The Wedding Guest (Colorado Billionaires Book 5) Page 11

  The last few customers lingered, then said good night.

  Madlyn was closing out the register and the girls were returning clothes to hangers and tidying up the dressing rooms when Mina came back to the shop.

  Madlyn knew at once that things hadn’t gone well. “I was about to send out a posse,” she said, clearing off a chair behind the counter. “Sit down. What happened?”

  Mina looked old and tired. Sprays of gray hair had come loose from her French braid. “It doesn’t look good,” she sighed. “Now that Ashley and I are interested in buying the building, the owner has decided to raise the price.”

  “By how much?”

  Mina sagged with defeat. “He doubled it.”

  “That jerk!”

  Mina shook her head. “He has a fish on the hook and he knows he’s in control. Ash and I spent the last two hours putting our heads together with Thor about how to handle it. Looking at options. Trying to come up with bargaining maneuvers. We finally decided we need to sleep on it. My brain is mush.”

  One of Mina’s Siamese peeked its head out of the back room. “Meow?”

  Mina stood up with an effort. “I’m coming. Time to feed the cats. Are you all done, Madlyn?”

  “Almost. Go feed the cats. Then I’m taking you out to dinner.”

  “Thanks, but not tonight. I’m just too tired to enjoy it.”

  “Mina, you have to eat.”

  “I will. Cats first.” She sighed. “I’ve thought of this shop and my rooms upstairs as home for so long. Now, all of a sudden, I feel like I’ve been living an illusion. That money-hungry landlord is about to rip the rug right out from under me. First he raises the rent. Then he wants to sell. Then he doubles his price. It’s infuriating. Do you know what his logic was for doubling the price? He said the rents are higher now, and the new owner will be making more money off the leases.”

  Madlyn made a face. “What a creep. Come on, Mina. You should spend the night at my place. We’ll make popcorn and watch a movie. What do you say?”

  Mina hesitated, looking tempted. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Give me an hour or so to pull myself together. Then I’ll stop by the Nest for burgers and fries and bring them to your place for dinner.”

  “Let me give you some money.”

  “My treat. If I can’t buy the building, I have plenty of money for burgers.”

  Madlyn smiled encouragingly. “I can hardly wait. You’ll feel better after you eat.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Madlyn pulled into her driveway. The automatic exterior lights installed by Thor Security came on as she arrived. Before she got out of the car, she checked her phone. Nothing. No messages, no missed calls. But she supposed Kirby had a lot to deal with in the aftermath of his uncle’s death. She hadn’t had much experience with that sort of thing, thank goodness. But when one of her parents’ friends had passed away unexpectedly, she’d seen first hand the all-consuming business of making final arrangements, dealing with death certificates, headstone selection, and a hundred other details that kept the surviving spouse and the family in constant motion.

  She went inside and waited after she closed and locked the front door until the outdoor lights turned off automatically. That always made her smile. She took her purse with her into the kitchen. She wanted to set the table so Mina could feel like she was eating a real dinner.

  As she putzed around the kitchen, her thoughts turned again to Kirby. The very thought of him coming to Eagle’s Toe made her toes tingle. Well, the tingle started at her toes. She laughed at herself. What a relief to know that Vanessa was all wrong about Kirby’s family situation. And how sad that he would get nothing. But she was sure, if things went in the direction she hoped they would, that he would be able to find a good job right here in Eagle’s Toe.

  Soon, she had the table ready and the kettle on, and there was Death by Chocolate in the freezer. Once Mina arrived, Madlyn was pretty sure she could talk her into staying over. The guest room was always ready. Poor Mina. Her plans and dreams were crumbling around her, and all because of money.

  Maybe it would be convenient to have access to those extra zeros on her checking account balance. It would certainly feel good to be able to help Mina.

  She put on some Christmas music and ran upstairs to freshen up and change into jeans and a wild tie-dyed tee. The house was chilly, so on her way back to the kitchen she turned the furnace up a bit. She was pouring hot water into the tea pot when the doorbell rang. Mina at last! She was starving.

  Madlyn scampered to the living room, reassured by the automatic lights outside and opened the door without checking the peephole.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “John!” Madlyn leaned against the door jamb for support and gaped at her ex. John looked softer than she’d remembered, but then he wasn’t in uniform. His jeans looked a bit baggier and his flannel shirt was not tucked in. The blue tee beneath it showed some stains on the front.

  “Are you going to let me in? It’s getting cold out here.”

  Madlyn couldn’t think of anything witty to say, and even if she had, her jaw seemed to be stuck in permanent gawk mode, so she couldn’t have delivered the lines anyway.

  Silently, numbly, she backed away from the door and John entered, closing the door behind him. “Nice security lights. Those are new.”

  Madlyn finally convinced her mouth to close, but no sooner had it done so than it opened again and words came tumbling out. “What do you want, John? Why are you here? I have company coming.”

  “I’m back.”

  Madlyn nodded. “I see that. And…?”

  John spread his hands as if the purpose of his visit were obvious. “I made a mistake, Madz. I should never have left Eagle’s Toe.” He moved toward her, arms still spread. “Don’t I get a hug?”

  Madlyn blinked at him. “No. Why should I hug you? You disrespected me. You said you didn’t want to marry me. And you’ve been gone almost four months now without so much as a text or a phone call. What are you doing here?”

  John shrugged off the rejection and moved easily to the sofa where he sat and leaned back, casting one arm across the cushions. “I’m back for good,” he said. “I’m back for you.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Kirby hadn’t had time to call Madlyn from La Guardia. He barely made it to the gate in time to board. He decided it could wait until he arrived in Denver. After all, he hadn’t said exactly when he would call. He needed time to shake off the disturbing rant from Vanessa he’d endured in the town car. He was beginning to wonder about that woman. He made a mental note to call her brother and enlist the family’s aid in throwing her off his trail. He didn’t have it in him to be mean to her, but her persistence was bordering on stalking, and he felt he should talk to her family before he had to take legal measures.

  Madlyn was everything Vanessa was not. He settled into his seat and began making his mental list of all the things he loved about her. He had promised he would do so. He wanted to murmur his list into her ear, but that would have to wait. He couldn’t make the call from the plane. It was too noisy for murmuring. Besides, he knew she was working. He didn’t want to get her in trouble with her boss.

  He grinned as he stared out the window at the distant cloud banks. Maybe he was a middle-class kind of guy after all. He’d spent his whole life wondering what would become of him, knowing that none of the Forbes money would be his. Uncle had kept him in spending money and made sure he always had enough, but it never occurred to him that such support would continue indefinitely. He’d spent long hours with his uncle in happier days, discussing possible career paths. Granted, Uncle was strongly in favor of him learning about business. He’d even made sure that Brewster came prepared to teach him about investing, buying and selling, real estate, and a hundred other things, just in case Kirby had picked a different path.

  Fate had been cruel. Just as Kirby was about to give in to his uncle’s desire and enroll in an MBA program, Uncle’s illness had taken a se
vere turn for the worse. So much so that Kirby had postponed enrolling. And now he was glad he’d waited. If he’d been in school somewhere, he might not have met Madlyn. To be honest, he might have used graduate school as an excuse to skip the wedding. But that wasn’t the way things worked out.

  His heart still ached from losing his uncle, but in a way, it was as if the cosmos had offered him solace by bringing Madlyn into his life. How he regretted that the two had never met.

  The flight attendant delivered a hot towel, and Kirby cleaned his hands. He found himself smiling again, thinking of Madlyn’s excitement as she told him about her experience in first class. He suspected that was one aspect of his impending fortune that she wouldn’t mind taking advantage of. He wondered what else he could use his money for that would meet with her approval.

  The meal was surprisingly good, and afterward Kirby dozed. The rest of the flight hardly registered. Before he knew it, he was in Denver, heading for the rental car counter. With two other travelers in line ahead of him, he pulled out his phone and looked for the record of Madlyn’s call. He made sure to add her number to his contacts and was just about to hit the call icon when his phone screeched.

  The other people in line turned with a start to see where the bird was. Kirby looked apologetic. “Ringtone. Sorry.” He answered the call. “Hi, Brew. Everything okay?” It felt like a ridiculous question. Nothing was okay, because Uncle was dead. Everything was fine, because the worst had already happened. How do you put that into a two-word question?

  Brewster sounded harried. “What’s the weather like there? I’m packing for tomorrow.”

  Kirby moved up one space in line. “It’s cold. It’s December. Pack for winter. Oh my God, we totally skipped Thanksgiving.”

  “We had a few other things to take care of.” Brewster’s voice was somber. “Shall I bring Pearl?”

  Kirby’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Do you feel comfortable leaving her with the staff? I’m not sure what we’ll encounter in Eagle’s Toe.”

  “She’ll be fine here,” said Brewster. “Everyone is feeding her. And they think it’s amusing when she pushes glassware off the counter.”

  Kirby smiled. “I’m in the line at the car rental. Have you figured out your transport from Denver to Eagle’s Toe? Do you want me to come get you tomorrow?”

  “Not at all. You’ll spend all your time driving. If I must, I’ll rent a car. Or hire a driver. Don’t worry, I’ll find you somehow. I’ve made reservations for both of us at the Cattleman’s Inn. I hope it’s not as rustic as it sounds.”

  “Good. Oh, I’m next. Got to go.” He hung up and busied himself with the paperwork for the car.

  *****

  Brewster stood back from the bed to examine his packing efforts. There was no way around it. He needed to pack a third bag. No matter what he remembered to include in his and Kirby’s bags, he knew that the moment they unpacked at the hotel, they would need something he’d left out. He closed his eyes and imagined the moment, out there in the wilds of Colorado.

  Yes indeed, he could see it now. There would be a snow storm and they’d both need their ski parkas. He nodded sagely, proud of himself. Eyes still closed, he watching his mental movie of Kirby unpacking at the hotel. What would he need next?

  His computer! Very well, but that would have to go in the carry-on bag, along with Brewster’s.

  His phone rang. Eyes closed tight, still lost in his mental exercise, Brewster answered it. “Kirby, I’m going to bring the ski parkas. It may snow in Eagle’s Toe. You know how unpredictable Colorado weather can be.”

  He wasn’t prepared for Vanessa’s thrilled response. “Why, thank you, Brewster. I knew if I called you, I’d worm his location out of you, but I never expected it to be this easy. You’re a dear.” She hung up.

  Brewster glared at his phone as if it had tricked him somehow. “Oh no. Kirby was right. I definitely need different ringtones for different people.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “How am I going to tell him?” He should call Kirby right away to let him know about his faux pas. Then Pearl squawked at him.

  “Dinner time! Dinner time!”

  Brewster slipped his phone into his pocket. “Yes, Pearl, it’s past your dinner time. Well, we can’t have you starving to death. I’m going to miss you while I’m gone.” He sighed deeply and busied himself with filling Pearl’s seed cup. “I need to go downstairs and get some fruit for you.” Leaving Pearl behind was the sensible thing to do. But he felt like he was leaving Kirby Senior behind, and that tugged at his heart. “We’ll see,” he said softly. “After all, I’m inheriting a good deal of money. How do you feel about flying first class, dear bird?”

  *****

  The instructions from the woman at the rental car desk sounded much too simple to be true, but Kirby was pleased to find them accurate. Once he was on I-25, he drove south, past Colorado Springs, and on to Pueblo, where he looked for the Highway 50 exit and followed it west to Eagle’s Toe. Once there, he stopped for gas, then gave the GPS system Madlyn’s address. He smiled at the memory of her supplying him with every bit of contact information she could. And he was glad now that she had.

  The GPS worked like a charm, and within twenty minutes he was sitting across the street from Madlyn’s address, letting the car idle. He saw the late-model mini-van in the driveway. That must be hers. But who owned the older pickup truck parked sloppily at the curb?

  Kirby sat for a few moments, chewing on his bottom lip. He pulled out his phone and double-checked the address Madz had given him. He peered across the street in the darkness. A helpful neighborhood pooch walked right up to her porch and started sniffing in the practiced manner of one who knew he was welcome. As he crossed the footpath, security lights sprang to life.

  Kirby smiled. He could see the porch easily now and read the house numbers. Yes, this was Madlyn’s address. His smile faded. Did she have company? He nudged the heater up a notch, still not sure if he should just go knock on her door. Maybe he should call and let her know he was about to arrive. Then he saw movement through the big picture window in the front of the house. The curtains were sheer, and no one had pulled the drapes yet. His heart leaped as he spotted Madlyn’s red hair. And then it fell as he saw the figure of a man moving inside.

  He could have sworn she’d said her parents were traveling and not due back for weeks. And the king cab pickup didn’t look like something an older man would drive. But then, this was Colorado. He supposed it could be her father. It was too hard to see from across the street. He’d have to get closer. He turned off the engine and got out of the car.

  The early December air was filled with the promise of snow, but like a coy mistress, it held off, as if winter were a delectable gift to be treasured and awaited expectantly. Kirby pulled his suit coat tighter and crossed his arms as he paused at the pickup truck to see if anything inside looked, well, fatherly.

  It did not. In fact, it looked as unfatherly as it could get. In the leftover light from the automated security system, he spotted several fast food containers, some on the seat and others on the floor. There was a suitcase behind the passenger seat, but surely her father wouldn’t return without her mother, and there was nothing motherly about the interior of this truck.

  Then he spied the holstered handgun on the back seat. At least, he was pretty sure that was what he saw before the security lights blinked out.

  Madlyn’s former boyfriend was a cop.

  Kirby set his jaw. The boyfriend was back in town. Time to knock on that front door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  John’s manner was far too proprietary for Madlyn’s taste. He was expounding on his L.A. experience. “The department in L.A. is way too incestuous for me. Things didn’t work out.”

  “You mean, they didn’t jump at the chance to hire you? And where did you pick up the word ‘incestuous’?” She sniffed the air. “Have you been drinking?”

  “I had a beer with dinner.” He patted the cush
ion. “Come on. Sit down. Let’s talk.”

  Madlyn crossed her arms and remained standing. “I’m fine right here, thanks. What do you want to talk about?”

  John leaned forward, elbows on knees, and steepled his fingers together. He assumed a contrite expression. “I made more than one mistake, Madz. I never should have let you go. You’re right. My offer to take you to L.A. with me was way off the mark. I think we should get engaged. Start planning our wedding. It’s time to settle down.”

  For half a second, Madlyn was touched and tempted. But after that first twinge of weakness, she shook her head. He was taking her for granted, assuming he could waltz back into her life and she would be grateful. Even his proposal wasn’t a proposal, just a statement of his opinion. Too much had changed since he broke her heart. She wasn’t about to give him another chance to hurt her again. “You act like all you have to do is come back into my life and I’ll forgive you and we can go back to the way things were before. Well, that’s not happening. You crushed my dreams and walked all over my heart that night in the restaurant. It’s too late, John. I don’t love you anymore. In fact, I wonder if I ever did.”

  “Oh, come on, baby. You’re putting the worst possible spin on this.”

  “Spin? Spin?! Everything I’ve said is reality, my side of the story. What is it in your world?”

  “Now, now. You’ve always been excitable. I know you, Madz. Better than anyone else. We should be together.”

  “Too late.” Madz went to the door and rested her hand on the knob. “You should leave now. I have company coming.”

  John stood up but didn’t head for the door. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and gestured at the couch. “I was sort of hoping you’d let me stay here for the night. This folds out, doesn’t it?”

  Madlyn was horrified. “No, you can’t stay here. Are you crazy? Go to the Cattleman’s and get a room.”

  For the first time, he looked abashed. “I’m a little short on funds.”