shut J.D. out, they would not look favorably on anyone who stuck by him. And he damn sure wasn’t going to be responsible for destroying another man’s life.
Going to his room to shower and change, he heard Maddy’s voice in the living room, probably talking on the phone. He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t be there for dinner, so he continued down the hall.
“I’m working,” he heard Maddy say. “I have a job right here, and when it’s finished I’m going to New York. The personnel director assured me I was perfect for the position, and he all but told me the job was mine.”
There was a long pause, and J.D. assumed she was listening to someone talk. He hadn’t planned on eavesdropping, but couldn’t tear himself away.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Mother.” Another pause. “I know you want me there, but anyone could do what I was doing. Randy can do it, and it would be good for him to know Daddy needs him. He wouldn’t have started refurbishing old houses if he’d had something else to do. He’d be a big help to Daddy and—”
He heard a deep sigh. “Yes. No. That’s not a problem. This place? It’s…nice. Really. And my students are wonderful. For the first time I feel like I’m doing something worthwhi—” She stopped again, as if interrupted. Then she said more softly, “I have to do it, that’s why. For me. I’ve worked hard and the job at the UN is the culmination of all I’ve worked for. I want it more than anything. Can’t you understand that?”
He felt like slime. He shouldn’t be listening. Just as he took a step to leave, she said, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk anymore, Mother.” Her voice cracked on the last word.
A hot surge of protectiveness pulsed through him.
“I’ll call you later.” Another pause before she said even more softly, “Yes, I promise.” He heard the receiver clunk down and after that, total silence.
That was definitely his cue to leave. Turning, he retreated a step, but stopped when he heard a soft sob. Hell, now he had to get out of there for sure. But just then Maddy came through the doorway, and when she saw him standing there, she seemed embarrassed and quickly wiped away the moistness on her cheeks.
“I was just coming to tell you and Juana that I won’t be here for dinner tonight,” he told her.
She took a shaky breath and looked away. “Juana’s not here. Just me. I—I was on the phone.”
He shifted his weight and crossed his arms over his chest to fight the crazy urge he had to give her a sympathetic hug. “Well, I wanted you both to know I won’t be back until late, but if you need anything…you can get me on my cell phone.”
She forced a smile and nodded. “Okay. I’ll tell Juana. Anything else?”
Damn. She looked as if she really needed a hug. He shook his head. “No, nothing else.” And this time, he managed to get out of there.
“JUANA, PLEASE GO HOME and don’t worry about dinner, I can make my own.” Maddy stood at the kitchen door looking out. “I can’t see any reason for you to cook for one person.”
Feet apart and arms akimbo, Juana’s black eyes flashed. Maddy wasn’t sure Juana always understood the more formal Castilian Spanish Maddy had been taught in college.
“It’s my job. If you’re here, I’m cooking.”
It was obvious Juana did understand. It was also obvious Maddy wasn’t going to get Juana to budge on the issue. “Okay, but only under one condition.”
Juana’s forehead furrowed. “What condition?”
“That you eat with me.” Maddy saw movement outside the window. Carlos and Benito were both still working. She cleared her throat. “I mean…that you and Carlos have dinner with me.”
The expression on Juana’s face said she was going to say no, so Maddy quickly said, “Mr. Rivera told me I could choose where to conduct the class—and tonight, I’ve decided to do it in this kitchen. It’ll be fun to do our lesson over dinner. That would mean you could both go home early and enjoy more of the evening with your families.”
Juana thought for a moment, then finally said, “Okay. But I don’t know how Carlos will feel about it.”
“I’ll ask him. And since the stove is clean, why don’t you cook here, and then I can watch and maybe even learn.” Maddy smiled.
Juana nodded, albeit grudgingly. She obviously liked to do things her own way. “I’ll go and get the food.”
“I’ll come with you to help.”
“Thank you for offering,” Juana said, “but my sister is picking me up and she’ll have her children with her. The car will be full.”
Juana’s sister was a widow with five children, Maddy remembered.
“She drops me off in the morning so she can use my car during the day. Then she picks me up when I’m ready.”
Juana’s life seemed more complicated than Maddy had imagined. “Okay. I’ll wait here until you return. I’d love to meet your sister, though, so I can thank her for the lovely outfit. She does beautiful work.”
Juana beamed at the compliment. Maddy knew that—in addition to sending money to her family in Mexico—she helped her sister, too. Maddy liked that kind of family togetherness. The kind that gave without expectation. The kind that didn’t suffocate a person…
“So I’ll go tell Carlos the plan, and you let me know when your sister arrives, okay?”
“Okay.” Juana nodded.
Carlos was pounding nails into the siding on the building next to the bunkhouse and Benito was pounding right alongside him. Maddy hadn’t formally met the boy yet and was anxious to do so.
Carlos stopped hammering as
soon as she reached him. “Hola, Carlos.” As he nodded his greeting, she continued in Spanish, “I see you have an assistant today.”
The boy gave her a fleeting glance, his dark eyes wary.
“This is Benito. I’m teaching him what I’m learning from Mr. Rivera.”
She said hello and smiled at Benito, but the boy averted his gaze, obviously uncomfortable in her presence. Maybe she shouldn’t have reprimanded him for swearing. He spoke to Carlos in a low muffled tone and then quickly retreated to the other side of the building.
“That’s great, Carlos. But I still believe he’s a little young to learn a trade.”
“The sooner the better, señorita.”
She decided not to push the issue since J.D. was going to follow up with the boy’s relatives about attending her class. “I guess you know best,” she said, then told Carlos about the plan for a dinner class tonight. He seemed delighted.
She returned to the house just in time to meet Juana’s sister. The woman was delicately pretty with soft brown eyes and shiny auburn hair pulled back from her face. She didn’t seem old enough to be married, much less have five children.
“This is my sister, Mariela Ortega-Macario,” Juana said proudly. Five pairs of eyes peered at Maddy from inside the car. The children ranged in age from about one year to ten or so.
“Nice to meet you, Mariela. Thank you so much for making me the beautiful outfit. The clothes you make are lovely enough to sell in a boutique.”
Mariela thanked Maddy, and Juana added, “I’m teaching her the English I’m learning. When she knows a little, it’ll be easier for her to sell her clothes here.”
An idea suddenly occurred to Maddy. “Why doesn’t she just come with you and learn for herself?”
“She has no one to watch the babies.”
“Bring them along. Make it a family learning experience. I’d love to have you all in class.”
When the women still seemed hesitant, Maddy added, “Well, why don’t you give it a little thought, Mariela? Juana can give you all the details, and if you decide to come, I’d be very pleased.”
Later, when Juana returned at five with the ingredients to make their dinner, Maddy was in the kitchen cleaning the soot-stained fireplace.
Juana’s eyes narrowed in obvious displeasure.
“What? This fireplace is beautiful under all the grime. Natural stone. Come here and look.” Maddy motioned Juana over.
Nodding, Juana said, “Yes, but you’re doing a lot of work for nothing. Mr. Rivera plans to tear it all out.”
“Why on earth would he want to do that? With the exception of a few loose pieces, it’s magnificent.”
“I don’t know why, all I know is that he said it has to go. That was Ms. Devereaux’s plan.” She motioned to the long roll of papers on the counter in the corner. “And if you want to learn how to make mole poblano, you need to stop cleaning and come over here.”
“Okay,” Maddy said, wiping her hands on her bib overalls. “I’ll go wash up first.” She walked to the counter. “Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. Are you making dessert, too?” Maddy pointed to the chocolate.
“Mole poblano is made with chocolate.” She picked up a chicken and brought it to the sink.
“Chicken and chocolate? And all those other ingredients, too?”
Juana shooed her off. “Chicken and Mexican spiced chocolate. I make it like my grandmother did.”
“Lots of work, huh?”
“Yes. It is.” Juana smiled then. “Most good things are lots of work.”
As Maddy turned to go wash up, Juana said, “My sister and her children will be coming with me to class on Monday.”
“Great.” Smiling to herself, Maddy went down the hall to her room. What Juana had said was exactly right. Nothing at Tripplehorne Ranch seemed easy, but Maddy felt a real sense of satisfaction in what she’d achieved here so far.
Good things were a lot of work—but the results were worth the effort.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“HEY, BUDDY,” J.D. said on his way into Grady’s tiny office in one corner of the gas station.
“James D., what a surprise.” Grady immediately jumped from his chair and pulled over another for J.D., scraping it noisily across the concrete floor. “I’ve had the pleasure of your company twice in two days. Must be a record.”
“Yeah. Guess so.”
“C’mon. Have a seat. It’s slow tonight, and I was going to close early anyway. Thought I’d give it another fifteen minutes, but what the heck.” Grady flipped over the sign on the door to Closed, then went over and dropped into a swivel chair.
But J.D. wasn’t there to visit, and he didn’t want his friend to think he was. Instead of sitting comfortably on the offered seat, he perched on the corner of Grady’s desk.
“Uh-oh. I can see right now this isn’t gonna be a nice little chitchat.” Grady frowned, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “What’s on your mind, my friend?”
“It’s about this morning.”
“This morning?” Then, as if he’d just remembered, he added, “Oh, you mean when your friend Maddy came by?”
“First—she’s not my friend. She’s an employee, hired by the old bat herself. And second, she’s not the reason I came by.”
Grady gave one of his wide boyish smiles. “Good. I’d hate to see a sweet girl like her get on your bad side,” he said.
“I don’t have a bad side,” J.D. grumbled. It was tough to stay angry at Grady. “But if I did, you’re the one who’d be on it.”
Grady’s eyebrows arched, then his expression grew serious. “Nothing wrong with a friend helping out a little, is there?”
“Yes, there is. I told you that right off.” J.D. rose abruptly and paced the floor in front of the battered metal desk. “You’ve got a wife and a kid on the way. I’m going to be out of this place sooner or later, and you and your family will still be living here. No reason for you to get yourself on the wrong side of the First Family, is there?”
“Nope. No reason—except that I wouldn’t respect myself much if I didn’t stand by what’s right. I’m your friend, James.”
J.D. took a deep breath. “The last guy who stood by me is dead.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
J.D.’s chest suddenly felt hollow. He gave a wry laugh and his voice was hoarse. “Yeah, tell that to Eric.”
Ignoring the comment, Grady got up, lumbered over to the small refrigerator and pulled out two beers. Handing one to J.D., he said, “Let’s have us a toast to friendship, then.”
J.D. snatched the beer from Grady’s hand. “You hear anything I said?”
“Nope. So you might as well quit yammering about it.”
J.D. shook his head at his buddy’s stubbornness. Grady wasn’t going to listen to reason. And if that was the case, J.D. would have to be very careful. He might even have to stay away from his friend or even sever their relationship.
“So,” Grady said, sitting down again. He motioned for J.D. to do the same. “I want to hear more about Madeline. Annie met her when she was here and they really hit it off.”
“Temporary employee. Short term. She’ll do her job and in a few weeks, she’ll be gone.”
As the words left his mouth, a car pulled up and Annie stepped out. “I think that’s my cue to leave,” J.D. added.
Annie was tall, blond and wholesome. She and Grady made a perfect couple and they’d have great-looking kids and would live happily ever after—as long as Grady didn’t get involved with problems that weren’t his business.
The big guy flew to his feet and opened the door for his wife. Annie’s eyes flicked over J.D., then to the beer in his hand. She cleared her throat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt the party.”
“Hi, Annie.” J.D. set his beer down. “You’re not interrupting anything. We’re finished here.”
“Well, don’t leave on my account.” Annie smiled at Grady, who reached over and gave her a squeeze.
“Annie’s got one of those women’s parties to attend at her mother’s tonight. So you might as well stick around for a while.”
“It’s not a women’s party. It’s a bridal shower for Angela MacIntyre.” She turned to J.D. “Weren’t you two in the same class in high school?”
“I don’t remember anything from that long ago.”
Grady nudged J.D. and clicked his tongue. “You don’t remember the park? The bandstand? Man, you’re really losing it.”
J.D. did remember Angela. At least he remembered her father having him arrested and the sheriff beating the crap out of him when he refused to get into the car. He remembered Angela telling him she couldn’t see him anymore because her father didn’t want her dating a Mexican. He plastered on a fake smile. “I recall the important things. Guess that wasn’t one of them.”
“Well, I gotta go,” Annie said. “Please say hello to Maddy for me, will you? And tell her I’ll pick her up early on Saturday morning.”
“Saturday?” J.D. asked. Not that he was really interested. Whatever Maddy did on her own time was her business, not his.
“Yes, Saturday—9:00 a.m.” Then Annie kissed her husband and sashayed out the door. “I probably won’t be home till late, sweetie. You two have fun.”
Much later, after a few too many beers and far too much reminiscing about boyhood pranks, J.D. was on his way home. By the time he hit the turnoff to the ranch, it was close to midnight. Ever since the discussion with Grady about Maddy, he hadn’t been able to get the woman out of his mind.
She’d grown up a senator’s daughter, was used to the luxuries that came with it, and he’d expected her to be a spoiled little rich girl. But she’d surprised him.
In one afternoon she’d turned the bunkhouse into a workable classroom, and he’d been surprised at her resourcefulness. On her first night teaching, he’d been standing outside and had caught her in action. Watching her, he found that his own interest was piqued, and for the longest time he just stood there absorbing the lesson as if he were one of her students.