“Nuestra Junior High School.” He pulled a pad of paper and pen from his shirt pocket and jotted down directions. “School starts at eight-fifteen, so why don’t you plan to be there about seven-thirty? That will give me a little extra time to show you around the school and introduce you to the faculty.”
“Should I contact the district office, too?”
“I’ll take care of that for you along with the paperwork for administration.”
He was tempted to tell her she could ride over to the school with him in the morning, as well. But he realized that would probably be more togetherness than either one of them wanted.
He was glad that she had taken the job and that he would be seeing her every day. However, maintaining some distance between them still seemed like a wise thing to do.
“What about lesson plans?”
“Gloria has them prepared for each of her classes through the end of February,” Gabriel replied. “That should allow you to ease back into the classroom without too heavy an initial workload.”
“That will be a help,” Madelyn agreed.
“And we can still take pictures together on Saturday?” Brian pressed.
“How about meeting me here at two o’clock? Weather permitting, of course.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll have the cameras loaded,” she promised.
Aware that they had taken more than enough of her time considering the busy day she had ahead of her, Gabriel stood and reached for his overcoat.
“Better get your jacket, son,” he said. “It’s almost six o’clock, and I don’t know about you, but I have homework.”
“Me, too.” Brian sighed, hopping off the sofa and heading, reluctantly, toward the door where he’d left his jacket hanging on a peg.
Madelyn shifted the dog off her lap and stood, too.
“Give me a minute, and I’ll wrap up some of those gingerbread men for you to take with you,” she said.
By the time Gabriel and Brian had buttoned themselves into their coats, she had a foil packet of cookies ready for them. She handed it to Brian, then followed them to the door.
His hand on the doorknob, Gabriel paused, meeting her gaze.
“Thanks again for taking the job. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you in the morning,” he said, hoping she realized how much he meant it.
She nodded, then ruffled Brian’s hair. “And I’ll see you Saturday afternoon.”
“Yeah, see you Saturday,” the boy replied.
As the cottage door closed after them, Gabriel slipped an arm around Brian’s shoulders. His son leaned against him with a sigh, clutching the packet of cookies in both hands.
“She’s really nice, isn’t she, Dad?”
“Yes, she’s really nice.”
“I like her a lot.”
“I do, too.”
“And I like her dog, too.”
“Now that’s where we part company. But then, he doesn’t growl at you the way he growls at me, does he?”
“No,” Brian admitted.
“I wonder why that is?”
“Maybe he doesn’t like having you around, so he was trying to chase you away.”
“Well, he’s not going to succeed,” Gabriel muttered with determination. “I plan to be around a lot. Whether he likes it or not.”
“I was hoping you’d feel that way,” Brian said, smiling enigmatically.
“Oh, really? Why?”
“Because I think Madelyn needs a special friend, and you do, too, Dad. So you’re perfect for each other.”
Gabriel had serious doubts about that. But all the same, he wasn’t letting any ratty-looking little mutt run him off. Even though he would probably end up wishing he had.
With a weary sigh, Madelyn tossed her pen aside and sat back in her desk chair, aware that the chatter of students on their way home for the weekend, punctuated by the slamming of locker doors and the shuffle of sneakerclad feet, had finally faded into relative silence.
After her first full week on the job, she couldn’t help but wonder what had possessed her to agree in such a cavalier manner to Gabriel Serrano’s request that she take over Gloria Munoz’s classes. She had wanted something more than her photography to occupy her time. And while she had earned several hundred dollars on the photographs Henry had sold, for the time being she had liked the idea of having a more dependable source of income, as well.
What she had failed to remember was how hard teaching could be. She’d been reminded soon enough, of course. And with that reminder had come the fear that she’d gotten in over her head—at least temporarily.
Yet she simply couldn’t bring herself to admit as much to Gabriel.
For one thing, she was too proud to renege on their agreement. She had taken the job knowing she’d be expected to work until the end of the school year. And she would, regardless.
She had also realized almost immediately just how much both Gabriel and the students in Gloria’s classes needed her. Abandoning either of them was simply out of the question.
Finally, she had to admit—in her calmer moments—that within another week or two she would hit her stride, and thus, settle into a comfortable routine. She would know most, if not all, of her students by name, and be accepted as a colleague by most, if not all, of the other faculty members. She would have acquainted herself with the textbooks she was using. And with Gloria’s lesson plans as a guide, she would have begun developing her own ideas of how she could best impart the knowledge required for course completion in her various classes during the last few months of the school year.
However, being aware of all that didn’t make her feel any less overwhelmed at the moment. Or any less alone.
For some strange reason, she had expected Gabriel to be more supportive. Not that she wanted to be singled out for special attention. But he seemed much more friendly toward the other teachers, greeting them with more than the curt nod he offered her when they passed in the hall, laughing and talking with them in the lounge before and after school as well as at staff meetings and sitting with them in the cafeteria.
Though she hadn’t made a big deal of it, he had to know she’d taken Gloria’s job as much as a favor to him as anything. A little appreciation on his part didn’t seem like too much to ask in return.
He had been cordial enough when he’d come to the cottage to ask for her help. In fact, he had seemed to set aside whatever animosity he’d felt toward her as a result of her relationship with Ethan. But since then, he had treated her as if she had the plague.
Normally, Madelyn wouldn’t have allowed his loutish behavior to bother her. She had been as busy as she wanted to be, she had the yet-to-be-claimed Buddy to keep her company in the evening, and visits from Brian to brighten her Monday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
They’d had a wonderful time last weekend, shooting black-and-white photographs all around town. And tomorrow she was going to show him how to develop the film.
But she was tired today, more tired than she could remember being in quite a while. Obviously, the long hours she’d been putting in had worn her out. And that, in turn, had her feeling not only sad and lonely, but also slighted.
Shifting in her chair, Madelyn glanced out the window and saw that it was snowing again as it had the past Friday. Though she didn’t have far to go, she decided to head for home. Driving on icy streets, even for a short distance, still made her extremely nervous.
With another sigh, she began to gather the test papers atop her desk into her tote bag. The scores hadn’t been as good as she had expected, so she was going to have to come up with another way to impart the basic principles of photosynthesis to a classroom full of eighth-grade children barely able to read at the fourth-grade level.
But that could wait until tomorrow. Tonight she was going to start a fire in the fireplace, take a long hot bath, order a pizza and curl up with the mystery novel she had bought the other day. Maybe a little personal TLC would get her past the blue funk she�
�d been—
“You’re here late again,” Gabriel said, his deep voice cutting across her thoughts unexpectedly.
Startled, Madelyn glanced up and saw him standing in the doorway of her classroom. In black wool slacks, a white shirt, paisley tie and gray tweed jacket, he looked very professional. But she had a feeling he hadn’t come to see her on school business.
He was smiling a smile she recognized all too well from past encounters. The one he dredged up whenever he wanted something from her—something that would benefit him much more than her.
What now? she wondered grimly, pressing her lips together.
She had already agreed to put her life on hold indefinitely while he tried to come up with the money he owed her. And she’d agreed to take a teaching job that he had to have known would be more of a challenge than he’d led her to believe.
With her luck, he probably wanted her to baby-sit Brian so he could go out on a hot date. Not that she would mind looking after the boy. But it was the principle of the thing...no pun intended.
“I was just getting ready to leave,” she said, her tone polite but cool, her gaze unwavering.
“I wasn’t trying to run you off.” He moved toward her, then paused halfway down an aisle. His expression changed to one of concern as he leaned a hip against one of the desks. “Hard day?”
“Not really,” she hedged, lifting her chin a notch.
Considering how studiously he had seemed to be ignoring her, Madelyn was surprised he’d noticed either the long hours she’d been putting in or the resultant toll they’d taken. But she wasn’t about to make a play for his sympathy. She was more than capable of adhering to her side of their bargain, and she refused to say anything that might lead him to believe otherwise.
“You look tired,” he pressed, a frown creasing his forehead.
“So do you,” she shot back. Then, aware that she was on the verge of being extremely rude to her boss, she added with a slight smile, “But I guess that comes with the territory, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it does. So how about a little antidote?” he suggested, smiling once again.
“What kind of little antidote?” Sitting back in her chair, Madelyn eyed him uncertainly, wondering what he was up to.
“I thought if you hadn’t made other plans yet, you might like to join Brian and me for pizza and a movie.”
More than anything, Madelyn wished she could believe his invitation wasn’t just the means to another end for him. But her past experience with Gabriel Serrano had taught her to be leery. He could be so charming, but only when it suited his purpose.
Just like Ethan, she thought, though Gabriel would no doubt be appalled by the comparison.
“What do you really want?” she asked instead, flattening her hands on her desk.
“Just what I said,” he replied, looking honestly bewildered. “To take you out for pizza and a movie.”
“Oh, sure.” Still unwilling to take him at his word, Madelyn refused to be swayed. “You hardly have two words to say to me all week, and now, all of a sudden, you want to take me out to dinner and a movie? Why don’t you just tell me what you really want and save yourself some time and money? By now you must realize what a soft touch I am. I don’t have to be bribed.”
“Whoa, back up a minute,” Gabriel said, his surprise and dismay equally evident. “I said more than two words to you this week. Granted, I thought it best to be reserved about it, but only so the rest of the faculty wouldn’t come to the wrong conclusion about you.
“They all know you’re living in my cottage, and that you were hired to take Gloria’s place at my insistence. What I would also like them to know is that you’re a highly qualified teacher who has already become an asset to our school—something they wouldn’t have had time to realize if they’d been busy resenting you because I seemed to be giving you special attention.”
“Oh,” Madelyn murmured, the heat of a blush creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks.
She had done to him the exact same thing that had angered her so when the tables had been turned. She had misjudged him completely, assuming the worst, then throwing it in his face when, in reality, she had been way off base.
That was bad enough. But what made her feel even worse was that Gabriel didn’t seem angry. Rather, he seemed hurt.
“And I wasn’t trying to bribe you,” he continued, straightening his shoulders and shoving his hands in his pockets. “You’ve been working hard all week, and I thought you might enjoy a night out with me and my son. I know treating you to pizza and a movie isn’t much considering all you’ve done for me as well as for Brian. But I wasn’t sure how else to show my appreciation.”
“I’m so sorry, Gabriel.” She stood, hands clasped in front of her, wanting to go to him and beg his forgiveness. But she had given him more than enough reason to rebuff her, and coward that she was, she stayed behind her desk. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Pizza and a movie sound wonderful. That is, if the invitation is still open,” she added, giving him the out she owed him.
He didn’t reply at once. Instead, he met her gaze consideringly, allowing the momentary silence to stretch between them.
Deeply ashamed, Madelyn finally looked away. Her hands shaking ever so slightly, she tucked the last few papers into her tote bag.
The one man whose company she had been craving had come to her in friendship, and what had she done? She’d lashed out at him ruthlessly, as if he were her worst enemy.
No wonder she was twenty-eight years old and still a spinster. She had all the social savvy of a warthog—
“I’ll follow you back to the house,” Gabriel said, his deep voice cutting through her mental flagellation. “That way we can pick up Brian and go together in my truck. As long as that’s all right with you.”
“Oh, yes,” Madelyn hastened to assure him. “That’s fine with me.”
He waited while she put on her coat, then together they walked through the quiet halls to his office so he could collect his things. They seemed to be the only ones left in the building aside from the custodians. And for that Madelyn was grateful. Now that Gabriel had pointed out how their being overly friendly toward each other could work against her where the other faculty members were concerned, she would rather not be seen leaving with him.
Although they were anything but a jolly pair, she thought as he held the door open for her wordlessly.
Why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut and taken his invitation at face value? All she had done was spoil what could have been a delightful evening out.
Gabriel certainly didn’t seem overjoyed with the prospect of her company. But rather than admit he’d changed his mind, he was being chivalrous. After the way she had spoken to him, she really should have had the good grace to let him off the hook.
In fact, she still could, she realized as they made their way to the parking lot through a flurry of featherlight snowflakes. All she had to do was—
“You look like you’re on your way to your own execution,” Gabriel muttered, halting beside her car. “Are you sure you want to go with us?”
“Only if you’re sure you still want me along,” she replied, glancing at him dubiously. “I wouldn’t blame you if you’d rather not include me, after all.”
“I would have said so if I didn’t.”
“But I was so rude to you—”
“I can distinctly. remember being fairly uncivil myself on one or two occasions when we’ve been together.” He reached out and caught her by the hand, then added with a hint of a smile, “So, what do you say we call a truce, let bygones be bygones and try to have a nice time tonight?”
“All right,” Madelyn agreed, cheered by the warmth of his touch.
Although forgiving herself would take a while, she was more than willing to start fresh with Gabriel. From now on, she would think before she made rash assumptions or accusations, and she hoped Gabriel would do the same.
She hadn’t come int
o his life with a hidden agenda. Nor was she out to hurt him or his son in any way. More than anything, she wanted to believe he would be honest with her, too, and wouldn’t intentionally cause her any harm, either.
Even feeling remorseful, as she did, Madelyn enjoyed her night out with Gabriel and Brian. They ate at Brian’s favorite pizza parlor, sharing a giant pizza loaded with just about everything. As if by mutual agreement, she and Gabriel kept the conversation light.
After dinner, they caught the early evening show at the theater on San Francisco Street—an action-adventure movie with a minimum of violence and a pleasing hint of romance, at least in Madelyn’s opinion.
At Brian’s suggestion, they strolled to the sweetshop on the Plaza for ice cream and cappuccinos when the movie was over, then finally headed for home.
Father and son walked Madelyn to her door and wished her good-night. Brian also mentioned their date the following afternoon, just in case she’d forgotten.
She assured him that she hadn’t. Then, for one long moment, she considered inviting Gabriel to join them. But Brian had seemed to want to talk about Ethan when they were together, and she wasn’t sure how well that would go over with Gabriel. Now that he seemed to be accepting her, she didn’t want to rock the boat by reminding him of who had sent her there and why.
As she readied herself for bed, then curled up under the covers with Buddy beside her, Madelyn wished she had met Gabriel in some other way. But she would have never left St. Louis, much less decided to make a home for herself in Santa Fe, if it hadn’t been for Ethan. Too bad the animosity Gabriel had felt toward him seemed to occasionally encompass her, as well.
Although that might not happen again now that they’d had a pleasant evening together....
Still, Madelyn wasn’t about to push her luck. Being with Gabriel and Brian had been wonderful. She had felt like part of a family—the kind of family she would like to have for herself someday.
And she would. Not with him, of course. But with someone else—someone who wouldn’t mind that she’d once worked for Ethan Merritt as she was afraid Gabriel always would.
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