Wild Dakota Heart (Book 4 - Dakota Hearts) Page 3

“What do you mean? What did you do?”

  “I called her and told her I had police business with you, so I offered to pick you up myself.”

  “What is it with you? You’re like a mosquito that I can’t swat away.”

  Ethan placed his hand over his heart in mock distress. “That hurt.”

  “Get over it.”

  “I prefer to think of myself as determined.”

  “I prefer not to think of you at all,” she said, rummaging through her purse for her cell phone. She found it and quickly dialed her home phone number, then listened.

  “She’s not home.”

  “Who?”

  “Your mother. Since I told her I’d pick you up, she said she was going to head out to Rapid City again to do some shopping for your aunt who just got out of the hospital.”

  Her mouth gaped open. “You’re too much.”

  “It’s a ride, Maddie. No big deal.”

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  “I don’t really care if you believe it. That’s what it is. Do you want a ride to the garage or do we look over the paperwork here in the parking lot and you call a cab. Your choice.”

  “I never like any of your choices.”

  She stared at the paperwork in Ethan’s hand, and remembered the feel of his hand taking hers as she climbed out of her wrecked car a few days ago. He had callouses and cuts from working hard, which surprised her at the time, but now made sense given what Hawk had told her about Ethan wanting to fix up that old Nolan farmhouse.

  She grabbed the paperwork from Ethan’s hand. “I’ll read them while you drive.”

  “You get car sick when you read in the car.”

  She stopped walking and glanced at him. He remembered. “So?”

  “So I don’t want you to throw up on me.”

  “I’ll roll down the window.”

  Ethan smiled the most amazing way that had her heart hammering in her chest like it used to do when she was a teenager. She hated it. She didn’t want to remember those days with Ethan and Denny. She didn’t want to like anything about Ethan. She just wanted to forget.

  Ethan’s SUV was parked in a visitor’s parking space near the front of the building. It was only then that it dawned on her that he wasn’t wearing his police uniform. Instead he wore a dark gray T-shirt and jeans.

  “Official police business?”

  Ethan shrugged but his unabashed expression was unapologetic. “It’s my day off.”

  She grunted with frustration and yanked the passenger side door open. To her relief, he gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking lot without saying another word. She took that opportunity to bury her head in the paperwork he’d handed her. But although the words were right in front of her, Maddie found she couldn’t concentrate on them enough to read what they said.

  She just wanted to pick up her car and go home. She didn't care about her car insurance company taking care of the repair costs. She’d pay George herself and forget about the insurance reimbursement. She blinked as she looked at the papers until a stinging sensation started to burn the corners of her eyes.

  “Do you need a pen to sign it?”

  “Ah, no. I have one. This looks fine.”

  Maddie’s hands trembled as she rummaged through her purse in search of a pen. Frustrated with finding nothing, she pulled the zipper closed.

  “Check the glove compartment.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  She kept her eyes on the moving scenery out the window as they drove down the familiar road. Ethan had his window open and was resting his arm on the door. His short crop hair was barely touched by the wind flying through the window. Strands of her hair whipped in her face.

  “Is this bothering you?” Ethan asked.

  There was a whole lot bothering her. She just shook her head.

  “You used to laugh a lot.”

  Pulling the hair away from her face, she said, “What?”

  “That’s what I always remembered the most about you when I was away. You used to find amusement in the oddest things and you laughed like you didn’t care if anyone else got what you were laughing about.”

  “You thought about me?”

  He glanced at her quickly. “Of course. I missed Rudolph and everyone back home. You used to twirl your hair between your fingers when we sat in your front yard. You never sat Indian style. You always sat on the grass with both legs either stretched out in front of you or to your side. And you sipped your soda. I could drink three cans of soda before you even finished one.”

  She always burped when she drank soda too fast. If Ethan wasn’t around, she didn’t care. But she was too self-conscious to do it when she was with him.

  Maddie looked out the window at the scenery disappearing as they passed, then back at Ethan. With his eyes focused on the road ahead, she could see his strong profile clearly. Her eyes traced along his broad-set jaw, catching the curves of long sloping nose and lips. Heat crawled up her face.

  He’d thought of her. Somehow that had never crossed her mind.

  “So?”

  “So nothing. I just noticed. You haven’t laughed once since I’ve seen you.”

  His expression was wistful, as if her emotional state bothered him. But Maddie found it hard to believe that Ethan would even care about how she’d been feeling today or any other day.

  “Maybe it’s the company.”

  “Ouch. You don’t hold back at all. You never used to be this mean to me.”

  She chuckled at his reaction and fought to quickly hide it. But the wide smile that split his face told her she’d been caught.

  “There. Isn’t that better?”

  “Better than what?”

  “I don’t know. Just better. That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since…I don’t know when.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “I was in a car accident, Ethan. What was there to smile about?”

  “George was able to fix your car.”

  “Okay, you’ve got me there. But despite what you think, life’s not a bunch of laughs all the time.”

  His expression grew grim. “You don’t have to tell me that. I see enough of it all the time.”

  She turned her attention to him, but remained silent.

  “When I became a police officer here in Rudolph, I never thought I’d be going on a domestic violence call to a house where the guy involved is someone I played in Little League with.”

  “When did you play Little League?”

  “The year my dad coached.”

  “You’re talking about Pete and Janice Avery?” When Ethan shrugged uncomfortably, she added, “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything else. I know Janice.”

  “This storm has been rough on a lot of people. When the roof caved in on the manufacturing plant where Pete worked, everyone thought insurance was going to cover it and they’d be back to work by now.”

  “I know. It shocked a lot of people when the owners decided to take the insurance money and relocate the operation to another state. No plant. No jobs. No money.”

  “Money problems are causing lots of arguments these days. But thanks to Regis, at least the Wounded Veterans Center will have what it needs to rebuild.”

  “Regis is Hawk’s fiancé, right?”

  “Did you meet her at the clinic?”

  Maddie shook her head. “Regis and Hawk came in to MW Oil to give the news of their engagement to your father. They look like a nice couple.”

  “Yeah, Hawk’s real happy. And Regis is a peach. Sometimes I think she gets a little overwhelmed with all of us McKinnons crowding around her. But she fits in with us fine.”

  When Ethan pulled into the parking lot of George’s Auto, Maddie saw her car sitting out front. Ethan pulled his SUV into the parking space next to her car.

  “Looks as good as new. Well, at least as good as it did.” She put the papers Ethan had given her on the seat next to him. “I found my pen. These are all signed.”

  “Th
ank you.” As she got out of the car, he added, “You’re going to be at the Wounded Veterans Center tomorrow, aren’t you?”

  She peered into the car at Ethan, torn. “I…don’t know.”

  “You wouldn’t be doing it for me. It’s for Ian. Regis, too. She’s worked real hard to get all the funding together so we could finally move forward. There are going to be a lot of people there. Sort of a like an old fashioned barn raising. Except, we’re not raising a barn. We’ll mostly be painting and building some walls and—”

  She put up her hand to stop him. “I get it.” Standing in the sun on the hot tar outside of a gas station was weighing her down. Or maybe it was just Ethan’s relentlessness.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Wide smile. Damn him. She didn’t remember him being that handsome when he smiled. And she’d forgotten about that dimple on his cheek that only showed itself when he was really happy.

  “Then maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Maybe.” She turned and walked to George’s office without turning back. She didn’t hear the purr of the SUV’s engine firing up or the sound of tires on the pavement. That could only mean one thing.

  Maddie refused to turn around to see Ethan watching her walk away.

  # # #

  Chapter Four

  For the better part of the morning, Ethan and the rest of the crew continued to haul all of the supplies needed to work on the Wounded Veterans Center that day. Looking at the work needed and the supplies, there were already more volunteers than Ian and Regis had hoped would show up. That left Regis, and Logan’s fiancé, Poppy, searching for more brushes and rollers for painting. A lot of people who showed up brought their own tools. Ian was acting as foreman for the project and if all went well, they’d get a lot of work done before the day was through.

  The delivery of materials the center had been waiting for arrived midmorning. Ethan, along with his brothers, Logan and Hawk, and several other volunteers, worked to bring in all the materials they needed. He was already sweltering from the heat of the sun by late morning, so he pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe the moisture off his face.

  That's when he saw a white minivan pull into the dirt parking lot. His heart pounded in his chest. Ethan had a feeling all along that Denny's parents would show up to help because Maddie’s mother had talked to his mother at the diner earlier in the week. But seeing Maddie climb out of the back of the minivan was a surprise Ethan had hoped for, but didn’t think he’d realize.

  "You made it," Hawk said, holding the bundle of fresh two by four boards snugly on his shoulder.

  Dave Newton walked up to them, keeping in step with his wife, Julie. Maddie trailed behind the two of them and looked less than thrilled to be there. But she did come. Ethan chose to take that as a good sign.

  “It looks like the whole town showed up,” Dave said.

  “Just about,” Ethan replied. “We even got extra carpenters coming in from Fort Pierre. If we’re lucky we’ll get most of the painting finished in the upper level so we can start working on the construction of the recreation room and the kitchen downstairs where the flood really caused some damage.”

  Maddie’s mother frowned. “I see most of you McKinnons. Where’s Sam?”

  “Fire season is in full swing,” Ethan said. “Being a Hotshot, Sam is pretty much on call all the time. Right now he’s working in the Black Hills doing some prescribed burns.”

  Julie shook her head. “I don’t know how your mother sleeps at night.” Then she smiled, extending her hands. “Well, where are the paint brushes? I got my old clothes on and I’m ready to get started.”

  Logan called out to her. “Follow me. Poppy and Regis have all the paint and supplies ready inside.”

  Dave propped his fists on his hips and laughed. “Looks like I showed up at the right time. All the heavy lifting is done.”

  Hawk laughed, still holding the two by four boards on his shoulder. “There’s still plenty of that to go around inside. Why don’t you come with me?”

  Maddie didn’t even look at him. She started to follow her father until Ethan caught her arm with his hand.

  “Hold on a sec.”

  She turned and lifted her eyes to him and suddenly he couldn’t find the words he wanted to say.

  “I’m glad you decided to come today,” he finally said.

  She held his gaze for a lingering moment. The warmth of her skin beneath his fingers reminded him that he was still holding her back. He let go of her arm. But instead of saying anything, she turned on her heels, leaving Ethan to watch her walk away with that fiery determination he’d never realized she had until now.

  He watched until she reached the open door of the Wounded Veterans Center and wondered how he never noticed the slight sway of her hips as she moved, or the way the sun kissed her high cheekbones when she was fired up.

  He and Denny had given Maddie plenty to get fired up about when she was younger. But the Maddie Newton he’d known had grown up to become an exquisite woman. That same temper that he and Denny used to laugh about was still there. But now there was an elegance about the woman that replaced the kid he used to tease.

  She had always been a pretty girl. But the fact that Ethan was seeing Maddie Newton as a woman, and not Denny’s kid sister, suddenly made Ethan uncomfortable. He had no business thinking about Maddie in that way. If Denny were here today, seeing Ethan’s reaction to Maddie just walking away, Ethan would be down on the ground with his face buried in the dirt. And he wouldn’t blame Denny one bit for doing it to him.

  * * *

  They spent at least three hours inside the unairconditioned building putting up trim, painting walls and trim in the upstairs rooms, and hauling debris outside to the dumpster. Despite not wanting to come, Maddie found herself having a good time. It’d been a long time since she held a paint brush in her hand. Granted, this wasn’t the kind of paint brush she used to love using. But it was still nice to see a blank wall and transform it into something beautiful.

  There were people at the Wounded Veterans Center that she hadn’t seen in years and working together made each task go that much faster because of the good conversation. But inevitably someone would mention Denny or she’d see Ethan across the room or down the hall, and all Maddie wanted to do was hide.

  Grabbing a paint can, some rollers and a tray, she found a small office that no one had worked in yet and decided to tackle it by herself. She’d made pretty good time, getting three quarters of the room painted before Ian came up behind her.

  “This is looking real good,” he said. “Ethan tells me you were quite the artist when you were younger. Is that true?”

  Ian’s words caught Maddie off guard.

  “It’s just primer. It’s hard not to look better than it was. What did Ethan tell you?”

  “That you were a talented artist and could probably help us out.”

  “Help you with what?”

  “Regis and I were thinking that it might be nice to have a mural on the wall of the recreation room. I’d love for you to take a look at it. The walls are still being constructed downstairs and we still need to do some work down there, adding the kitchen and the bathrooms, so we probably wouldn’t need you to start painting until September.”

  Maddie dropped the paint roller into the tray. “I really haven’t done much painting in years. I’m not sure that I’m the right person for something like this.”

  “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. We’re pretty much open to any ideas you have. Why don’t you come take a look to get a feel for the space?”

  She hated the idea of feeling cornered and wouldn’t you know Ethan was behind it all. But the fact that he remembered her love of art at all gave her mixed feelings. She followed Ian to the stairs and watched as he slowly took each step down until they got to the bottom hallway. She had heard from Kate McKinnon that Ian had survived a bombing in Afghanistan and lost his leg. He was still getting used to walking with a prosthetic li
mb.

  After all he’d gone through in his military service, the Wounded Veterans Center was important to Ian. Because of that, Maddie felt compelled to at least give him some ideas of what he could do.

  As Ian mentioned, the recreation room, which was to house an open space for families to get together, have meetings, and to have the occasional special occasion, was still being constructed. Insulation had been put between the studs in the wall and some of the Sheetrock had been hung. Plumbing pipes were exposed as was newly run electrical wire. Looking around, Maddie decided that Ian’s September timeline might be too soon.

  Ethan was standing at the far end of the room with his father, Hawk, Logan and a few other people Maddie didn’t know. On the floor were two by fours arranged in parallel lines. At the top, there were more two by fours loosely placed on the floor and the crew was getting ready to nail. Her father was standing inside an area that was already framed in, nailing the studs into place.

  “I was thinking it might be nice to have a mural on the wall near the windows.”

  Maddie looked around, thinking as she rolled a thin strand of her hair between her thumb and fingers, trying to imagine what the finished room would look like. “I don’t think you want a mural on that wall. I would just paint the walls by the windows white so you don’t compete with the beautiful view from these magnificent windows.”

  Regis came up behind them. “See? That’s exactly what I told him.”

  Ethan was watching her. He tried to hide it. But every time Maddie looked in that direction, their eyes connected before he quickly turned away. Realizing what she’d been doing with her hair, she combed her fingers through her hair, then tied it back, securing it with a clip she kept in her pocket.

  “If you are going to do a mural, I would do it on this back wall,” Maddie said, walking over the long, inside wall. But I don’t think you need to fill it completely. Just add something to give it interest.”

  Regis smiled. “I like that idea. What about you, Ian?”

  Before Ian could say anything, Maddie added, “But I don’t think I should be the one to do it.”

  Ian looked at her, puzzled. “Why not?”