Brody (5 page)

Chapter Four

Four
weeks later Brody was going insane. He called Sam to ask him if he’d take Brody
to a dealership to purchase a truck.

“You
don’t think you’re going to be out riding around in it, do you?” Sam asked.

“No. I
just need a way to get around if I have to go out. Come on, Sam, I’m going nuts
here. It’s been four weeks and I could do something in the office for you.”

“I’ll
be out on my lunch break.” Sam hung up.

 
Brody knew Sam wasn’t happy about it, but
he’d take Brody wherever he needed to go. There wasn’t anyone else he could
ask. Mark would be sleeping and there was no way he’d ask Madilyn. After the
way he talked to her the last time she was here, he’d be lucky if she ever
spoke to him again. He ran his hand down his face.
What the fuck is wrong with you?
She’d been there to help him and
he threw it back in her face.
God!
You’re an idiot, Morgan.

 
Later in the afternoon, Sam arrived and
they headed for the car dealership. Brody picked out a black Silverado 4x4. As
he drove it home, he grinned. He’d talked Sam into letting him come into the
office a few days a week. Brody had to get out of the house or he’d go
stir-crazy. He could get around all right, only a twinge of pain, and he no
longer needed the pain meds. What he needed to do was apologize to Madilyn.

 
Brody pulled into the parking lot of the
florist shop. Taking a deep breath, he slowly made his way to the shop. The
bell over the door rang as he entered. Sam’s sister, Katie, sat at the counter.
Her smile faltered a little when she saw him.

“Hello,
Brody.” She stood as he walked toward the counter.

“Hi
Katie.”
He
glanced around. “Is Madilyn around?”

“She
didn’t come in today. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

Brody
nodded.
“All right.
Thanks.” He turned to go when
Katie’s voice stopped him.

“Don’t
hurt her again, Brody. Please.”

Brody
turned toward her. “I didn’t hurt her intentionally the first time, Katie. You
should know that.”

Kaitlyn
moved back around the counter and stared at him. “I know you didn’t mean to,
but you did. She was a wreck when you left. I will not see her go through it
again.” She placed her hands on her slim hips and glared up at him.

Brody
glanced away and then back to her. “I know you mean well, Katie, and trust me,
I don’t want to hurt her again. I just need to see her now to apologize…”

“Yeah,
I know you do.” Kaitlyn took a seat on the stool behind the counter. “You were
a prick, Brody. She was there to help you. Yes, she told me all about it.”

“
Jesus
. I know you mean well but this is
between Madilyn and me.
No one else.”
He glared at
Kaitlyn, letting her know whom he meant.

She
waved her hand.
“Fine.
Go apologize, but don’t expect
a warm welcome.” Kaitlyn opened an order book and Brody knew he’d been
dismissed. He strode out of the shop, got into his truck, and drove to
Madilyn’s apartment. Brody sat in the parking lot staring toward her place.
Get the hell out of the truck!
He sighed
and got out and walked toward her apartment. Standing in front of her door, he
couldn’t knock. He stared at the door.
Grow
some balls, Morgan!
He knocked quickly before he lost his nerve.
What are you so afraid of?
Her anger.
He hated seeing her anger, especially aimed at
him. Her redhead temper was deadly. He smiled, she had a lot of fire in her,
and he loved that about her. The smile left his face when the door opened.

“What
are you doing here, Brody?”

 
“Can I come in?” he asked. She looked
terrible.

She
sighed and opened the door to him. He strolled past her and stood in the center
of the hallway. She moved past him and took a seat on her sofa. A blanket lay
on it with a pillow. Tissues lay on the coffee table.

“I
really don’t feel well, and I look like shit.” She sniffed.

“Yeah,
you do.” He grinned at her and took a seat when she laughed. Brody cleared his
throat. “I came to apologize for the way I treated you.”

“When?
Four weeks
ago or five years ago?”

Ouch!
Brody ran his hand over his mouth.
“Both.”

They
stared at each other until Madilyn finally nodded her head. “Apology accepted.”

 
Brody let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks.”

“Doesn’t
mean I’ve forgotten though.
You hurt me.
Both times, Brody.
I
know you’re sorry about it, but you still hurt me and it’s hard to forget.” She
shook her head. “And I was at your house to help you, and you treated me like
shit. I’ve never been one to believe in that forgive and forget crap.”

“Christ,
Maddie. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I acted the way I did,” he groaned. “Yes, I
do. I still want you and having you close to me was killing me. I know you
won’t let me near you again.”

“I
can’t
let you near me again. You tore my
heart out and stomped on it. I won’t go through it again.”

“I get
it. I won’t bother you again.” He stood and gazed down at her. “Even sick,
you’re still the most beautiful woman I know.” He strode out.

* * *
*

 
Madilyn stared at the door. She couldn’t
believe he left. What was he supposed to do?
You told him you wanted nothing to do with him
. She moaned. He
looked so good and he would always be the love of her life. It did her no good
to see anyone else. Look what happened with Zach.
The jerk.
Thank heaven he hadn’t been around anymore. Madilyn didn’t want to see him
again. She made her way to the kitchen to make some hot tea. It always seemed
to help with a cold. She sneezed and grabbed her head. The headache was still
hanging on and her stuffed up head was making it difficult to breathe. She
hated getting colds, but getting one in the summer seemed worse.

As she
walked back to the living room, she glanced out the window and saw Brody
standing by a black truck. She hadn’t even thought of how he’d gotten there
with his bike demolished. He stood leaning back against the door with his cell
phone to his ear. Was he talking to a woman? She blew out a breath. What did it
matter? Madilyn watched as he ran his hand over his ribs. She hadn’t even asked
how he was doing. The minute the man was anywhere around her, she lost all
coherent thought. He glanced up and she jumped back, which was crazy since
there was no way he could see her. She watched as he got into his truck.
Slowly.
Had he come into town just to apologize to her?
Knowing Brody as well as she did, she knew he had. She heard his truck start
and she gazed back out at him, smiling as she watched him put his glasses on.
He wouldn’t be Brody without them.

* * *
*

 
Brody drove over to the station and
entered the lobby. Betty Lou looked up with a smile, which turned into a frown
when she saw Brody standing there.

“Brody
Morgan, what are you doing out and about? You should be home in bed,” she
scolded.

“I’m
fine, Betty Lou. Is Sam in his office?” Brody glanced toward the hall.

“No.
He’s at the Baker ranch. Someone called and reported Joe Baker was out there
shooting his gun.”

“Baker?
Isn’t he the guy who ran me off
the road?” Brody asked incredulously.

“The
one and only.
Him and his wife, Mary, who is as sweet as can be, moved here about five years
ago. He beats her and she won’t leave him.” Betty Lou shook her head. “You
wouldn’t catch
no
man beating on me, I can tell you
that.”

Brody
glanced away to hide the smile threatening. What man in his right mind would
take on Betty Lou? “Is Sam out there by himself?” Brody had a bad feeling.

“Yes,
and I told him to call the local police but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Give
me the address. I’ll go out there.”

Betty
Lou beamed at him. “Thank you, Brody. You’re a good boy.”

It had
been years since Brody had been a boy but he didn’t correct her. She handed him
the address and after giving her a nod, he headed out. When he pulled into the
driveway, he saw Sam leaning against the front of his cruiser with his arms
folded. Brody parked, retrieved his weapon from the glove box, and slowly
walked toward him.

“Sam?
What’s going on?” Brody asked.

Sam
blew out a breath.
“Just this idiot being his usual self.”

Brody
stood beside Sam. Although Sam looked relaxed, Brody knew him well enough to
know he was on the edge and Brody needed to be ready. The man Sam was staring
at was holding a pistol, which he had pointed at the ground.

“I’m
tired of standing out here in the heat, Joe. Put the gun down.
Now.”

“I can
shoot my own gun if I want to, Garrett,” Joe Baker shouted.

“That’s
Sheriff
Garrett to you and no you
can’t. You could hurt or even kill someone.”

Joe’s
eyes narrowed. “There ain’t
no one
here!”

“If you
don’t put the gun down, I’ll shoot you and, to be honest, I’d love to do just
that.”

Joe’s
eyes widened. “You can’t threaten me.”

“It’s
not a threat.
Brody?
You got him?” Sam asked.

 
Brody aimed his weapon at Joe Baker. “I
do.” When Joe started to raise the gun, Brody broadened his stance. “Don’t even
think about it.”

In the
time it took Joe to glance at Brody, Sam was on him, throwing him to the
ground, and handcuffing him. The entire time Joe shouted obscenities at him.
Sam picked him up and pulled him to the cruiser. Mary came running over.

“I’ll
be down to pick you up first thing in the morning, Joe.”

“He
won’t see the judge before ten, Mary. You’d better wait until after noon,” Sam
informed her and grinned at Brody.

Brody
knew Sam was telling Mary to leave Joe stew in the cell awhile. After only
dealing with the man for a few minutes, he knew Joe Baker deserved it.

“I’ll
be in tomorrow to work a few hours, Sam,” Brody told him.

“Fine.
I’ll see you then.” Sam got
into his cruiser and pulled out with Brody behind him.

Since
Brody needed a few things, he headed back to town. As he drove down Main
Street, he decided to stop in and check on Madilyn again. He pulled into the
lot, headed for her door, and knocked. Not hearing anything, he knocked again.
She was probably sleeping so he turned to go when her door opened.

“You
again?”

Brody
ran his hand over his mouth to cover a grin. “I wanted to see how you were
feeling.”

“Well,
considering you were here not too long ago, I feel the same.” She opened the
door to allow him to enter.

“You
always were a smart ass,” Brody muttered as he entered the apartment.

Madilyn
snorted. “I had to be around you. I couldn’t let you get the better of me.”

Brody
grinned at her. “You look a little better than earlier. Did you drink tea?”

Madilyn
laughed. “Yes.
My cure all.”

He
shook his head as he moved toward the chair in the living room. “You actually
believe tea will make you feel better.”

“I’m
not having this conversation with you. I won’t let you put my tea down,” she
teased.

“Fine.
Could I have some water?” Brody
asked as he sat down.

Madilyn
sighed. “You plan on staying a while?”

“Come
on, Maddie. I just came from a bad situation.” He knew the minute the words
left his lips he’d said the wrong thing. She turned white. He swore softly.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No.
It’s fine.” She flopped down on the sofa.

 
Brody stood. “I’ll get the water. Do you
need anything?” He gazed at her.

Madilyn
stared up at him.
“You.”

“What?”
Brody frowned. He couldn’t have heard what he thought he heard.

She
cleared her throat. “I need you. I can’t deny it anymore. Just now when you
told me you’d come from a bad situation, I knew I was lying to myself.”

Brody
squatted down in front of her. “About what?” he whispered.

“Telling
myself I don’t love you.” Her eyes met his. She reached out and removed his
glasses. “Tell me about the bad situation.”