Brody (4 page)

Madilyn
nodded not knowing what to do now that she was there. “I’ll, uh…go then.”

“Madilyn,”
Brody whispered.

“What?”
She looked everywhere but at him. She noticed Sam slip out of the room.

“You
were worried about me?” Brody grinned when she shook her head. “Yes you were.
Why else are you here?”

Madilyn
huffed. “You’ll never get me to admit it.” Folding her arms across her chest,
she glared at him.

Brody
chuckled then sucked in a breath.
“Son of a bitch.”

Madilyn
was at his side in no time. “Are you all right?”

“No. It
hurts like a
motherfu
…uh, like a bitch.”

The
nurse entered the room and handed Brody a release paper to sign and two
prescriptions.

“Make
sure you follow the directions. No lifting anything until the ribs
heal
. The doctor wants you to see your primary care
physician before returning to work. Take the pain meds as needed and you
will
need them. They’re very strong. Do
you have someone who can stay with you or check on you?” She glanced toward
Madilyn.

Madilyn
shook her head. “No.”

“I’ll
be fine,” Brody assured the nurse.

“Make
sure you are. You can’t take a chance of hurting yourself any worse.”

 
Brody gave a nod and slowly got down from
the bed. He clenched his teeth as he straightened up. The nurse nodded toward
the wheelchair.

“I can
walk out,” Brody muttered.

“You’re
going out in the wheelchair.
Hospital policy.”
The
nurse glared at him until she saw Sam come into the room. She smiled up at him.
Madilyn noticed one corner of Sam’s mouth lift, and then he looked toward
Brody.

“Are
you giving her a rough time?” Sam nodded toward the nurse.

“I
don’t want to ride out in a wheelchair. It hurts too much to lower myself down
into it and then to get up.” Brody shook his head. “No. I’m walking out. What
are they going to do about it?” He slowly walked out the door. Madilyn, Sam,
and the nurse stared after him.

Madilyn
drove home wiping tears from her cheeks. Damn him for getting hurt. Shaking her
head, she knew it was wrong to think that way. It wasn’t Brody’s fault Joe
Baker was drunk again and ran him off the road. God, he could’ve been killed.
Madilyn’s tears rolled down her cheeks. She was never going to stop loving him.
Never.
Loving him was as much a part of her as
breathing was. Brody Morgan would always have her heart. She slapped the
steering wheel. Damn him. Why couldn’t he have stayed away? Why was he back?
Not to become a deputy, she knew that. Something was up. He’d been a U S
Marshal for five years and now, all of a sudden, he’s a deputy in a small town
Sheriff’s office? Madilyn shook her head. It made no sense. As she pulled into
her parking space, she saw Zach standing by the stairs to her apartment and she
was terrified. What part of go away did he not understand?

Madilyn
took a deep breath and called Sam. After a quick explanation, she hung up and
stayed in the car. She saw Zach frown as he practically marched toward her. She
lowered the window a few inches.

“Go
away, Zach.”

He
leaned his arms atop the car and stared down at her. “Come on, Madilyn. This is
getting ridiculous. I just want to apologize.”

“You
have.
Several times.
We’re done talking. Go. Away,”
Madilyn said through clenched teeth.

Zach
tried to open her car door and finding it locked made him angry. “Get out of
the car, Madilyn, and we’ll go inside and talk.” He slapped his hand on top of
the car.

Madilyn
was about to yell at him when Sam’s sport utility cruiser pulled up. She
watched as Sam stepped out of the vehicle and slowly walked toward her car. She
heard Zach hiss in a breath.

“You
called the sheriff?” he growled.

Madilyn
watched as Sam leaned against the front of his vehicle, folded his arms, and
crossed his booted ankles. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his aviator
sunglasses but she was sure he was glaring at Zach.

“What
are you doing, Zach?” Sam asked as he tilted his head.

“Nothing.
We’re just talking.” Zach
straightened up.

Madilyn
watched as Sam glanced away and then back to Zach. She pushed her door open and
got out. “I’ve asked him to leave but he won’t.”

Zach
spun around to face her. His eyed narrowed. “I just wanted to say I was sorry.”

“Sorry
for what?” Sam moved closer.

“I
don’t think it’s any of your business…Sheriff,” Zach told him.

Madilyn
looked up at Sam. “You can ask Brody about it. I didn’t press charges but if
Zach doesn’t leave me alone, I will.”

“You
bitch,” Zach said through clenched teeth as he moved toward her.

“That’s
enough,” Sam didn’t raise his voice but he may as well have. Zach froze in his
tracks. “Do you want to file a restraining order Madilyn?”

Madilyn
huffed. “No.” She glanced at Zach. “Not yet. I just want him to leave me alone.
It’s over.”

“Madilyn—”
Zach started.

“You
heard her. It’s over. Move on, Zach,” Sam interrupted. “Get in your car and go
home. Don’t make me arrest you for harassment.”

 
Madilyn watched as Zach wrestled with
himself. She could see he wasn’t happy but he gave Sam a nod and after glaring
at Madilyn one last time, he moved toward his car. She let out the breath she’d
been holding.

“Are
you all right?” Sam touched her shoulder.

She
nodded. “Yes. Thank you for getting here so fast.”

Sam
shrugged. “I was on my way back from taking Brody home. I was almost here when
you called.”

“How is
Brody?”

“Hurting.
He will be for a while. I made
sure he took a pain pill and
laid
down before I left.”
Sam shook his head. “I don’t know how he’s going to take care of himself, he
can barely get around.”

“I
could check on him.”
What?
Where had
that come from? Madilyn started to shake her head.

“That’d
be great. He needs someone to check on him for a few weeks until he can get
around better. I just don’t have the time. With him being out, I’m going to
have to move everyone around. I like having two deputies together at all times,
and I can’t do it with Brody out.”

Madilyn
nodded. Now what? She couldn’t do it. There was no way she could go out to the
ranch and help Brody. Too many things had happened between them at the ranch.
Too many memories.
How many times had they spent the night
in his room when his parents were out of town? How many times had they made
love in the hayloft? Shaking her head, she gazed up at Sam and saw him staring
at her.

“If you
don’t want to do it, Madilyn, I’ll figure something out,” Sam told her.

Great!
She took a deep breath. “I’m
fine with it, Sam.”
Liar!
Why
couldn’t she just say she couldn’t do it? Because it would put more on Sam and
with a deputy out, he had enough on his hands. She smiled up at him. “I can do
it.”

Sam
grinned at her. “I appreciate it. You’ll need to go out there later today and
tomorrow morning to check on him. Knowing Brody, he’ll be up and trying to do
something and not take those pills. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he
needs those pain meds every eight hours.”

“I’ll
go later this afternoon and first thing tomorrow.” She turned away and then
back. “Thank you for coming over. Zach was scaring me.”

“Let me
know if you have any other problems with him. I won’t mind hauling his ass in
if I have to.” Sam narrowed his eyes. “I never liked him.”

Madilyn
cleared her throat. “I know. I really don’t know why I dated him for so long.”

“Well,
as I said, let me know if you have any more run-ins with him. Have a good day.”
Sam sauntered back to his cruiser and drove off.

Madilyn
groaned.
What were you thinking? I could
check on him…you’re just asking for trouble here, Madilyn girl.
Nothing but trouble.

Sighing,
she entered her apartment. The shop wasn’t open since it was Sunday and it was
the day of the week she cleaned her apartment and washed clothes. Now she had
to add in going to check on Brody. Madilyn chewed on her bottom lip. How was
she going to do this? Taking a deep breath, she started her laundry and tidied
up. The hours seemed to fly by. It seemed like it was no time at all that she
was driving out to the ranch to check on Brody. She groaned. She seriously did
not want to do this. Madilyn pulled around to the back of the house. She
knocked on the back door then pushed it open.

 
“Brody?” she called out and walked toward
the living room. She came to a dead stop when she saw him lying on the couch
asleep. He didn’t have a shirt on and though his jeans were zipped, they were
unsnapped. Leaning over, she saw he still had the tattoo of her name across the
top of his bicep. The fact she was here confirmed he wasn’t in a relationship
of any kind. Her gaze roamed over his hard body. He still kept in shape there
was no question there. His
pecs
were solid muscle. A
tattoo twisted around each bicep. Her eyes ran down the six-pack stomach and
back up. She gasped when she saw his eyes were open.

“What
are you doing here, Madilyn?” he asked in a low voice.

She
cleared her throat. “Uh, we want to make sure you take your meds.”

“We?”
Brody moved to sit up but
winced. Madilyn moved forward to help him but stopped at the look he gave her.
“I can do it,” he growled. “And who’s
we
?”

“Fine.”
She sighed.
“Sam
and me.
We both know how stubborn you are.”

Brody
leaned back against the couch once he sat up. His hand moved over his ribs.
“Christ that hurt,” he muttered.

“It’s
time for your meds.”

“I
don’t need…” He moaned when he tried to get up.

“The
hell you don’t,” Madilyn shouted. “You will take the meds if I have to ram them
down your throat, Brody Thomas Morgan.”

“
Shit!
Middle name again,” he mumbled as
he glanced up at her.

Madilyn
tried not to grin but she couldn’t help herself. “You knew you were in trouble
anytime your mom yelled it.”

“Yeah,
and then you started doing it.” Brody leaned his head back. “I couldn’t win
with you two.”

“How
are your parents, Brody?” Madilyn took a seat in the chair across from him.

“Having
a ball traveling.
They call me every week to tell me where they’re heading next. I’m glad they’re
enjoying their retirement.”

“Me
too.
I loved
your parents.” Madilyn smiled.

“They
loved you too.” Brody’s eyes met hers.
“Almost as much as I
did.”

Madilyn
tore her eyes from his and stood. “I’ll get you some water.”

* * *
*

 
Brody watched as she walked past him. He
couldn’t help saying it. He had loved her. He
did
love her. She’d never take him
back,
he knew it with all his heart. Madilyn hated him because he left her. Not only
that but he was still in law enforcement. Madilyn didn’t want a law man. She
wanted ‘safe’ and Brody wasn’t it. He closed his eyes, listening to her in the
kitchen getting a glass, ice, and then water. When she cleared her throat,
Brody slowly opened his eyes and gazed up at her. His heart stopped. He loved
her so much.

 
“Your water.”
Madilyn shoved the glass toward him.

“Thanks.”
Brody took it from her, noticing she did everything not to touch him. He raised
an eyebrow at her and saw her cheeks turn pink.

“Is it
that hard, Madilyn?”

“Is
what that hard?”

“Being
around me.”

“Yes. I
don’t want to be around you at all, but I told Sam I’d do this. So, take your
pill so I can leave.”

Brody
ran his hand over his mouth as his jaw clenched. “Then don’t do it! I don’t
need you to nurse me. I can take care of myself.” He picked up the pill, threw
it into his mouth and drank his water then slammed the empty glass on the
table. He glared up at her. “Go. Get out and don’t bother coming back.” He
heard her gasp. When she placed her hand over her mouth, he felt like an ass.
“Madilyn…”

She
shook her head and ran from the room. Brody swore and tried to stand. The pain
was excruciating and he slumped down onto the couch. The back door slammed and
then her car started up and he heard her driving away
. Way to go, Morgan. You just ran off the woman you love for the second
time in your life. Dumbass!
Brody slowly lay down, placed his forearm over
his eyes, and turned the air blue as he swore, thinking of how he’d hurt her.
Again.