“You’ll be amazed at how steady he’ll be by tonight.” Pride filled Boone’s voice, but Maddie heard the exhaustion beneath.
That, she could do something about. “I’m going to fix us some breakfast.”
“You don’t have—”
“Boone. Don’t even say it.”
His look was sheepish. “I’d crawl over broken glass for a cup of coffee.”
“A simple thank you will do.” Maddie smiled.
“Thank you.” Boone smiled back. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something else. Then he shook his head.
“What?”
“I owe you an apology. You may be a city girl, but you handled yourself like a pro.”
Maddie wasn’t sure she’d ever heard a sweeter compliment. “I won’t say I told you so,” she teased. Then she sobered. “Thank you for letting me stay. It was incredible.”
“You were pretty incredible yourself.” In Boone’s eyes shone another memory of the night.
Maddie wanted to linger, but he was hungry and tired. If she didn’t leave now, she never would. “I—I’d better go.”
His voice turned neutral. “I’ll come as soon as I’m sure everything’s okay here. Jim will be in soon, and he can watch them.”
Maddie wanted to say something, to talk about last night. But Boone had already turned back to mother and baby.
He had work to do. There would be time later.
Maddie emerged from the bathroom, her hair still wet but all of her much cleaner. She already had coffee perking. She’d take a cup to Boone before she started breakfast.
She was halfway down the stairs when her cell rang. Maddie glanced at the clock. Who would be calling at seven in the morning?
“Hello?”
“Darling, I’m so glad I reached you. Is it too early?”
Régine. Even on Eastern time, it was early for someone whose restaurant closed well after midnight.
“Not as early for me as it is for you, I’ll bet.”
The older woman’s laugh sounded rusty. “I wouldn’t be up at this godforsaken hour if it weren’t important.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Maddie, things have changed here. I can’t wait two more weeks for you.”
“Oh. I understand. You have plenty of prospects, I’m sure.”
“That’s not what I mean. I want you, Maddie. Only you. I’m convinced, more than ever, that you are our destiny.”
Régine had always had a flair for the dramatic.
“I can’t leave here, not yet.”
“I’m prepared to up the ante.” Then her voice turned tentative in a way Maddie had never heard this hard-edged woman speak. “Maddie, my doctor has discovered a lump in my breast. He says it’s manageable, but I have to go into the hospital. I may be out for a while. I need you here.”
“Oh, Régine, I’m so sorry.”
“Spare me the pity.” The other woman’s voice was dry. “Just help me out. I’m prepared to offer you an ownership stake in the restaurant now.”
“Ownership?” In a place far beyond anything Maddie could expect to own? But she couldn’t leave yet. Boone would lose this house. “Régine, I—Anthony can run things for you.” Her maître d’ had been with her for years and knew everything Régine knew.
“It’s what you want, isn’t it? To own your own restaurant?”
“Yes, I’ve always wanted to own my own place. And Sancerre is everything I’ve ever dreamed, but—”
“I’m not going to let you tell me no, Maddie. You’ve lost your perspective. You can’t seriously think to give this up for some dusty cowboy. You don’t belong there. You could be the toast of the town here.”
“I—I promised Boone I would stay.”
“Maddie, I need you. That place is just a house. You said he would still have plenty of land, even without the house. And he can probably buy the house from those other people. You won’t need the money from him if you come in with me. Let him have the place, if it makes you feel better but don’t be foolish, Maddie. This is your future.”
New York had never seemed farther away. But Régine had been her friend for a long time. She had helped Maddie extract herself from the Robert fiasco.
But Maddie had promised Boone she’d stay.
“Don’t answer me now. Tell me you’ll call back tonight. Think about it, Maddie. Think hard. You’ve worked for years for this. And I need you.”
Maddie could resist anything else, but hearing a plea from her cynical friend was like finding water in the desert. Régine did not plead.
“I’ll call you tonight, Régine.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Maddie hung up the phone with a sinking heart.
“You have to go.” Boone’s voice startled her.
Maddie whirled. “What?”
“You can’t throw away a golden opportunity. I remember what you said. That place is at the top of the heap and she’s giving you ownership, didn’t I hear that right?”
Maddie nodded dully.
“It’s what you said you wanted. You’re good, and this is your chance.”
“But the Caswells…”
“Leave the Caswells to me. You can’t blow this chance, Maddie. It’s exactly what you’ve always wanted.”
“Yes, but…” She’d thought so. But after last night…
“Then the answer is simple.” His voice was clear and brisk as he walked to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. “You have to go.” He turned away from her. “Do I have time for a quick shower?”
Maddie didn’t know what to think, what to say. So she busied herself with breakfast. “Will twenty minutes be enough?”
“That will be fine.” He started from the room.
“Boone…” She wanted to stop him, to—what? Beg him to let her stay? If he wanted that, he would have asked. Boone wasn’t shy about speaking his mind.
“What?” He didn’t turn.
Maddie drew in a deep breath. “Two eggs or three?”
“Three.” His voice never faltered.
When she heard his steps on the stairs, Maddie clutched the sink with white-knuckled fingers.
I will not cry. But Maddie had to blink hard to see her way to the stove.
Boone stood in the doorway to the bathroom and tried to remember why he was here.
You should be an actor, after that performance.
But what else could he do? It was within her grasp to have everything she’d dreamed. How could he make her stay for two more weeks and lose her chance?
You want more than two weeks, and you know it. And the Caswells aren’t going to bargain with you. Harold and Sam hated each other, and the bad blood continues.
It didn’t matter. He had to do what was right for Maddie. He’d figure out something about the house later. God knew he’d have plenty of time to do nothing but think.
And to miss her. If only she had expressed any doubts about leaving, but he’d heard her on the phone. Her only argument was that she’d made a promise to him, not that she’d changed her mind.
Promises could be broken. There were other places on the ranch to build himself a house. He wasn’t sure he could stay in this one, anyway, once Maddie was gone. If he’d thought it was haunted before… He would hear the echo of Maddie’s laughter in every room. See her face in every corner.
Boone’s shoulders sagged. How the hell was he going to stand this place without her?
Then he straightened. The least he could do was to make it as easy as possible for her to leave. Her strong sense of honor could keep her from jumping at the opportunity of a lifetime if he didn’t do this. Two weeks from now, she would still leave, but without that chance.
You could ask her to stay.
He could—but he wouldn’t. If even once, he’d heard her voice doubts about leaving. If he had any idea that she might…
No. He had no more to offer her than the day she’d arrived. An unexciting life with a man who could seldom af
ford a vacation. A life of hard work and little profit. The nearest fine dining or music or museums hours away in Fort Worth or Dallas.
He had one more thing he could offer, but it wasn’t much of a bargain. He had a worn-out heart that had never figured out how to manage love the right way.
All in all, not much to tempt a woman who could have the world at her feet.
No, he would do the right thing by Maddie.
If it killed him.
Magic didn’t last. Stop being a romantic, Maddie. Look at this for what it is.
She’d said it before. Now she had to believe it. She couldn’t be a romantic about this.
The night had been magic, but the opportunity of a lifetime dangled before her. She had to take it seriously. She had worked very hard to get where she was, and she couldn’t afford to blow this.
So why didn’t owning a piece of Sancerre make her heart sing? Why did she keep thinking about owning The Dinner Bell?
Maddie knew why. The Dinner Bell was closer to Boone.
But Boone had made it clear that she should grab this chance. He’d sounded confident that he could work things out with the Caswells so he would not lose the house.
If last night had meant as much to him as to her, she couldn’t tell it now. Maddie had stripped her pride bare too often with Robert. She wouldn’t beg Boone. It would mean giving up all the progress she’d made since she’d come here.
She was strong. She would get through this. She would ask Boone one more time, to be absolutely sure he wouldn’t lose this place that he loved. If he gave her the slightest sense that the house was at risk, she would stay, no matter what. Maddie didn’t go back on her word.
But if he were certain, she would call Régine back. She would make arrangements, and then she would pack.
She would get out of here before she fell to pieces.
And she would hope that Sancerre needed her a lot—so much that she could drown herself in work.
And forget a golden man who had broken her heart, just as she’d known he could.
Boone looked at his empty plate in surprise. He hadn’t tasted a single bite of a meal he was sure had been excellent.
A long, silent meal.
Maddie looked up as if to say something, then paused to take a sip of her juice.
Tell me you don’t want to leave, that New York isn’t important.
But she didn’t. “Are you sure you can work something out with the Caswells?”
A lead weight settled in his chest. From some place deep inside him, he drew on long-buried reserves. “It was your family that killed a Caswell, Maddie, not mine.” He hated the stricken look on her face, but he had to convince her. “They’ll deal with me.”
Maddie chewed on that full lower lip that drove him crazy. For an instant, he could remember her taste, remember the velvet feel of that lip between his own.
Boone clenched his fist around his napkin.
“If you’re sure…” she said, “I guess I’d better call Régine back.” Rising, Maddie picked up both their plates. Her eyes were worried. “I probably should leave today. You’ll be all right until Vondell gets back?”
No. I’ll never be all right if you’re not here.
“Maddie, I’ve told you—”
A faint smile crossed her lips. “I know—you can take care of yourself.”
But I need you, anyway. I can’t take care of the hole inside my heart.
He didn’t say that, though. He rose and took their glasses from the table. Standing by her at the sink, he remembered a night when he’d thought he’d die of longing to taste her, to touch her.
Now he’d done both. And the pain raged like a wounded beast inside him.
“Well…” he said. “I’d better get back to the barn and check on the colt.”
As he turned, he caught one quick glance of Maddie’s face. There were tears in her eyes.
With an aching heart, Boone clenched his fists and walked toward the door.
I have nothing to offer her. Nothing like what she could have. But with every step, his heart cried out louder, howling to be heard.
“What will you name him?”
Boone couldn’t imagine what she was asking. He turned. “Name who?”
Tears rolled freely down her cheeks.
Don’t do this to me, Maddie. I’m trying to let you go. I’m trying to do the right thing for you.
“The colt.” Maddie sniffed hard and drew her shoulders up straight.
Valiant. Strong. A heart as big as the sky. She was everything he’d ever wanted, everything he’d ever need.
The words came out before he could stop them. “Don’t go, Maddie.” His heart thundered so loudly he could barely hear her reply.
“What?” Her eyes widened.
“I said, don’t go. Please. Stay with me.” He hurried on, unable to stop himself now. “I know I don’t have anything to offer compared to New York. You could have the world at your feet there. The sky is the limit for you. But if you stay and marry me, I’ll do everything in my power to see that you never regret it. I’ll work hard and save money so I can take you to those places you like. I know Morning Star isn’t much, but—”
“Yes.”
“—I promise I’ll—” He stopped cold. “What? What did you say?”
Then there she was again, the Maddie he loved. That smile that made the world bright bloomed beneath her tears. Those eyes sparkled again.
Nothing could be very wrong when Maddie was smiling.
“I said yes. I want to stay. We don’t have to get married, but—”
He was across the floor in an instant, hauling her into his arms. “Yes, we do,” he demanded. “I want to know you’re mine, for good.”
But honor required that he be sure she understood. He pulled back slightly. “I didn’t make Helen happy. Maybe you should think about this. Don’t be impulsive.”
“I’m always impulsive, Boone,” she teased. Then she sobered. “Would you change me?”
“I don’t want to change anything about you. I just want to love you.”
Maddie searched his gaze. “You were going to send me away because you thought it was what I wanted, weren’t you?”
“You should still want it. I can’t give you New York.”
“Making decisions for me, Boone?”
He had the grace to blush.
“I don’t want New York. I want you.”
Boone’s eyes turned very serious. “I’ll never love another woman but you, Maddie. Gallagher men—”
“Love only once,” she chimed in. “That’s good. I’m pretty handy with a knife.”
He smiled, but his eyes were still serious. “I could come with you to New York. You could still have that dream.”
If Maddie doubted that he loved her, here was ample proof. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Maddie sighed and laid her head against his chest. “You really do love me.”
“What about you, Maddie?” She’d never heard him sound uncertain before.
She lifted her head and placed one hand on his heart. “I would never ask you to leave. I don’t want to leave, either. I’ve never belonged anywhere before. I love you, and I love this place. Here—” She pressed against his heart. “This is where home is now.”
Boone’s eyes held all the love in the world as he lowered his lips to hers.
“Welcome home, Maddie.”
Epilogue
Maddie rushed toward Sam’s old office, which she now shared with Boone. Vondell had found her in the garden, telling her that Dev had returned and wanted to meet with them both before tomorrow’s wedding festivities. Maddie chewed her lip, hoping for good news about Mitch or the missing sister. It would be the best wedding present possible.
Though they had intended only a small, private ceremony with a justice of the peace, once word got out, Morning Star had been intent upon something completely different. It was amazing what could be done in two we
eks.
It was Vondell’s doing, Maddie was certain. But she couldn’t really complain. The romantic inside her wanted the world to see her joy, wanted to marry Boone in a sentimental, old-fashioned ceremony straight out of Maddie’s girlhood dreams.
There would be no one there to be her family, but she’d found replacements. Jim had asked to be allowed to give her away, and Velda and Vondell had been clucking over her for days. For a moment, Maddie wondered if she wanted to ask Boone to postpone the wedding, depending on Dev’s news.
Not really. Anyway, Boone was intent upon marrying her as soon as possible, and Boone Gallagher was not an easy man to stall.
But oh, he was an easy man to love.
“Penny for your thoughts,” said the voice that made Maddie’s heart thump. Boone grabbed her by the waist, waylaying her before she reached the office. He pulled her into the stairwell and proceeded to remind her forcefully of what lay in store tomorrow night.
The man could kiss. Oh, the man could kiss.
Soon Maddie didn’t care who was waiting—or why.
Boone ended the kiss with a sigh of regret. “I can’t wait to make you mine again. Are you sure we have to wait another day?” His eyes held smoldering promise.
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I’m having trouble remembering why I think it’s important to wait.”
Boone exhaled sorrowfully. “So I have to be noble, is that what you’re telling me?”
Maddie struggled to grin as desire ran like honey through her body. “You’re so good at it.”
“And you, heartless woman, are going to drive me crazy before I get my hands on you again.”
“Boone? Maddie? Devlin is waiting, and I’ve still got to get Maddie in that dress one more time,” Vondell called from the kitchen.
Boone frowned. Maddie smiled. Both of them sighed.
He straightened and tucked her hair behind one ear. “I messed up your hair.”
“I don’t care.”
“I’m not going to live long enough to make love to you,” he muttered. “I’m going to die before tomorrow night.”
Maddie tucked her hand in his elbow and ushered him toward the office, grinning. “Don’t whine, Boone. It’s not heroic.”
Texas Heroes: Volume 1 Page 17