by MJ Fredrick
The heat of his skin beneath the thin undershirt seared her palm, and her gaze riveted on the wisps of hair peeking out over the top of the white knit. God, he smelled good, and his breath washed warm over her hand, her arm. She couldn’t move to get her feet under her, damn him, without leaning against him. So she was locked against him, afraid to look up at him, knowing he was watching her, measuring her reaction.
“What’s going on?” Linda asked from the hallway, her voice slurred.
That was the impetus she needed to spring back, closing her hand against the heat that warmed her palm. Maddox moved more slowly, turning just his head to look at her little sister.
“Oh, my God. Maddox Bradley?” She’d been too young when he’d left to remember him from Bluestone.
He rocked back on his heels. “I am.”
Linda hurried forward, bouncing on the balls of her feet, showing energy Beth hadn’t seen in months. “I totally loved the song you did with Carrie Underwood. Oh, my God. What are you doing here?”
“Your sister and I knew each other back in the day.” He reached out as if he knew just where Beth would be, and caressed her arm. “I just came to say hi.”
Her sister’s eagle eyes snapped to the gesture and Beth stepped back, finding her feet finally as she broke contact.
“Are you playing a concert in Bluestone?” Linda leaned on the breakfast bar beside Jonas’s bouncy chair, arms crossed beneath her breasts, plumping them up.
Beth’s face heated and she couldn’t resist glancing at Maddox to see his reaction.
He kept his attention steady on Linda’s face, and his expression didn’t change. “I’ll be playing a few nights at Quinn’s in the coming weeks.”
Weeks? She hadn’t known that. She needed him gone, and the sooner the better. Bluestone be damned.
Linda gave an exaggerated pout. “Quinn won’t let me and my friends in.”
“Well, it’s his prerogative. You have other things to worry about anyway.” He turned, unfastened the squalling Jonas from his seat, scooped him up and handed him to a startled Linda.
She straightened and bobbled the infant for a minute, like she’d never held him before. Beth stared, not believing he was taking charge like this.
“He’s been fed but his stomach is upset.” He reached over and took the soiled shirt from Beth’s hand. “Your sister and I are going outside to talk.”
Awareness zinged through her when he closed his fingers around her arm and guided her to the front door. She glanced over her shoulder to see her sister and Jonas staring at each other suspiciously, and balked. If they went outside, all the neighbors would see her talking to Maddox Bradley, and then what?
“We’ll go out back,” she said, turning to meet his questioning gaze.
He nodded abruptly and motioned for her to lead the way. She eased ahead of him in the narrow space between the couch and the front door, and led the way to the back patio.
This was her favorite place to unwind, no matter what time of day she got home. She’d fit two resin Adirondack chairs from Home Depot in the small space. Her pots were still empty since she hadn’t had time to plant, but in a few weeks it would be bright and cheerful. She realized as she dusted off one of the chairs that she hadn’t been out here in days, maybe over a week. Even this open space felt small when Maddox stepped out behind her and closed the door.
“She’s high,” he said.
Beth pivoted to stare at him. “What?”
“She’s on something. Did you see her eyes? All blood-shot and bleary, and that’s not from sleep. Trust me when I say I know the signs.” He watched her face, then eased back. “You knew.”
Beth sighed and looked out over the yard. It needed mowing already. “She’s been drinking.”
“And you’ve been making excuses for her.”
She squared her shoulders and faced him. “Excuse me if I don’t want you in my business, judging what I’ve done wrong.”
He angled his head. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
She didn’t know. She reached behind her and gripped the rail. She’d made mistakes with Linda, no doubt, had indulged her too much. The child had essentially grown up with no parent but Beth. But she wasn’t going to admit that to Maddox.
“Were you drinking?” She motioned to the scar by his eyebrow. “The night you wrecked?” The moment she asked, she wished she could take the words back. His mouth tightened, and something flashed in his eyes before he erased it.
“I’ve been sober sixteen months, Beth.”
He looked so betrayed, but she buried the tenderness, the urge to apologize, to soothe, to show him she believed in him. “So, no, then.”
His eyelids flickered. “No.”
“Is that why you came here? To get away from all that? Because you have to know they’re going to follow you here.”
He ignored that, looking out over the yard. “I came by here to see if me playing at Quinn’s is going to be a problem for you.”
And he expected her to tell him the truth? That she wanted him gone, in the past where he belonged? Like she’d let him know that weakness. “What, because we slept together a million years ago?”
Something in his face hardened. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Really?” She folded her arms under her breasts and leaned against the rail. “Because I remember getting naked with you in the back of that Buick.” It had been her first time, and his. Yet instead of fumbling, he’d been so gentle and sweet and—best not to think about that. She wanted to turn away from that memory, but then…the whole weakness thing. She leveled a gaze at him. “I’m sure you’ve been naked with plenty of girls since.”
His mouth twisted as he glanced toward the back door, like he was worried Linda would overhear. “Beth.”
Suddenly, making him as uncomfortable as she was no longer held its appeal. “Don’t worry about it, Maddox. You’re back, I’m still here, no big. It’ll be good for the town that you’re here.” God, she was such a liar. But was she really strong enough to ask him to leave? She relaxed her stance a bit, because he had been her first. “It’s not a problem. And thank you for helping with Jonas. But you should probably go now.”
He rested his hand on the doorknob, but his body was turned toward her as if he was reluctant to leave. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow night then.”
Not if she could help it.
Beth looked good. He shouldn’t be thinking that as he drove away from her tiny house on the edge of town. He’d left her behind once, and he sure as hell wasn’t staying here long. But the years had been good to her, her figure filling out past that skinny girl in the back of the Buick. She was strong, but God, she was bitter. He’d been afraid that would happen after her mama died and her daddy stopped coming home and she was left with a ten-year-old, a six-year-old and a two-year-old to raise. He hadn’t thought to ask what had happened to her brothers. She seemed to have her hands full enough with Linda. Where were Adam and Joey when she needed them?
Of course, if they’d managed to escape Bluestone, she wouldn’t have called them back to help her out. She would have been happy to see them on their way. But doing it all on her own was taking its toll. He hated seeing her unhappy.
If only he could make sure she was happy again before he left this time.
Maddox was accustomed to not being able to move from one place to another without fans following him, so being alone as he walked from the RV park to the local diner made him feel almost naked. Of course, he’d left his signature cowboy hat in the RV, replacing it with a gimme cap for a boat motor company. He couldn’t find his sunglasses, so squinted against the bright early morning sun. He’d forgotten how early the sun rose this far north as summer approached.
A moment passed before his eyes adjusted when he stepped inside the diner. He took off his cap and hung it on a hook by the door before choosing to sit at the counter. He eyed the specials spelled out in plastic letters, on a sign that had been in place when h
e’d worked here as a bus boy every summer. He’d had to continue the practice in Nashville, too, working the breakfast shift after playing all night in different bars, trying to get a break. Oddly, the memory held warmth for him, back when he was young and innocent and the music was the most important thing. A long time—and a lot of trouble—had passed along the way.
A waitress approached and he automatically straightened. Maggie hadn’t been young when he worked here, but she loved her job, and loved snapping bus boys in two.
“Maggie. Good to see you,” he said.
She looked up from her pad, startled, and took a minute before recognition hit. A smile spread across her broad face.
“Maddox! What are you doing here?”
He glanced around at the breakfast crowd, who all seemed to be minding their own business. “I thought maybe you’d heard I stopped by Quinn’s last night.”
“I heard you were supposed to play a concert there, but backed out at the last minute and had everyone scrambling.”
He didn’t want to go into the logistics behind that, didn’t want to look like he was ducking blame, so he just nodded, his gaze on the counter. “I’m trying to make up for that now. Thought I’d play a few nights, draw people into town. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
She looked past him toward the door. “Are you here alone?”
“Sure.”
“No manservant or driver or any of that?”
A flush crept up his neck, because most of the time he did have people to do the mundane jobs for him. He’d had some trepidation about hooking up his own fifth-wheel and driving it up here. He’d had a hell of a time keeping the damn thing in the lane and wished he’d had his driver. But he loved the freedom of not having anyone looking over his shoulder, of having to follow any schedule, not have someone following him around telling him what to do, where to be next.
“I kind of took off.”
She raised blonde eyebrows. “You ran away.”
Heat crept up his throat at the honesty there. “I guess there’s some truth to that.”
She patted his hand on the counter, odd since she hadn’t been much in the way of affection back when he worked here. “We heard about the car accident. Were you drinking?”
He’d already tired of answering that question. Maybe he should have gone someplace where people didn’t feel so free to stick their noses in his business. But Bluestone, the place he’d loved so much growing up, was the only place that held any kind of peace for him.
“I wasn’t.”
She considered him a long moment, as if assessing the truth of his statement. “Nothing good comes from hiding. You play at Quinn’s and word will get back. They’ll come find you and drag you back.”
Before he could respond, the bell over the door rang, and a vision from his past walked in. A second passed before he realized it was Linda, Beth’s sister. He glanced at the clock over the register.
“School start later here than it used to?” he asked Maggie.
“That one,” Maggie replied low, though not low enough that Linda didn’t hear her. “Trouble with a capital T.”
Maddox pushed off the stool before Linda could take a seat. She glanced up, then a smile spread over her face and she swayed forward to hook an arm through his.
“I didn’t think I’d see you here,” she said in a sing-song voice.
Maddox frowned. Shit, was the kid drunk already? He closed his hand around her upper arm. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
She waved a hand. “There’s only a few more days before summer vacation. We’re not doing anything anyway.”
He looked past her to the boy she was with, who was watching Maddox with a mixture of jealousy and envy. “Doesn’t matter. Your sister thinks you’re at school, and that’s where you’re going.”
She leaned against him, her breast brushing his arm, intentionally, he was sure. He edged back, putting some distance between them. All he needed was for someone to think he was taking advantage of a sixteen-year-old girl.
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“What makes you think I won’t tell her? Come on. I’ll take you to school.”
Linda hung back, her jaw tight, mutinous. He’d seen that expression before on her sister.
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
Maddox inclined his head to a rack with individual-sized cereals. “Maggie, would you get me some of those Cheerios and add it to my bill? I’ll be back for my omelet in about fifteen.”
“You take me anywhere, I’ll scream,” Linda warned.
Maddox nodded to the people in the diner watching them. “I think everyone here’s pretty well versed with your drama. They don’t seem to be rushing to your aid now.” He accepted the bag that Maggie handed him, and checked to see she’d included individual milks and spoons for the two truants. “Let’s go.”
For a moment, Linda glared at him, and he thought she might make good on her threat to start screaming. He wondered if someone would stop him. Nonetheless, he propelled her out the door, sending the bell ringing, and started walking toward the school.
She dug in her heels. “Wait. You said you’d take me to school. Where’s your car?”
“We’re walking. It’s just three blocks.” He pointed up the hill, away from the lake. At least, he hoped it was still there. He hadn’t had much time to explore since he’d been back.
“So? I want a ride.”
“I don’t have my truck here.”
“God, I never thought you’d be such a dick.”
“I never thought Beth would raise such a brat,” he tossed back.
Linda started walking again, but something about the way she did it made him wary. “So you slept with my sister?”
He did not want to discuss his past with Beth with her sister. He doubted Beth would appreciate it, either. “Who takes care of Jonas during the day?”
“Beth, until she goes to work, and a neighbor for a few hours until I get home.”
Poor Beth. Working until late, then being saddled with an infant all day. No wonder she looked so tired. Pretty soon school would be out and Linda could take full responsibility. Not that he believed she would.
He’d tried to smell alcohol on her breath but couldn’t. Was she adept enough at hiding it, at only sixteen? Had she gotten drunk when she was pregnant? What would the school do to her if she showed up drunk? A sick thought hit him that they might take her away from Beth. As much stress as the girl and her baby put on Beth, he knew she would be devastated.
He should have let the girl eat at the diner, but was pretty sure she’d weasel out of getting to school. No, best to get her there and go back to minding his own business.
“Are you planning on working this summer?” he asked as they crossed the first street.
“Heck, no. I have a baby to take care of. And they’re making me go to summer school since I had to miss so much when Jonas was born.” She made a face.
“And yet you’re willing to leave him with your sister while you play hooky.” How many times had she done that in the past?
“I was hungry for pancakes. Beth only buys the frozen ones.”
They walked past more empty storefronts than Maddox wanted to count. He remembered the five and dime from when he was a kid, the book store, the grocer, the florist. All gone. Nothing he could do could help bring them back, but maybe he could stop more from leaving. Of course, like Maggie said, it was only a matter of time before he was located and dragged back to his obligations.
“I read an interview where you said you weren’t the best student.” Linda’s tone was accusing. “So who made you the truant officer?”
“Knowing what happens when you don’t go to school. You already have some strikes against you, being a single mom. You’re lucky to have a sister who’s willing to help you.” He couldn’t stop himself from asking the question that had been bugging him since he’d been back. “Where are Adam and Joey?”
Linda wa
ved a hand. “Joey’s in Massachusetts running a restaurant, and Adam’s out west somewhere racing cars. We haven’t heard from him in a while.”
No doubt that made Beth even more tense. “Do they visit? Send money?”
Linda shrugged. “Don’t know. Doubt it.”
Anger bubbled in his gut, and he wanted to go talk to Beth again. He doubted she’d appreciate his interference, though.
He stopped in front of the school, quiet out here, all the kids in class. “Do I have to go in with you, make sure you get where you’re supposed to be, or can I get back to my breakfast?”
“You’re a dick,” she said again, but there was less heat in her tone as she walked up the sidewalk to the school.
Chapter Two
Beth paced back and forth at the entrance of the RV court. She knew which was Maddox’s of course. It was the big fancy one, all black and sleek, with three slides that almost doubled its size on the lot. The pick-up truck he’d pulled it with was equally shiny and new, and parked beside it. No, finding him wasn’t the problem. Actually, finding him was the problem. She should have just waited, sent his shirt home with someone else, or waited until he came into Quinn’s and given it to him. But having it around the house just made her itchy, like he was in her house, watching her, judging her choices. She needed to be rid of it.
Squaring her shoulders, she marched toward the door of the RV and rapped, very businesslike. Right, she’d just hand over the shirt, turn around and leave. No answer. She rapped again, harder. Just her luck, he was asleep, or listening to music. She lifted her hand to knock again, and—
“Are you looking for me?”
She pivoted, clutching the formerly neatly-pressed shirt against her chest, and looked up into Maddox’s shadowed brown eyes. He leaned against a brace holding up the canopy shading the door. Great. She’d been all prepared to meet him one way and he snuck up on her. Just like him to keep her off-balance.
