He took her hand in his and squeezed it before bringing it to his lips. He gave it a soft kiss before releasing it. He had a lot to think about and being around her would unduly influence him. He’d need time alone. The decision wasn’t just about how he felt in his heart. There were practical implications toconsider.
He couldn’t knowingly let her stay without talking to his brothers about the situation. If her ex was still stalking her, he’d show up eventually. They’d have to constantly be on guard. He wasn’t sure he wanted to livethatway.
A clawing in his ribcage signaled his bear’sdisapproval.
Mine.
He sighed. His bear seemed so sure, but hewasn’t.
As the first stars began to twinkle, he rose and set hisskewerdown.
“Please don’t leave the ranch until I’ve had time to think,”hesaid.
“Iwon’t.”
She stood and walked up to him. With less than a foot separating them, magnetic attraction destroyed the wall between them. He reached for her in the same moment that she reachedforhim.
As he pulled her into an embrace, a lump formed in his throat. He leaned back slightly to look at her face. A tear trickled down her cheek. He wiped it away with the pad of histhumb.
“All I ask,” she murmured, “is that you listen to yourheart.”
He nodded, unable to speak for fear of having his voice crack. If she knew how long it had been since he’d listened to his heart, she’d understand why it wasn’t as easy as itsounded.
* * *
Cindy strolledalong the edge of the lake. Sunlight glittered across the frozen expanse, but it did little to warm her heart. She hadn’t spoken to Drew since the previous night. The fate of their relationship rested solely in his hands. She’d done everything she could to convince him to allow her to stay. She didn’t want to pressure him. It had to be hischoice.
She turned and headed back toward the B&B. Maybe she’d get a chance to see him at lunch. She’d promised Madison that she’d help her prepare fresh rainbow trout from the lake. She’d run into Hank and Logan earlier. They’d been ice fishing and stopped to show off the large fish in theircooler.
As she crunched through the snow, she couldn’t stop thinking about Drew’s family. Sure, they squabbled and poked fun at each other, but they also clearly loved each other. Madison, Kate, Rachel, Carol and Abby were lucky women. They’d all nabbed a Grant brother. Would she land the last singlebrother?
She smiled. As stressful as her life had been the last few years, she’d found a bit of peace at the Curvy Bear Ranch. It was the kind of place she’d love to be able to raise her daughter. She could take her sledding in the winter and hiking in the summer. Brooke deserved to grow up around people who had good values. She didn’t deserve to grow up in L.A., a wasteland of troubledsouls.
When she reached the porch, she stomped her boots. Madison took so much care with keeping the floors clean that she didn’t want to risk tracking in mud. She inhaled the crisp, mountain air one last time before pushing thedooropen.
“Madison, I’m back,” she called. “Let me just take off all this snow gear and I’ll be in to help you in aminute.”
As she unwound her scarf and pulled off her gloves, she waited for a response. Hum, maybe Madison was upstairs. She could check after she’d had a chance to take off her snow pants. The bulky fabric added weight to her already heavy thighs and she couldn’t wait to shed it. If only losing all of her extra weight werethateasy.
She smiled. If Drew did ask her to stay, she’d spend half the year bundled up. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not her jeans were clinging to her butt. Although, Drew didn’t seem to mind the extra pounds. An unmistakable physical attraction pulled them together. That wasn’t a barrier in their relationship at all. It all came down to trust. Could he still trust her after all the times she’d liedtohim?
When she reached the top of the stairs, she glanced toward Madison’s room. The door was open, so she knockedsoftly.
“Are you in here?” Cindyasked.
Again, no reply. Weird. Maybe she’d run over to the main house for a fewminutes.
Cindy stripped off layers of insulation and pulled on a pair of her favorite jeans. After sliding into a pair of fuzzy slippers, she paddeddownstairs.
The moment she turned the corner into the kitchen, her heart stopped. Madison lay face-down, sprawled across the floor. A silver mixing bowl had overturned, casting a layer of flour acrossthetile.
Cindy rushed forward and dropped to her knees. She carefully supported Madison’s neck while rolling her ontoherback.
“Madison?”
She checked her pulse. A faint beat thumped against her fingers. She placed her hand in front of Madison’s mouth. A small, but steady puff of air brushed across her hand. She was stillbreathing.
“Madison, if you can hear me, I’m here tohelpyou.”
