by Barbara Gee
“I do,” she said easily. “I always have.”
He met her eyes and fought the urge to kiss her.
“Call Jolene,” he said instead, moving behind her and grabbing the handles of her chair. “I’ll push so you can talk.”
Maddy obediently called Jolene, who was very understanding when Maddy told her the reason for the delay. When Tuck pushed Maddy out of the elevator and into the great room, he saw that Libby, Kay and Virgil were already there, expectant looks on their faces. Tuck smiled and gave them all short, hard hugs.
Kay herded them all to the table, where she had a big sausage and egg breakfast casserole waiting, along with hash browns and fruit. Virgil said grace and then Kay poured the coffee and got everyone settled with a plate of food. Tuck took a few delicious bites and a couple swallows of the strong, fragrant coffee. Then he sat back and smiled.
“Well, I know you’re all wondering why I’m here,” he began, his gaze meeting each of theirs in turn. “And believe me, I’m more than happy to tell you. You’ll be glad to know that we arrested Jimmy three days ago. He’s in jail, with no chance of bail. It’s been a long haul and I know it’s taken a toll on all of us, but I think it’s safe to say that Jimmy Callahan won’t be a free man again in this lifetime.”
Libby whooped, then got up and pulled Tuck right out of his chair so she could give him a huge hug.
“Congratulations, big brother! I knew you’d get him,” she said happily. “You never gave up, and I’m so proud of you. You make the world a better place, Tuck, don’t think for one minute that you don’t.”
Maddy watched as Tuck’s smile gradually faded. When Libby let go of him he put his hands on the back of his chair and looked at all of them again, his jaw tense. Finally he spoke.
“It’s been a long couple of years. When I first started investigating Jimmy Callahan, I thought it would be just another case. I had no idea how long it would take, or how much it would change my life.” He exhaled long and slow. “Maddy and Libby, my biggest regret is that it also changed your lives.”
“Tuck—” Libby began, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“I need to get this out, Lib,” he said softly.
Kay got up and went around the table to wrap her arms around Tuck’s waist.
“Go ahead, Tucker,” she urged. “Go ahead and say what you need to say. It’s time to get it off your chest so we can all move on with life after Jimmy Callahan.”
Tuck nodded and put an arm around the older woman. “First let me say thanks to you and Virgil. You opened your home to the girls regardless of the danger it could have posed to you and words can’t express how much I appreciate that. You’ve shown us unconditional love many times over the years, but never more so than in the last month and a half. Thank you for giving Maddy and Lib a safe place to stay so that I could focus on the case and not worry about them.”
Kay rose onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and Virgil unabashedly wiped his eyes. “You’re always welcome here, under any circumstance,” he said gruffly.
Next Tuck looked at his sister, reaching out and taking her hand. “Libby, you had to give up your job and leave your home and your friends, and you’ve been nothing but gracious and mature about this whole thing. I’m proud of you and so grateful for your support.” He gave her a crooked smile. “You’ve grown up, Lib, and I’m blessed to have you for a sister.”
Libby wiped her eyes. “I’ll give up my crappy job and boyfriend for you any time, Tuck,” she said, laughing through the tears.
When Tuck looked at her, Maddy shook her head. “Don’t, Tucker. Don’t say you’re sorry to me.”
“Maddy—”
“No. I don’t want to hear it.” Her eyes stung with tears but she managed to keep her voice strong. “You didn’t make Jimmy a bad man, Tuck. I don’t know what did, but it wasn’t you. He was on that road long before you were assigned to his case. Bad men do bad things, and good men stop them. You didn’t hurt me, you stopped the man who did. I know you wish you had gotten him sooner, and you would have if you hadn’t been betrayed. But you never gave up and in the end you did get him. You’ve stopped his evil from spreading and that’s a wonderful thing. So please, please don’t apologize. All you’ve done is take care of me.”
Maddy’s words exuded sincerity and her eyes implored him to believe her. “You’ve had a great victory, Tuck, and I’m so proud of you. We should be celebrating, not apologizing.”
Tuck’s eyes met hers for a long moment, and then he circled the table without a word and lifted her smoothly into his arms.
“Excuse us, please,” he said to the others before striding to the front door.
Maddy reached down and turned the knob to open it, then he carried her to the far end of the porch and sank into a cushioned adirondack chair. He held her in his lap, cradled against his big, hard body.
For a while they simply sat there together, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally Tuck broke the silence.
“Thanks for what you said in there, Maddy. I appreciate it, and I think I understand where you’re coming from. I remember what you said about bad things ending and becoming only memories. Since Jimmy’s no longer a threat, that chapter in our lives, with all of its ugliness, can now become a memory. And memories are part of the past, not the future. Right?”
“That’s exactly how I feel,” she confirmed. “It might not work for everyone, it might not work for you, but that’s the way I view things. Jimmy’s part of my past and will always be a bad memory. My scars will never completely fade. But how much I let memories affect the rest of my life is up to me, not him. I won’t give him the power to change who I am and what I want to do. And I don’t want you to give him that power, either.”
“I get that. But here’s where I’m coming from.”
Tuck put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him until her gaze locked with his.
“I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff, Maddy, with both the Air Force and the FBI. I don’t deal with it the same way you do, but I’ve found what works for me and I can usually move on pretty quickly, without getting sucked into the world of ‘what ifs.’ But watching what happened to you was the worst thing I’ve lived through so far. Knowing your life depended on me and my team, and having no idea whether we would find you in time—” Tuck broke off and shook his head. “Getting past that has been hard, and I’m not quite there yet.”
“But the important thing is that you did find me in time,” Maddy said, reaching up to hook her hands around his forearms. “You found me, and you saved me, and I’ll be forever grateful. And now you’ve caught Jimmy, too. That has to be an incredible feeling.”
He nodded, rubbing his thumbs slowly back and forth over her collarbone. “I’m not sure it’s totally sunk in. I’ve been chasing him for more than two years, and suddenly it’s all over. It’s going to be a big change. I might actually work regular hours for a while.”
“I’m sure another big case will come along,” Maddy said a little sadly.
“Yeah, I suppose,” Tuck acknowledged. “But more importantly, now you and Libby can move back to Chandler and get back to your normal lives.”
Maddy looked away from him and out over the Full Heart Ranch, its beautiful rolling grassland dotted with cattle and interrupted by buttes, each one unique and lovely against the pale blue morning sky.
“I guess that’s a good thing,” she said softly. “But I’ll miss this place.”
Tuck was silent for a moment, watching her. “I want what’s best for you, Maddy, do you believe that?”
When she nodded he continued.
“Being with me probably isn’t what’s best.” He took her hands in his, his blue eyes locking with hers. “If my life was a normal one, I’d be all for pursuing a relationship with you. I don’t think anything could stop me. But I don’t lead a normal, safe life, and if you’re with me, there’s always going to be a chance of you getting hurt again. That’s not a risk I want to take.�
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“Do I get a say?” Maddy asked, “or are we just going to cut the ties and run because you think I’m too fragile?”
He smiled at her spunk. “You get a say, but before you start, let me just point out that if we are going to cut ties and run, now is the time. Before we get in too deep. I only want to keep you safe, Maddy.”
She met his gaze steadily. “The safest choice isn’t always what’s best for a person. You know that, Tuck. You live by that creed, otherwise you would have never chosen to go into the military and the FBI. And I’m not a fragile little snowflake. I’ve never shied away from choosing the harder road if I think it’s going to take me where I want to go.”
Maddy looked down and closed her eyes, willing away the tears that threatened. After a moment she looked up at him, and this time she didn’t try to hide what she felt for him. She wanted him to see it, she wanted him to feel it, because this was too important to hold anything back.
She squeezed his hands. “I can handle the harder road, Tuck, because I know exactly where I want to go. The question is whether you want to be there, too.”
Tuck saw the sincerity and the emotion in her eyes, and he was once more in awe of her. This girl was so amazing, so strong, and he felt what was left of his resistance crumbling.
He let out a long breath. “The last three days have been chaotic for me, to say the least. When we finally pinpointed Jimmy’s location, things went down fast, and we were going all out for forty-eight hours straight. I thought of calling to let you all know we were closing in, but then I decided it would be best to wait until I knew for sure Jimmy wasn’t going to be able to pull any more fast ones. That point came yesterday morning when he was led away in chains, on his way to a max security prison. When I walked out of the courthouse, my plan was to call and give you the good news and then go home and sleep for at least twelve hours.”
“But you didn’t call,” Maddy said, frowning.
“No, I didn’t,” he said softly. “As soon as I got in my car I picked up my phone, but instead of dialing your number, I called my travel agent and booked a plane ticket. And instead of going home to bed, I went to the airport. That should tell you everything you need to know about where I want to be, Madison.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Then stop trying to push me away,” she whispered, her cheek pressed against his.
His arms tightened around her. “I’ve only been pushing for your sake. I need to know that you’re sure about this, Maddy.”
“I’m positive.” She sat up and looked at him intently. “I’ve been praying about this ever since we stopped talking three weeks ago. I didn’t think you were going to give us a chance, so I’ve been begging God to help me let go. But when I saw you this morning I realized I feel more strongly about you than ever. So—I’m thinking maybe God doesn’t want me to let you go after all.”
He gave her a slow smile, the kind that sent shivers all the way to her toes.
“You’re playing hard ball now, Maddy.”
“Because I’ve got a lot to lose,” she said softly. “I don’t want to give up and then wonder what might have been if only I’d fought harder.”
He nodded thoughtfully, sifting his fingers through her silky hair. “I’ve prayed about us, too. A lot. And the funny thing is, my prayer has been almost identical to yours. I’ve asked God to give me the strength to let you go, and to give me peace about it. But that didn’t happen, so I figure God is either trying to tell me it’s okay to want more, or else I’m asking Him for something I’m too stubborn to accept.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s the former,” Maddy said with a shy smile.
He chuckled. “You think so?”
“I do. We prayed the same prayer, and I think we got the same answer.”
His smile gradually faded as he got serious again.
“You’re really not scared to start something with me?”
“Oh, I’m definitely a little scared, but not like you think. It doesn’t have anything to do with your job.”
His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. “What is it then?”
Maddy looked away from him and shrugged. “Our backgrounds are really different, for one thing. I don’t know if I’d be a good fit for your world.”
“Seriously, Maddy? Does that honestly scare you more than the possibility of another Jimmy coming into our lives?”
“I know the odds of that happening are way low, so yeah, a broken heart scares me more,” she said truthfully.
“Your background is irrelevant to me. It doesn’t figure into the fact that you’re the one girl I can’t get out of my head, no matter how hard I try.”
She sighed softly. “I don’t want you to try anymore.”
He searched her eyes for any sign of uncertainty.
“This is the last time I’m going to ask,” he said quietly. “Are you sure, Madison?”
She took his beautiful face in her hands. “Yes, I’m sure. I couldn’t be any more sure. I want this.”
His slow, sexy smile made her heart race.
“I want it, too,” he finally said.
Maddy’s heart soared and she tipped her head back and laughed with sheer joy. Then she grabbed his shoulders and shook them. Hard.
“All that just to get those four little words out of you,” she berated him. “You are one stubborn man, Tucker.”
“Guilty,” he replied. “But you’re a little hard headed yourself.”
“Only when I have something worth fighting for.”
“I sure hope I’m worth it,” he murmured. He lowered his head to kiss her, finally, only to be interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming up the porch steps.
“Oh, hey there guys. I assume you’re Tucker,” a cheerful voice said.
Tuck moved Maddy off his lap and onto the chair as he stood.
“And I assume you’re Jolene.” He shook the girl’s hand and smiled. “Thanks for letting us push things back a little this morning. I didn’t intend to screw up your schedule the very first day.”
“Nothing we can’t work around,” Jolene assured him. “But let’s get Maddy straight to the gym now. We have a lot to do.”
“Lead the way,” Tuck said.
When they entered the Desmond’s home gym, Maddy looked around, confused.
“Wait, where did all this stuff come from? It looks like a torture chamber in here!”
Jolene burst out laughing. “Try to be a little more appreciative, Maddy. Tucker asked me for a list of the equipment I would get for you if I could choose absolutely anything I wanted, and then he had it all delivered while you and Libby were at the hospital yesterday. Every single piece I requested.”
Tuck lowered her onto a weight bench and Maddy gave him a pained look. “I know I should be grateful, but this stuff really does look scary.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, chuckling. “Do your thing, Jolene. And if you find you need anything else, let me know.”
He gave Maddy a final grin and left.
Jolene stood facing Maddy, her hands on her hips.
“So, you two are an item?” she asked. “I wondered. He’s very protective of you. When we did our first phone interview all those weeks ago, he put me through the wringer. He said he wanted only the best, and it was up to me to prove that I was the one.”
Maddy chewed on her bottom lip. “I guess you could say we’re moving in that direction. It’s taken a while for us to get on the same page, though. Lots of complications.”
“I can imagine, but I’ll tell you one thing, Maddy.” Jolene reached for a stack of towels and then turned back to the other woman. “If I had a man like Tucker Simon looking at me the way he looks at you, I’d go all in, complications or not. Guys like him are all too rare.”
Maddy sighed. “Don’t I know it.”
“You’re a lucky gal.” Jolene hefted a weight and smiled wickedly. “Let’s see if you’re still feeling lucky after I get done with you.”
Chapte
r 27
Jolene spent half an hour simply assessing Maddy. She felt all along her limbs and ribs and checked her range of movement, making careful notes the whole time. When she was satisfied that she knew the starting point, she began slowly putting Maddy through a series of stretching exercises. They weren’t hard, but Maddy had muscles and joints that hadn’t moved in two months, and it was painful and exhausting. Jolene did her best to minimize the discomfort, but after two hours she could tell Maddy had had enough.
“You’re doing great, Maddy, but it’s time for a break. Why don’t you go upstairs and lay down for a while before lunch. We can start again around three o’clock, but we’ll only go for an hour, and it’ll be a lot of yoga moves rather than the weights and machines. That will be enough for the first day.”
Maddy nodded, then let Jolene help her move from the stationary bike to the wheelchair.
“Want me to push you?” Jolene asked.
“I think I can do it,” Maddy said gamely. Her entire body throbbed, especially her damaged knee, but she figured she could still wheel her chair.
Jolene picked up a bottle of Ibuprofen and shook three caplets into Maddy’s palm, then cracked open a fresh bottle of water. “Take those, and make sure you drink that whole bottle of water before lunch. You need to stay hydrated.”
“Okay.” Maddy swallowed the pills and began pushing herself toward the door.
“You did well, Maddy,” Jolene said encouragingly. “I know it’s painful, but there’s really no way to get your muscle tone and movement back other than hard work. It’ll get better as we go along though, I promise. The first week will be the worst, and then it’s just a matter of putting in the time to build your body back up.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
The women entered the great room and saw Tuck sitting at the dining table with his laptop. He got up and walked over to them, looking at Maddy hopefully.
“Did it go okay?” he asked.
Jolene answered for her. “She’s a trooper, that’s for sure. She did everything I asked of her without a single complaint.”
