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The right side of his face, around the temple, forehead, and eye, was covered with very real bandages.
Surprise registered only momentarily on his face before he grinned and shrugged. “I see you caught me. Your Phantom is more like the real Phantom of the Opera than you anticipated, huh?”
Maddie tried to speak, but her mouth was dry. “I…uh…”
“I’m sorry. I can see I startled you. I—”
“Mom! I fed all of the ducks!” Nicky bounded between them, bouncing on his toes.
“He did, too!” her Phantom confirmed, smiling in a way that made Maddie’s heart turn over. Something about those lips. Perhaps it was the bandages that shadowed the rest of his face, just as the Phantom’s mask had. Or maybe she was remembering the sweet tenderness of his kiss.
She shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. Nicky latched on to her arm and peered timidly at the bandaged-faced man. “It’s okay, Nicky. This man is my—” she hesitated over the word “—friend.”
“I’m Mr. M…” His sentence trailed. “Um, Nicky, do you want to ride the train?”
That was all it took to make a fast friend of the young boy, who grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him toward the train.
The Phantom scooped Nicky into his arms, placing the boy on his broad shoulders. “Look, there, Nicky! You’re as tall as the giraffes, now!”
He was a natural with children, Maddie thought as they headed for the train, and Nicky was eating up his attention, squealing with glee. Warning bells rang in Maddie’s mind, and she quickly installed mental barriers. The more she knew of this man, the more there was to like. But fairy tales didn’t translate into reality, and she was setting herself up to be left with a crushed pumpkin and a couple of mice for company.
Something she definitely could do without. She’d have to be more careful.
Maddie’s eyes met the Phantom’s and he smiled, sharing with her in Nicky’s delight. It was a small gesture, yet it warmed her heart like a woodstove on a brisk morning.
“I didn’t quite catch your name,” she reminded him as he planted Nicky on the train, waving as the locomotive powered up.
A surprised look crossed his face, but was quickly shadowed. “Hmm?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard her question.
“Your name. You know, what people call you to get your attention. I can’t keep calling you Phantom all the time. It would be embarrassing for me and humiliating for you.”
Neil glanced at his watch, stalling for time. He hadn’t anticipated seeing her again—or rather, having her see him. And now she was demanding his name.
What was he supposed to say? Hi, my name is Neil March, the man responsible for your husband’s death.
“I…um,” he mumbled, looking right and left, wishing desperately that a gap in the earth would open up and give him an escape route. Swallow him whole. He couldn’t tell her the truth, though he knew she deserved to hear it.
“Rory,” he said, making a split-second decision. “My friends call me Rory.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. He had, in fact, been raised as Rory. Neil Rory March III. His father was already Neil Jr., so adding another Neil to the family clan had seemed a bit confusing. Neil had gone by his middle name until he graduated from college and claimed his inheritance.
“Rory,” Maddie repeated, running her low, melodic voice over the syllables. The sound was like a balm to his soul.
“Mrs. Carlton!” The master of ceremonies for the grand opening of the Pachyderm Pavilion rushed upon them, startling Neil. He took a step backwards and turned his face away from any who might recognize him. “It’s time. We’ve been looking all over for you. Everyone is waiting.”
A tumult of confusion ensued as Maddie gathered Nicky under her arm and muttered about not noticing the time. Several others in charge of seeing the grand opening go off without a hitch converged on her, giving her instructions on speaking and wishing her luck.
Neil slipped quietly away into the night, away from Maddie, feeling the cold closing around him with every step he took. His hands clenched into fists, trying to force from his mind the lie still ringing in his ears.
My friends call me Rory.
Chapter Five (#ulink_ce6811e4-79ff-56f7-aeff-e85bfdead226)
Keeping to the shadows of the makeshift tent, Neil adjusted the collar of his knee-length wool coat high around his neck. From his pocket he pulled a Colorado Rockies baseball cap which he placed low over his brow, shadowing his ravaged face from the crowd.
He couldn’t afford to have anyone recognize him and uncover his deception.
It was the very same reason that, up until last night, he never went out in public: to keep the world from finding out the truth about that one accursed night. Finding out the truth about him.
Until Maddie.
She forced him out of his self-imposed solitude, though she was the last person on earth with whom he wanted to come face-to-face. The irony of his situation cut him like a razor.
He watched her approach the podium nervously, hesitating before the clamoring crowd. From his vantage point near the front and to the right, he could see her hand shaking as she stepped before the microphone. She tapped it gently with her forefinger, then stepped back when the speakers crackled. Neil couldn’t help chuckling.
He tamped down the desire to rescue her. She was putting on a good show for the crowd, but he could see the lines of strain around her mouth, the fear shining in her eyes. He wanted to burst forward, take over the situation, put her at ease. He was good with people, had no trouble speaking in public. He could stand by her side, make things easier for her.
But this was her night. As tough as speaking before this crowd was, it was something she needed to do. He couldn’t rush in and take her place, not only because it wouldn’t be fair to Maddie, but because he’d be recognized. He needed to stay under the cover of darkness.
Clearing her throat, she began again, quietly at first, and then with growing passion, to tell the agonizing story that began and ended with March’s Department Store.
She was so beautiful, even with her features laced with pain and sadness. She looked like an angel from heaven under the stage lights, glowing with a warmth and purity that pervaded even the pain.
Neil’s chest tightened. If only it were another place, another time. If he could erase the past, he would be in grave danger of losing his heart.
But the past could never be changed. He would forever live in the cold shadow of Peter Carlton’s death.
The chill of the night air enveloped him, the dampness of the light snowfall weighing him down as surely as the guilt burdening his shoulders.
The crowd applauded and Maddie stepped away from the microphone. She grasped Nicky’s hand and then wandered through the throng, looking for a familiar face.
Looking for him.
He stepped out of the shadows and turned quickly to leave. He was a coward. His mind berated him even as he walked away. But he couldn’t play the game anymore.
He wouldn’t. The truth might show in his eyes.
And if she didn’t find out…if her big brown eyes met his, he might throw caution to the wind and act on his feelings. He didn’t know which was worse. And he didn’t want to find out.
He increased his stride and pushed through the crowds, making good his escape.
“Rory, wait!”
She’d seen him. His shoulders stiffened and he slackened his pace. Her words burned inside his chest, but he couldn’t help smiling when he looked into her shining eyes. “How did it feel to be up there in front of everyone?” he asked around the guilt clogging his throat.
“I can’t believe it. I was so nervous, but once I got up there I just forgot about everything except telling the story. My adrenaline’s pumping a mile a minute. It was so…invigorating!”
She reached up and swiped the cap from his head, swatting him playfully in the chest with it.
Neil chuckled and wrenched the cap away from her, tapping her lightly on top of her head before placing the cap in his coat pocket.
With an offended screech, she tried to retrieve it, but he shifted back and forth, always just out of her grasp. “Missed me, Missed me. Now ya gotta kiss me!” he whispered in her ear, hugging her to his chest.
Laughing and sputtering, they both fell into a heap in a cold, wet snowbank. Suddenly her smile faded and self-doubt flooded her expression. “But I—how did I do? Really?”
“You were wonderful, Maddie. Born to be a public speaker.”
Maddie grinned. “Now there’s hogwash if I’ve ever heard it. But please—don’t stop!” It had been so long since she’d heard a compliment from a man. She felt her cheeks flaming with heat, but she didn’t care. Right now she was willing to beg for a compliment from this handsome stranger.
He made her laugh. He made her feel. He made the night light up with thousands of brilliant colors that put the Wildlights to shame.
He pulled her into the curve of his arm, the palm of her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding, and her own heartbeat rose in challenge.
She glanced at her son, hoping the boy was not upset by the sight of this unknown man with his arm around her shoulder. But Nicky seemed oblivious, running ahead with wild abandon from one display to the next. He exclaimed over the lights, bounced excitedly over every new animal he discovered. And when he glanced back at his mother, he only smiled to see her in Rory’s arms.
“Shall I tell you how beautiful you are?” Rory whispered as they followed the path her son had taken. “How your brown eyes sparkle in the moonlight?”
“Mmm,” Maddie answered, allowing her emotions to be led as her feet were being led. Far from reality and deeply into a dream.
“You can’t be serious,” she whispered.
“Ah, but I am.” He grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“You can feel it,” he continued, “here.” He placed her palm over his heart. “And you can see it…”
She could see into the depths of his blazing dark eyes, see a flicker of untamed emotion so intense that it heated her insides. She couldn’t have been married for eight years without recognizing what was happening to her, knowing what she was feeling. Understanding what she’d been missing.
It wasn’t just a kiss or a touch that she lacked. She missed the intimacy of two souls meeting, and bonding. She missed this amazing instant and uncanny rapport they shared.
It was what he longed for, as well. She could feel it in her heart. He wasn’t playing games with her. The intensity in his eyes left no doubt that he was serious.
And this time, she didn’t want to run away.
She knew the moment he read her answer in her eyes. She couldn’t have spoken if she had wanted to—except with her heart. And she hoped that was enough for Rory.
He cupped her chin in his palm and shook his head ever so slightly. His dark eyes clouded, but Maddie was beyond being able to do more than lean into him, asking for his affection the only way she could.
“Maddie, I—”
“Rory.”
A muffled groan rose from the depths of his chest as he gave in to the longing in his eyes. The unspoken question remained as his gaze locked with hers, and slowly, slowly, he bent his head toward her.
Maddie’s senses heightened until she was sure she could feel the crackling of tension in the air between them. His featherlight caress of her cheek, sliding gently to the back of her neck to pull her closer, became the focus of her world.
And those eyes. Those eyes.
She wanted to cling to him, to share one breath and heartbeat.
But they both knew this was neither the right time, nor the right place.
Reluctantly, he broke away. “We need to catch up with Nicky,” he murmured, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her so tightly that he could easily have crushed her, yet so gently that she felt surrounded by the strength of a fortress, safe and protected from the fears haunting her.
She closed her eyes, content for the moment to rest her head against his solid shoulder, to extend the shimmering bliss for as long as possible.
Suddenly his muscles tensed beneath her cheek. Her eyes snapped open to see what was wrong, but Rory wasn’t looking at her.
Jaw clenched, he scanned the throng of people nearby. “Where’d he go?” he asked. His voice was crisp with authority.
“Nicky?” She pointed toward the predatory bird display. “Why, he was right over there when—” She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes searching the area for her son’s familiar face. “Where’s Nicky?”
He was gone.
Her stomach lurched into her throat. Where was he? He’d been exclaiming over the eagles not a minute before. Before she’d lost herself in Rory’s arms.
“Where is he?” she cried, wresting herself from Rory’s embrace. “Where’s my son? Oh, if anything happens to Nicky…”
“Maddie.” Rory’s voice was low and controlled.
“I’ll never forgive myself. “Oh, God, please let him be safe,” she prayed aloud.
“Maddie!”
“This was a terrible, terrible mistake. If I hadn’t—”
“Maddie!” Rory took her by the shoulders and gently shook her. “You’ve got to snap out of it. Take some deep breaths and try to calm down. We’ll find him.”
The even tenor of his words had the needed effect, soothing her soul with steady, reassuring waves. His eyes blazed into hers, transferring his strength to her.
She scrubbed at the tears streaking down her face. “You’re right. Let’s not panic. He can’t be far.”
“We need to put this together piece by piece. A minute ago, Nicky was in front of the eagle cage. Where would he go from there?” Rory took her hand and began backtracking the way they’d come, his eyes alert.
“I don’t know!” she wailed, and burst into a fresh round of tears. “He knows not to wander off. He could be anywhere.”
“He could be. But he isn’t. He’s somewhere. We’ve just got to figure out where.” His words were firm, almost harsh, but the hand stroking the tears on her cheek was gentle and reassuring.
Maddie strained to think of where her son might be, but she couldn’t get past the wild waves of panic in her mind.
She paused as the answer floated just above her consciousness. “The elephants!”
“Didn’t he see the elephants earlier?”
“We didn’t get a chance. We were too busy with the program. And they’ve always been his favorite.” Her voice caught. “I promised him. And then I was so preoccupied with my stupid speech, and finding you—I forgot all about it.”
“Come on, then.” He reached for her hand, then sprinted toward the lights of the pavilion, glancing back from time to time to be sure that she was keeping pace.
She was. She held her breath, hoping against hope that her son was safe. The lights from the Pachyderm Pavilion blazed brightly, beckoning visitors. Nicky would have had no trouble finding his way.
