Her hands tangled in his thick black hair, tugging it closer. She arched backward, held by his strong arms as he fed on the softness of her breast under his demanding mouth. His hand at her back was more insistent now, grinding her against the growing hardness of his body.
She was melting, dying, starving to death. She wanted him to take off her clothes; she wanted to lie down with him and she wanted something, anything that would ease the terrible ache in her young body.
And just when she was certain that it would happen, that he wasn’t going to stop, a noisy car pulled into the car park above and a car door slammed.
She jerked back from him, tugging down her blouse, shivering at the interruption. His eyes were almost black with hunger. He cursed under his breath, biting his lip as he fought down the need that almost bent him over double.
From above there were children’s voices, laughing and calling to each other. Maddie stood with her back to him, her arms wrapped around her body, while she struggled with wild excitement, embarrassment and confusion. He didn’t like her. He thought she was ugly. But he’d kissed her as if he were dying for her mouth. It was one big puzzle…
She felt his big, warm hands on her shoulders. “Don’t sweat it,” he said in a deep, soft tone. “Things happen.”
She swallowed and forced a smile. “Right.”
He turned her around, tipping her red face up to his eyes. He searched them in a silence punctuated with the screams and laughter of children. She was very pretty like that, her mouth swollen from his kisses, her face shy, timid. He was used to women who demanded. Aggressive women. Even Odalie, when he’d kissed her once, had been very outspoken about what she liked and didn’t like. Maddie simply…accepted.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he said softly. “Everything’s all right. But we should probably go now. It’s getting late.”
She nodded. He took her small hand in his, curled his fingers into hers and drew her with him along the dirt path that led back up to the parking lot.
Two bedraggled parents were trying to put out food in plastic containers on a picnic table, fighting the wind, which was blowing like crazy in the sweltering heat. They glanced at the couple and grinned.
Cort grinned back. There were three children, all under school age, one in his father’s arms. They looked happy, even though they were driving a car that looked as if it wouldn’t make it out of the parking lot.
“Nice day for a picnic,” Cort remarked.
The father made a face. “Not so much, but we’ve got a long drive ahead of us and it’s hard to sit in a fast-food joint with this company.” He indicated the leaping, running toddlers. He laughed. “Tomorrow, they’ll be hijacking my car,” he added with an ear-to-ear smile, “so we’re enjoying it while we can.”
“Nothing like kids to make a home a home,” the mother commented.
“Nice looking kids, too,” Cort said.
“Very nice,” Maddie said, finally finding her voice.
“Thanks,” the mother said. “They’re a handful, but we don’t mind.”
She went back to her food containers, and the father went running after the toddlers, who were about to climb down the bank.
“Nice family,” Cort remarked as they reached his car.
“Yes. They seemed so happy.”
He glanced down at her as he stopped to open the passenger door. He was thoughtful. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes were soft and full of secrets. “In you go.”
She got in, fastened her seat belt without any prompting and smiled all the way back home.
Things were going great, until they got out of the car in front of Maddie’s house. Pumpkin had found a way out of the hen enclosure. He spotted Cort and broke into a halting run, with his head down and his feathers ruffled.
“No!” Maddie yelled. “Pumpkin, no!”
She tried to head him off, but he jumped at her and she turned away just in time to avoid spurs in her face. “Cort, run! It’s okay, just run!” she called when he hesitated.
He threw his hands up and darted toward his car. “You have to do something about that damned rooster, Maddie!” he called back.
“I know,” she wailed. “I will, honest! I had fun. Thanks so much!”
He threw up his hands and dived into the car. He started it and drove off just before Pumpkin reached him.
“You stupid chicken! I’m going to let Ben eat you, I swear I am!” she raged.
But when he started toward her, she ran up the steps, into the house and slammed the door.
She opened her cell phone and called her foreman.
“Ben, can you please get Pumpkin back into the hen lot and try to see where he got out? Be sure to wear your chaps and carry a shield,” she added.
“Need to eat that rooster, Maddie,” he drawled.
“I know.” She groaned. “Please?”
There was a long sigh. “All right. One more time…” He hung up.
Great-Aunt Sadie gave her a long look. “Pumpkin got out again?”
“Yes. There must be a hole in the fence or something,” she moaned. “I don’t know how in the world he does it!”
“Ben will find a way to shut him in, don’t worry. But you are going to have to do something, you know. He’s dangerous.”
“I love him,” Maddie said miserably.
“Well, sometimes things we love don’t love us back and should be made into chicken and dumplings,” Sadie mused with pursed lips.
Maddie made a face at her. She opened her shoulder bag and pulled out a box. “I want to show you something. Cort bought it for me.”
“Cort’s buying you presents?” Sadie exclaimed.
“It’s some present, too,” Maddie said with a flushed smile.
She opened the box. There, inside, was the hand-painted cameo of the little Spanish lady, with a card that gave all the information about the woman, now deceased, who left it with the antiques dealer.
“She’s lovely,” Sadie said, tracing the face with a forefinger very gently.
“Read the card.” Maddie showed it to her.
When Sadie finished reading it, she was almost in tears. “How sad, to be the last one in your family.”
“Yes. But this will be handed down someday.” She was remembering the family at the picnic tables and Cort’s strange smile, holding hands with him, kissing him. “Someday,” she said again, and she sounded
