Playing for Keeps (28 page)

Maddie shot her a dirty look
and told Ty, "Alec is a friend from back home."
He might want it to be more than that
,
but it's not going to happen
. She looked at Alec. "I'm going with them. Are you coming with us, or going to your party? I don't care."

He looked at her irritably and finally said
, "I think I should come with you."

"
Fine." Zoey reached for two jean jackets in the closet and handed one to Maddie. "You can drive Maddie. I'll go with Ty on his bike."

Maddie
's eyes lit up. She slipped into her jacket and followed Ty and Zoey outside, not waiting for Alec to pull the door shut and bring up the rear. Outside, she looked over Ty's Harley Davidson and murmured admiringly, "Holy shit!"

He
swung his leg over and cranked the engine to a noisy start. He grinned at Maddie and said, "I'll give you a ride sometime, if you want."

"
I do!" Maddie admitted, watching Zoey climb on the back and wrap her arms around Ty. She saw Alec approach from the corner of her eye and remembered to ask, "So where are we going?"

"
Lost Wages. It's on the corner of Eighteenth and Berkshire," Ty answered over the roar of the engine.

"
Okay, we'll see you there!" Maddie called back, and turned to Alec.

"
That's a really cruddy neighborhood. I don't think we should go," he said.

"
Come on. You're taking me, at least." She dragged him by the hand to his car, and they drove to the pool hall. Alec griped the whole way there, and Maddie was never so glad to arrive anywhere in her life.

Ty and Zoey
stood waiting for them out front.

"
Hey!" Maddie approached them and smiled.

Alec
lagged behind.

"
Come on." Ty led them in, spoke to the bouncer at the door, and the two of them laughed. The bouncer turned away and Ty motioned for them to come in. He led them to the bar and looked at them. "What are you drinking?"

"
Beer," Zoey announced, and Maddie nodded agreement.

Ty looked at
Alec. "Junior?"

Alec
gave him a spiteful look. "Beer."

Maddie chuckled and looked away.
Alec wouldn't get too snotty with Ty, or anyone there, for fear they'd kick his ass. She glanced around and thought it was an exciting place. There were several people sitting at the bar, and a bunch of little tables scattered around, some full, some not. A small dance floor sat empty, even though loud country music drifted from a jukebox. The back half of the room was filled with booths and pool tables, two or three of them in use.

Ty paid for their beers and nodded
at Zoey to follow him. She looked at Maddie, who looked at Alec, who made an angry face. Maddie told Zoey, "Go ahead. I'll be back later." She watched them make their way to the pool area, and Ty struck up a conversation at one of the tables.

Maddie took a sip of her beer and noticed
Alec held his bottle but didn't drink from it. "Why are you being such a wet blanket?"

"
This is no place you should be."

"
Oh for Pete's sake, it's fine. It looks like fun. Lighten up."

"
Your parents wouldn't approve."

Maddie snorted laughter.
"No shit, Sherlock. But they aren't here, now, are they?"

"
Maddie—"

S
he cut him off. "Stop it, Alec. I'm here to have fun. If you don't like it, you can always leave."

He turned to the bar and peeled the label off his beer bottle.
"The music even sucks," he complained.

Maddie handed him a folded dollar bill.
"Why don't you go play something else? You like Garth Brooks. He's probably on the jukebox."

Alec
shrugged, and took the dollar to the machine.

Maddie smiled and looked back at the pool table where Ty was now playing. The man standing next to him laughed, and caught Maddie
's attention. She moved down the bar a little to get a better view. Wavy, blond hair flowed down to his chin, with a bandana tied like a headband around his forehead. He was tall and muscular like Ty, and dressed much the same in a white tank top and black jeans, with a chain from the front of his jeans to his back hip. He had tattoos on each arm, but from a distance Maddie couldn't tell what they were.

His smile couldn't be missed
. The whole time she watched him, he'd been grinning and laughing with everyone around him. It was an infectious laugh. People seemed to gravitate toward him. Maddie knew she wanted to get a closer look, but just then Alec reappeared.

He handed her the dollar bill.
"I took care of it."

"
Thanks." She shoved the bill in her pocket, not really looking. The man Ty shot pool with, captivated her and she wanted to find a way to get back there.

The gods smiled on Maddie when
Alec said, "I need to use the john. I bet it's filthy."

"
I bet you're right." Maddie nodded agreement. She looked around and pointed to the right. "That way."

"
Be right back." Alec headed that direction.

Maddie picked up her beer bottle and made her way to the pool table. Zoey was standing
to the side, watching, and Maddie approached her. "Hey."

"
Hey." Zoey nodded.

"
Who's the guy Ty's shooting pool with?"

Zoey looked at the table.
"I don't know, but he's one tall drink of water, isn't he?"

"
Um, yeah." Maddie eyed him appreciatively.

Zoey glanced at her and chuckled
. When Ty came over to take a swig of his beer, Zoey whispered something to him.

He nodded, and
returned to his game. He took a shot, and then said something to his opponent.

The man looked up at Maddie, and flashed his bright smile at her.

Zoey shoved Maddie forward.

Ty said
, "Nick, this is Maddie. Maddie, Nick."

Unexpectedly the center of attention,
Maddie felt her face flush bright red.

Nick
grinned. "Hello, sweetness."

She couldn't help but smile
.

Chapter
Three

The phone rang and woke them. Rob reached for it and smacked Maddie in the face.

"Hey!" she mumbled.

"Sorry." He sat up. They were still upside down in their bed. "I'm all discombobulated, here."

"Just answer the phone before it wakes the whole house." Maddie chuckled.

He climbed over her and grabbed the receiver. "Yeah?" he barked.

Maddie chuckled again, and tried to focus on the clock. It looked like
7:00 a.m. She turned back to Rob and listened.

"Oh, I'm sorry,
Meg. Sophie had a game and it was a late night. Yeah, she's right here. Hang on." He handed the phone to Maddie and shrugged.

"Mom?" Maddie sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Madison, it's your father. Now, he's going to be all right. But he had a minor heart attack last night."

"A heart attack?" Maddie repeated loudly. "Is he okay?"

Rob put his hand on her back.

"Yes, Maddie, I told you he's going to be fine," her mother continued. "He has to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, though. I thought you might want to know."

"Of course I want to know. I can't believe this."

Rob rubbed her back and whispered, "Is he okay?"

Maddie nodded and said to her mother, "I think I should come there."

"Good,"
Meg  Stewart replied. "I do, too."

"Okay," Maddie tried to get her thoughts together. "Let me wake up, and figure this out. I'll get reservations, and call you
back with the details."

"My cell phone doesn't work in the hospital. Let me give you the phone number to his room."

"Hang on." Maddie said to Rob, "Pen and paper?"

He nodded, and hurried to bring her a pen and a magazine.

She motioned for him to write and said, "Okay, Mom."

"555-1290," Meg said, and Maddie repeated it to Rob.

"I've got it," Maddie replied. "I'll call you when I finalize my plans."

"Thank you, Maddie."

"Talk to you soon." She hung up and looked at her husband in disbelief. "Oh my God!"

"But he's okay?"

Maddie nodded. "It was a minor heart attack, I guess, but he has to stay in the hospital a few days." She looked at him. "I'm sorry, I just thought I should be there."

"Of course you should, darlin'. This is actually a good time to go. I can watch the kids all weekend, and maybe
Rosa can watch them for a few days, or I'll take time off work."

Maddie shook her head. "I'm only going to stay a couple of days, I promise. Just long enough to make sure he's okay."

Rob kissed the side of her head. "Stay as long as you need to. We'll be fine here."

Maddie looked at him nervously. "I thought you'd be with me the first time I went home."

He smiled. "Guess we shouldn't have put it off. But hey, I'll go with you now if you want. I'm sure my mother—"

"No." Maddie shook her head. "I'm not leaving the kids with your mother for two or three days. You have to stay here."

"Whatever you think, darlin'. Why don't you hop in the shower, and I'll see what flights to Hartford there are today."

"God." She stood. "I haven't flown since I was a kid. And never by myself."

Rob stood and faced her. "Maddie, I can go with you. I don't want you to worry about this."

She hugged him. "I'll be okay. I'm just thinking my scary thoughts out loud."

He held her tightly and rubbed her back. "You need to get in the shower, and I need to put some pants on." He pulled away and looked down. His body was reacting to being naked and pressed against her.

Maddie smiled and rubbed his erection lightly. "I'm sorry. This is not how I wanted to wake up today."

He grinned. "I think last night will tide us over for a few days, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah." She reached down for the cowboy hat. She put it on her head and wiggled her ass as she headed into the bathroom.

Rob laughed.

Maddie came out of the shower and smiled when she saw Rob had made their bed and set a small suitcase on it. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a nice blouse, then threw some clothes into the bag. She added her toiletries, and zipped the whole thing closed. She left it on the bed and went into the kitchen, where Rob was fixing breakfast for the children.

"Hi guys." Maddie kissed the tops of Sophie's and Sam's heads, and stopped in front of the baby's highchair. "Hi Stacie." She gave the baby a kiss, and turned to her husband. "Thanks for the suitcase, babe."

"Sure. I got the smaller one thinking you wouldn't have to check it, and you'd get in and out faster that way. But if you need the bigger one—"

"Nah, I told you, I'm only going to stay a couple of days." She looked at the kids. "Did Daddy tell you I have to go visit Grandma and Grandpa Stewart?"

Sophie nodded. "I'm going to color a picture for you to take to Grandpa."

"Thank you." Maddie smiled at her. "He'll like that."

Rob waved a piece of paper at Maddie. "So listen, you have a couple of choices on flights. There's one leaving at noon with a layover in Atlanta, that'll put you in Hartford at seven. But I'd probably go with the flight leaving at one, with a stop in Detroit, because it's a shorter layover and you'll get to Hartford at five-thirty. It costs a little more, but I think that's the way to go."

"Yeah, me too. Can you book me a rental car at the airport in
Hartford?"

"Sure." He made a note, then looked at her. "I think I'll call mom and see if we can drop the kids off there about ten. That way, I can take you to the airport and stay with you for a little bit."

"Thank you, sugar." She hugged him, and left her head on his shoulder for an extra minute.

"I can get tickets for two," he whispered.

She pulled back and shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Okay. I'll go make your reservations then take a shower. Can you finish up here?"

"You bet." Maddie looked at the kids. "Anybody ready for more?"

"More nana!"
Stacie said loudly.

Rob
stopped to look at her from the hall. "Nice sentence structure, kiddo. But you've already had a banana and a half, and that's your limit. I'm cutting you off." He held his nose and made a face at Maddie. "We both know what happens when she goes over her limit." He raised his eyebrows and made a face.

Maddie mirrored it back to him. "Duly noted."

Rob stayed with her at the airport for a while, but she had to check in and only passengers were allowed beyond that point. She kissed him passionately, hating to go but knowing she had to.

He wiped a tear from her cheek as they parted. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too. I'll call you when I get there."

Nodding, he squeezed her hand.

With one last aching glance, she headed for the security checkpoint.

The plane took off on schedule. Maddie stared through the window as the ground grew farther and farther away. She tried to remember the last flight she'd been on, but couldn't come up with anything. Her parents had taken her places as a child, but no place special came to mind. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep to pass the time.

She was slightly concerned about her layover in Detroit, but the airport was well-marked and she made her connection with time to spare. More nervous as she grew closer to her old home, Maddie couldn't sleep and was glad when she finally arrived in Hartford.

The rental car agent had her reservation, and a shuttle took her to the vehicle. Surprised to see the sporty little red Mustang, Maddie made a mental note to thank Rob when she spoke with him. She adjusted the mirrors and the seat, and headed on to the highway.

Everything looks the same
. She thought it would be different after almost eight years. She passed the exit to Boston and Cambridge, and Maddie's heart thumped. It was not quite a two hour drive to Harvard. She'd driven it so many times, she had to force the steering wheel to keep her going straight ahead and not make the turn off.

At the hospital, she parked, checked her face in the mirror, and fluffed her hair.
Ready or not, here I come.
The building had been remodeled since she was there last, but she found her way to the elevators and rode up to the third floor without too much difficulty.

She stopped outside the door of room three-twelve and took a breath. She tapped lightly and heard her father say, "Come in."

Maddie stuck her head in. "Well gee, you don't look sick! What did I come all this way for?"

"Maddie!"
Michael  Stewart's face lit up and he held his hands out to her.

"Hi Daddy!" She hurried in and gave him a hug. "How are you feeling?"

He squeezed her tightly, then let go. "I'm fine. They're just being overly cautious."

"You had a heart attack, for goodness sake. I would hope they're being cautious."

"A minor heart attack," he corrected. "I'm really fine. It's so good to see you, though, Maddie." He patted the bed next to him. "So tell me, how's the family? Rob and the kids doing okay?"

She sat down and reached in her purse. "They're great. As a matter of fact,
Sophie made you a get well picture. And here are some recent photos you can have."

"Oh my goodness." He studied the snapshots. "Look at that red-headed baby. So much like you at that age! And Sam looks more like his daddy every day." He blinked and wiped his eyes. "Sophie's getting big. Be sure and tell her thanks for the picture, and that I put it right by my bed where I can enjoy it."

"I will." Maddie smiled. "Man, the old town sure looks the same. I figured a lot would have changed."

He nodded. "We're consistent, you've got to give us that. If anyone tries to make a change, they have to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it approved."

Maddie chuckled as the door opened and her mother came in, trailed by Maddie's brother, Matt.

"
Madison!" Her mother held out her arms.

Maddie went to her. "Hi Mom. It's good to see you."

"You look tired." Her mother pushed a piece of hair off Maddie's face.

"It's been a long day."

Matt gazed at her disdainfully. "Too bad it took a heart attack to get you home. Good thing he lived or you'd be feeling like crap about now."

"Matthew!" their mother scolded.

Maddie faced her brother. "Hello to you, too, Matt. Yeah, I'm just fine. Thanks for asking."

"What, did you expect us to kill the fatted calf for the prodigal daughter's return? Not all of us are as excited about it as the folks are."

Maddie stepped up to him. "'All of us' being you and the mouse in your pocket? Gee, I'm so sad to hear it. I may cry myself to sleep tonight."

Before Matt could reply, Michael said, "Meg, come look at the pictures Mad brought. The babies are so cute."

"Oh, let me see." Meg went to his bedside, and they admired the photos.

Matt glared at Maddie and she glared right back. He finally said, "I'm going to go, now, Dad. I'd like to be there to tuck the girls in."

"Thanks for coming, Matt. We'll probably see you tomorrow," their father replied.

"Goodnight, Matt," Meg said.

Maddie walked to the bed, her back to her brother as he left.

"
Madison," her mother said after Matt was gone.

"What? I didn't do anything to him! He started it."

"Please, don't antagonize him. He's had a rough couple of days. He was with your father when Michael had his attack."

Maddie looked at her father. "Now I see what caused it!"

He chuckled, and patted his bedside again. "Sit with me, Maddie. I've missed you."

Maddie got into bed next to him and he put his arm around her. Her mother sat in the chair beside the bed. They talked for a long time about everything they could think of, and finally a nurse came in to send visitors home.

Maddie hugged her father and stood up. She looked at her mother. "Have you changed the locks at the house? I still have the old key."

"We never changed them. We never wanted to lock you out."

Maddie smiled. "I'll go ahead, then. I might stop and get something to eat. All of a sudden, I'm famished."

"I'll be along shortly."

"See you tomorrow, Daddy." Maddie squeezed his hand, and left.

She stopped at a fast food restaurant and got a sandwich and drink, taking them to her parents' house. She parked in the large circular drive in front, and locked the car. The house was dark. Maddie recalled the servants left after dinner. She pulled out her keys and searched for the right one. The front door opened while she was fumbling through her ring. Maddie looked at
Matt with a questioning look on her face.