Almost Perfect

by Julie Ortolon

  "What?"

  "Your oils are fine. Excellent, in fact. Perfectly conceived and perfectly executed."

  "But… I thought you didn't like them."

  Sylvia looked at her over the top of her glasses. "They also happen to be perfectly bland."

  "Oh."

  "But these. These!" She held out another image, this one of a gnarled pifion tree growing out of sunbaked boulders. "They're perfect just the way they are."

  "You just said perfect was bad."

  "There's perfect, then there's perfect. Do you have any larger pieces like these?"

  "I'm afraid not. But I can do some."

  "Excellent." Sylvia removed her glasses. "Here's what I'll do. If you agree to have these framed at your expense, I'll take them on consignment here in the retail showroom as a test. If they go over well, we'll talk about limited-edition prints."

  "Prints?" Maddy nearly choked.

  "For our next catalog."

  "Prints," she repeated. The memory that had tickled her brain out in the truck clicked into place. Images of the West. Of course that sounded familiar! They were an art publishing company. One of many, but one of the best. She glanced around again, at the caliber of artists they represented, then looked at Joe.

  He turned sheepish. Well, as sheepish as a man with his build and dark good looks can manage. "I, uh, guess I forgot to tell you this isn't a normal gallery."

  "Gallery, showroom, whatever." Sylvia waved a hand. "I assume you understand I want an exclusive."

  "That's, uh…" Maddy's head took a dizzy spin. If this panned out, she wouldn't be in just one gallery. She'd be in galleries across the country! "Not a problem."

  "All right, then." Sylvia nodded. "Juanita will help you pick out some framing while I go to the office and get a consignment form."

  Maddy managed to control her excitement during the paperwork. It broke free, though, as she and Joe left the gallery.

  "Can you believe that?" she asked the minute they stepped outside. "She likes the pastels!"

  "I like them too."

  "Really? You mean that?"

  "I do." He smiled at her as if suppressing laughter at her enthusiasm.

  She didn't care if he did laugh. "She took all of them on consignment! And she wants to see more. Oh my God!" She did a little dance as they crossed the parking lot.

  Joe did laugh at that. "Congratulations."

  "My work is in a gallery. In Santa Fe!" She twirled about, making the skirt of her dress flare, then wrap around her legs. "And not just any gallery, but Images of the West. An art publishing house. I can't believe this! I can't wait to tell Christine and Amy. This is so great!"

  They'd reached the truck and Joe hit the remote to unlock the doors. Maddy climbed into the passenger seat as he slipped behind the wheel.

  "Oh, Joe." She crossed her hands over her heart and sighed. "This means so much to me. I can't even tell you. Why didn't you tell me this was a publishing house?"

  "If I had, would you have gone in?"

  "No way!" She laughed.

  "Exactly. I picked this place because it looks so unassuming, I knew you wouldn't chicken out."

  "You didn't expect her to take me on, did you?"

  "I knew it was a long shot-but you know what they say: Start at the top. And damn, Maddy, you nailed it."

  "I did." Her body sagged as realization hit her. "Holy cow, I really did." She looked at him, overcome, then threw her arms about his neck. "Thank you!"

  He returned the hug without thinking. Then the feel of her in his arms slammed into his senses on one blinding wave. He closed his eyes as the impact sucked him under. Desire delivered a second blow, sending him into a roll.

  Before he knew how it had happened, his hands were in her hair and his mouth was on hers. The taste of her made joy flood his veins. Her name beat in time with the pounding of his heart. After years of starving for her, he was holding Maddy, kissing Maddy.

  He tipped his head and deepened the contact, thrilling to the feel of her kissing him back the way she always had-with an eagerness to match his own. His whole body came alive as their mouths opened and mated. He wanted to lift her over the gearshift and onto his lap, slip his hands under her dress and feel her warm skin. She moaned again, and arched toward him as if wanting the same thing.

  Maddy! His heart sang. He was kissing Maddy!

  Good God!

  His brain kicked in and his body froze.

  He was kissing Maddy!

  He jerked back and held her at arm's length, his pulse pounding like surf against rocks. She stared back at him, her eyes wide, her breath coming as hard and fast as his. "What just happened here?"

  She blinked as if stunned. "I don't know."

  Releasing her as if she'd turned to fire, he plastered his back against the truck door. "We are not doing this."

  "I think we just did."

  "It was habit." He put his hands on the steering wheel. "A knee-jerk reaction. Put us in a vehicle and bam, we're back in high school making out in the front seat of the Colonel's station wagon."

  "Actually, it usually progressed to the back of the station wagon." She looked at the bed of his pickup. "I don't think that's a good idea, considering where we're parked. Unless we want to get arrested for public indecency."

  "I don't care where we're parked." His hand shook as he inserted the key into the ignition. "This will not happen again."

  "Of course not." Maddy clasped her hands in her lap and stared straight ahead. "Not if you don't want it to."

  "I don't." Was she saying she did? The thought made him edgy with panic as he drove out of the parking lot. What had he been thinking to kiss her like that? Or had she kissed him? He honestly didn't remember. The only thing he knew was that barely forty-eight hours had passed, and already she was slipping past his defenses. Had he learned nothing from his last go-round with this woman?

  The Rangers had taught him how much physical pain his body could endure, but he refused to spend the summer letting Maddy back inside his heart, only to have her walk away come fall. That much pain he couldn't handle.

  Chapter 9

  The minute Maddy returned to the safety of the camp, she shot an e-mail to Christine and Amy.

  Subject: Help!

  Message: Something happened today, and I'm totally freaked out I think I'm falling in love with Joe all over again. Only, this is different than before. Even scarier somehow. I'm not ready for this. Not with anyone. And especially not this fast. How do I stop it?

  Amy: Whoa, wait, back up. What happened?

  Maddy: Joe kissed me. Or I kissed him. It's kind of a blur. He took me to some galleries today, and everything was going great. In fact, one of the galleries took some of my work. (Details later, I promise. You're going to be ecstatic.) When we got back to his truck, both of us were excited, and the next thing I know, we're kissing. And it was like WOW! I'm not sure I've ever had a kiss like that. Not even with Joe.

  Then suddenly he got angry-whether at me or himself, I'm not sure-and he made it clear he has

  no interest in getting involved with me ever again. So now things are even more awkward than they were this time yesterday. Help! What do I do?

  Amy: Okay, first, CONGRATULATIONS on the gallery!!! I can't wait to hear details. Now, back to Joe. When you say he doesn't want to get involved, does that mean you do?

  Maddy sat back as the air left her lungs in a whoosh. She remembered that moment at the Ore House, when he'd let his barriers down enough for her to see the wonderful man he'd become. In some ways he was still the wounded rebel, but he was also strong, compassionate, responsible, and endearingly enthusiastic even when he tried to hide it. But he'd certainly slammed those barriers back down in a hurry.

  Her hands shook as she typed out her reply: / don't know. I'm attracted to him on several levels. Definitely no denying that. If he were a stranger, I'd date him in a heartbeat. Nigel's been gone nearly two years. I need to start dating again sometime, and Joe-th
is new Joe-is a really great guy. But he's not a stranger, and he wants nothing to do with me. I dread the thought of facing him again at dinner. What a disaster.

  Amy: Maybe he will have calmed down by then, and the two of you can get back to where you were before the kiss.

  Maddy hoped so. Her nerves remained tangled though, as she waited for dinner.

  Unfortunately, she returned from the dining hall that evening more shaken and confused than ever. She found an e-mail from Christine asking for details about the gallery. It ended with: As for Joe getting bent out of shape over the kiss-which

  sounds really hot!-maybe it scared him as much as it scared you: hence the anger. It's a known fact that men don't react well to fear. They much prefer getting mad. It's how he acts after he calms down that matters.

  Maddy: I think we can Safely say he's calmed down. Completely. Now he's acting like nothing happened and I'm no different to him than the other coordinators. I don't know whether to be angry or relieved.

  Christine: Well, I know which I'd be if a man kissed me senseless, then acted like nothing happened. Give it time, though, Maddy. He may not be as calmed down as you think.

  Days passed with no change in Joe's outward demeanor. He was painstakingly polite but distant. On Maddy's seventh morning at the camp, she sat through another breakfast meeting with Joe at the far end of the opposite bench. A week of sharing meals, and somehow they managed to sit as far as they could from each other every time. Even so, she felt herself flash hot and cold simply being in the same room with him. Her bones literally ached with embarrassment, regret, and a longing for things to be different.

  That realization made her frown. Maybe she was coming down with the flu. Which meant her sick stomach had nothing to do with him.

  Or it could be the slightly runny scrambled eggs they had every morning. Testing the theory, she poked at the eggs, then glanced around the table to see if anyone else was getting sick.

  The minute her gaze landed on Joe, the nausea got worse. Lord, she hadn't felt this weird sort of sickness in years. Not since her last teen crush be-fore Joe came along and obliterated all thoughts of any boy but him. It was a horrible pining ache for someone's attention to the point of feeling physically ill.

  Damn it, why hadn't doctors invented a cure for this? She'd take the issue up with Christine in her next e-mail, that was for sure.

  "I think that covers everything," Joe said calmly as he glanced over the notes he'd brought to breakfast. He certainly didn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from their forced proximity, which added a little dose of resentment to the mix. "Any questions?"

  The others all assured him no while she remained silent and seething.

  "Well, then." He stood, all six-plus feet of muscular male. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the office."

  She nearly groaned. Did he have to put it that way? Making her mind conjure up a completely different need than what he meant?

  Until coming to Camp Enchantment, she would have sworn she wasn't a sex fiend, that she didn't play out intimate acts in her mind any more than the average healthy woman did. Since arriving, though, it seemed as if she thought about sex constantly.

  Although, she argued back, maybe that was understandable, considering she hadn't had sex in a very long time. Nearly four years. Or wait, had she actually passed the four-year mark? Good Lord, she had. And the years before that had been sporadic at best.

  She glanced in the direction Joe had gone, watched his broad back and very nice behind as he walked away. After years of abstinence, suddenly here was Mr. Virile Army Ranger right before her day after day. A male specimen like that would have any female taking notice. So of course her hormones were firing on all thrusters.

  That was it! She wasn't in danger of falling in love with him. She was sex-deprived. On a wave of relief, she turned back to her eggs, deciding they weren't so nauseating after all.

  "Is he gone?" Carol whispered into the suddenly quiet dining hall.

  "Hang on." Dana craned her neck to see out the windows. "Yep, he's gone."

  "Okay then." Carol motioned everyone to lean closer. "Let's get down to business. Operation Make Joe Happy is not going well. Clearly, more drastic action is in order."

  What? Maddy blinked.

  "Agreed." Sandy nodded. "But what? We've tried enthusiasm about the coming summer and working hard to get the camp in shape. He's appreciative enough, but it hasn't lightened his mood."

  Maddy put her fork down. "Excuse me. What are you talking about? Joe seems happy enough to me."

  "On the surface, maybe," Carol said. "But you don't know him as well as we do. He's definitely upset about something, but he's trying to hide it."

  Dana nodded. "There must be some way to make him stop missing the Rangers and feel better about running the camp."

  "Actually," Maddy said, "he is happy about running the camp."

  "He is?" Carol brightened.

  "Are you sure?" Sandy frowned.

  "How do you know?" Dana asked.

  Maddy hesitated, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut. "He, um, told me."

  "That's right," Carol said. "You rode into town with him that day."

  "What did he say?" Sandy asked.

  Maddy cleared her throat and yearned for escape. "He said that he loves working with the kids and that the camp means a lot to him."

  "Really?" Sandy turned hopeful.

  "But that doesn't make sense," Dana said. "If he's happy about running the camp, why is he acting so weird?"

  "Maybe he's upset about something else," Sandy suggested.

  Dana groaned. "Don't tell me we're back to the mysterious woman who broke his heart."

  Carol turned back to Maddy. "Did he say anything else?"

  "Uh, no," Maddy insisted quickly. "Not really. At least, not anything important."

  Dana narrowed her eyes. "Why are you blushing?"

  "Blushing?" Maddy pressed a hand to her cheek. "I'm not blushing. It's… the coffee. It's really hot." She hid her face in the mug.

  "Uh-huh." Dana looked at her disbelievingly.

  "All right, Maddy." Carol crossed her arms. "What gives? Is there something going on we don't know about?"

  "No!" She tried for a calm smile. "Really."

  "Do you want there to be?" Dana asked.

  "Why would you think that?" Her cheeks flamed hotter.

  "Because now you're acting even weirder than him."

  "I'm just tired. And busy." Maddy looked at her watch. "Speaking of, wow, look at the time. I have a ton of stuff to do. Let's not forget the counselors arrive today."

  She rose and gathered her tray, moving away from the table as quickly as possible. Silence reigned behind her, but she felt the gazes of the coordinators on her back all the way out the door.

  Oh brother, she thought when she stepped outside. The last thing she needed was to spend the summer as the camp pariah. Having Joe want her gone was bad enough.

  Fortunately, the rest of the day was total chaos, with counselors arriving in droves, so no one had time to question her further.

  Chapter 10

  When all else fails, smile.

  – How to Have a Perfect Life

  The first day of camp arrived along with busloads of screaming kids. Maddy stood in the middle of the game field, marveling at the energy that bounced around her.

  "Hey, Maddy," Carol said, coming up to her with clipboard in hand and a whistle around her neck. "How are you holding up?"

  "Great, actually," she said, deciding she preferred the camp this way, filled with bustle and noise. "What do you need me to do?"

  "I think we have everything under control." A group of shrieking girls ran past them. "Sort of." Laughing, Carol turned to answer a question from one of the newly arrived counselors.

  Maddy looked around, taking it all in. Mama had been right about young people making her feel more alive. Maybe the summer wouldn't be so bad now that the kids were here. As a side benefit, she barely had time to
think about Joe, or the way his behavior had shifted subtly the night before. Dur-ing the welcome cookout for the counselors, he'd started watching her. Perhaps with so many people around, he didn't think she'd notice, but several times she'd turned around and caught him staring at her with an intensity that had her nerves on edge.

  Of course, the coordinators saw him watching her and exchanged a few looks of their own, which was not what she needed.

  "Here comes another bus," Carol said. The counselor she'd been talking to headed off to greet it as Carol turned back to Maddy. "Hey, will you do me a favor and let Joe know? He was up at High Mesa Lodge last I heard, chasing off a badger."

  "A badger?"

  "Apparently one decided to take up residence in the bathroom and gave the counselors quite a start when they woke up this morning."

  "So that's what that screaming was at sunrise."

  "That was it." Carol laughed. The screams had ricocheted up and down the canyon at dawn. "Anyway, find Joe and let him know more campers are here."

  Maddy frowned since talking to Joe was on her list of things to avoid. Besides, the big yellow school bus was in full view of the entire camp. "I'm sure he can probably see that."

  "Yes, but we, um, might need him to help us unload trunks." With that, Carol hurried off before Maddy could point out that several able-bodied counselors were already unloading trunks.

  Well, dang it. She looked around. Maybe she could find someone else to relay the message. All she saw, though, was a thundering herd of little girls charging straight for her like a band of screaming banshees. She spun around as they rushed past-and found herself face-to-face with Joe. With a shriek of her own, she jumped back.

  "Sandy said you were looking for me." His sunglasses hid his eyes, guarding his expression, but his voice didn't sound any warmer than it had for the last several days.

  Deciding she'd had enough, she planted her hands on her hips. "What, you're actually speaking to me?"

  His brows snapped together over the dark lenses. "You're the one who asked to see me."

  "No, I didn't."

  "But Sandy said-"