by Barb Han
He cleared his plate.
“At least let me do the dishes,” she protested.
“Not tonight. This meal is on me,” he said with the smile that carved out dimples in both cheeks.
“I’d like to contribute in some way.” Madelyn had learned early on that there was no such thing as a free meal.
“How about making breakfast tomorrow morning? Can you handle that?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I can try. But I’m better at cleaning up afterward.”
The deep rumble that started in his chest and rolled out was pretty darn sexy. It took a second to register that he was laughing at her.
“What did I say that was so funny?” she asked, a little indignant.
“It was the look on your face at the suggestion of cooking, like I’d just asked you to lick the bottom of my boot,” he said with more of that rumble.
“You may not want to eat anything that comes from a kitchen where I’m in charge,” she said.
“So I gathered,” he said before his expression changed. “While you were in the shower, I checked in with the sheriff’s office.”
“Oh, yeah? What did he have to say?” Madelyn took her plate to the sink.
“He apologized on behalf of his deputy. I don’t need to remind you how overworked they are over there with everything else going on.” Hudson motioned for her to hand it over.
“That’s not exactly reassuring,” she stated honestly.
“It does make you a lot less safe than I’d like,” he agreed. “But you’re fine as long as you’re here.”
She handed over the plate. It was time to fold. Besides, she might not be alive if it weren’t for the chivalrous cowboy. “Thank you, by the way. Not just for dinner and giving me a place to stay tonight, but for everything you’ve done so far.”
He shrugged off her comment. His kindness might not be much to him. She figured helping a woman in distress was part of his code. But it meant everything to her. He seemed like a decent guy and she was pretty certain that he was her only friend in town.
Beyond the obvious, she knew very little about him. A shiver raced through her as she searched her memory to see if there’d been a lock on the bedroom door.
“Coffee?” he asked.
“I’d love some but you have to let me get it.” She shot him a severe look as he started to wave her off again. “It’ll make me feel better about your hospitality if you let me do something for you.”
A smile parted his lips and her thoughts immediately zeroed in on the kiss they’d shared earlier. So much heat and...what else?...temptation.
Well, she really didn’t need to go there. Her thoughts immediately snapped to Owen, and the emotional burns were still fresh. She refilled their mugs from earlier, trying to push thoughts of her ex out of her mind. Those seemed, she didn’t know, out of place while spending time with Hudson.
He thanked her as he took the mug, and sparks lit when their fingers brushed against each other.
“I can’t say that I know much about Mike Butler’s family.” She reclaimed her seat at the table.
“He has four kids that I know of.” He shot an apologetic look toward her before adding, “Possibly five but we haven’t confirmed that yet.”
“I remember reading something about them. There’s a set of twins, male. And two females,” she said, ignoring the pounding in her chest. She was grateful the cowboy hadn’t lumped her in as family. Until she had definitive proof, she had no plans to call herself a Butler. The thought did cross her mind that Mike Butler could’ve afforded the best medical care on the planet for her mother. Had he known at the time that Madelyn was his? Anger roared through her at the possibility and her hand came up to the necklace for reassurance. She fingered the detail.
“Everything okay?” Hudson asked, shaking her out of her heavy thoughts.
“Yes, sure. We were talking about the Butlers,” she said.
“That’s right. Ella Butler’s the oldest and Cadence is the youngest. Of course, there’ve been a couple of people claiming to belong to the Butler clan.” His one eyebrow arched as he watched her. “Time will tell.”
“Well, I’m not one of them,” she stated a little too tartly. She started to apologize but he waved her off like it was no big deal. It was. She wasn’t normally so rude to someone trying to help her. “It’s not okay to come off as a jerk. I’ve had too much coming at me and I’m still processing.”
“It’s a lot,” he admitted, and she was grateful someone understood. She was clueless as to what to do with the information. Even if she could get ahold of her father to ask what he knew, how would she even approach the subject?
Excuse me, Dad...but are you really my dad? Or, Did you know Mom was cheating on you?
Was he from here? “Do you know the Butlers personally?”
“Only from the news, which I don’t pay much attention to.” He took another sip of coffee before setting the cup on the table.
More questions pecked at her skull and there was no chance of getting answers tonight. At this rate, she’d end the night with a raging headache and that was about all.
“Have you lived here long?” She needed to think about something else to give herself a break.
“Not really.”
“Did you grow up here?” Madelyn wanted to know more about Hudson and, let’s face it, she wanted to talk about something besides her crazy day for a change.
He drained his cup and stood. “You’ve already seen your bedroom and you know where the bathroom is. If you need more towels or blankets, you’ll find them in the hall closet. I like to run the AC when I sleep. That’s all you need to know to get through the night.”
With that, he walked away.
Okay. Madelyn rinsed out both cups. She glanced around, looking for something that would tell her more about Hudson Dale. The place seemed normal enough. Even though there weren’t many decorations, the few he had were simple and well-placed. She heard the shower turn on in the other room and forced thoughts of him undressing out of her mind. This day had been out of control and the last thing she needed to do was let her imagination run wild. It was her imagination that made her good at her job. She was able to come at a topic from every angle until she fit all the puzzle pieces together. But that same imagination had her wondering if she’d be okay alone in a stranger’s house.
Madelyn almost laughed out loud. She knew the statistics. A woman’s greatest threat came from those she knew and, in most cases, loved. She found the notion that she’d be safest with a complete stranger ironic. It was true, though.
Even so, she checked her bedroom door for a lock and was disappointed when she didn’t find one. After brushing her teeth, she glanced around the room, looking for anything to secure the door closed. The dresser was a heavy wood piece, significant, and probably too heavy to move on her own. The chair in the corner could work. She repositioned the back underneath the door handle like she’d seen done countless times in movies. Call her crazy but her day had been right up there with one of her worst and, bad as it had been, could get worse if she let her guard down.
A ridiculous part of her said she’d been in way more trouble when she’d locked lips with the handsome cowboy. He threatened to bring a part of her to life that no one before him had.
* * *
MADELYN FINALLY UNDERSTOOD what it meant to sleep with one eye open. That wasn’t entirely true because she didn’t actually sleep. Instead, she drifted in and out, half expecting someone to burst through the door at any second. The night could best be described as fits and starts, and she’d almost thrown in the towel half a dozen times. Relief washed over her when the sun finally peeked through the slats in the mini-blinds and she could get up without disturbing her host.
Her mind kept spinning over the previous day and her possible parentage.
A soft knock
at the door came about the time she sat up. She pulled the covers up to her chin as her pulse galloped.
“Coffee’s ready,” the strong male voice belonging to Hudson said. The sound made her heart stutter.
“I’ll be right out.” Her gaze flew to her body, making sure every inch of her skin was covered below the chin. And that was silly when she thought about it because he was on the other side of a closed door. Emotion had momentarily overtaken logic. If this was any indication of how well her brain was going to work today, Madelyn was in for a real treat.
She stretched sore muscles, dressed and threw her hair up in a ponytail, trying to bring herself back to center with deep breathing techniques she’d learned in yoga class in college. When that didn’t work, she decided she needed caffeine. Like, now. Or sooner.
“Morning,” Hudson said, looking fresh as she made a beeline for the coffeepot.
“Same,” she grumbled. She was so not a morning person.
“How’d you sleep?” he asked, handing over a fresh mug that smelled out-of-this-world amazing.
“I didn’t much,” she admitted because there was no point in lying. Her mind had gone round and round last night on the possibility of being a Butler. What if she was? What if she wasn’t? How could any of this be true? Granted, her father hadn’t been the warm-and-fuzzy type, but he’d always been there for her and she knew without a doubt that he’d loved her. Right? Was he obstinate? Yes. A slave to routine? Absolutely. A bad person? No way. And yet an annoying little voice inside her head kept reminding her that she’d always felt like he was holding back, keeping her at arm’s length.
“You didn’t like the bed?” That he seemed concerned about her comfort was as sweet as it was surprising.
“It was great. It’s me. I kept going over everything that happened yesterday.” She bit back a yawn as she took a seat at the table. In a few minutes the caffeine would kick in and her day could begin. In times like these, she wished she had an IV of the brown liquid.
“I’m assuming you’re talking about the incident with the white sedan.” He took the seat across from her and she ignored the way his nearness made her pulse sprint.
“That and so much more.” She made eyes at him before taking another sip.
He didn’t seem to know how to react to that and she certainly didn’t.
“Did you remember anything else from the events of yesterday?”
“Just what you already know.” She shook her head. “I keep going in circles. The white sedan was scary. Being told Mike Butler might be my father completely threw me for a loop. And then there’s the ‘welcome’ message on the mirror. Add to all that the drama I’ve been experiencing with my ex and it feels like my life has spun out of control.”
“That would be a lot for anyone to process.” He drummed his fingertips on his coffee mug.
“I just keep asking myself, ‘Why? Why me? Why now?’ It feels a little like the walls are caving in.” She couldn’t look directly at him when she spoke. Guilt, or maybe it was embarrassment, assaulted her.
“Bad things happen to good people every day.” There was something in his voice she couldn’t put her finger on.
How many times in the past few weeks had she tried to convince herself that was true? It didn’t stop the black cloud from hanging over her head ever since this whole ordeal with Owen had begun. “I haven’t asked for anything from the Butlers, so why would one of them target me?”
“Not yet. But you could, especially if paternity proves true.” He made a good point.
“I wouldn’t,” she countered.
“They don’t know that.” Right again.
“Granted, they have no idea who I am, but if Ed Staples is to be believed, they shouldn’t know about me at all.” It was fact and had gotten lost in the stress of yesterday. “The envelope he gave me was sealed and he said he didn’t even know what it contained until he took one look at me.”
The cowboy sat there, sipping his coffee, contemplating.
Madelyn needed to get up and move. Her nerves were on edge and she needed to keep busy. Overthinking something never made it better. “I promised you breakfast. I hope you have a working toaster.”
His eyes widened. “Based on your reaction last night to the thought of cooking, I thought we could go out for breakfast tacos.”
“Good call.” Madelyn’s smile died on her lips. Her mind kept circling back to her problems and who was trying to get rid of her.
“This doesn’t look good for the lawyer,” Hudson finally said, bringing the conversation back down to reality. “He’s the only one who knew when you were coming, that you were coming at all.”
“Yes, but I was with him when the note was written on my mirror,” she clarified.
“He could’ve slipped a few bucks to one of the workers at the Red Rope Inn.” Hudson drained his cup and rose to his feet. “Let’s go find out who was working besides Kelsey and who might’ve had access to your room. We’ll pick up breakfast on the way.”
“I’m pretty sure Kelsey isn’t going to speak to me again. She’ll most likely hit the panic button if she sees me so much as pull into the parking lot.” Madelyn followed suit with the cowboy, welcoming the caffeine boost.
“I’d let you wait in the truck but I’d rather keep you where I can see you.” He reminded her of just how much danger she was in.
She couldn’t argue with his point.
“And then we can talk to the lawyer,” he said. “I’ll see what kind of feel I get from him.”
“What would Ed Staples have to gain from hurting me, though?” She followed Hudson to the garage, where he opened the passenger door of the truck for her.
“Someone’s trying to scare you away, keep you silent, and I’m not ready to rule anyone out just yet.” He stepped up to the driver’s side in one easy motion, whereas she’d clumsily climbed into the passenger seat. He moved fluidly, with athletic grace.
He also brought up another issue.
“The lawyer summoned me, so why would he try to run me off the road?” she asked. “Wouldn’t he just ignore his boss’s request? After all, Staples is the one who brought this to my attention in the first place.”
“Good point. Although, he might’ve figured news would get out eventually. Or he could be innocent and someone could be monitoring his calls. I’m assuming he used a cell phone?” He navigated down the path toward the gate, and she couldn’t help but think that just yesterday morning she’d been on this same road.
“The call had a cell-quality to it,” she admitted. She was used to picking up on things like that in her line of work.
“The Butler estate is worth a fortune. Billions of dollars are on the line. Someone could be monitoring his phone activity.” He pulled onto the street and a cold shiver raced down her spine, as she thought about the events that had unfolded the last time she was there.
“I need to get my car.” She didn’t like the thought of leaving her convertible in the motel parking lot, exposed.
“You can drive it back to the house and park in the garage for safekeeping.” He seemed to pick up on the reason for her concern.
“I should find another place to stay. I’ve already inconvenienced you enough.” She pulled out her cell. She could find another hotel using her phone’s app.
“At this point, I’d be more comfortable if you stayed with me at the ranch. I’d like to see this through and make sure you’re okay. The sheriff’s office is too busy to put any manpower on your complaint and it’s clear someone doesn’t want you here. You could go home and not be safe until this case is resolved.” He gripped the steering wheel. “It’s your call, but you’re welcome to stay at the ranch.”
She’d thought that renting a room from a bed-and-breakfast could work but she knew security would be too lax. Then there was a hotel option, which would be expensive. Her budget w
as tight but she didn’t feel right living off the graciousness of a stranger, either. Besides, experience had taught her depending on others was a mistake.
“It’s nice of you to offer, but—”
“Think about it, at least,” he said. “Hotels aren’t the most secure and your car would be exposed. We have no idea who could be behind this.”
She thought about what Owen had scrawled across her hood with spray paint. At the very least she didn’t want to deal with him finding her and pulling another stunt like that one. A restraining order wasn’t exactly an ironclad guarantee that he wouldn’t show up. She’d chew on that a little longer and see how she felt after talking to the workers at the Red Rope Inn.
Her cell buzzed in her hand, startling her. And then she stared at the screen, unsure if she should answer.
“Who is it?” Hudson asked.
“Ed Staples.”
“Answer it and let him know that he’s on speaker.” He’d used his cop tone. He had to have been a cop, right?
“This is Madelyn.” She couldn’t say for sure what Hudson’s background was and there hadn’t been any clues at his house, either. “I’m with a friend and you should know that he can hear the call.”
“Are you all right?” There seemed to be genuine concern in his voice.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She had no plans to tip her hand about the message on the mirror. If he was involved she might be able to trip him up.
“You tore out of here pretty fast yesterday,” he stated.
She couldn’t argue with that. “Is that the reason you called? To check on me?”
“I’m concerned at how you’re taking the news. I can only guess how confusing this must be.” He seemed sincere and honest. But after Owen, she didn’t exactly trust her instincts about people anymore and especially men. She tried not to chew on the irony of that thought considering she’d just stayed in a strange man’s home.
“All I have is a piece of paper claiming that Mike Butler is my father. That doesn’t change a thing, in my opinion,” she said as coolly as she could.
“Oh.” What was in his voice? Shock. Yes. But what else?
