“Sounds good. Lunch will be readyatnoon.”
He moved closer and whispered, “I left the fire extinguisher for you, justincase.”
She frowned. “I won’t burn down theplace.”
“If you need help, call me.” He grabbed a walkie-talkie from inside one of thecupboards.
“I’llbefine.”
“I hope so.” As he walked away, he prayed he wouldn’t be eating lunch standing atop the ashes of thekitchen.
Chapter5
Madison climbedthe ladder to the loft in the barn. The fresh scent of hay drifted through the crisp winter air. She sat on the edge of the ledge overlooking the stables below. Horses covered with blankets stood in several stalls, but the majority of the enclosures wereempty.
She hooked her ankles together and leaned back on her hands. Lunch had been much more successful than breakfast. She’d managed to bake a lasagna casserole without burning down the house. So what if the edges were a little crispy? No one had found out. She’d been careful to stuff the charred edges deep into thetrashcan.
The conversation during lunch played through her mind. Slices of pain cut her heart as she recalled the brothers’ conversation about Brady’s upcoming wedding. She didn’t begrudge the couple their happiness at all; it just hurt to think that she would be married right now if Ben hadn’tbetrayedher.
The memory of walking into his bedroom to find her best friend’s legs wrapped around Ben’s naked ass forced bile into her throat. How could they do that to her? She’d been a good friend and would have been a great wife. Why hadn’t she been enough for him? Why couldn’t he keep his hands tohimself?
She chucked a piece of hay over the edge, then grabbed another bunch in her fist and squeezed. Sharp edges cut into her hand but she didn’t feel it. Nothing could be more painful than the weight of sadness around her heart. She’d thought that throwing herself into a job would help ease the pain, but it hadn’t. If anything, she hurt even more because now she was isolated and had nothing but time to think about theirbetrayal.
Tears gathered along the bottom rim of her eyes. She sniffed, trying to keep them from spilling. After crying an ocean of tears, she didn’t think she had anything left. But she did. Sometimes, she didn’t think she’d ever stop crying. And then she’d start torturing herself with endless questions that could never be answered. Why had he turned to her best friend? And why had her supposed friendbetrayedher?
She choked back a sob, but couldn’t hold back the flood of tears. Deep wracking sobs tore up from the depths of her heart. She’d planned a fairytale wedding with five hundred guests. Champagne should have flowed like water. She should have been licking cake off of her faithful husband’s fingers. But instead, she was left with a ring she’d never wear and a gown she’d lovetoburn.
The squeak of the ladder caught her attention. As Mack’s face came into view, she quickly turned away and wiped the tears from hercheeks.
“What are you doing up here?” he askedsoftly.
“Just looking at thehorses.”
He sat down next to her and swung his legs over the edge. “You picked an interestingangle.”
“Sometimes you need a different perspective onthings.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him turn to study her. Great. She was in that shaky state in which she’d confess everything if he asked what waswrong.
As a preemptive strike she asked, “How did the fencerepairsgo?”
“Good. We cleaned up a section of the fence that was listing. Last year, some of the horses escaped and we spent three days roundingthemup.”
“I’m glad itwentwell.”
A horse whinnied as silence stretched between them. Finally he asked, “Areyouokay?”
She turned to find him leaning toward her. A look of concern shadowed his eyes. But beyond that, an animalistic magnetism flowed between them. For a second, she forgot all about her problems with Ben and focused on the soft lines of Mack’s lips. Then she realized what sheneeded:him.
“Kiss me,” shewhispered.
He groaned and cupped her face in his hands. “Weshouldn’t.”
“Don’t youwantme?”
In that moment, she needed reassurance that she was still sexy, that she was still desirable. If he said “no,” something would break inside her. She’d never felt so desperate for acknowledgement. All of a sudden, she needed to know that she wouldn’t be alone forever. She needed confirmation that she could still capture a man’sattention.
The bar didn’t count. They were drunk. But right now, in the middle of the day and completely sober, if he refused her advances, she’d have confirmation of her deepest fear—that she wasn’t sexy enough todeservelove.
