Maddie shook her head. She whispered, “No.”
His lips curled up in a self-deprecating smile. “Yeah. I left my fiancée just before the wedding. I ran off like a stupid fool and hurt her real bad. Left her to make all the explanations, left her to deal with a broken heart. It really tore her up. I knew then that my fate was sealed. I’m just like my father and his father before him. They took what they wanted with no regard for the women who would get hurt. My father wasn’t a bad man. He just didn’t come to recognize his faults, until it was too late—five wives too late. The days of Will Walker are long gone. My great-great-grandfather was loyal. He had clarity. He knew what he wanted and went after it. He toughed it out and didn’t give up. He had what I lack, Maddie. Staying power.”
Maddie’s heart ached, yet she found herself wanting to know more. Maybe it was the healer in her, or maybe it was just morbid curiosity, but she wanted to learn about Trey’s one-time engagement. “How long ago were you engaged?”
“I was twenty-one. Ten years ago, give or take.”
“You were young, Trey. You weren’t ready.”
She thought about her good friend, Caroline, and what she’d been through because of a man who hadn’t been ready. He’d abandoned his wife and child, yet Maddie had a hard time comparing the two men. Trey was too good a man to abandon his family, but it was clear that he believed he would, and right now, that’s all that mattered—what Trey believed about himself.
“I was ready enough to ask her to marry me. I was ready enough to set a wedding date. I was ready enough to make plans for a future. Only thing I wasn’t ready for was following through on my promises. Like I said, no staying power.”
“And you think you’ll break my heart?”
Trey closed his eyes briefly, letting go a long sigh then he stared deeply into her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll break your heart.”
She threw caution and all good sense to the wind. Her pride flew out as well. “Maybe I’m willing to take that chance.”
Trey shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. You deserve better than me. You deserve someone who has everything to offer you. Someone steady.”
“Like Nick Spencer?” Maddie didn’t know exactly why she’d brought Nick’s name up, but she had and now she wanted to see Trey’s reaction. She and Nick were friends, period. But somehow she doubted Trey believed that and a small part of her had rejoiced when she’d thought he’d been jealous of Nick.
Trey became quiet and long moments ticked by. Then he finally nodded, “Yeah, if he makes you happy.”
Maddie wanted to scream. Trey was the one who made her happy. He’s the one she’d wanted since the day she stepped foot in Hope Wells. He’s the one who had just made earth-shattering, mind-blowing, heart-stopping love to her.
She decided to lay it all on the line, to let him know the truth about Nick’s proposal. If Trey cared for her at all, she’d find out right now. “Nick’s part of a new clinic being developed in Denver and he wants me to work alongside him there. The clinic will have all the latest state-of-the-art equipment and we’d be on the ground floor of many new techniques in veterinary medicine. It would mean leaving my practice. It would mean saying goodbye to Hope Wells for good.”
Trey’s expression faltered for a moment, and she witnessed deep regret in his eyes. He spoke so quietly that Maddie had a hard time hearing him. “Maybe you should go.”
A sharp slap in the face couldn’t have stung more. Tonight, they’d shared something powerful, something special, something beautiful. They’d made love like there was no tomorrow, like their lives depended on it. And now, Trey had dismissed her. Easily. Without much debate or thought. He’d simply decided what was best for her. He wouldn’t even give them a chance. He didn’t care enough to try.
The pain went deep. Tears flowed then, a few drops that she couldn’t hold back any longer. She reached for the door handle and turned away from Trey. “Yeah, maybe I should.”
Maddie pulled the door open and when her feet hit the ground, she strode quickly to the house. Once inside her bedroom, angry, bitter tears spilled out and she sobbed silently.
Her heart had never ached like this before. She’d never known so much anguish. But Maddie allowed her tears for only a few minutes, before inhaling deeply and trying to come to terms with the events of the evening. She realized while her tears would subside, the sadness she felt tonight would linger for a long time.
She stood by her bedroom window and peered out into the night. A shadow of a figure emerged through the darkness. She recognized Trey, pulling a lead rope, with Storm on the other end. Storm kicked up a fuss, but Trey held firm and instead of retiring the stallion in his corral, he led him to the stables. Trey would probably stay with Storm throughout the night, making sure the horse settled down, keeping a vigil until Storm calmed.
Maddie had always thought Trey was so like Storm. Two wild spirits, two untamed souls who didn’t know how to trust. She’d been with both tonight, optimistically thinking the two had been ready and hoping the bond she’d developed with each had been enough. Maddie had tested the waters and had nearly drowned. And she’d come to realize one distinct difference between Storm and his master. While Storm couldn’t trust in others, Trey couldn’t trust in himself.
But Maddie saw Trey so differently than he saw himself.
He claimed he had no staying power, but Maddie knew better. She knew him to be a man of worth and even if she decided to leave the ranch, Hope Wells and Trey Walker, she hoped to help him learn the truth about himself.
She figured she didn’t have anything to lose.
Her heart was already broken.
Dawn forced its way through dark clouds, shedding dismal light and bringing a frosty chill to the air. Maddie showered quickly and dressed in her usual attire, jeans and a button-down blouse, then quickly headed to the barn where Storm was stabled. She had to make amends with the stallion. She’d pushed him too far last night and even though he’d responded to her more than any other person on the ranch, he still had a long way to go.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and entered the damp barn, realizing that while Trey had the means to heat the barn for the animals, he didn’t have the funds. Only extreme temperatures warranted going to that expense.
Maddie recalled the first conversation she’d had with her friend, Caroline regarding this unpredictable climate. “If you don’t like the weather in Texas,” she’d said with a grin, “just wait about five minutes.”
This week had gone from warm sunny days to gusty dust storms and cold temperatures. She wondered about Denver and how well she would adjust to the climate there. In truth, she’d stayed up most of the night considering Nick’s proposal, thinking about moving and wondering if leaving Hope Wells might be best for her.
Maddie put that thought out of her head as she walked up to Storm’s stall. The horse rested on his side, lying down on a bed of wheat straw that was piled up high around the edges. With Storm’s restless nature, a good bank of bedding against the walls insured the animal’s safety. Trey had always put his animals first, whenever he could. It was probably the first trait that had attracted Maddie to him—his willingness to protect his livestock.
“Morning.”
Maddie whirled around and stared into the dark eyes of a rumpled Trey. His morning appearance, including an unshaven face and disheveled hair, reminded her that if things had turned out differently last night, she would have been waking up to that look today.
“He’s all right,” he said, gesturing to Storm. “Took some time to get him settled, but we managed.”
Maddie nodded. “You stayed with him all night?”
“Most of it. Didn’t get much sleep.”
Trey scratched his head, then ran a hand through his hair, attempting to straighten it, but only making stray strands stick up even more. His plaid shirt hung loosely over jeans that were smattered with dirt stains and sticky straw. Maddie wondered how a man could appear incredibly vu
lnerable and downright sexy, all at the same time.
She ached inside, seeing him and knowing that what they shared would never be again. The pain went deep and Maddie struggled to keep her composure.
“Actually, I’m glad you’re here,” he said quietly, and she wondered if his lack of sleep had anything to do with his dismissal of her last night. She wondered if he ached inside the way that she did. “I was planning on checking on you. How are you feeling this morning?”
Did he want to know her heart had broken?
“You took a fall and…well after, when we—”
“I’m fine, Trey.” She couldn’t bear to discuss their lovemaking from last night. She couldn’t speak to him casually about something that had meant so much to her. He’d made his feelings clear, rejecting even the thought of a relationship with her. Yes, she’d been terribly hurt, but not from the fall.
Trey swallowed and looked away.
Maddie turned to leave. It seemed there wasn’t much else to say. She came to check on Storm and the poor animal looked exhausted. Apparently it had been a tumultuous night for all three of them. She promised herself to return later to make amends with the stallion.
“Maddie?”
She turned around. “Yes?”
Trey’s gaze held her immobile. “You might not believe this, but I don’t regret last night.”
She did believe him. Didn’t he say he’d never had better sex. At least she had that to cling to on lonely nights. “Neither do I,” she replied honestly.
She walked to the barn door and then turned once again to find Trey’s dark captivating eyes on her. “You know, it was a lucky day for Storm when you brought him to 2 Hope. You’ve stuck by him all along, believing in that feisty headstrong stallion, even when others gave up on him. There aren’t too many men who would have spent half the night in a cold dreary barn worrying over him. He does belong to you, Trey. Just like you belong to him.”
Trey’s brows rose in surprise and his thoughtful expression left Maddie with a gladdened heart. She walked away with a smile.
Eight
Under ordinary circumstances, Maddie would have looked forward to an evening with new friends. But tonight, her heart simply wasn’t up for it. She stared in her bedroom mirror to find a woeful reflection looking back. Her bleak mood matched the gloomy rain they’d been experiencing for days now. How was she going to put herself together enough to share a dinner with Trey and his friends, Paul and Brittany tonight?
She held up the lovely handwritten invitation and reread the beginning sentiment. The pleasure of your company.
Maddie had almost forgotten all about this invitation until Brittany had called yesterday specifically making sure Maddie would come. She’d been caught off guard and fumbled around in her head for an excuse, but Brittany’s sweet demeanor and her hopeful tone caused her to change her mind. She didn’t want to disappoint the woman, and Maddie had to face facts. She couldn’t hide from Trey Walker. They lived in the same house.
She’d treaded carefully, trying not to purposely bump into him these past few days. That hadn’t been too difficult a task, since she’d been working long hours, taking on appointments, making referrals when her limited ability to treat the animals hadn’t been enough and going out on house calls. After the night when she’d taken off on Storm, she’d been swamped with work. She welcomed the distraction.
Trey hadn’t been around the house much either. She’d see him on the cloudy mornings ride off on his horse with Kit or some of the other ranch hands, doing what cowboys do, but she didn’t look for him at night. She’d retire to her bedroom in the evening with a good book, trying to put thoughts of him out of her head.
With a deep sigh, Maddie fingered the silver necklace around her neck. “I’ve got a big decision to make, Aphrodite,” she said, thinking of Nick’s proposal. He’d given her some much-needed time to make her decision, but she knew he couldn’t wait indefinitely. He had a time frame and Maddie wouldn’t take advantage of his good nature. She’d have to come to her decision soon.
From down the hall, the shower door opened, closed and water pelted down, reminding her that Trey also readied for the dinner party tonight. And as she moved about her room, shedding her work clothes, she heard his sounds, becoming familiar with the noises he made while getting dressed.
Maddie quickly donned a pair of tan slacks and a soft buttercream scoop-neck sweater. She dressed her outfit up with drop pearl earrings and a matching bracelet. She’d debated whether to wear the pearl necklace that matched the set, but she didn’t have the heart to remove Aphrodite. If ever she needed to feel a bond, that special closeness to Grandma Mae, it was now. Okay, so she wouldn’t make the greatest fashion statement tonight, but she’d have something more important.
Maddie styled her hair, letting the waves fall where they may, gave it a quick spray and grabbed her purse. Taking one last look in the mirror, she pasted on a smile. The transition was complete. She inhaled, fully ready for the evening, and opened her door.
Trey stood at the threshold, his hand fisted as if he were about to knock.
“Trey?” she said, taking a step back. She hadn’t expected to see him standing there, fully dressed and looking better than sin itself.
He wore dark trousers, a white dress shirt and a thin black bola tie decorated with a triangle of turquoise. His hair, pushed back from his face and still a little damp, exposed clean-shaven skin, high cheekbones and unreadable dark eyes. “Are you almost ready?” he asked.
Maddie swallowed. “Uh, ready?”
He nodded. “For dinner at Paul and Brit’s?”
Maddie stared at him. “Yes, but I think I need to change. Maybe I should wear a dress,” she said, mostly to herself. Trey looked drop-dead gorgeous. She’d never seen him in anything but jeans and a work shirt. The man cleaned up nicely. And suddenly Maddie felt underdressed for the occasion.
She made a move to shut her door. Trey put up his hand to hold the door ajar, halting her from retreating into her room. “You look beautiful, Maddie.”
“But, I—”
He offered again, more firmly, “Look. Beautiful.”
Her heart did a little flip. It wasn’t often Trey offered up a compliment. Yet, Maddie thought that he was the one who looked beautiful and, as she gazed into his dark appealing eyes, she wondered if she’d be able to keep from staring at him all night.
With a quick smile, Maddie said, “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you over there.” She brushed by him, catching a whiff of his aftershave. The pure male scent with a heady mix of musk and lime did something pleasant to her insides.
“I figured we’d go together.”
Maddie stopped in the hallway. “Why would you figure that?”
“Because the rain’s only going to get worse. A T-storm is brewing and the roads might get washed out. It only makes sense, we’re going to the same place and we’ll be returning back here when it’s over.”
Maddie knew she was being unreasonable, but she didn’t want to arrive at the dinner party with Trey. She didn’t want to be drawn to him anymore than she already was. She didn’t want to sit next to him in the truck and be reminded of the night they’d made love. She couldn’t face any of those things right now. She spoke softly and directly into his eyes. “I think it’s best if we go separately, Trey.”
Trey stood firm, pursed his lips in displeasure then inhaled deeply. “If that’s what you want.”
None of this was what Maddie wanted. But Trey hadn’t given her much of an option to her wants and desires. He hadn’t given them a chance, but that wouldn’t stop her from making him see his own potential. If she could leave him with one gift, it would be to make him trust in himself again.
Even though she’d been hurt, she wasn’t angry at Trey any longer. She understood him and where he believed he had a weakness, she saw it only as a loss of faith. Once his faith was restored, Trey Walker could move on with his life.
She gave him a slow nod then
walked to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she removed a frosted lemon layer cake and carefully set it onto a large plate.
Trey followed her and now stood in the doorway. “What’s that?”
“I baked a lemon cake this afternoon.”
“You…baked?”
Maddie chuckled. “For what it’s worth, I did.”
“Lemon’s my favorite.”
Maddie glanced at Trey’s puzzled expression. She’d learned a lot about Trey Walker lately, but she hadn’t known his favorite…anything. “It was Brittany’s suggestion.”
“Oh.”
“She and Paul think the world of you, Trey. You’ve been a good friend to them, working at their place non-stop, and even after you hurt your hand—”
“Hell, it was a scratch, Maddie.”
“And even after that, you went back to finish the job you’d started. That new baby is going to have a wonderful nursery, thanks to you. Your friends want to show their appreciation.”
Trey found the floor real interesting then, scratching the back of his head. “They don’t have to do this.”
“They want to. I imagine there’ll be a lot of your favorites at dinner tonight.”
Trey stepped closer to stare into her eyes. He tucked a finger under her chin and cast her a heart-melting smile. “I imagine so.”
“Trey?” Maddie’s blood warmed considerably.
“You’re one of my favorites, Maddie,” he whispered and bent his head.
Maddie couldn’t allow him to kiss her. She’d fall deeper and harder than ever, and that would prove disastrous. She took a step back, whispering, “Cross me off your list.”
Trey’s head popped up. He ran a hand down his jaw, staring at her lips with regret in his eyes. “I’m trying,” he said solemnly, as if caring for her was the worst of all possible options. And sadly, Maddie knew that in his heart, Trey really believed his loving her would be her downfall. “Trouble is, I’m crazy about you.”
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