by EMILIE ROSE
* * *
SHE HATED BLIND dates. Hated them. Madison refused to dress up—if she was going to be tortured, she would at least be comfortable.
The smell of meat on the grill greeted her when she climbed from her truck, and her stomach rumbled. Her sandals scraped up the walk, reluctance weighting her steps. The side gate flew open and Piper’s son, Josh, raced toward her with Sarg, the dog Madison had patched back together, by his side. The abandoned mutt had been one of her successful adoption stories.
“Dr. Madison, we’re out back.” He eyeballed the fruit trifle in her hands. It was the fanciest summer dessert she had in her limited repertoire. “Want me to carry that?”
She surrendered the dish and petted the dog. “Thanks, Josh. How are you and Bojangles making out?”
“Great. Mom’s giving me some pointers. I jogged him this week for the first time. It’s kind of bumpy.”
“You’ll get the hang of it. I’m sure he loves your company.”
“I’m trying to convince Mom to let me get a skunk. Buster’s so cool.”
“Not a good idea. Skunks steal and hide your things. Before I moved him outside, Buster swiped so much of my stuff that I’m still finding stashes of his ill-gotten goods.”
“Oh. Maybe a guinea pig, then.”
“A safer choice, for sure.”
They reached the privacy fence that surrounded the backyard and nerves clutched her stomach. Showtime. Even if the meeting tonight wasn’t going anywhere, she hadn’t dated in a l-o-n-g time. Josh and Sarg raced ahead toward the table already loaded with food.
The buff blond marine stood just inside the fence. He also wore jeans and a T-shirt, making her glad she hadn’t dressed up. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. He had a longneck bottle in his hand. Without waiting for Piper or Roth, he crossed the grass to meet her. “Hi, I’m Sam.”
His greeting was cool, polite. Nothing more. Nothing less. Definitely not flirtatious. Good.
“I’m Madison. And I’m sorry about this. I tried to talk Piper out of the setup, but she’s deaf when she wants to be.”
His grin should have been lethal, but her hormones kept snoozing. “About as deaf as her husband, I suspect. No offense, but my life’s a little unsettled now. I wouldn’t put that on a woman.”
“Understood. And ditto for me.”
“Piper said I should get you a margarita as soon as you arrived. She’s inside making them now. Want me to track her down?”
“No, thanks. Piper’s trying to get me in trouble. I’ll stick with sweet tea.”
“Can’t handle tequila?”
“Apparently not—a lesson I learned the hard way at her bachelorette party.”
“Copy that. Roth has enough beer in the cooler for a platoon. Tea’s this way.”
She waved at Roth, who stood by the grill, and walked beside Sam across the lawn to the food table—it felt like the right thing to do. No pressure. No awkwardness. He was here under protest and so was she. Both duly noted.
He filled a glass and passed it to her. Their fingers brushed. No tingle, no fizz, no skipping heart. Nada. Not his fault, because he was definitely gorgeous and well built.
“So you’re a veterinarian. I’ve done a little work with military working dogs. They’re a nice taste of home when you’re deployed.”
“And dogs are more loyal than any human you’ll ever meet.”
And so the night went. Sam was charming and interesting company, but he’d elicited nothing from her in the feminine department. She hadn’t even noticed the passing hours until a lightning bug flashed in front of her.
“Wow. I’d better get going.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he offered and Piper’s eyes sparkled with interest in the flickering torchlights.
“Thanks.”
Madison’s heartbeat quickened—not out of interest or excitement, but out of dread that she might have to head off an unwanted embrace. Sam stopped by her truck and offered his hand.
“It was good meeting you, Madison. Thank you for tonight and for being a good sport.”
Surprised, Madison put hers in his. “It was good meeting you, too, Sam. You’re good company. I hope you get the desired result at your checkup next week.”
She’d learned the marine scout sniper had suffered a detached retina from an explosion. He was optimistic that the surgical repairs would allow him to return to the field.
The handshake was brief and without fireworks. She climbed into her cab with no exchange of phone numbers or mention of getting together again. Then she glanced toward the house and saw the poorly concealed disappointment on Piper’s face before the curtain dropped.
But as far as Madison was concerned, the night had been a success of sorts. She’d passed an enjoyable evening in male company and she hadn’t acted stupid.
All she had to do was keep up that winning streak when she returned to Georgia.
* * *
ADAM HAD SURVIVED the storm. That had been Madison’s first thought when she read the text message Sunday morning.
Can’t get away. Rental car paid for. Pick it up and get yourself here. Do not disappoint Dad.
The address of the rental car agency and the reservation number had followed.
She hadn’t been happy about the relief rushing through her when she’d read his message. But she hadn’t heard from him since he’d dropped her off after their white-knuckle flight until this morning’s text and she’d been worried.
She turned into his driveway Sunday evening just shy of bedtime. She’d delayed leaving home because she wanted to avoid one-on-one time with him. Climbing from the car, she stretched her stiff muscles. In an attempt to block the memory of the kiss from her mind she’d spent five days working herself to near exhaustion, first in the office and then in her yard after yet another summer storm. She’d succeeded. Mostly.
Then Adam opened his front door. His gaze hit her with the impact of a charging bull and every sensation came stampeding back. Her stupid heart sprinted just as fast as it had when he’d held her. Her palms moistened and her short, shallow breaths resembled an excited dog’s panting.
So much for her lucky streak.
She yearned to turn and run the opposite direction. But she wouldn’t, because no matter what he thought of her, she wasn’t a coward.
He looked tired. Tension furrowed his brow and bracketed his mouth. His hair looked like he’d raked his hand through it a time or five. Compassion that she didn’t want to feel kicked in. “Rough week?”
“The nurses are threatening a strike.”
Don’t look at his mouth. Or his wide shoulders.
“How’s Danny?”
“His labs are where they need to be for him to have his first chemo treatment.”
“Good. And Helen?”
“Holding it together.”
His eyes narrowed on her face. She wished he wouldn’t look at her that way—it reminded her of the moment in the prep room when she’d realized what he was about to do and done nothing to prevent it.
“Come in. You know the way to your room.” He took her cooler and opened the door wider.
She shouldered her bags and bustled past him, hyperconscious of him shadowing her down the hall. When they reached the bedroom her nervousness ratcheted up several notches. Stopping just inside the door she shifted on her feet and searched for something to say.
“I’m surprised you moved back to Norcross.”
His lifted eyebrow told her the unexpected question had caught him off guard. “Why?”
“Andrew always said you couldn’t wait to fly the coop and that once you left you’d never come back.”
His lips compressed. “Priorities change.”
“Why did you come back?”
“I had an opportunity and my parents needed help. Your point?”
“I don’t have one. I was just curious.” She’d spent far too much time wondering how much of what Andrew had told her had been a lie.
“Can I trust you to get yourself to the office on time?”
Insulted, she straightened. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day. I’ll meet you at my parents’ after work.”
He turned on his heel and left.
Tension drained from her. What had she expected? For him to kiss her again? Of course not. And she didn’t want him to.
Madison needed to work harder on distancing herself from the Drakes. Adam in particular. Because if she didn’t, disaster was pretty much guaranteed. Maybe once this weekend was through they’d trust her enough to keep renting her a car and the intimate flights would no longer be necessary.
* * *
HELEN PUSHED OPEN the bathroom door. Danny was on his hands and knees in front of the toilet. “Are you okay?”
He clutched the bowl and vomited, then sank back on his haunches. “Does it sound like I’m okay?”
She bustled to the sink and dampened a washcloth for him. “What can I do?”
He snatched the cloth from her hand and mopped his pasty face. “Stop hovering, Helen. Can’t a man puke in peace? I had the door closed for a reason. Get out.”
It wasn’t like Danny to be nasty, but he’d had his first chemo today, and he had a right to be testy. The chemo nurse had warned them that some medicines might make him sick, and it looked like this was going to be one of those meds.
“Can I get you anything?”
“Privacy. You’ve been in my armpit all day. Go buy yourself something pretty.”
She tried not to take offense. The day had been long and arduous—for both of them. “I don’t need things, Danny. I just need you to be okay.”
“I will be.” He contradicted the statement by heaving again.
She felt helpless—just as she had each time one of the boys had been ill with something she couldn’t fix. But at least they’d let her tend to them instead of being cranky. Well...Andrew more than Adam. Her firstborn had always been the more independent one.
Speaking of Adam... “I’ll call Adam and tell him you’re not up for Madison’s visit tonight.”
“No. I want to hear how she’s managing.” He bent back over the bowl, retching until he had nothing left.
“Danny, you can’t handle—”
“Don’t tell me what I can’t handle. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. If you leave me alone.”
What if he wasn’t? What if it only got worse from here? What if she had to watch him waste away like some of the others they’d met in the infusion room today? There had been some who she’d been convinced would not be there next week or next month or— She severed the thought.
What if Danny lost his hair or his fingernails, or... Once more she tried to squash her fears. She couldn’t afford any negative thoughts. She needed to hold him, to tell him she loved him and have him repeat the words to her.
But he wasn’t going to do that tonight. Danny was pushing her away, but he wanted to see Madison. Helen couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy needling her. And that was petty of her.
Was this how Andrew had felt when his father had praised Madison over his own son?
It had been during one of her heart-to-hearts with Andrew that Helen had said the words she wished she could take back. Madison’s priorities will change once the babies come. Her career won’t be nearly as important as spending time with her child. Just be patient.
“Helen, Madison and Adam will be hungry when they arrive. Go fix dinner.”
She left Danny alone, but she couldn’t cook tonight. Her heart wasn’t in it, and Danny probably wouldn’t be able to eat what she’d planned anyway. Yesterday she’d bought pork chops, intending to fry them for tonight’s dinner. But the pamphlets she’d read today while he had his infusion warned that the smell of frying foods might make him nauseous. He was already sick, and she wouldn’t do anything to make him feel worse.
She glanced at the clock. It was too late to concoct an alternate menu. Madison and Adam would have to feed themselves after they left. No matter what Danny said, she didn’t believe for one minute that he’d be up for company within the next half hour.
Maybe he’d like a glass of water.
A knock on the door brought her up short of the cabinet. Adam, already? But she’d told Adam not to knock. She glanced out the windshield as she crossed the den, but she didn’t recognize the small sedan parked out front. She pushed open the door. Madison waited on the mat.
Not who she wanted to see. Helen looked past her. “Where’s Adam?”
“He told me to meet him here.”
“Danny’s sick to his stomach. I’m not cooking.”
Helen didn’t move aside and Madison made no attempt to climb the stairs. “Do you have the right foods in the house?”
“What right foods?”
“You should have received a list of things Danny might be able to eat and things to avoid.”
“I didn’t get that until today, and Danny was in no shape to go shopping. I haven’t had time to go to the store since we returned home. The infusion took longer than I expected. All day, in fact.” She hated the defensiveness in her voice, but Madison’s questions made her feel incompetent.
“I’ll be back.” Madison returned to her car and left.
“Who was that?” Danny asked behind her. Helen spun around guiltily. He looked terrible and unsteady on his feet.
“Madison. You need to lie down.”
“I don’t want to lie down. I told you I wanted to see her.”
“I didn’t tell her to leave.”
“Damn it, Helen, I needed her tonight. I have to have something to think about other than how I feel.”
He stomped back to the bedroom and slammed the door. A tangle of emotions twined through her. She wanted to make him happy, to do everything right.
But she was glad Madison was showing her true colors, and she’d be amazed if she actually did come back. The sooner Danny realized what Madison was really like, the sooner he’d let her go and hire the professional substitutes. That day couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
“WHEN I TOLD her I wasn’t cooking she left without coming inside,” Adam’s mother said.
“That’s not like her,” his father added from his recliner.
Fury coiled inside Adam like a copperhead waiting to strike.
“How long ago did she leave?” He would track her down and drag her back.
“Thirty or forty minutes ago.”
A flash of movement through the windshield of the motor home caught his eye. Madison’s rental car pulled in and parked beside his. He crossed to the front door and shoved it open with enough force to make the hinges protest.
“Where’ve you been?”
She pulled plastic bags from the backseat. “Getting groceries. Your mom didn’t have time to pick up chemo-friendly foods. I told Helen I’d be back.”
Madison climbed the stairs, then paused beside him, her caramel gaze searching his face suspiciously. “Where did you think I went? Home?”
His anger deflated. He took a cleansing breath and her scent filled his nostrils—the same fragrance that lingered in his house long after she returned to North Carolina.
“You could’ve texted to let me know your plans.”
“So you could keep tabs on me? Maybe have someone at the market call and report on my progress like you do at the office? Yeah, I know about the daily check-ins. You spy—just like your father.”
The dig struck a nerve. She stood toe-to-toe with him, bristling
with insult and challenging him to admit he’d misjudged her. When he kept his mouth shut she brushed past him, her shoulder bumping his chest with an electrical charge.
“Hey, Danny. Rough day, huh? I hope I found something to tempt your taste buds. It’s normal for them to be out of whack after a treatment, so it might take some experimentation to find something that appeals. I got a little bit of everything to cover the bases.”
“I knew you’d be back, Maddie.”
That made one of them, Adam conceded. She carried her bags to the kitchen and set them down, then reached into a cabinet, retrieved a glass, filled it with ice and then the ginger ale she’d brought.
“Have you taken your antinausea meds?” She waited for him to nod, then offered him the glass. “Try sipping on this. Ginger’s supposed to soothe your stomach. If it does, I bought some ginger root for Helen to incorporate into your foods.”
He grasped her hand. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
She didn’t pull away. “You’re welcome.”
Madison had made it clear at every turn that she didn’t want to be here, but there was no evidence of that in the kind way she treated his father. Adam glanced at his mother and caught her watching the scenario play out with downturned lips.
Madison returned to unloading the bags, filling the compact counter with yogurt, bananas, applesauce, Jell-O, fruit juice popsicles, canned soups and stews, a rotisserie chicken, a loaf of bread and sandwich meat.
“Helen, I don’t know where this stuff goes. Do you mind if I leave it for you to put away?”
“No.”
His father perked up. “I would love one of those strawberry popsicles, Maddie.”
“Yes, sir.” Madison opened the box and delivered. “Go slow. Everybody’s different, but these are the foods I’ve heard are recommended.”
“You shouldn’t have had to do this. Helen should have—”
“Helen was busy taking care of you today.” She squeezed his shoulder.
Madison coming to his mother’s defense took Adam aback. This was not the woman his brother had described.
“How did you know which foods to buy?” Adam asked.