“You’re not going anywhere tonight, are you?” he asked when they’d returned to the front door.
“At midnight? Where would I go?” She smiled unsteadily.
“No, I’m in for the night.”
“Lock the door behind me.”
“I always do. Hey, don’t scare me, okay? I live here alone, you know.”
“You can come and stay with us.”
Now there was an interesting invitation. She’d seen Lexy’s daybed-built-for-one, which meant she would be sleeping on the couch. With Brady right down the hall in a room all his own, what were the odds that she would stay on the couch? Not good. So she would either seduce him, which wouldn’t be a wise thing, considering how important he’d become to her, or she would try to seduce him and he would reject her, which would be painful, embarrassing and possibly more than her ego could take.
“No, thank you,” she said politely. “I’ll be fine here.”
“You have my number at home?”
She nodded.
“Call me if you need anything, okay?” He looked for a moment as if he might kiss her. Sadly, the moment passed. “Go ahead and lock up.”
With a regretful nod, she started to close the door, then paused with just enough space to catch a glimpse of him. “In one way, at least, Lexy’s adventure turned out good for you.”
“What’s that?”
“It let you avoid answering my question. But that’s okay. I’ll just ask again. I’m the tenacious one, remember?”
“We’ve had that conversation before. In your motel room. Remember?”
Oh, she remembered. It had ended with him on his back and her on top of him and an incredible, wild, frenzied release that had curled her toes and left her too weak to do anything but sleep. “So you only want to be touched when you’re naked and in bed and about to get laid.”
A look of such sorrow came across his face that her heart ached for causing it. “No. That’s not the only time. It’s just…” He cleared the hoarseness from his voice, then said in a flat, emotionless tone, “I’ve got to get Lexy home.”
“Sure. Thanks for a wonderful day.” Wishing her voice hadn’t quavered on the words, she once again started to close the door, but he blocked it with his hand.
“Hallie—”
She smiled her best smile—the brightest and phoniest one she used when the only alternative was bursting into tears. “Go on. Take your daughter home. I’ll see you later.” She pushed against him, closed the door and locked it, then leaned against it. Holding her breath, she listened one moment, two, then finally heard his footsteps crossing the porch. One sad cry escaped her before she clamped her hand over her mouth, then dragged in a few deep breaths.
Her days of crying over men who found her lacking were over. So she wasn’t the smart one, the capable one, the independent one. She wasn’t the spineless, nothing-without-a-man one, either. Whatever problems Brady had with her were his problems.
Her problem was how to get over it.
She showered and put on her nightgown, then curled up on the old oak bed she’d found in a dusty corner of Stella Clark’s shop with the binder Neely had given her before the wedding. It contained notes, photographs, sketches, ads torn from magazines and detailed instructions for every room in the new house.
Her sister was so organized it was scary, Hallie thought as she flipped through the pages. Neely could have given the binder to her contractor and been almost as assured of getting exactly what she wanted. Instead, she’d pleaded with Hallie to handle it for her…mostly, Hallie knew, because Neely had been worried about her. In the months following the divorce, Hallie had had a little trouble getting back into life—perfectly reasonable, she thought, for a third-time loser. Though she’d wanted to remain in hibernation in her Beverly Hills mansion, she hadn’t been able to turn Neely down.
By the time she left Buffalo Plains—and Lexy and Brady—behind, she might need to return to her isolation. At the rate she was going, she wouldn’t be fit for human company.
She reacquainted herself with all of Neely’s wants and commands, then closed the notebook. It was nearly one-thirty, and the night was quiet except for an occasional car passing by on the highway. The bobwhites and tree frogs were singing out back, and from the more distant trees came a whippoorwill’s cry. It was all so peaceful and could lull her to sleep in a heartbeat if she could just lose the anxious knot in her stomach.
When the phone on the night table rang, it made her jump and sent Neely’s binder sliding. She caught the binder with one hand and grabbed for the phone with the other. “Hello.”
“You should be asleep,” Brady said.
“How do you know I wasn’t?”
“I can lie here in bed and see a faint light through the trees over there.”
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Too much on my mind.”
What? she wanted to ask. Lexy? His ex-wife? His parents? Maybe her? But she didn’t ask. Wouldn’t. “How’s Lexy?”
“She’s sound asleep. She’s convinced herself that it was just a couple kids who happened to be walking behind her and decided to be stupid.”
“Do you believe that?”
He was silent for a moment, then he murmured, “No. Buffalo Plains is a relatively safe place, but…things happen.”
“Maybe getting scared once in a while is good. Maybe she’ll think twice before doing something like that again.”
“I hope so. I’d hate to have to put her on a leash.”
“I’d pay money to see that,” Hallie said dryly. Brady might make a great authority figure, but she had no doubt Lexy could really dig in when something was important enough to her.
“Are you okay?”
She set the binder on the floor, then slid underneath the covers. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“When I left, you seemed…”
She waited, wondering if he had a clue how close to tears she’d come, or why. She’d gotten the why only half right herself. She’d thought she was hurt because, once again, she wasn’t enough for the man in her life. But there had been more to it than that. She’d been hurt because he was hurt. That look in his eyes just before he’d gone all blank and cold…. It had been enough to break a woman’s heart.
“You seemed upset,” he finally said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No, I’m not upset,” she lied. “Did I remember to thank you for a very nice day?”
“Not necessary. Lexy and I appreciated your coming.”
“Sheesh, we sound so formal, considering that we’re each lying in our beds wearing… What are you wearing?”
He made a noise that sounded remarkably like a chuckle. “You ask the most impertinent questions.”
She fixed her pillows, then turned off the lamp and snuggled in on her side. “On the contrary, at the moment I think it’s quite pertinent.” Then she slyly added, “I’ll tell if you will.”
“I don’t need the torment, but thanks for offering.” Then…
“You turned your light out.”
“Hmm. I like the sound of your voice in the dark.” She gazed out her window and made out just a glimmer of light in the distance. It gave her a warm, secure feeling to know he was just on the other side of the trees and pasture—only minutes away if she needed him. “If you were a DJ, every woman in the country would tune in.”
“You must be tired. You’re getting silly.”
“I am many things, but I am not and never have been the silly one. In fact, there is no silly one in the Madison family.”
“I hate those labels you and your sisters hang on each other.”
The emphatic tone of his voice made Hallie frown. “It’s all in fun. With our names all ending in some variation of Lee—need I mention that our father’s name was Lee?—it’s just a way to help keep us straight.”
“You defend them, but deep inside you don’t really like them, either. Most of the ones you get stuck with—or stick your
self with—are putdowns, and they’re just so much bull.”
She didn’t know what to say because she was surprised he noticed. Surprised he cared. Surprised that he was right. Whenever her family started attaching labels, it seemed the ones they gave her were the most insignificant, and she’d often thought it was because they saw her as the most insignificant sister. She was the only one without a college degree, without a career, without a purpose or a plan for her life, and she was the one who screwed up far more often than she got it right. And because they saw her that way, it was so much easier for her to view herself that way, too.
“No one really pays much attention to them,” she said lamely.
“You do.”
Her smile was unsteady and disappeared before it formed.
“Not really,” she lied again. “Besides, labels can be helpful. All anyone has to say about you is ‘loner,’ and we automatically know an awful lot about you. All you have to say about Lexy is ‘teenage girl.’ And all you have to say about me is ‘loser.’”
The phone line actually hummed with tension. She shifted uncomfortably, brushed her hair back, then put on the fake cheery voice that went with the fake cheery smile. “Hey, it was a joke.”
“And a bad one.” He sounded as if he were scowling, an image she could all too easily call to mind.
“Sounds like the undersheriff is grumpy tonight,” she teased.
“According to you, the undersheriff is grumpy all the time.”
“Not all the time. I can recall at least twice that you were almost perfect.”
“Just almost?”
She deliberately kept her tone light. “Well, there was that disappearing act you pulled before sunrise both mornings.”
“Pardon me, but I had the distinct impression you didn’t want anyone to know I’d spent the night with you.”
That was a good excuse for the second time, but not the first. He’d left without a word, expecting to never see her again, and he’d done it, she thought, because he didn’t want anyone to know he’d spent the night with her.
She wondered if he still felt that way.
And if she would ever get a chance to find out.
The sound of a yawn came over the line, then he murmured an apology. “Sorry. I guess I’d better let you go so we can both get some sleep.”
“I’m glad you called.” Just talking with him had made the knot in her stomach disappear. She felt relaxed, warm and drowsy.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Good night.” She liked his assumption, even though they hadn’t made any plans for Sunday. It had been a long time since anyone had assumed she would be a part of his day.
“Good— Aw, hell, go ahead and torment me. What are you wearing?”
She shifted under the covers, her satin chemise rubbing sensuously against her skin, then she smiled a naughty little smile. “Nothing at all. Sleep on that, Brady.”
With his low groan echoing in her ear, she hung up and settled in to sleep.
It was after nine o’clock on Sunday morning when the phone awakened Hallie. She stared at it, too groggy for a moment to realize that it was the culprit making the awful racket. Finally, her brain kicked into gear and she reached for it. “Yeah.”
“Hey, it’s me,” Brady said. He couldn’t have gotten any more sleep than she had, but he sounded alert, brisk and all business, while she could hardly lift her head from the pillow.
“I’m sorry to wake you, but I’ve got an emergency call, and after last night, I don’t want to leave Lexy alone. Do you mind…?”
“No, not at all.” She sat up and shoved her hair back from her face, then glanced out the window. It was another bright, sunny and hot day. She would give a lot to see a few rain clouds in the sky, and even more to feel raindrops falling on her head, but it didn’t look as if it might happen today. “You want to bring her over on your way, or should I come over there?”
“She’s not dressed yet. If you could come over….”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Hallie. Feel free to crawl into my bed and sleep a few hours more when you get here.”
“Great. You invite me to bed when you’re not in it. Be careful.” She hung up, rubbed her face with both hands, then stumbled into the bathroom. It was a good thing she’d showered the night before. Otherwise, it would take her an hour to get ready. But all she had to do was wet her hair to tame a bad case of bed-head, brush her teeth and put on a minimum of makeup. With her hair slicked back and a change into shorts and a T-shirt, she was out the door.
She drove the short distance to Brady’s street, then turned. Up ahead a car was stopped in the middle of the street, blocking both lanes, and its driver was standing beside it, holding on to someone Hallie couldn’t see, presumably trying to get that person into his car. She would have to drive around him on the grassy shoulder, and if she picked up a nail or anything else sharp in her tire because of a spat between some guy and his girlfriend, she would be so—
She hit the brakes, bringing the car to a stop with a sharp squeal, and immediately climbed out. “There you are, Lexy,” she said, keeping her voice steady and calm by sheer will. She could see now that the man didn’t have hold of Lexy, but had wrapped his fingers around her backpack strap—still a threatening move, in Hallie’s opinion. “Who’s your friend?”
The girl was scowling darkly, but it couldn’t hide the fear in her blue eyes as she jerked her backpack free of his grip, circled far away from him and hurried to the Mercedes. “He’s no friend of mine. Let’s get out of here, Hallie.”
“Get in the car,” Hallie directed. She looked at the man’s car—small, red, an older model with a mud-covered tag—then at him. He was probably in his early twenties, not as tall as Brady, brown hair, fair skin, everyday white-bread average. He wasn’t handsome, wasn’t homely, wasn’t particularly memorable at all. “You’re old enough to know better than to hassle a fourteen-year-old girl on the street.”
His grin was too slick, too easy. “Fourteen? No way. You’re kidding, right? She can’t possibly be— Man, you aren’t kidding, are you?” He raised both hands as he backed toward his car. “Hey, look, I’m sorry. I had no idea. I thought she was older. I’m really sorry. Hey, no harm, right? Sorry, kid,” he called as he got into his car and drove away, accelerating quickly to about double the speed limit, then turning out of sight.
Hallie slid into her seat and fastened her seat belt before looking at Lexy. “Is your father already gone?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure? Then would you please tell me what in the hell you’re doing out here?”
“Heck,” Lexy said, twisting her fingers together nervously.
“Sam Hill. Blazes. They’re all good substitutes.”
“This is no time to be cute, Lexy. Why are you out here?”
“I just…I was just coming to meet you, and then that jerk came along and he was blocking my way and wouldn’t let me by.”
“Did Brady tell you I was coming over?”
“Yeah,” she said petulantly. “He said ten minutes, and I waited ten minutes. Then I decided to walk up here and meet you on the way and then maybe we could go do something. Only that—that moron came along first. He kept asking if I needed a ride and saying it was too hot to walk and he’d take me anywhere I wanted to go. I told him I wasn’t interested, but he just kept on and when I tried to go around him, he grabbed my backpack and wouldn’t let go. Stupid jerk.”
Her jaw clenched, Hallie tapped her nails on the steering wheel. She hated to bother Brady when he was busy, but if she waited until he’d finished with his emergency, the odds of finding the guy would dwindle away to nothing. And maybe he really hadn’t meant any harm and there wasn’t any reason to find him, other than to put the fear of God—and a father with a badge—into him, but after what had happened last night….
She drove the remai
ning block to the Marshall house and parked behind Brady’s pickup. “You do have a key to the house?”
“I found Brady’s extra one. He put it in the junk drawer, for heaven’s sake. You’d think a cop would have better hiding places.”
Once they were inside, Lexy tossed her backpack aside and flopped down on the couch to watch TV. Hallie went to the kitchen phone, then called, “Do you know his cell phone number?”
“Nope.”
She located the phone book, then dialed the non-emergency number for the Canyon County Sheriff’s Department. The woman who answered sounded older than dirt and tougher than nails, and she was none too anxious to help Hallie. “I can’t give that number out,” she interrupted the first time Hallie mentioned his cell phone.
“I don’t expect you to give it to me. But can you get in touch with him—”
“He’s on an emergency.”
“I know that, and I wouldn’t be calling if it weren’t important. Can you contact him—”
“Not while he’s on a call.”
Hallie closed her eyes briefly, then said in her most patient voice, “Okay. Not a problem. I need to see a deputy as quickly as possible at 128 East Cedar about an incident a few minutes ago involving the acting sheriff’s daughter.”
“One-twenty-eight East— That’s Brady’s house.”
“Yes, it is. Can you send someone?”
“I’ll pass it on.”
“Thank you,” Hallie said sweetly, then she hung up and stuck out her tongue at the phone. She took the long way back into the living room, passing Brady’s room and giving a longing glance at his bed. It was neatly made, without a wrinkle anywhere, and she would bet the sheets smelled enticingly of him. Not that she was going to get a chance to find out.
She entered the living room behind the sofa and bent to give Lexy a hug from behind. “You’re lucky I don’t turn you over my knee and paddle you.”
“Huh,” Lexy scoffed. “No way. Nobody paddles me.” But for one sweet moment, she held tightly to Hallie, as if nobody hugged her, either, then she whispered, “I wish my dad was here.”
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