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And when the teasing wasn’t enough, there had been the casual, almost accidental physical contact. A touch here and there, her warm hand on his arm or his face, his shoulder bumping against hers.
When they’d grown bored with silly stories, they’d found a discarded book of crossword puzzles in the overhead bin and had filled in the empty spots on the half-finished puzzles, arguing over the answers playfully.
It was the most fun he’d had with a woman in—well, ever. He could be himself with her, not afraid to reveal the flaws he kept secret from others.
She found his obsession with financial matters charming and his constant checking of the schedule strange. She’d called him a “stuffypants” and a “human calculator,” not to mention a few other things that he might have taken as insults coming from anyone else. But Kieran liked that she spoke her mind.
And yet, they hadn’t talked about anything serious, or anything real. He still didn’t know the circumstances that brought her to the bus station or why she felt the need to run. All she’d said was that the life she’d left had become too much for her.
The lunch stop had been at a small diner along the interstate and once again, Maddie had ordered four or five entrees from the menu, then picked through them until she found something that piqued her interest—this time a grilled cheese sandwich and a strawberry shake. Kieran hadn’t even bothered to order. He simply enjoyed the dishes she rejected. He was getting to know her faults as well, and didn’t mind them a bit.
They pulled into Topeka at a quarter after eight in the evening, fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled. He thought about getting out for something to drink, but Maddie was dozing beside him, her arms wrapped around his, her cheek resting on his shoulder.
As he stretched his other arm over his head, he noticed two young girls standing in the aisle staring at him. “Hi, there,” he murmured.
They giggled and pointed to Maddie. “Is that Maddie West?” they asked.
Kieran frowned. He should have suspected his Maddie was using an alias. “Who is Maddie West?” he whispered.
“The country singer,” one of the girls said. “Can we have her autograph?”
“This isn’t Maddie West,” he said calmly. “Sorry. She gets that all the time. Her name is Alice. Alice Smith. But I’ll tell her you thought she was Maddie West. She’ll get a kick out of it.”
The girls walked down the aisle and out of the bus, disappointed. Kieran looked at the woman sleeping beside him. So she was Maddie West, country singer? Now, suddenly, the reason she’d had the two goons looking for her made perfect sense. They were probably her bodyguards. And for all he knew, they believed she’d been abducted. Maybe it was about time for some answers.
Kieran turned and shook her gently. “Maddie,” he whispered. “Maddie, wake up.” She groaned softly. “Maddie, they need you onstage.”
Maddie’s eyes flew open and she jolted upright, scrambling to pull her hood over her tousled hair. “What? Now?” Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the bus, then groaned. “What are you doing? Why would you do that to me?”
“I think maybe it’s time for you to tell me the truth. The whole story.”
“There is no story.”
“Then maybe I should tell those little girls out there that they can come back and get Maddie West’s autograph. Because they seemed pretty damned impressed that they were on the same bus as a big country-music star.”
With a low curse, she sank down in her seat. “Oh, great. There’s nowhere I can go in this world to get away from it. It follows me everywhere.”
“Not everywhere. I didn’t recognize you. But then, I’m really not a fan.”
“I figured that out right away. It was one of your most endearing qualities.” She quickly stood. “I have to get out of here. If those girls recognized me, then it won’t be long until everyone on the bus is looking at me.”
“Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know. Where are my sunglasses?” He handed them to her and she put them back on her nose, then pulled her hood over her hair. “I can’t stay here.” Maddie held out her hand. “Thanks for everything. I really appreciate you riding to my rescue.” When he refused to shake her hand, she turned to hurry down the aisle, then paused.
A moment later, she stumbled back to him and threw her arms around his neck. Her lips met his, soft and sweet and unbelievably exciting. Kieran slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss was so unexpected and yet so perfect.
Her lips parted and Kieran took the invitation to explore more deeply. A tiny moan slipped from her throat as their tongues met and his hands slipped beneath the sweatshirt, circling a tiny waist and pulling her down into his lap.
He’d known this girl, this woman, for a half day and yet, they seemed to sense what the other wanted from the kiss. Kieran settled her against his body, furrowing his fingers through her hair. The high backs of the seats hid them from the view of the passengers still on the bus and they lost themselves in a rare moment of privacy.
When she finally drew back, she sent him a winsome smile. “I hate goodbyes,” she said.
“Me, too.”
“I really should go. I have to keep moving or they’re going to catch up to me.”
“Why are you running? That’s a little drastic, don’t you think?”
“I just want a different life for myself and this is the easiest way. I don’t want to argue anymore or fight, I just want to wake up each day and feel as if it’s going to be the best day of my life, not the worst.” She paused. “Maybe you could come with me?”
The offer was so tempting. But Kieran had other responsibilities to fulfill. He’d made a promise to his grandfather and no matter how beautiful she was and how much he enjoyed kissing her, he was bound for Bitney, Kentucky. “I can’t. I have to go to Kentucky.”
“I still want to go to Kentucky,” she said. “We’ll just find a different way. Maybe we could go by train?”
“I don’t have the money for a ticket,” he said.
“If you come with me, I’ll buy your ticket. And your meals. It’ll be fun. I’ve never taken a trip on a train. Don’t you want a little adventure in your life, Kieran Quinn?”
Kieran groaned inwardly. If he went with Maddie, life would certainly become a lot more interesting. And who knew where things might lead between them.
He’d always been so careful about how he lived his life, especially when it came to women. But his grandfather had wanted him to imagine a completely different life for himself. Taking a cross-country road trip with a runaway music star would certainly be something new.
“All right,” he said. “But how do we know that we can catch a train here?” He shook his head. “I don’t know where we are.”
“Topeka,” she said. Maddie pointed out the bus window. “And there’s a sign for the Amtrak station right there.”
“Then let’s go.” He grabbed her waist and set her in the aisle, then stood up and got his bag from the overhead rack.
“Really? You want to come with me?”
“Yeah, I’m looking for a new life, too. I don’t think it matters if I start the search in Topeka, Kansas, or Bitney, Kentucky, as long as I find it.”
Maddie held out her hand. “All right. Let’s go.”
They hurried off the bus, Maddie’s identity once again obscured by the hood and the sunglasses. Kieran wasn’t sure what the future held with this crazy, impulsive, sugar-addicted woman, but hitting the road with Maddie West was sure to be much more fun than another five hours on a bus.
When they stepped onto the platform, there was a crowd gathered nearby. Suddenly, one of the girls who’d asked for an autograph jumped out from the crush of people. “There she is! That’s her. That’s Maddie West.”
Kieran was shocked at how fast the people surged toward them both. And he was doubly shocked at how quickly he reacted. He grabbed Maddie’s hand and pulled her around to the other side of the bus. “We need to go. Right now.”
Luckily, there was a cab parked on the street about fifty yards away. If they could reach it before the crowd got to them, they’d be safe.
With a scream, Maddie took off, pulling him along behind her. She was quick and nimble, crossing the distance like an Olympic athlete. She quickly crawled in the backseat of the taxi, ordering the driver to go as Kieran threw his bag in the backseat. He got inside as the cab was pulling away from the curb, then looked at Maddie. She was smiling, her color high, her pretty green eyes flashing.
“Where to?” the cabbie asked.
“I don’t know,” Maddie said. “Just drive for now. We’ll figure it out later.”
Kieran, breathless from the run, grinned at her. And then, adrenaline took over. He grabbed her and pulled her into a long, desperate kiss. His hands frantically grasped at her clothes, wanting to touch her anywhere, everywhere at once. And Maddie was just was frantic, her fingers working at the buttons of his shirts.
When they finally drew back, they were both still breathless. The cab driver watched them in the rearview mirror. “Are you someone famous?” he asked.
Maddie laughed. “No. Not anymore.”
“You know, I once had Willie Nelson in my cab. He was a real nice guy.”
“I’m sure he was. Could you take us to the Amtrak station?” Kieran asked.
The train station was only a few blocks away. Kieran decided to have Maddie wait in the cab while he checked the schedule. Unfortunately the next train east wouldn’t leave until the following morning at 5:00 a.m. He bought two tickets with the money Maddie had given him, upgrading to a private room to keep fans from recognizing her.
When he returned to the car, she was waiting. “The next train leaves tomorrow morning,” he said.
“What are we going to do?”
“I suggest we get a hotel, take a shower, relax and get a decent night’s sleep.”
“Take us to a nice hotel, please,” Maddie told the cab driver.
“Nice but cheap,” Kieran added.
“No, not cheap,” Maddie said. “We want room service. And a big bathtub would be nice. And maybe someplace nearby where I could buy some clothes.”
“Everything downtown is closed,” the cab driver said. “I could take you out to the Target. It’s just a couple miles north of here. They’re open twenty-four hours and their prices are real reasonable.”
“There we go,” Kieran said. “Reasonable.”
“Why are you so hung up on money?” Maddie asked. “We have plenty.” She turned to the cab driver. “All right. Target, first, then a nice hotel near the station. Something with room service.”
“I’ll fix you up,” the cabbie said. “No worries.”
They both sat back in the seat. “You know, we really should be more careful with your money. You’re not even sure how much you have,” he whispered.
“You seem to be more worried about my money than I am.” She grabbed the cash out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Here, you take care of it. There’s more where that came from.”
“If you use a cash machine, they might be able to trace your movements.”
“I have a secret account,” Maddie said. “No one knows about it, not even my mother. And I have this debit card.” She pulled a card out of her pocket. “So, stop worrying about money, Mr. Scrooge. I’ve got it covered.”
Being too free with money went against every instinct he had, but he wasn’t living his own life anymore. Why not see where this led him? It might be fun to stop worrying about every move and be more like Maddie—spontaneous and impulsive.
“All right. You’re in charge.”
Maddie reached out and gave him a hug. “See? We’ll make wonderful traveling companions.”
In truth, Kieran wasn’t so sure. It was easy to keep his hands off of Maddie when they were out in public, riding on a bus or sitting in the station. But sharing a hotel room for the night was tempting fate. Though getting two rooms wasn’t budget-conscious, it would certainly would delay the inevitable.
Kieran knew he and Maddie would end up in bed together. And whether that happened tonight or further on down the road, they wouldn’t be able to avoid it very much longer.
MADDIE STARED AT the selection of hair coloring, trying to decide. In the end, she pulled seven boxes of color in various shades of auburn, blond and brunette and tossed them into her basket. She’d figure it all out later.
Since she’d decided to start a whole new life, she figured the best way to do that would be to leave everything behind, including her five-hundred dollar hair color. No more celebrity stylists, no more designer gowns and red-carpet appearances. She could finally live the life she wanted.
Maddie couldn’t imagine what this trip would be like if she’d been alone. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to live her own life. She’d never had the chance to try. Most girls graduated from high school and went off to college, breaking away from their parents and learning the skills needed to get along.
She’d never had her own apartment, never paid a bill or made an appointment for herself. Everything had always been done by her business managers or her mother. And she’d missed out on so much—high school dances and football games, graduation and the first day of college.
The only problem was, Maddie wasn’t quite sure what this new life of hers should look like. When she imagined her future, it was only a blurry image, without any detail. All of her dreams had revolved around a singing career. But now, the only thing that she could really see in that image was a man.
Kieran was exactly what she’d always dreamed of. He was handsome and sexy and kind. And better yet, he hadn’t had a clue who she was when they first met. And here they were, like two normal people, strolling through Target late at night, shopping for … stuff.
“Hey.”
Maddie turned to find Kieran standing next to her. “Hey.”
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” she said, turning away from the hair color.
He grabbed a box from the basket. “You’re going to color your hair?”
Maddie shrugged. “Maybe I won’t get recognized so easily. I’m going to cut it, too.” She glanced over at him. “So, what do you think? Redhead or brunette?”
Kieran frowned. “I kind of like it the way it is. The color and style suits you.”
“It’s not real,” she murmured, staring at a strand. “Besides, I need a fresh start.” She pulled the boxes out of the basket and set them back on the shelf, leaving only a light brunette. “This is close to my natural color. That should do.”
He held out a CD to her. “Look what I found,” he said.
Maddie stared at the cover of her second CD, then took it from his hand. “This was a good album. I remember when I made this. I was sixteen.”
Kieran wrapped his arms around her waist. “You look so young.”
“I was so young. Just a kid. I thought this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, the concert tours and the awards shows. But it was a trap. Once it sucks you in, you can’t escape. Unless some guy forces you to buy him a turkey sandwich and then just won’t go away.”
“But you were good at it,” Kieran said. “You must have been.”
She sighed and handed the CD back to him. “You should never achieve your dreams so early in life. There should be a rule against it.”
“If you don’t go back to singing, what are you going to do?” he asked.
Maddie shrugged. “I don’t have to do anything. I have plenty to live on for years. And I can always write more songs. I like doing that.”
“You must be good. There’s a whole bin of your CDs in this store.”
“I am good,” she said with a smile.
“Do you have everything you want?”
In truth, she had everything she needed. She had a sweet and impossibly sexy man to occupy her thoughts and soothe her doubts. He kept her grounded, gave her sensible advice and watched over her. And when he touched her, her body tingled and her knees went weak.
“I need to get a few more things,” she said. “Some underwear. And shoes.”
“I can help you with the underwear,” Kieran said, grinning.
Her thoughts moved to what was going to happen later that night. Once they got a room, there wouldn’t be much to do except explore the attraction between them. Sure, she could order dinner and maybe watch a movie, but it was silly to pretend that they didn’t want to spend their time in other pursuits.
A shiver skittered down her spine as she thought about all the possibilities. Suddenly, she realized that there was a purchase she still had to make. Condoms.
But putting them in the cart might add too much pressure. She just wanted to be prepared, just in case. “Why don’t you go check out the underwear and I’ll join you there,” she suggested. “I—I’m just going to—run to the bathroom.” She pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek.
Maddie hurried away, but as soon as she saw him head down another aisle, she returned to the health and beauty section. Only when she reached the condoms, Maddie was faced with another dilemma—too much choice. Did she want large or extra large? And what about color, ribbed or lubed?
She grabbed three boxes and hurried to the cashier. But when she got there, she realized that she’d given all her cash to Kieran. Maddie pulled out her debit card and walked up to a checker, dumping the boxes on the conveyor belt.
The checker gave her an odd look. Maddie smiled. “Big night,” she murmured. Thank God, she was still wearing her sunglasses. She could imagine the tabloid stories if anyone recognized her. Country star starved for sex? Maddie West, sex addict? Maddie the Nymphomaniac? The debit card had her real name on it, Sarah M. Westerfield, so that offered a bit of safety.
“Credit or debit?” she asked.
“What? Sure. Whatever. Debit.”
The cashier finished checking Maddie out and then put the three boxes in a small bag. Maddie stuffed them into her pocket, then smiled as she took her receipt. “I’ve got more shopping to do,” she said, then walked back into the store.
Maddie found Kieran where she’d sent him, in the underwear section. He was leaning over the shopping cart, studying the selection of bras. When he saw her approaching, he straightened and smiled.
“People were starting to wonder about me,” he said. “I think they thought I was some kind of pervert.”
“I guess that remains to be seen,” she said, grinning. “So, what have you picked out for me?”
“Well, I’ve always been partial to black. And I think lace is pretty.” He paused. “Should I really be picking out your underwear?”
“It’s nice to have a male opinion,” she said.
“Am I going to be seeing your underwear?” he asked.
“It’s a distinct possibility,” she said. “Do you want to see my underwear?”
Kieran chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind taking a peek. I bet they’re really pretty.” He drew a sharp breath. “Can we just quit talking about it and buy some?”
Maddie tossed her choices into the cart, then mentally went through her shopping list. Shampoo, hair color, scissors, mascara, hair dryer, underwear, a few cute outfits, three cotton dresses and—”Luggage,” she said. “I need a bag to put all this in. And shoes.”
But as they walked to the shoe department, Maddie caught sight of a rack of party dresses. A couple of teenage girls were going through them, giggling excitedly as they held their choices up in front of them.
“I bet they’re going to a dance,” Maddie said. “I’ve never been to high school dance.”
“Neither have I,” Kieran said.
“You didn’t go to prom?”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t actually very smooth with the girls. And I didn’t get too involved in school. My brothers and I spent most of our free time together, working on our boats or sailing. Girls just weren’t very important back then.” He paused. “Of course, that all changed in college.”
“I never went to college, either,” Maddie said. She looked back toward the girls. “You know, I think I need one of those dresses. Every girl needs a party dress.”
“Where are you going to wear it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe on the train?” She pressed her finger to his lips. “And don’t tell me I shouldn’t waste my money.”
“I wasn’t going to do that,” Kieran said. “I actually think a party dress might be exactly what you need.”
With a giggle, Maddie turned over control of the cart to him and walked over to the rack. “I’m just going to try a few on.”
As she looked through the dresses, the two teenage girls gave her an odd look. In truth, Maddie could understand their curiosity. She was still wearing the hoodie and her sunglasses. They whispered to each other, watching her from behind a nearby rack.
“It’s for my niece,” Maddie said to them, grabbing a pink taffeta strapless gown with a huge tulle skirt.
The girls approached. “Are you—”
“You’re going to say Maddie West, aren’t you,” Maddie quickly replied. “I get that all the time. Do you really think I look like her?”
“She gets that all the time,” Kieran confirmed, nodding his head.
Maddie put the pink dress in the cart, then quickly grabbed a slinky black number from the end of the rack. “All the time,” she said, pushing the cart away.
They hurried though the shoe department, the girls following them at a safe distance, their curiosity piqued. When they reached the checkout, Maddie tugged her hood down over her forehead.
“Would you mind paying for all this while I wait out in the cab,” she murmured. At his nod, she walked out of the store.
When Maddie reached the safety of the taxi, she jumped into the backseat. The cabbie was reading a magazine. He glanced up at her in the rearview mirror, then twisted in his seat. “Are we waiting for your friend?” he asked.
“Yes,” Maddie said. “Of course.”
He nodded. “No problem.”
Maddie thought he’d turn around again, but instead, he stretched his arm across the back of the front seat. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s a famous singing star like you doing running around a big box store in Topeka, Kansas?”
Maddie moaned and covered her face. “You, too?”
He nodded. “I saw you on the CMAs last year. You were just great. You’re the most famous person I’ve ever had in my cab. I mean, you blow Willie Nelson away.”
“What’s your name?” Maddie asked.
“Ron. Ronald. Ronald J. Widmer.”
“Listen, Ronald. Do you think you can keep my secret? There’ll be a really big tip in it for you. And if you’ll give me your address, I’ll send you a complete collection of my CDs when I get home. And I’ll sign them all. Do you think you could do that for me?”
He gasped. “I’m sure I could. I always thought being a star has to be a hard life. I just want you to know, you have a friend in me. Ronald J. Widmer.”
Maddie smiled. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. And—and don’t believe any of the stuff you read in the tabloids. None of it is true.”
“Oh, I know that.” He held up the tabloid he’d been reading. “I just like them for the Bigfoot stories.”
Maddie smiled to herself. If things didn’t work out with Kieran, she always had Ronald. “Thanks, Ronald,” she said. “I really appreciate your discretion. Sometimes, it’s nice to just be anonymous.”
“But sometimes, it sure must be nice to be famous,” he said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t mind tryin’ that out for a day or two.”
MADDIE SAT IN the center of the bed in a nest of pink tulle. She’d found a small bottle of champagne in the minibar and was sipping bubbly out of a coffee mug from the room-service tray.
Kieran watched her from the sofa. They’d both grabbed a quick shower while they were waiting for their room-service dinner to arrive.
Her long hair, still damp from her shower, curled around her face in pretty tendrils. Even from across the room, the scent of her was intoxicating. With any other woman, he wouldn’t have thought twice about seduction. And he had to admit, thoughts of seducing Maddie had been running through his mind from the moment he’d met her.
But there was something that had stopped him—or at least slowed his pace toward the inevitable. Though she seemed tough and resilient on the outside, he sensed that it was all for show. She was a scared and vulnerable woman, trying to find her true path in the world. And he wasn’t about to take advantage of that. Not until they were both ready.