by Barbara Gee
“I’m sure it’s a scary place,” Maddy said softly. Turning her head to look at him she saw his tension, his exhaustion, and a bleakness that had her squeezing the hand that still held hers. “I’m glad you came. I think seeing your friends the Desmonds is just what you need.”
“Yeah. I think it’s what we all need.” He turned his head and met her gaze. “You won’t be disappointed by the Full Heart Ranch, I can promise you that.”
“As long as it’s not a hospital, I’ll be thrilled.”
He chuckled. “It’s a far cry from a hospital.”
They were silent then, but it was comfortable, and Maddy was glad Tuck didn’t take his hand away. She closed her eyes and put everything else out of her head, allowing herself to enjoy the simple act of holding hands with Tucker Simon. She knew that for him it was a platonic gesture, a way of assuring her everything was fine and he was there if she needed anything, but that didn’t stop her from reveling in the feel of his big palm against her much smaller one, his fingers laced warmly through hers. His hand was on top, so the back of hers was resting on his denim clad thigh. His leg was warm and hard with muscle, and in spite of everything, Maddy’s thoughts went to very non-platonic places and finally, for her own sanity, she had to break the contact.
Instead of pulling away, she asked if there was any bottled water on board.
“Yeah, water and all kinds of soda and juice. What’s your preference?”
“Water is fine,” Maddy said, grieving when he pulled his hand away from hers, even though that had been her intent. She curled her hand into a fist as he unbuckled and went to get her drink. She tried to memorize how it had felt to touch him, because she didn’t know if she’d have the opportunity again. Tucker was so out of her league it wasn’t funny, and she’d do well to remember that.
He returned with her water, as well as a package of Oreo cookies. “Bet you didn’t get any of these in the hospital,” he said with a grin.
Maddy’s eyes lit up. “I love Oreos. I know they’re terrible for me, but I can’t resist them. Actually there are quite a few junk foods I have a weakness for.”
“Eat up, then,” Tucker encouraged. “Sorry there’s no milk for dunking.”
“I don’t dunk,” Maddy said. “I don’t like my cookies soggy.”
“Oh yeah? Me either.” Tuck tore open the package and handed it to her. “Do you eat the middle first?”
“Nope. Takes too long.” Maddy picked up a cookie and looked at him, eyes sparkling as she took a big bite. “Mmmmm, heaven. Want one?”
His smiled at her enjoyment. “Don’t mind if I do. I’ll get you another pack if I eat too many.”
They shared the cookies, three each, and Maddy declined more. “I don’t want to spoil my appetite for lunch. Libby said Kay is cooking, and I want to do justice to her efforts if I can.”
“It’s good I’m only staying a week,” Tuck declared. “Kay’s cooking would make me fat if I stayed longer.”
Maddy sighed. “I’m going to have to watch myself then. I haven’t eaten good food in so long I’ll probably go crazy and gain twenty pounds in a month. Maybe thirty, considering I can’t get any exercise.”
“That’ll never happen,” Tuck said confidently. “And even if it did, you’d be cute with curves.”
Maddy laughed. “You say that now.”
They lapsed into silence again, and soon Tucker’s eyelids closed. Maddy hoped he slept the rest of the way. She could only imagine what the past couple of weeks had been like for him. He’d had to face a dead body and spend countless hours tracking down leads, all to no avail.
Maddy hurt for him. She was in awe of the man’s dedication and intelligence, his refusal to give up. She wished she could share his burden, but she knew he already felt guilty that she was involved at all, and bringing her further into his case wasn’t going to happen. Not that she would have much to offer anyway.
Without even thinking about what she was doing, Maddy shifted closer, leaning toward him just enough to be able to hear his soft breathing and catch his scent, which was some kind of wonderful masculine smelling soap mixed with pure Tucker. It was heavenly. Content, she sat there and soaked in his closeness, storing up more memories for when he was gone.
Chapter 18
The Full Heart Ranch, the pride and joy of Virgil and Kay Desmond, was everything she had been promised. Maddy was speechless as the big black Suburban, driven by Virgil himself, took them up a picturesque mile long lane to a huge, sprawling, log ranch house.
Virgil gave a running commentary, pointing out the small log cabin that had been the original ranch house built by his great grandfather, and which was now used as a guest house. There was also a much newer building close to the main house, a small art studio full of windows which his mother had used to paint the landscapes she had become somewhat famous for in the state. He drove on past the big main house to give them a closer view of the main barn and stable area, where horses and ranch hands were busy doing ranch kinds of things, which were all a complete unknown to Maddy but fascinating nevertheless.
Libby was beside herself. “Do you still have Magdalena, Uncle Virgil? I know she was already really old the last time I was here but, man, I loved that horse.”
“Magdalena is alive and well, but she spends her time with the other retired horses down at the number two stable, which is another half mile down the lane. She can’t be ridden anymore, but you can spend as much time with her as you like.”
“I’ll go see her after lunch,” Libby declared.
Virgil looked back at Maddy and smiled. “Don’t worry about being left out, Madison. We’ve got a Gator ready so these two can drive you wherever you need to go on the ranch.”
“I don’t know what a Gator is, but I’ll trust you on that,” Maddy said, returning his smile.
“It’s like a golf cart on steroids,” Tuck said. “But we need to be careful, Virgil. This girl has had four surgeries in the past four weeks. We can’t let her overdo it.”
“Getting out will be good for me,” Maddy said. “Not that I can be all that active with three unusable limbs.”
“Just wait till I get you in that Gator,” Libby said with a wink. “The Full Heart won’t know what hit it.”
Tuck groaned and Virgil laughed.
“Let’s head on back to the house,” the older man said. “Kay is probably just about beside herself waitin’ for us.”
Maddy decided that being unable to walk or even use crutches wasn’t an entirely bad thing, because having Tucker carry her around was definitely not a hardship on her part. She held tight to his neck as he carried her up the front porch steps, Virgil following behind them with her wheelchair. Once they were inside, Tuck lowered her into the chair, adjusting the foot rests until she was comfortable.
She looked around the house, wide-eyed. The front room was a huge, open, two story area with a large dining table at the far end, and multiple seating areas placed throughout. The floors were polished twelve inch wide planks, and the exterior walls were exposed logs. The furniture was a mixture of rustic pieces and comfortable leather sofas and recliners. Two huge stone fireplaces were the focal areas, one placed in the middle of the room and one at the opposite end from the dining area, where there was also a wall completely filled with bookshelves.
Two staircases were spaced evenly along the back wall, starting out by running parallel to the wall so they didn’t cut into the room space, and then turning inward halfway up. An open balcony ran the entire length of the great room, with another large gathering area cut into the middle section of the second story, with colorful overstuffed upholstered furniture and several huge, lush plants. She could see two hallways leading off the balcony, and Maddy guessed that’s where the bedrooms were.
On the main level, a wide archway past the dining table led into the kitchen, which was where they all headed. Huge, sparkling clean, and sporting every modern convenience, the room was very much an authentic ranch house kitche
n. A plethora of huge copper bottom pots and pans and long handled utensils hung from an iron rack that stretched across the island with its big commercial sized gas range. An immense, deep, double sink was set into a wide swath of polished granite in front of a window that overlooked an endless stretch of rolling grassland dotted with cattle in the distance. Two huge stainless refrigerators, two dishwashers, and pretty much every smaller appliance you could imagine were all there for the use of those lucky enough to cook in such a kitchen.
Kay Desmond was the lucky cook of the moment, and she squealed with delight when they all trooped in.
“My babies!” she cried. “Oh, you beautiful, beautiful kids!” She gave Libby and then Tuck long, hard hugs, tears of joy streaming down her face. “Oh my stars, your parents would be so darn proud of you both. Just look at you! So grown up and gorgeous.”
“Sorry it’s taken us so long to get back here,” Libby said tearfully. “I’ll never let so much time pass again, Aunt Kay. I promise you that.”
“I wish you would both just stay here forever,” Kay said. “What does North Carolina have that we don’t, after all?”
“Good question,” Tuck said, planting a kiss on Kay’s cheek.
“Aunt Kay,” Libby said, “this is my dear friend, Madison Harper. We’re both so grateful to you for opening your home to us.”
“There’s no better place to recuperate than here at the Full Heart,” Kay said, leaning over to give Maddy a careful hug. “I’m sorry for your misfortune, dear, but glad that you’ve all come here. We’ll have you right as rain in no time.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,” Maddy said sincerely. “I’ll try not to be too much trouble, at least for you. This one I’ll run ragged.” She jerked her thumb at Libby, smiling wickedly.
“I’ll do everything but carry you up the stairs!” Libby said cheerfully. “You’ll still need my big, strong brother for that.”
“Actually she won’t,” Kay corrected. “We had an elevator put in a few years ago. Poor Virgil doesn’t know when to quit when it comes to working this ranch, and he throws his back out on a somewhat regular basis. It was either go with an elevator, or convert the downstairs office into a bedroom. We chose the elevator, which has come in handy for lots of guests as well. And now it’ll benefit you, my dear girl,” she said, beaming at Maddy.
“Dang,” Tuck said. “I kinda like carrying her.”
Virgil clapped him on the back. “There will be plenty of other opportunities for that, son. As you saw, we haven’t gotten around to puttin’ a ramp on the front porch.”
“Good man,” Tuck said, flashing a teasing grin at Maddy.
“What’s for lunch, Aunt Kay?” Libby asked eagerly. “Whatever it is smells divine.”
Maddy ate so much “roast beef with all the fixin’s” she thought she was going to pop. When Tuck rolled her chair away from the table she looked back at him ruefully. The other three had carried dishes out to the kitchen, and it was just the two of them.
“I think I just gained the first five of my thirty pounds, even though I had to eat with my left hand.”
“I’m right there with you, and Kay is going to keep those big meals coming, there’s no doubt about that.”
“I’m going to have to practice more restraint, then,” Maddy replied, smiling.
“So you think the Full Heart will be an okay place to stay for the next few months?”
“It couldn’t be any more perfect. Thank you for sharing this special place with me, and for taking the time to bring me here.”
“I have a physical therapist lined up to come as soon as you’re ready. She’s from Grand Forks and comes highly recommended. I’ve spoken to her twice on the phone, and I think you’ll like her. She’ll stay in the guesthouse here Monday through Friday, and then give you exercises you can do yourself on the weekends when she goes home.”
Maddy didn’t know Tuck had already been working on finding a physcial therapist, and she looked at him earnestly, wanting him to know how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness.
“You and Libby have done so much for me. I know you don’t like me thanking you all the time, but how can I not, Tucker?”
“Seriously, Madison?” he asked softly. “You almost died simply because you’re friends with Libby, because she’s my sister. And you’re sitting here in a wheelchair, having gone through weeks of pain most people can’t even imagine, and you still feel the need to thank me?”
Maddy sat up straighter and glared at him. “Yes, I do feel the need to thank you. You saved my life and now you’ve brought me to this beautiful place. And if I want to thank you, I will.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but the others came back into the room and joined them.
“Everything okay over here?” Libby asked, picking up some vibes.
“It’s fine,” Tuck said smoothly. “Madison is happy to be here at the ranch.”
“Very happy,” Madison agreed, tearing her eyes from his light blue gaze. “I can’t wait to get out and explore in that Croc thingie. No wait, it’s a Gator, right?”
The others burst out laughing as Madison clapped her hand over her eyes and shook her head at her mistake.
“It’s the Croc from now on,” Virgil announced. “And your Croc is ready whenever you are, mi’lady.”
“Not now, though,” Libby said. “We have some very important things to do that can’t be put off. Namely, some online shopping. I only have one more outfit for our girl here to wear, and that’s not going to cut it. So if someone can show us to our rooms, I’m going to get my computer booted up and show Maddy some love in the form of knockout clothes she can wear with casts. Can we get overnight shipping out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Usually two days is the best we can manage,” Kay told her.
“We can work with that.”
Kay went with them up to the bedrooms. There were three of them down the first hallway, each with their own bath. Maddy was in the middle room, with Libby and Tucker flanking her.
Kay and Libby were able to get Maddy from her wheelchair to the bed, and the girls spent more than an hour hunched over the computer, picking out an assortment of loose-fitting items that would fit over Maddy’s casts and braces, yet didn’t look like pajamas. Maddy didn’t want to purchase too many of those types of things, though, as she knew she wouldn’t wear them once she was mobile again. Libby then talked her into a sizable stash of exercise gear, for when she was heavy into her physical therapy sessions. Finally, they ordered some “regular” clothes for when she was cast free and not doing PT.
“Use my Paypal account since I don’t have any of my credit or debit cards here,” Maddy said.
Libby grabbed the computer and scampered away from the bed to the small desk in the corner of the bedroom. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll use my own Paypal account, because Tuck doesn’t want us using credit cards or anything else that can be traced.”
“No way, Libby. I will not allow you to buy me clothes. I have plenty of money in my checking account for that stuff.”
Libby laughed. “There’s not a lot you can do to stop me, considering you’re stuck over there on the bed,” she said playfully. “Plus, you know I’m loaded, Maddy. I remember getting a little drunk one night and telling you that Tuck and I inherited a huge fortune from our grandparents.”
Maddy raised her brows. “I’m surprised you remember telling me that. Old what’s-his-name made you so mad you drank almost a whole bottle of champagne all by yourself, to celebrate getting rid of him.”
“His name was Brennan, and yes, that evening is a bit fuzzy, but at some point I did remember that I told you about all my inherited millions, and I wondered whether it would change things between us. I was a little worried because that happened to me before. I ran my big mouth and suddenly the people I thought were friends became mooches and got mad if I didn’t spread the wealth, so to speak.”
Maddy frown
ed. “That’s terrible, Lib.”
“It is terrible,” Libby agreed. “But I was elated to find out that there’s not a mooching bone in your little body. You never even mentioned that I told you. You’re a true friend, Maddy.”
“And I’m certainly not going to start mooching now. Don’t you dare pay for those clothes, Libby Simon. I’ll yell for Tucker if you don’t bring the computer back over here.”
Libby forgot about the computer and spun around in her chair, grinning at her friend. “Looking for excuses to get him in here?” she teased knowingly.
Maddy felt her face flood with warmth, and she knew Libby saw the flush. Trying to deny her feelings would only make things worse.
“Don’t tease me, Lib,” she said with a huge sigh. “I’m trying so hard not to go there, but he’s just so darn attractive, in every possible way. I’d have to be dead not to respond to that.”
Wrinkling her nose, Libby snorted. “It’s a little hard for me to see him that way, considering he’s my brother and all, but I do know you’re not the first girl to find him irresistible.”
“Please don’t say anything to him. I’d die of embarrassment and I don’t want to ruin our friendship by having him find out I have a crush on him.”
Libby cocked her head. “Why would that ruin your friendship, Maddy? Tuck’s no different than any other man, and he certainly doesn’t mind having cute girls admire him! And if I’m not mistaken, I think he might be a little bit into you, too.”
Maddy looked at her friend as if she’d sprouted wings. Or horns. Or both. “Oh come on, Libby, don’t patronize me. I’m well aware that I’d be batting way outside my league with Tucker. Yes, I’m a bit infatuated with him, I mean who wouldn’t be? But I’m not crazy enough to think we’ll run off into the sunset together. It’s just that I have a little trouble breathing normally when he’s around.” Maddy smiled sheepishly. “And my heart starts pounding. And when he carries me, oh man, I don’t mind that at all.”