by Liv Brywood
“Okay.”
As Madison stepped over the threshold onto the porch, she leaned forward and grimaced. Her hand flew to her belly.
“Are you okay?” Cindy asked.
“I keep getting these pains,” Madison said.
“Have you been to your OB/GYN?”
“Yes, but she said everything’s normal and that it’s probably just gas.”
“When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had terrible bloating,” Cindy said.
“You have a daughter?” Madison’s eyes went wide as she returned to her full height.
“Yes. Her name’s Brooke. She’s six years old.” A twinge of pain sliced through Cindy’s heart. She’d give anything to be able to hug her only child right now.
“You never mentioned her when we were corresponding,” Madison said.
“There’s a lot I never mentioned.” Cindy turned away and leaned her forearms on the porch railing. She took in the frozen wilderness. How had her life gotten this out of control?
Madison walked up beside her.
“If you want to talk, I’m a good listener. But I would like to get inside.”
“Of course,” Cindy said as she pushed up.
“Let’s head over to the B&B and I’ll make some tea,” Madison said.
As Cindy strolled beside Madison, she took note of her slight limp. Cindy frowned. If Madison had been to her OB/GYN, then they would have found any potential problems. Well, most of the time. There were always those rare cases in which a problem hadn’t been detected.
Once inside the B&B, Cindy followed Madison into the kitchen.
“Where’s the tea kettle?” Cindy asked.
“I’ll do that,” Madison said.
“No. You should sit down for a bit. I can boil water.” Cindy grinned.
“I couldn’t,” Madison said as she slid into a seat at the breakfast nook. “When I first arrived here, I almost burned the kitchen down.”
“I thought you were hired to be the manager,” Cindy said.
“I was. I may have slightly overstated my abilities.”
“Were you able to hide it from Mack?” Cindy asked.
“Nope. He figured it out the first time I tried to cook breakfast,” Madison said.
“But he forgave you for lying to him?”
“Eventually, but he was pissed when he found out that I’d never run a B&B in my life.”
Cindy found the tea kettle near the stove. She filled it with water and set it on a burner. After turning the fire to high, she pulled two mugs out of the cupboards. She carried them to the table and sat across from Madison.
“How did you get him to forgive you?” Cindy asked.
“I just gave it time. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other, so that helped.” Madison chuckled.
“I know what you mean. Drew’s…God, I don’t even know how to describe him,” Cindy said.
“Hot.”
“Scorching.”
“All of the brothers are sexy. But Mack’s the hottest, of course.” Madison winked.
“I beg to differ.” Cindy arched a brow.
“Good, because I’d take a rolling pin to you if you got near my hubby.”
“I didn’t think you were married yet.”
“Not yet,” Madison said. “I’m waiting until after the baby. My sister-in-law, Rachel, is also pregnant. She doesn’t want to wait, so she’s been driving us nuts with her wedding plans. I love her to death, but I seriously can’t wait until it’s over.”
“When’s the wedding?” Cindy asked.
“It was supposed to be the beginning of February, but she keeps changing the date. I’m guessing sometime this month, but I’m not sure. At this point, I wish they’d have an impromptu wedding the way Kate and Logan, and Carol and Hank did.”
“That sounds romantic. Getting married on the spot because you know in your soul that you want to be with someone for the rest of your life—” Cindy’s voice broke as she fought back tears. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so upset. I’ve only known Drew a few days.”
“That’s all it takes,” Madison said. “So, you said you’d lied to him about some things…”
“Well, for starters, my name’s not Sharon. It’s Cindy.”
“Okay,” Madison said slowly.
Cindy launched into the full story. She didn’t leave anything out. There was no point in hiding anymore. The more she revealed, the lighter her heart felt. By the time she finished talking, she didn’t hurt as much as she had when Drew had stormed out of her room.
Madison opened her mouth to speak just as the tea kettle began to shriek.
“Let me get that,” Cindy said.
She jumped up and grabbed the pot. After pouring steaming water into both mugs, she took a box of tea bags off of a shelf in the pantry. When she returned, she chose a bag of chamomile tea, while Madison chose peppermint.
“You’ve been through a lot,” Madison said.
“I just wish Drew would understand,” Cindy said.
“He’ll come around.”
“I don’t know. You should have seen the look on his face. He was furious.”
“I’ve known the Grant brothers for months now,” Madison said. “They are the sweetest, most caring, protective men I’ve ever met. I had an ex-fiancé, not quite as insane as your ex, but close. He couldn’t hold a candle to Mack. They weren’t even in the same stratosphere as far as men are concerned. I still don’t know what the hell I was thinking when I agreed to marry Ben.”
“We all make mistakes,” Cindy said.
“That’s an understatement. I wish I’d known how to spot a controlling piece of crap when I’d met my ex… although if I hadn’t gone through everything I went through with him, then I wouldn’t have met Mack,” Madison said.
“True.”
“Give Drew time to calm down. The boys can be hot-headed at first, but eventually they do the right thing.”
“Thank you.” Cindy reached across the table to squeeze Madison’s hand. “It’s nice to be able to talk to someone who understands what I went through.”
“Anytime you need to talk, I’m here,” Madison said.
“Thanks.”
A smile lit up Madison’s face. For the first time since they’d sat down, the dark circles under her eyes were gone. A sparkle of mischief entered her sky-blue eyes. She leaned forward and in a conspiratorial tone asked, “How was he in bed?”
Cindy choked on her tea, spewing it out of her nose. She grabbed a napkin and mopped up the liquid, while laughing. When she could finally catch her breath again, she leaned forward and whispered, “Phenomenal.”
***
Drew walked into Sheriff Hunt’s office.
“I was in town when you called the house,” Drew said. “Mack told me to stop by.”
The sheriff stood and shook his hand.
“Glad you could come in. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I try to stay out of trouble.” Drew grinned for a second before taking on a more somber attitude. He slid into a chair in front of the desk. “So, you found out about Sharon… or Cindy, I guess.”
“Her real name is Cindy Templeton. She’s a doctor from Los Angeles with about fifty acronyms behind her name. She specializes in pregnant women.”
Drew sat back as he took in the information. If she had that many credentials, she had to be smart.
“Was she married?” Drew asked.
“Yes, for about six years. The divorce went through a few months ago.”
“So that was true,” Drew said.
“Yep,” Sherriff Hunt said. “And she was also telling the truth about being attacked by him—twice. First time happened after she asked for a divorce. Anyone who’s been in law enforcement has seen how that works out when the man’s a controlling prick. Not all of them get violent, but enough do that it’s a major problem for us.”
“I hate to ask this, and I don’t mean to be offensive in any way, but did the cops screw up and
let him out of jail?” Drew asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. The detective I spoke with admitted they had chain of custody issues with a new officer. It should have been an open and shut case, but they screwed it up.”
Drew leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said.
“About what?” Hunt asked.
“About Sha—Cindy.”
“You like this girl a lot, right?”
“Yeah,” Drew said.
“Then let me give you a piece of advice my dad gave me. Don’t let her get away. There aren’t very many women in this world who can set your heart on fire. I let one get away once and I’ve regretted it my entire life.”
“I didn’t know you could be so sentimental,” Drew said with a slight smile.
“Yeah. I’m all fuzzy and warm on the inside,” Hunt joked. “Seriously though, I’ve seen the crime scene photos. I have to tell you, she’s lucky to be alive. She’s been through hell. If you think she might be worth fighting for, do it.”
“Thanks,” Drew said as he stood to shake the sheriff’s hand.
“Anytime. My counseling fee is one hundred dollars.”
“I’ll send one of my brothers back with a jar full of pennies for you.” Drew chuckled.
“You do, and you’ll be coming back to bail him out of jail,” Hunt said.
“On what grounds?”
“Disturbing the peace,” Hunt said with a straight face.
Drew roared with laughter. Hunt joined in as he walked around to where Drew stood. The sheriff slapped him on the back.
“Get out of here before I call Deputy Jenkins in here.”
“Yes, sir,” Drew said.
He strolled out of the office with a lightheartedness that lasted all the way to the parking lot. But when he slid into the cab of his truck, his gut churned. She was telling the truth now, but she’d still lied to him.
The drive back to the ranch helped his simmering frustration reach a boiling point. By the time he pulled into his spot near the main house, his jaw was locked tighter than a bear trap. He couldn’t let her deceitfulness go. The last time he’d let a liar into his bed, he’d ended up on the wrong end of a shotgun.
Kassie Edwin. What a psycho. God, how many years had it been since he’d thought about her? Five?
The gold-digging con artist had paid a pregnant woman to pee on a stick in an effort to extort money from him. He’d almost fallen for it too. If Mack hadn’t insisted that she go to the doctor for an official test, Drew would have been knee-deep in her bullshit. He was so lucky to have a brother like Mack.
When Drew had confronted her with the request, she’d thrown a fit, hollering about how she couldn’t believe he thought she was lying. As if that hadn’t been proof enough of her deception, she’d told her father he’d knocked her up and was refusing to take responsibility for the baby.
Later, during a drunken conversation held at the end of a shotgun, Drew managed to convince her father that she had to take the test. When his daughter had refused, yet again, he’d dragged her off to the doctor’s office.
She wasn’t even pregnant.
Jesus, he could still feel the avalanche of relief he’d felt the day her father had driven out to the ranch to apologize. Drew had gone into the woods and cried so his brothers wouldn’t see how hurt he’d been by her betrayal. That was the day he swore off women and decided to spend the rest of his life alone.
He cracked his neck and stared out of the windshield. A crimson sunset blanketed the snow with fire. He knew what he had to do, but he wasn’t sure he could do it. Was he really ready to confront another liar? Should he stick to his self-imposed exile and forget he’d ever met her? Or could he take another chance on love?
Chapter 9
Drew found her behind the B&B near the newly dug fire pit. His brother Logan couldn’t sit still for two seconds without constructing something. The obsession worked out well when it came to building a barn for his wife, Kate, but when would he calm down and stop taking on new projects?
Cindy sat in a low-slung wooden chair with her back to him. She held a metal skewer in one hand with something on the end of it. As he stepped closer, he realized it was a marshmallow. His bear frantically clawed at his belly. The damn thing was always hungry. Having an ultra-high metabolism was great in some ways, but having to eat all the time just to maintain his weight was frustrating.
“Hi,” he said.
She jumped and looked over her shoulder.
“Hi.”
“I see you found the pit,” he said.
“Madison told me about it. She was going to come out with me, but she wasn’t feeling very well. She said she’d come out later if she could.”
He almost asked her if he could join her, but it was his ranch. He could sit wherever he wanted to, so he chose the seat across from her and plunked down.
“I went to the sheriff,” he said.
Her eyes went wide. The marshmallow caught on fire. She didn’t notice until it had turned black.
“Oh, crap.” She pulled the stick out of the fire and waved it through the air until the flames disappeared. She plucked at the charred mess a few times before giving up.
“There’s more in the bag,” he said.
“I know. I was just trying to salvage it,” she said.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The guarded expression on her face tore through his anger. He didn’t want to make her feel any worse than she already felt. But he also wasn’t ready to just set his frustrations aside.
“I spoke with the sheriff. He confirmed your story.”
She looked up as the last rays of sunlight caught on her hair to cast it in a crown of fire. For a moment, his breath caught. She was so incredibly beautiful. But that wasn’t enough to maintain a relationship. Her hair would gray and her body would lose its voluptuousness to time. His mate would have to be more than just a pretty face. She’d have to be someone he could see himself with for every phase of his life.
“I don’t know how to move forward from this.” The confession left his mouth before he’d thought it through.
“Want a marshmallow?” she asked.
The corner of his mouth tugged. She was obviously trying to break the tension.
“Sure,” he said.
He stood and circled around the fire to sit in the chair next to her. She handed him a skewer and a marshmallow. After piercing the fluffy glob, he held it over the flames. He didn’t like burning the outside. A perfect level of crispness could be achieved if you did it right.
“I don’t know how to move forward either,” she said. “That’s why I keep running.”
“That’s no way to live,” he said.
“I know. But how can I stop when I know he’s out there?”
He twisted the skewer to expose the other side.
“You could go back. Hire a bodyguard.”
“I don’t have money for that,” she said.
“You were a doctor,” he said.
“Yes. But he had control of the bank account. He took everything the day after I told him I wanted a divorce.”
“How have you been getting by without money?” he asked.
“My parents. They’ve been sending money when I need it. But they’re running out too.” She gazed at him with shimmering gray eyes. “I don’t want to run anymore.”
“I don’t see how it can work between us,” he said. “A relationship can’t be built on lies.”
“It wouldn’t be,” she said. “Not if we started over together.”
“And what about your daughter?” he asked.
“Well, I’d want her to live with me.”
“You have a life back in LA. Friends, family.”
“I alienated all of my friends. Now that I look back on it, I realize he manipulated me into cutting ties with everyone.”
“What about your family?” he asked.
“My parents will always
love me, but I can tell they’re getting sick of dealing with my problems. My mom warned me about Liam. She said something wasn’t right with him, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. I should have listened to her.”
He withdrew the marshmallow from the fire. He waited a few seconds before pulling it off and popping it into his mouth. His bear bounced in approval. And of course, he wanted more.
“We can all look back on our mistakes and think we should have done things differently,” he said as he skewered another marshmallow. “But at the time, you did the best you could with the information that you had.”
“I guess.”
Night fell, cloaking them in silence. Drew stared into the flickering flames.
“Would you really pick up everything and move for me?” he asked.
When she hesitated, his heart dropped. They were worlds apart. She was highly educated and used to big-city life. He was just an average guy, a rancher. It would never work.
“I would have to be sure that you’d accept my daughter,” she said.
His head whipped up. A balloon of hope inflated his chest.
“I’d have to meet her. You know, to make sure she isn’t like Rosemary’s Baby or something.” He cracked a smile.
“I can assure you that her father’s evil didn’t end up in her. She’s the sweetest, most precious child.”
He held another skewer over the fire. He’d never pictured himself raising another man’s child. Would it be worth it? It would be an instant family.
A cloud of uncertainty descended over his heart. He couldn’t rush into this. He needed more time to think everything through. Making a rash decision could have catastrophic consequences. He wasn’t ready to bring an innocent child into this mess. Not yet.
“I need time,” he said.
“I can give you that,” she said.
“I don’t know how to make this decision.”
She leaned toward him and placed her hand on his chest.
“Make it with your heart,” she whispered.
He took her hand in his and squeezed it before bringing it to his lips. He gave it a soft kiss before releasing it. He had a lot to think about and being around her would unduly influence him. He’d need time alone. The decision wasn’t just about how he felt in his heart. There were practical implications to consider.