Homecoming Ranch (28 page)

He swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood, padded over to his dresser and rummaged around for a pair of boxer briefs. He donned jeans over them and haphazardly buttoned a couple of the buttons to keep them from falling off, then followed the sound of Madeline’s voice down the hall. She was in his living room, standing at the picture window, looking up at the mountains in the distance. “I know,” she said into the phone, “I was so excited. You know how big of a sale this is for me.”

Luke smiled to himself and leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb. If they had a medal for selling difficult houses, he was pretty certain Madeline would have wrested it from the poor slob’s hand to don it.

“That’s what I was thinking,” she said, and touched a finger to a raindrop that was stubbornly clinging on the outside of the window. “I should get some great listings now, don’t you think? I mean if I can sell
that,
I can sell, right?” She laughed at her own interpretation of her skills, then quieted, listening. “Mm-hm,” she said. “He turned out to be a great help. Thanks so much for setting that up for me. He’s already got a couple of people he thinks would be interested.” She turned around, saw Luke standing there, and Luke saw the change in her expression—it went from smiling to guarded.

He ignored that. He walked over, kissed her head, stroked her silky hair, and touched her face. Madeline smiled, but it was a nervous little smile, and a funny little shiver traced up Luke’s spine.

“So listen, I need to go. I am going back to Pine River today… Yeah, sure,” she said, and turned away from Luke again. She added softly, “Can I just text you later?”

He didn’t like the way she was speaking—quietly, nervously, and maybe even a little cryptically. He didn’t like it one bit.

“Okay. You too. Bye.” She clicked off her phone and tucked her hair behind her ear, then smiled.

Luke didn’t smile. “Let me guess—Stephen?”

Madeline bit her lower lip and nodded. At least she didn’t lie about it.

Luke didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t as if he thought last night had somehow magically transformed them into a couple, washing away all the issues surrounding Homecoming Ranch. He was a big boy, he could take that she had some sort of relationship in Orlando, no matter how loose it seemed to be. But he thought he might be entitled to a little bit of courtesy—maybe she could have held off calling her boyfriend at least until after she’d left his house.

But Luke didn’t say anything; he turned around and walked into his kitchen.

“I called him because he helped me with some stuff yesterday, and I knew he would want to know what had happened,” Madeline said contritely.

She had to call him this morning? Before breakfast? “You don’t have to explain, Madeline,” Luke said, and flashed her a cool smile over his shoulder. “We’re both big kids.” He turned his coffeemaker on, and reached into the cabinet for two mugs. He didn’t like that one moment he was feeling buoyant and more alive than he thought he’d ever felt in his life, and in the next, he was feeling like a chump. What really infuriated him was that logically, he didn’t believe he had any right to feel that way. They’d had a spur-of-the moment, socked-in-by-a-storm sexual encounter.

But he’d
felt
something between them last night. Something big and thick with lots of roots that could, possibly, if tended, grow around them. Hadn’t Madeline felt that, too, if only a little? If only enough to put off calling the boyfriend until Luke was out of hearing distance?

“I have to call Bree,” she said apologetically. “I need to get the ball rolling on the DiNapoli sale.”

And now, he felt like an ass. She was tiptoeing around him, practically asking his permission to call her office. He’d been on the other end of this scenario more than once, having sex with a woman who thought that came with a tether and ownership instructions, and now, here he was, wishing he had a tether so this one couldn’t get away. “Yeah, of course,” he said, and turned his head, flashed her a smile. “Cream in the coffee?”

“Black, thank you,” she said.

Why did that not surprise him? Black was easy—no decisions, no judgments, no need to second-guess how much cream or sugar to use. Just black. “Make your phone call. I’ll make you coffee.”

“Thanks.” She disappeared into the living room.

“God, grow up, Kendrick,” he muttered under his breath. He brewed the coffee, one cup at a time. He left hers on the coffee table, next to the floor pillows where they’d thrashed around, completely into each other, then took his and headed back to his bedroom and his shower. He tried to wash the conflicting emotions out of his head. He tried to be a
guy
, to consider it a one-night stand as any guy would do, and for shit’s sake, move the hell on.

But Luke couldn’t do it. He wasn’t that kind of guy. He never had been. He couldn’t simply notch last night into his bedpost and forget it.

Hell, he would never forget last night.

Luke finally emerged, clean-shaven and dressed in jeans and boots and a Pearl Jam T-shirt. Madeline was sitting nervously on the arm of his couch as she watched him walk down the little hall. She had cleaned up, too, as best she could, washing her face free of any makeup, braiding her hair and donning the pink ball cap. Going through the motions of getting dressed was the only thing that felt normal this morning.

Madeline didn’t know what she was doing. She knew Luke was unhappy with her—God,
she’d
be unhappy if she were him—but anxiety was making her crazy.

She stood up a little too eagerly and pasted a bright smile on her face. “Wow,” she said. “You look great.”

He looked down at his old T-shirt. “Are you ready to go?”

“I am.” She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder. She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, but had returned his flannel jacket to the hook next to the door. Her hiking boots were laced up
and tied tightly in perfect bows. Gone was the woman who had let herself go last night, who had felt things, experienced things she’d never felt before. Old Madeline was back. Uptight, do-not-step-off-the-center-line Madeline.

Luke opened the door for her. Madeline smiled, but he had already turned away to lock up. She walked on, slipped into the passenger seat of the Bronco, her focus on her phone, texting Trudi fast and furiously, a stream of empty talk.

She desperately wanted to say something. But while she debated, he started up the Bronco and headed for Pine River.

The more time that passed, the emptier the words rattling around in Madeline’s head seemed to be. She blindly e-mailed herself lists of things to do, exchanged two e-mails with Jackson. Luke turned on the radio, his eyes on the road. Madeline wanted to touch his arm, his leg. She wanted to lay her head on his shoulder and close her eyes and think, but she was frozen with anxiety. At last, she tried to break the silence. “Good news—the storm didn’t do any damage,” she said.

Luke looked at her, confused. Madeline pointed to the radio.

“Ah,” he said absently.

“I had an e-mail from Jackson this morning.”

“Okay,” he said, waiting for her to continue.

“He’s found someone who is willing to lead the horseback riding, and he said he gave Libby some names of rafting outfitters we could hire. I think I could make a deal with them. Oh, and I thought we should have the meeting tent erected next to the picnic area beside the house. We might as well make use of that space.”

Luke’s gaze flicked coolly over her, then returned to the road. “I thought Libby had suggested it be down near the campsites.”

Libby had said that, all right. Madeline just hoped she’d be open to discussion about it. “She seems pretty flexible. So how long do you think it will take to finish the temporary showers?”

“Don’t know.”

Madeline didn’t believe that for a moment. “I was going to add it to my spreadsheet,” she said.

“What spreadsheet?”

“I set one up yesterday,” Madeline said, and clicked over to an app on her phone. “I find things are easier to keep up with if you have them lined out.” She held up her phone; Luke squinted at it. It was a miniature spreadsheet with tasks and bars of yellow sliding across the screen, marking how many days to completion of any task.

Luke looked up from her phone and met her gaze. Madeline had the distinct feeling he wanted to say something, but all he did say was, “I don’t know how long.”

Madeline lowered her phone. “Okay. Well, when you do, let me know, and I’ll add it.” She smiled.

“Sure.” He didn’t sound like he meant it.

Madeline could feel the anxiety filling her up like a balloon. Last night had been so great,
too
great. She’d been so free, so happy, and now she was struggling. She never meant to hurt him, or anyone. And honestly, she didn’t understand why he was so angry. It was one night. And he didn’t really
know
her. If he did know her, really know her, he would… he would…

He’d what
?

Madeline’s pulse began to pound in her neck.
Say it. SAY IT.
It was all she could do to admit her greatest fear to herself: that he would leave her. He would know her, and he would leave her.

So tell him you’re sorry.
Sorry? But that sounded so wrong. What exactly was she sorry for? Because she wasn’t sorry, she was enthralled by him.
Then tell him that, tell him how you feel.

How did she feel? Scared and a little crazy at the moment. What she needed was some space. Some time to think, to put everything back in place.

By the time they reached Pine River about an hour later, Madeline had worked herself up into a silent lather about it. She was droning on about chairs and cots—hell, she didn’t know what all she said. Luke barreled down the main drag, pulling up outside Tomlinson’s Feed.

“What are we doing?” Madeline asked, sitting up, staring at the specials shoe-polished onto the windows of the store.

“Dog food,” he said curtly, and hopped out of the Bronco. He didn’t look back to see if she was coming, just strode in.

And then he took his own sweet time.

Madeline got out to stretch her legs. She called Jackson with a question about cots. “Hey!” Jackson said. “Libby is here. We’re just going over a few things. You want to join us?”

Madeline looked at the feedstore. “Let me see. I’ll call you back,” she said, and asked him to give her a few minutes before she clicked off.

“Madeline, right?”

Madeline whirled around and came face to face with Julie Daugherty. She was more beautiful than what Madeline remembered, with silky blond hair, a perfect figure. She was wearing a short skirt and heels, making her an inch or two taller than Madeline. “Hi,” Madeline said.

Julie looked at the Bronco.

“He’s inside,” Madeline blurted.

“What?” Julie asked, startled, and looked at Madeline again.

“Luke. He’s inside,” she said, gesturing to the store. “Dog food.”

“Oh, I… I wondered,” Julie said.

Just then, the door of the store opened and Luke walked out, a bag of dog food on his shoulder. His step slowed a little when he saw Julie and Madeline standing there together.

“Hey!” Madeline said brightly the moment she saw him. She felt like she was shaking with nervous energy. “Look who’s here!”

“I see,” he said. “Hey, Julie.” He walked around to the back of his Bronco, swung open the back gate, and dumped the bag of dog food into the bed. When he shut the gate, he said, “What’s up?”

Madeline looked at Julie, who was blushing. “I was at the bank applying for a job, and I saw you guys pull up,” Julie said.

“A job?” Luke asked curiously.

Julie smiled and shrugged a little. “Desperate times and all that. I was going to grab some lunch. Do you guys want to join me?” she asked, but she wasn’t looking at Madeline. She was looking at Luke. “I thought I’d pop into the Grizzly.”

“Oh, not for me, thanks,” Madeline said quickly. “I have
so
much to do.”

“And I need to take her up to the ranch,” Luke added, just as quickly, his gaze on Madeline now. She could see the look of warning in his eyes. But it was her escape, and she was taking it.

“You know what, Luke?” Madeline said. “I was just talking to Jackson a minute ago and it turns out Libby came into town to get some stuff, and she’s in his office! I can get a ride with her.”

“You don’t need to do that—” Luke started, but Madeline was already backing away. “It’s no trouble! You two go ahead.” She darted to the passenger side of the Bronco and grabbed her bag. “This works out for everyone.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Luke said.

“Luke, thank you. For the ride, I mean, to Pine River. It was nice to see you again, Julie,” she said, already walking, already making her escape. “I’ll see you guys later?” She didn’t wait for anyone to answer, but put her head down and hurried off, her stomach in knots, the image of Luke with angry eyes and clenched jaw dancing in her mind’s eye.

Those images couldn’t stop her. They only made her anxiety worse. If anything, her escape had backfired—she felt more anxious and uncertain than ever.

Libby was all smiles when she and Madeline arrived back at the ranch. She pointed to the tent pads as they drove up to the house, the bulletin board on the fence. “It’s all coming together!”