Bound by Trust (9 page)

It
was in the middle of Nev’s sterling rendition of
Chopsticks
that the phone rang.

“You’re
doing wonderfully, Nev. Just continue while I get that.” She hoped it wasn’t
more bad news.

“Hello?”
she tentatively strained out.

“Hey,
honey, how’s everything going?”

Madi
was glad it was Rafe and not another bill collector. She let out a sigh of
relief before answering.

“Rafe.
I’m okay. Is something wrong?” Normally he wouldn’t call her in the middle of
the day from work.

“No,
nothing’s wrong, everything is fine. Are you sure you’re okay? What’s with the
long sigh?”

“Hang
on.” She peeked around the corner to make sure Nev was still practicing and
couldn’t hear her. “Another bill collector found me today.”

“How
much this time?”

“You
wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” She leaned her forehead on the wall. “How
the hell did he get these companies to keep giving him money, anyway?”

“Baby,
I don’t know,” he answered, his voice laced with concern.

“So
what were you calling for?” Talking about the bill wouldn’t get it paid.

“I
found someone to horse sit this weekend.” His voice perked up. “Looks like
we’re set to go to Kentucky.”

“Well,
what luck,” she exclaimed sarcastically. “Buy a lotto ticket on the way home,
all our problems will be solved, and we can go to Disneyland.”

Rafe
laughed. “That’s the spirit, now if the floor refinishing fairy would come by
while we’re gone and get that task completed, all would be right in the world.”

*
* * *

Dawn
was just breaking Friday morning, sending a few pink streaks across the bed
covers, when a knock at the door set Gretchen to howling. Rafe rolled over,
releasing his hold on Madi, as she groaned and pulled the covers over her head.
How she would have liked to have stolen just a few more minutes of sleep before
having to start the day. Before either of them moved any further, the knocking
resumed, further distressing poor Gretchen who felt it was her duty to announce
every visitor they had.

“Well,
no rest for the wicked, is there?” Madi rose and threw her old pink chenille
robe with one pocket missing over her short-legged pajamas.

She
saw it was almost six and knew within reason that the person at the door had to
be Corporal Tanner. He was one of the students in Rafe’s class and had grown up
in Wyoming. His family owned a ranch and his father was on the rodeo circuit,
so he’d been around horses all his life. Since he wouldn’t be able to go home
for Memorial Day, he was the perfect candidate to take care of Daisy and Belle
for the weekend.

“Good
morning, Miss Melbourne.” The young man avoided looking her in the face.

“Good
morning, Tanner.” She held the door open shushing Gretchen. “Come on in and
have a seat, I’ll put on some coffee. Rafe will be ready in a few minutes.”

With
the coffee brewing she started breakfast. She’d done it so much since she’d met
Rafe it was now a habit.

“Do
you take anything in your coffee?” She peered through the archway at Tanner
sitting quietly on the couch.

“No,
ma’am. Black is good.”

“You
know you can sit in here, if you’d like,” she called out. “I don’t bite.” She
was busy placing sausage patties in a hot skillet.

“Thank
you, ma’am.” He sat at the table with his stomach growling so loud she could
hear it and took a sip of the mug she’d left there for him.

“Breakfast
will be ready soon. You left too early to even go to the chow hall, didn’t
you?”

“Yes,
ma’am, and that smells really good.”

“Would
you do me a favor?” She flipped the patties and looked at him. “Call me Madi.”

“I’m
not sure that would be appropriate.” He took another sip of his coffee.

“Well,
I think it’ll be fine. I’m not married to your instructor, and I’ve been around
more military men in my life than most soldiers or Marines.”

He
smiled at that and their conversation wandered to where he could sleep and
where to find everything he needed in the house while they were away.

In
his jeans, shirtless, and with his hair still wet, Rafe leaned on the
doorframe, watching their exchange. God, but what he wouldn’t do to wake up
every morning with her standing in their kitchen with her hair tucked behind
her ears, flipping sausages and scrambling eggs. His desire to be with her
every second of the day had grown beyond what he thought was probably normal.
Whether she realized it or not, she was good at putting others at ease and
commanded a presence appropriate to a senior enlisted man’s wife. And why
shouldn’t she? She had been doing it for longer than most wives five years her
senior. Maybe staying in and having Madi was feasible. He crossed the room and
took her in his arms and kissed her, then pulled her in and nuzzled her ear.

“We
have company,” she whispered, grinning into his cheek.

“I
can see that,” he whispered back. “I am not ashamed of how you make me feel.”

She
pulled back and gave him a playful swat on the arm. Rafe poured his own coffee,
sat with Tanner, and started talking to him about horses. With breakfast set
out for the two men, her mission was accomplished. Content in the role of
Rafe’s mate that she’d assumed, she wrapped a piece of white bread around a
sausage patty and slice of tomato and retreated to the bathroom to get ready
for their trip.

Chapter 8

Halfway
to St. Louis, Madi was still thinking of things they may have forgotten to do
or tell Tanner about.

“Did
we leave him both our numbers? And the vet’s number in case anyone gets sick
while we’re gone?” She looked at Rafe with her nose twisted up and ran her
thumbnail across her bottom teeth.

“Yes,
he knows all the numbers. Besides, he was ranch born and raised. He knows what
to do in most any situation.” He was fiddling with the radio knob, trying to
find a channel playing the jazz he knew soothed her. Maybe that would calm her
frayed nerves that he knew had nothing to do with leaving the animals.

“Did
you tell him not to feed Gretchen table scraps?”

“Madi,
you’re enough to drive the nuns to drinking sometimes.” He finally found a
mellow saxophone tune and stopped. Reaching over, he took her hand in his.
“Please stop worrying. Everything will be fine, we’re fine.”

As
they made their way across the bridge spanning the Mississippi River, Madi
peered out, looking at the silt-laden soupy mess rolling along. It wasn’t that
long ago that she’d come across it, mad as hell, with her insides churning
faster than the water below. Today, thankfully, she didn’t feel the sickening
dread that had consumed her then, only a bit of nerves at going to see her
daughter with a new man.

After
a couple of hours of seeing nothing but the flat lands of Illinois decorated
with endless fields of corn, they crossed into Kentucky and the landscape
turned to the rolling green hills she had left. Even though it had only been a
few short weeks since she’d moved, it seemed like a lifetime ago. Oddly, she’d
thought she’d miss it, but as familiar as it all was, it no longer felt like
home. Maybe she hadn’t known what home was in so long that nowhere really was,
including CeCe’s farm. She was grateful for the place to stay, and Rafe had
done so much work for her it now looked amazing, but it felt like she was just
there on an extended vacation. Of course, didn’t having a home also have
something to do with having a family? In that she was seriously lacking. While
she did have her mother and Meredith, what about the proverbial husband, two
and a half kids and Lassie? She wasn’t exactly the epitome of that sacred
institution.

Gage
had always told her that home was where the Army sent them, and family was the
people they chose to fill that billet wherever home was. That had always suited
her before, but lately, she found herself wanting something more than that. She
wanted stability and a place she was rooted to. Even with Rafe’s constant presence,
she felt the void, and she didn’t know how much longer he would be a presence.
He’d told her he was on the fence about what to do about his career, but hadn’t
been specific about what that meant. What she did know was that sooner or
later, he would either have to go back to a regular unit, or he would retire
and want to go to Montana. They’d never talked about where she fit in to either
of those plans.

Before
she realized it, the Hopkinsville city limit sign appeared on the horizon. Just
a few blocks from the base, Rafe pulled in front of their hotel. While he went
to the front desk to check them in, Madi called home to check on Tanner.

“Hey,
Tanner, how is everything so far?” She watched Rafe inside, bantering with the
desk clerk.

“Fine,
Madi. He told me you’re a worrywart, but don’t worry I won’t tell him you’re
already checking on me.”

Madi
sighed and laughed. “Thank you for that. Listen there’s a pot of spaghetti
sauce I left you in the fridge, all you have to do is reheat it, and there is
pasta in the cabinet.”

“You
didn’t have to do that, but thanks. And have a good time…I mean…”

“It’s
okay, Tanner, I know what you meant,” she assured him. “If you need anything,
call.” She shut the phone and slipped it back into her purse just as Rafe
returned. A smile a mile wide lit his face.

“What’s
going on?” Madi twisted to face his side of the truck.

“They
accidentally gave away our room.” He tossed a receipt on the dash and put the
truck in gear.

“And
this makes you happy, why? Where are we going to stay now? It’s flipping
Memorial Day weekend, everything will be booked.” She began to make a mental
run down of people she knew who could put them up, and where they could look
for a room in Clarksville if need be. “Maybe the campground isn’t full, we
could always rent a tent,” she said with an exaggerated sweep of her hands.

“Oh,
that won’t be necessary, we’re staying here.” He flashed her another toothy
smile.

“Oh,
really?” She looked at him like he had three heads. “Did they have a broom
closet left vacant?”

“No,
better, they upgraded us to the honeymoon suite. The kids who were going to use
it cancelled the room and the wedding.”

How
ironic. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was this God’s way of saying
she should just admit to the depth of feelings she held for Rafe, stop being
obstinate, and give in?

“Well,
gee, was that the best they could do?” she said weakly, rubbing her hand across
her brow.

Rafe
pulled away from the door then hesitated at the corner of the building. “So,
you want to go over to the courthouse real quick and make it official?”

“What?”
she croaked. “Are you serious, Rafe McCarthy?”

He
wasn’t exactly sure what prompted him to say it, but it made the most perfect
sense in the world. When faced with the truth, he knew that he wanted to spend
the rest of his life with her.

“Yes,
I’m serious.” He turned to see her wide-eyed, staring at him. “I love you,
Madi, marry me.”

“You
are serious, aren’t you? We don’t have rings, I don’t have a dress, and we
don’t have witnesses. Besides all that, my life is a mess. Are you prepared to
marry my mess?”

“So,
are you saying yes or no?”

She
tried to absorb what was happening. Was she ready for this? They’d only known
each other a few short weeks, but she had been happier with him in that short
amount of time than she had been in ten years with Gage. What would her mother
and Meredith think if she did this? She’d eloped once and disappointed them,
but what about what she wanted?

She
took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff. “I’m saying yes.” She smiled and
took his hand. “I love you too.”

While
Rafe drove like a madman through downtown traffic trying to get there before
four, Madi called Jared.

“Jared?
What are you and Liz doing right now?” she asked, twirling a piece of hair
around her finger like she did when she didn’t know what to do with her nervous
energy, and there wasn’t a piano nearby.

“Just
leaving base, why?”

“Meet
me at the courthouse, would you?”

“What?”
He burst out laughing. “Not even in town an hour and you’re already in jail?”

“Not
quite, I’m getting married.”

With
a marriage license in one hand, and Madi’s hand in the other, Rafe stood by his
bride in the alcove in front of the justice’s office, waiting for Jared and Liz
to show up. This was the most insane thing he’d ever done, and the one thing
he’d ever done that felt the most right. Fifteen minutes later, they stood before
the officiate and repeated their vows.

“I,
Raphael Christopher McCarthy, take you, Madison Elizabeth Melbourne, to be my
wife, and before God and these witnesses, I promise to be a faithful and true
husband.”

“I,
Madison Elizabeth Melbourne, take you, Raphael Christopher McCarthy, to be my
husband, and before God and these witnesses, I promise to be a faithful and
true wife.”

“By
the power vested in me by the State of Kentucky, I now pronounce you husband
and wife. You may kiss your bride.” The justice seemed glad they were the last
thing he had to deal with for the weekend.

They
both signed the marriage license, followed by Jared and Liz, who was teary
eyed. Rafe and Madi looked at each other.

“Well,
what now, Mr. McCarthy?” Madi asked, following him from the room.

“Well,
Mrs. McCarthy, I think we need to find you something to wear on that finger,
and then we need to go celebrate with Jared and Liz.” He opened the truck door
and helped her in.

Mrs. McCarthy. It had been
that easy.

“Rafe,
does your family even know about me?” Madi read their marriage certificate
again, still in shock that she was a married woman, again.

“Yes,
they do. I told them about you right after I made you ram your head into the
piano.”

“And
what do you think they are going to say about this?” She held up the piece of
blue and white paper.

“Probably
that it’s about damn time I found someone decent and settled down.” He looked
over and saw the worried look forming on her face. “Madi, they’re going to love
you as much as I do. Now, where do we go look for this ring I need to buy?”

“I’ve
no idea. My first one came from the pawn shop across the street from the
courthouse at home.”

“Well,
that isn’t going to happen this time. There has to be a respectable jeweler
somewhere close.” He backed out of the one-hour parking and started hunting the
streets of downtown until he found what he was looking for.

Helping
her down from the truck, he led her in to Paulson’s and found the case
containing wedding sets. Madi was overwhelmed, not only by the amount of
choices, but by the hefty price tags hanging on them.

“Rafe,
you don’t have to spend this kind of money on a ten-minute ceremony,” she
whispered discreetly, watching the man pull out a tray of diamond laden bands.

“I
know I don’t have to, I want to,” he insisted, perusing the tray.

“Rafe.”
She tugged on his arm pulling him a few feet away. “When I asked if you were
ready to marry my problems, maybe you misunderstood. I still owe a lot of money
on the bills that Gage left, maybe we shouldn’t be spending this kind of money
on a ring.”

“Madi,
I have been single for twenty years. All I’ve done is squirrel away money
waiting to find something worth spending it on. I think I finally found it,
please don’t worry about what your ring costs.” He took her hands and rubbed
the backs of them with his thumbs. “If you don’t pick out the one you want,
I’ll choose for you, and it will be the most expensive one the man has.”

“Rafe,
that’s not funny.”

“It
wasn’t meant to be. Trust me when I say, Madi, you won’t have to worry about
money anymore. Now come over here and show me what you want.” He tugged her
back to the case.

Two
hours later, with a one and a half carat solitaire wedding set on her hand,
Madi walked into the most expensive restaurant in Clarksville with her new
husband, accompanied by Jared and Liz. The weight of the ring felt odd to her,
but it was a sensation she thought she could grow to like.

“So,
we have some news today, although not quite as dramatic as yours,” Jared
announced after they’d ordered. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of us in a couple
of weeks. I got slammed with DI duty and we’re moving to Fort Lost in the
Woods.”

“Are
you serious?” Madi exclaimed. “That’s great.”

“You’ll
have to show me around when we get there, Madi,” Liz said shyly. “I’ve never
lived anywhere but here.”

“Absolutely.
In fact when you get moved, we’ll have a big party, and you can get to know all
the other wives and girlfriends.”

“And
I know just where there is a house for rent that just came available,” Rafe
interjected with a sly grin on his face.

*
* * *

An
annoying ticklish sensation gently coaxed Madi from sleep. She brushed her hand
across her face and throat again, blowing out a sharp breath, wishing whatever
it was would stop, so she could sleep just a little longer. She and Rafe had
been awake off and on most of the night, reveling in each other as man and wife
rather than just lovers.

When
the tickling didn’t stop, she turned and opened her eyes, trying to locate the
source. Rafe leaned over her with a wicked grin on his face, the silk scarf
they’d been playing with just a couple of hours prior dangling from his
fingers, about to descend on her skin again.

“What
are you doing?” she mumbled groggily.

“Trying
to get your attention, Mrs. McCarthy.” He tossed the scarf away and ran his arm
under the covers. His hand found her breast immediately, covering it and
squeezing ever so slightly. Her nipple instantly tightened. “I see I have it.”

She
was still trying to get used to the fact that she was, indeed, Mrs. Raphael McCarthy.
The reality that she had awakened married almost seemed like a dream, one she
hoped she wouldn’t wake up from. Once she’d admitted her feelings were real,
she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man.