hear you,” Bianca said. “There’s been a lot of newsworthy stuff happening at the casinos. I’ve had to put in extra hours at the paper.” She sipped from a glass of wine. “I wish you had moved here instead of Portland. I’d love to have my kid sister around to hang out with.”
“I doubt that,” Madison said, smiling. Though things were good between them now, it hadn’t always been that way. They were both stubborn and seemed more interested in butting into each other’s lives than not. “I’d never be able to keep up with you. Besides, I like Portland and the job that brought me here.”
“Fair enough. I’m sure there are some hot men in Portland to take your mind off you-know-who.”
“It’s already off him,” Madison insisted. “That’s over and done with. As for hot men in Portland, I wouldn’t know, as I’ve been too busy to notice.”
“Didn’t you say Holly’s brother lives there?” Bianca probed.
Damn, she has too good a memory, thought Madison, tasting her wine. “Yes, he lives here.”
“And...?”
“And nothing,” Madison said. “We’ve run into each other, but that’s about it.”
“He’s single, right?”
“Yes, as I understand it, and he has two young children.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a ready-made family, if the man is a good fit,” Bianca told her.
“Never said there was,” Madison responded tightly. “And the man’s not a good fit.”
“Why not?” Bianca pressed. “Not hot enough for you?”
“He’s nice-looking,” she admitted. “But—”
“But he’s Holly’s brother and she’s involved with your ex. Am I right?”
Madison saw no reason to deny it. She sighed. “Let’s just say that’s not a road I care to go down. And, for that matter, I’m not really interested in pursuing anyone or being pursued by anyone right now.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t push it,” Bianca said, leaning back in her chair. “When you’re ready, you can put yourself back out there. Just remember that one mistake does not a lifetime make. I’ve made a few mistakes in the male department, but I refuse to allow that to keep me from taking new chances at love and happiness.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” Madison had always prided herself on trying to keep an open mind. But, for now, she preferred to put that on the back burner and focus on work and staying active. Whatever the future brought her way, she would deal with it then.
Chapter 2
Stuart took the girls to the Oregon Zoo, knowing how much they loved seeing and hearing the animals, as he had as a kid. While part of him wished they had a mother figure to accompany them, he was just happy to be there for them himself.
After they had seen polar bears, elephants and cougars, with the girls even taking digital pictures of their favorite animals, Carrie blurted out, “Can we go on the train ride now, Daddy?”
“Yeah, let’s,” Dottie said.
“Two against one,” Stuart said, chuckling. “You win. Let’s go for a ride on the Washington Park and Zoo Railway. It’ll be fun.”
Ten minutes later, they were on the recreational railroad aboard a diesel-powered train that took a one-mile loop around the zoo. Stuart took delight as the girls giggled at the various sights and sounds they passed.
Before long, the ride was over, and they all got off the train. “Next time, we’ll come in the summer and take the train that runs from the zoo through Washington Park,” he promised, knowing they would enjoy the ride through the park forests to another station where they could disembark and visit the Rose Garden, Portland Japanese Garden and children’s park.
“Promise?” Dottie asked.
“I promise,” Stuart said. “Now let’s head over to the Cascade Grill and get something to eat.”
The girls smiled in agreement.
They enjoyed chili dogs and chips before going to see monkeys, zebras and black rhinos.
At one point, Stuart thought he spotted Madison Wagner. Was it his imagination? He thought he saw her by one of the exhibits, but she left before he could be sure it was her.
Maybe that was a good thing. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Or try to explain to the girls that she was once their Aunt Holly’s friend till things changed.
* * *
On a Saturday afternoon in early February, Madison sat at the coffee shop reading a book she would review. She was halfway through it and found the book was only so-so.
She hadn’t seen Stuart on his bike of late and imagined he had been busy between writing and raising two young children.
She flipped another page of her book and then heard a deep and resonate voice say, “Must be a pretty good book you’ve got there.”
Looking up, Madison saw Stuart standing there, holding a paper coffee cup. “Not really,” she told him. “I’m reading it for work.”
He peered at her. “Aah, yes, I think Holly mentioned something about your being a book reviewer.”
Madison wondered just how much Holly had told her brother about her. She was sure he knew all the ins and outs of her disaster with her former beau, which made this conversation all the more uncomfortable. “I’m working for Rose Petals.”
Stuart nodded. “Good magazine.” They had been fairly kind to him with some great reviews, including a five-star review for his latest book.
“It pays the bills,” she said succinctly, hoping he would leave it at that.
Stuart was never much at small talk, especially with someone who didn’t seem all that interested in speaking with him. But he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to reach out to the attractive woman. Seeing her in this casual setting, without the bike helmet that had covered a good part of that gorgeous hair, made her even more appealing to him. He wondered how her ex could have let her get away.
Stuart also wondered how the same man had been smart enough to woo his sister. By all accounts, they were madly in love and planning a Valentine’s Day wedding. He doubted Madison was on the invitation list.
“So how have you been doing now that you’ve settled in?” Stuart tossed out, sipping his coffee.
Madison had zeroed in on Stuart before he asked the question. She couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He seemed to be all muscle and about six-three. His features were classically masculine and she liked his closely cropped, curly black hair.
But...she still felt it was better to steer clear of him right now, all things considered. “Look...” she began deliberately. “I’m sure you’re just trying
