His lips twitched up into a smile. “Well, most of the crowd who shows up isn’t too rough around the edges. But we don’t have very much that’s not fastened down. No use asking for trouble.”
The place was full of warm wood and black wrought iron touches, including wall sconces and strategically placed horseshoes. The sturdy chandelier hung close to the ceiling over the stage area would’ve looked awesome in any ranch house, and added a touch of hominess to the area.
Everywhere Madison looked she saw things that made her nod in approval. Like the restrooms labelled Cowgirl, Cowboy, and Cowfolk.
She met Ryan’s gaze. “I like it very much. You’ve done a great job.”
His cheeks didn’t flush, but he looked pleased. “Not much else you could say, considering you’re staying with me for a month.”
“Oh, hotshot, you know me better than that,” Madison chided. “If I see something I think you should fix, I’ll be apologizing for how fast I let you know.”
Ryan shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
He pointed her to one of the low tables at the side of the room where he’d placed their Subway lunch bag. He pulled out a chair for her, then Madison portioned out their sandwiches.
“Now, before we get interrupted, you are going to tell me what you’ve been up to.” Ryan said it with a great deal of firmness. “The update for the past three years since our last flurry of emails.”
Madison paused before taking a bite of her sandwich. “All three years?”
“Eventually, yes,” he insisted. “But for now, what have you been doing for work lately? And what’s ahead of you in Toronto?”
Oh, boy. Madison considered the best place to start. “You know I’ve been working in the industry pretty much since I went home to help Mom. A couple of years ago, once the boys were old enough to be a little more responsible, I started working a steady late shift at Nighthawk.”
Ryan gave a low whistle at the mention of one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the Vancouver area. “High-class place. Good for you. Are you changing over to one of their sister companies in Toronto?”
Madison took a sip of her pop then nodded. “I ended up serving the night some bigwigs were in the house, and one thing led to another, and now I’m moving.”
He was eyeing her now, forgotten sandwich held in midair. “How come it feels like there’re a whole lot of details vital to the story that I’m not hearing?”
“Because I’m under an NDA,” Madison said softly.
His expression made her lips twitch.
Utter confusion and shock. “You have a job that you had to sign a nondisclosure agreement for?”
She nodded. “I can tell you this. I’m happy with how everything turned out, and the job in Toronto will be rewarding. Plus, the timing was right for me to leave Vancouver. My family wasn’t ready for me to go until now.”
Ryan still looked shocked, but he was once again eating. Swallowing before he spoke, he looked resigned. “If there is anything I can do to help, I want to know.”
“If there’s anything I need, I will ask,” Madison promised.
“I guess I’ll have to take that at face value.” He gestured to the pile of papers she’d placed on the tabletop. “Did you bring homework?”
“For you, yes.” She pushed the information across the table. “This task was easy. Once you make a choice, I will deal with the rest of the details over the next few days. The first page shows you what the bed stats are in terms of mattress firmness and memory foam options.”
He grabbed the three bundles and spread them out in front of him. “You are something else, Mad. You are seriously going to make me buy a bed.”
“Unless you tell me no,” she said happily. “By the way, I apologize for telling you after the fact, but I did bounce on your bed.”
A snort escaped him. Ryan brushed a napkin over his mouth. “Really? When?”
“Yesterday, when you went to get groceries. I wanted to see how firm it was. If you’re comfortable with what you’ve got now, I think those three choices will all work well.”
Ryan shook his head, but he was smiling as he flipped to the second page. “Prices.”
“I didn’t bother to do up the quilt and sheets cost on all of them because that part will be the same no matter what. All you need to decide is which style mattress you like and whether you want a queen- or king-size.”
He stacked the papers together and put them aside. Then he met her gaze. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The first shipment arrived shortly after that, and Madison spent a couple of lovely hours helping Ryan put away stock and update his inventory system.
During a pit stop in the little cowgirl’s room, Madison noted with approval there was a discreet notice taped to the back of the stall door. If your date is getting out of line, or if you feel unsafe and need help, go to the bar and order a White Angel. Someone will ensure that you have a safe place to go or a way to get home.
Ryan had created a place for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. Except assholes. Madison approved.
Fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to leave to pick up Talia, Ryan’s assistant manager showed up. Grace was a tall, sturdy blonde, late thirties or early forties, with a quick smile and a firm handshake.
“So, you’re Madison. I’m not sure if I should be looking for a halo or a set of horns, according to the stories I’ve heard about you,” Grace teased.
“Left shoulder, right shoulder. I swear there’s an angel on both.” Madison winked. “How do you like the pub business?”
“It’s a bit of a kick,” Grace said easily. She examined Madison more intently. “Have we met before?”
“Doubtful. I’ve been out in Vancouver for a lot of years.”
“Must be how much this one talks about you.” Grace jerked a thumb toward Ryan then met his eye roll with a grin. “Not much new to catch you up on. You’ll be here tomorrow night as usual?”
“Maddy and I both, yes,” Ryan said. “And Saturday afternoon for the Christmas hamper stuffing.”
“I’ve got my truck and a couple other volunteers lined up, so hamper delivery is taken care of.” Grace moved efficiently behind the bar, prepping things for the evening and getting cash floats together. She waved them off. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
They headed to leave. Ryan stepped ahead to pull the door open, and they moved together into the sunshine. The sky was still bright blue outside, but the wind had picked up.
Ryan wrapped an arm around Madison’s waist, using his body as a block against the chill. “Winter has officially arrived.”
A quick rush of heat slid through her, unexpected. It prickled her senses and tingled from the inside out. The scent of Ryan, the feel of his arms—
Inappropriate. The bubbling sensation of attraction wasn’t welcome. Not when it was proximity to Ryan triggering the emotion. She was only in Heart Falls for a short time, and he was the only best friend she had.
No way was she messing that up.
Madison settled in the truck seat, took a deep breath, and told her errant body to behave.
* * *
Talia moved in quasi-slow motion as she washed the dishes, head swiveling constantly to where Madison was curled up on the couch reading a book. Ryan was torn between finding his daughter’s deliberate dawdling amusing or being exasperated. They couldn’t get to the next part of the evening until Talia was done with her chores.
When he insisted that Madison let Talia do the job on her own, he'd gotten no complaints. At least none from Madison. “Trust me. I know how important it is for chores to get done.”
She tousled Talia’s hair and wished her good luck.
Ryan pulled Madison aside to introduce her to babysitter Laura. The older woman nodded a welcome before assuring Ryan she was fine with last minute adjustments to their schedule. “I’m not going anywhere this holiday season, but if you don’t need me, that’s okay. Jus
t let me know.”
They had returned to the kitchen to find Talia barely moving. Madison planted herself on the couch and brought out her e-reader.
Ryan went through the sample bed packages Madison had created for him one last time. The price differences weren’t too extreme, and Madison had helpfully noted that he would have at least ninety days to try his purchase out to make sure that he was comfortable.
So, decision made.
And while Madison had made the task seem easy, he knew if he’d had to get to this point, with the Google search and dredging through information, it would’ve been a minimum of two weeks before he’d have been ready to order.
If he’d actually started in the first place.
He put the information about the bed he wanted on the coffee table then slipped the other two packages onto the bookshelf. He’d recycle them once the one he’d selected was approved.
“Madison,” Talia said quietly.
Maddy glanced up from the couch. “You done?”
Talia glanced at the big pot still sitting on the counter and sighed dramatically. Then she turned back, a little more eagerness in her tone. “Almost. You said you had pictures. Can we look at them tonight?”
“Sure.” Madison glanced at Ryan. “Unless there’s something else that needs to be done?”
“Anything else on your chore chart?” Ryan asked Talia.
She glanced at the fridge where the grid for both their house tasks were clearly labelled. “I have to sort my laundry into the right piles, but that will only take a minute.”
Madison sat forward. “Okay. I’ll go get the pictures and bring them back here to the couch. Once you’re done, you can join me. Sound good?”
Talia all but shouted yes as she bobbed up and down on the step stool, scrubbing the final pot vigorously.
Madison paused as she passed Ryan at the entrance to the hallway, leaning in close to whisper in his ear, “I remember my brothers at this age. They constantly tried to get out of chores. They always had something vital that they needed to do. Or some story that they had to tell me that was life or death.”
“Sometimes it feels as if doing the task myself would be so much simpler, but I know in the long run, it’s better if she learns,” Ryan agreed quietly.
She chuckled, the soft sound brushing against him as her warm breath skimmed his cheek. “Kids are amazing. And terrible, and wonderful.”
Ryan barely registered what she’d said. Something inside him tumbled, his gut tightening. He was already moving, ready to catch hold of her hips and pull her tight against him when she stepped away and disappeared down the hall.
What the hell?
He turned on the spot and paced across the room to the front door. A moment later he stood on the porch in his shirtsleeves, the frigid December wind barely enough to cool him off.
He took a deep breath and let the sharp bite of the cold knock the cobwebs from his brain.
Lust. Putting a name to the sensation didn’t make it better. Recognizing the sensation wasn’t good either, although it had been a long time since he’d felt it so sharp and clear.
The door opened behind him. Talia stared up at him with her big, brown eyes, perplexed. “You don’t have a coat on.”
He forced a chuckle, turned, and firmly closed and locked the door behind himself. “Thought I heard something. Nothing there. Maybe it was Santa doing a practice run.”
Very impressively, Talia raised one single brow. “Daddy.”
“What?”
With the teeniest hint of attitude, she tilted her head and gave him a look. “You don’t have to pretend about Santa anymore.”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules. As long as somebody still thinks the old elf flies around delivering presents at Christmas, magic reindeer and all the rest, I’m going to talk as if it’s true.”
Talia rolled her eyes. “He’s. Not. Real.”
Before he could respond again, she’d raced over to Madison and dropped onto the couch beside her.
Madison glanced at him over the top of her glass as she took a drink.
Talia had said it pointedly, not rudely, so he let it go, offering his friend a gentle shrug of his shoulders. Not rude, but one more step on the changing path of his little girl to something other than fantasy stories and magic.
The thought made him a little sad this time. He wasn’t sure he was ready to let that go.
Madison opened the photo album in her lap, turning to Talia. “Here we go. I told you I knew you when you were baby. Look.”
She pointed to the page.
Talia popped up on her knees and leaned against Madison’s side, nose hovering over the page of the book. “Is that me?”
“Yep. And this is your mommy, and here is Daddy.”
A little-girl laugh rang out. Thankfully, the haughtiness of a few moments earlier had vanished. Talia glanced up at Ryan, who had sat down opposite them. “Daddy. You don’t look like this anymore.”
“I bet you don’t look like you did ten years ago, either,” Ryan teased.
“Come see,” Talia ordered.
He crossed over to the couch, but when he would’ve sat beside Talia, she pushed him toward the open space on the other side of Madison. “Madison in the middle. Then we can both see.”
It was the most natural thing in the world, sitting next to Madison. Looking through old photographs from when he’d been so full of happiness and his world held nothing but potential. His beloved wife and new baby. A good friend returned for a short but sweet visit, because it was as long as she could get away for.
Ryan fell into thought for a moment as Madison flipped through pages and showed Talia more pictures. Some from their days at college, some with her family.
Talia was awed by a picture with Madison, her two brothers, and her parents. “They’re so little. Your brothers are like babies compared to you.”
“That’s because they were babies,” Madison told her. “I was twelve years old when Joe and Kyle were born.”
The little girl blinked. “Wow.” She concentrated for a minute. “That’s even older than me.”
“Yep.”
“Did they cry a lot?”
Madison leaned back on the couch and took a deep breath. “Oh, boy, did they ever. But they grew out of it, and now they’re nearly grown up, and they’re wonderful people.”
“Who’s this?” Talia pointed at Madison’s parents.
“That is my mom and dad,” Madison told her simply.
“Do they still live in Vancouver?”
“My mom does. She lives with my brothers. My dad died a long time ago.”
Talia froze. She looked up at Madison’s face and then back at the pictures. “Just like my mommy. That happened a long time ago, too.”
“It did. In fact, my dad died about a year before your mom did, so it was a sad time for us all.”
Talia cuddled up against Madison’s side, curling her arms around her arm and squeezing tight. “I still get sad that Mommy’s not here.”
“Makes sense. I still miss my daddy, and I miss your mom, but I have lots of good memories. That’s what I try to think about when I get sad.”
“I don’t really have memories of Mommy,” Talia whispered. “I was only a baby.”
“I know, sweetie,” Madison said, squeezing an arm around her. “But that’s the good part of memories. We can share them. I’ll share some nice memories of your mommy with you while I’m here, okay?”
The entire time this conversation was going on, Ryan listened quietly. It was so simple and sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. He had zero worries that Madison was going to say something wrong—
What he was more perturbed about were the sensations rising up and interrupting his thoughts over and over.
This wasn’t the time to be so utterly aware of his thigh pressed against Madison’s. Or of how, as she turned the photo album pages, her elbow brushed his biceps, the heat of their torsos connecting.
Tal
ia had reached over Madison and was tugging on his sleeve. Guilt washed over him. “I’m sorry, little one. What did you say?”
“Did Mommy like Christmastime?”
Ryan nodded. “Very much. Not just Christmas Day, but the whole holiday season. She liked decorating, and she really liked dressing up and having a fancy dinner on New Year’s.”
Answering the question let him focus on something other than the too-vivid physical reaction of his body. What the hell was going on that even the gentle scent wafting off Madison—something clean with a hint of orange—was making him lose all focus?
When the evening came to an end, and his little girl was tucked into bed, Ryan made sure to keep a safe distance between him and Madison as they quietly sat and worked on different things.
She caught up with her brothers, he answered some emails.
Quiet, cozy…intimate.
When Madison finally said good night and left the room, Ryan wasn’t sure if it was relief or dread he felt.
7
Friday was one of the busiest days on Ryan’s schedule, and Madison had no intention of trying to keep up with him.
At breakfast she laid out her plans. “Since you’re at the fire hall the entire time Talia’s at school, I thought I might check out some of those highlights Brooke mentioned. If I could get a ride downtown.”
“Not a problem,” Ryan assured her. “Buns and Roses is a great place for lunch.”
“I might end up there. Brooke called to tell me the replacement airbag for my car is in. She plans to install it this morning.” Talia popped up on her chair, hands pressed to the table. Madison handed Talia the plate of toast the little girl was reaching for. “While she’s working, I’ll look around.”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll be heading straight to my parents’ after I pick Talia up from school. You’re welcome to come, of course,” Ryan offered.
It was easy to smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Madison assured him, glancing at Talia. She’d save the conversation about the ballet idea for when she and Ryan had some privacy.
Madison quickly put in the order for the mattress Ryan had selected as morning activity whirled around her.
A Hero’s Christmas Hope: Holidays in Heart Falls: Book 3 Page 7
