“Face it,” she mumbled into her pillow. “He might look like a Prince Charming, and he might even kiss like one. But Prince Charming hung around after he placed the slipper on Cinderella’s foot. Therefore Aiden Lewis is no prince.”
She punched her pillow since it seemed about to argue with her. As she drifted off to sleep it wasn’t Cinderella she was thinking about, it was the shadows on a balcony overlooking the Missoula Valley, and in the distance, streaking across the night sky, were dozens of falling stars.
GLANCING AT HIS WATCH, Aiden saw he was late. Nate had picked seven o’clock this morning to show up at his door again, and lecture him on his immaturity—again.
Aiden gunned the Avalanche through the orange light and pulled into the school parking lot.
Madison would already be fifteen minutes into her first-class, but that was too bad. He was going to talk to her. If she wouldn’t answer her phone, she’d deal with him in person. He was more charming in person anyway. They were going to settle this now.
He barely nodded at the secretary as he headed through the front hall and toward the old choir room. As he barreled down the back hall, Gabe stepped out from the guy’s bathroom.
“Hey, Coach. We took second at the meet.”
“Nice job. Sorry I couldn’t be there.”
“It’s all right, Coach. You would have stayed if you could.”
Aiden paused in his full court press to Madison’s room and considered dragging Gabe down with him so he could repeat that bit of logic. She’d probably ream him out for keeping the kid out of class.
“Aren’t you late for somewhere?”
“Ah, Coach, it’s Ms. Nickleby. Don’t make me go back in there.”
Ms. Nickleby had been Aiden’s algebra teacher, back when teachers looked and acted old like they were supposed to look and act.
“Go to class.” Aiden didn’t wait to see if Gabe obeyed. Ms. Nickleby could take care of her own.
By the time he reached Madison’s door, students were already scattered around the room, working at various tasks in small groups.
He rapped on the door, then turned the knob. It was locked. Who locked kids in the classroom?
Madison looked up, saw him, and sent a student to the door.
Unfortunately, she’d picked Santiago who had to be the slowest boy on the team. Worse yet, she’d turned her back to him so he didn’t have the pleasure of glaring at her.
“Sorry, Mr. Lewis.”
Santiago pulled down the window shade.
Aiden stared at a students testing sign.
“Open up the door, Santiago.”
“Can’t Coach. Ms. Hart said to tell you we’re testing.”
“Santiago, I can see you’re not testing. I can hear you’re not testing. Now open up the door.”
“Coach Lewis wants me to open the door, Ms. Hart. You want me to let him in?”
Aiden knocked on the door again, even louder this time. If she wanted a scene, he’d give her a scene, but she was going to talk to him.
Even as he was defending his temper, the door was jerked open and there she stood—prettier than he remembered, though a lot madder than he’d ever seen her.
“Who locks a classroom door?”
“I do.”
“Why would you do that?”
“It keeps out people like yourself, Mr. Lewis.”
She turned to go back inside, but he reached out and grabbed her arm before she could slip back into the room.
“Look, Maddie. You’re going to have to talk to me sometime.”
“I am teaching, if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind. You can step out in this hall or I can pick you up and carry you out here.”
A silence had fallen over the room behind them. Madison’s face turned a bright red, but she stepped out into the hall. The door closed behind her as he pulled her away from the room. He wanted to drag her into his arms, but he was savvy enough to realize the caveman routine probably wouldn’t work at this point.
“This is entirely inappropriate,” she said quietly.
“Oh, and making out with me on the balcony was appropriate?”
“Lower your voice. They can hear you.”
“I don’t care if they can hear me. If you’d picked up your phone last night, we wouldn’t be having this conversation this morning.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about.”
“Yes, we do. We can either do it right now, right here, or we can do it tonight.”
Madison jumped when they heard a bump against the wall. Taking her key out of her pocket, she unlocked the door in time to see a flurry of students move back toward their work.
“Quiz in 10 minutes.”
She slammed the door so hard the testing sign rattled.
“Fine. I’ll talk to you tonight. Now will you go away?”
“What time?”
“I don’t know. Seven. Now go!”
“My place or yours?”
“I’m not going to your place.” She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, and briefly Aiden wondered if he had.
“Fine, yours.”
“Fine, mine.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Fine.” She turned to jerk the door open. Forgetting it was locked, she nearly pulled the doorknob off. Muttering “stupid cowboys,” she pulled the key back out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and disappeared inside.
Aiden didn’t wait to hear the students’ questions, and he was sure there would be plenty. That wasn’t his problem though. Persuading Madison to talk to him was his problem, and he’d solved it.
Now if he could figure out what he was going to say.
MADISON CHECKED HER reflection in the mirror for the tenth time, scolding herself for caring how she looked. Why had she even agreed to see him?
Flopping down on the couch, she picked up the TV remote and surfed through her eight channels. Without cable there was very little to watch, which she didn’t mind because she rarely turned the thing on anyway. Hitting the off button, she dropped the remote and picked up her book instead, but reading also proved impossible.
She nearly threw the book in the air when the knock came. With grim determination she resisted the urge to check her reflection again. She wasn’t going on a date for heaven’s sake.
Jerking the door open, the sight of Aiden nearly took her breath away. He had on the black Stetson again, and his western shirt fit into his snug jeans just right. Fortunately for her resolve, the wolfish smile on his face ruined the effect.
“Evening, ma’am.”
“Don’t ma’am me.” She stepped out onto the small upstairs landing, forcing him to back up, and slammed the door shut behind her.
“I don’t get to come in?”
“No. You don’t. Why are your hands behind your back?”
His grin only widened. “Maybe you should guess.”
Madison turned to go back inside.
“Okay. Okay. I wanted to give you something special, because you mean a lot to me and your friendship is very important.”
Madison rolled her eyes heavenward, praying for patience, then turned back toward him to accept the flowers or balloons or whatever it was he’d brought.
The basket brought her up short.
“Aiden, what’s in the basket?”
“Take it and see.”
The landing was small, and she had her back against the door. He was already standing too close. The smell of him was permeating her senses, making her dizzy, weakening her resolve. She wanted to flee into the apartment and tell him to call her tomorrow.
But she wanted to see what was in that basket.
It was the old-fashioned wicker kind her mother used to put laundry in, and it was filled with a fluffy beige towel. A ridiculous red bow adorned the top.
“It won’t bite. I promise.”
She gave him her most skeptical look and wondered how she was going to send him on his way. She had to give the guy points for trying.
/> “Aiden, I appreciate the thought—whatever the thought is. But seriously, I can’t take any more gifts from you.”
She paused to think how best to say this. It wasn’t like she’d had a lot of experience rejecting millionaires, but she’d had a lot of time to think about her situation. She’d come to Montana for a reason, and it wasn’t to meet a cowboy. It sure wasn’t to have her heart broken. Better to stop things now.
The towel began to move and a tiny calico kitten stuck its head out.
“Okay. I understand. I’ll just take this little guy back.”
Aiden turned to start down the stairs, but Madison’s squeal stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh my gosh. He’s so cute, but...I already have cats. They’re in Texas until my friend can drive them up.”
“They’ll have a new buddy when they get here.”
“I’ll be the crazy cat lady.”
“You could never be that.”
She pulled the basket from his hands and sat down on the top step. The kitten reached its nose out toward her, and another piece of her life clicked into place.
Aiden sat down beside her.
“I don’t think this step’s big enough for all three of us,” Madison whispered.
“Feels fine to me.”
“You never give up, do you?”
“No, ma’am. I do not.”
Reaching into the basket, she pulled out the kitten, a tiny quilt of brown, white, and black patches.
“I’ve always wanted a calico cat.” She placed the kitten gently on top of the towel, but continued stroking behind its ears. The purr coming from it was impossibly loud for such a tiny animal.
“Thank you.” She refused to look him in the eyes, didn’t want him to see how much his gift meant to her.
“You’re welcome.”
His voice was so close and tender, and his presence was beginning to make her weak.
He took off the Stetson and turned it in his hands. “Maddie, you have every right to be upset with me. Sweetheart, I wouldn’t have left you and the boys if I didn’t have to. I can’t explain why right now. I hope someday I can. For now though, you’re going to have to trust me.”
He tilted his head, looked at her, and waited. His eyes on her, even in the near darkness, made her squirm like the kitten in the basket.
“Please.” He reached out and touched her hand, caressed her arm.
The birds made their evening noises as the darkness settled around them. The landscape lighting seemed ridiculously intimate. Madison looked out over it all, stared down at the kitten in her lap, and took her time answering. Finally, she scooted down a step, rested her back against the wall, and looked up into those bottomless gray eyes.
“Aiden, I do trust you. And I consider you a good friend.”
“Do not give me the friend speech.”
His hand reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, sending a river of shivers straight through her.
“I don’t have to know where you go or what you do, if you’re my friend. But intimate relationships are a different thing. I need someone who isn’t going to disappear every few weeks.”
He touched her face, leaned across the basket, and kissed her slowly and softly. When he pulled back, she shook her head.
“Now that’s exactly what I mean. You can melt me with a kiss, but what good is it? Tomorrow you might be off on another mystery trip and I won’t see you for a week. That’s a lot to ask, Aiden.”
“I know it is.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes. You can.”
“No. I can’t.”
This time when the tears filled her eyes, she didn’t turn away or make any attempt to hide them.
“This move has been hard, harder than I thought it would be. It’s only been three months since I lost the one person I loved most in this world. Have you ever watched someone you love die, Aiden?” She looked into his eyes and waited. When he nodded, she went on. “Now I’m starting to care for you, but I never know if you’re going to be there when I need you. I feel very vulnerable right now, and I need your friendship. But I don’t need this. It’s too hard.”
Her voice had dropped to a whisper, but she never took her eyes from his face. He had to know she was serious. They had to stop this now, before the pain left scars that wouldn’t heal.
“What can I say to change your mind?” he asked.
“Tell me it won’t happen again.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then we don’t have anything else to say.”
“I know you like being around me.”
“I do.”
“And when I touch you, I know you feel the same jolt of electricity I feel.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because every time you leave you take a small piece of my heart, Aiden. Every time I don’t hear from you for a week, I wonder where you are and what has happened.”
“You have to trust me.”
“I do trust you. But I’m the one still at home. I don’t even know where you are, or if you’re in danger, or what is going on. Every time the phone rings my heart stops.”
“Maddie—”
“I don’t know if you’ll be gone a day or a week.”
“Maddie—”
“And the worst part is I don’t know why. I don’t know why you’re doing this. Maybe if I understood I could stand it, but you can’t explain it to me, and I respect that. I respect it, but I can’t keep putting myself through weeks like this last one.”
He crushed the Stetson in his hands. “I want you. I haven’t felt this way in... I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this way.”
She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, but she still didn’t look away.
“What about the team?” he asked softly.
“We can make it through the rest of the season. Keep it professional. I’ll ask for a different assignment next year.” She didn’t add what she was thinking—if I’m still here next year.
Aiden put the Stetson back on. His shoulders slumped and he suddenly looked older than his thirty-two years. She hated what she was doing to them, but she knew it was best. It might hurt now, but it would destroy them both if she waited.
Standing slowly, he made his way down the steps, disappeared into the darkness, and returned moments later with a box of kitty supplies. He carried them back up the stairs and set them on the little landing. As he made his way back down again, he paused at the edge of the light and turned to look up at her.
“Can I at least call you?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
His eyes begged her to reconsider, but he didn’t say anything else. As an owl cried out in the night. He turned, then walked off into the darkness. She heard his Avalanche start, saw the taillights as he drove away. It wasn’t until he’d pulled out of the parking lot that she let herself wonder if she’d done the right thing. She’d thought he might be the one. It had seemed like a fairytale story come to life.
Only she wasn’t Cinderella, and while he looked and acted like Prince Charming, she knew their story wouldn’t end happily. She’d only resent him every time he left, and he would hate her resentment.
Stroking the kitten, she let her tears fall freely. She cried for her mother whom she missed so much. She cried for the father she might never know. And finally, she cried for Aiden and what they could have had.
She cried until the kitten began licking her face and meowing. Then she stood up, went inside, and opened the package of cat food that was in the box. As she watched the little calico eat, she convinced herself she’d done the right thing. Now they had to learn to live with it.
EVERY BOARD HE PULLED up made an ungodly screeching sound, which was fine with Aiden. Let it suffer like he was. He’d rip the whole structure down board by board if it would alleviate this weight on his chest.
“Are you trying to tear down the entire barn?”
Aiden looked over the edge of the roof into the bewildered face of his brother.
“Morning, Nate.”
“Morning, yourself. What are you doing up there?”
“Reroofing the barn. That should be obvious, even to a professional worker like yourself.”
Aiden threw another board off the roof missing Nate by a good three feet, but his brother jumped back all the same.
“Come down and have some breakfast.” Nate held up a thermos and a Tupperware canister. “Compliments of my lovely wife.”
“Can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?”
Aiden paused, shrugged out of his coat, picked up the crowbar and pushed it under another rotted board.
“I still have a lot of rotten boards to pull off. Phillip’s bringing the new lumber by this morning.”
Aiden wasn’t surprised to hear grumbling. Five minutes later they were sitting on the northeastern edge of the roof, devouring Janie’s rich coffee and fresh muffins while looking out over their northern pasture.
“Why are you doing this?” Nate asked.
“It needs to be done.”
“That’s what we hire Jimmy for.”
“He’s checking the fence line along the west side.”
“Because you sent him over there.”
Aiden drank the last bit of coffee, stood, and pulled his gloves back on. “Thanks for the breakfast.”
He picked up the crowbar and continued where he’d left off. He’d managed to complete nearly a third of the roof since sunrise. With any luck at all, he’d be finished pulling off the old boards by the time Phillip arrived with the new lumber.
“Is this about a woman?” Nate asked.
Aiden pushed the crowbar a little harder, causing the rotten wood to splinter and groan.
“Is this about Madison?”
“Who told you about Madison?”
“Nobody did. You did. She’s all you’ve talked about for the last month. Then you disappear again, and now you’re reroofing a barn we haven’t used in at least ten years.”
“It’s a good barn. We can store extra feed here.”
“You really like this one—the woman, not the barn.”
Aiden paused long enough to wipe the sweat out of his eyes, then put his weight into a particularly stubborn board. Nate pulled work gloves out of his back pocket, grabbed one end of the board and pulled as Aiden pushed again with the bar.
Coyote's Revenge Page 16
