April Fool Bride (9 page)

"Oh, you know her. She can't wait to get to
the shelter every morning. She thinks they can't operate without
her there to help." Inez rolled her eyes. "But sometimes her help
is more a problem than a help. You know what I mean?"

"Maddie does have a way of jumping head first
into things." He finished his coffee and took the cup to the sink.
"I thought I'd pick her up for lunch, but I forgot to get the
address. Do you happen to know it?"

"Sure. It's near West Alabama in one of the
older homes over there." She grabbed a piece of note paper from a
pad next to the phone and wrote quickly then handed him the note.
"It's easy to find. Oh, Mrs. Quinn said to remind you that dinner
is at seven."

Jake thanked her and left. He memorized the
address then entered it into his phone and checked the GPS
directions as he walked to the Camaro. He took a few minutes to
sync his phone before driving away.

Like any good soldier, he'd reconnoiter and
gather intel. Logically, his mother was the person to provide the
information he'd need so he headed to her house, planning his
itinerary on the way.

Traffic was light so he reached the
tree-covered subdivision where she lived in record time. Every time
he visited her, he felt a warm glow of achievement when he looked
at her house. When he'd netted his first million, he'd bought her
this house and set up an investment fund to pay for its maintenance
and upkeep for the rest of her life. It still amused him that she'd
wanted an ivy-covered English Tudor rather than a Spanish-style
stucco with a clay tile roof. Although she fussed about all the
money he spent, he ignored it.

Before he was out of the car, his mom had the
door open and was walking down the sidewalk to greet him.

"Morning, Mom. I think we have something to
talk about."

Graciella hugged him and ushered him inside.
Jake looked around to see any changes she'd made since the last
time he'd been there. Her home was comfortable and filled with warm
colors, beautiful stained wood, and overstuffed furniture. He had
to admit, he loved the furniture even if it did have pale pink
cabbage roses on the chintz fabric.

Jake accepted another cup of coffee from his
mom and settled into one of the rocker recliners in front of the
fireplace. "There are a few things we should talk about. Why don't
you start by telling me why you told Maddie I was unemployed?"

Graciella waved a hand. "Oh, that. I just had
an inspiration I guess you could say." She laughed. "Maybe I've
been reading too many romance novels."

"That's it? That's your excuse?"

"I can't remember exactly what happened. You
know how it is when you get old."

"Old? Mom, you're not even fifty yet."

Graciella made a big show of looking at the
clock over the fireplace. "Oh, my goodness. Is that the time? I'm
afraid I'm going to have to shoo you out of here. I have a…a hair
appointment in fifteen minutes."

So. She was matchmaking. Had she known what
Maddie intended to do? He figured it was useless to ask. "Okay.
Let's set that aside for the moment. When did you and Constance
become so chummy?"

To his surprise, his mother looked even more
nervous. "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do. So tell me the truth."

"Jake, sometimes people change. You shouldn't
judge people based on what they did in the past, but on what they
do in the present."

Jake shook his head. When his mother waxed
philosophical, he knew he wouldn't get anything out of her. He
passed on Inez's message. "Inez said Maddie went to the shelter
each morning. Do you know anything about that?"

"I really need to go. I suggest you ask
Maddie if you want to know something about her." She rose and
grabbed her purse from a hook on the wall. "Lock up before you
leave."

With that she hurried to the garage. Jake
rolled his eyes. What was going on with these women?

Before he returned to River Oaks, he drove by
the address Inez had given him. Seeing the slightly rundown house
just added to his curiosity. What could Maddie be doing there? Inez
had said shelter. What kind of shelter was it? He drove on by then
headed back to the Quinn mansion, thinking about what Maddie had
said last night. Celibate. If that didn't beat all. He was married,
and his wife was celibate. That sounded like the opening line of a
joke. Had she taken some kind of vow?

Everyone had secrets. Even his mother which
was odd. Of course, he had his own secrets. His wealth which he was
wondering how to explain. His reasons for marrying Maddie. Which
confused him. But he knew it was less to do with revenge and more
to do with desire.

Back at the mansion, he learned that Maddie
still hadn't returned. He noticed her bag had been unpacked so he
unpacked his, tossing the new Lee Child paperback onto the
nightstand he now considered his, placing his underwear, socks, and
tee shirts in an empty dresser drawer and hanging his clothes next
to hers. He hadn't packed much, figuring he'd buy what he needed
here.

Then he prowled through the bedroom and
closet, inspecting everything. He'd already noticed that her closet
wasn't overflowing with designer clothes. There were a few pieces,
mostly evening wear, but even to his untrained eye, he recognized
that they weren't new. In fact, one of the little black dresses had
a worn spot under the arm, and another had a small tear in a seam.
Even the labels looked faded. The newer clothes were made well, but
they could be bought at just about any chain store in a mall.

Her shoes and handbags were expensive, but
they too looked like classics except for the sandals. Again,
everything was well cared for and probably always in fashion, but
none of the pieces looked new except for the pair of the red-soled
stilettos that were all the rage for women. Even Laura had a
pair.

The only jewelry he found were the emeralds
that he knew she'd inherited from her mother. She'd worn them for
the wedding and also last night. Maybe the rest of her stuff was at
the townhome that he'd not yet seen. Had she gone to her townhome
today to get away from him?

Jake made several calls to his business
partners then showered and dressed for dinner in navy slacks and a
pale blue dress shirt. Since it was just the family for dinner, he
didn't bother with a tie and jacket. Then he plumped the pillows,
kicked off his shoes, stretched out on the bed, and reached for the
Jack Reacher novel.

When Maddie dashed in, he was engrossed in
the latest exploits of Child's character Jack Reacher. He looked
up. Her hair was windblown. Her cheeks pink. Her emerald green eyes
sparkled. She looked so appealing that he all but drooled. Then he
frowned. "Is that a handprint on your shirt?"

Maddie looked down at her chest. "Oh, I guess
it is." She pulled her shirt up a bit and sniffed. "Grape
jelly."

"From breakfast?"

Maddie laughed. "No, silly. From lunch."

"You had jelly for lunch?"

Maddie's laugh was infectious. "PBJ. My
all-time favorite."

Jake remembered. When she was a kid, she'd
been crazy about peanut butter and grape jelly. The stain on her
shirt was small. The size of a child's hand. Another puzzle piece.
To her, he merely said, "You'd better get cleaned up for dinner.
I'm sure it's still at seven so you only have thirty minutes."

Still chuckling, Maddie hurried to do as he
suggested. When she emerged from the bathroom, her hair was tamed,
caught up on each side with simple hair combs, allowing the
red-gold waves to tumble down her back. She wore a long-sleeved
yellow silk tee shirt and gray wide-leg slacks with leopard-print
high heels.

Maddie had spent as much time as she dared on
her makeup. She didn't want to be late in case Constance chose
tonight to revert to super critical. Lately, she didn't know what
to expect when it came to her stepmother. A sigh escaped her.

Jake was sitting on the bed and putting on a
pair of polished black leather loafers. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing." When he continued looking
at her, she said, "I was just thinking about how Constance is
so..."

"Weird?" Jake nodded. "I think that's the
word you're looking for."

"Maybe it is. I was rushing because I was
afraid to be late. She used to be so critical of every little
mistake I made so I guess she trained me to be wary of her. But
this last year, it's like she's become a different person. It's
almost as if she's trying to be friendly."

Jake laughed. "Stranger things have
happened."

"Not here they haven't. Do you really think
she's so Machiavellian that she's plotting to control me?"

Jake opened the bedroom door. He placed his
hand in the small of Maddie's back. "It's either that or she's
taken a nice pill. Constance being nice. It fairly boggles the
mind, doesn't it?"

She couldn't answer. All of her attention was
focused on his hand. His touch seared her. All day she'd thought
about the night before. She'd almost convinced herself that it had
been a dream. That no one could be that generous and nonjudgmental.
That she'd exaggerated the way he'd made her feel. But it hadn't
been a dream.

There were only the three of them at dinner.
"I'm sorry, Jake, but your mother called and said she wouldn't be
able to make it after all."

They dined on a delicious seafood gumbo
served over rice, a tossed salad of mixed greens, and hot garlic
French bread.

When they were nearly done, Constance said,
"Tell me about your military service, Jake."

Jake was surprised. One of the worst days in
his life was the day he'd had to tell his mother that he'd joined
the army. And this was the woman who had forced that to happen. He
looked at Constance, trying not to let his anger show. He told of
his years in the army, but he glossed over the battle in which
Danny had been killed, and he'd been wounded. Some things were too
private. Too personal to trot out for public view.

"Your mother told me about your being
wounded," Constance said. "I'm more sorry than you can know.
Thank…" Her voice broke. "Thank you, Jake, for your service."

The simple words, and the heartfelt way in
which they were spoken, surprised Jake so much that he could only
incline his head in recognition of what she'd said.

After that, not much else was said. When
Constance offered coffee and dessert, Jake and Maddie both
declined. Constance rose from the table, but she didn't leave the
dining room. She looked as if she had something else to say.

Curiosity overcame Maddie's caution. "Was
there something else, Constance."

The woman wet her lips. She looked at Jake
then down at the floor. Then she cleared her throat, squared her
shoulders, and looked into his eyes. "I just wanted to say that I'm
glad you survived. And, that I'm so terribly sorry. For that
night."

Without warning, Constance made a choking
sound that seemed much like a muffled sob. "If you'll excuse me,
I'm not feeling very well."

Maddie's mouth dropped open as she watched
her stepmother all but run from the room.

Jake's eyes met hers. "I don't know what's
going on here, but maybe you infected everyone with insanity."

Maddie snorted. "I am not insane."

"What do you call proposing to a man you
haven't seen in almost nine years?"

"Okay. Maybe you're right. Maybe I am
insane." Maddie didn't try to hide her yawn. "I'm beat."

"Rough day shopping?" he asked, following her
up the stairs.

"Yes. Very rough," Maddie lied. "I had to
fight a woman over a silk top."

"Poor little rich girl. You must have lost
the fight. I didn't see you bring any packages home."

"Oh. Right. I guess I need to improve my kung
fu skills."

"I have a few moves I could show you." Jake
opened the bedroom door for her. His voice dropped to a low, sexy
taunt. "I have a feeling you'd be a quick study."

Maddie dragged a breath into her lungs. Her
eyes went to the bed. The comforter was mussed and a pillow bore
the impression of his head from where he'd lain while reading. "Uh,
that's okay. Really. I was just having an off day. I can take care
of myself when it comes to snagging bargains."

With that, she took refuge in the bathroom
where she changed into her most conservative pair of pajamas, gray
seersucker with long sleeves and ankle-length pajama bottoms. The
expensive set had been a gift from Constance. Maddie had never worn
them because she thought they looked like a business suit rather
than something comfy to sleep in. She went about her bedtime
routine.

When she opened the bathroom door, the
bedroom was lit by only the lamp on Jake's side of the bed. He was
in bed with the blanket pulled up to his chest. Tonight, he wore no
tee shirt. His shoulders were broad and acres of golden skin were
revealed, making her fingers tingle at the thought of touching him.
Even in the dim light, she could see small ragged-edged scars
dotting his shoulders. She ached for the pain he'd gone through,
but most of all, she ached for him.

"I hope you don't mind if I omit the tee
shirt tonight," he said. "I'm not used to sleeping with anyone. All
the body heat had me sweating last night."

He never looked up from his book. The fact
that he spoke absently while continuing to look at his book made it
less embarrassing for Maddie. "That's okay. I understand. Truly. I
don't mind sleeping on the floor if it will make you more
comfortable."

"Nah." He turned a page. "It's not a problem.
As long as my reading in bed doesn't bother you?"

"Uh, no. I often do that myself."

"Great." He turned another page.

"Good book?" She had to admit his total lack
of interest in her annoyed her.

"Yeah. Keeps my attention off other
things."