Texas Heroes_ Volume 1(21)

“What is it? What’s the matter?”

“It’s my sister. She fell and broke her hip.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Maddie, I don’t like leaving you like this, but my sister has no one else. I have to go stay with her for a few weeks until she can get around on her own again.”

Maddie faltered a minute, but recovered quickly. “Of course you do. What can I do to help you?”

“Will you be all right here? You don’t have to cook or anything. Boone can get his own meals, I expect.”

Maddie walked over and gave the smaller woman a hug. “Don’t you worry about us, Vondell. I was about to ask you if I could cook tonight. I’m afraid my knife hand is itching to get back to work. I’ve never been much on sitting around.”

“Lordy, child, I hate to leave you here like this, with so much unsettled between you and Boone.”

Maddie hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt. “Vondell, it’s a very big house. Boone and I don’t need a chaperone, and I’ll do my best to see that we don’t need a referee. If we do, maybe Jim will do the honors.”

Vondell smiled faintly, but her brow furrowed again all too quickly. “My sister’s health hasn’t been good lately.”

Maddie put her arm around the older woman and ushered her down the hall to her room. “You just concentrate on your sister. If it will make you feel better, give me the phone number and I’ll promise to call you before I slam a frying pan into Boone’s thick head.”

Vondell laughed then, her old cackle. “Oh, child, I might ask you to wait so I could watch that.” She sobered. “You don’t have to be afraid of Boone, you know. He’s got a good heart. It’s just been abused.”

“I believe that. I’m truly not worried. Besides, he works all day outside and I’ll be in here. We’ll hardly see each other. We’ll do fine.”

Vondell turned back to her and studied her carefully. “I hope so. I surely hope so.”

“Believe it,” Maddie insisted. “Piece of cake.”

She resisted the urge to cross her fingers behind her back.



An hour later, Boone and Maddie stood on the porch, waving goodbye to Vondell. When her car disappeared from sight, Boone slapped his hat against his jeans leg. “Well, guess I’ll be getting back to work. Don’t worry about cooking for me, no matter what Vondell asked. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

“You’re not afraid to be alone with me, are you, Boone?” Maddie’s eyes glowed silver. He couldn’t decide if it was mischief or worry.

He studied her slowly. “No reason to be, is there?” But he knew there was. From where he stood, he could smell her, the rich, mysterious scent that wafted through his dreams all too often.

“I can’t waste any more time standing here.” He clapped his hat back on his head. “I’ve got work to do.”

Behind him, he heard Maddie’s exhaled frustration. He was being hard on her, but he had his reasons.

It was damn foolish, but somehow even knowing that Maddie’s bed lay only thirty feet or so from his every night, Vondell’s presence, even sleeping downstairs, had provided a barrier. Now Vondell was gone, and the nights would get a whole lot longer.

He wished he could forget the feel of Maddie’s body, wished he could banish the images that crowded in—Maddie smiling and laughing, carrying on with Vondell, teasing Jim. Checking on that calf every day like it was her pet dog, for Pete’s sake.

Maddie was sexy, there was no doubt about it. That voice seemed to crawl down his spine and settle deep into his gut every time he heard it. But it was Maddie’s spirit that was far more dangerous to him.

She breathed life into this old place, just as Sam had wanted, damn him. And in a few weeks, she would leave and take the sparkle with her. A fast round of hot sex would relieve some of the pressure for the moment, but it would only make things worse in the long run.

Boone already felt in his bones that if he ever got his hands on Maddie, once would never be enough.

And now their chaperone was gone. The hands left at night, too.

This house was big, all right.

But it would never be big enough for him to forget that Maddie was in it with him.





Chapter Five





Boone stopped on the back porch for a minute, rolling his left shoulder and cursing the mare. Dancer got more fractious by the day. She was new since he’d last been on the ranch, but everything told him her labor wouldn’t be easy. He’d have to watch her closely.

It had been a long day. He’d slap a sandwich together and try not to miss Vondell’s cooking too much. All he needed was a shower, something in his belly, and several hours in the sack.