by Barbara Gee
“Um, okay, did you get really busy?” she asked.
“Nope, I actually wrapped things up ahead of schedule.”
She frowned, confused. “So why can’t you come tomorrow?”
“Because I’m already here.”
As his words registered, Maddy heard the front door open. She dropped her phone on the table and grabbed her crutch to stand, turning around to see her incredibly gorgeous federal agent coming toward her, a wicked smile on his face.
“That was mean, Tuck,” she breathed. Not that she could even pretend to be angry with him.
He smiled. “I could have been a lot meaner. I could have let you stew for a few hours instead of a few seconds.”
Maddy drank in the sight of him. “I’m glad you didn’t. And I’m so glad you’re here early.”
He stopped a couple feet away, his gaze raking over her. “No wheelchair?”
She shook her head. “Never again, I hope. I haven’t used it since last Saturday.”
“I like you upright,” he told her. “You look amazing, Maddy. So much stronger.”
Feeling nervous under his gaze, Maddy gripped her crutch tightly. “Jolene said I’ll probably be ready to leave here in a couple more weeks.”
His brows rose. “Oh yeah? And do you still want to?”
She nodded. “If you think you can handle having me close by.”
“Hmm.” He took a step closer and brought his hands up to the sides of her neck, his fingers cool on her warm skin. “I think I could handle that just fine.”
“Good,” Maddy murmured.
He dropped one hand and slid his arm around her waist, taking the final step toward her so their bodies were touching.
“Drop the crutch, Madison,” he said gruffly. “Hang onto me.”
She instantly let go and the crutch clattered to the floor as she wound her arms around his neck, meeting his descending mouth eagerly. At the first touch of his lips her heart did a slow roll and she rose up on her toes, needing to be closer. Always closer.
When he finally ended the kiss and lifted his head, it took a few seconds for Maddy to open her eyes and look at him. When she did she was rewarded with that slow, sexy, Tucker Simon smile.
“I’m not sure what I’ve ever done to deserve having you look at me like that,” he said softly.
Maddy spread her hands on his chest. “Want me to tell you? I can do that, but it will take a while. I have quite a list.”
“Maybe later,” he said, lowering his head again. “I missed you, Maddy,” he whispered against her lips.
“I missed you, too, Tuck.”
Their kiss was sweet and lingering.
“Definitely worth the long trip,” Tuck said when they parted again. “Even if I had to leave right now, it would have been worth it. Does saying that mess up my tough guy rep?”
Maddy put her arms around his lean waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. “Nothing wrong with a tough guy having a hidden sweet side,” she said, sighing contentedly. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’m not going to think about you leaving until you’re walking out the door. How long do we have until that happens?”
“Until Sunday evening.”
“Forty-eight hours,” Maddy said, tightening her hold on him. “I can handle that.”
“It’s time I let you sit down,” Tuck said, helping her onto the sofa and joining her there. “Where is everyone else?”
“Libby’s out with Cal, and Virgil and Kay went to visit friends.”
“And they left you here alone?”
“They both invited me to go along, but it’s been a long week and I just wanted to stay here. I don’t mind the peace and quiet.” She picked up his hand and threaded her fingers through his. “But I like you being here better.”
“It honestly doesn’t bother you to be alone?” he asked soberly. “You don’t have flashbacks to the night you were taken?”
Maddy shrugged. “I’m not saying I don’t ever think about it, but it doesn’t consume me. I can reason away the fears.”
“Are you sure? Emma cornered me about this just the other day. She asked whether you’ve met with a counselor yet, and she yelled at me when I said no. She said that was the first thing I should have arranged, and I shouldn’t have let you talk me out of it.”
Maddy frowned. “I’m sure she means well, Tuck, but I’m being completely honest when I say I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Emma reminded me that most people suffering from PTSD don’t think they need help,” he said, his blue eyes searching hers.
“I know, and I’ll talk to someone if it will make you feel better. There’s no reason not to, I suppose, but Emma doesn’t know me well, Tuck. She’s assuming I’m totally shocked to realize that violence and evil exist to the degree that Jimmy demonstrated them. But I didn’t grow up sheltered like you and Libby, and probably Emma. Before being placed with the Johansens, I spent nine years with families who lived in really tough neighborhoods. I knew from an early age that there are really bad people in the world, and no one is above being a victim. I don’t feel like I’ve changed a lot because of what happened with Jimmy. I don’t dwell on it. And now that the bad part is behind me, I can honestly say that the byproduct of it all has been awfully nice. I’m a living example of how good can sometimes come from the bad.”
Tuck shook his head slowly. “You sound a lot older and wiser than your twenty-four years, Maddy.”
She smiled at him. “Good, because I’ve been a little afraid you’ll decide I’m too young for you.”
“I don’t even think about your age,” he replied. “Now, if you acted like my little sister, we’d have a problem.”
Maddy laughed. “Libby has come a long way since I met her, and an even longer way in the past few weeks. Wait until you hear her ideas for the retreat center. She’s so passionate.”
Tuck studied her. “How do you feel about her staying here instead of going back to Chandler?”
“I can handle it, as long the other Simon sibling stays in North Carolina.”
“Is North Carolina where you want to live permanently?”
She shrugged. “Not necessarily. I mean, I’ve never lived in another state, but I wouldn’t be against it.”
“So, if the other Simon sibling ended up somewhere other than the Tar Heel state, you wouldn’t be opposed to following him?”
Maddy laughed. “I was actually afraid I’d freak you out if I said I’d gladly follow you anywhere, thus my very vague answer.”
“Why would it freak me out?” he asked, putting his arm along the back of the sofa and leaning in to push his face into her hair.
“Because we haven’t known each other very long, and we just had our first date eight days ago. It seems a little soon to declare my willingness to go where you go.”
He lifted her hair and nuzzled her neck. “But if things keep going well for us, you’d consider it?”
“Of course I would,” she said readily. “I don’t have anything holding me in North Carolina, and HR jobs are pretty easy to come by if you know your stuff.”
“And I’m guessing you do,” Tuck surmised.
“At the risk of sounding arrogant, yes.”
“Why am I not surprised?” he said, something that looked like pride showing in his blue eyes.
Maddy felt her cheeks getting warm. “At any rate,” she said, trying to hide how much it meant to her to actually have someone in her life to be proud of her, “it would be pretty easy for a person in my chosen career to follow a federal agent to wherever he might get assigned, if said agent wanted to be followed.”
“I’m pretty sure said agent would be relieved to hear that.” Tuck bent his head and gave her a quick kiss. And then his stomach growled loudly.
Maddy’s eyes widened. “Sounds pretty empty in there. Did you skip dinner?” she asked.
“And lunch,” he admitted. “I had other things on my mind, like getting here in time to surprise a cute little blonde be
fore she went to bed.”
“Ah, there’s that sweet side again,” Maddy said, her eyes warm. “If you get me my crutch, I’ll take you to the kitchen and we’ll scrounge up some leftovers. I know for a fact there are plenty.”
Tuck retrieved the crutch and they were soon in front of one of Kay’s massive refrigerators.
“There’s chicken broccoli casserole from lunch, and some slow roasted pork tenderloin from last night, with little potatoes and carrots,” Maddy said, pointing to the containers.
Tuck grinned at her. “I can’t choose, so I’ll have both.” He picked up the two containers and carried them to the counter near the microwave.
Maddy propped her crutch in a corner, and hobbled over to him. “Sit down,” she said, pointing to a barstool. “Let me get this ready for you.”
“No way, Maddy. You’re the one who should sit.”
“I’m so sick of sitting, and I’m tired of having to let people do things for me instead of the other way around. This is something I can do for you for a change, so please let me do it.”
He frowned, but evidently he could see how much she wanted to do it because he reluctantly lowered himself onto the barstool, resting his forearms on the countertop. He watched as she got a plate and began putting large portions of the food onto it.
“So do you like to cook, Maddy?” he wondered.
“I love to cook, but I don’t do it often because it’s not much fun cooking for one.”
“Well I love to eat so that could work out well.”
“Do you like to do dishes?”
“Does anyone like to do dishes?”
“Well, you do take care of the cleanup a lot when you’re here.”
“Doesn’t mean I like it. It just doesn’t seem right to make the person who cooked the meal do the cleanup, too.”
“That’s very noble of you. But I have to admit, I do kind of like the cleanup part. I love having my kitchen sparkling clean. I can tolerate a used coffee mug in my sink, but not much more.”
“What about laundry? Can you tolerate a dirty sock or two outside the clothes hamper?”
Maddy chuckled as she put a cover over the plate and stuck it in the microwave. “Laundry is different. I’ve been known to take off my work clothes and leave them in a heap in the middle of my bedroom floor, especially when I’ve had a really long day.”
Tuck looked at her, one brow arching slightly.
“What? You’re appalled at the thought?”
“Huh?”
“Does that appall you?”
“Does what appall me?”
“Tuck!”
“What?” His eyes twinkled. “Sorry, Maddy, I didn’t hear anything you said after you mentioned taking off your clothes.”
She stared at him, her cheeks flaming. “Oh my gosh, Tucker! I can’t believe you said that.”
“Would you rather I just think it? I’m only trying to be honest.”
“Whatever.” Maddy had to admit she was enjoying this lighter, funny side of Tuck. “Would you prefer iced tea or water? Or maybe wine?”
“Tea would be great. Can I get it for myself?”
“Nope. I’m fixing dinner,” Maddy declared. “Do you ever drink alcohol, Tuck? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have any.”
“I don’t. I’ve seen too many people with stressful jobs use alcohol to wind down, and sometimes it becomes a problem and they can’t relax without it. I can see exactly how that would happen, and I don’t want to get to that point, so I just avoid drinking altogether. How about you?”
“I let Libby talk me into a glass of wine every once in a while, but I really don’t like it, and alcohol is expensive. Plus, like you, I’ve seen lots of examples of people drinking too much.”
Maddy found the seven grain artisan bread Kay had served with lunch and cut two thick slices. The microwave dinged and she retrieved the warmed plate, setting it in front of him and pouring his tea. Finally she buttered the bread and sat down on a barstool facing him.
She smiled when he tucked into the food. It made her want to really cook for him, big hearty meals that made the house smell wonderful and welcoming when he got home from work.
“This is nice,” she said. “I just realized this is the first time we’ve been alone together doing a normal daily activity type of thing. Other than our movie date, the only times we’ve been alone were in my bedroom.” She shook her head, blushing. “That sounds really bad, but it was actually really good. I mean—geez, you know what I mean. ”
He swallowed a bite and looked at her, his gaze making her tingle. “Yes ma’am, I do know. And I plan to be there again. In your bedroom. Being good, not bad, of course.”
“Oh my gosh, Tuck,” she murmured, shaking her head and trying not to smile like an idiot.
“Just giving you fair warning,” he teased.
She reached over and took a slice of bread off his plate, helping herself to a big bite. “It’s not nice to tease the hand that feeds you. Even if all I did was warm the food up in the microwave.”
“Okay, I’ll take pity on you and change the subject,” he said kindly. “How would you like to go to Fargo with me tomorrow?”
Maddy tilted her head. “Fargo? Why? And how far away is it?”
“An hour and a half, about the same as Grand Forks. There’s an FBI satellite office in Fargo, and a buddy I went through training with at Langley works there. I called him yesterday to see whether he’d be up for a visit. If you have any interest in checking out the city, we can meet him for lunch. If not, that’s fine, too. We can stick around here.”
“So if I don’t go, you don’t go?”
He raised his brows. “I only have two days here this trip. I’d rather not spend most of one of them away from you.”
Maddy over at him. “I’d rather you didn’t either. And I’d love to go to Fargo with you.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. I’ll even give up my coveted gym time to do it.”
“What a sacrifice,” Tuck said, chuckling.
“Or not. But seriously, Tuck, I have a whole new attitude toward working out. I’ve always despised going to the gym. I only did it because I knew it was good for me. But now, I’m just so grateful to finally be able to work out, and I feel better every single day, so I’m kinda starting to like the gym. And believe me, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth.”
“You’ve come a long way in a short time,” Tuck said. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
He pushed away his empty plate and rubbed his flat stomach. “Much better than airport food. How about I make a pot of coffee to go with that pecan pie I see over there by the window?”
“Go for it, but I suggest you leave most of that pie for Virgil. According to Kay, he gets out of bed for a midnight snack more often than not. If he has his heart set on pie and you’ve eaten it all, there could be hell to pay.”
“There’s half a pie here, plenty for both of us,” Tuck said, checking it out before starting on the coffee.
When Virgil and Kay returned home, they found Tuck and Maddy sitting on the front porch, cuddled together in the porch swing.
“And to think we were feeling bad for leaving you home alone for so long, Maddy,” Kay said after giving Tuck a big hug. “What a nice surprise.”
“I’m afraid he ate most of your leftovers, Kay,” Maddy said.
“I hope you didn’t eat all that pecan pie,” Virgil said, looking a bit alarmed.
“Only one piece,” Tuck laughed. “Maddy warned me against eating more than that.”
“That’s a good girl,” Virgil said, planting a smacking kiss on the top of Maddy’s head.
Kay tutted at him, telling him his snacking habit was going to catch up to him one day and he’d become a fat old man. Virgil waggled his brows at Tuck and Maddy before he turned to follow his wife inside, teasing her about not being able to keep her hands off him, fat or not.
Maddy’s jaw d
ropped and she looked at Tuck, who was grinning fondly after the couple. Giggling, she wrapped her arm his waist and held on tight.
This was what being part of a family felt like. Maddy realized she’d never been happier.
Chapter 31
As they finished breakfast the next morning, Tuck told the others about his and Maddy’s plan to go to Fargo, where he would spend a couple hours meeting up with an old friend.
Libby’s face lit up. “Oh please, please, please let me go along,” she begged. “I’m dying to see a real city again, and the drive will give us tons of time to talk about the retreat center. I have so many ideas, Tuck. I need your level head to tell me what will work and what won’t.”
Tuck frowned and looked at Maddy, who grinned and shrugged. “I can never tell her no.”
“I can, but it doesn’t stick. She wears me down until I give in.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Libby admonished them. “So that’s a yes, right?”
“We’re leaving in thirty minutes. If you’re not in the car, you’re not going,” Tuck warned.
Libby clapped. “Awesome. And I didn’t even have to play the pity card. You’re getting softer in your old age, Tuck.”
Maddy looked at her friend carefully. “What would the pity card have been Lib?”
“I broke things off with Cal last night.” Libby attempted to sound blasé about it, but Maddy and Tuck exchanged a glance, both of them picking up an undercurrent of sadness.
“What happened, sis?” Tucker asked.
Libby looked quickly over at Virgil. “Cal is a great guy, and I don’t want this to affect his position here.”
Virgil nodded agreement and Libby sighed.
“I’m just not feeling the whole long term thing with him. He’s awesome and we have fun together, and not so long ago that would have been enough for me. But as you guys know I’ve been trying to make some changes in my life, and I can’t be satisfied with just having fun. I don’t look at him with hearts and stars in my eyes, like Maddy has when she looks at Tuck. And that’s what I want.”
Maddy put a hand over her eyes. “Oh my word, Libby, now I can’t look at him!”
