Midnight Angel

by Betst St Amant

  “Maddie, are you all right? Talk to me!”

  Madison jerked out of her reverie and stammered into the receiver. “I’m here, Carsten. I need…I don’t know what I need. Someone broke into my apartment while I was at work today. I don’t want to go back home. I can’t stay there.”

  “And you chose to call me?”

  Madison bit her lip and nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. Get it together, Madison.

  “I feel safe with you,” she whispered. This time, the usual regret didn’t pound on her heart’s door immediately after.

  There was a long pause. “I’ll be right there. I assume you are calling from your office?”

  “Yes. I’m at work. I thought I could sleep here.” Wait. Why would he assume she was at work? She frowned, sudden doubt tugging at the pit of her stomach. Did he know more than she did?

  Maybe she shouldn’t feel safe with him after all.

  But this was Carsten. If he’d meant anything ill toward her, it would’ve been revealed before now. It would’ve been revealed that night when she was alone and vulnerable at the fountain in Germany.

  “You don’t need to be alone. I’ll pick you up and we can get dinner and talk. Does that sound good?”

  His voice melted away her concerns. Her stomach grumbled in response to the mention of food, and she realized she hadn’t eaten a thing since her salad at lunchtime.

  “It does. Thank you.”

  “Five minutes.” The receiver clicked. Madison didn’t know what kind of story she’d fallen into, but her prince was on his way to rescue her.

  ~*~

  Madison and Carsten settled into a cozy back booth at her favorite diner and sipped hot coffee while deciding on which soup to order.

  “Chicken noodle for me,” Carsten decided when the waitress approached the table.

  With a brisk nod and a scratch with a pencil on her pad of paper, the woman turned expectant and impatient eyes to Madison.

  Madison absently chewed her lip as she debated her options. “Broccoli and cheese, please. With an extra piece of bread.”

  Carsten sent her an amused look while the waitress fairly snatched their menus and strode away to put in their orders. “Are all New York food service workers that friendly?”

  Madison grinned in spite of her current circumstances and nodded. “Pretty close to it. You should visit my father’s home in the South. Everyone is friendly there. It’s almost as if it’s a national rule.”

  Something strange flickered in Carsten’s eyes so fast Madison thought that maybe she had just imagined it.

  “And what of your mother?” he asked.

  Madison lowered her gaze. “She’s gone.” Carsten’s silence indicated he understood. An uncomfortable quiet stretched across the table between them. Clearing her throat, Madison poured another packet of sugar into her coffee and reached for a spoon, but Carsten interfered.

  “Your hands, they’re shaking.” He picked up the spoon and stirred her coffee with ease. “I don’t see the point, personally. Coffee is only coffee when prepared strong and black.” He winked at her and relinquished the mug.

  “Then you, sir, will never be a true New Yorker.” Relieved that the subject had been changed, Madison sipped her drink and closed her eyes, relishing the flavor almost as much as she relished Carsten’s accent.

  “I should hope not. Germany is my home.”

  “You’re not going to stand on the table and sing your anthem, are you?” Madison suddenly felt more relaxed then she had in weeks. She returned his wink with one of her own. “You don’t want to take me on in a singing contest.”

  “Ah, so you are an excellent singer, I presume?” Carsten reached for his own mug of coffee, which Madison noted was indeed, strong and black.

  “Quite the contrary. I so much as hum under my breath and my business partner goes running for the stereo. She says even New York talk radio is better than listening to me.”

  Carsten chuckled, a warm sound that wrapped around Madison like a familiar quilt. “Shan seems like quite the character.”

  “She definitely keeps things interesting,” Madison agreed.

  The next few moments were spent in companionable silence, each sipping their warm broth. There didn’t seem to be a problem in the world too big to solve with Carsten at her side. That realization frightened Madison almost more than the thought that someone was chasing her.

  Shaking her head to clear it, Madison put down her spoon.

  “You really are upset about this, aren’t you?” Carsten asked.

  Madison blew out a sharp breath and gave a short laugh, void of humor. “These types of things don’t usually happen in my world.”

  “And what world is that?”

  The question came so quickly that Madison had to pause to formulate her response. How much should she reveal? He was technically still a stranger. She looked up at him through lowered lids. A handsome stranger, but a stranger, nonetheless.

  She hesitated before answering. “A safe world; a world of comfort and security and money at my disposal.”

  But was that world as safe as she assumed? Maybe she was being targeted because of her rich father.

  That didn’t explain the ransacking though—and the fact that nothing expensive had been stolen from her apartment. None of this made sense.

  Carsten’s eyes indicated she should continue, and she forced her mind back on track.

  “I tried hard not to become the stereotypical ‘spoiled little rich girl’ but I never wanted for a thing. Except, of course, my father’s undivided attention.” That was an understatement. Teddy Lawrence assumed he could buy his daughter’s affection with an unlimited credit card. She wanted his time and energy, not oversized teddy bears and designer clothes.

  Carsten nodded, as if soaking in her words was the only pressing matter he had to attend to that night. Madison relished his attentiveness, and realized that if she wasn’t careful, she could wind up pouring out her entire heart within the next few minutes.

  “You need to come to Montana with me.” His words sounded like a command, but his tone was pleading. “You’ll be safe there. No fears. No worries.”

  Madison considered the idea once again, realizing that this opportunity was being presented to her for the second time in one day. Was that a sign? Was God urging her to go by reopening the door she had all but slammed shut? She shuddered, remembering the night’s events. She did not want to return to her apartment alone. What other options did she have?

  “I could go with you to your apartment while you packed,” Carsten offered, almost as if he were reading her mind. He waited silently, eyebrows raised, waiting for her cue.

  Did she trust him? Alone with her, in her apartment after it had been ransacked and she had been followed? A dozen reasons why she should say no raced through Madison’s mind, but before she could even begin to sort through them, she felt herself nodding and saying, ”OK. Let’s go.”

  Carsten smiled and signaled the waitress for their bill. “You’ll love Montana,” he promised. “You need to escape. And I need you.”

  Madison’s heart skipped a beat. He needed her? He’d not been exactly subtle with her before, what with the kiss at the fountain six years ago and the brush of his lips against her injured fingers in her office earlier. But this was outright bold.

  She swallowed hard. “You—you do?”

  “Of course.” He pulled out his wallet for his credit card. “The house is a disaster. I need your design expertise.”

  “Oh, right. The decorating project.” With a jerk, Madison’s heart regained its normal rhythm, and a hint of disappointment washed over her. Snap out of it, Madison. This is business. And possibly a way of saving your own hide until you figure out who broke in. She straightened in her chair. She had to stop letting his comments affect her so deeply, so quickly. Did he have any idea what he did to her heart? She hoped not.

  This is why she hadn’t dated much. Besides the time she spent at work,
she knew her heart was too fragile. She soaked in his compliments like a dry sponge—it was better to keep her heart distant. Men disappointed—her father had shown how inevitable that truth was.

  “Naturally, a schones engel like you will only further contribute to the scenery.” Carsten winked as he slipped the credit card into the bill.

  A blush crept over Madison’s cheeks and she ducked her head, hoping to keep the compliment a safe distance from her heart. She remembered enough of her high school German lessons to know what he thought she was beautiful.

  As she followed Carsten out of the restaurant and into a cab, she once again wondered if she was doing the right thing. She didn’t have many other options. She didn’t want to bring her dad into this if she didn’t have to, and staying with Shan wouldn’t garner much more security than staying alone. She had to trust her instincts—and Carsten.

  Then again, her instincts had been wrong before.

  6

  Madison unlocked her apartment door with unsteady fingers and motioned for Carsten to go in first. Never again would she take for granted stepping into her home with a feeling of safety. Her naïvety was gone for good.

  “Those must have been some tidy ransackers,” Carsten joked as he stepped inside and looked around the spotlessly clean apartment.

  Madison shook her head at his attempt at humor and made haste gathering her belongings. “I put everything back together after the police left. I wanted to try to find out what the intruder was looking for and had to clean up to see if anything was missing.” She dragged a suitcase from the hall closet, then disappeared around the corner to her bedroom.

  Carsten remained in the living area while they blindly continued their conversation. “And what did you find?”

  “Nothing!” Madison slammed a drawer shut. The protesting screech of the metal slide as she flung open a second drawer punctuated her frustration. She emptied the contents into her bag. “Which must have been exactly what they found as well, because nothing was stolen.”

  Madison hurried back into the living room, tucking her messy hair behind her ears as she pulled the suitcase behind her. Carsten reached for the handle while Madison grabbed a duffel bag and filled it with various colored folders.

  “Work stuff,” she explained at his glance. “I keep my different design layouts in these.” She held up a file folder before cramming it into her duffel.

  “Seems like a professional system you have there,” Carsten teased.

  Madison zipped the bag with an air of authority. “My system works, so call it what you will.” She hoisted the bag in her arms.

  “Allow me.” Carsten shouldered the heavy bag.

  “I think that’s it.”

  “Ready, then?”

  Madison let her eyes roam around her apartment one more time, which didn’t really feel like home at the moment, and then nodded slowly.

  “I suppose I am.”

  ~*~

  Madison jerked awake. She blinked against her blurry vision and rubbed damp palms down the legs of her pants. She tried to take a deep breath, but felt as if a weight sat on her shoulders, crushing her under its burden. Had she had a nightmare? Anxiety pressed hard.

  “You’re OK,” a familiar voice soothed. A warm hand brushed the hair off her forehead. “Deep breaths.”

  Starting under the touch, Madison blinked again and took in the scene around her. From the cramped seating and the view out the window, she realized she was on an airplane, thousands of miles in the air. She tried to fight back the panic attack that tempted to take over. She hated flying.

  Where was she going?

  Bending over at the waist as far as her uncomfortable airline seat would allow, Madison continued taking deep breaths. What time is it? What day is it?

  A full minute passed before she realized the flight attendant and her cart had rolled by and someone was pressing a cool cloth to the back of her neck.

  Madison suddenly sat upright as the events of the previous twenty-four hours rushed into her memory. She twisted in her seat and saw that he was the one holding the moist towel.

  “Are you all right now?”

  Madison closed her eyes, torn between sinking into the comfort he offered and running from it as fast as she could. Never in her life had someone been so concerned about her well-being. Her parents’ affections had always had an ulterior motive. You can’t get sick before the big party, Madison... Everyone who is anyone will be there... We can’t have you being the only debutante stuck at home…You’ll never make the Society Page that way, dear…

  Madison opened her eyes to rid the memories and focused on Carsten, who gazed at her as if she were the only woman in the world. Easy, Madison. You still don’t really know this man.

  A that fact seemed irrelevant when he stared at her with that clear blue gaze.

  “Are you all right now?” Carsten repeated.

  Madison nodded slowly and found that the longer she looked at Carsten, the less the headache pounded in her temples. She took the cloth he offered and pressed the cool rag to her forehead.

  “Yes, I’m still just a little confused.” She looked out the window. “What time is it?” The view proved it was late.

  “It’s well after midnight. You slept hard.” Carsten lifted a hand as if to touch her face, and then quickly dropped it to his side. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Soon, we’ll be heim. Home.”

  Madison settled back in her seat and continued to gaze out the window. With so many clouds and only a sliver of moon lighting the sky, her view of the earth below was limited. She wondered what “heim” looked like. At this point in her life, she didn’t know of any place on earth she would truly call home. And why did she feel so comfortable with Carsten but like a stranger at her father’s plantation in Georgia?

  Shaking off the reflective thoughts, Madison tried to enjoy the rest of her flight and relax. She needed rest; her tense muscles were evidence enough of that. Worrying would have to wait.

  Three hours later, Madison and Carsten were buckled in a rental car and zipping down the winding country roads toward the ranch.

  Madison took in the view with awe. She had traveled all over the world, but nothing compared to the beauty of the massive expanse of sky that surrounded her on all sides. Hills and flatlands stretched as far as the eye could see. She rolled down the Jeep’s window and let the wind toss her hair. Sucking in a breath of the crisp early morning air, she caught a taste of true freedom. Delicious. She wanted more.

  Madison leaned her head back and closed her eyes, her elbow resting on the open window, fingers weaving in and out of the wind. She wove a random pattern with the breeze, content to relax and let the moment sink in. She was safe here. Nothing could touch her.

  7

  “We’re here,” Carsten said several minutes later. Before Madison had even unbuckled her seatbelt he was outside, opening the door and ushering her out of the vehicle. He grabbed the luggage and led the way up the massive porch to the front door.

  Madison spun in a slow circle on the porch, eyes wide. Everything seemed larger than life, from the driveway that stretched half a mile to the porch swing that looked as if it could comfortably hold four adults. She felt tiny in comparison.

  “This way.” Carsten held the screen door open for her with his foot, his arms full of their bags. Madison hurried inside, only to stop and gaze around in wonder once again.

  “Nice place, huh?” Carsten grinned at her as he set the luggage in the entryway and flicked a switch on the wall. Soft, warm lighting instantly filled the room. Madison’s heart lit up along with it, and she reveled in the sense of home. Home? That’s crazy. I’ve been here thirty seconds. Still, something tugged at her spirit.

  “Welcome to the Running R ranch.” Carsten glanced around and then shot Madison the grin that had gotten her there in the first place. “You can see why I need you to fix it up.”

  Madison shifted into professional mode, and cast a trained eye around the premis
es. The entryway led into an open, airy living space, with the kitchen to the left, the dining room and hallway leading to more rooms on the right. An indoor balcony was built over the living area, with beautiful staircases descending each side. Everything about the room, including most of the furniture, was bare wood, but it offered a homey, rustic feel. There was definite potential.

  Madison’s pulse quickened as ideas flowed through her mind. A touch of greenery in that corner, a splash of color on that wall…She grinned.

  “I think I’ve created a monster.” Carsten laughed. “Why don’t we get settled for the night? I know you will have a dozen ideas in that pretty head of yours after a good rest.”

  After grabbing Madison’s suitcases, Carsten started toward the living space. “Rita? Are you here? We are heim, Rita!”

  “Carsten, is that you?” A short and sturdy woman hurried out of the kitchen, dusting her hands on the back pockets of her jeans. She looked to be in her mid-sixties, but it was hard to tell for sure, because she was covered in flour.

  A smile lit her face as she recognized Carsten. “Child, it’s been years! You look just like your father.” She grabbed Carsten in a hug and exclaimed over him like a long lost relative.

  “You’re looking great, Rita.” Carsten returned her hug warmly. “It’s good to be back. It’s been too long.”

  “And you must be Madison.” Rita took Madison’s hand in hers and pumped her arm with more energy than Madison thought possible from such a small woman. “I’ve been expecting you!”

  “You have?” Madison shot a questioning look at Carsten.

  “Rita runs this place,” Carsten explained, looping an arm around the older woman’s shoulders. “She’s been like a grandmother to me. I would spend many summers here during my childhood visiting with my father and Mr. Sanders.”

  “I’ve kept this place together for almost twenty years now.” Rita lifted her chin proudly.

  Madison smiled. Rita’s charm and energy was contagious. She made everything seem joyful just by being in her presence.