Just Married...Again

by Charlotte Hughes

  He wanted to take care of her, even though he knew she was capable of taking care of herself. He wanted to protect her, with his own life if he had to, and he wanted to be there to catch her if she fell, even though the likelihood of that happening was slim.

  “How about I make some rice to go with your beans,” Maddy said, breaking into his thoughts. “I don’t usually like serving more than one starch per meal, but I think I can make an exception here, since we’ll need something that sticks to the ribs. And I’ll slice a couple of tomatoes to go with it.”

  Michael nodded. “Good idea. By the way, does your watch have an alarm?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I have my small travel alarm clock with me. Why?”

  “I need to borrow it. So I can set it to wake me every hour and tend the fire. Otherwise, it goes out, and the whole place gets cold.”

  “Oh, Michael, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think. I don’t mind taking turns with the fire. You have to get your rest or you’ll collapse.”

  He wished she wouldn’t use that tone of voice with him because it made him want to curl up next to her and never get up, and that’s not the way their relationship was supposed to be working right now. Friends. Pals. Good buddies. He hoped she would begin to want more after a time.

  It wasn’t easy thinking of her as just another Joe. Just as he seemed to get his body under control, she went and did something utterly cruel, like bend over to pick something up, or put fresh water down for those dogs of hers, and he was forced to stare at that pert behind while trying to breathe calmly so he didn’t hyperventilate. And what about that business of snuggling her dachshunds against her breasts? What was that all about? Sure, she pretended she was just playing with them, but he knew what she was doing. She was purposely trying to draw attention to her body.

  He only wished he could think of something to drive her out of her mind.

  Maddy noted his deep frown. He was a million miles away. “Michael, are you even listening to me?”

  “Huh?” He glanced up, realizing she’d caught him gazing off into space again. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking … and planning … for any emergency that might crop up.” He knew she liked his chest. He could walk around without his sweatshirt. Of course, it would be cold as blazes, and he would probably get sick as hell, but it would be worth it.

  “Okay, enough is enough,” Maddy said. “As your friend, I insist that you stop worrying immediately.” She snapped her fingers. “How about a glass of wine? That’ll relax you. You can sit in front of the fire and drink it while I finish dinner.” She grabbed the bottle from the refrigerator and poured him a glass. “There now, that should do the trick.” She set it on the counter beside him.

  A noise overhead made them look up. “What was that?” Maddy said.

  “Well, Santa and his reindeer aren’t scheduled for another month, so I have to assume a tree limb fell on the roof. This reminds me, I’d better climb up there tomorrow and see what it looks like.”

  “Wait just a minute,” she said. “If you think I’m going to stand by and let you climb up on an icy roof, you’re crazy.”

  Aha, she was worried about his safety. Definitely a good sign. And one way for him to prove how courageous he was. “Calm down, Maddy,” he said. “I know it’s dangerous but—”

  “Dangerous is right. You could fall right through that roof and put a big hole in it, and then where would we be? We’d all freeze to death in an hour.”

  Michael felt the spark of hope fade.

  “Hey, look what I found in the attic,” Danny said, coming down the hall with a large metal object in his arms.

  “Attic?” Michael said, glancing at Maddy, who shrugged. “That must’ve been the noise we heard. Guess I won’t have to go up on the roof after all.”

  “It’s a space heater,” Maddy said excitedly. “I wonder if it works? Plug it in, Danny. No, wait. It might have a short. Let Uncle Mike plug it in.”

  Michael shot her an icy look, but took the heater from the boy and carried it to the nearest outlet. He plugged it in and the coils instantly lit up. Maddy and Danny clapped.

  “Where on earth did you find an attic?” Maddy asked.

  “It’s in the roof of your closet. I went in there to get clean clothes and felt this spider web, so I shined a flashlight around, and saw this thing that looked like a trapdoor. I dragged a chair over and stacked your suitcase on it, and there I was.”

  “What else did you find up there?” Michael asked.

  “A bunch of old newspapers and books. Oh, and some more detective stories. Can I go back up?”

  “I don’t know, Danny, it might be dangerous,” Maddy told him. “The wood could be rotted in places.”

  “Better let me go,” Michael grumbled. “If there’s any danger involved, your aunt will want me right in the middle of it.”

  Maddy tried to hide her amusement. “Michael, that’s not how I meant it to sound.”

  “And if you should have a hankering to drink Red Devil lye and set yourself on fire with gasoline before dinner, please let me go first so I can check the level of danger.”

  “Michael, what a thing to say,” Maddy said, chuckling. Danny grinned.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to run a bath and drink my wine, since Danny’s more interested in exploring than showering the way he was supposed to.” Michael grabbed his wine and turned for the hall. “Maddy, did you want me to check the wiring on your blow dryer while I’m in the tub?”

  She remained straight-faced. “No, thank you. You’d probably end up dropping it in the water and ruining it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  When Maddy came into the kitchen the following morning, she found all the groceries on the counter and Michael and Danny making lists. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Oh, hi,” Michael said without looking up. “We’re taking inventory of the food. There’s another storm on the way. No telling how much snow we’ll end up with or how long before we get out of here. I’m afraid we’re going to have to start rationing food.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?”

  “Not in the least. And since I’m in charge, that’s the way we’re going to do it.” He winked at Danny, who smiled in return. He would show Maddy he could handle their newly formed friendship, despite being in love with her. He would also prove he was capable of taking care of her and keeping her safe. A tall order, but he was up to it.

  One blond brow lifted high on Maddy’s forehead. “Mind telling me who put you in charge, Mike, ol’ buddy?” she asked.

  “Danny and I voted on it.”

  “And I didn’t get to vote because …?” She waited.

  “Because you refused to get out of bed when I knocked on your door earlier.”

  “Was that you banging on my door at the crack of dawn?” she said.

  “Yes. You were obviously more interested in sleep than in saving your life.”

  Maddy stared back at him. He was up to something. She could feel it in her bones. She would love to know what it was. She regarded him quizzically. “Okay, since you’ve put yourself in charge, I think it’s only fair to tell me where you received your survivalist training. Now that you hold my very life in your hands,” she added.

  He put down his pen and looked up. “I have my instincts. Not only that, I’m bigger, stronger, and a whole lot—”

  “Don’t even say it,” she warned, holding up one finger. “If you wish to keep all your body parts intact, stop right where you are.”

  Michael knew the flashing green eyes meant business.

  “If you don’t believe he’s the strongest, you should try and arm-wrestle him,” Danny said, jumping to his uncle’s defense. “Besides, he’s the only one carrying a weapon.”

  This surprised Maddy. “You have a weapon?”

  Danny answered for him. “Yeah, an awesome bow and arrow. It’s in his car.”

  Michael nodded. He’d excelled in archery as a Boy
Scout. His parents had bought him a nice bow when he’d received his Eagle Scout badge. He only hoped he could remember how to use it after all these years. “I figure if the food gets low, I’ll hunt.”

  “Knowing the proper use of a bow and arrow doesn’t necessarily make you a wild-game hunter,” Maddy said, still smarting over the fact that they hadn’t let her vote.

  He grinned. “The best we can hope for is that I run into an old arthritic bear who’s on his last legs and can’t outrun me.”

  “Well, if you think I’m going to eat some poor bunny rabbit or brown-eyed doe that you slaughtered in cold blood, right in the middle of the holiday season when we’re supposed to be kind and giving, you’ve got another think coming. You’ve always been against hunting.”

  “I can’t imagine killing an animal for sport,” he said. “But if I have to kill something to keep us from going hungry, I will.”

  “You’re overreacting, Michael. The plow will come up these roads any day now.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right. In the meantime I’m going to take every precaution.”

  Danny looked at Michael. “Can I take a short break and play with the dogs? I’ve got writer’s cramp.”

  “Be back at 0900 hours.”

  Danny saluted. “Aye aye, Skipper.”

  Michael ruffled his hair. “We’re not in a boat, pal, but you can call me Skipper if you like.” Danny grinned and took off down the hall. He closed the bedroom door a moment later, and Rambo barked his greeting.

  “And what am I supposed to call you?” Maddy said.

  “You may refer to me as O, Great One,” he said. When she didn’t even crack a smile, he slapped her on the back. “Just kidding, Maddy. Besides, you’ve probably already picked out a name for me anyway.” He winked. “Now, how about some coffee? I put salt in it just like you do.” He grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it, then added cream and sugar.

  “I hope it’s not too salty,” he said as she raised it to her lips.

  Maddy took a sip and knew she’d made a bad mistake. She immediately spit it in the sink and filled a glass with water.

  “Too much salt? I used the smallest measuring spoon I could find. I only had one cup because of my blood pressure. Still, I hated to throw it out.”

  When she could talk, she turned to him. “Let’s make a deal,” she said. “You just worry about keeping us alive, and I’ll take care of the coffee situation.”

  “But I get up earlier than you.”

  “I’ll set it up the night before. That way you’ll only have to plug in the coffee maker when you wake up.” She poured the coffee down the sink and prepared to make a new pot. She saw Michael wince. “It’s not a sin to waste it under these circumstances, O, Great One. Even your mother would have given her blessing.”

  He knew she was insinuating he was cheap. Coming from Maddy, he didn’t mind it. “My mother would have let it cool and watered her plants with it.”

  “Perhaps it hasn’t come to your attention yet, but we have no plants. Perhaps that’s why we call you O, Great One instead of O, Wise One.”

  “Maddy?”

  She paused at the sink. His voice was odd, yet gentle. She turned. He wore a thoughtful smile. “Yes?”

  “You’re okay, you know that? I’m even going to like you after the divorce.”

  She knew he meant it as a joke, but the pain that knifed through her was anything but funny. She swallowed, and it felt as though a bowling ball were lodged in her throat. “That’s what all my ex-husbands say,” she replied lightly. “Would you excuse me?”

  Maddy hurried down the hall to the bathroom and locked herself inside. Once the tears came, they gave no hint of subsiding. She sat there for a good twenty minutes, trying to bring herself under control. She’d thought she had it licked. Indeed, she assumed she was ready to embark on a new life. But she only had to take one look at her husband and spend one night in his arms, to know she was right back where she started.

  And now, now that she knew what was in her heart, he was ready to back off, be a friend and nothing more. He was even joking about their upcoming divorce.

  Maddy was startled by a quick knock at the door and Michael calling out to her. She quickly washed her face and opened it.

  His expression was bleak. “Oh, Maddy, why am I such a thoughtless SOB? I don’t know what came over me. We were having fun one minute, and I just blurted out that business about the divorce without thinking.”

  Maddy drew in a ragged breath and managed a tremulous smile. “It’s okay, Michael. Really.”

  He placed one hand against her cheek. “I’m not good enough for you. I never was.”

  “Oh, please don’t start that,” she said, rolling her eyes and ducking out of the bathroom. She made her way to the kitchen and finished making the coffee, then plugged the coffee maker in. Michael sank to his knees and grabbed her from behind. “I’m not even good enough to breathe the same air you breathe.”

  With him still grasping her, she turned, and it was all she could do to keep from bursting into laughter. This was how every single argument they ever had ended, with Michael pulling his shenanigans and her falling into fits of giggles. They usually ended up in bed, still laughing over it.

  “Michael, stop it this instant,” she said. “You’re a grown man and a respected attorney, you can’t keep acting like this. Besides, you’re supposed to be preparing for this catastrophic snowstorm, remember?”

  “I’m not even good enough for you to wipe your feet on. But go ahead anyway.” He fell to the floor on his stomach, trying to spread himself out so she could do as much walking and wiping her feet as she liked. He stacked one fist on top of the other and propped his chin. “Go for it, Maddy.”

  “You are certifiably crazy, you know that?” she said, standing on his broad back. “Okay, Michael, I’m wiping my feet on you. Do you feel better now?” She glanced up and found Danny standing a few feet away, wearing the same look he had the night she’d hit his uncle over the head with the poker and slammed the door.

  “Uncle Michael! What’s she doing to you?”

  “Huh?” Michael turned his head. “She’s … uh … well, it’s hard to explain, kiddo.”

  Maddy wondered if they’d managed to warp the kid’s mind for life in just a few days. “The ol’ skipper threw his back out, honey,” she said. “Good thing I know how to fix these problems.”

  “Is it serious?”

  She looked thoughtful. “Hard to say without a rectal thermometer, but after a quick examination, I’d venture to say your uncle is suffering from spondylosis.”

  “What causes it?” Danny asked.

  “Old age, honey. Your uncle is over the hill, so to speak.”

  Michael turned his head so that he could see her. “Very funny, Maddy. And we both know you don’t need a rectal thermometer to diagnose back trouble.”

  She smiled sweetly. “No, that’s just something extra I like to do for my patients.”

  “Is he going to have to lie there like that?” Danny asked.

  “Oh, no. The only chance for a cure is heavy exercise. And he’ll have to sleep on a board. Preferably one with nails in it.”

  “Maddy, would you please get off my back now,” Michael mumbled.

  “Ah, the coffee is finally ready,” she said, stepping off and making her way to the coffee maker. “Would you like a cup, Mike?”

  His smile was brittle. “I think I’ll fix it myself. Then perhaps we can get back to the business of discussing my emergency-preparedness plan.”

  Rambo and Muffin began barking from the bedroom, obviously missing their playmate. Danny started in that direction.

  “They have to use their litter box first,” Maddy said.

  “I’ll take it back there,” Danny offered, already going into the utility room. When Maddy started to protest, he interrupted. “I know how to do it, I’ve watched you. Don’t worry, I won’t throw up.”

  “Well, that’s certainly comforting,
” she said. Once she was situated at the counter with her coffee, she glanced at the food lists. “You need to give me the job of rationing food and preparing the meals,” she said. “I’ll be able to stretch the food while seeing that it meets our nutritional needs.”

  “Fine. Danny and I have enough to keep us busy.” When she began rolling up her sleeves to get to work, he stopped her. “First things first, though. We have to bring in the wood from the shed so it can start drying.”

  “Okay. I’ll finish this inventory while you guys do that.”

  “Sorry, Maddy. We need every available hand we can get.”

  “There are only two pairs of wading boots,” she pointed out.

  “I noticed you had a pair of boots with you when I unloaded your car.”

  She gave a snort. “And you expect me to wear those to lug wood back and forth in the snow. I don’t think so. They’re genuine crocodile boots from the Congo basin in Zaire, Africa, where my parents recently traveled to see old friends. They paid a king’s ransom for them. They’re lined with lamb’s wool, and if they get wet, they’ll be ruined. I refuse to destroy a perfectly fine pair of boots in this snow.” She sighed. “Oh, God!”

  “What?” Michael looked startled.

  “I sounded just like my mother.”

  Twenty minutes later everybody was suited up. “Hey, nice boots, Aunt Maddy,” Danny said. “My sister has a pair just like ’em.”

  “I seriously doubt—”

  “Hers are lined with lamb’s wool. Are yours?” When Maddy ignored him, he went on. “And right inside there’s a stamp that says ‘Made in Africa.’”

  Maddy could feel Michael watching her, but she refused to meet his gaze.

  “What do you have on under your clothes?” Michael asked her.

  “I beg your pardon?” Maddy said, taken aback by the personal nature of the question.

  “We’ve got a twenty-degree-below wind chill factor out there, and the wind is whipping through like a typhoon. I want to make sure everybody is warm enough. It’s better if you layer your clothing.”