Trouble Walks In (17 page)

There was heart here, and soul, and an unwavering sense of home.

A jazz version of
O Christmas Tree
played in the background, and Ronan sat on the island counter behind her tossing treats to Bowser. She'd originally wanted to listen to the news, but Ronan talked her out of it. Just as well, she thought. There was rarely anything good to report, even at the holidays. She had emailed Sharon earlier in the week to check on the party RSVPs and actual business updates, but she hadn't even looked yet for the response. The office was closed now for the holidays anyway. Work could wait. Maddy shook her head, sprinkling sugar and cinnamon over the bowl of apple slices, along with some lemon juice.

Had she ever gone three or four days without checking on work?

The answer was a resounding no.

The best part, or maybe the worst, was that she didn't even care. In fact, she'd barely given work or the city or the recent ugliness there any thought at all. Sharon would have texted or called if there had been an emergency, but nothing had come in. And Maddy realized that she didn't miss it. Not the city, or the apartment showings, or the running around after her persnickety clients—and definitely not her cavernous, sterile apartment.

A pang of sadness fired through her at the notion of returning to all that. Maddy rolled her shoulder and stuck her hands in the bowl of apple slices. As she tossed the slippery mixture with her bare hands, she glanced over her shoulder. Ronan was using different signals to get Bowser to sit and lie down, and her heart melted at the sight.

Could the guy be any sweeter? No.

Ronan McGuire might have been one of the best-kept secrets in Old Brookfield. Who would have thought that a man like this lurked behind the cocky, self-assured hound dog? Certainly not her. Given his family and his career, she'd known he was a good man—all of the McGuires were kind, decent people. But she never would have pegged him as such a softie. His thoughtfulness rendered her practically speechless, to the point that she wasn't sure what to do with it.

So why was she holding back? She knew in her heart of hearts that she loved him. Somehow saying it out loud was more than she was ready for. If she wasn't sure of that last night, she certainly was after today. She had always known that the McGuire family life was idyllic, but she hadn't experienced the full force of it until today.

It was overwhelming and wonderful.

Except now Maddy wasn't only worried about hurting Ronan—she had his family's feelings to contend with too. They'd brought her into their home and treated her as though she had always been a part of it. After seeing Carolyn and Charles together, so loving and attentive with each other and their sons, it was easy to see why Ronan was such a good man.

He caught her staring at him and smirked.

“What are you lookin' at?”

“Nothing,” she said innocently, turning back to her task.

“I smell a fib.” Ronan tossed Bowser a treat and pointed toward the doorway that led to the hall and bedroom. “Go to bed, man.”

The dog whined and sat down when Maddy looked back at him. He gave her a mournful gaze, and she couldn't help but laugh.

“She's not gonna help you.” Ronan went to the sink and washed his hands. “Quit your whining.”

“Sorry, buddy.” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But I'll sneak you some pie later.”

“Bed.” Ronan snapped his fingers after drying them with a dish towel. “Beat it.”

“Good boy,” Maddy whispered.

Bowser barked and trotted happily out of the kitchen.

“That smells good.” Ronan sidled in behind her and settled a hand on the counter on either side of her, caging her in. “I don't know if I can wait until it's baked.”

“You know,” Maddy said with a sigh, “you could help me.”

“I can be a taste tester.”

He kissed her ear and pressed himself against her backside.

“Don't get ahead of yourself, McGuire,” she murmured. “You of all people should know that taking it slowly makes the end result all that much sweeter.”

She grabbed both of his hands and covered them with hers before diving back into the gritty, sugary apples. They massaged the slices, her fingers sliding over and tangling with his. Ronan made a groan of approval and nudged up against her, the quickly growing evidence of his arousal poking against her lower back.

Maddy let out a contented sigh as Ronan's strong hands tangled with hers to work the apples over and over. She laid her head back against his chest and closed her eyes, reveling in the mix of sensations, the combination of his hard body against hers, and the gentle strength of his hands linked with hers.

Ronan nuzzled her hair off her neck and trailed butterfly kisses along the sensitive skin there. Maddy moaned softly and allowed her body to sag against him. She fleetingly recalled those trust exercises from a college drama class, the ones where she had to close her eyes and fall backward, believing the others would catch her.

She'd never been able to do that.

Until now.

What was it that Jordan had said?
He'll catch you
.

With that thought swirling through her mind and the searing heat of his body pressed against hers, Maddy was eager for more. She was ready to take the leap because this man, the one with the talented lips and devilishly gifted hands, was blessed with an exquisitely loving heart.

“I think the pie can wait,” Maddy murmured.

She lifted her hands from the bowl and spun around, immediately capturing his lips with hers. Maddy linked her arms around his neck and clung to him, rising on her tippy-toes and trying to get closer. A growl rumbled in his throat and reverberated through the kiss, both of them reaching for something they couldn't quite get to. Ronan's arms curled around her like steel clamps, holding tight as though reinforcing the fact that he would never, ever let her go.

He slid his hands beneath her sweater, his sticky fingers trailing over her back. He broke the kiss only long enough to pull her sweater off over her head. Maddy couldn't stop smiling between kisses. She yanked his shirt open and sent buttons flying around the kitchen. Where they went, she'd never know—but she hoped they hadn't landed in the apples.

She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and grinned wickedly at the glistening streaks her messy hands had left on his chest. She pressed both hands on his belly and walked him backward, licking the sugary bits from his skin. Ronan grunted when he hit the edge of the granite island behind him.

Maddy dropped to her knees, lapping the bits of apple-flavored goodness off his belly as she went. She made quick work of releasing him from the confines of his jeans and let out a moan of appreciation when he was finally freed. Ronan swore and grabbed the counter's edge when she curled her fingers around his shaft. She dispersed the rest of the gritty, sticky sugar over the length of him, first with one hand, then the other.

She tugged his jeans down his legs, and he stepped out of them as her hands settled on his narrow hips. Maddy looked up at Ronan, then leaned in and licked him from root to tip. She laved his steely shaft slowly but surely, with long, wicked strokes, taking her time, making it last. His body was tense and taut against her when she finally took him into her mouth. She curled her hand around the base and sucked him hard, wanting to give back all the pleasure he had given her so many times. When his hips began to pump, moving in time with her, she knew he was getting close to the edge.

“Stop,” he growled through clenched teeth. “I have to be inside you. Right now.”

She rose to her feet, and within seconds, Ronan had pulled a condom from his pocket and sheathed himself. God love a man who's prepared. He stripped her jeans from her overheated body. He kissed her deeply, then picked her up and set her on the counter. Standing between her legs, Ronan hooked his hands under her knees and tugged her ass to the edge. Maddy reached back and braced herself, opening her legs wider. She needed him, wanted to take all he had to give but her hands kept slipping. Finally, she lay back, using her elbows for support as he brought her bottom to the very edge of the counter.

Maddy bit her lower lip and whimpered, wiggling her ass closer to him, but still he didn't give her what she wanted. What they both wanted. Her breasts bounced and carnal desire hummed beneath her skin as his dark, heated gaze skittered over every exposed inch of her.

“I want you, Ronan,” Maddy whispered. She wiggled her hips again. “Please. Don't make me wait.”

Ronan grabbed her hips with both hands and tugged her closer. The tip of his cock teased her swollen entrance. She might start begging in a minute. It was as though every single cell of her being was primed and ready to erupt. All she needed was
him
—no one else could possibly give her what she needed.

No one except for Ronan McGuire.

“You're mine, Maddy.” Ronan's large hand curled around the soft swell of her hip, his fingers pressing deeper. “There's nothing I wouldn't do for you…or to you…to make you happy.”

She gasped as he trailed the other hand over her belly and then lightly flicked her sensitive nipple. He dropped his hand back to palm her hip. Maddy was wound tight, and the beat of her own heart thrummed in her ears as she eagerly waited. The expression on his face wavered between lust and need, but beneath it all there was love.

“Then take me,” she whispered. “I'm yours.”

Cursing, Ronan plowed into her with one swift, powerful thrust. He buried himself to the hilt, and Maddy shouted his name as he touched a place deep inside, one she'd never known existed. Ronan started to move, still staring into her eyes. He pumped into her, slowly at first, and with each penetrating pass, the last remnants of the walls around her heart crumbled.

She had been so busy protecting her broken heart that she hadn't even realized it was already gone. Whether or not she'd made the conscious choice, she had already given it to Ronan. Or maybe he had stolen it. Did it matter? He loved her and she had fallen in love with him, one hundred percent. Ronan wouldn't hurt her or lie to her. He'd already proven that he would do everything in his power to make her happy.

No matter what happened between them in the future, she would never forget the damn pie-ingredient shopping.
Seriously? Who does that?

As Ronan slammed into her one last time, their orgasms cresting together, Maddy sat up. She wrapped her arms and legs around his sweating, heaving body. She shuddered in his embrace. Her breasts pressed against the firm muscles of his chest, expanding and contracting in wicked little jags with each labored breath. With his body still buried deep inside hers, Maddy pressed her cheek to his shoulder and held tight. Memories flashed through her mind, starting with the day of Lucille's funeral when Ronan had been waiting for her outside the church.

That was it.

That brief, beautiful moment was when Maddy had fallen. Tumbled off the ledge into the unknown. All this time, she'd been fighting something that had already happened.

And Ronan had been there, waiting to catch her all along.

Ronan's firm, naked body spooned against Maddy's within the warm cocoon of the soft, thick layer of sheets and blankets. The room was dim, the early light of Christmas morning just beginning to break through and announce the day. An unfamiliar but welcome sense of peace greeted Maddy as she took note of each spot where Ronan's body met hers. She sighed and nestled deeper into his embrace, enjoying the weight of his leg as it draped possessively over hers. His chest hair rasped lightly against her back and his muscular arm tightened, pulling her even closer, his hot breath fanning across her shoulder.

“Morning,” he murmured. Ronan pressed a kiss to her cheek and hugged her against him. “Merry Christmas.”

“It certainly is,” she whispered.

“Did Santa bring you what you wanted?” he teased. “Great sex with one of the NYPD's finest.”

“Who says that's what I asked for?” She peered at him over her shoulder. “I did get a lovely pair of pajamas, but somebody kept me naked all night long, so I never got to wear them.”

“Well,
I
wanted an apple pie, but
someone
got distracted and didn't finish it.”

“Cut it out.” Maddy giggled. “I can still bake it this morning before we go over to the main house. I did have enough of my wits about me last night to put everything in the fridge.”

“I know.” He tickled her belly. “I loved watching you walk around naked with only the moonlight covering you. I think you do some of your best work in the kitchen.”

“If I recall correctly, you told me once it was your
second favorite
room in the house.”

“After last night, the kitchen's moved into first place.”

“You are too much,” Maddy said, laughing.

She elbowed him playfully, but he pinned her arms and hugged her before blowing a raspberry against her throat. The silly gesture sent them both into a fit of laughter as he continued. She rolled toward the edge of the bed, trying to escape his tickle torture, but was greeted by Bowser's big, furry face.

“Get her, Bowser.”

Before Maddy could protest, the bloodhound leaped up and licked her face in one big, slobbery pass.

“Hey,” she said with a laugh. She wiped off his wet greeting and tried to push the overeager canine off the bed, but his big paws remained on the edge. “No fair. That's two against one.”

Ronan, buckass naked, straddled Maddy and pinned her arms over her head. The sheet had fallen away during their tussle, leaving her breasts exposed to his hungry gaze. It didn't take long for the mood to go from teasing to tantalizing. Maddy arched her back, and Ronan's eyes widened as the rest of his body hardened against hers.

He leaned down to kiss her, and his cell phone rang. The loud noise interrupted the moment. Both of them stilled and exchanged a curious but concerned look. A phone call this early in the morning was never good.

“That's Gavin,” Ronan said quietly. “It's barely light outside. Why the hell would he be calling now?”

He gently climbed off Maddy before snatching the phone off the nightstand and answering it.

“Gav?” He sat on the edge of his bed with his back to Maddy, his shoulders and back tensing up immediately. “What's going on?”

Maddy pulled the sheets over her breasts and propped herself on one elbow. The muscles in his back flexed and his shoulders squared, right before he shot to his feet and grabbed a pair of jeans from his duffel bag.

“Don't touch anything. She couldn't have gone far. I'm gonna need a good scent article—Gracie's hairbrush or the clothes she wore yesterday. That house is covered in different tracks, and I'm sure Gracie's been running all over. Yes, I—Gavin. We'll be right there.”

The playfulness he'd exhibited only moments ago was already a distant memory. He threw the phone on the bed and started to pull on the rest of his clothes. Maddy's anxiety ratcheted up a notch when he grabbed the gun from the dresser and strapped the holster to his ankle.

“Gracie's missing,” he said tightly.

“What?” Maddy tossed the covers aside and started getting her clothes on. “How could she be missing?”

“I don't know, but they can't find her and she's not answering them. Gavin said they've looked everywhere and it's been half an hour.”

“Oh my God.” Maddy tugged her sweater over her head and glanced out the window. “It stopped snowing. If she went outside, we should be able to see tracks or something, right?”

“Gavin said that there are no fresh tracks out any of the doors.” Ronan's jaw clenched, and his face was tight with concentration. “Come on, Bowser. You're up.”

Ronan went to a big, black bag next to the dresser and pulled out a leather harness and a long lead line. It wasn't the leash he used when they went running or even when he was in uniform. This one was easily three times as long and made of heavy, well-worn leather.

“Then she's got to be in that house.” Fear and panic tightened in Maddy's chest. “But if she's not answering them…”

Maddy couldn't finish the thought. She couldn't even bring herself to say it out loud because the idea was too horrifying.

“We aren't going there, Mads.” Ronan snapped his fingers and called Bowser, who came directly to his side. “She's fine, and we're going to find her because that's what we do. Right, boy?”

Bowser barked loudly, and the tension rose in the room as Ronan put the harness on his partner. It was like a familiar dance that both man and beast knew intimately. In that moment, the two were one. They moved with absolute precision and perfection, and for the first time, Maddy realized just how in tune they were with one another.

Maddy grabbed her coat with shaking fingers and put it on, not bothering with buttons. She followed Ronan and Bowser out into the frigid air and prayed for a Christmas miracle. It was brighter out now, and it was clear that the only tracks leading from the kitchen door of the main house were hers and Ronan's from last night.

Ronan stopped and Bowser shadowed him, almost mirroring Ronan's every move. Maddy hugged herself and hung back, not wanting to intrude or disturb the partners at work. The snow crunched beneath their feet, and the ocean crashed furiously beyond the bluff, creating an ominous soundtrack for an already tense situation.

“I don't see any tracks other than ours.” Ronan pointed to the right and then to the left toward the ocean and the bluff. “Nothing coming around either side of the house. That's a good sign.”

“It's freezing out here, Ronan.” Maddy's teeth chattered, and she cringed at the mere idea of little Gracie trapped outside in this weather. “If she's lost in this…”

“Not going there, Mads. We need to stay calm and take it one step at a time.” He gave her a reassuring look over his shoulder. “Let's get inside and give Bowser something to search for. This giant old house has more nooks and crannies than you can shake a stick at, and lots of tucked-away spots that a curious little girl like Gracie could get stuck in. Trust me, she's in there someplace.”

His eyes, an almost stormy blue-gray, were sharp and kind at the same time, and somehow Maddy knew it would be okay. Gracie was going to be fine—because there was no way in hell Ronan would have it any other way. Confidence oozed from him. This was what he did.

Lily's weeping could be heard as soon as they stepped into the kitchen, and Maddy's heart clenched in her chest. The look of relief on Gavin's face when they came into the house was heartbreaking. He had his arm around Jordan, who looked terrified but was clearly trying to hold it together.

“I-I just don't know where she could have gone,” Jordan said in a quivering voice. “She was so excited for Christmas morning.”

“It's going to be okay.” Maddy ran over and dragged her friend into the tightest hug she could muster. “They'll find her. She has to be somewhere in this house.”

“Here.” Gavin held out a little pair of green-and-red leggings, and his voice wavered as he handed them to Ronan. “She wore these yesterday.”

“Good.” Ronan nodded. “There are no tracks coming around the side of the house.”

“None out the front,” Tristan said, walking into the kitchen. He unzipped his coat and settled his hands on his hips, his expression as grim as the others. “I don't think she went outside.”

“Then she's somewhere in the house,” Ronan said calmly. “I need everyone to go into the family room. The fewer people we have walking around, the better. We want to have as clear a trail for Bowser as we can.”

“Come on, Jordan.” Maddy quickly took off her coat and boots, leaving them by the door. “It's going to be okay.”

The festive, joyous atmosphere that had permeated the living room last night had been replaced by quiet tension. Lily was sniffling and sat on Claire's lap, her face red and swollen from crying all morning. Carolyn held Claire's hand. Bonded by their love for their grandchildren, the two women sat stoically, obviously doing their best to keep Lily calm. Jordan and Gavin stood by the fireplace, flanked by the other brothers, and the Christmas tree had a sea of presents spilling out beneath. Charles, the typically lighthearted patriarch, remained in the kitchen doorway watching over it all.

Maddy kept her eyes fixed on Ronan and Bowser.

“Okay, boy.” Ronan squatted down and held the leggings to the bloodhound's nose. The dog startled snuffling and moving his snout around as though trying to soak up every single bit of Gracie's scent.

“Is Bowser gonna find my sister?” Lily's little voice, weak and teary, filled the room with gut-wrenching clarity. “She wanted to see Santa, but I told her that he was magic and wouldn't let her see him.”

“He'll find her, Lily.” Ronan rose to his feet slowly. “Bowser loves playing hide-and-seek. You ever play that game?”

“Uh-huh.” She sniffled. Lily swiped at her red eyes and nestled deeper into Claire's embrace. “Lotsa times. Gracie likes it too.”

“Well, Bowser is the hide-and-seek champ.” Ronan winked and gave the little girl a reassuring smile. “He'll find her, kiddo. I promise.”

“I'm coming with you, Ronan.” Gavin kissed the top of Jordan's head. “It'll be okay, babe. I know the house is big, but she's got to be in here somewhere. We know she didn't go outside.”

“Then why isn't she answering us when we call her?”

Gavin's jaw clenched, and he shook his head before kissing Jordan quickly one more time.

“Stay behind me, Gavin.” Ronan leaned down one more time and let Bowser sniff the leggings before shouting, “Search!”

The dog's body tensed and then he was off like a shot, his nose to the ground and his tail in the air. Maddy went over to Jordan and wrapped her arms around her. They both held their breath as Ronan and his partner circled the room briefly before heading out into the front hall and up the stairs. The man was brimming with quiet confidence and once again in absolute control.

“He'll find her,” Maddy whispered. “If there's one thing Ronan doesn't know how to do, it's quit.”

* * *

“I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life.” His brother's voice, tight and quiet, echoed behind Ronan as they climbed the sweeping staircase to the second floor. “This is crazy, man. Where the hell did she go?”

Ronan nodded but said nothing, his attention fixed on Bowser and his body language. When they hit the top of the stairs, Bowser snuffled along the carpet to the left and picked up the pace, his long tail bobbing like a sword. They passed three bedrooms, and Bowser paused for a second at the door of each one before trudging forward. Finally, they got to Gavin's old room.

“This is where she and Lily slept.” Gavin pointed to the queen-size bed as Bowser continued his search and circled the room. The dog went to the bed, then around and around the space until he finally returned to the door. “Jordan and I stayed upstairs.”

Then, as though the dog understood every word, he pulled a U-turn and followed a scent trail back out the door and down the hall. Right before they hit the main staircase again, Bowser turned sharply down the little hallway to the right. He paused in front of the bathroom door but then ran up the narrow stairway that led to the third floor of the house.

“You checked up here?” Ronan asked.

“Of course.” Gavin's impatience was rising. “We looked in every damn room ten times. The basement. Everywhere. Every closet. I even checked the cabinets in the bathrooms.”

Bowser whined when they hit the third-floor landing. He trotted to the right and circled through the small bathroom with the old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub before quickly coming out and going back toward the stairs. He followed her scent into the bedroom where Gavin and Jordan had stayed.

“She and Lily were in here with us,” Gavin said quietly. “We read
The Night before Christmas
before they went to sleep.”

Bowser paused and stuck his snout in the air. For one painfully long moment, Ronan thought the trail was gone, and his heart sank. A split second later, the massive bloodhound stuck his nose back to the floral carpet. He pulled Ronan out to the hallway and took a right turn. He went to the creaky old door that led into the attic storage and barked loudly before nudging it open with his nose and trudging forward.

“We looked in here.” Gavin's voice was edged with a hint of fear. “Three times. Oh my God. It's got to be below freezing back there. Gracie!”

The long, corridor-like space—one of the only sections of the massive old colonial that remained unfinished—had always been used for storage. The rough wooden floor and bare rafters gave it a dark and ominous feel. Old clothes and boxes filled with God-knows-what were stacked and strewn throughout the cavernous space. It was dark except for a faint shaft of light coming from the oval window at the very end.