by Lila Munro
She’d finally convinced Rafe to go home and sleep, but had promised him she would make him breakfast before he went to work. Secretly she wanted him to stay, but she knew getting too used to him being there every morning was a bad idea. She’d determined having him over for breakfast was the next best thing. Although, him not being there all night had interrupted the happy sleeping pattern she’d established since Friday, and that made her unhappy. Before she could finish scrambling the eggs, a knock on the door called her away from her task.
“Meredith, what in the world are you doing up at this hour?” She was shocked to find her sister on her doorstep before noon on her day off.
“Oh, I thought you could use a hand today.” Meredith winked at Rafe who was stirring the eggs with one hand and busily devouring a sausage and tomato sandwich from the other. “Well, don’t you two look all Ozzy and Harriet.”
“Meredith, must you be such a smart ass?” Madi poured her sister a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “Would you like something to eat?”
“No, I had my usual cranberry orange scone from the coffee shop on the way.”
As soon as Rafe left for work, Madi showed Meredith the music room. The walls were now the gorgeous light café au lait she’d picked out, she’d found some ivory curtains in a box that fit the French doors, and her symphony paintings were hung. Her instruments were all displayed on their stands along one wall and the piano stood proudly awaiting the first student. The only thing left to do was refinish the floor, but Rafe had promised to get to that as soon as all the walls were painted.
“By the way, Nev will be here tomorrow after school for her first lesson.” Meredith sat on the bench and ran her fingers over the polished ebony.
“I didn’t know Nev was interested in learning to play.”
“Well, she actually wants a harp. But I told her she had to learn to play piano first, and that only Aunt Madi was qualified to give the lessons.” She rose and looked out the doors. “That was seven months ago. Now you’re here, and I have to make good on my promise. The problem is, Chad hasn’t been paying his child support again and I can’t afford a damn harp.”
“Oh, Meredith.” Madi hugged her sister’s shoulders. “Did you ever think we’d be like this, poor and without love in our lives?”
“No, but you have a chance at it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The love part. You haven’t seen the way Rafe looks at you?” Meredith touched Madi’s cheek. “He has more on his mind than a quick roll between the sheets, sweetie.”
Madi smiled and shook her head. How was that possible? They hadn’t known each other two weeks and most of that time she’d spent being mad at him. “Don’t worry about the harp, we’ll find a way. And don’t worry about the lessons for now, she’s my niece for crying out loud, consider it my auntly duty.”
That afternoon on his way home from the base, Rafe stopped by Lowe’s to order the roofing supplies. When George, the paint man, found out he was there for Madi, he showed him the pallet of paint that they had failed to deliver.
“The delivery boys were so busy today they didn’t think a little bit of paint was a priority and left it.” George was clearly distraught at the neglect. “Poor girl paid extra to have it delivered too.”
“Well, refund the charges and put it in my truck.” He then talked to the manager to ensure the roofing materials would be there Thursday evening like they were supposed to be. Not having materials Friday morning was absolutely not acceptable.
At home, he found Madi wearing a path through the kitchen, giving someone at Lowe’s hell over the failure to deliver her paint.
“What is that supposed to mean? My money isn’t as good as the next person’s? Well, that’s just dandy, how about I call the BBB on you people?”
Rafe motioned for her to hang up and she angrily waved him off, continuing on her rant.
“Or better yet, how would you like this in the media? Hhmmm? How do you think that would look?” She slammed the phone shut and stopped short of throwing it.
“Madi?” Rafe approached with caution. “Honey, I have the paint.”
“You…what…have…you have?” she stammered.
“I had to stop and check on something and George loaded it up for me…I have the paint.”
Groaning, she put both her hands on her head and sat down. “So, I suppose I should call back and apologize.”
“Well, I wouldn’t. They needed chewed out for not doing their job. And, I must say, you can hand someone their ass properly.”
“Well, when you are left to fend for yourself most of the time, you learn to stand up for yourself because no one else will do it for you.”
He’d never considered that before. All the grief that military wives endured. He’d never had a reason. They kept up with careers of their own, took care of a household, raised children, and stood up for themselves when necessary for sometimes months on end. All while enduring the loneliness. He realized then, where her strength came from, the need to self-preserve. Leading that life, coupled with her experiences with less than upstanding men, had driven her further inside herself, relying on no one.
By Wednesday, Rafe had painted the dining room, primed the living room and had sanded the walls in her bedroom. With any luck, he figured he’d be able to start the floors for her sometime around the middle of next week. In the midst of beginning to strip the kitchen wallpaper off, he thought he should give her a heads up as to what Friday would bring. He doubted her waking up to them crawling all over the house like a bunch of ants would earn him any points toward a good weekend with her.
“I think I should tell you something.” He came down off the ladder he’d been on and wiped his brow. “Friday, there’ll be about two dozen Marines here.”
“Excuse me?” Madi stopped mid-rip and looked at him with her mouth agape.
“I said there will be a bunch of Marines here Friday, and actually, they’ll be back on Saturday.”
“For what? A testosterone convention?” She stood with her hands balled up on her hips.
A nervous laugh escaped him. “Good one…but not exactly.”
Rafe was not looking forward to the ass chewing he was about to get. He hadn’t forgotten the way she’d talked to the Lowe’s representative on the phone. Helping her paint was one thing, but the roof was a huge undertaking. One he’d taken it upon himself to pay for in advance, and with her not wanting a man to do anything for her, he may have stoked a forest fire.
“We’re going to fix the roof.” He squinted his eyes and turned his head.
To his surprise she started squealing, ran over and grabbed him around the neck, and started jumping up and down. “Are you serious? Tell me you just said what I thought I heard. Or is my concussion affecting my hearing finally?”
“Yes, I’m serious, and I’m glad this makes you happy. I was a little bit worried you’d send me packing over this.”
She stopped jumping and a frown overtook her face. “Rafe, I can’t afford to fix the roof.”
“For now it’s covered, we’ll worry about that part later.” He reached up and brushed a curl from the corner of her mouth.
“Oh, thank you, thank you.” She planted her lips on his and kissed him, then pulled back like he’d shocked her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, I’m not.” Rafe put his arms around her waist. “It wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be, was it?”
“No.” Turning her head, she started to pull away.
“Hey, don’t.” Running his fingers along her jaw, he turned her head back and looked in her eyes. “I promise if you let me kiss you back, I won’t take it as a free pass to take you to bed or consider it a sign we are going steady.”
She turned her head up, looked at him, and licked her lips. He leaned in, and when she didn’t pull back away, he put his lips over hers. Gently, he pried them apart and explored her mouth, caressing her tongue with his and savoring the taste of her.
Moaning, she ran her arms back around his neck and gave in, knowing she couldn’t deny that her need for him had increased exponentially over the past few days. All the while he had been on the couch for those two nights, she’d wanted him in her bed. Watching him work, hearing the funny little grunting noise he made when something went wrong, and smelling him after work in sweaty cammies only served to make her want him all the more. Having him around all the time was coming to be normal, and she found herself growing to like his presence. She pushed into him, urging him to take the kiss deeper, and when he did, her bones turned to putty. Having faced what she’d known all along, she knew if he pushed for more, she’d give him whatever he wanted. A few moments later, he broke contact, leaving them both breathless. He kissed her forehead, then touched it with his. Taking a deep breath, he blew it back out and then looked at her again.
“The roof isn’t fixed yet.”
“What?” Madi looked at him like he’d sprouted horns.
“You told me I had to toss out my black book, quit acting arrogant, and fix the roof…I did number one the first day I saw you, I’m working on number two, but the roof isn’t fixed.”
“So, would you like to have a real date with me Saturday night after the roof is finished? Dinner here? I think we know that dancing is a little dangerous for us at this point.”
“Yes, but…” He took her left hand and rubbed the spot still visible where her wedding band used to sit. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
Biting her lower lip, she looked at his thumb running across her ring finger. There wasn’t any need to keep using Gage’s inadequacies as a defense mechanism. Her defenses had been breeched.
“Yes, I am.”
* * * *
Thursday morning Madi went grocery shopping. By the time she was finished shopping, the trunk and the backseat were full of groceries. Burgers, brats, dogs, ribs and chicken, the ingredients for potato and macaroni salad, baked beans and everything she needed to make deserts. Happy men were productive men, and she’d learned long ago the way to the happy part was through the stomach.
Rafe showed up that evening, just in time to supervise the offloading of the delivery truck, for which she was grateful. She was in the middle of watching pies and cookies to make sure they didn’t burn. As soon as the truck was gone, he meandered in.
“Something smells good,” he complimented, taking her in his arms and kissing her. “Are you Betty Crocker today, Betty Boop?”
“Watch it. I can become Elvira, Princess of Darkness, in a heartbeat.” Playfully, she swatted him on the arm.
“I’ve no doubt.”
“Want a cookie?” She poked out a platter of snicker doodles.
Every time he turned around, she was doing something else that made him like her even more. Most women would have found the nearest deli, ordered meat and cheese platters, and bought some bread. But here Madi was, baking her heart out to feed total strangers.
“You know, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble, Marines will eat anything,” he said over a mouthful of the delicious treat.
“I know I didn’t. And that is yet another thing Marines and soldiers have in common, that whole chow is continuous thing. However, there is no excuse for not keeping the troops full. Wasn’t it Bonaparte who said something about an army marching on its stomach? I think he was on to something, even if he did lose.”
She never failed to surprise him.
Early Friday morning, Madi watched as a convoy of Marine-filled vehicles descended on her yard like they were storming the beaches of some enemy infested island, ready to overtake it at all cost. Before she could offer anyone a cup of coffee or a muffin, ladders were leaned against all sides of the house, pry bars were flying, and shingles were falling from the roof like gigantic black raindrops.
As much as she wanted to be outside in the sun watching, she’d been banished indoors to protect her ‘pretty little head from further damage’ as Rafe put it. Bored silly, she was more than thrilled to see her mother and Meredith show up at noon to see how things were progressing. Not to mention she was thankful to have the help. With two of Rafe’s charges busy flipping burgers on the enormous grill someone had pulled over, she was still trying to get the tomatoes and onions sliced.
“So, Madi, it would seem Rafe is becoming almost a permanent fixture around here,” Meredith said, wielding a knife and running it through a plump juicy tomato. “Have you two called a truce?”
“Of sorts.” She sniffed as tears ran down her cheeks from the onion she was working on. “We kind of have a date later.”
“Really? Well, it’s about time you decided he was safe.”
“Yes, well, maybe you should find someone safe,” Madi retorted. “Like that Aiden Matthews who’s up there on the roof all bare-chested and sweaty.”
Meredith grunted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on. Mama, you saw them ogling each other, am I right…” Before Julia could answer, someone knocked on the door, interrupting the girl talk. “Good grief, I’ve told them not to do that. Mama, you want to get it?”
A few minutes later she returned on the arm of an older Marine with leathery skin from too many years of sun exposure, graying brown hair, and gray eyes.
“This is the widow you are looking for.” Julia was beaming up at the man. “Madi, this is Master Gunnery Sergeant Duncan MacCloud.”
“So, you are the one who has finally put a bridle on McCarthy.” The man stuck out a big hand.
“Excuse me?” Madi wiped onion juice on her apron before taking it and shaking it.
“Yes, you see there are hearts breaking all over the county over the fact that he is off the market.”
“Really? Well, I guess he wasn’t lying when he told me he’d tossed out his little black book.”
By the end of the day, all the shingles were gone, the tar paper was stripped, and there were tarps covering the places in the decking that needed replacing in case it should rain overnight. Rafe had disappeared next door. Madi took a beer from the cooler in the kitchen floor and sat on the porch with it, drinking and reveling in the actuality that so many strangers were perfectly willing to help someone they’d never met. She set the bottle down, leaned back with her hands on the boards, and closed her eyes enjoying the quiet beginning of dusk. Nickering so close she’d swear a horse was in the yard, brought her back to the present. When she opened her eyes, she discovered Rafe was walking up the drive with two of his horses saddled.
“Want to go for a ride?”
“Are you for real? Of course I do.” She bolted up and ran in the house, then returned after a few minutes in a pair of faded jeans and her ropers.
Rafe brought the sorrel mare to the edge of the steps so she could reach the stirrups and once she was seated, he mounted his gray horse and they were off through the field.
“I hope you don’t get mad, but Meredith told me about Casanova.” Rafe was riding as close to her as he could without running into her.
“The only thing that makes me mad, is that I had to give him up. He was a good horse.”
“Well, feel free to saddle either one of these any time you feel like it, and take off.” He reached out, took her hand, and squeezed. If I can help it, you’ll never have to give up anything else you love again.
“Thank you. And not just for this either, for everything.”
Chapter 6
Madi managed to sneak away Saturday afternoon to do some shopping after her mother and sister had gone home. Aiden had finally worked up the nerve to ask Meredith out on a real dinner and dancing date. Madi was happy for her. She wanted Meredith to one day be able to let a man in her life again for more than meaningless sexual relationships. The poor girl deserved to find some kind of happiness, and Nev needed a father who would treasure her and a few brothers and sisters.
Wanting to keep the meal she was having with Rafe simple yet elegant, she decided on steaks, a nice healthy salad, and grilled veggies
instead of a starch. She also had the man at the seafood counter steam a half pound of jumbo shrimp. Then she’d gone to the Blue Coconut and purchased a couple of different wines, the best she could afford. When she’d returned, she found the roof completed and everyone gone, including Rafe, who was presumably next door. After putting the produce and shrimp in the refrigerator, and setting the steaks in marinade, she went to get ready for her first official date, not only with Rafe, but since before she was married. She felt like a girl again, all nerves and butterflies—only her butterflies had grown up, too and were now bats.
Showered, with her hair in a towel, she stood in front of her closet, wondering what she should wear. Their date was supposed to be casual, a get to know one another occasion. After much debate, she nervously pulled on a pair of hip-hugging jeans and a black scoop-neck pullover. She dried her hair and, deciding to leave it loose, ran a curling iron through the ends, leaving it to fall in big chunky curls around her face and shoulders. Then she remembered wearing it that way to the club and debated putting in a ponytail instead. No, she needed to learn to quit hiding from whatever was happening and embrace it. If she expected Meredith to trust, she needed to learn to do it as well. A little bit of the sparkly purple eye shadow that made her eyes pop and a smudge of plum lipstick and she was ready.
Plodding back through the house barefoot, she found Rafe showered, dressed, and standing at the counter, chopping the vegetables she had purchased for the salad. She could smell his soap and after shave from across the room and his spiky hair was still gleaming with dampness. Her heart raced and her palms started to sweat at the now familiar woodsy, musky odor wafting off him. His jeans hung on his hips and a tight, white t-shirt clung to his back muscles. It looked especially bright against the tan he’d gotten from being on the roof for two days. With every stroke of the knife, his muscles rippled. Afraid he might cut himself, she waited until he put the knife down before speaking.
