The Mighty Quinns: Kieran (12 page)

She took several turns, then headed down a narrow road leading toward Bluestone Lake. “I used to fish down here with my grandfather,” she said. “We ride back here, too. There’s a trail that leads from my grandparents place down to the lake. The man that owns the property boards his horses at the farm. Sasha and Maggie.”

The road dead-ended and Maddie slowed the car as she reached the end. When she stopped the car, she let out a tightly held breath. “All right. I think I’ve had enough for the first day.”

“That was pretty good,” he said. “Much better than my attempts at riding.”

She opened her door and stepped out. The air was thick with the sounds of cicadas and birds took flight as they walked to the water. He joined her, staring out at the glassy surface of the lake. “What a great spot,” he said.

They wandered down to the water’s edge. Maddie bent down and grabbed a flat stone and skipped it across the water. It bounced twice before disappearing beneath the surface.

“My mother called this morning,” she said.

“When?”

“When we were riding. My grandmother, who is not an accomplished liar, told her that she hadn’t talked to me. So, I’m expecting that she’ll turn up here in the next few days.”

She picked up another stone and this time managed three skips before it sank. She risked a glance over at Kieran, only to find him watching her.

“What do you want to do? Maddie, if you want to leave, we’ll go. I’ll do whatever you want,” he offered.

“I can’t keep running,” she said. “Sooner or later, I’m going to have to face her and explain my side of this.”

“Do you know what you want?”

She lifted her shoulders in a vague shrug. “I feel stronger, like I can finally stand up to her. But I’m afraid that I’m not going to have a choice. How do I just walk away from a career?”

“I know how you’re feeling. After six weeks, I’m supposed to go back to Seattle and make a decision that will affect the rest of my life. I’m the logical choice to run the family business. But I’m not sure that’s what I want.”

“You aren’t?”

Kieran shook his head. He picked up another stone and handed it to her. “Nope.”

They had stumbled upon the perfect affair—all fun, no strings, both of them on vacation from reality. What more could she ask for? But with each day that passed, Maddie realized that she wanted to think about a future, a happy life with a husband and a family.

And it all started when she’d met Kieran. Everything had changed that day in the bus station. She found the one person in the world who completely understood her. He found all her most annoying qualities amusing and all her most amusing qualities adorable. How could she not fall hopelessly in love with a man like that?

“Do you miss being home?” she asked.

“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I miss hanging out with my brothers.”

“I always wished I had siblings,” she said. “It must be nice. You’ll always have them. Someday, I’m going to be all alone.”

“No, you won’t,” Kieran said. “You’ll be married. You’ll have a family. Children and grandchildren.”

A smiled twitched at her lips as she tried to imagine herself raising kids. She still felt like a kid herself. “It’s hard to have a family and a singing career,” she said.

“So you’re thinking about going back?”

“I don’t know.” And truthfully, she didn’t. She’d be a fool to throw away a career she’d spent ten years building. She helped to support her grandparents’ farm and she employed her mother as well as a lot of other people. Like her grandmother said, she had a responsibility to use her talents. “I feel better, almost like I want to perform again. Not in a big arena show, but in a smaller venue. I think I could do that.”

“I’d like to hear you sing,” Kieran said. “‘Jimmy Crack Corn’ and ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ weren’t really that impressive.”

“All right,” she said. “Soon.”

He drew her into his embrace and kissed her forehead. “Soon,” he murmured.

* * *

A
SLOW
COUNTRY
song from the car radio drifted on the night air, mixing with the soft sounds of the breeze in the trees. Kieran closed his eyes and leaned back into the soft leather seat of the Cadillac.

He and Maddie had driven the car out along the narrow road between the paddocks until they found a private spot to enjoy the sunset.

“And how was your first day of work, honey?” Maddie asked.

He turned to look at her. They were both stretched out in the backseat, their bare feet propped up on the edge of the front seat. “Remember how I said I was sore from riding yesterday? That wasn’t sore. This is sore.”

“You’re just not used to it,” Maddie said, smiling.

“No kidding. I sit behind a desk all day long, in front of a computer. I read reports and talk to the accountants.” Kieran groaned inwardly. He’d never actually described his job but now that he had, it sounded really boring. “You know, I never actually get anything done at work. I mean, I finish reports and take meetings, but then, the next month, it starts all over again. At least, here at the farm, I finished something.”

“Maybe,” Maddie said. “But you’re going to do the same things tomorrow, too. Stables need to be cleaned, horses need to be fed and groomed.”

“But it feels good. I work hard. I sweat. And when the day is over, I feel like I accomplished something.”

“You’re getting a nice tan,” she said, running her hand over his bare chest.

“Don’t even start,” he murmured. “I’m not sure I can move.”

Maddie put on a pretty pout. “You didn’t use your lips today. Or your tongue. They should still work okay.” She carefully climbed over him until her legs straddled his hips. Bending close, she drew her tongue along his bottom lip.

A groan slipped from his throat. Her kiss had the intended reaction. He felt himself getting hard beneath his jeans.

“You know, we’re going to have to get you some country-boy clothes if you’re going to be staying here. You can’t keep dressing like an accountant from Seattle.”

“There is a certain smell that follows me out of the barn,” he said. “But I’m going to have to make a little money before I can afford clothes.”

“I could take you shopping,” Maddie said. “And then, after we get you looking good, I’ll take you out. We’ll go dancing.”

“At a club?”

She laughed. “No, not at a club. I’ll take you to Charlie’s. It’s a honky-tonk not far from here. I used to sing there when I was younger. Charlie kind of gave me my start.”

“Yeah? That might be fun. But it’s going to have to wait a few days, until I can actually move my arms and legs. And I’m not much of a dancer.”

“You learned to ride. You can learn to dance. It’s really easy. Just, quick, quick, slow, slow.” She crawled off of him and jumped out of the car, then held out her hand. “Come on. Let’s dance in the moonlight. I’ll show you how.”

Kieran glanced up at the moon in the sky above them. It was an impossibly romantic notion. But then, over the past few days, he’d become a romantic kind of guy. He could imagine his brothers laughing at the “new” Kieran, so head-over-heels in love that he was willing to do anything to please his woman.

Wincing, he managed to get himself out of the car. When they stood facing each other, barefoot on the soft grass of the lane, Kieran slipped his arm around her waist and took Maddie’s other hand in his.

“All right, this part is pretty easy,” he murmured, bending close to brush his lips across her cheek. “What’s next?”

“We’ll start with a simple two-step,” she said. “You take two quick steps and then two slow.” Maddie demonstrated, her body brushing against his as they moved.

At first, they fell into the rhythm of the music quite easily. Kieran counted the rhythm in his head. But then he lost count and nearly stepped on Maddie’s toe. As he stumbled to avoid it, he ended up pulling her along with him as they tumbled into the ground.

“Ow, ow, ow,” he cried, the sore muscles in his body screaming in pain. “I can’t do this.”

Maddie rolled to his side and wrapped her arm around his waist. “All right, we’ll practice later. But I
am
going to take you out dancing. Tomorrow night. Be ready. We’re going to have fun.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I always have fun with you, no matter what we’re doing.” He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, how she’d changed his life. But it sounded so corny. They’d known each other for less than a week. It was too early to start professing his love.

Was that what he felt for her? Or was he merely infatuated? She was so stubborn and unpredictable and fearless and funny, all the things that he never thought he’d want in a woman. But every moment they spent together was new and exciting.

Neither one of them were ready to talk about the future. She had a career waiting for her and he had a life back in Seattle. He’d tried to think of a way it might work. If she gave up touring, she could come to Seattle and write songs. Or if he left Seattle, he could go out on the road with her, maybe help her manage her finances. But both of those options seemed to be a compromise for at least one of them.

Kieran reached over and cupped her cheek in his hand. “I don’t want this to end,” he said softly. “I feel like we’ve found something and I’m afraid to lose it.”

She smiled. “We have had fun,” she said.

Kieran nodded. “It’s been more than that, Maddie. My grandfather sent me out to see new possibilities, and I have. And now, I’m not sure I want to go back to my old life.”

“What would you do?” Maddie asked, her gaze fixed on his.

“I don’t know yet. Drive across the country in a pink Cadillac. Swim naked in the ocean. Learn to fly a plane. There are a million things I haven’t done. I thought my life was fine before. I had everything I wanted—a good job, a nice car, a cool place to live, lots of...stuff. But I don’t miss it at all. That’s got to tell me something.”

“I feel like I’ve changed since I met you,” Maddie said. “Maybe I’ve grown up a little bit.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And you’ve probably noticed that I have been a little more careful with my money. And I’m trying to be more patient and more practical. I feel stronger, like I can stand up for myself and make decisions about my life.” She sighed softly. “We’ll see how long that lasts once my mother shows up.”

“Don’t say that,” he whispered. “Don’t let her beat you before you’ve even gotten in the fight. It’s your career and your life and you can do what you want.”

“But it isn’t really my career,” Maddie said. “She built it for me. She worked so hard and sacrificed so much. And sometimes, I feel like I’m just an ungrateful child.”

Kieran pulled her into a long, deep kiss, lingering over her mouth as she melted against him. She was so soft and sweet, he never wanted to stop touching her. He buried his face in her silken hair and pressed a kiss to the soft skin beneath her ear. “If your mother wants the best for you, then she’ll want you to be happy.”

Maddie sat up beside him, brushing away the tears that had suddenly filled her eyes. “You’re right,” she said. “You’re always right.”

“Not always,” he said. “I think I may have been wrong about dancing. I’m not sure I can get up off the ground.”

Maddie stood, then reached down and pulled him up by the arm. “Come on, old man. Let’s find you somewhere more comfortable to enjoy the moonlight. Why don’t we give that big backseat a try?”

“Maybe you should just drive me home and put me to bed,” he said.

Maddie giggled. “Come on. I’ve never done it in the backseat of a pink Cadillac.” She began to sing the song to him, slow and sexy, in a provocative voice, as they walked back to the car. She opened the passenger-side door, then pulled the seat forward, holding his hand as she stepped into the car.

Maddie turned suddenly and wrapped her hand around his waist, pulling him down onto the soft leather seat. “I’ve heard that all sorts of things can happen in the backseat of a car. Whatever are you going to do with me?”

“First, we’re going to do a little kissing,” Kieran said, dropping a soft kiss on her lips. “And then we’re going to do a little touching.” He slowly opened the buttons on the front of her dress.

He smoothed his hand inside the bodice and beneath the silky fabric of her bra, cupping the soft flesh of her breast in his palm. Teasing at her nipple, he brought it to a hard peak. With a soft groan, Maddie sank back into the seat, pulling him alongside her.

“Now, how did it go?”

“Quick, quick, slow, slow,” she replied.

He flicked his tongue across her nipple twice then circled the peak two more times slowly. “How’s that?”

“I’ll never be able to dance the two-step again without thinking about this.”

“Quick, quick, slow, slow,” he whispered.

Maddie arched against him. “Oh, I like that. Let’s try again,” she said.

Desire had brought all of his senses into fine focus and he knew that he’d remember every moment of this encounter. The smells, the sounds, the sensations were all marked indelibly in his brain.

He smoothed his hand up the length of her leg, drawing her skirt up until he found the sweet spot between her legs. She was already damp and he ran a finger between her folds. Maddie arched her body toward his touch, her breath catching in her throat.

“No wonder my mama always warned me about this,” she murmured.

“What did she warn you about?”

“She told me to stay out of backseats with boys.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “But since you’re a man, I figure I don’t have to worry about anything now, do I?”

Kieran pulled her beneath him, trapping her hands above her head. “You’d be right about that.”

7

M
ADDIE
LOOKED
AT
herself in the mirror, then grabbed a lipstick from the top drawer of her dresser. She smoothed on some strawberry-scented gloss, then smacked her lips together. “Better,” she said.

Grabbing her sweater, she hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. When she saw her grandmother at the kitchen sink, she twirled around, showing off the pretty flowered sundress she’d found in Lexington that morning. “What do you think?”

“Lovely,” her grandmother said, placing a dish in the drainer.

“Kieran and I are going out to Charlie’s.” She leaned over her grandmother’s shoulder and gave her a kiss. “We’re going dancing.”

“You two have fun. And don’t you dare get up on that stage and sing a song unless you call your Ninny and Pawpaw. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard you sing.”

“I promise, I’ll give you both a private concert. We’ll make a big deal out of it. We’ll sit on the porch and drink lemonade and you can give me a standing ovation, just like you used to.”

Her grandmother laughed. “Well, that would suit me just fine.”

“I gotta go,” Maddie said, hurrying to the door.

“Sweetheart, wait just a moment.”

Maddie paused at the screen door and turned back. “What is it?”

“Your mama called again today,” Sarah said, grabbing a towel to dry her hands.

“Did you tell her I was here?”

“No, I did not. I told her it had been a while since I’d spoken to you, which it was. And I told her that the next time I spoke to you, I’d be sure to tell you to call her. Which I am. Call your mother, Sarah Madeline Westerfield. I’m not going to lie for you again.”

“Thank you, Ninny. I’ll be sure to call her. Just as soon as I figure out what I want to say.”

“I won’t lie again,” her grandmother repeated as Maddie stepped out on the porch.

“There you are. I’ve been waiting out here for a while.”

Kieran stood at the bottom of the porch steps. He was dressed in the shirt she’d bought him earlier that morning in Lexington, a plaid cotton work shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons. “Did you find a pair of boots that fit?”

He tugged up the leg of his jeans and showed off the cowboy boots. “You bought six pair. And eight shirts.”

“I can return the ones you don’t like.”

“I like these,” he said.

“Well, you look just like a country boy, now. Where’s your hat?”

He shook his head. “I’m not wearing a hat. I tried, but I look silly. The shirt and the boots are enough. The hat is just...well, that would be overkill.”

“All right.” She walked down the steps and ruffled her fingers through his damp hair. “You’re lucky you’re such a pretty boy.”

He scooped her up in his arms and spun her around. “And you’re lucky I like to see you smile. If my brothers saw me in this getup, I’d never hear the end of it.”

“Well, they don’t have to worry. With a name like Kieran, there’s not much chance of you going full country on them.”

He set her on her feet and they started toward the car. “What’s wrong with Kieran?”

“If you’re a country boy, you need two names. Like Jim-Bob or Joe-Don or Billy-Ray. What’s your middle name?”

“Prescott?”

“Kieran Prescott Quinn? Really?”

“It was my mother’s maiden name. All of us have that as our middle name.”

“It sounds pretty stuffy to me.”

“Well, what do you want to call me?” Kieran asked as he opened the car door for her.

She hooked her finger beneath his chin and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll just call you darlin’,” she said with an exaggerated drawl.

Kieran got behind the wheel and started the car. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to Bitney. I figured you better at least get a look at your original destination. That’s where Charlie’s Roadhouse is. He’s got live music and dancing and good food and cold beer. Everything a country boy could want.”

“You know, someday, I’d like to see you in Seattle. I’d put you in boat shoes and a slicker and we’d head out on the Sound on a windy day.”

“I’ve never been on a sailboat,” she said. “I’ve gone to a few parties on big yachts. And I’ve sung on a cruise ship. But I’ve never been sailing.”

“It’s pretty easy. You’d just have to sit next to me and look beautiful as the wind blows your hair back. Kind of like what you’re doing right now. Sailing is a lot like riding around in your Caddie. It’s just done on water.”

“Does your sailboat have a big backseat?”

Kieran laughed. “No, but it has a large bed in the master cabin.” He reached over and grabbed her hand, then gave it a kiss. “You do have to come to Seattle some day. Promise me you will.”

“I promise,” Maddie said.

Maddie smiled to herself as they took off through the warm country night. She’d tried to imagine Kieran back in Seattle, dressed in a suit and tie, sitting behind his desk, working on his reports. But no matter how she constructed the image, it never seemed to fit the man she knew.

He was so perfectly at ease in this life, as if he had been meant for it all along. And though he’d been a bit uptight when they’d first met, he’d relaxed along the way.

She thought back to all their adventures on the road. Their trip had been a honeymoon of sorts, a time when they really got to know each other. But there was still so much to learn. She didn’t even know his family, and she knew little of his life in Seattle.

Maddie glanced over at him, taking in his handsome profile, illuminated by the lights from the dash. She’d been taking him for granted, assuming that he’d be with her forever. Six weeks wasn’t forever. And now, there were only five weeks left. Soon, it would dwindle down even further and then they’d be saying goodbye to each other.

How would it work? Would they make plans? Would she follow him out to Seattle? Would he visit her? She didn’t even have a home!

“I need to get a place of my own,” Maddie said.

Kieran turned to her. “What?”

“I need to get a place to live. Of my own. A house, maybe. Or a condo. I need your help.”

“All right,” he said slowly. “When do you want to start looking?”

“Soon,” she said. “I think I’d like to see what’s available in Nashville. That would make the most sense.”

“Where did you live before you went on tour?”

“With my mother. But her house is really big and not very homey. I want a place that’s cozy, like my grandparents’ house. Maybe something out in the country where I can have a few horses. And a dog. I’ve never had pets. I’d like a dog.”

“All right,” Kieran said. “Maybe we can go this weekend. How far is Nashville from here?”

“It takes around four and a half hours,” she said.

“All right then, we’ll go to Nashville.” He chuckled. “It’s been a long time since we’ve done a road trip.”

“It has,” Maddie said, her mood brightening. “I’m starting to get itchy feet.”

“You know, I’ve always dreamed about taking off and sailing around the world. But now that I’ve had a chance to see a little more of this country, I think it would be fun to just spend a year driving.”

Maddie turned in her seat, sliding closer to him. “Yes. In one of those big recreational vehicles. My mother and I used to have one of those when I first started out. During the summer, we’d drive all over, doing county fairs and firemen’s picnics. It was so much fun just hopping in that thing and—”

She drew a sharp breath. It
had
been fun. And yet she’d given him the impression that her life had been miserable, that she’d been forced into a career she never really wanted.

“What is it?” Kieran asked.

“Nothing,” Maddie replied. “I was just remembering.”

“Maybe we’ll do that someday. I’ll get us a big R.V. and we’ll take off and see the country. I’ll come to your new place in Nashville and grab you and your dog, then we’ll go to the Grand Canyon and to Washington, D.C. and Mount Rushmore.”

“I’d like to go to Boston,” Maddie said. “And I’ve always wanted to see those giant redwoods in California.”

“It sounds like a plan,” Kieran said.

A plan. Was that the same as a future? Because the more she thought about it, the more she wanted a future with Kieran. She needed to know that he’d be there, to help her through the tangle that was her life. If he was with her, then she could do anything. If he was with her, she could stand on a stage in front of thousands of people and sing her songs without any fear.

Maddie turned to watch the landscape passing by in the night. Was that true? Could he help her have a singing career again? Or had she just imagined that he was some white knight coming in to save her from all her troubles?

No, she didn’t need Kieran for anything. What she needed was to learn to stand on her own two feet.

* * *

T
HEY
COULD
HEAR
the music from the honky-tonk as Kieran pulled the Caddy into the parking lot. He searched for a place to park and when they finally found one, Maddie reached for her door.

“Wait right there,” he said. He got out and circled around, then opened the door for her with a flourish of his arm.

“Aren’t you a gentleman,” she teased.

“The way I see it, this is a date. I better be on my best behavior. I’m really hoping to impress you.”

“But I like it when you’re bad,” Maddie said, slipping her arm through his.

Kieran had never been to a roadhouse, but from what he could tell, it was a country version of a dance club, with a bar, a small menu of mostly burgers and ribs, a dance floor and a stage for a band.

“Maddie West?”

They both turned to see an enormous man dressed in a shiny gold shirt approaching.

“Charlie Morgan,” Maddie said, holding out her arms. “I was hoping I’d find you here tonight.”

The man picked her up around the waist, giving her a fierce hug and picking her up off the ground. Kieran winced, wondering if the show of affection was at all painful.

Charlie set her back down on her feet. “Gosh, look at you. I haven’t seen you for...how long?”

“A couple years,” she said. “I stopped by the last time I was at my grandparents’ place.”

“How are Ninny and Pawpaw?” Charlie asked.

“They’re great,” she said.

“And I don’t have to ask how you are. We all know.” He glanced around at the patrons gathered nearby. “Look who we have here, folks. Maddie West has stopped by to say hello.”

The crowd erupted in shouts and applause. But this time, Maddie didn’t seem to mind the attention. She smiled and waved at them. “I just had to stop by my favorite place in the world,” she called out, playing the crowd. This brought more applause.

“I hope you’re plannin’ to sing a song or two tonight,” Charlie said.

Maddie shrugged. “We’ll see. I aim to do a little dancing. Maybe drink a few beers and have one of those artery-clogging burgers of yours.”

“Bar or booth?” Charlie asked.

“A booth would be great,” she said. She turned and held out her hand to Kieran. “Charlie, this is my friend, Kieran Quinn.”

Charlie held out a hand the size of a bear’s paw. “Nice to meet you, Karen,” he said.

“Kieran,” Maddie corrected. “It rhymes with
beer.
Now go fetch me a pitcher and a couple glasses. I’m ready to have a good time.” She smiled as Charlie walked away, chuckling.

A waitress showed them to a booth and Charlie arrived a few minutes later with the beer and a basket of homemade potato chips. “You need anything, you just give me a shout. I’ve told everyone to just leave you in peace for a while so you can enjoy yourselves.”

“I got my start right up there on that stage,” Maddie said to Kieran, pointing across the dance floor.

A male singer belted out a song about drinking too much whiskey while his bandmates backed him up. The dance floor was crowded with people moving around in a slow circle. Kieran tried to imagine a younger version of Maddie up on the stage, singing a song and dreaming about fame and fortune. “It’s nice that you can come back here and just chill.”

“There aren’t many places I can go where I feel like just a normal person, but most of the regulars here were sitting at that bar when I sang my first song on that stage.”

The waitress appeared with menus and a couple glasses of water. “I just loved your last CD,” she said.

“Thank you,” Maddie said.

“I’m not going to trouble you now, but maybe after dinner you could sign it for me?”

“You just bring it on over and I’ll do that,” Maddie said. “And let anyone else know that they can do the same.”

Kieran opened the menu and scanned the selections. Maddie’s grandmother had fed them a huge lunch, the usual practice around Serenity Farm.

“I’m starving,” she said.

He smiled to himself. He already knew her so well. He knew she’d spend at least fifteen minutes talking about the menu, discussing her choices, weighing her options before ordering at least three full meals for herself and a few for him.

“Don’t you think you’d miss it?” Kieran asked. “I mean, people obviously love you. You make them happy. It must give you some satisfaction, at least.”

“It does. But I’m not vain enough to believe that they would all give up listening to music tomorrow if I quit. There are plenty of other singers and bands that they can listen to. And maybe there’s some young girl out there who needs a chance. Maybe they’ll give her a listen.”

“I just think that you shouldn’t make any hard and fast decisions right now. I think you should take some time and consider what you’d be giving up.”

“Ninny always told me that if what I was doing didn’t make me happy, then I should quit. I started doing this not because it made me happy, but because it made my mother so happy. And I used to mistake that happiness for love. The better I sang, the more she loved me.”

“And you don’t think she did?”

“Oh, I’m sure she loves me, but I think she loves the business a little more. She wanted to prove something to everyone who wouldn’t give her a chance. To her, it was more like revenge.” Maddie looked up from the menu. “It took me a while to figure that out.”

“When did you?”

“My mother was telling a story to her new assistant. The first label that offered me a recording contract was the one that turned her down. So she turned them down. I remember the night I found out. She’d told me that they didn’t want me and that we’d find another label. I cried and cried. I was sure she was angry with me and that it was all my fault.”