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“I’m named after my grandmother,” she said. “My middle name is Madeline. My mother thought Sarah Westerfield wasn’t a good name for a country star so from the time I was fourteen, she’s been calling me Maddie West.”
“Sarah,” he said. “I like that. But I think I’m going to have to stick with Maddie.”
“My grandparents still call me Sarah sometimes,” she said. “I don’t always answer to that name though.”
“Tell me about them,” he said. “Do they live near Bitney?”
Maddie nodded. “About fifteen miles. It isn’t far. There’s not a lot in Bitney. A feed store, a few taverns, a post office. Oh, and Charlie Morgan’s place. It’s a roadhouse.”
“And your grandparents have a horse farm?”
“It’s not a regular horse farm, where they breed horses. Although, my grandfather used to train racehorses at the farm. But now, it’s more like a retirement home for horses.”
Kieran glanced over at her, frowning. “A retirement home? I didn’t know there were such things.”
“When a horse gets too old or is injured, there are only two places for it to go. The glue factory, which is a euphemism for something I refuse to talk about. Or a farm, like my grandparents’ place. They take horses that no one wants anymore. Those that are injured, they rehabilitate and then sell to people who want them for recreational riding. Some just live on the farm until they die of natural causes.”
“Wow. That’s pretty amazing.”
“My mother doesn’t know it, but I send them all my royalty money. The farm is ridiculously expensive to run, but they have plenty of money to buy feed and vet care.”
“Your mom wouldn’t like that?”
“She and my grandparents don’t exactly get along. They wanted her to go to college and she wanted to run off and start a singing career in Nashville. As soon as she was eighteen, she left home. But it didn’t go well for her and she ended waiting tables. Then, she got pregnant with me and came back to Kentucky for a while, but couldn’t leave the career behind. So we went back to Nashville. She got a job for a management company after I started school and things just grew from there.”
“What about your dad?”
Maddie paused. She’d been thinking about her father a lot lately. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she was finally free to track him down. “I never knew my father. I don’t think my mother really did either. I’ve always suspected that I was the result of a one-night stand, although she never really said for sure. She always wanted a career in music and when I came along, I ruined that for her. So she decided to make me into a country singer instead. Unfortunately for me, I was good at it. That’s how I ended up here.”
“Did you ever think of finding your dad?” Kieran asked.
“Not until recently,” she said. “But my mother gets really emotional when I ask about him. I’m starting to think she didn’t tell me the whole story. Maybe he’s married or maybe he’s just some lowlife.” She sighed softly. “When I was younger, I used to dream he was a big country star and I’d inherited his talent. Someday I’ll ask her to tell me everything.”
“When was the last time you saw your grandparents?”
“A couple years ago,” she said. “I call them on holidays and their birthdays, but they objected to me starting a career so early. They thought I needed to focus on school and have a normal life until I was eighteen. So things have been kind of tense between them and my mom. Sometimes it’s better not to rock the boat.”
They continued to drive another two hours and just after ten, they pulled off the interstate and found a hotel room for the night.
After checking in, they took the elevator up to the third floor, Maddie yawning as she watched the lighted buttons on the panel. “It’s been a long day,” she murmured. “Can you believe we started in Topeka this morning?”
“It’s been fun,” he said, reaching out to pull her body against his. “But I’m not going to lie. I really just want to take off all my clothes and crawl into bed with you.”
Maddie had been so afraid to face life on her own, so certain that she wouldn’t know what to do. But then she’d found Kieran and he’d changed everything. They’d settled into an easy relationship, with only the occasional silly conflict.
Maddie had thought that falling in love was always fraught with emotional upheaval, yet, it was so simple with Kieran. Every moment they spent together convinced her that this was much more than just a passing infatuation.
But how would they work out the details of a relationship when there was so much distance between them? He had a job, a family, in Seattle. And her life revolved around Nashville. Even if she did give up touring and recording, was she ready to pick up and move to a brand-new city?
Kieran opened the door to the room and waited as she walked inside. She dropped the guitar case near the closet, then turned and took the bags from him, setting them on the floor at his feet.
Without speaking, Maddie slowly began to undress him, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it over his shoulders. Kieran smiled at her sleepily, unzipping the sweatshirt to reveal the pretty cotton dress beneath.
This was all she really needed to be happy, Maddie mused. This man, his voice, his kiss, his naked body beside her in bed. Like breathing and eating, he’d become a basic need for her continued existence.
Food, water, air, Kieran. She closed her eyes as he leaned forward and kissed her.
As the kiss spun out, they worked at the rest of their clothes, shedding them piece by piece until they were both naked. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, then carried her to the bed. Holding her, he gently set her down on the mattress and stretched out above her.
He really was a handsome man, she mused, staring into his pale blue eyes. He was smart and funny and sweet and kind. And he really didn’t care that she was famous or rich. He liked her for who she was.
Maddie had never been able to trust another person completely. Not even the people who were supposed to be looking after her best interests—her agent, her manager, her producer. They all answered to her mother, who had been the ultimate authority.
But she could trust Kieran. How strange was that? She only just met him a few days ago, yet she sensed that he was someone who would always be on her side.
“I like this,” Maddie said, brushing his dark hair from his eyes. “It’s the perfect way to end the day.”
“We’re not doing anything,” Kieran said.
“I don’t need to do anything,” Maddie said. “I just need you near me.”
“How close?” he asked. He was already hard, his erection pressed against her belly. He moved above her, teasing at her entrance until she could think of nothing but the moment when he’d bury himself inside her.
“Closer,” she murmured. She whispered softly in his ear, telling him what she wanted him to do, enticing him with words.
When he groaned softly, she knew that he couldn’t wait much longer. He nuzzled her neck, kissing and biting softly, moving above her in a slow, erotic dance. Maddie reached between them to caress his shaft, now hard and ready.
“I have to get a condom,” he whispered.
“I don’t want you to leave me,” she said.
“I’m just going across the room.” He chuckled softly. “I promise, I’ll come right back.”
The moment he broke contact, she felt the loss—of his heat, of his desire, of the comfort that his nearness brought her. But a moment later, he returned. Maddie took the box from his hands and after tearing open the plastic package, smoothed the latex over his shaft.
He entered her slowly, the sensation so exquisite that it took her breath away. Everything seemed to be operating at half-speed between them. Time had ceased to exist and the outside world had gone dark and quiet. This was all that mattered, Maddie thought to herself as he began to move.
Nothing in her life would ever be the same. From now on, she would live knowing that there was a man who was her perfect match in passion and pleasure. Every moment between them was a revelation, a discovery of the power of sexual attraction and simple affection.
It was more than enough … for now.
THE CADILLAC BEGAN to overheat about an hour after they got back on the road the next morning. Kieran pulled off the freeway and parked the car on the edge of the country road, letting it cool down before he started it again.
Maddie perched on the back of the front seat as he peered beneath the hood. “What’s wrong with it?”
“I don’t know,” Kieran said, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Maybe something wrong with the thermostat or the radiator. The belts look okay. It might be the water pump, although I’m not even sure this thing has a water pump.”
“Could it be all of those things?” Maddie cried. “Maybe we should just replace the whole engine.”
Kieran chuckled. “Maybe it’s just one of those things. But we’re going to have to get it looked at. It’s nothing I can fix.” He slammed the hood, then returned to the driver’s-side door. “We’ll try starting it after it cools down. If it overheats again, we’ll have to call a tow truck.”
He was tempted to tell Maddie that something like this was to be expected when you don’t do your homework at a used-car lot. But she’d been so pleased with her purchase. And he’d been happy for her.
In truth, that’s all he really cared about. Making Maddie deliriously happy. Maybe that wasn’t exactly what his grandfather was hoping for when he sent his grandsons out to find a new life. But for Kieran, it wasn’t about the place or the job. It was about finding someone who meant something, someone to build a life around.
Kieran imagined his brothers. New Mexico, Wisconsin, Maine. What were they doing now? Where were they living, who had they met? He couldn’t imagine any of them tangled up in a relationship already.
They were probably doing as expected, examining their choices, making decisions about their futures, learning more about themselves. And here he was, driving around in a bubblegum-pink Cadillac with a runaway country singer. He could imagine the laughter that would accompany that admission.
Still, it would have been nice to have his brothers around. They might be able to help him untangle his feelings for Maddie. The longer they were together, the more he realized that things would not remain so simple. And advice was in short supply.
It was easy to ignore the future when he and Maddie were on some kind of endless road trip. They weren’t really concerned about getting to their destination. In truth, they’d been avoiding it. But every trip came to an end sometime….
“Why don’t you sing me a song while we’re waiting?” he said.
“No, I’m not ready to sing for you,” Maddie said, shaking her head.
“Why not? I’m a good audience. And I’ve heard you’re a pretty good singer.”
She shook her head. “Nope. But I will teach you how to play the guitar.” Maddie crawled over the back of the seat and grabbed her guitar from the case. “Come back here. There’s more room.”
Kieran jumped over the seat and settled next to her. She patiently went through the parts of the guitar, the neck, the frets, the strings, the sound hole.
“Each of the strings is a different note. When you press the string down against the fret, it shortens the string and makes the pitch higher. So, when I put this combination of fingers down, it’s a D chord.” She handed him the guitar and put his fingers in the correct spots. “Now strum everything but the top string.”
He did as she asked and a pleasant sound vibrated off the strings. Kieran ran his thumb across them again. “Don’t move your fingers too close to the frets. Now shift your index and middle finger up a string and strum them all. That’s an A-seventh chord.”
Before long he was able to move back and forth between the two chords quite easily. “Now what?”
“Now we’re going to sing a song,” Maddie said. “Something simple. ‘Jimmy Crack Corn.’ Do you know that one?”
Kieran shook his head. “Nope.”
“‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’?”
“That one I know.”
He strummed the D chord and Maddie showed him where to change. Though he’d never been much of a singer, she seemed to bring out the best in him. After they mastered the first song, she sang “Jimmy Crack Corn” with him and then followed it with “Pink Cadillac.”
“See, you’re good already.”
He pulled her into a kiss. “You’re the one that’s good. You’re amazing. I know people tell you that all the time, but it’s true.”
Maddie met his gaze, searching his eyes for the truth in his words. A smile spread across her face. “For the first time, I think I believe it.”
“Put your guitar away. I think the engine’s cooled down enough that we can make it into town.”
He slipped back behind the wheel and when she jumped onto the seat behind him, he started the car. They found a discount store with an automotive department on the edge of town and Kieran left the car parked outside one of the garage doors.
He locked their things in the trunk before they walked inside. As he was filling out paperwork, Maddie wandered off, looking for a couple of cold drinks for them both. He watched as she walked away, smiling to himself.
In a lot of ways, he hoped it would take a day or two to fix the car. He didn’t want their road trip to end. He wasn’t sure what awaited them at her grandparents place, but he liked having her all to himself.
“Pretty lady,” the guy behind the counter said.
“Yeah, she is.”
“You know who she looks like?”
Kieran nodded. “Yeah. Everyone says that.”
“My wife loves that Maddie West.”
“So do I,” Kieran said. “So do I.”
Kieran took a seat in the waiting area and grabbed a magazine sitting on the table next to him. It was a brand-new issue of a tabloid and he scanned the front page looking for Bigfoot stories. But instead, his gaze fell on a headline with a familiar name.
“‘Desperately Seeking Maddie West,’” he read.
“I bought us snacks, too.”
He glanced up to see Maddie approaching with a bag. She plopped down beside him and pulled out a package of red licorice. “I’ve been craving red licorice.” She pulled out a bottle of soda. “I got you root beer. And a Coke. And a fruit punch.”
He held out the tabloid to her. “I think your mother has gone to the press,” he said, pointing to the headline.
Maddie stared down at the paper, then grabbed it from him, flipping through the pages until she found the story. “‘Country star Maddie West took off for parts unknown after the final concert of her tour in Denver. She’s been missing for four days and though her manager and mother, Constance West, has been worried, she doesn’t believe that Maddie has come to any harm. West says her daughter has been suffering under the stress of touring and recording almost nonstop since the age of fourteen. But sources say the problems may run deeper and could include drugs or alcohol. Maddie West is due to begin work on her newest album in a week.’” She drew a ragged breath. “Great. Now everyone thinks I need to go to rehab. You know, my mother once said that a star isn’t a star unless they’ve gone through terrible times in their lives. She actually said people become more popular if they’ve been knocked down a few times. The ‘Comeback Effect’ she called it. I can see her mind working right now. If I want to take time off she’s going to spin it as some kind of breakdown. And then, I’m going to make a comeback, triumphing over my troubles. Oh, it’s going to sell millions of records.”
Maddie threw the tabloid on the floor. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “This doesn’t change anything,” Kieran said. “You’re exactly the same person you were ten minutes ago.”
“I—I need to take a walk. How long is it going to be for the car?”
“They haven’t told me yet.”
“I’ll be back,” she said. “I just need to clear my head.”
“I’ll go with you,” Kieran said.
“No. I’ll be fine. This is kind of new for me, having time to myself. Time to think without someone following me around asking if I’m feeling all right.” She bent down and kissed him, then pointed to the bag sitting beside him. “Have some treats. And throw that magazine away before anyone sees it.”
She walked out the door and Kieran stood. He rang the bell on the counter and the manager appeared a few seconds later. “I’m just going to take a little walk. I’ll be back soon.”
“No problem,” the man said.
Kieran followed Maddie out the door, keeping a safe distance. If she needed him, he’d be there for her. And if not, then at least he wouldn’t be stuck sitting in the automotive department wondering where she was and if she was safe.
“I must be in love,” Kieran muttered. “Either that or I’m going a little crazy.”
WITH A NEW thermostat and a new lease on life, the Cadillac pulled into the long driveway of Serenity Farm around suppertime. Maddie felt her excitement grow as Kieran pulled the car to a stop.
He glanced over at her. “Are you all right?”
Maddie nodded. “My mother and I have never really settled down. We moved all the time. This is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a home.”
The sprawling white clapboard house was exactly as she remembered it with its wide porch and deep green shutters. Her grandmother’s flower gardens were lush with late-summer blooms and Maddie closed her eyes and inhaled the scent, oddly familiar.
She hadn’t seen her grandparents for almost two years. And though she spoke to them on the phone once a month, it wasn’t the same. She stepped out of the car at the same time that the front screen door opened.
“Hi, Ninny,” she cried as she ran up the steps and embraced her grandmother. “Pawpaw, you look as handsome as ever,” Maddie said as her grandfather emerged from the house. She gave him a fierce hug, then stepped back.
“You’re home,” her grandmother said.
“I’m home,” Maddie repeated. She turned and motioned to Kieran. “This is Kieran Quinn. My friend. My … boyfriend.”
Kieran took the front steps two at a time and held out his hand to her grandmother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He shook her grandfather’s hand. “Mr. Westerfield. Mrs. Westerfield.”
“I’m Sarah,” her grandmother said. “And this is Joe.”
Kieran nodded. “Sarah. Joe. You have a beautiful place here.”
“Joe, get the bags. Come in, you two. We’re just finishing dinner. Are you hungry?”
Kieran helped Maddie’s grandfather with the bags, dropping them both along with her guitar in the front hall. Maddie wandered back to the kitchen, the smell of dinner filling her senses.
“What’s for dinner?” Maddie asked.
“Fried chicken, potato salad, green beans from my garden and sweet tea. Peach cobbler for dessert. I found the best peaches at the fruit stand yesterday. Straight from Georgia.” She slipped her arm through Maddie’s and led her to the table. “What are you doing here? I thought you were on tour.”
Maddie sat down and Kieran joined her a few minutes later as her grandmother fetched them both a plate. “The tour is finished. We did the last show in Denver a few days ago.”
“So you have some time off?” her grandfather asked. “You’ll be staying for a few days, I hope.”
Maddie paused. “More than that. Maybe. I need a break. Maybe a permanent break. I just don’t love it anymore.”
Her grandmother poured them both a glass of tea, then placed her hand on Maddie’s shoulder. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Although I never thought you’d last as long as you did. You’ve been working nonstop for ten years. No one can put up with that kind of pressure for so long.”
Maddie glanced over at Kieran and he smiled at her. “I feel much better now.”
They chatted over dinner about the tour, about her trip home, but they avoided the subject of her mother. Maddie knew that Ninny wanted to bring it up, but she’d never talk about it in front of a stranger. And to her grandparents, Kieran was a stranger.
After they finished dinner, Sarah cleared the table. “Let’s have our dessert on the porch a bit later. Joe, why don’t you give Kieran a tour of the farm. I want to have a little talk with Maddie.”
Kieran gave her hand a squeeze, then got up from the table and followed her grandfather to the front door. Maddie drew a deep breath and then sighed softly. Right now, she could use a few moments alone with Kieran, but those were going to be hard to find until her grandparents were in bed.
“He seems like a nice boy,” Sarah said. “Where did you meet him?”
“In the bus station in Denver,” Maddie said. “He helped me escape. And we’ve been together ever since.”
“So you’ve known him …”
“Four days,” she said. “I know, it seems like nothing. But we have such a strong connection.”
“And what does he do, besides drive runaway country singer home to visit her grandparents?”
“He works for his family business in Seattle. They build boats. Expensive sailing yachts.”
“And he’s on vacation?”
Maddie shrugged. “Something like that. He’s taking time away, like I am.”
“Well, I’m not going to ask the particulars, but I think it’s best if he sleeps in the stable house.”
“I think I might be falling in love with him,” Maddie said. “He’s so kind and sweet and funny. And he cares about me. Not me, the country singer, but me, just plain old Sarah Madeline Westerfield.”
“Your mother isn’t going to be happy about that,” Sarah said. “But I can see how he looks at you. I’m going to reserve judgment until I get to know him a little better.”
“You’re going to like him. I know it.”
“Does your mother know you’re here?”
Maddie shook her head. “I’m sure she’ll figure it out at some point. Kieran texted her to let her know I was all right but I know she’s going to be crazy until she talks to me. I was going to call her, but then I chickened out. You know how she likes to control every little thing.”
“Your mother has made mistakes,” Sarah said. “I’ll be the first one to point that out. But you do have a wonderful career, sweetheart. And you’re so talented. I wasn’t behind this when you were just a teenager, but now, I listen to you sing and I know you’re doing exactly what you should be doing.”
“Am I?” Maddie said. She pushed away from the table. She’d expected her grandmother to side with her, not her mother. But now it sounded as if they both thought she should go back. “I’m not sure I want to go back. I think maybe I want something else out of life. Is that so wrong, to want an ordinary life?”
“Does that ordinary life include being married to Kieran Quinn? Sometimes love can make us think in fairy tales instead of realities. If you’re counting on this young man to rescue you from all your troubles, then I think you need to reconsider your options.”
Was that what she was doing? Maddie wondered. Her grandmother had always urged her to take control of her own life and until now, she hadn’t found the courage to do that. But the courage hadn’t been all her own. Kieran had helped.
“I don’t expect that,” Maddie said. “He has a job and a life in Seattle. He’ll have to go home and I’ll have to make some decisions about what I want.”
“Well, sweetheart, I think you need to take your time. You’re a big girl now.”
Maddie stood up. “You know, I think I’m going to catch up with Kieran. Why don’t you leave the dishes and Kieran and I will do them later?”
She was anxious to get out of the kitchen, away from all of her grandmother’s questions, away from the mirror that Sarah Westerfield held up to Maddie’s face. She wanted to grab her things and throw them back in the car, to run away again. When she was with Kieran, she didn’t have to think about her future. She could just live each day without concern for the next.
She found Kieran and her grandfather standing at the gate to the stable paddock, watching a pair of horses gallop around the perimeter, their tails and manes flying. She stood next to Kieran, wrapping her arms around him.