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“It was a great workout,” he answered. He loved the way riding raised his heart rate and strengthened his legs. He thought about how Madison Wagner and her decidedly less-than-warm attitude had put a damper on his bright morning. If she acted like that before she even got to know him, he could only imagine how she might treat his kids if they ever ran into each other. “Why don’t we all go wash up and have some breakfast,” he told the girls, and added for Grace, “You’re welcome to stay and eat, too.” He said the polite thing, but secretly hoped she would decline as he enjoyed when it was just the three of them bonding as a family.
“I’d love to,” Grace said, “but I have a hiking date with my boyfriend, so...”
“Understood,” Stuart said with a smile. “Have a good hike and we’ll see you the next time.”
“Sounds good.” Grace grabbed her bag and beamed at the girls. “Don’t give your dad a hard time.”
“We won’t,” Carrie promised, then turned to her sister. “Will we?”
“No, we won’t,” Dottie said. “Race you to the bathroom.”
“Okay.” Carrie sprinted away, giggling, with Dottie hot on her tail.
Stuart laughed, as did Grace. It gave him such joy to see them acting like girls should, rather than the way it was when their mother left and it seemed like there was a void he could never fill. While he considered it still a work-in-progress, Stuart felt he was generally getting the job done as a single parent.
* * *
On Monday, Madison drove her Subaru Legacy to the downtown offices of Rose Petals magazine. She loved the job, as she loved reading books and giving honest reviews. It was also nice to have her own column, where she could highlight books of interest and other general literary topics.
Stuart Kendall crossed her mind. She had not seen him since their run-in. She had read some of his thriller fiction after Holly had recommended she try it. Admittedly, he was talented, and she had given him high marks when doing reviews in Houston. But she saw little reason for them to crisscross at this point, as it would only remind her of things she was trying to forget.
After pulling into the underground parking garage, Madison took the elevator up to the fifth floor. She greeted the other members of the staff, then sat at her desk in her small office.
The editor-in-chief, Giselle Fortune, walked in holding a stack of books.
“Good morning, Madison,” she said. “I’ve got some reading material for you.”
“Oh, great!” Madison smiled as Giselle set them on her desk. “I can’t wait to get started.” She picked up the top book in the stack, which was a thriller by Stuart Kendall titled The Next One to Fall. “Hmm...this looks interesting, but I know Stuart, kind of. I used to hang out with his sister. I’d feel kind of funny reviewing his book, especially if it wasn’t glowing.” Maybe even weirder if it was, she mused.
“Understood,” Giselle said. She brushed aside feathered blond hair and took the book from Madison’s hands. “I’ll get Larry Wellington to review it.”
“Thanks,” Madison said, grabbing another hardcover title that was more agreeable to her.
“I’m sure you probably already realize that Stuart’s a local,” Giselle said.
“Yes, my friend mentioned it to me.”
“Well, just so you know,” Giselle began, “while I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we treat our city’s bestselling authors like royalty, we do try to do pieces on them every now and then to boost circulation and show our appreciation for local talent.”
And I’m sure it all goes to their heads, Madison thought. “Makes sense,” she said evenly.
“That doesn’t mean anyone gets a free pass for a lousy book,” Giselle made clear. “As for Stuart, I met him once at a Portland book convention. He seems like a stand-up guy and totally down-to-earth.”
“I’m glad to hear he’s approachable,” Madison told her, though she had already gathered as much. I’d just rather not be the one to approach him right now, she thought.
“Well, I’d better let you get to work,” Giselle said. “Oh, in case I forgot to mention it, we’re glad to have you as part of our team.”
Madison smiled. “Thank you. I’m happy to be part of the team.”
After her boss left, Madison leaned back in her chair and thought about how she could make the most of her new city and circumstances. She deserved to be happy just like everyone else. Didn’t she?
* * *
Two weeks later, Madison was at home enjoying a glass of white wine and reading a book when her iPad chimed. Her sister Bianca was initiating a video chat.
Madison accepted and watched as her older sister’s face suddenly appeared on the screen. “Hey there.”
“Hey back at you,” Bianca said. “What’s going on?”
“Same old, same old,” Madison responded, thinking of how much they looked alike, aside from the fact that Bianca had now gone totally blonde and had thinner brows. “Just trying to keep up with my workload.”
“I hear you,” Bianca said. “There’s been a lot of newsworthy stuff happening at the casinos. I’ve had to put in extra hours at the paper.” She sipped from a glass of wine. “I wish you had moved here instead of Portland. I’d love to have my kid sister around to hang out with.”
“I doubt that,” Madison said, smiling. Though things were good between them now, it hadn’t always been that way. They were both stubborn and seemed more interested in butting into each other’s lives than not. “I’d never be able to keep up with you. Besides, I like Portland and the job that brought me here.”
“Fair enough. I’m sure there are some hot men in Portland to take your mind off you-know-who.”
“It’s already off him,” Madison insisted. “That’s over and done with. As for hot men in Portland, I wouldn’t know, as I’ve been too busy to notice.”
“Didn’t you say Holly’s brother lives there?” Bianca probed.
Damn, she has too good a memory, thought Madison, tasting her wine. “Yes, he lives here.”
“And...?”
“And nothing,” Madison said. “We’ve run into each other, but that’s about it.”
“He’s single, right?”
“Yes, as I understand it, and he has two young children.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a ready-made family, if the man is a good fit,” Bianca told her.
“Never said there was,” Madison responded tightly. “And the man’s not a good fit.”
“Why not?” Bianca pressed. “Not hot enough for you?”
“He’s nice-looking,” she admitted. “But—”
“But he’s Holly’s brother and she’s involved with your ex. Am I right?”
Madison saw no reason to deny it. She sighed. “Let’s just say that’s not a road I care to go down. And, for that matter, I’m not really interested in pursuing anyone or being pursued by anyone right now.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t push it,” Bianca said, leaning back in her chair. “When you’re ready, you can put yourself back out there. Just remember that one mistake does not a lifetime make. I’ve made a few mistakes in the male department, but I refuse to allow that to keep me from taking new chances at love and happiness.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” Madison had always prided herself on trying to keep an open mind. But, for now, she preferred to put that on the back burner and focus on work and staying active. Whatever the future brought her way, she would deal with it then.
Chapter 2
Stuart took the girls to the Oregon Zoo, knowing how much they loved seeing and hearing the animals, as he had as a kid. While part of him wished they had a mother figure to accompany them, he was just happy to be there for them himself.
After they had seen polar bears, elephants and cougars, with the girls even taking digital pictures of their favorite animals, Carrie blurted out, “Can we go on the train ride now, Daddy?”
“Yeah, let’s,” Dottie said.
“Two against one,” Stuart said, chuckling. “You win. Let’s go for a ride on the Washington Park and Zoo Railway. It’ll be fun.”
Ten minutes later, they were on the recreational railroad aboard a diesel-powered train that took a one-mile loop around the zoo. Stuart took delight as the girls giggled at the various sights and sounds they passed.
Before long, the ride was over, and they all got off the train. “Next time, we’ll come in the summer and take the train that runs from the zoo through Washington Park,” he promised, knowing they would enjoy the ride through the park forests to another station where they could disembark and visit the Rose Garden, Portland Japanese Garden and children’s park.
“Promise?” Dottie asked.
“I promise,” Stuart said. “Now let’s head over to the Cascade Grill and get something to eat.”
The girls smiled in agreement.
They enjoyed chili dogs and chips before going to see monkeys, zebras and black rhinos.
At one point, Stuart thought he spotted Madison Wagner. Was it his imagination? He thought he saw her by one of the exhibits, but she left before he could be sure it was her.
Maybe that was a good thing. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Or try to explain to the girls that she was once their Aunt Holly’s friend till things changed.
* * *
On a Saturday afternoon in early February, Madison sat at the coffee shop reading a book she would review. She was halfway through it and found the book was only so-so.
She hadn’t seen Stuart on his bike of late and imagined he had been busy between writing and raising two young children.
She flipped another page of her book and then heard a deep and resonate voice say, “Must be a pretty good book you’ve got there.”
Looking up, Madison saw Stuart standing there, holding a paper coffee cup. “Not really,” she told him. “I’m reading it for work.”
He peered at her. “Aah, yes, I think Holly mentioned something about your being a book reviewer.”
Madison wondered just how much Holly had told her brother about her. She was sure he knew all the ins and outs of her disaster with her former beau, which made this conversation all the more uncomfortable. “I’m working for Rose Petals.”
Stuart nodded. “Good magazine.” They had been fairly kind to him with some great reviews, including a five-star review for his latest book.
“It pays the bills,” she said succinctly, hoping he would leave it at that.
Stuart was never much at small talk, especially with someone who didn’t seem all that interested in speaking with him. But he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to reach out to the attractive woman. Seeing her in this casual setting, without the bike helmet that had covered a good part of that gorgeous hair, made her even more appealing to him. He wondered how her ex could have let her get away.
Stuart also wondered how the same man had been smart enough to woo his sister. By all accounts, they were madly in love and planning a Valentine’s Day wedding. He doubted Madison was on the invitation list.
“So how have you been doing now that you’ve settled in?” Stuart tossed out, sipping his coffee.
Madison had zeroed in on Stuart before he asked the question. She couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He seemed to be all muscle and about six-three. His features were classically masculine and she liked his closely cropped, curly black hair.
But...she still felt it was better to steer clear of him right now, all things considered. “Look...” she began deliberately. “I’m sure you’re just trying to be friendly, but I’m actually rushing to make a deadline right now.”
Stuart’s brow furrowed. Suddenly it had gotten frostier in the coffee shop than it was outside. “Got it. Then I’ll leave you to it.”
Madison offered him a strained smile and turned back to the book. But she noticed that Stuart was still standing there, prompting her to look up. “Is there something else?”
“Actually, there is,” he said. “I know all about the situation with your ex and Holly. But that’s between you and them, not me.”
“I never said it was about you,” she responded, blinking in surprise but attempting to downplay it. “That’s over and done with.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Stuart said honestly. “Seems to me you still have a chip on your shoulder, and you’re somehow taking it out on me by association.”
“That’s crazy!” Madison refused to admit he was right. At least not while he had her on the defensive.
“Is it? I’m pretty good at reading people, especially when they seem to have a one-track mind.”
She shot him a dismissive look. “You don’t know anything about my mind. Just because you’re a writer doesn’t give you the right to psychoanalyze me.”
Stuart’s head snapped back as though he had been hit in the face. “You have a good point there. Maybe I’m misjudging you. Just seems like I keep getting the brush-off when I’m trying to be friendly.”
“Well, maybe you should stop trying so hard,” she tossed back at him. “I’m sure there are other women in town you can strike up a conversation with. But right now I happen to be busy doing my job. If that somehow offends you, I can’t do anything about it.”
“No, I suppose you can’t,” Stuart said, deciding to cut this short before saying something he couldn’t take back. “I’ll let you get back to it and try not to bother you anymore.”
He waited for a second or two, as if to see if she would try to get the last word. But there was no comeback. Apparently she was satisfied that she could declare victory over him.
Stuart knew this was a losing battle. And since he didn’t like to lose, he saw no reason to torture either of them further. He turned and headed for the door.
Madison watched as he was leaving. She had a mind to call him back, air out some of their differences, but thought better. What was there to say, really? He seemed like a nice guy and was certainly very good-looking. But that didn’t mean they had to be friends.
Especially since it wasn’t what she wanted. Not when his presence made her feel unexpectedly giddy and nervous. She was still trying to put past regrets behind her.
She sipped more coffee and turned back to the book. Suddenly it became more laborious to read than ever.
She wondered how much Stuart Kendall had to do with that.
* * *
That night, after tucking the girls into bed, Stuart stretched out on the living room sectional and video-chatted with Holly on his iPad.
“Hey, sis.”
She flashed him a big smile on a beautiful face that reminded him of their mother’s. “Back at you, big brother. Or maybe I should say lean and mean brother of mine.”
He chuckled. “Whatever works. How’s the wedding planning going?”
“Great, although it’s much more work than I thought it would be. How are the girls?”
“Growing up way too fast,” he said honestly. “I know they’re only seven, nearly eight, but next thing you know, they’ll be eighteen. I don’t even want to think about them dating and all that.”
