by Gina Wilkins
“Hey, Jackson. Howzit goin’?” a bleached blonde in tight jeans and a sequined Western shirt asked as she approached the booth.
“Good as always, Joannie. You met Case, here, yet?”
“No. How ya’ doin’, Case? I’m Joannie,” she said unnecessarily. Her smile was broad and friendly.
Case nodded. “Pleasure to meet you,” he murmured.
“Oooh. The guy’s even got manners. So how come he’s hanging out with a lowlife like you, eh, Jackson?” she teased.
“He’s new in town. Don’t know any better yet,” Jackson retorted.
“Case, honey, you and me have got to have a long talk,” Joannie said gravely. “This boy’ll get you in hot water for sure if you stay around him too long.”
Case glanced from Joannie to Jackson and back again. “Troublemaker, is he?”
She sighed and shook her head. “The worst kind. But ain’t nothing the love of a good woman couldn’t fix.”
Jackson laughed. “Honey, I been married to two good women and neither of them had any luck.”
She shook a playful finger at him. “Never give up, I say. When you going to bring Maddie around again, hmm?”
Jackson made a production of loudly clearing his throat. “Did I mention that Case is Maddie’s fiancé?”
Wide-eyed, Joannie whipped her head around to stare at Case. “You and Maddie are getting married?”
Again, it was Jackson who answered before Case could speak. “I didn’t say they were getting married,” he corrected. “Case just calls himself her fiancé. Last I heard, Maddie didn’t seem to agree.”
“She’ll come around,” Case murmured, looking at Jackson. The words were a warning.
Jackson’s grin never wavered. “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”
“Oh, Lord,” Joannie moaned, rolling her eyes upward. “You two start breaking furniture or anything, and I’m going to get blamed for it. I just know it.”
“We promise not to break any furniture,” Case assured her, smiling at her dramatics.
“You notice he didn’t say anything about arms or legs,” Jackson murmured.
Joannie giggled. “So, are y’all going to order or just sit here stacking chips on your shoulders and daring each other to knock ‘em off?”
“Beer,” Jackson said promptly.
“Make it two,” Case added.
Joannie nodded. “Behave yourself ’til I get back, you hear?” she warned. And then she giggled again. “I wouldn’t want to miss anything juicy.”
“She seems nice,” Case commented when Joannie had bounced away. Maybe he could convince Jackson to pursue the blonde and leave Maddie alone, he thought.
Jackson’s smile faded as he looked after the waitress. “She is nice,” he agreed. “Poor kid.”
“Poor kid?”
“Yeah. Her husband broke his back in a fall last year. Now he’s in a wheelchair and they’ve got three little kids to support. Joannie’s working two jobs, but they’re having a hard time making ends meet, with his medical bills and all.”
“Damn.” Case watched Joannie trade quips with a man at the bar as she filled two mugs with foaming beer. He thought of how much pain she must be hiding behind her contagious smile.
“Yeah. The townsfolk have been real good to help them out, of course, but Bud—Joannie’s husband—is the proud type. He doesn’t like to accept charity.”
“Not even for his kids?”
“Only for his kids,” Jackson corrected.
Joannie slid the mugs in front of them, along with a bowl of peanuts. “Get you guys anything else?”
“Not now, thank you,” Case replied.
Joannie smiled. “Such nice manners,” she repeated. “You could learn something from him, Jackson.” And then she hurried away in answer to a summons from one of the baseball fans.
Case made a mental note to tip generously when he left.
Jackson took a sip of his beer, popped a few peanuts in his mouth and chewed in silence for a moment. Then he said, “I’m glad Maddie’s grandfather is going to pull through. They’re a real tight-knit family. He won’t be around much longer, I guess, but I know they’re grateful for whatever time they have left with him.”
Case had never known his own grandparents. His mother had died when he was seven—he hardly remembered her now—and he’d never known his father. He’d lived in a series of foster homes until he was eighteen, when he’d graduated from high school and declared his independence. Rootless and reckless, he’d been excellent material for undercover law enforcement.
Remembering the way Maddie’s family had drawn together in their fear and grief earlier that evening, he wondered if he would ever know that sort of familial connection. It was what he wanted—but his inexperience with close family ties felt like a definite disadvantage at the moment.
“I’m going to marry her,” he said suddenly, with a touch of defiance that was aimed at himself as much as Babbit.
“You’re scaring her.”
Case was startled by Babbit’s comment, which was definitely not the response he’d expected. “She has no reason to be afraid of me.”
“She thinks she does. She thinks you’ll hurt her again.”
Case cleared his throat. “She told you what happened in Cancú?”
“That you left her standing at the altar, so to speak? Yeah, she told me.”
“I told her why I had to leave. I had no choice.”
Babbit shrugged. “She’s convinced herself you did her a favor by leaving when you did.”
“She’s wrong.”
“Mmm.” Babbit took another long draw of his beer.
Case had hardly touched his own. He cradled the mug loosely between his hands as he searched Babbit’s overly bland expression. He couldn’t quite understand the guy—was he competition or ally? Friend or foe? “You aren’t hoping to marry her yourself, are you?” he asked warily.
Babbit shuddered. “I’ve been married twice. That’s more punishment than any man should have to take.”
“Then what do you want from her?”
“Maddie’s my friend, Brannigan. I like her, and I respect her. I can’t say that about many people. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“I won’t be leaving her at the altar again.”
“There are other ways you could hurt her. Taking her for granted, for example.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“You already have.”
Case started to argue, then fell silent. Had he taken it for granted that Maddie would marry him if he simply refused to accept any other answer? He’d been so sure, so confident that he’d made an offer on a house—without even asking her if she liked the place. Of course, he knew she did like it; she hadn’t been able to hide her approval when he’d shown her through it that afternoon. But he’d already made the offer.
He tugged at the collar of his shirt. “It hasn’t been intentional,” he muttered. He didn’t like explaining himself to this guy—but Babbit was Maddie’s friend. It wouldn’t hurt to have him on his side.
“Maybe not,” Babbit said. “But if I were you, I’d start thinking about how Maddie might be feeling, and less about what you want. If not, you’re going to lose her.”
The very possibility of losing Maddie made Case’s stomach clench. His hands tightened around the beer mug. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked bluntly.
Jackson looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But I know Maddie wouldn’t be happy leaving town by herself, traipsing around Europe—or anyplace else—alone. She’s the family type. She thrives on connections.
“Oh, she’s been restless and a little bored lately—maybe because she’s turning thirty soon and feels like she hasn’t experienced much. But I’m afraid she isn’t ready for the sort of experience she’d find if she left Mitchell’s Fork unprepared. She’s smart, and she’s tough when she has to be, and she’s been taking care of herself, her family and the restaur
ant for several years. But she’s vulnerable. Look what happened the last time she went off by herself. Almost got herself married to a stranger.”
Case was embarrassed to feel his cheeks grow warm. Hearing his own thoughts so eerily echoed by Jackson Babbit made him uncomfortable; being used as an example of the perils awaiting Maddie made him angry. “I told you, that wouldn’t have been a mistake. Maddie and I were meant to find each other.”
“I’m not the one you need to convince of that,” Jackson told him.
“You’re right. So why am I wasting my breath?” Case muttered disgruntledly.
“You look to me like a guy who could use a friend.”
Case frowned. Of course he wanted friends in Mitchell’s Fork. After all, he planned to make this his home. But...Jackson Babbit? He studied the other man’s hairdo and clothes, thinking what an odd pair he and Jackson made. And then he remembered the man’s loyal defense of Maddie and obvious sympathy for Joannie.
Maybe the guy wasn’t as bad as he first appeared. Maybe that was what Maddie liked about him.
“A man can always use more friends,” he said carefully.
“Just one question. Who’s the greatest singer of all time?”
“George Jones,” Case answered promptly, both from personal choice and because Babbit’s taste wasn’t hard to guess.
Babbit grinned. “Drinks are on me,” he said. “Hey, Joannie. Bring us another round, okay?”
* * *
IT WAS LATE that evening when Maddie finally had a chance to see her grandfather. He lay in the hospital bed, looking frail and weak and very old. She blinked back a sheen of tears as she leaned over the bed and kissed his bald head. “Hello, Grampa.”
“Maddie,” he said, his voice whispery-soft. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out with your young man?”
She smiled. “And which young man would that be?”
“Your betrothed, that’s who. I like him, girl. He’s got steady eyes.”
Maddie held her smile with an effort. “I’ll tell him you said so.” This was not the time to remind her grandfather that she still didn’t consider herself officially “betrothed.” “How are you feeling?”
He sighed. “Tuckered out.”
“I’ll let you rest, then. I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”
He nodded. “I’ll be here.”
“I know. The doctor says you’ll have to stay in the hospital a few more days.”
Her grandfather’s thin fingers tightened around her hand. “I thought I was going to be joining Annabelle this time.”
Maddie’s smile quivered. “I’m very selfish, Grampa. I’m not ready to let you go just yet.”
“Guess I’ll hang around for a while longer, then,” he said gruffly. “Now go on home, Maddie. A pretty girl has better things to do with her evenings than to hang around a hospital.”
“I love you, Grampa.”
He patted her hand and smiled, his thin, blue-veined eyelids already closing.
* * *
ACCOMPANIED BY Jill, Maddie went back to the restaurant after leaving the hospital to make sure everything had gone smoothly during the dinner hour. Hazel and the other staff assured her they’d gotten along just fine without Maddie and Mike that evening. Business had been light, they said, but no more than usual for a weeknight.
Jill followed Maddie into the restaurant office after Maddie locked the front doors. “I still can’t believe Case went out for drinks with Jackson,” she said. “What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly beneath their table!”
Maddie pretended to concentrate on the paperwork on her desk. “They’re just getting to know each other. It’s not so strange—two single guys of about the same age with nothing else to do on a Tuesday evening.”
“Two single guys who are after the same woman,” Jill reminded her wickedly.
Maddie flushed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Jackson isn’t ‘after’ me. We’re friends, that’s all, and you know it. As for Case—”
“You aren’t going to try to tell me Case isn’t after you, are you?”
“No,” Maddie sighed. “I won’t try to tell you that. I think Case has made himself clear enough.”
“Mmm. As far as that guy’s concerned, you’ve got a red X painted on your forehead. You’re marked. Targeted.”
“I’m convenient,” Maddie muttered.
Jill seemed surprised by Maddie’s choice of words. “You think that’s all it is?”
Maddie shrugged.
Jill shook her head. “I don’t think so. You’re hardly ‘convenient,’ Maddie. Look at how much trouble you’ve given him since he came to town. And there are other women who wouldn’t bother resisting him.”
“Like you?”
Jill shrugged. “Maybe, if he were available. He’s not, though. The guy’s not interested in anyone but you.”
Maddie cleared her throat and murmured something noncommittal.
“Is that why you’re resisting him so ferociously?” Jill asked a moment later. “You think he wants to marry you for the wrong reasons?”
To avoid meeting her friend’s too-perceptive eyes, Maddie kept her gaze focused on the paperwork. “I know why he wants to marry me. He wants a wife. Kids. A home.”
“And love?”
“It hasn’t been mentioned,” Maddie said stiffly.
“Oh.” Jill seemed to suddenly understand. “I didn’t realize...”
“It doesn’t matter,” Maddie said quickly, determined to hide her own feelings—at least as much as she could hide them from someone who’d known her since kindergarten. “I still think Case will be gone in a month, if not less. He’ll be bored out of his mind by then. Can you really see a man like Case settling into the routines around here?”
Jill thought about it a moment before answering. “It does seem unlikely that a man who’s accustomed to danger would be content with a weekly Little League game for excitement.”
“And he’s never owned a home,” Maddie said, ignoring the pang that went through her at Jill’s concurrence. “He has no idea how boring routine maintenance can be. He’s probably never even mowed a lawn.”
“I bet he’s never been to a PTA meeting, either. Remember those long, dull programs we had to sit through with our parents? My dad hated them. He used to make all these crazy excuses to get out of going without Mom getting mad at him. Not that he ever got away with any of them.”
“Exactly,” Maddie said, warming to her subject. “And as far as cultural entertainment, the Royale Theater is the best we have to offer. Two movies a month, both of which have already been playing for weeks everywhere else in the country. It’s a two-hour drive to the nearest live theater or symphony or ballet or professional sports stadium.”
“Right. You and I only get to any of those things once every six weeks or so. A guy who’s accustomed to having entertainment at his fingertips would have a hard time dealing with that.”
Maddie nodded. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Something tells me Case would learn to adapt,” Jill said with a smile.
Sighing, Maddie threw up her hands in a gesture of frustration. “I thought you were beginning to see my side.”
“Oh, I see it. I’m just not so sure you’re right. So, how did you like the house?”
Maddie was confused for a moment.
“Case told me he was going to take you out to the Fielding place when you finished your lunch shift,” Jill explained. “I told him you’d never seen the interior, and that it might be a good idea for him to find out if you liked it before he put any money down on it.”
“You said that to him? Honestly, Jill—”
“I know. I’m a traitor and a lowlife worm. But how did you like the house? Did you agree with me about the colors?”
“Of course. The colors are terrible. But the house—”
“Great, isn’t it?”
“It has potential,” Maddie said slowly. “But I—”
“Case s
aid he wanted you to help him decorate it. I envy you. I’d love to get my hands on a place like that.”
“Fine. Volunteer to take my place.”
Jill shook her head. “I already did. I’m telling you, Maddie, the guy wants you or no one. If I were you, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss his feelings for you. Something tells me you’re underestimating him.”
Maddie didn’t agree. But, remembering how tenderly Case had held her in the hospital waiting room, she didn’t want to argue about him anymore just then. She had needed him, and he had been there for her—this time. She knew that all too quickly, she would become addicted to having him there for her.
But how long could she expect it to last? How long before he grew tired of her, and of Mitchell’s Fork, and left her heartbroken? Again.
She knew what Case wanted from the marriage he had in mind—what he thought he needed from such a union. But what about what she wanted? What about her needs?
Case had offered her a lovely home and financial security. Though Maddie was aware that some women would be content to settle for those, she needed much, much more. Love. Commitment. Unwavering loyalty and devotion. A lifetime partnership.
Was Case really prepared to offer all that? And if he did, could Maddie really trust him to keep his promises?
She swallowed a moan, deeply afraid that she would be willing to take that risk for Case. If only there was some way to be sure of just how much she meant to him.
9
WITHIN TWO WEEKS, Case had moved into his house. The sale hadn’t gone through that quickly, of course, though his offer was immediately accepted. Undeterred by the slow-moving system, Case had contacted the former owners and arranged to move into the house as a tenant until the final papers were signed transferring the deed to him. He’d had all he could stand of the tiny motel room.
He saw Maddie several times during those two weeks, though not as often as he would have liked. He made himself stay away from her for days at a time, and made an effort to call each time before coming to see her. Though he missed her every minute he wasn’t with her, ached to touch her, hold her—and more—he was determined to give her no reason to accuse him of taking her for granted.
He immersed himself in the daily routines of Mitchell’s Fork. He quickly learned that breakfast at the Classy Café on Main Street was a valued tradition among the town’s old-timers. There, he drank coffee strong enough to strip paint, ordered eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and listened to the stories told by retirees who enjoyed having someone new to share them with. He was still a newcomer, still an outsider, but he was welcomed warmly at the café. That pleased him, despite the avid curiosity lurking behind the greetings.