by Barbara Gee
“Oh, Maddy, you are so precious,” Libby gushed. “I love you to pieces, and I love that you’re sweet on my big brother. But what in the world are you talking about when you say he’s out of your league? This is Tucker we’re talking about, not the President!”
“Exactly. It’s Tucker. You told me all about him, remember?” Maddy suddenly looked puzzled. “Wait, I actually don’t recall talking to you about him, and yet I know all this stuff. Did I dream it?”
“What do you think you know about him?”
“He was the standout high school quarterback and Valedictorian that every girl in the school wanted. And he graduated from an Ivy League college in only three years, at the top of his class, then went into the Air Force and worked in intelligence for six years before being recruited by the FBI.” Shaking her head, Maddy looked at Libby. “Is any of that actual fact? I honestly don’t remember us talking about him at any great length.”
“It’s all fact, and I know how you know about it. The first night you were in the hospital you were sedated, and I’ve always heard that even when people are out of it they can hear things and it helps to have people talk to them. I was really, really worried about you that night, because you had just had surgery and you looked so awful and pale. So I talked to you for two hours straight. I was getting desperate for subjects, so I told you all about Tucker and me growing up. I told you about the Full Heart too, actually, because this place was such a big part of our lives.”
“That must be why I felt like I’d seen the house before when we drove up,” Maddy declared. “That is so weird. But anyway, Lib, what I’m trying to say is that Tucker is, like, all that, you know? He’s way up on the food chain. Honestly, I’m fine with who I am and what I’ve accomplished, but that doesn’t change the fact that I grew up in foster homes, went to college on a scholarship for poor kids caught in the system, and I’ve never been to a black tie event in my life. We’re from totally different worlds, Libby, and I’m not going to delude myself. It’s true that I can’t help being majorly attracted to your brother, but it ends there and you don’t have to worry about me making a fool of myself over him.”
Libby folded her arms across her chest, her expression accusing. “I’m not sure whether you’re putting yourself down, or saying Tuck and I are rich snobs,” she said tightly.
“I’m not doing either of those things. I told you, I’m fine with who I am, and you and Tucker are some of the best people I’ve ever met. It’s just that he and I don’t have much in common.”
“You do though,” Libby argued. “You’re both awfully intelligent, and way more concerned about your fellow man than most people are. You both have really high moral standards. You rarely drink and aren’t into big, noisy parties. You both go to church and pray a lot, and you have killer senses of humor. Honestly, Maddy, the more I think about it, the more I think you might be perfect for him.”
Maddy shook her head decisively. “Don’t go there, Libby. Please promise me you won’t mention any of this to Tucker, and don’t try to push us together. It’s not going to happen. He’s awesome, but when it comes right down to it, I’m scared to death of him.”
“You’re scared of Tucker?” Libby asked, confused.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m scared of what falling for him could do to me.” Maddy shrugged. “He’s too much, Libby, he’s bigger than life to me. He’s the kind of man I can dream about, but would be crazy to actually fall for. I need to stick to nice, sweet guys who don’t—”
“Who don’t make your heart pound,” Libby interrupted. “I get it, Maddy. You want to keep things easy and safe and Tuck would be a risk for you. But you’re selling yourself short and you truly are deluding yourself if you think you’ll ever be satisfied with a boring man.”
“Nice and sweet doesn’t have to mean boring.”
“It does if that’s all they are. You need a man with an edge, Maddy. But I’m not going to argue with you about it now, because our shopping cart is going to self destruct if we don’t get this stuff ordered. So what’s your stupid Paypal account info?”
“You won’t say anything to Tucker, will you?” Maddy persisted. “Promise me, Libby.”
“I won’t say anything. But I’m not going to discourage him if he starts sniffing in your direction, either. I’ll let the cards fall where they may. For the record, though, I think you’d be a great couple.”
Maddy sighed. “In my dreams, maybe. Now bring me the computer, please, and I’ll finish out the order.”
“And then you’re going to take a nap, and then we’re going to go find the Gator-Croc so I can show you more of this beautiful place before dinner. Deal?”
“Deal. Thanks, Lib. I love you, you know.”
“Even though I’m a rich, uppity snob?” Libby asked, smiling wryly as she handed over the computer.
“Even though you’re a rich snob,” Maddy agreed, grinning up at her friend. “Come back in an hour. If I sleep any longer than that I’ll be wide awake most of the night.”
“You got it.” Libby left, closing the bedroom door quietly behind her.
Maddy completed the online order, then set the computer aside and laid back on the bed, sighing with contentment. The room she’d been given was beautifully decorated in navy, grey and ivory, with a huge window overlooking the stable in the distance. The Full Heart Ranch was indeed the oasis Libby had promised, and Maddy couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be, or any people she’d rather be with.
As her eyes slid closed, she smiled. In real life she was determined to fight her attraction to Tucker Simon, but in her dreams, well, there he was most welcome.
Chapter 19
“Hey, Tuck,” Libby called, leaning out over the upstairs railing. “Can you come up and help me get Maddy in her wheelchair? She agreed to take a nap, but only for an hour. I’m going to go wake her up now, so if you could come up in a couple minutes that would be great.”
“Be right up,” Tuck replied, shutting down his computer and rubbing the back of his neck. He’d been reading emails and instant messaging with Emma for the past hour. She had informed him that Jimmy’s fingerprints had been found on some of the sections of water pipe at the old barn in Kentucky, which put him at the scene of Zeke’s murder. Another nail his coffin, if they ever managed to catch him.
As he walked up the stairs to help Madison, Tuck tried to put all things Jimmy out of his mind. Both girls found it far too easy to pick up on his moods, and he didn’t want them to see his frustration.
His mind flashed back to that morning, when Maddy had been lifted out of the helicopter. He had been totally unprepared to see her minus the bruising and swelling. He’d probably looked like a fool standing there on the runway staring at her, but the girl was an absolute knockout. Yes, she was firmly off limits, but he was only human and there was no getting around it—Madison Harper caused his mind to go places it shouldn’t.
His attraction was certainly understandable, as he’d never met a girl quite like her. He had seen Madison go through things most people would never have to face, terrible things, and yet the girl’s courage and determination had never wavered. He found himself admiring her more with each passing day, and he was surprised by how much he missed her when he’d gone back to North Carolina. Adding a newly gorgeous face to the already potent mix that was Madison had thrown Tuck for a loop.
It was high time he brought his wandering mind under control, however. He’d promised Tim he would spend a week at the ranch relaxing, and if he was going to be in Madison’s presence for that long, he needed to nip his attraction in the bud. Madison deserved more than a man who lived and breathed his job, and she certainly didn’t need to live her life worried that her association with him could get her hurt again, or worse.
What Tuck needed to do was take Jimmy down so he never again saw life outside of prison. Then Madison would be free to get back to life as she’d known it, free from fear of the psychopath who had almost killed her. It was the lea
st he could do for someone who had already suffered way too much.
Reaching her bedroom door, Tuck knocked lightly. “You two ready for me?”
“Come on in, Tuck,” Libby called. “We need your muscle.”
He entered and found Madison sitting on the edge of her bed, her eyes still sleepy.
“Good nap?” he asked, standing beside the bed with his arms folded across his chest, trying to ignore how the sight of her caused his heart to beat a little faster.
She nodded. “I think I could get in the wheelchair by myself, if it was right by the bed and Libby helped, but she wouldn’t let me try.”
“Maybe if you had both arms, but there’s no way you can get a good angle and enough stabilization with one arm.”
Madison frowned but didn’t argue. Tuck suspected she knew he was right, she just hated feeling so helpless.
“I know you’re not used to needing help, Madison, but I really don’t mind hauling you around. It makes me feel strong and useful.”
“You are strong and useful,” she said begrudgingly, putting her arm around his neck as he stooped to pick her up.
Tuck straightened with her in his arms and smiled down at her, taken aback by a sudden urge to press his lips to her smooth forehead. To cover, he told her she was definitely heavier than she’d been before partaking in Kay’s roast beef lunch.
“But since you still only weigh about 50 pounds it’s not time to panic.”
Libby smacked his shoulder. “Shame on you, Tuck. You don’t talk about a girl’s weight, ever, whether it’s too much or too little.”
“What if it’s just right?” he asked. “Which hers isn’t quite yet, but probably will be soon if she keeps eating like she did at lunch.”
“Tucker!” Libby hit him again.
He chuckled as he lowered Madison into her chair, glad to see she was smiling at his teasing and not taking offense like his sister. He rolled her out of the room to the elevator.
“I’ll meet you downstairs, I forgot to change my shoes,” Libby said, hurrying to her room.
“What do you ladies have planned for the afternoon?” Tuck asked as he wheeled Madison down the hall.
“Libby’s going to drive me around outside.”
“Oh yeah? In the Croc?”
“In the Croc,” Madison confirmed. “I’m embracing that name, by the way. I think it gives my Gator a distinctive personality and charm.”
“You don’t even know what a Gator looks like,” Tucker reminded her.
“Do you?”
“Of course. I know what the Croc-Gator looks like too, since I spent an hour making a slight modification to the back seat so you could sit sideways and stretch your legs out. They won’t bump around so much that way.”
Her blue eyes widened as he rolled her into the elevator and turned her chair so she was facing him.
“You did that? When?”
“While you girls were shopping on the computer. The Croc is fit for a queen now. Or for a cute little blonde with arms and legs all akimbo.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “I’m a far cry from royalty, but I guess the other description fits well enough. I hate these casts so much already, and I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel in six weeks.”
“Is that how long you’ll have them on?”
“Optimistically. The doctor said six to eight weeks. I’m choosing to go with six.”
“I bet you’ll do it, too,” Tuck said with a smile, spinning her chair around to push her out of the elevator.
Libby was on her way down the stairs, and she gave Tuck an impulsive hug when they met at the bottom. “We’re going exploring, big brother. Wanna come?”
“I’ll get Madison loaded into the Gator, but then I think I’ll head to the stable and go for a ride. Think you can keep from getting lost?”
“Are you kidding? I remember every part of this ranch. We’re going to go to the far stable to say hi to my old horse, Magdalena, and then I’m just going to drive around and show off the ranch. I’ll try to go places that have minimal bouncing.”
“I guess I can trust you to find your way around.” Tuck wheeled Madison to the front door, and Libby held it open for him to push her through onto the porch. Then he locked the wheels on her chair and looked down at her.
“You know the drill,” he said, bending over her so she could reach her arm around his neck.
Madison looked up at him and gave him a smile that made his knees feel a little weak. Which wasn’t a good thing since he needed to lift her up.
Libby watched them with her hands on her hips. “We’re going to miss your transport services when you’re gone, Tuck,” she declared. “We’ll have to get the ranch hands to help us. Hey, Maddy, how about we ask Kay to assign the cutest one to be at your beck and call. That could make things interesting, huh?”
“For you, maybe,” Maddy said. “Could be a little awkward for me.”
Tuck realized he didn’t particularly like the idea of another man carrying Madison and his arms tightened reflexively around her. “I’ll be here for a week, Libby, no reason to jump the gun.”
“But we need to have someone lined up and ready to go,” Libby persisted. “We can’t let Uncle Virgil carry her around, what with his back going out and all. But we need to get someone you feel really comfortable with, Maddy, because he’ll have to get you in and out of bed, too.”
“I’d rather sleep in my chair.” Maddy declared. She seemed genuinely distressed at the idea, and Tuck wasn’t thrilled about it either.
“We’ll figure something out before I leave,” he assured her as he followed Libby across the porch.
“Oh look, Maddy, the back seat of the Croc is all fixed up for you!” Libby said happily, hurrying down the steps for a closer inspection. “Does Uncle Virgil rock or what?”
“Tucker did it,” Madison said, craning her neck to better see the vehicle parked in the drive. She gave him another one of those smiles. “Thank you.”
Then she tightened her arm around his neck and unexpectedly pressed her soft lips to his cheek in a quick kiss.
He looked down at her, surprised, and she met his gaze for a moment before quickly looking away, her cheeks turning a rosy pink. Good lord, the girl was adorable.
Desire hit Tuck, hot and hard, and it took everything he had not to capture that sweet mouth with his own and kiss her until neither one of them could breathe.
He didn’t succumb, but the fact that he wanted to so badly left him feeling shaken. Tuck prided himself on being a logical man, and his logical mind was full of reasons why he shouldn’t want to kiss this girl. Hadn’t her indirect association with him already caused her more than enough grief? And yet one innocent, affectionate gesture from her had silenced his logic momentarily, forcing him to acknowledge that an attraction was definitely there, and growing stronger.
For her sake, he would fight it. He had to.
Without acknowledging the kiss, he continued on to the Gator, his jaw clenched.
Maddy certainly hadn’t planned on giving Tuck that little kiss on the cheek. Her soaring emotions had simply gotten the best of her. She was just so happy to be out of the hospital and at this beautiful place, and grateful for the effort he’d put into making the Gator more comfortable for her. It had been wonderfully thoughtful of him. And his gorgeous face was right there, only inches away. Kissing it had seemed like a perfectly harmless and natural thing to do.
But wow. That one short second of having her lips against his skin had made her instantly crave more. Holy cow, if one tiny peck on the cheek made her feel like that, what would it be like to really kiss Tucker, mouth to mouth?
When she pulled back, Tuck looked at her for about two seconds, his blue eyes blazing. At first she thought maybe he was thinking the same thing as her and a punch of adrenaline shot almost painfully through her body. But then he shut down. His face became totally expressionless and he was silent as he carried her over to the Gator and carefully lowered her sideways on
to the back seat. Maddy realized that what she’d seen in his eyes must have been anger, not desire, and her fantasy of a real kiss died a quick, embarrassing death.
The cushioned panel he had rigged up on the end of the seat was sturdy and soft. He had also fastened a cylinder shaped pillow to the middle of the seat. It hit right at the back of her knees and offered enough support to keep her knees rigid with minimal effort. It was all very simple but effective. In fact, Maddy wasn’t sure she would be able to ride in the Gator for any length of time without his modifications.
“Did you really do this, Tuck?” Libby asked, patting the cushion. “What a sweet brother you are.”
“Remember that the next time you’re yelling at me for something.” He stepped back and Maddy felt his gaze on her.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked curtly.
“It’s perfect.” She dared a quick glance up at him, then wished she hadn’t. His face showed no emotion and his eyes were cool. Maddy would have never guessed that a simple peck on the cheek would cause such a reaction. She had obviously crossed some kind of line.
“Okay, we’re outta here,” Libby said cheerfully, sliding behind the wheel and apparently totally unaware of the tension between the other two. “See you at dinner, Tuck.”
“Have fun.”
Libby accelerated down the house driveway and took a left onto the main lane, toward the stables. As they sped along the smooth pavement, Maddy tried to tell herself that Tuck’s sudden distance was probably for the best. After all, the amount of time she had spent mooning over him today had been excessive, she would admit that, and maybe his sudden withdrawal would help her to face reality and shut that down before she did something worse than kiss him on the cheek.
But it hurt, and she was mortified, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get up enough nerve to look him in the eyes again.
