Slow Burn (A Madaris Family Novel) (4 page)

“Luke’s going to be here for at least a week. Great-Gramma Laverne sent for him.”

“Why?”

“Someone mentioned to her that he won’t be making the family reunion in July due to some rodeo show. She wants him to look her in the face and tell her he won’t be coming.”

Blade then chuckled and added. “As usual, she’s claiming this is her last reunion and wants to see all her children, grands, great-grands, and great-great-grands.”

A slow smile spread across Slade’s lips. It was hard to believe that at three years short of facing ninety the matriarch of the Madaris family was still as feisty as ever. “You know what’s going to happen, don’t you, Blade?”

“Yes. Luke’s going to drop whatever plans he’s made and be at that reunion. Do you blame him?”

“No.” And that was the truth. The last thing anyone with a lick of sense would want was to get on Felicia Laverne Madaris’ bad side. Besides, if Luke was to miss the family reunion this year and something did happen to their great-grandmother before the next reunion, Luke would be fearful the old gal would come back and make his life a living hell until his dying day.

“Something else you ought to know,” Blade was saying.

“What?”

“Great-Gramma Laverne dreamed about fish last night. Everyone is hoping it’s not Syneda.”

Slade laughed. Syneda was their cousin Clayton’s wife. The family thought that Clayton and Syneda’s four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Remington, was a handful, and the thought of them adding another child to their already chaotic household was too much to think about.

“Have you ever considered that with your track record, twin brother, her fish dream could possibly mean that one of your—”

“Don’t even think it, Slade. I’m too careful for that. Besides, I do women. Not babies. Luke and I will look for you this weekend. If something comes up and you can’t make it back, let us know.”

Blade then clicked off the line.

A few minutes later, Slade was opening the French doors to join Justin, Lorren, and Skye on the veranda for lunch.

“We thought you’d gotten lost,” Justin said, grinning.

Slade chuckled as he sat down at the table. “I got a call from Blade letting me know that Luke’s in town. Great-Gramma Laverne sent for him.”

“Poor Luke,” Lorren said, grinning.

“Who’s Luke?” Skye asked curiously, and hoped she wasn’t out of place for doing so.

Evidently she wasn’t, since Justin didn’t waste time answering her. “Lucas, who we all call Luke, is one of my cousins and he’s the same age as Blade and Slade, just a few months younger. He’s a well-known rodeo star around these parts.”

“Really?” she asked, taking a sip of her iced tea.

“Yes, really,” Slade said, smiling, liking the sound of her voice whenever she talked. “Have you ever been to a rodeo?”

She shook her head. “No. I’ve watched one on television, though.”

Slade laughed. “That doesn’t count. You have to see one live, from inside the arena. That’s the only way you can really get your adrenaline pumping. If you hang around long enough I’ll make it my business to take you to one,” he said simply.

His words surprised Skye. From the tone of his voice she had no doubt that he meant it, and where she came from such a statement would constitute a planned date. “Thanks, Slade, I’d like that. And I hope to be around awhile, that is, if Justin and Lorren approve.”

Justin reached across the table and captured Lorren’s hand in his. “Lorren and I have no reason not to approve. I think Vincent will be excited when he finds out he has a sister.”

“Even one who’s ten years older?” she asked, still not sure of the situation.

Justin chuckled. “Yes, even one who is ten years older.”

Skye bit into the delicious chicken salad sandwich Lorren had prepared, thinking that she really hoped so. Everyone seemed to believe that Vincent would be fine in meeting her, and she just hoped they were right.

She felt Slade’s eyes on her and glanced over at him. Her stomach jittered a little when their gazes connected. There was this attraction between them. She had felt it from the first, the moment he had opened the door. She idly took a sip of her tea, and instead of concentrating on Slade she glanced over at Justin and Lorren.

From what Skye had read, they’d been married around ten years, and it was plain to see they were still very much in love. Lorren practically glowed in Justin’s presence, and certain things they did together seemed to come naturally, without much thought. The way they touched frequently, gazed at each other, and the smiles they exchanged. She thought about her own parents who’d been married five years before she’d come into the picture. The only time they came together was for family emergencies, such as when she’d found out about her adoption. Then they had been a united front against her and her decisions. Other than that it was all show. Oh, she believed that in their own way they loved her, but to them it was and always had been about dominating her life.

“So where are you staying while in town, Skye?”

She glanced up at the sound of Lorren’s voice. “At the Caprice Hotel.”

“That’s a nice place, but we can’t have you staying there,” Lorren said, smiling. “You’re welcome to stay here with us if you like.”

Skye was taken aback by the invitation. “I can’t possibly do that.”

“Sure you can. We have plenty of room. And once you meet Vincent you’ll want to spend time with him, won’t you?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then it’s all settled. Slade can go back with you to town to help you with your things. You don’t mind, do you, Slade?”

“No, not at all.”

The sound of Slade’s husky baritone, as well as the intensity of the gaze looking at Skye, sent shivers all through her.

Lorren smiled at everyone at the table. “Then it’s all settled. Skye is officially our houseguest.”

“Have you ever known such a bossy woman?” a grinning Slade asked Skye moments later while they finished off the rest of their lunch. Justin had a patient scheduled at one o’clock and had left for his office in the back, and Lorren had gone to pick their other two kids, Justina and Christopher, up from the bus stop. Justina was nine and Christopher was six.

Skye smiled as she glanced over at Slade. “Have you?”

Slade laughed. “Yes. As far as I’m concerned, all the women in the Madaris family are that way. What about your family?”

She shrugged. “I was my parents’ only child. My mother didn’t have any siblings, and since my father’s only sister Aunt Karen’s husband passed away before they had children, I didn’t have cousins. But my family did have friends who had kids my age.”

She didn’t want to go into details of just how snooty those kids had been, so she had never fully developed friendship with any of them. She had practically gone through school being a recluse. Since her parents had selected her friends and she hadn’t liked the ones they’d picked, she had basically done without.

“Must have been lonely for you growing up,” Slade said, reaching out and tucking a twisted curl behind her ear.

She thought about what he said for a long moment or two, then said, “I didn’t know it at the time, but now I can see that it was. But I did a lot to stay busy. I had my piano and ballet lessons. I also learned to speak French and Japanese, and then when I was old enough to do sports I had soccer.”

He gave her a half smile. “For some reason I can’t see you out on a field playing soccer. You seem too prissy for something like that.”

She chuckled. “Trust me, my parents almost convinced me of that same thing, but luckily Aunt Karen came to my rescue. She got them to understand that every child needs some type of physical activity in their lives.”

At that moment Slade’s cell phone went off. After checking the caller ID he smiled over at her. “Excuse me a moment. It’s my office calling.”

“Sure.”

Skye watched him walk off and suddenly images of Justin and Lorren Madaris filtered through her mind. It was so easy to see that they had a solid marriage; one that could handle anything that came their way. It was one built to last. That’s what Skye wanted one day for herself: a marriage where she and her husband would enjoy growing old together—through the good times and the bad—a solid marriage where they would love each other forever.

She was convinced now more than ever that she would not have had that type of marriage with Wayne, so any misgivings she’d felt about his ending their engagement were not necessary. Whether Wayne or her parents realized it or not, he had done them both a favor. And for that she was eternally grateful.

She looked up when Slade returned. He glanced at his watch and then said, “Vincent should be here in an hour or so. I asked Justin before he left and he said there’s no soccer practice today.”

Skye set her glass of iced tea down on the table beside her when her hands began to tremble. Just thinking about meeting her brother for the first time had her feeling anxious. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“You aren’t getting all nervous on me, are you?” Slade came over to the table and sat down beside her and asked, flashing those sexy dimples of his.

She returned his smile. “Should I be?”

He shook his head. “What do I have to do to convince you that everything is going to be all right? We’re Madarises and we’re known for our warm southern hospitality. We plan to make you feel right at home.”

Gosh, in a way she hoped not. But then Slade had no way of knowing just how her home life had been at times. Especially lately. Her father had somewhat mellowed, but her mother had not. She actually seemed resentful and hurt.

“I hear a car pulling up. It’s probably Lorren returning with Justina and Christopher.”

A few minutes later they could hear the front door open and then slam shut. A loud, masculine teenage voice then called out, “Mom. Dad. I’m home.”

Skye’s throat tightened and the hand at her side clenched. She knew the person who’d just walked in the door had to be Vincent. She met Slade’s gaze, and he gave her an encouraging smile. “Remember what I told you,” he whispered calmly as he stood. He then reached out, captured her hand, and pulled her up beside him.

She nodded. She not only wanted to remember everything he’d told her, but she wanted to believe it as well. She glanced toward the doorway when a teenage boy walked in. Her breath caught. At sixteen Vincent Madaris was already a very handsome young man. She could imagine how he would look ten more years from now. He was lanky as well as tall, but not as tall as Justin and Slade. However, Vincent had to be at least six feet already. He favored the younger pictures she’d viewed earlier in the photo album, and he was smiling.

“Hey, Slade, where is everyone?” he asked, coming into the room.

When Slade moved out of the way, Vincent noticed Skye when he walked closer into the room, and with manners that were lacking in a lot of teens his age, he offered her his hand, smiling. “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Vincent Madaris. Are you Slade’s friend?”

At that moment Skye felt all kinds of turbulent emotions and fought the tears that wanted to form in her eyes when she stared into the face of her brother. She had to swallow the huge lump in her throat but couldn’t do anything about the influx of feelings that suddenly filled her heart.

“And I’m Skye Barclay,” she forced herself to answer in a calm voice that to her ears still sounded somewhat shaky. She glanced at Slade before smiling back at Vincent and saying, “And yes, I’m Slade’s friend.”

And deep in Skye’s heart she believed that statement was true.

“Vincent! Your dad and I didn’t expect you home from school
this early,” a breathless Lorren said, quickly walking into the room with two kids on her heels. The little girl was a replica of her mother, while the little boy favored Justin.

“Hey, Mom,” Vincent said, smiling. He then crossed the room to give Lorren a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. “With only one more week of school left before summer vacation begins, the teachers decided to end the school day an hour early for the rest of the week.”

Lorren smiled. “You’ve met Skye, right?”

Vincent returned his mother’s smile. “Yes. She’s Slade’s friend.”

Lorren nodded before proceeding to introduce Skye to her other two kids.

“Are you Slade’s girlfriend?” six-year-old Christopher asked, staring at Skye with wonder and curiosity in his eyes.

“He’s never brought a girlfriend to our house before,” nine-year-old Justina tacked on.

Skye shook her head, grinning. “No, I’m not Slade’s girlfriend. We’re just friends.”

“Okay, that’s enough questions, you guys. Skye will be staying with us for a few days, so all of you will get the chance to chat with her some more later. It’s homework time.”

Lorren glanced at Skye and Slade. “Excuse me for a minute. I need to get them settled in the study.” She then said to Vincent, “Go let your dad know you’re home.”

“All right.” Vincent quickly left the room to do as his mother instructed.

Lorren glanced over at Skye and gave her an assuring smile. “We’ll talk with him after dinner. Now is probably a good time for Slade to help get your things from the hotel. By the time the two of you get back, dinner will be ready.”

“All right, and thanks.” Skye knew her voice sounded weak and shaky, but that couldn’t be helped. At the moment every part of her felt the same way.

“This is everything?”

Skye nodded as Slade reached down to take the one piece of luggage from her. She smiled at the amazement in his voice and said, “I travel light.”

The smile he returned had her toes tingling. “If you do, then you’re the only woman I know who does.”

Skye walked beside him out of the hotel to Justin’s truck. They had left her rental car back at Lorren Oaks. A part of her still couldn’t believe that Justin and Lorren had invited her to be their houseguest, which only proved what kind and thoughtful people they were.

And she appreciated the fact that instead of following her up to her hotel room, Slade had waited downstairs in the lobby while she packed, giving her privacy. The thought of them in a hotel room together did crazy things to her mind. Besides, the last thing she needed was for him to be standing around while she cleared the hotel’s dresser drawers of her underthings, not that there was anything so spectacular about white cotton panties and bras. Like most women, she liked nice underthings, but the ones she wore tended to be of the traditional kind. When she and Wayne had begun sharing a bed, she’d tried changing her taste in lingerie for him, trying to appear sexy. Once Wayne had seen her in something she thought would turn the heat up in the bedroom, he’d said that wearing something like that, she reminded him of a floozy. So she had gone back to plain white cotton.

“You’re quiet. You’re not getting all nervous on me again, are you?”

Skye glanced up at Slade when they made it to the truck and he was opening the backseat to put her luggage inside. She wondered what he’d think if he knew her thoughts had been on her plain-Jane underwear. “No, I’m not getting nervous, although I’m wondering what’s next.”

Slade chuckled. “When we get back, we’ll all sit at the table and eat the delicious meal that I know Lorren is preparing. But then it could be Justin who’s doing the cooking, since that’s a task they share. Afterward, you, Justin, and Lorren will break the news to Vincent as to who you really are.”

Skye sighed. “You’ll be there, too, won’t you?”

He stared down at her before opening the truck door. Skye had just realized how close they were standing to each other. “If you want me there, then I’ll be there.”

“Yes. I want you there.”

Slade nodded as he opened the door for her to get in. Earlier that day, when she had been looking at the photo albums, he hadn’t asked if she had wanted him there or not; he’d just known that he had to stay. And then later the tears he’d seen in her eyes had done more to him than cause a tightness in the pit of his stomach. Her tears had touched him because he’d known they were sincere. Although he hadn’t known her long, he truly believed there was nothing phony or counterfeit about Skye Barclay. What you saw was just what you got. And deep down he knew she would eventually be his downfall, because he wanted her.

That tightness in his stomach moved to his chest with that realization. He’d been told several times that men in the Madaris family knew the woman they wanted once they met her. Justin said it had been that way with Lorren the first time he’d seen her one night at a party. But then there were those, like Justin’s brother Dex and Slade’s uncle Jake, who’d recognized the women for them however, had tried like hell to fight it…only to eventually lose the battle.

Slade knew that he was not a man to do things on a whim. He usually thought through any and every decision he made. Not every woman captured his eye. Nor did he make the time to wine and dine each and every one he was attracted to. In other words, he was what Blade and Luke had referred to as a slow burn, which was a complete opposite from Blade, who in essence was a lit torch. Blade thought there wasn’t a woman alive who could hold his interest for long, so it was Blade’s goal to date as many as he could and have the most fun while doing so.

Slade saw himself as a man who’d rather take things slow. He wasn’t one to act impulsive or make hasty decisions, especially when it came to a woman. But in one day Skye Barclay had tilted his world, and he was determined to find out more about the woman who’d done such an impossible feat.

“What type of work do your parents do?” he asked, getting in the truck and pulling the door shut behind him.

Skye glanced at him, wondering where that question came from. “My mother never worked outside the home and my father is an accountant, and has been for years.”

Slade nodded before turning on the ignition to the truck. “Is that why you became an accountant, because your father was one?”

Skye shook her head. “No. I like working with numbers, and when I was growing up, Dad would take me to the office with him sometimes on the weekends while Mom spent her day at the hair and nail salon. I used to watch him work and eventually made the decision on my own.”

She then asked Slade, “Did you always want to be an architect?”

Slade smiled. “Just about. The construction company that my brother and I own was started by my grandfather after he gave up teaching. There were seven Madaris brothers, and Grampa Milton is the oldest. The majority of them were educators, because at the time that was the most profitable profession, but somewhere along the way, after teaching for over ten years, Grampa decided he preferred being outdoors and working with his hands. It was then that he started the Madaris Construction Company.”

Slade stopped talking long enough to look around, then proceeded to back out of the parking spot before he continued. “After Grampa retired my father ran the company for a number of years, and then after Blade and I expressed an interest in taking the company to a whole other level with all of today’s advancements in computer technology, Dad decided to retire. He signed the entire business over to us.”

“Boy, that was some kind of faith that he placed in you and your brother’s abilities.”

Slade nodded. “Yes, it was, but it only made us determined to succeed. I design the places we build, and Blade, with his engineering degree, is the one who makes sure my design is what the customer gets. We work well together.”

“Is it just the two of you?”

“No, I have two younger brothers. Quantum is twenty-four and is in medical school at Howard University, and Jantzen, who is twenty-one, is a senior at Harvard and plans to stay there and work on his MBA for the next couple of years.”

Skye found the information about Slade’s family interesting and could tell just from how he interacted with Justin and Lorren that the Madaris family was a close one. She wondered how it would be to belong to such a close-knit family. Vincent certainly had been blessed to have Justin and Lorren in his life. She could tell they were positive role models and wonderful parents.

“So what do you think of Vincent?”

Skye stopped staring out the truck’s window at the Texas sky and turned her attention across the seat to Slade. He had come to a stop sign and was looking at her. She immediately felt goose bumps skitter over her skin from that look. His eyes were so darn sexy. But then she thought everything about him was sexy and, on top of that, he was such a considerate person.

“Skye?”

“Umm?”

“What did you think of Vincent?”

She blinked. She couldn’t believe she’d been sitting there staring at Slade like she’d lost it. “I think he’s a clean-cut, all-around American kid who seems to enjoy life. I have to admit he has the manners that a lot of kids his age lack.”

Slade laughed. “Trust me, all the members of the Madaris family have a part in that. We totally believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and we all try to do our part. While I was growing up, Justin and his brothers, Dex and Clayton, were Blade’s, Luke’s, and my mentors, our role models. We knew we could go to them when our parents didn’t understand a thing that was going on in our lives. They were great. And then there was always Uncle Jake. He’s just swell. Blade, Luke, and I are trying to do what Justin, Dex, and Clayton did for us. We make ourselves available to our younger cousins whenever we can.”

Skye smiled. “I think that’s wonderful.”

Slade nodded. “We think so, too, and although some of those younger cousins are hardheaded and will eventually do what they want to do anyway, we try to give them good, sound advice and make them feel like they can talk to us about anything. Vincent and I are close mainly because I’ve always been close to Justin. I was in my last year of college when I got word of the adoption, and when I got a chance to meet Vincent I thought he was just what Justin and Lorren needed, and that he needed them as well. At the time he still had some medical problems because of the car accident and appeared somewhat shy and withdrawn. I’ve watched him grow, mature, and become more confident under his parents’ love, and like I said, he’s a good kid.”

“Other than soccer, is there anything else he particularly likes?” she asked, wanting to know everything there was to know about her brother.

Slade chuckled. “Yes, girls. But he’s not as bad as Blade was at his age, so I guess that’s a good thing. Vincent is into noticing them, but he’s not letting them take over his mind and interfere with his books. I know Justin and Lorren have talked to him, and I’ve talked to him as well. You have some pretty brazen young girls out there, and if a guy doesn’t watch out, he can be a goner. Vincent is too young to get too caught up in the opposite sex now. In another year he’ll be graduating from high school with his sights set on college.”

“Any idea where he wants to go?”

“Yes. Justin’s alma mater, Howard University. They have a very good architecture program.”

“He wants to be an architect?”

“Yes, and he has the skill for it. He’s helping me design Mama Nora’s private quarters and has come up with some pretty good ideas.”

They had left the city of Ennis and were heading toward the outskirts of town where Lorren Oaks was located. The small, quaint town of Ennis was a forty-five-minute drive from Dallas, and Skye had discovered upon arriving in town yesterday afternoon that there were more bluebonnets, the official state flower of Texas, around Ennis than anyplace else. And they were beautiful and enhanced the beauty of the roadways.

She sat back in the soft leather seat, appreciating this quiet time between her and Slade. She enjoyed talking with him but didn’t want to wear him out. But there was so much she wanted to know about Vincent. And as if Slade read her mind, when the truck came to a four-way intersection he reached over and grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it.

“You won’t find out everything you want about him in one day, Skye.”

She tried to ignore the little sensuous chill that crept up her spine from Slade touching her hand. “I know, but I can’t believe all of this is happening.”

Then, deciding to be honest with him about something, she said, “My parents and Wayne—my ex-fiancé—thought I was making a huge mistake by coming here. In fact, they were dead set against it.”

Slade released her hand to resume driving, but she did notice the frown that formed around his lips. “Why were they against it?”

“They thought I would be intruding in the life Vincent had now, a life I had no part of. They felt I had no right to let him know of the mistake his mother had made at sixteen and were even more certain that Justin and Lorren would want to protect him from finding out—in fear of shattering his world.”

Slade shook his head, chuckling. “Well, as you can see, things aren’t like your parents and your ex-fiancé assumed.”

Skye smiled over at him. “No, they aren’t.”

Skye’s smile heated up Slade’s insides, and at that moment he decided he just couldn’t take it anymore. He had to finally do something, and he knew just what he wanted to do. He glanced around. They were less than a couple of miles from Lorren Oaks and he knew this stretch of highway was seldom used around this time of the day, since most people took the interstate. He pulled Justin’s truck off to the shoulder of the road, under a bevy of oak trees. Slade’s hands were shaking when he brought the truck to a stop, turned off the ignition, and unbuckled his seat belt.

Skye looked at him, confused. “Slade? Is something wrong?”

He leaned back in the seat and tilted his Stetson back from covering too much of his eyes while looking at her and said, “I’m not sure. I know we just met today and the only reason you showed up at Lorren Oaks was because of Vincent. The last thing you’re probably interested in is an involvement with someone. Which is all well and good, but there’s something I just got to do, Skye.”