Brody Read online

  “Hi, Madilyn. Is Katie around?”

  “She left a few minutes ago,” Madilyn told him.

  Sam nodded. “All right. I’ll talk with her later.” He smiled. “How are you?”

  Madilyn smiled at him. She liked Sam. His smile was beautiful. Jesus, Madilyn! Why can’t you go for Sam? “I’m good, Sam. What about you?”

  “I’m good.” He glanced around. “Well, I better get going. Take care, Madilyn.” He headed for the door.

  “Sam…”

  He turned to face her and raised an eyebrow when she didn’t say anything. Madilyn cleared her throat. “Is…is he back?” she whispered and watched as Sam swore softly. She had her answer.

  “Yes. He’ll be on nightshift.” Sam sighed. “I told you there was a chance he would come back.”

  Madilyn nodded. “I don’t want to see him, Sam.” Her voice sounded like rust.

  “I understand. You probably won’t since he’s on nights. During the day, he’ll be sleeping and when he’s off, he’ll be at the ranch, cleaning it up.”

  “He’s staying out there? He always said he hated it.”

  “He hated it because he felt he was stuck there for years before he joined the Marshals.” Sam shrugged. “He was young and wanted out. We all did.”

  “I know.” Madilyn was trying her best not break down. How could she face him again? Clifton was a small town and everyone knew everyone else’s business. She was sure they all remembered the night Brody Morgan left her.

  Sam hugged her. “It’ll be all right. It was a long time ago, Madilyn.”

  She nodded and watched Sam stroll away. He didn’t understand. No one did. Madilyn Young would forever love Brody Morgan. He’d taken her virginity and her heart. Madilyn thought back to the night he told her he was joining the U S Marshals.

  “No. Brody, please. You can’t,” Madilyn pleaded.

  “It’s what I want to do. After listening to Sam talk about it, it’s what I want to do,” Brody repeated emphatically.

  “You know how I feel about law enforcement. I’m scared to death you’ll be killed like my dad was.”

  “I’m already in law enforcement. Your dad let down his guard and you know it. I won’t do that.” Brody tried to take her hand, she jerked back from him.

  “It doesn’t matter if he let his guard down or not. He died in the line of duty and you could too. You know I hate that you still work for the Police department. Brody, please. Don’t do this to me. You said you loved me.” Madilyn’s tears rolled down her face.

  “Baby, please don’t cry. I do love you. Come with me, Maddie.”

  “No! I will not go with you and watch you die. Being in the Marshals is too dangerous,” she shouted.

  Brody stared at her. “You’re going to throw away what we have?”

  “No. You are.” Madilyn moved away from him. “If you leave I will never forgive you. Do you hear me, Brody Morgan? I will never forgive you,” she yelled.

  “I won’t be back, Madilyn. Once I leave, it’s over for us unless you come with me.”

  Madilyn shook her head. “I won’t go with you.” She wiped tears away. “I will never forgive you. You know how I feel about it.”

  Brody strode to his bike. “I guess you’ll never forgive me then.” He put his helmet on, started his bike, and roared off into the night.

  Now he was back. She would never get the image of him riding away out of her mind. She’d been twenty-two and he’d been twenty-seven. Brody went to college and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree, then worked for four years in the local Police Department with Madilyn’s father. Arthur Young pulled a speeder over from out of state and the man shot Arthur for no reason other than being angry about it. It had torn Madilyn apart. Her mother had died when she was five years old. Her father was all she had until Brody came into her life. She pleaded with Brody to leave the department but she never dreamed he’d accept a position with the Marshals. Sam had joined the Marshals right after college, and once Brody talked with him, he’d made the decision to join them too.

  Madilyn put her hands over her face. How could she face him? The time would come when she’d see him. There was no doubt in her mind about it. They would run into each other. Maybe in the five years he’d been gone, he’d gotten ugly and fat. She grunted. Brody had always taken care of his body. She groaned. God! What a body he’d had. Solid pecs, hard biceps, and a six-pack stomach. Madilyn had loved his thick black hair and brown eyes. She even loved seeing him wear his glasses. He didn’t wear them often but when he did, he looked so sexy, and she wasn’t the only woman to think that way. The women in town thought it looked sexy too. But he’d loved Madilyn and told her he wanted to marry her. Until the night he informed her he was joining the Marshals in Butte.

  Madilyn moved to the door and locked it. She then counted the money and took care of the credit card receipts. When she was done, she locked up and walked home. Her apartment sat in the new complex two blocks from the shop. Her heart stopped when she heard the roar of a motorcycle coming toward her and she sighed with relief when it rode on past her. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she heard it coming back up behind her. Madilyn refused to glance back. The bike roared by her, turned around in the middle of the street, and came back toward her. It pulled in front of her on the sidewalk. She stopped and held her breath as the rider removed his helmet. Madilyn bit her lip to hold back a groan when she saw his gorgeous face. Brody Morgan hadn’t gotten worse with age. He’d gotten better. The maturity in his face made him sexier. The crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes were even sexy. Those brown eyes stared at her from behind his glasses.

  “Hello Madilyn,” he said softly.

  A shiver shot through her. His voice seemed deeper. Taking a deep breath, she stared at him.

  “Hello Brody.” Then she strolled around his bike and continued down the sidewalk.

  * * * *

  Brody watched her walk away from him. Damn, she looked good. She was even more beautiful than before. Madilyn was a tall, gorgeous redhead with porcelain skin. Thick, lush eyelashes surrounding light green luminous eyes. He’d always loved those eyes and her light red hair. She had the temper to go with it. Brody watched her disappear into the apartment complex. Firing up the bike, he headed home. Why he turned around and rode back to her was anyone’s guess. He’d thought he was seeing things when he rode down the street and spotted her. Brody should have just kept going. All seeing her again did was make him realize how much he still loved her. The time would come when they’d have to talk and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

  When Brody pulled up to the house, he stayed seated on the bike and glanced around, taking it all in. The two red barns were still in good condition but the small hay barn looked as if a gust of wind would topple it. The grass in the front yard of the house was tall and the rose bushes his mother had meticulously cared for were growing out of control. There were so many memories rushing back to him. Horses used to fill the now empty corrals and the thousand acres of pasture had been filled with the best Angus beef money could buy. His gaze swept to the hayloft where he and Madilyn would sneak to make love. How many times had they made love there?

  Brody’s parents loved her as if she was their own and she’d loved them in return. Swinging his leg over the bike, he strode to the back door and unlocked it with the key his mother had sent him. The musty smell made him wrinkle his nose as he entered the kitchen. His parents really should have hired someone to take care of the place since they refused to sell it. Brody went to the window above the sink and opened it. A light breeze moved the sheer curtains. His gaze ran the room. A sheet covered the center island. The copper pots and pans above it hung covered with dust. Dust coated the red countertops and the white cupboards looked dull. The white appliances also lacked luster. Cherry hardwood floors no longer gleamed. Brody’s mother had kept them glowing. It would shock her to see them now. Taking a deep breath, he headed down the hallway to the living room. All of the furniture ha
d sheets over it. He walked toward the fireplace, squatted down, looked up the flue, and sighed. Thank God, the damper remained closed. That’s all he would need is bats coming in. Striding to the windows, he drew the drapes open to let the sunlight pour in. Dust motes danced in the beams. He pulled the sheets down from the two windows on each side of the fireplace and started to cough when the dust floated down to him. Pulling the sheet off the couch, he took a seat. It was going to take a while to get it cleaned up and he would need to build a new hay barn if he was serious about getting beef again. He had the money to do it and his parents were all for it. He remembered the conversation with them two weeks ago.

  “Will you eventually tell us what happened?” his mother asked.

  “One day, mom. Not just yet.”

  “Does Sam know?” His dad wanted to know.

  Brody sighed. “No, dad. Not yet.”

  “You’ll stay at the ranch.” It wasn’t a question from his mother but more of a demand.

  Brody chuckled. “Yes. I wouldn’t mind getting it up and running again.”

  His dad laughed. “Well, if you do, we’d be more than happy to let you.”

  “We’ll give you the ranch, Brody,” his mother said softly.

  “What? What do you mean? It’s your ranch.”

  “No, son. Not anymore. We have no desire to go back there. We love traveling and if we settle down, it’s going to be somewhere a lot warmer than Montana in the winter,” Brody’s dad told him.

  “I’d take great care of it,” Brody promised.

  “We know you would but you would have to stay. No running off again,” his mother scolded.

  Brody clenched his jaw. “I didn’t ‘run off’ mom. I joined the Marshals.”

  “Yes but you left the girl you loved behind. You need to settle down, Brody and if you want the ranch, it’s yours but only if you agree to stay. Promise.”

  Brody hesitated. Could he stay? He’d always loved working the ranch until he got older, then he’d wanted out of Clifton but now, he had a chance to have the ranch and make it work. “I promise mom, dad. Of course, I’ll stay and take care of it.”

  They continued to talk about the ranch and sending him the deed for it and then hung up. Brody still couldn’t believe they’d given him the ranch. It was actually his now and he was looking forward to buying some Angus. He’d wait until he could get a weekend off, then he’d go to an auction and buy his cattle.

  Brody stood and headed down the hallway. He stopped at all five bedrooms to take sheets off the furniture and open windows. The entire house had cherry hardwood floors, which all needed to be cleaned, but he’d get to it. Entering his parents’ old room, he stripped the bed and put clean sheets on. This would be his room now. It was a large room with a row of windows on one wall, a closet opposite and a fireplace beside a door, which led to a large bathroom. Pushing the door open, he entered the room and glanced around. The bathtub and shower only needed wiped out so he went about cleaning them so he could shower and get some sleep before starting work tomorrow night. He shook his head, he hated night shift.

  Chapter Two

  The next night, Brody was working with Mark Shaw. They drove through the streets of town and headed for Dewey’s bar.

  “We check Dewey’s out every night,” Mark told him. “It can get a little rowdy, especially on a Friday night.” They drove through the parking lot. “It looks like it’s packed tonight.”

  “Do we go in or just cruise around?” Brody asked.

  Mark glanced over and grinned. “We go in. Odds are someone’s pissed at someone else.”

  Brody grumbled. “You’re probably right.”

  Mark parked the cruiser and they strolled inside. The place was wall-to-wall people. Brody and Mark weaved their way through the crowd. No one seemed to care about them being there. Mark signaled for Brody to head in the opposite direction. Brody nodded and made his way through the crowd. He came to a halt when a woman stepped in front of him.

  “Brody Morgan.” The raven-haired beauty smiled up at him. He drew a blank.

  He grinned. “You have me at a disadvantage.”

  “Brianna Porter.” She grinned at him.

  “Brianna? Tom’s little sister?” His gaze roamed down over her.

  Brianna laughed. “Yes. It’s me. I’ve grown up. The last time you saw me, I was sixteen.”

  Brody grinned. “Well, you’ve certainly gotten more beautiful.”

  Brianna laughed as she rubbed her hand up and down his arm. “And you’ve gotten more gorgeous.”

  Brody chuckled. “I’m working, hon.”

  She poked her bottom lip out. “What time do you…get off?”

  Brody almost groaned. It had been a while since he’d had sex and she was clearly offering. “Seven tomorrow morning.”

  Brianna shrugged. “Want my number? I wouldn’t mind if you stopped by on your way home tomorrow morning.”

  Brody started to answer her when a fight broke out. After giving her an apologetic grin, he headed toward the fight. Mark got there at the same time. Brody grabbed one of the men and Mark grabbed the other. They pulled them apart. One of them swung at Brody, clipping his shoulder. Brody slammed the man down on the table and handcuffed him then pulled him up and read him his rights. The other man punched Mark in the face, making Mark let go. The man then pulled a knife. Everyone jumped back.

  “Put the knife away, Carl,” Mark insisted as he rubbed his sore jaw.

  “So you can take me to jail? I don’t think so Shaw,” Carl slurred.

  “You’re going to jail any way you put it.” Mark grinned.

  Carl swung the knife in a wide arc. Brody pushed the man he had handcuffed down into a chair and leaned over him. “Do not move. You understand?” The man nodded. Brody moved to the side of Carl. Opposite of Mark.

  “Put the knife down, Carl,” Brody quietly said.

  “Brody? What the hell are you doing here?” Carl slurred his words.

  “I’m a deputy now and we’re going to take you and your friend in.”

  Carl laughed. “Mr. Big Shot U S Marshal is a deputy now. That’s rich.”

  Brody flattened his lips into a thin line and clenched his jaw. “I’m still an officer of the law and I can either take you in or shoot you.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me which it is.”

  Carl’s eyes widened as he glanced at Mark, who grinned at him. “I’m with Brody on this one.”

  Brody could see the fight going out of Carl and as soon as he had the chance, Brody jumped him. Mark charged at Carl, too. They both took him down. When they stood up with him, the crowd cheered. Brody and Mark shook their heads. Mark took care of Carl while Brody lifted the other man from the chair.

  “My wife’s gonna kill me,” the man muttered.

  As Brody was hauling him toward the door, Brianna stepped in front of him and put a slip of paper in his pocket.

  “Call me. I don’t care what time it is.” She smiled at him.

  Brody nodded and moved out the door and shoved the man into the back of the cruiser and got into the front seat. He took a deep breath and let it out. Mark got in and they rode to the Sheriff’s department. The two men in the back seat sat silent.

  * * * *

  Madilyn was a wreck. Since seeing Brody yesterday, she was literally a wreck. Tears threatened to fall and it was taking everything she had not to let them. Why had he come back? After leaving her to work in Butte, why had he come back? She put her hands over her face and let the tears fall. How was she going to be in the same town with him? Was he staying or was it just a stop on his way to somewhere else? Madilyn jerked when her phone rang. Picking it up, she mentally groaned when she heard Zach’s voice.

  “How about dinner later, Madilyn?” Zach Johnson asked.

  Madilyn wanted to say no but she liked Zach and he was a nice man, a man in love with her, wanted to marry her, and knew all about her past with Brody.

  “That sounds nice.” She tried to sound enthuse
d but she didn’t fool him.

  Zach sighed. “You know he’s back, don’t you?”

  “Yes…I’m fine, Zach. I’d love to go to dinner with you.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven. No need to dress up, we’ll just hit the diner.”

  Madilyn agreed and disconnected the call. Would she ever get to the point where she’d love another man? Would another man ever make her forget Brody? She and Zach had been dating for almost a year but she wasn’t in love with him. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to go to bed with him. He didn’t pressure her, but she knew he wanted to take her to bed. He wanted sex and it amazed Madilyn he kept waiting on her. She couldn’t do it. She hadn’t had sex with anyone since Brody, and Zach deserved so much better. A woman to love him, not to use him as a substitute for a man she couldn’t have. There was no doubt in Madilyn’s mind, if she let Brody know she wanted him he’d be there, but she didn’t want to fall into his trap again. Her heart couldn’t take it again. Unless he was involved with someone. Oh, God. She’d never thought of that. Just because he was back didn’t mean he didn’t have someone in his life. What if he’s married now? His wife could be at the ranch. He could have children. Stop it! Madilyn stood and headed for the shower. Zach would be there in two hours. The shop closed at noon on Saturdays and wasn’t open at all on Sunday. Katie liked spending time with her husband on the weekends, although if the rumors were true, Kevin Parker wasn’t home much, he had a mistress he’d rather be with. Madilyn couldn’t understand why Katie put up with his indiscretions but it really wasn’t any of her business. The two women had become great friends over the years they’d worked together but Katie didn’t mention her husband much and Madilyn couldn’t bring herself to ask.

  Madilyn wanted a husband, a good man to treat her like a queen, but he’d left her years ago. In her heart, she knew Brody would never cheat on her. He loved her. At one time, he’d loved her with all his heart. Her throat tightened and more tears threatened. Damn it! She’d been fine until she found out he was back and then seeing him nearly brought her to her knees. God, she so wanted to just curl into a ball and wish the world away. At least, wish Brody Morgan away. He looked so good. His dark eyes could talk her in or out of anything. The night he’d gazed into her eyes and talked her out of her clothes was proof of that. They’d been going together only six months when it happened. At nineteen, she’d given him her virginity and her heart and soul.