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“Dad, you’re allergic to shellfish,” she complained. Finally, Maggie looked at me. “I’m not. Sounds great.” Then she covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “I’m sorry. Give me a chance to get my secondwind.”
“We’ll be there in about half an hour. You can rest until then, if you’d like,” Ioffered.
“Maybe…I’ll lean the seat back a little.” She bit her cheekshyly.
“Good plan.” I turned on some soft music while shereclined.
Maggie hesitantly laid a hand on mine, which was delightfully unexpected. “Thank you. I know I’m difficultsometimes.”
“She’s a shrew,” Malcolmannounced.
Yanking her hand back, she frowned. “Well, there you have it.” Then she rolled toward the window as much as her seatbelt allowed before finally closing her eyes. Within three minutes, she was snoring softly and I wanted nothing more than to feel her touchagain.
“She’s not a shrew,” Imuttered.
Malcolm chuckled. “No, she’s not. Maggie is a work ofheart.”
“You mean art?” I questioned. The man had proven to prone to bouts of confusion in the short time I’d knownhim.
“No, I mean heart. She’s all heart that one. Ignore her tough shell. Inside, she’s as gooey as they come.” I saw his grin widen in the rearview mirror, a father beaming with pride. “It’s my fault, you know. All ofit.”
“All of what?” Ifrowned.
“The way she is…so assertive. She took over when her mother became ill. She came home for Christmas, quickly figured out what was going on, and never went back.” He turned his head to stare sadly out the window. “Then, after her mother passed, there was no money to finish her degree. I lost my job.” Malcolm blew out a breath. “I had to take too much time off of work. They said I was slipping and I was no longer reliable.” He swallowed hard. “I couldn’t focus. You can’t imagine what it’s like, leaving the house, wondering if the woman who’s your whole life might be dead before you return. I didn’t want to be away from her for more than asecond.”
“I can’t imagine,” I admitted, “but I completely understand.” I peeked over at Maggie, who seemed almost relaxed for the first time since I’d known her. She looked years younger. The longer I stared, the more acutely I felt something stirring in mychest.
“She’s something,” Malcolm mumbled. “I don’t know what I’d do without her, but I feel guilty for completely robbing her of the life she hoped tobuild.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say. Part of me wanted to question him about the life Maggie wanted, the other part of me wanted to hear it straight from her. So, I remained silent and concentrated on the road. I loved driving up the coast. It relaxed me, almost as much as flying over it did. Already, I had the itch. How would I manage with guests in residence? At least Maggie would be a distraction during the full moon. Soon enough, we pulled down my private drive and paused before the gate so I could punch the code into the keypad. Almost as soon as I finished, the ornate iron doors swung open, allowing usaccess.
“Quite the fortress you have here,” Malcolm commented as we drove into the courtyard and circled the fountain, coming to stop before the door. The van parked a few feet behindus.
Fredo walked purposefully to the trunk of the car and waited for me to pop it. Once I did, he unloaded it, pulled everything into the foyer, and then returned. By now, Malcolm had climbed out of the vehicle and moved to stretch his legs. “Follow me, sir,” Fredo directed. “I’ll show you to your room. You can get settled before dinner. It should be ready in roughly fifteenminutes.”
“Thank you,” Malcolm replied nervously. His eyes were wide and I felt certain the size of my home intimidated him. He glanced at Maggie, still asleep in the front seat. Clearly, she had become his lifeline, the one person he could count on to help him adjust to any new situation. This was the perfect time to start to break him of thehabit.
“I’ll wake her. You’ll see her at dinner. For now, go with Fredo,” Iurged.
He shrugged and reluctantly followed mybutler.
I slid out of my seat and spoke to my men, who stood beside the car waiting for my directions. “Why don’t you unload and set all this up in the back office near the guest room he’s stayingin?”
The men nodded and quickly set to work. They had lives to get back to and a Friday night to enjoy. I walked around the car, opened Maggie’s door, and squatted beside her. She stirred slightly, which had me fighting the urge to take her in my arms and carry her to my bed. She looked so peaceful laying there with her hands clasped and tucked under her chin. Her dark lashes fluttered slightly against her pale skin. I hated the idea of interrupting a happy dream. Then I saw her face scrunch up and she began to shake. This was my cue. Reaching past her, I unbuckled the seatbelt. Maggie grabbed my arm, her eyes wide withfear.
“It’s just me. I was going to wake you up so you could come inside,” I murmured as I stroked her cheek gently with the back of my hand, hoping to soothe her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, which meant I needed to try harder. “You’re at my house. You’re safe. Let me show you to your room. We’ll get you moved in and fed.” I tried to smile warmly at her, but I was so grossly out of practice it felt awkward and probably looked equally asstrange.
Maggie stared at me, and finally released her grasp on my arm. Her breathing slowed. A smile spread across her face. Finally, she spoke. “Thankyou.”
I should’ve responded with “you’re welcome,” but I realized I was the one who should be thankful. Simply being around her seemed to be changing me in all the bestways.
* * *
Maggie
This man mademe a blathering idiot and I was beginning to hate him for it. When had I ever worn a goofy smile? Dammit. I couldn’t afford to get soft on him, especially now that we were staying at his place. I’d seen how other women reacted to him. That wasn’t my style… or rather, it hadn’t been. Somehow, I managed to follow him through the house as he brought me to the room I’d be staying in without making a total fool of myself. Then, I handled dining out on the patio with all the fairy lights as best I could. There was a fire going in the outdoor fireplace, and lit candles flickered on the table. If my father hadn’t been there, it would’ve felt like a date. Who am I kidding? My father probably would follow me on dates, if I ever hadany.
When dinner had ended, Blaise rushed off to answer a phone call. My father dove back into his work in his borrowed office. And I was left alone. I strolled over to the edge of the property and felt a rush of calm as the waves hit the shore far below the cliffs the house was perched on. A gentle breeze tickled my skin and goosebumps broke out. For a second, I considered wandering back to the room to grab a jacket. Instead, Blaise appeared and wrapped a shawl around my shoulders. My cheeks colored. “Thank you.” Apparently, this was all I’d be saying to the man for the duration of our stay. “How long will we be here?” I blurtedout.
