“I don’t believe you, but I’ll let it go.” Penny took the next dish. “Is he staying here?”
“No, he’s staying with Sam.” Maggie glanced over her shoulder toward the living room where she could hear Amber laughing. “This is good.”
“I sure hope so. Do you want me to stick around?” Penny made comically shifty eyes toward the door. She’d been at Maggie’s house for a few days and probably had plans.
“No, we’ll be fine. It’s almost Amber’s bedtime. Brady has to get out to the farm.”
“Good, because I have a hot date.” Penny grinned and slipped on her jacket.
“I don’t think that your DVR counts as a date.”
“You haven’t seen Supernatural. Call me later.” Penny kissed Maggie on the cheek. “If he does anything wrong, you tell me and I’ll take care of him.”
“I’m sure you will.” Maggie dried her hands. She could handle Brady in Tawnee Valley.
After Penny left, Maggie finished cleaning before walking toward the voices in her living room. She leaned against the doorjamb, suddenly exhausted.
“Dragons roamed the streets, but Lady Jane was more than a match for them.” Brady’s voice had taken on a slight accent as he told the English story.
They sat facing each other, lost in their own little world. The same dark hair, the same blue eyes, the same slope of their noses. It would take a fool to realize they weren’t father and daughter. Amber leaned forward, straining to listen to every word that came out of Brady’s mouth.
Maggie remembered that feeling all too well. Even though he barely knew her in high school, she’d had the biggest crush on him. She’d spent hours doodling her name with his on her folders. It had been a silly, girlish crush.
When he’d left for college, she’d finally let herself believe it wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to one day see her as anything more than a classmate of his brother’s. She’d moved on to Josh. They were together until the end of high school, but it became clear they were going in separate directions and were better friends than lovers. And graduation…a hot summer night spent tangled in Brady’s sheets, sheltered by his arms. No expectations. No regrets.
“There are no dragons in England nowadays. But the roads aren’t much better.” Brady looked up and caught her watching them. His eyes sparkled with happiness. Her heart stuttered. What she wouldn’t have given back then to have him look at her like this.
She held her breath. Surely he could hear the rapid beat of her heart from over there.
“Mommy, Brady says that the English call rain boots wellies. Isn’t that funny?” Amber’s blue eyes were filled with wonder and joy.
Watching the two of them together, Maggie didn’t regret bringing Brady into her home. Whether or not she’d regret it in two weeks, she had no way of knowing. After all, Brady hadn’t come clean about being Amber’s father. She needed to ask him about that. “It’s about time for bed. Why don’t you thank Brady for the stories and go shower?”
“Thank you,” Amber said dutifully. “Are you coming back?”
“Of course. I’ll be here for a couple of weeks.” Brady kept his attention focused on Amber.
Maggie exhaled. She’d known he was going to stay, but maybe he didn’t want to be with them every day. She couldn’t expect him to, especially with work, but it had been part of their bargain that she give him a chance. Well, that couldn’t happen if he wasn’t around.
“You should stay with us. You could use Nana’s room. Mommy cleaned it real nice and changed it into a guest bedroom. My nana went to heaven. She won’t mind.” Amber’s expressions changed rapidly during her speech. She hadn’t learned how to hide her emotions. With everything she’d been through, Maggie was grateful Amber hadn’t grown up too fast.
Brady’s mouth dropped open as if he wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m going to stay with my brother for now.”
“Okay.” Amber raced over and hugged him around the waist. His hands went out to the side and he gave Maggie a look that said, “What do I do?” Before he could do anything, it was over.
Maggie smiled and got her own tackle hug before Amber raced upstairs, yelling over her shoulder, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Brady.”
Brady sank into the chair and rubbed his face.
“How are you holding up?” Maggie stayed where she was in the doorway. Afraid that if she got too much closer she’d want to touch him, and touching him might lead to things best not explored. Her fingers tingled. She knew exactly how tight his muscles were. As well-defined as his younger self.
“Tired.” Brady laced his fingers together and hung his head. “This is going to be exhausting.”
“She’s usually not this wound up.” Maggie stepped toward him, wanting to reassure him without scaring him off.
“It’s not Amber.” He lifted his gaze to hers.
For a moment she thought he was going to say it was her. That she was making him exhausted.
“It’s this town.” She let out a sigh of relief.
He pushed himself to his feet and stalked over to the window. “I’d forgotten how soul crushing it is. It wasn’t just my parents’ deaths that made me want to run, but people like Penny. Everyone thought they were involved in everyone else’s business.”
Maggie bristled. “It’s a community. We care for each other. Penny is protective of Amber and there isn’t anything wrong with that. She was there for us.”
“It’s good to have someone look out for you, but this place is like a virus. Everything spreads quickly and not a thing can stop it.” Brady turned back to her, and she could see the anger in his eyes.
“It’s a good thing you don’t have to live here.” Maggie crossed her arms as her spine stiffened. “What time are you coming over tomorrow?”
“I don’t mean you or Amber.” His tone softened. “I just…”
“You don’t want to be in Tawnee Valley. Completely understandable after you’ve spent the past eight years alone over in England.” Damn him for making her care about him even an inch.
“I kept busy and kept my nose out of other people’s business.” Brady walked over to her until they were close enough to touch. “I don’t need to be watched like a hawk or told when I’m out of line by anyone but you, Maggie. Amber is your responsibility and I won’t begrudge that, but she’s not this town’s child and they have no say in what we do.”
Her anger softened a little with his words. With him this close, it was like standing next to a live wire. She wanted to grab his shirt and kiss him. Finish what they’d started a few days ago. She breathed deeply and ended up filling her lungs with the scent of him—sandalwood and that underlying scent that was uniquely Brady.
He stepped closer, almost hesitantly, as if to give her the chance to push him away. The angry words faded into the background, just noise that hadn’t mattered. Eight years dropped away in an instant and she felt eighteen again, at a crossroads that didn’t have a good ending, no matter which way she looked. Her mother’s diagnosis had meant staying home and helping her. There had been no other family to turn to, and they couldn’t have afforded a nurse with the level of treatment her mother had needed.
For one night, she had wanted to feel free, uncaged. She’d wanted Brady. They had gone upstairs to his room with no backward glances. Every touch had been torture and pleasure, both of them knowing that when the morning came, it would be time to return to their lives as if nothing had happened between them.