“I love you so much, Maddie. I want to marry you now. Today,” he whispered before his lips took hers in a deep kiss.
“I love you, too, but we have to wait a little while. Let’s see what happens with the shop first.”
Brody sighed. “All right. If you’re ready, we can leave now.”
She nodded up at him. “Yes. I’ll be at the shop alone for a while. I forgot to tell you Katie has an appointment with an attorney this morning.”
“I’m staying with you until she gets there, then. I’ll let Sam know.” Brody called Sam quickly and explained the situation. He hung up and grinned at Madilyn. “He’s good with it.”
“I’m glad. I’d feel better with you there. I don’t think Delgado will do anything with Katie at the shop. Too many customers throughout the day, too.”
Brody nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Although, if Sam wants to come over for a while, that’d be fine.” Madilyn grinned at him.
Brody growled. “Not funny.”
Madilyn laughed. “He’s gorgeous. What can I say?” Brody grabbed her and pulled her against him. “I’m teasing you, Brody. You’re the only man for me.”
“Damn good thing, baby.” He chuckled against her neck.
“But Sam is gorgeous…just sayin’.” She squealed when Brody nipped at her neck.
“Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her outside. He waited while she got into her car then he got into his and they drove toward town.
* * * *
Madilyn kept glancing toward the rearview mirror. Watching Brody following her made her feel safe. Wilson Delgado had an agenda and she was terrified of him accomplishing it. She sighed with relief when she pulled into the parking lot at the shop. Stepping from her car, she stood beside it as she watched Brody park his truck and stroll toward her.
“I’d rather you stay in the car until I get to you, Maddie. I don’t want to scare you, but he could be anywhere at any time.” Brody shook his head. “Since we don’t know what he has planned, I want to be at your side when we’re alone.”
Madilyn nodded and glanced around quickly. “I hadn’t thought of that. I won’t do it again.”
“It’s all right. I should’ve mentioned it. Come on, let’s get inside.”
Madilyn unlocked the door then turned the alarm off. She moved behind the counter and waited while Brody moved through the building. He came back toward her and smiled.
“All clear. Do you have a coffee pot here? I could use another cup.”
“Sure. I’ll make some. I’ll be right back.” Madilyn kissed his cheek as she headed for the break room. She went about making coffee then poured him a cup. She halted in the doorway as she stared at him. Her heart slammed against her ribs. How did she ever think she’d get over him? He was the love of her life. Her gaze ran over his back to his jeans hugging his butt. The man had one hell of a body. She watched him spin around to face her and blushed when he raised an eyebrow at her.
“Were you just checking out my ass?” Brody grinned.
Madilyn laughed. “Yes.” She moved toward him and handed him his coffee.
“At least you’re honest, hon.” Brody chuckled. “What time do you think Katie will be here?”
“She really shouldn’t be too late. The appointment was at nine.” Madilyn smiled. “Speak of the devil.” She nodded toward the door as Kaitlyn strode through it.
“Hi Katie,” Brody said, and then frowned at the look on her face. “Is something wrong?”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “I’m in shock. Kevin had a life insurance policy and I’m the beneficiary.”
Madilyn hugged her. “That’s great, Katie. Maybe it was his way of making up for treating you badly.”
“It’s for a million,” Kaitlyn whispered.
“As in dollars?” Brody asked in a shocked voice.
“Oh my God! That’s fantastic, Katie. You can pay your house off now.” Madilyn smiled at her.
“I’m going to sell it. I don’t want to live there. I’ll get an apartment for now and maybe after the baby’s born, I’ll buy another home.” Kaitlyn smiled at Madilyn. “I’m going to buy the shop, though.”
“What?” Madilyn squealed.
Kaitlyn hugged her. “We have jobs and you’re going to be manager. We’ll hire a couple more people so I’ll be able to take time off when the baby’s born.”
“I’m so happy. Not just for us having jobs but for you Katie. You deserve this. Did you tell Sam yet?” Madilyn hugged her friend.
“I did. He’s in shock, I think. I called him as soon as I left the attorney’s office.”
Brody chuckled. “I’m heading to the office.” He quickly kissed Madilyn on the lips and kissed Kaitlyn’s cheek.
Madilyn and Kaitlyn started their day. Customers came in all day long but neither of the women could keep the smiles from their faces. Madilyn stood beside Kaitlyn as she called the real estate office to tell them she wanted to buy the shop.
“I’m going to ask Sam if I can have a party at the ranch. I’ll invite everyone.” Kaitlyn giggled.
“What a great idea, Katie. I can help you plan it. I think it’ll be fun.” Madilyn laughed.
“It’ll be to celebrate my buying the shop and the baby.” Kaitlyn laughed again. “I’m so excited.”
Madilyn loved seeing her friend happy again. It’d been too long since Kaitlyn was happy. She deserved to be after living with a man like Kevin. Madilyn thought of Brody. The one time he’d hurt her had been her fault, not his. She should’ve supported him in his decision to become a Marshal and gone with him. They would’ve had the past five years together and probably had a couple of children by now. A boy and a girl like they’d always talked about. Madilyn hated herself for blaming Brody when it had been her fault for not going with him. How could he forgive her when she found it hard to forgive herself? He loved her. It was as simple as that. She smiled. What a wonderful man he was. Another customer came in and Madilyn moved forward to wait on her.
* * * *
Brody strolled through the front door of the department and sent a smile over to Betty Lou. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“What are you doing here during the day, Brody?”
Brody halted. “Didn’t Sam tell you? I’m on days for a while.”
“No, he didn’t tell me. I wondered where Rick was.” Betty Lou stood and put her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing at all, Betty Lou.” Brody quickly moved toward his office. He almost faltered in his steps when she spoke.
“I’m not stupid, Brody Morgan. Something is going on for Sam to change your shift.” She huffed. “No one tells me anything,” Brody heard her mutter as he closed the door to his office. The woman wasn’t lying. She wasn’t stupid but Brody also knew Sam wouldn’t tell her anything he didn’t want half the town knowing. As much as Sam loved Betty Lou, they both knew she was a major gossip in Clifton.
Brody sat at his desk and got to work on some paperwork. An hour later, he heard Betty Lou giving Sam a hard time. Brody chuckled and shook his head. Better Sam than him. He jerked when his door flew open. Sam stood in the doorway.
“I’ll never hear the end of this,” Sam mumbled as he took a seat in front of Brody’s desk.
“She tried to get it out of me. I got back here as quickly as I could.”
“You could’ve called me. I would’ve come in the back door.” Sam glared at him.
Brody laughed. “Betty Lou would have hunted you down. You know it as well as I do.”
Sam chuckled. “I do for sure. Did everything go all right getting Madilyn to work?”
“Yes. Katie wasn’t too late.” Brody grinned as Sam shook his head. “Can you believe he made her beneficiary?”
“No. It’s the only decent thing he ever did for Katie. She’s on cloud nine. I think it’s a great idea for her to buy the shop. She loves the place.”
“I was still there when she told Maddie. Both women are happy a
s can be. Maybe this will keep Maddie’s mind off Delgado some.”
“Let’s hope so.” Sam stood. “I’ll be in my office. Let’s hope we have a slow day and you can get out of here on time. If not, I’ll get Madilyn over here to wait. I don’t want her alone at any time.”
Brody nodded as Sam left his office. Luckily, it turned out to be the slow day they’d hoped for and Brody left at five to head to the shop. He strolled through the doors and smiled at Kaitlyn while she waited on a customer. He watched her move away from the customer and moved toward him.
“Madilyn’s in the break room.”
Brody nodded. “I’ll go back there then.” He headed for the break room and stood in the doorway. “Hey baby.” She spun around and dropped the glass she’d been holding. Brody moved quickly. “Step back. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He knelt down and started picking up the glass shards. He jerked his head up when he heard her crying. “What is it?”
“I’m so afraid,” she whispered.
Brody stood and wrapped his arms around her. “I know. I can’t tell you not to be afraid. He’s dangerous as hell but if you’re afraid, you’ll be more alert and I want you alert.”
“I wasn’t very alert now.”
“Only because you feel safe here. Don’t let your guard down anywhere. Not even here. Any customer coming through those doors could be someone he sent in here.” Brody gazed down into her face. “Do you understand?”
Madilyn nodded up at him. “I won’t be so jumpy the next time.”
“That’s my girl. Now, let me clean this up and we’ll go home.” They cleaned up the glass and after telling Kaitlyn they’d see her tomorrow, they left.
* * * *
A week later, practically the entire town of Clifton, including tourists, was in the Town Hall for Kaitlyn’s party. Her plan to have it at the ranch soon became evident it needed to be in a larger place since so many people planned on attending. Madilyn stood beside her friend at the table with large plates and bowls of food. A line of people moved down the table, getting food and talking away with the person next to them. Betty Lou Harper stopped in front of Madilyn and Kaitlyn.
“It’s good to see both you girls smiling.” Betty Lou smiled at them.
Kaitlyn laughed. “I’m happy, Betty Lou. For the first time in a long time.”
Betty Lou chuckled. “You deserve it honey, and so do you, Madilyn.” She leaned forward. “Now, Katie, you just need to get your brother happy.”
“Sam’s not happy?” Madilyn frowned.
“He needs a woman,” Betty Lou whispered.
“I don’t need a woman and you’re holding up the line, Betty Lou,” Sam growled. The people in line laughed.
“You do, Sam Garrett,” Betty Lou mumbled as she moved on.
Madilyn grinned at Sam. “She loves you and wants to see you happy, Sam.”
“I am happy, damn it.”
Madilyn and Kaitlyn laughed along with the people in line. The smile left Madilyn’s face when Brody moved up to the table. Their eyes met and held.
“Hi,” he said softly.
“Hi yourself, Deputy Morgan.” Madilyn smiled at him.
Brody nodded. “You make sure you call me that when I’m in uniform, ma’am. Otherwise, I may have to handcuff you.”
Madilyn could feel the heat in her cheeks as she gazed at him. The memories came rushing back of her handcuffed to the bed. Her eyes instinctively went to the fly of his jeans and back to his face.
“I’ll keep it in mind…Deputy,” Madilyn said softly. She jerked when Kaitlyn elbowed her. She turned her gaze to her friend, who nodded to the line of people. Madilyn looked at them to see them all staring at her and Brody. She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the look on their faces. “You’re holding up the line, Deputy. Please move along.”
Brody chuckled as he put food on his plate and moved on. Madilyn blew out a breath. She heard Kaitlyn chuckle beside her.
“I love watching people in love.” Kaitlyn sighed. “I want to be in love like that.”
“I can’t believe you’d say that, Katie, after the relationship you just went through.”
“Madilyn, you went through a tough time, too. Brody left and you were alone but look at you now. You’re both so in love, like the years faded away. I want that all-consuming love in my life too. I thought I had it when I first married Kevin but I didn’t. I want it. I want to find the one.” Kaitlyn shook her head. “I want a man in love with me. To worship me.” She gazed around the room. “Like Jake and Becca. Emma and Gabe. They have it.”
Madilyn’s gaze followed Kaitlyn’s to where the Stone family stood. Jake and Becca were laughing together. Gabe was no doubt teasing Emma about something since her cheeks were red. Gabe held their little girl, Sophie, who he adored. All of them were so much in love. Her eyes roamed over the room until she found Brody. He stood next to Sam, his eyes constantly searching the room. When they met hers, he smiled at her. Madilyn smiled. She loved him so much. Nothing was going to tear them apart again. She’d follow him to the ends of the earth if need be. Sighing, she brought her attention back to the people in line and smiled up at the man in front of her. She didn’t recognize him but with all the tourists in town, it was nothing new for some of them to wander into the Town Hall while something was going on. He grinned at her. Madilyn shivered. He didn’t seem to fit in with the other tourists. Most of the tourists were families. This man looked like he belonged anywhere but Clifton, Montana. He could’ve stepped from a movie involving the mob.
“What’s your name, little lady?” he asked her.
Madilyn smiled up at him. “What can I get you?”
He grinned at her change of subject. “Everything looks good. Including you.”
The smile left her face. “You’re holding up the line.”
The man chuckled. “Feisty, too. I like that.” He leaned toward her. “You’re going to need to be.” Then he spun on his heel and disappeared through the crowd. Madilyn moved quickly toward Brody and Sam.
“There’s a man you need to find. He sort of threatened me and then left. I can’t see him now.” Madilyn scanned the crowd.
“What did he look like?” Brody was on instant alert.
“Big. He was so out of place, in a black suit. It’s why he stood out to me. Then he said I was feisty and I was going to need to be.” She grasped Brody’s arm. “He looked like he belonged to the mob.”
Brody and Sam both set their plates down and moved through the crowd toward the doors. They disappeared outside. Madilyn jerked when Kaitlyn touched her arm.
“Are you all right? You’re as white as a sheet.”
Madilyn nodded. “I had to let Brody know about the man in line.” She’d told Kaitlyn about Delgado and she knew to be on the lookout for any strangers who didn’t fit in with the tourists. “He stuck out like a sore thumb. Brody and Sam went outside to look for him but I’d bet money they won’t find him. He disappeared through the crowd and out the door before I even told them.”
“I think you’re right. They just came back in.” Kaitlyn nodded toward the door.
Brody and Sam came toward them. Brody shook his head. “We couldn’t find him. He must’ve taken off before we got outside.” Brody took her hands in his. “He planned this. He knew what he was going to say to you and how to get out fast. The crowd helped him out.”
Madilyn needed to sit down. “I feel lightheaded,” she whispered. Brody led her through the doors leading to the kitchen, Sam and Kaitlyn on their heels. Brody pulled a chair out and pushed her down onto it.
“Take deep breaths,” Kaitlyn told her.
Madilyn sucked in deep breaths. She glanced up at Brody. “He knew who I was, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” Brody told her.
“Oh dear God. He knows me.”
Brody crouched down in front of her. “I’ll keep you safe. He can’t get to you. As long as you’re never alone, he can’t get to you.”
“I want to
go home.” She glanced up at Kaitlyn. “I’m sorry to leave your party early, Katie…”
“Nonsense. Go home, Madilyn. I’d feel better if you did.”
“Come on, Maddie. Let’s go home.” Brody glanced at Sam. “Is it all right if we leave?”
“Yes. Take her home. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye out here but I’m sure he’s gone for now.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do not let your guard down. The son of a bitch is going to do all he can to get to her.”
Madilyn stood and let Brody lead her out and to the cars. “Do you think you can drive or do you want to go with me?”
“I can drive,” she assured him.
Brody softly kissed her lips. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Madilyn watched him stride to his truck. Once he was in it, she started her car and pulled out with Brody behind her. She quickly blinked tears away. Seeing the man, knowing he was one of Delgado’s men, put it all into perspective. Delgado was letting her know he meant what he’d said. He planned to get to her and kill her to make Brody suffer. She had to pull off the road. Brody was at her window in less than a minute. He pulled her door open and squatted down.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. Come here.” He held his arms out to her.
Madilyn leaned toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s all real now.”
“I know and I’m sorry this is happening.” He kissed her forehead. “Let it out.”
Brody Page 12
