Trouble Walks In (13 page)

Right before last call, they stepped out into the frigid evening air, and the shock of it stole Maddy's breath. She hugged herself and fought the shiver that had already begun. That didn't help—her trembling wasn't only from the cold. She was a bundle of nerves, turned on as all get-out. She had been brazenly flirtatious all night, probably thanks to the dangerous mix of liquid courage and the safety of the crowd. Maddy could bluff with the best of them, and she had acted like she had everything under control, flirting her butt off with Ronan. But she didn't have anything under control at all.

Though it had been devilishly fun to kick his handsome ass at darts.

“I'm supposed to drive you home, aren't I?”

“I don't think so, Mads.”

Maddy rolled her eyes and dug through her enormous purse for the car keys. She wavered on her feet and stumbled forward, but Ronan caught her before she could fall. His strong hands curled around her biceps and helped her regain her footing. Maddy pressed one hand against his chest, while the other stayed stuck in her huge bag. The wool of his coat rasped against her cheek, and his woodsy, soapy scent floated around her.

“You smell good,” Maddy murmured. She lifted her head and smiled back at the amused look in his eyes. “I'm so glad people can't smoke inside anymore. Back in the day, we'd leave Skinners and everyone reeked of it. Not anymore. Ronan McGuire, you smell like the woods at night.”

“That so?” His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he let out a gruff laugh. “I have no idea what that smells like, but I guess I'll say thanks.”

“You should,” she whispered. “It's a compliment.”

Maddy tugged her hand from her purse and curled her fingers around the lapels of his coat. Her toes bumped his and she pulled him closer, then rolled up on the balls of her feet and nuzzled her face against his throat.

“Earth and snow,” she murmured. Her lips brushed against the warm flesh of his throat, and his fingers tightened around her arms. “I think that's it…or maybe it's the air. Whatever it is, I like it.”

Maddy giggled and pulled back so she could look him in the face. His gaze was as sharp as ever, more gray than green in this light, and Maddy felt the impact deep in her belly. She sucked in a shuddering breath and glanced at his lips, stifling a groan. All she wanted was to have that talented mouth all over her body.

But nothing broke a sexy moment like a case of the hiccups.

A second shrieking sound popped from her lips. Mortification of the highest order flooded her, and her hand flew to her mouth.

“Ohmigod.” Maddy giggled through her fingers. “I have the hiccups.”

“So I hear. Gimme the keys.” Ronan held his glove-covered hand out and waggled his fingers at her. “You aren't driving, Mads.”

She dropped her hands and straightened her coat, tilting her chin in the air defiantly. “I'm not drunk. I'm a little tipsy and…I'll admit that I probably shouldn't drive.”

“Probably?” Ronan arched one dark eyebrow as he grabbed the purse strap slung over her shoulder and pulled her close. “Try
definitely
.”

“What about you?” she murmured. “Why aren't you a little
tipsy
?”

“Me? I wish I were. Then I'd have an excuse for why I sucked so bad at darts.” A smile bloomed. “I stopped drinking a few hours ago, right after you tossed those first three bull's-eyes.”

Maddy hiccupped loudly. Her body pressed against his and he leaned down, his face precariously close to hers. Maddy's eyes fluttered closed as she waited for a kiss, but none came. Instead, something tugged and shuffled in her huge shoulder bag.

She flicked her eyes open to find Ronan dangling her keys in front of her face.

“Got 'em,” he said with a self-satisfied grin. “Come on, Mads. It's late. I'll get you back to the inn, and then I'll grab a cab home. I saw the schedule of stuff Jordan has planned this week, and you girls are gonna be busy.”

Ronan hit the unlock button on her remote. The car's alarm chirped briefly, and the lights on her BMW convertible flashed across the parking lot. Disappointment fired through her as they walked to the car. She'd thought, she'd
hoped
that they'd take this
thing
between them to the next level. Tonight had evolved into the perfect opportunity. They'd had a great time and now they were alone—but still he didn't try anything.

Like the gentleman he was turning out to be, Ronan opened the passenger door for her before jogging around to the driver's side. She stole a look or two at him during the brief ride back to the inn, but he kept his eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel. To call her feelings “confused” would have been a massive understatement.

They parked the car and Ronan walked her to the front steps of the inn, but Maddy moved slowly. She didn't want the night to end yet, despite how imminent that ending seemed.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” she asked wistfully.

The town usually looked like it had been plucked out of a Norman Rockwell painting this time of year, but the inn in particular was storybook perfect. Little white lights were wrapped around the porch rails and twinkled brightly in the crisp evening. Both the huge Christmas tree in the living room and the smaller one in the dining room could be seen through the front windows on either side of the graceful front door. To cap it all off, smoke curled up from the chimney, and the scent of a wood fire permeated the air.

They stood together at the foot of the steps for a moment, neither one saying a word. This. This situation right here was exactly the kind of awkward, weird dating stuff Maddy didn't know how to handle. He'd had plenty of opportunities to kiss her in parking lot or in the car, especially once her hiccups had stopped.

Except he hadn't.

“You're home safe and sound.” Ronan gave her back the keys and stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Thanks for tonight, Mads. I've never had so much fun getting beat by a girl.”

“I should be thanking
you
for driving.” She folded her arms over her breasts and tried to squelch the overwhelming sense of embarrassment. She was sobering up by the second. “I don't usually overindulge—to be honest, I kind of forgot that I had to drive.”

“See that?” Ronan winked. “City life is rubbing off on you already.”

“Maybe,” she murmured. Maddy bit her lower lip and nodded toward the door. “Do you, uh, want to come in for a nightcap?”

“No,” he said quickly. Too quickly. Ronan jutted a thumb over his shoulder. “I'm gonna call a cab and head home. Bowser's been in that cottage alone for about five hours, and I'm sure he needs to go out.”

“Of course.” Maddy nodded and grabbed the railing. “Right, sorry. Good night.”

Before he could say anything else, she ran up the stairs and quickly went inside. Maddy didn't look back. She didn't even stop to see if Imogene or Bob were downstairs. She was embarrassed and confused, and all she wanted to do was dive into that four-poster bed upstairs and go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow, after her head was clear, she'd feel better about how the night ended.

Then again…maybe not.

* * *

The week had flown by with almost preternatural speed, and Ronan had barely seen Maddy since Saturday night. Their paths had crossed a few times, sure, but with all the wedding preparations and dress fittings or whatever, he'd hardly had a glimpse of her. He kept telling himself it was better that way. It sure didn't feel better.

In fact, Ronan missed her more than he'd ever expected.

That, and he felt shitty about the way their night had ended. His body had screamed
hell yes
when she'd asked him up to her room for a drink, but his brain and an unfortunate dose of common sense had taken over. Gavin's warning kept nagging at him. Maddy was in a fragile place, and she'd had one too many drinks. He wouldn't have been able to stop with a few kisses. So instead, he'd opted for nothing. He hadn't even bothered to get a cab home, the long, freezing walk serving as the proverbial cold shower.

Ronan had a pretty solid feeling that Maddy was pissed at him. There had been no more flirty text messages, and the few times they bumped into each other, she'd kept the conversations short. The fire had been doused and only ice remained.

Damn it all.

He was screwing everything up, and he didn't know how to fix it. He had obviously sent her the wrong message the other night, and he had to straighten things out. Fast.

Ronan glanced at the clock in the kitchen of the cottage. He still had half an hour before he had to leave for the rehearsal at the church. At least Maddy wouldn't be able to avoid him there, and he could make sure she knew where he had been coming from.

Maddy being pissed at him wasn't the only thing on his mind—her safety was as well. If he couldn't get her to stay in Old Brookfield for Christmas, she would be going back to the city alone. His thoughts immediately went to the case, and within seconds, he had dialed the captain's number.

Ronan hit the speaker button and placed the phone on the kitchen counter while he tied his tie. Jenkins picked up on the second ring.

“You son of a bitch,” Jenkins barked. “You're supposed to be on vacation.”

“I miss you too,” Ronan said sarcastically. “Any new leads?”

“You know how those fed boys are.” His captain let out a snort of derision. “They don't like to share.”

“Shit.”

Ronan checked the tie in his reflection on the stainless-steel fridge. Still crooked. He undid it and attempted a better knot.

“But you know that don't mean much to me,” Jenkins scoffed. “I got connections. Remember Robinson? He used to be on K-9, but he's over in the first precinct now, and he's been keepin' me in the loop.”

“Right,” Ronan said, recalling the older man's name. “You two were pretty tight.”

“Still are.”

“So no new vics?” Ronan tightened the knot of his tie. “Still just the three?”

“No more yet but…”

“There will be,” Ronan finished for him. “Listen, Cap. Maddy might be heading back to the city and—”

“I told you that I'd tell you if there was any news, McGuire, and I meant it.”

“Thanks, Cap.”

He was about to hit End when Jenkins said, “You seal the deal with your lady friend yet?”

“
Good-bye
, Cap.”

Jenkins's gritty laugh was cut off when Ronan ended the call. He couldn't squelch the grin that bubbled up because if everything went as he hoped, the deal would be sealed by Christmas.

“How do I look?” Ronan held out his arms and looked at his partner.

Bowser snorted and trotted out of the kitchen.

“Way to give a guy a confidence boost,” Ronan called after the bloodhound. “Some partner you are. Just for that, no doggy bag from the rehearsal dinner.”

Ronan grabbed his overcoat and headed for the door. If he could get to the church a little early, maybe he could clear the air with Maddy before the night got rolling.

* * *

Ronan scanned the parking lot for her car and blew between his hands, rubbing them together to warm them up.

“Ronan!” Gavin's voice pulled him from his private pity party. “Come on, man. We gotta get inside. We're starting in ten minutes.”

Gavin stood at the bottom of the steps of the small, white church with an impatient look on his face. Tristan, Finn, and Dillon rounded the corner from the parking lot, their mom and dad right behind them. His mother made a face at Ronan—the same one she used to give him as a kid when he was about to get in trouble—and waved him over to join them.

“Shit,” he said under his breath. Then “Coming!”

He took one last look around before following his family into the church.

His mother held the door and waited for him. She took his arm and smiled when he kissed her soft, round cheek.

“Thank you,” she chirped, then gave him the classic
Mom look
as they stepped into the vestibule. “What's going on with you? You're not still sulking about Bowser not being allowed in the house, are you?”

“No, Mom.” Ronan let out a sigh and clasped his hands in front of him. “I'm not sulking about Bowser. I'm fine.”

“No, you're not.” She patted his arm and laughed lightly. “You have that way about you.”

“What way is that?” He helped his mother out of her coat and hung it on the rack along the right side of the vestibule.

“When you were a little boy, you would get so frustrated and sullen when you couldn't figure out the answer to a riddle or problem. I suppose that's why you became a police officer. You've had that same sullen, moody thing going for the past few days. Even your brothers have noticed.”

“It's true,” Tristan piped up. He reached behind Ronan and hung up his leather jacket. “You've been no damn fun at all this week, even at Gavin's bachelor party. Not cool, Bro. Not cool.”

“Yeah,” Dillon added. “And no strippers. What kind of bachelor party doesn't have at least
one
stripper?”

“Lots of beers but no boobs,” Finn interjected.

“I should hope not!” Their mother swatted Dillon's arm and lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. “Boys, we're in church, for heaven's sake. Try to control yourselves.”

“Carolyn!” Ronan's father called from the doorway that led from the vestibule into the church itself. “It's time to get this show on the road, darlin'! Jordan and the girls are here.”

Ronan flicked his gaze to the doorway and briefly caught Maddy's eye. Her black wool coat lay open, the bright-red dress she wore beneath it peeking out. The color was perfect against her alabaster skin, and her dark curls were loose and free, just the way he liked them. She looked away and immediately went to help one of Jordan's daughters with her coat.