“Can I do anything?”
“Nope. I rubbed the potatoes with olive oil and sea salt. The salad is a spring mix from a bag and ready to go.”
“You have everything under control. I came prepared to help out.”
He grinned. “I wanted dinner to be simple so I could enjoy your company.”
“Why, thank you.” Maggie smiled and tried to hide her blush by taking a sip of her wine but Rick noticed and, God help him, but he was . . . What was the word? Smitten. He grinned at the rather old-fashioned word that popped into his head, but it fit. There was something about Maggie that made him smile just from being near her. Rick wanted to sit and chat with her, learn more about her.
When they sat down in the rockers on the front porch Rick silently but sadly acknowledged that keeping Maggie in the dark wasn’t really right, but at this point he didn’t see any way around it. Instinct told him that he could trust her but he also wondered how she would react if she knew that he was Rick Ruleman, and he guessed she would run for the hills. His carefully crafted bad-boy image was in many ways fabricated, but would she ever believe that? Probably not. Plus, this last rumor that he’d slept with his son’s fiancée was a doozy that he wanted to die down. The last thing Rick wanted was to bring more heartache to Addison Monroe, so he reminded himself to keep the answers to any questions about himself vague. And as enchanted as he was with sweet Maggie, he should keep his distance. But when she turned and smiled, the keeping-his-distance vow vanished as quickly as the morning mist on the river.
“There’s just something about a rocking chair on a front porch that makes life seem slow and easy.”
“The view of the river off of the back deck is pretty amazing too.” Rick nodded. “I have to admit that coffee out here in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening are pretty good ways to start and finish the day. It sure is peaceful here in the river valley.”
“So, what will you do here all summer long, Richard?”
Rick took a sip of his wine and looked out over the front lawn for a moment before answering. “I’m going to work on getting my chaotic life back in order.”
“So you needed a break from reality?”
“I sure did.” He turned to her and smiled. “I like it so much I might never go back.”
“To reality?” Maggie asked with a grin.
Rick chuckled. “Yeah. This is much better,” he said, and decided to ask her a question before she pried a little bit too much. “I needed an extended vacation. So, how about you? Didn’t you recently open your agency?”
Maggie nodded. “Having my own agency has been a dream of mine for a long time. I put it on hold while I raised my son up in the Cincinnati area. I knew the hours would be long and there would be a risk, so I waited until the time was right. Moving back here has been a good decision so far. And I’m working on expanding Whisper’s Edge with my son.”
“Whisper’s Edge?”
“A retirement community that my father owned. Tristan bought it from him last year when he ran into some financial difficulty,” she answered brightly, but something in her eyes told Rick that there was more to the story than a simple sale.
“So, you grew up here in Cricket Creek?”
Maggie gave him a rueful smile. “Yes, until I came home from college pregnant with Tristan. Let’s just say that my father didn’t react with . . . unconditional love. I moved out.”
“I’m sorry, Maggie. That must have been tough. I’m guessing no help from Tristan’s father.”
She studied the contents of her glass for a moment. “I never knew who he was,” she said softly. “I was at a college party and there was this punch that tasted like Kool-Aid, but I found out later that it was laced with Everclear. I don’t remember anything about that night.”
Rick felt rage bubble up in his throat at the thought of someone taking advantage of her. “My God . . . Maggie, this could have been date rape. Didn’t anyone investigate?”
“Let’s just say that my father didn’t believe my version of the story. My mother left him when I was a baby and he’d become a bitter old man. It wasn’t until I had a bout with breast cancer that he actually helped me one summer.” She sighed. “I was hoping my illness would bring us closer and he’d bond with Tristan, but it didn’t. Sad, but it’s his loss.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I was lucky. It was caught early.” She shrugged and then smiled. “We all have our journeys, our crosses to bear. Tristan was a blessing and I love him dearly. I couldn’t ask for a better son. And after surviving cancer—no relapses—I feel like I’ve learned to focus on the big picture and to try to be happy as best I can.”
“You put your dreams on hold for him.” He felt his heart lurch.
“Totally worth it.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “Even if I could go back and rewrite history, I wouldn’t change a thing. And now here I am in my fifties, getting to start a new adventure!”
“I admire your attitude, Maggie. I admire so much about you.” He looked at her with a sense of wonder.
She chuckled. “My attitude was all that kept me going for a long time. But Tristan was such a joy and still is.” He was sure that her radiant smile hid a lot of heartache. Rick was beyond impressed and even more drawn to her.
“Oh, don’t look at me like I’m an angel. I had my days of despair and crankiness. I still do, for that matter. And I guess living through tough times makes me appreciate the good times even more.”
“So, you’ve never been married?”
“No, I never really had the time for romance,” she scoffed, but her smile faltered for the first time.
“And you were a little bit scared?”
She stopped rocking and stared down at her glass again. Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Yes,” she admitted so softly that her admission blended with the evening breeze.
Not knowing what to say, Rick remained silent, wishing in some ways he’d never led her down this path.
“Of course, Tristan had questions, but as the years passed it became less important. The love we have for each other is really all that matters.” She lifted one shoulder. “I just sometimes have a tough time with trust.”
“Understandable.”
Her gaze flicked away and she started rocking gently. Rick studied her profile in the waning light. She was such a pretty woman, so full of life. What a shame that she held back from experiencing romance . . . love. Judging by the way she loved her son, she would be an amazing wife. Caring, funny, sexy, smart. He couldn’t ask, but he surmised that she hadn’t slept with a man in quite some time. Rick thought about all of the meaningless sex he’d had and it turned his stomach.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Richard. I didn’t mean to put a damper on the lovely evening.”
“You haven’t.” Rick reached over and took her hand. “Not in the least.”
Her eyes widened in a bit of surprise and then she smiled slowly, shyly. And while Rick knew he should withdraw his hand he simply couldn’t.
Maggie McMillan was both fragile and incredibly strong. He was drawn to her in more ways than one. She had just revealed so much of herself to him, and he had secrets. Perhaps he should simply tell her. . . .
“Hey, don’t look so serious,” she said with a low chuckle. “Let’s check on the potatoes and grab another glass of wine.”
Rick squeezed her hand and nodded. “While you do that I’ll get the grill heated up. Looks like we’re in for a beautiful sunset.”
“And you forgot to turn the music on. Put on something I can snap my fingers to,” she requested with a laugh. “Music will get us back in a festive mood.”
“So, you’re a music lover? What kind?”