Emilie Rose - The Secrets of Her Past

“Who’s the hunk in the rental car?” the blond deputy asked.

“Rental?” Madison dodged the question.

“Sticker on the back bumper. Rental company license plate frame. Good-looking guy—where’d you find him? Not in Quincey, that’s for sure.”

Should she claim he was someone who’d gotten lost and was asking for directions? No. She never lied to her friends. She just hadn’t always shared the whole truth. But how much should she tell June? Only the basics—

“He’s my ex-brother-in-law.”

June’s eyebrows lifted. “I didn’t know you were divorced.”

Again Madison hesitated, but she trusted June as much as she trusted anyone. “Widowed. A long time ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Madison. I didn’t know. I haven’t seen him around before.”

“We haven’t kept in touch.”

Questions filled June’s eyes, and Madison scrambled to keep her from asking them. “Are you going to help me feed up tonight?”

“Not a chance. I’m grabbing a quick shower, then heading over to babysit for Piper. What’d he want anyway?”

So much for a distraction. “A favor. I have to go out of town Saturday. Can you watch the menagerie?”

“Happy to. Not much else to do.” June scanned the empty driveway. “Is your truck in the shop again?”

“Yes.”

“You should’ve called me. I would’ve given you a ride home.”

“I needed the exercise. It’s only a couple miles.”

“You ran in this scorching heat?” Madison nodded and June’s gaze sharpened. “You should be flushed and sweaty, but you’re pale. Sure you’re okay?”

Not even close to okay. “I’ll be fine. It’s been a long day. Mondays usually are.”

And it was about to become an even longer week, knowing that at the end of it she would have to face the nightmare of her past.

* * *

SATURDAY MORNING MADISON steered her truck into the driveway of the unfamiliar address Adam had given her.

She parked and her doubts surrounded her like a pack of snarling wild dogs, paralyzing her. The cedar siding and river rock home was set on a heavily wooded lot that sloped gently down to a pond. The neighbors’ houses were barely visible through the towering, dense pines, but the peaceful setting did nothing to soothe her jagged nerves.

Had Danny and Helen moved from the place where they’d raised their boys? Had the memories been too much to bear? While Madison could understand the need for a fresh start, the possibility they’d sold the home where the boys’ growth had been marked on a door frame and by the trees they’d planted in the yard swamped her with a sense of loss that made leaving the truck very difficult.

She’d spent nearly every holiday, school break and weekend in the Drakes’ sprawling ranch house from shortly after she’d met Andrew until her vet school graduation. But that fairy tale had been an illusion.

How could she have been so completely blinded by love that she hadn’t seen Andrew’s narcissistic streak until the final months of their marriage? She’d attributed the change in his personality to the stress of her accidentally becoming pregnant, and she’d blamed herself for messing up her birth control and their five-year plan. But thanks to the alcohol he’d consumed at her graduation celebration, she’d discovered how wrong she’d been.

How could she ever again trust her judgment when it came to men?

She couldn’t. And because of that she’d vowed to remain single and limit herself to living with a menagerie of rejected pets. She wouldn’t let anyone get too close again, and not even the two women she considered her best friends knew the whole sordid story. She couldn’t risk them turning on her like the Drakes had.

Nervousness dampened her palms and quickened her pulse. She forced her fingers to release the steering wheel, then flexed them in an attempt to ease the stiffness.

The sooner you say your piece, the sooner you can go home.

Bracing herself, she climbed from the cab and pointed her feet toward the front door. Emotions warred within her, adhering her feet to the concrete.

Then she remembered she hadn’t locked her truck. In Quincey no one locked their doors, but Norcross was a suburb of Atlanta. Unlocked doors, even in a neighborhood as nice as this one appeared to be, were an invitation. And she had a lot of valuable vet equipment in her truck that she couldn’t risk losing. She pushed the pad on her key fob, and once that task was done she had no more excuses for stalling. But she still couldn’t make herself move.

She inhaled so deeply she thought her lungs might explode, then slowly released the pent-up breath. She licked her dry lips, then she checked the buttons on her shirt and smoothed her hair. The strands clung to her damp palms.

Stop procrastinating, Madison.

The door opened and Danny Drake stepped out onto the long, covered porch stretching between the front gables. He descended the stairs and came toward her. Save a few more gray hairs, he’d barely changed. He was still tall and lean like Andrew, and his eyes, the same bluish-green as his sons’, crinkled in a smile as he silently lifted his open arms. “Madison, it’s so good to see you.”

Confused by the familiar welcome when she’d expected hostility, Madison stumbled awkwardly into his embrace. He enfolded her, bringing the memories rushing back. She hadn’t expected this and hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Danny’s bear hugs. Tears stung her eyes and a sob rose in her throat. She gulped down her response and hugged him back.

“Oooph.” He bowed his back, a grimace of pain pleating his face.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“Long and boring story.” Holding her at arm’s length and assessing her, he shook his head. “You’re skin and bones, Maddie.”

“I finally took up distance running.”

“Good way to clear the head, but hell on the knees. I had to give it up a couple years back. I’m riding a bike now instead. Guess we won’t be running any races together the way Andrew had wanted.”

A needle of pain slipped under her skin. “I guess not.”

During school Madison had been too busy with her studies to accompany Andrew and Danny on their cross-country runs. She’d promised to join them after she graduated. Yet another plan that hadn’t come to fruition.

Danny searched her face. “It’s good to have you home. I’ve tried to be patient and let you grieve at your own pace. I knew you’d come back when you were ready, but I can’t wait any longer. I need you now, Maddie.” His voice cracked.

Her brain snagged on Danny’s words. He knew she’d come back? He meant come back to visit, right?

Danny’s gaze shifted past her shoulder and his eyes widened, then filled with approval. “You’re still driving Andrew’s truck?”

“Yes.” The pickup was her albatross, a reminder of what she’d had and lost. It was also paid for. Her car had been totaled in the wreck and she hadn’t wanted the burden of car payments. “It’s reliable.”

Well, most of the time, thanks to Quincey’s genius mechanic and his love for his pack of hunting dogs.

“Come inside.” He led her toward the house.

“This is a beautiful place.”

“Isn’t it? Helen has coffee ready. She suspected you’d be an early bird.”

At the mention of her mother-in-law, Madison’s stomach resumed churning. Was it a good sign that Helen remembered Madison’s habits? Whenever Madison and Andrew had visited from university, Madison had risen early and driven in the predawn hours while Andrew slept in the passenger seat. They’d always arrived in time for breakfast to allow for a full day with his family, and Helen had never failed to greet them with an elaborate spread.