Like Lightning

by Charlene Sands

  And then his father’s dying words rushed into his head in haunting fashion. “Don’t make the same mistakes I made, son.”

  Trey was immediately reminded of his solemn vow to steer clear and keep their arrangement strictly business.

  And no matter how amazing he found Maddie to be, Trey would honor that vow.

  Four

  Maddie immersed herself in her work, having little time to do much else but fall into bed at night. She’d been on the ranch for five solid days now and things were finally settling into a routine. She and Trey had a polite, but distant relationship. She believed Trey admired her talent as a competent veterinarian, and she knew him to be an expert rancher. They had mutual respect for one another, but they made sure not to let things get too personal. Over their brief dinners at night, they’d speak about their work, his livestock and her cases, the weather, the newest reality show. But they shied away from any private subjects.

  Trey employed four ranch hands, all of whom lived off the ranch with their own families. On occasion, the foreman named Kit would stay to fix supper and chew the fat with his boss. Maddie had come to know Kit Carver from her visits to 2 Hope in the past and considered him more friend than acquaintance now.

  But tonight Trey and his foreman had taken off after the evening meal. Maddie had offered to clean the kitchen, and now she found herself alone, enveloped in the silence of this big sprawling house. Most nights she found solace in the quiet, but tonight she wandered around in restless disarray, not quite ready to turn in, not quite sure what she wanted to do.

  When Maddie heard Storm causing a ruckus outside, she decided to investigate. She exited the back door and headed to the corral.

  Storm kicked up a big fuss. The stallion rounded the corral’s perimeter at breakneck speed, snorting, his breaths loud and labored. When he caught sight of Maddie approaching the fence—his fence—he stopped up short and stared at her.

  “Hey Storm,” she called out. “Are you restless, too?”

  Storm continued to stare at her, edging up closer to the fence one careful step at a time. Maddie too edged closer, keeping her eyes trained on Storm. “Don’t be afraid.”

  Storm came closer still, until he stood three feet from the fence. “Thata, boy.”

  Maddie hummed a slow easy tune, the melody catchy enough to gain the stallion’s attention. She knew better than to force the situation. She stood her ground, not daring to move any further. Patience worked hand in hand with trust.

  Low lying clouds and dim moonlight cast Storm in ominous shadows making the noble horse seem somewhat sinister, but Maddie knew that not to be the case at all. Storm wasn’t what she’d call tame, but he had a good heart. He was prideful and intelligent and in time he would come around. “I know you,” she said softly. “You think you’re fooling me, but I know you.”

  Maddie headed back to the kitchen and grabbed a handful of sugar cubes. It was the oldest trick in the book, but the method was tried and true, working successfully for years. It wasn’t so much a treat she was offering, but a way to gain Storm’s trust.

  She set the cubes on top of the fence post, leaving Storm to wonder what she had done. “See you tomorrow, boy.”

  After entering the kitchen, Maddie stood by the window and waited. She stared at the obstinate horse for fifteen minutes, until finally, he approached the fence post and licked it clean.

  “Thata boy,” she whispered and Maddie knew she had a challenge on her hands.

  She might not be able to get through to Trey Walker, but Storm was a different matter. Determined now, Maddie made herself a promise not to give up on the feisty stallion.

  One way or another, she would gain Storm’s trust.

  Trey entered the house by the back door, Kit having dropped him off minutes ago. They’d gone into town tonight to have a few beers and listen to honky-tonk music at Tie-One-On, the local bar. Recently married, Kit missed his wife, who was visiting her relatives in Houston. He’d needed a diversion, a way to pass the time, so the two had headed into town.

  They’d sat at the bar having drinks, Kit fending off the advances made by hopeful females. Trey envied Kit’s commitment to his wife. He envied the man his future, one filled with the love of a good woman and the promise of a family. Those things seemed so far out of Trey’s reach that he’d put them completely out of his mind. He resigned himself to his life at 2 Hope, having been happy for most of his time here. That is, until one perky redhead came to live with him.

  Tie-One-On was a place to help a man forget, a place to loosen up and have a good time. Half a dozen women had approached Trey. He’d danced with a few, held them in his arms, but his mind kept going back to Maddie. Thoughts of her filled his head and he found himself sitting at the bar with his friend, amid a crowd of fun-loving people, feeling lonelier than he could ever remember.

  Trey grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and headed to the parlor. He plopped down on the sofa, kicked up his boots on the table and clicked on the television set. He finally settled in when he found an old John Wayne movie.

  The scent of raspberries drifted by and as he turned his head around, he saw Maddie making an about face. “Maddie?”

  “Oh, hi,” she said, tightening her white robe around her. “I didn’t know you were out here. Don’t let me disturb you.”

  “Can’t sleep?”

  “Not really. Guess I’m a little restless tonight.”

  Trey studied her appearance. Her face was washed clean of the little makeup she wore, her hair fell in waves around her shoulders as if she’d just brushed through it and her bright green eyes held a certain shyness. Of all the women Trey had spoken with tonight, of all the women he’d danced with and had briefly considered going home with, only Maddie Brooks appealed to him.

  Both of them were restless tonight.

  Both needed companionship.

  He knew better than to ask, but he asked anyway. “Do you like John Wayne?”

  Maddie smiled. “Love him.”

  Trey patted the sofa next to him. “Pull up a seat.”

  A short while later after sharing a movie, a bowl of popcorn and a few lingering looks, Trey stretched out and continued to listen to Maddie’s soft, soothing voice. “And so after my folks passed, my Grandma Mae and I moved to this little apartment in the heart of New York City. I knew immediately that I wouldn’t do well in a big city. I needed space and freedom and animals. For one, you don’t see too many animals in New York, unless you go to the zoo.”

  “So you knew early on that you wanted to work with animals?”

  With a subtle tilt of her head, Maddie responded, “I know this sounds corny, but it wasn’t so much what I knew inside. I was drawn to it, like a magnetic pull. I know what it means now when people say that they met their life’s calling. Being a veterinarian was my calling. It’s as if I had no choice in the matter.” She smiled softly. “Does that make any sense?”

  “More than you know,” he agreed. Trey knew there were greater forces out there, working either for or against you. At this very moment there were forces working against him ever being with Maddie. It was something Trey just plain understood. “Sometimes, choices are taken from you.” He scrubbed his jaw a moment. “It worked out for you, though. You’re doing exactly what you were meant to do.”

  “And what about you, Trey? Are you doing what you’re meant to do?”

  Trey shrugged. “Ranching’s in my blood, I suppose—2 Hope has been around a long, long time. We’ve had some rough patches, but we’re hanging on.”

  “I’d love to know how 2 Hope got its name,” she said. “Or is that one of the stories not fit for polite company?”

  Maddie wiggled closer on the sofa, her robe parting slightly. Trey caught a glimpse of thin silky pajamas underneath. Her exposed skin shone like polished porcelain and that necklace she wore caught his eye. The damn thing dangled right smack in between her breasts.

  Trey drew in oxygen and glanced back up to her face. He wa
sn’t immune to her wholesome charm, not in the least. He figured he was better off looking into pretty green eyes than lusting over soft creamy skin.

  “Now that’s a story I can tell you,” he said. “Legend has it that my great-great-granddaddy was down on his luck when he arrived in Hope Wells. Didn’t take him long to figure out what he wanted. A ranch and my great-great-grandmother. Only problem was, my grandmother was Rachel Hope, the daughter of the richest man in town. And Will Walker didn’t have two nickels to rub together. But he found a way. He won the ranch in a poker game and shortly after,” Trey said, with a smile he couldn’t hide, “he won Rachel. Seems my grandfather’s opponent in that famous poker game had drawn a full house. He made no bones about it. He’d told everyone what he held in his hand. Poor old Will thought he was done for, all he had was a pair of two’s. Was too much to hope for—another pair of two’s, but dang it all, if he didn’t draw them. He won the hand with four of a kind—four two’s.”

  Maddie smiled, a distant winsome expression on her face. “Two Hope. That’s a lovely story, Trey. It must be nice knowing about your ancestors. You have such a deep foundation here, a sense of belonging.”

  “When things get rough around here, and I think I’m ready to chuck it all, I recall the way the ranch got started.”

  “That’s admirable, Trey.”

  “There’s nothing admirable about it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Trey shook his head. He hadn’t meant to blurt that out, yet he felt he didn’t deserve her compliment. He wasn’t that noble. Lately he’d been feeling resentful—hating the traits he’d inherited that made him lack a sense of commitment. If Maddie only knew how many times he’d been tempted to sell off the ranch, to rid himself of the headaches and make a fresh start somewhere. If she only knew how much he’d wanted to be more solid, more stable. He’d messed up enough in one lifetime. He had bad genes to thank for that. His father, and his father before him, hadn’t set the best example. Neither of those men were anything like Will Walker. Will had had staying power. Will Walker had had the guts to see things through.

  “Nothing. Forget it, Maddie.”

  “But—”

  Loud howling coming from the barn interrupted Maddie’s thoughts. She stopped speaking to listen. “Sounds like Maggie and Toby.”

  Trey sat upright and listened carefully to the dogs’ barking. “Something’s got them upset. I’d best go check.”

  Maddie rose quickly. “I’m coming, too.”

  They raced outside toward the barn, Trey searching the area with sharp probing eyes. He wished he’d thought to grab his rifle as he yanked the barn door open. The dogs’ barking simmered some. Maddie swooped down next to Toby, the black and white border collie she’d been nursing from a car accident.

  “Oh no. Toby’s ripped open his stitches. He’s bleeding, Trey.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Stay with him while I get the supplies I need.”

  Maddie rose but Trey grabbed her arm. “Be careful. It might have been a coyote scratching to get inside. He’s probably long gone by now, but I’m not sure.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  Trey stood and watched Maddie enter her office space, keeping a vigilant eye out for whatever culprit caused the animals to get into such a ruckus. He only relaxed when he saw her running back toward him, her arms filled with the supplies she needed.

  “Okay, Toby,” she said softly to the injured collie. “Looks like you’re not going home tomorrow, after all.”

  An hour later, Trey escorted an exhausted Maddie to her bedroom door. Together, they’d worked on Toby, Trey holding the dog while Maddie administered to the freshly opened wound. Maddie wouldn’t leave until the dog finally calmed and had fallen back asleep.

  “Hazards of the barn,” Trey offered by way of apology. “We get all sorts of wild animals out here.”

  Maddie shrugged. “I think Toby will heal just fine. And using the barn to practice is a far cry better than having no place at all.”

  “True enough,” Trey said. “But maybe we should change the name from 2 Hope to Last Chance Ranch.”

  “After that wonderful story you told me, don’t you dare.” Maddie reached for Trey’s arm, her subtle touch searing his skin under his shirt. She’d shed her bathrobe in the barn, and both had been too caught up with their task to notice, but now, Trey noticed. The soft silky tank top left little to the imagination; her perfect breasts stretched the material in ways that made his mouth go dry. And her cotton drawers, decorated with blue and white clouds, hugged her hips below her navel, accentuating her delicate curves. “I really do appreciate being able to practice here, Trey. I know it isn’t the perfect situation, but I’m grateful for everything. Including your help tonight.”

  Trey wasn’t sure who’d received the most benefit tonight. His evening had livened up the moment Maddie had entered the parlor. He’d been unsettled and lonely and as soon as he’d seen Maddie, everything had changed. In truth, Trey couldn’t remember having a more satisfying and enjoyable evening.

  “I’m glad to help out.”

  “Thank you,” she said, staring into his eyes.

  He stared back, captivated by this pretty, petite woman. She was warm and kind and sweet, and Trey realized he wanted more than a bed partner in Maddie, he wanted to be her friend.

  He bent down and touched his lips to hers softly. “Good night, Dr. Maddie.”

  “Good night, Trey,” she whispered, leaning her head against the door.

  Trey backed up quickly, and turned away from the longing he witnessed in her eyes, the surprised smile on her face. He turned away from the tempting woman, turning away from every single instinct calling him back.

  “Damn it all, Uncle Monty.”

  Trey cursed so darn loud, Maddie nearly spilled her morning coffee. She sat in the kitchen, reading the newspaper, trying to fully awaken after getting in so late last night. It had been worth the lack of sleep, spending one of the best evenings of her life. With Trey. And then, contrary to what he’d preached, he’d kissed her again.

  The kiss seemed different this time, less passionate, but somehow more intimate. As if they’d somehow created a bond. Maddie knew Trey wasn’t playing with her heart. The way he’d kissed her had been innocent and spontaneous, as unplanned as Texas heat, making it all the more special.

  “Turn the water off, Uncle Monty.” She heard him shout from the bathroom, clearly irritated.

  Her curiosity heightened, Maddie headed into the smaller bathroom where all the noise was coming from. She found Trey facing a broken out wall, holding together a galvanized pipe with both hands, trying to keep the leak from sprouting again. “Off,” he shouted out the window.

  Maddie giggled.

  Trey turned in surprise, releasing his hands slightly.

  Water rained out, spurting him in the face and shoulders. Within seconds, Trey Walker was drenched, the leaky pipe gushing out until finally and apparently, his Uncle Monty had turned the water off.

  Trey’s hair hung in wet clumps around his head. Water plastered his T-shirt to his chest and the top half of his blue jeans were saturated.

  Maddie couldn’t hold back any longer. She laughed heartily at the sight of Trey looking like a soaked scruffy pup. “Having trouble?” she asked, with a grin.

  “You might say that,” Trey growled. “My uncle doesn’t seem to know the difference between ‘on’ and ‘off’ and why the heck are you laughing?”

  Maddie turned to the cabinet to get Trey a towel. “Because you look like—”

  But when Maddie turned back around, she found Trey removing his T-shirt, the material stretching over his smooth wet skin in one quick movement. He tossed the shirt into the bathtub and ran a hand through his hair, slicking back the dark strands until he looked better than a GQ model in blue jeans.

  Maddie swallowed, trying to keep her expression from faltering. She’d seen Trey shirtless before and admittedly it had been
glorious, but he hadn’t been wet, with droplets falling from his hair onto his shoulders, with water licking at the scattering of hairs on his chest until a puddle developed in his navel.

  Goodness. Maddie was certain there wasn’t a more appealing man on the face of the earth.

  “Like what?” he asked, his growl simmering, a curious expression taking over.

  Maddie balled up the towel and approached him. “Like a mangy old mutt I once treated,” she fibbed, holding her breath as she dabbed at his powerfully built, solid chest.

  He stared at her, his voice holding a hint of disbelief. “An old mutt?”

  She nodded, continuing to dab at him. “Uh-huh. Poor thing had fallen into the river.”

  Maddie couldn’t bear it another second. Touching Trey this intimately had just about done her in. She’d held up well, she thought, considering that she was mere minutes from jumping the man’s bones. “All finished,” she said, thrusting the towel into his arms. She took a step to back away but Trey let the towel drop to the ground and grabbed her wrists, tugging her gently closer.

  He grinned mischievously, “Not quite.”

  Before Maddie knew what had happened, Trey reached down into the rain bucket used to catch the leak, and splashed her with handful after handful of water. “Trey!”

  Maddie backed away and stared down at her clothes, which were fully and completely drenched.

  This time, he laughed. “The mangy mutt wanted a companion.” Then he came closer, grabbing a dry towel. “Here,” he said, approaching her. “Fair is fair.” He dabbed at her face, taking care to dry her cheeks, mouth and chin. Then he sent a searing look down past her shoulders. “If you toss off your blouse, I’ll do your chest,” he offered softly. “Just like you did mine.”

  Fleeting forbidden thoughts of Trey patting her naked body dry flashed in her head and she realized she’d never had a better offer in her life. She grabbed the towel out of his hands, “Not a chance, cowboy.”

  Trey threw his head back and laughed even more, stepping back and away from her.