been that way when the two of them had shared the kitchen on weekends when Madison had come home from school. Bitterness welled inside Helen, burning the back of her throat like acid.
“Do you know what the first questions out of Danny’s mouth were when he came out of anesthesia? ‘Where’s Madison? How’s my practice?’” Helen couldn’t keep the hostility and pain from her voice. She was no actress.
“Danny defines himself by his job. Most men do.”
“Danny is more than a veterinarian. He’s a husband and a father first. There’s more to life than his damned animals.”
She bit her tongue. She never swore. It wasn’t ladylike. Her grandmother had raised her better. But to hear Madison defending Danny got on her last nerve. From what Andrew had said before he’d...passed, Madison was like Danny. Career obsessed and uninterested in mothering their child.
If Helen’s fears were true and Andrew had done what she suspected he might have done, how angry would a career-driven woman be at having her plans derailed? Angry enough to wreck a car on purpose? Angry enough to cause an injury that might hurt the unborn child he claimed she hadn’t wanted?
“I know he’s more than a vet, Helen, but there are so many animals in need of help that sometimes when you get home you have nothing left to give.” Surprise then regret filled Madison’s eyes. She ducked her head as if she regretted her confession.
“Not in your tiny practice.” Not nice, Helen. Shamed by her rudeness, she hid her face by drinking some of the coffee. It was better than the tar upstairs, but it could use improvement. And Adam had paid for it, so she wouldn’t owe Madison anything if she drank it. She opened the lid and added cream and sugar.
“My practice may be small, but because it’s in a rural area it’s a dumping ground for abused or unwanted animals. It keeps me busy.”
“Euthanizing the strays?”
“No.” Madison sounded genuinely shocked by the question. She stirred her salad. “I should. But I can’t unless there’s no chance for quality of life. My farm’s full of them. I try to find homes for each one, but not every animal is adoptable.”
Helen had always wanted a dog or cat, at first for the boys, then for herself when she discovered she couldn’t have more children, but Danny said he got slobbered on by animals all day. He didn’t want to have to deal with them when he came home.
After Madison’s family had been killed, Andrew had called her “his little stray,” and Helen had adopted her like the daughter or pet she never had. But Madison had bitten the hand that fed her, so to speak. Helen owed her no loyalty, especially if she’d—
No, don’t think that. Surely a woman who couldn’t euthanize every stray that crossed her path wouldn’t deliberately wreck her car because she hadn’t gotten her way. Or would she?
Madison’s golden-brown eyes met hers. There was a hard glint to them that had not been there before Andrew’s passing. “How long has Danny been spying on me?”
Affronted, Helen stiffened. “He is not spying. He’s interested in your welfare. He invested a lot of time in you.”
“Yes, he did. And that’s why I’m here.” Madison pushed the green leaves around in her bowl again. “He doesn’t really believe I’ll abandon my practice and move back to Norcross, does he?”
Helen wished she could say no with certainty, but since his diagnosis, his comments suggesting otherwise had become so frequent she couldn’t ignore them. She gulped more coffee, trying to wash down her worry.
What if Madison returned and Danny and Adam discovered Helen’s part in the unwanted pregnancy? She’d lose their respect. She might even lose her husband and son.
“We both know you’re not going to come back.”
“No. I’m not. How long do you think it will be before your house is livable?”
“Danny insists on doing all the work, so not until he’s healed enough to do it. Why?”
“I’d prefer not to inconvenience Adam.”
“Isn’t his house nice enough? Danny says your farmhouse is nothing impressive.” The ugly words jumped from her mouth before she could stop them.
Madison flinched. “I’d prefer a hotel.”
“I’ll talk to Danny and see if we can get you a room, but don’t get your hopes up. He’s not sure he can trust you to keep your promise.”
Madison laid down her fork and snapped the lid onto her half-eaten meal. “I’m well aware that none of you trust me, Helen. But unlike some people, I keep my promises.”
Helen caught a glimpse of regret before Madison bolted to her feet. Trepidation trickled through her. “What are you implying?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired. We’d better get upstairs.” And then she walked away.
What had Madison meant? She’d never been one to make unkind remarks. Or had she hidden her true nature well? Did she know about that mother-son conversation? Was she confirming that Andrew had done something he shouldn’t have?
Digging for answers was like picking at a scab. It hurt. It made Helen’s heart bleed. And she wasn’t sure how much more grief she could handle. Best to let sleeping dogs lie before she learned something she couldn’t live with.
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