“You guess?”
“I suppose it’s Ananza.”
“But, you’re not sure?” she asked in a dry tone.
“It’s my family name and well, it’s complicated.” He leaned forward and plucked a few pine needles from her hair.
“Oh, man, I’ve heard that line before.”
Devon studied her for a moment. “So, are you still game?”
Madeline was thoroughly bewildered. “Game?”
“To be my wife.”
She gulped. “Then, you were serious?”
“Of course.”
“What is this all about, Dev?”
He stilled as he surveyed the rocky path. “Get your dress on.”
“My dress?”
Devon grabbed the diamond dress and threw it into her startled face. “Better hurry!”
She yanked the dress down from her face. “Are you avoiding the question?”
He put his pants on. “If you want people to see your beautiful body, I guess that’s okay too.”
“Someone’s coming?”
“Yes, Madeline.”
“Oh!” She struggled with the dress while attempting to find the sleeves and the small diamonds snagged at her hair. “Oww!” Madeline yanked her hair away, tugged the dress over her hips and glanced up. There were several paint-swiped horses in front of her, their riders clad in Indian ceremonial clothing.
“Maddy?”
Never expecting to see her dad there, she was astonished to see him among them. “Rick?”
He dismounted. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Um, swimming?”
“You disappeared from the post, left your car and purse behind.”
She looked around to see other people on horses.
Rick bounded from his horse, hefted her up and flung her over his wide shoulder.
“Oh!” The breath left her lungs. He swung around and faced the six other riders. “I’m sorry. I know that today was for a holy ceremony, but I will have to bow out this time.” He set Madeline on his horse.
“Dev!” She frantically looked for him, but he was nowhere in sight. “Where is he?”
The other riders moved their horses back and gaped at her with wide eyes.
“What?” she asked defiantly.
They seemed focused on the diamond wedding dress.
Rick swung himself up behind her. “My apologies to the People.” He nodded solemnly at them and maneuvered his horse toward the mountain pathway.
“Wait!” Madeline clung to him as Rick’s horse climbed along the rocky path. “Dev?” Her cry echoed through the canyon.
Sky Cutter Road, Nowhere, Arizona
Madeline’s aggravation grew to a livid rage by the time they got back to the trailer. “Who in the hell do you think you are?”
Rick climbed the steps. “Your dad, apparently.”
“Ooh!” She let out a screech. What happened to Dev? During the ride, She’d wondered about everything, trying to figure it all out. Dev is a tribal chief or something? The desert heat flamed over her skin and the trailer wavered in her vision. Sunstroke? She ignored the strange blurring of her eyesight and went inside. Well, good, old Dad must know who Dev is!
Rick sat in the ancient recliner, a can of beer in his hand. “Could you close the damn door; you’re letting all the cool air out.”
Shutting it, she glared at him. “So, are you my Archie Bunker dad, now?”
“What?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Bossing me around, sitting there with your beer in an old easy chair!”
Rick studied her for a moment and laughed.
Suddenly dizzy, Madeline sat on the couch.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“No, I’m not okay! Why did you do that?”
He avoided her stare and took a swig of beer.
“Answer me, Rick.”
“Where have you been for over twenty-four hours?”
“I told you I was with—”
Rick abruptly stood from the easy chair, neatly cutting into her explanation by heading to the kitchen. “Do you want some water? You look overheated.” He brought a chilled bottle over to her.
She emptied the water in one long drink, then she spoke, “I already told you I was with Dev. Why did you haul me away caveman style?”
He shook his head with a slight smile. “Yeah, I guess I was kind of a brute.”
“I was going to marry the guy, you know?” Madeline rose from the couch, and the room spun in front of her. “Oh, I think I stood up too fast.” She fell forward and landed in Rick’s arms just before hitting the floor.
“You’re burning up!” He felt her forehead.
“No, it’s just the heat.”
“He’s not for you,” he announced quietly.
“Why?”
He sat back on his heels. “It’s complicated.”
She laughed harshly. “Yeah, he already said that.” A cold shiver descended over her and her teeth chattered.
“You’re sick!”
“Yeah, probably sick in the head.”
“Maybe, but I meant sick with a bug or something.” Rick laid her back on the couch and stretched her legs out.
Too weak to stop him, she groaned. “What a mess.” A cool cloth smoothed over her face. “No, I don’t need—”
“Shh,” He patted her hands. “You said you were swimming?”
Madeline gave a nod.
“Did you swallow any water, you know, like, did you go under?”
No answer.
“Well?”
“We were drifting, and he was showing me the colors of the world.”
Rick’s face paled by at least two shades. “The colors of the world?”
“Phoebe said it before she died.” Madeline swallowed. “Show you all the true colors of the world.’”
“I know, I know.” There were tears in his eyes. “God, how I loved her.” Rick scooped her up and went through the hallway. “You can sleep in my room.” He laid her on the bed. “So, you almost drowned, right?”
“It was my fault, really. When he talked about the colors, I jumped off him and went under.”
Rick tilted his head at her. “So, how did you get out?”
“Dev saved me.”
He felt her burning forehead. “Oh, man, this could get bad.”
CHAPTER SIX
Madeline jolted awake. “Dev, where are you?” The trailer shook and rattled, causing her to draw a painful breath. An earthquake? She closed her eyes until the shaking passed.
She opened her eyes, and to her astonishment, saw a rock ceiling. I’m in the cave? Devon’s face loomed above her. “Maddy? I’m sorry.”
“I did it, not you. Dev, I wanna tell you—”
He placed his fingers over her lips. “You need to stay calm and quiet.”
Something cooled her chest as Devon rubbed her skin with a cloth, and whatever he applied oozed soothingly over her body. “What is it?” she asked through cracked lips.
“It will heal you. I can’t have you gone.”
Water dripped on her lips, and she’d never tasted anything sweeter. Madeline let her eyes drift closed and welcomed the cooling darkness.
The next time Madeline opened her eyes, the sun was streaming through the bedroom window. “There you are!”
She heard Rick’s voice and tried to focus.
“Man, we thought you might not come back.” He lifted her head, put a glass to her lips. “I really thought I was going to lose you, just when I discovered you existed.”
The water soothed her dry throat “It couldn’t have been all that serious.”
“You’ve been delirious for three days, Maddy.”
“Three days?”
“Yeah, and then your fever broke.”
“Did Dev talk to you when he was here?”
Rick’s brows drew together. “What?”
“Devon was with me and rubbed something all over my skin, and I suddenl
y felt better.”
He sat back as he looked troubled. “About this man—“
“What, Rick? What about him?”
“Do you feel well enough to get up?” Rick helped her to a sitting position. “Take it easy now, slow down,” he warned.
Madeline swung her legs over the side and her body tilted sideways.
“Whoa!” He caught her. “Yeah, you had full-blown pneumonia. I even sent for a doctor, who confirmed it.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve never been sick a day in my life!”
Rick took her hand. “Well, this was the day, I guess.”
“So, where are we going?”
“First, you shower. I will be right here if you feel weak, okay?” Rick helped her to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet lid. He adjusted the shower flow for her and handed her a towel.
She peeked over at him. “Why are you sidestepping the issue?”
“Just get freshened up, okay? But, take it slow.” He shut the door.
The shower did exhilarate her, and Madeline felt a lot better when she stepped into the living room.
“After you disappeared, I called to see if the rental company knew anything and they sent someone out to get your car, so you’ll have to ride with me.” Rick presented her sandals and purse to her. “Let’s go.”
Putting the shoes on, she tucked her purse under her arm and followed him out.
He helped her into his Jeep.
Madeline couldn’t help but gaze around at the desert. Its sheer beauty grew on a person, and living in Nowhere appeared more real to her than the life she’d led before coming here. How weird is that?
Rick parked the Jeep in the post parking lot.
“Here?” she asked as he jumped out, ran around the Jeep and lifted her down. “Come on, I’m not helpless!”
“No, you’re certainly not.” He laughed, took her hand, and led her to the trading post.
“My prayers were answered!” Jasp called out.
Jinx and Bucky beamed at her from behind the counter.
Madeline smiled at them. “Hey, guys.”
“When an angel is near, it is harps that you hear,” Jasp breathed the words out with reverence.
Rick rolled his eyes at Jasp’s silly banter. “We will be in the workroom.”
Jasp drew his brows up. “Okay.”
“No one but him has been in there for three years!” Bucky stared with astonishment.
Rick took a key out and unlocked the door.
Madeline peeked over his shoulder into the room and saw beautiful wooden statues everywhere. “Wow!”
“Yeah, your dad pretends to be an artist.”
“Pretends?” She wandered over to a row of painted canvases on the back wall. One in particular attracted her attention—bright colors livened the canvas as it overflowed with brilliant hues. It depicted a young Phoebe, and he’d captured her amazing smile.
“Her smile would light up my world.” He looked pained as he stared at the twenty- year-old painting.
“What happened, Rick?”
He looped his hands behind his back. “Loyalty.”
“Loyalty?”
“I loved William,” Rick replied. “For more reasons than just because he was my brother. He saved my life more than once and saved my ass more times than I really want to talk about. I just could not take her away from him.”
Madeline was struck with a sudden curiosity about this mysterious shared past her family had. “So, you didn’t fight for her?”
“No. Never.”
Madeline felt a tug in her chest. I never cared about this before, why now?
Rick moved to the far side of the room. “Come and sit.” He reappeared with her mother’s box, setting it on a worktable. “I made this for her, all those years ago. It was my first wood piece.” Rick reached into his shirt, lifted out a chain attached to a little skeleton key, slipped it from the chain and handed it to her. “Your mother had the matching key. Did she give you that as well?”
Madeline shook her head at him. “Rick, I really think she never meant for me to see the contents, so why give the key to me?”
“I just can’t do it.” Rick sighed.
“What’s in it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Her voice rang with disbelief. “But, you’re the one who gave it to her, right?”
Rick’s gaze appeared glued to the far wall. “I gave it to her empty, and for all I know, it still is.”
“No, not when it involves Phoebe!” Madeline scoffed. “She wouldn’t send me all the way out here with an empty box.”
“An Indian lore box like this?” He shrugged. “It’s sort of like a shadow box.”
“A what?”
“A memory box.” The chuckle he gave held a dry, humorless sound. “A place to keep what means more to you than anything.”
Puzzled by the explanation, Madeline sat and listened.
“The People of the Pines believe memories are ‘shadows of what used to be’. So, they put them in a box with a hope that they won’t disappear.”
“Why haven’t you opened it?”
“For me…” Rick took a few steps over to a wood sculpture while he avoided Madeline’s intense gaze, as though the entire subject frightened him, “…there can be nothing but pain in that box.”
“So, you want me to do what?”
“I don’t know!” His voice rose. “I’ve spent my life drifting, looking for...”
“Her?” Madeline whispered.
Rick released a breath. “Yeah, and I never found what I lost.”
Goose bumps rose on her arms. “All my colors, all my pictures and I lost it.”
He stood very still and stared at her.
Madeline swallowed. “Did I just say that out loud?”
He nodded.
“Phoebe’s last words.”
Rick walked over to Phoebe’s painting. “To find it, when you weren’t even looking for it?” His hands balled into fists. “And then you glory in it, allow yourself to feel everything while it shakes you to your core.” He stepped forward and pushed a sculpture over, the sound echoing loudly in the room as the chips of polished pine scattered across the floor.
“Rick?” Madeline gasped.
Continuing to the next one and pushing it over, Rick shouted, “It was like, yeah, here is the most splendid thing in the world!” He tore a painting from the wall and glared at it. “Yes, taste it, feel it.” He pushed his fist through the canvas. “But you can’t keep it! And, then?” Rick dropped the ruined art. “It’s gone, and you feel its leaving like someone just ripped out your guts!”
She covered her mouth with her hands.
“After a while, all you know is what it’s like to have all the light and all the color fade from your world.” His deep voice dropped so low she could barely hear him. “And still, you can’t seem to stop. You look for it everywhere, in every woman, in every place you come to. You spend the next decade trying to recapture...” He reached out and touched the brushed cheek of Phoebe’s face in the painting, “…all the color and all the light.”
Madeline felt moisture in her eyes. “What if you possessed no light and never felt the colors?” she asked. “Would you be better off?”
“Better off?” Rick asked with a bewildered tone as a dumbfounded expression appeared on his face “Ohh,” he groaned. “Yes, it just reaches out and slaps you so dammed hard!”
Madeline felt fearful at his metamorphic behavior. After all, she didn’t really know anything about her biological father.
Rick’s laughter evaporated. After a while, he swiped the tears from his cheeks and lifted her from the stool to his chest. “You know what?” he asked.
Between the sudden shift in his moods, and the unexpected embrace, she was too stunned to answer.
“I will just bet…” He kissed her cheek. “Phoebe’s box is entirely empty, because she sent me you, to give me back everything taken when she left. To show me,
I really never lost it at all!”
“Oh, no. Phoebe wouldn’t send a box full of nothing.”
His hands dropped to his sides and sighed as if he could see she didn’t get it. “Can you stay a while, Maddy?”
“I don’t know.”
Rick took her hand and patted it. “I’m sorry about the mess, and I see what Phoebe saw, what she wanted to do.”
Well, I sure as hell don’t. She slowly shook her head at him.
“I brought you in here to show you something. Instead, I’m shown something.” He walked over to the door. “I’ll be waiting at the counter.” Rick shut the door behind him.
Madeline gripped the key so hard the imprint was marked into her palm. Phoebe was a trickster all throughout my childhood. To ruffle my strutting peacock, she’d say, “You are so full of yourself, there’s no room for anyone else!” She stuck the key in and grasped the lid. No, it’s certainly not empty!
The studio door creaked open.
Her hand stopped and she dropped the key.
“Feeling better?”
“Dev!” She let go of the box, ran over and jumped right on him.
“Whoa!” Devon laughed, catching her.
She affectionately looped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He pulled her closer and kissed her back. Unabashedly, she wrapped her legs around his waist and attempted to devour his wonderfully warm mouth. He tastes so good! She just wanted to stay right there and never stop kissing him.
Devon set her away. “Yes, I see you’re all better.”
She let go of his neck, sliding to the floor. Embarrassed by her bold and hungry behavior, she avoided his gaze. What is the first rule on the list? Never show them anything! Her eyes remained glued to the floor.
He playfully peeked over at her. “Maddy?” he called, as if searching for her.
“I’m just so glad.” Embarrassed by her overeager behavior, she wanted to explain her way around it.
“Yeah?” he prompted with a smile.
A warm tingling tickled her insides. Such a boyish, charming smile. She stared at his face.
“Maddy?”
Taking a step back, she attempted to focus on his latest disappearance, instead of the emotional turmoil she felt. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him.
Tame Me: A Filthy Billionaire Romance Page 6
