Just Married...Again (5 page)

Still holding the ice pack against his head, Michael stood. “To say you were defending yourself is to imply I was trying to do you bodily harm. I seriously doubt that was the case.”

“I made a mistake,” she almost shouted. “Are we going to rehash it until we freeze to death? I’m sorry. What more can I say?”

“You can answer my question,” he replied. “Who the hell are you?”

Danny, who’d already booted up, was trying to pull on a pair of ladies’ gloves. He glanced up, looked from one to the other, and spoke. “She’s your wife, Uncle Michael.”

Maddy had the distinct pleasure of watching the man pale before her very eyes. “Happy now?” she asked. He slumped onto the sofa in a daze. “Try not to look so miserable,” she told him. “We’re in the process of a divorce.” She motioned for her nephew. “Come on, Danny.”

Maddy and Danny stepped out into the blizzard. The force of the wind was so strong they could barely walk. Luckily, Michael had parked his car close. Maddy was still smarting from the look Michael had given her when he’d learned they were man and wife. As if there was something wrong with her! Well, he didn’t have to worry about
that
much longer. In a couple of more months he’d be a free agent.

Maddy pushed her thoughts aside and unlocked the trunk. What she found there lifted her spirits. Firewood. Enough to last several days, even if they burned it around the clock. That would give her ample time to get to her supply in the Jeep.

“Wow!” Danny said through chattering teeth.

“Hold your arms out, and I’ll give you a stack.” For once, he did what she said without arguing. They each grabbed as much as they could hold and carried it to the cabin door. Michael was waiting for them. He’d donned cap and gloves as well.

“I see you found some wood.” He took several logs from her to lighten her load.

“Your trunk is almost full,” Maddy said as she and Danny stepped inside. “There’s a bunch of it. Why aren’t you resting? And where’s the ice pack?”

Michael took the wood from her. “First things first. We need to get as much firewood in here as we can in case this storm gets worse, which it probably will.” He carried the wood over to the fireplace and set it down, then grabbed Danny’s load. After stacking it near the hearth, he looked at Maddy. “Can you build a fire?”

“Of course I can.” If he could remember anything, he would know that she was better at it than he was.

“Okay, while you do that Danny and I will bring in the rest of the wood.”

The boy looked pleased to be included in what was obviously turning into a man’s job.

Maddy started to protest, but she knew it was hopeless. She went to work, stacking wood on the grate, and stuffing old newspapers beneath it. In ten minutes’ time the wood had been unloaded and Maddy had a roaring fire going. They stood around it, letting the heat chase the chill from their bodies.

“Are you up to helping me unload the rest of the car?” Michael asked Danny.

The boy nodded bravely, and they went to work once more. Maddy dumped more ice cubes into a sauce pan and set it on the stove to melt. She was thankful when Michael finally closed the cabin door and locked it.

“Is there anything decent to eat?” Danny called out, warming his hands at the fire.

Maddy chuckled. Her mood had improved dramatically now that they had supplies, although she admitted it would be nice to have running water. “Sorry, Danny, your uncle only brought bad food. Do you like Brussels sprouts?” She glanced at him and saw that he’d taken her seriously. “Just kidding. I’m putting together a snack right now.”

Danny dove into the plate of cold cuts when she carried them into the living room. Maddy and Michael exchanged amused looks. “I have instant coffee,” she said, glad to see he was sitting down and using the ice pack. “Would you like a cup?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“I’ll take some, too,” Danny told her.

Maddy knew Brenda wouldn’t go for that at all. “Sorry, kiddo. You’re getting hot chocolate.” She returned to the kitchen, prepared the hot beverages, and carried them into the living room on a wooden tray.

“I forgot to tell you I take a spoon of sugar in mine,” Michael said once she set the tray down.

“Yes, I know.”

“That’s right, you would know, wouldn’t you? Sorry, I forgot.” He shrugged. “What am I talking about, I’ve forgotten everything.”

“It’s probably temporary.”

“Let’s hope so. I still have to earn a living. It won’t look good if I get back to work and don’t remember my clients’ names. Or how to do my job,” he added bitterly.

Maddy didn’t have an answer for that one. He was never going to forgive her for hitting him over the head, and she really couldn’t blame him. She should have waited to get a better look before slamming him. But there wasn’t a
damn
thing she could do about it now. The damage was done. She sat on the sofa and sipped her coffee in silence.

Holding the ice pack in one hand and his coffee cup in the other, Michael studied her. As worried as he was over his condition, he knew it was unfair to blame her for trying to defend herself. She had obviously been very frightened at the time.

“I believe I heard Danny call you Maddy,” he said, trying to strike up a conversation with her.

She glanced at him. Some of the tension had left his face. She wondered if he’d gotten over being mad. “It’s short for Madison. I was named after my grandfather.”

“Why are we divorcing?” he asked.

“It’s very complicated,” she said. “I don’t think this is the right time to discuss it.”

“I wasn’t having an affair, was I?”

Danny chuckled but didn’t say anything.

The question caught her by surprise. “I wasn’t aware of an affair. Why do you ask?”

Michael shrugged. “You’re a beautiful woman. I can’t imagine any man cheating on you.”

“Thank you,” she said stiffly. Maddy grabbed a piece of cheese and nibbled on it. The fire was making her drowsy, but she knew she couldn’t go to sleep. She’d have to sit up with Michael. She excused herself and tiptoed down the hall to the bedroom. Her dachshunds were huddled together at the foot of the bed, both asleep. She left the door open so the heat could get in. She returned to the living room and tucked a couple of blankets around Danny, who was dozing in front of the fire.

“How come there’s no heating device here?” Michael asked.

Maddy was thankful for the change of subject as she reclaimed her seat on the sofa. “The cabin was very primitive when we bought it a couple of years back. It had electricity and inside plumbing, but that was about it. You were talking to someone about installing heaters when we put it on the market.”

“Whose idea was it to sell the place?”

Maddy took a sip of her coffee. “Mine.”

“Because of the divorce?”

“Yes. I was crazy for suggesting we buy it in the first place, what with the hours you work.” He lifted one dark brow. “You usually put in seventy-to-eighty-hour work weeks,” she said.

“Are you divorcing me because I work too many hours?”

“I’m afraid there was more to it than that.”

Danny shifted on the floor and opened his eyes. “Do you have a pillow?”

“You can sleep on the bed,” Maddy told him. “Uncle Michael and I will probably stay up for a while because of his head injury.” Without a word, the boy got up and stumbled down the hall toward the bedroom.

“You don’t have to sit up with me,” Michael said.

“Of course I do. After all, I caused your injury.”

He managed a small smile. “I’m sorry for giving you a hard time. You obviously felt threatened or you wouldn’t have done it.” He paused, and his smile faded as another thought hit him. “Unless you really
did
know who I was, and you were trying to pay me back for being a crummy husband.”

Maddy noted, with amusement, the worried look in his eyes. “You weren’t
that
crummy. At least not enough for me to try to kill you,” she added.

He did not look happy. “You make me sound like an ogre. Was I?”

“We’re too different, that’s all.”

“Didn’t we know this before we married?”

“I think we were too much in love at the time. I remember thinking I could change you. That was my mistake, not yours. Don’t worry, you’ll have your memory back soon,” she said, sounding more confident than she felt.

“Until then, I’ll just have to wait for my information. Is that it?”

Maddy realized he’d been holding the ice pack against his head longer than he should have. She stood. “You’d better take a break from the ice,” she said, knowing it was best to leave it on only ten minutes at a time. “Let me check the bump.” She leaned over and examined him.

Michael wasn’t prepared for her closeness or the smell of her perfume. His gut tightened.

“I don’t know if it’s my imagination, or if the lump has actually grown smaller,” she said. “Does it still hurt?”

He was hurting, all right, but it had nothing to do with his head. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice strained.

Maddy took the ice pack from him. “I’d offer you more coffee, but I’m afraid we’re low on ice cubes, and we really need them for your head.”

He stared at her. “I know there’s logic in there somewhere; I just haven’t found it yet.”

Once again, she explained the situation about the water valve.

“Go ahead and use the ice cubes. I’ll see if I can find the water valve in the morning,” he said. “Am I really not supposed to go to sleep?”

“It’s not a good idea after you’ve had a serious head injury.” She saw the weary expression on his face and felt bad. He’d probably had to put in a lot of hours to obtain time off, and now he couldn’t get the rest he needed.

Maddy carried the cups to the kitchen and refilled them. She heard Michael stoking the fire, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him drop another log on. He flipped on the light switch next to the sliding-glass door and pulled the drapes open on each side.

“It’s really coming down out there,” he said.

She carried the cups into the living room and gazed out at the sight. The only time she’d seen it snow so hard was at her parents’ home on Martha’s Vineyard. “Looks like we both picked a perfect place to spend Thanksgiving,” she said.

He checked the date on his wristwatch. “That’s right; it
is
Thanksgiving, isn’t it?” He took his cup from her and sipped his coffee in silence as he watched the snow fall. “Well, we’ve got everything here we need. A roof over our heads and enough food to keep us for a while.” He returned his gaze to the window. “I guess that has to be the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen,” he confessed.

Maddy thought it was an odd thing for him to say. The Michael she knew wouldn’t waste time gazing out at a snowstorm; he’d be trying to figure a way to escape. Nor would he be content to sit in front of the fire with her, sipping coffee and talking about inane topics. For most of their five years together she’d dined alone each night and later climbed into an empty bed. Once in a while, usually out of guilt, Michael would come home early. They’d have dinner together, and she would clean up while he showered. They would make love, and for an hour or so Maddy would be convinced everything was going to be okay. Michael had always been a thoughtful lover, and it was during those times that she told herself she could forgive him everything else.

Afterward, she’d lie in his arms and try to talk to him, but she could feel him growing restless. She knew each time his eyes darted to the alarm clock, knew he was trying to make a graceful exit. Once he was gone, Maddy was left to fall asleep alone, as usual. It had been a lonely existence, which, would have been more tolerable had they had children. But Michael didn’t want children, a fact he’d hammered home when she’d become pregnant.

“You look a million miles away,” Michael said, breaking into her thoughts. “Want to talk about it?”

The sound of his voice startled her, and she looked up. His gaze was penetrating, and she half feared he knew everything she’d been thinking. “I need to check to see if the bedroom is warm enough,” she said, getting up quickly. She started down the hall, thankful to have something to do.

Maddy stepped into the bedroom. From the light in the hall, she saw that her nephew was tucked beneath the covers. The small humps on either side of him told her the dogs were snuggled close.

She tiptoed out of the room and made her way into the kitchen, where she set the dishes in the sink and wiped down the counters. She glanced over at Michael, who was staring into the fire, his brow wrinkled as though deep in thought. She wondered if he was trying to remember.

What would he have to say once his memory came back?
If
it came back. She didn’t know which she feared most, his memory never returning or him getting it back full force and remembering all that had transpired between them.

“Anything I can help with?” Michael asked.

Maddy jumped at the sound of his voice. Damned if the man didn’t move as quietly as a cat. “I’m finished,” she said, draping the wet dishcloth over a metal rack beside the sink. She started out of the kitchen, but he blocked her way. “Excuse me,” she said. “I’d like to get by.”

“Not so fast. I just thought of something.” He stepped closer, placed his hands on either side of her shoulders, and dipped his head.

Maddy was jolted to her toes when his lips touched hers. Once she could think clearly, she tried to pull away. Instead of letting her go, he grasped her around the waist and pulled her closer. He broke the kiss and pressed his lips against her throat.

“Michael?” Maddy could hear the catch in her voice. “Please stop.”

He moved his lips to an earlobe and nibbled it. He felt her shiver, then realized she was trembling. He glanced up. His ardor died at the sight of her tears. He released her and stepped back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought—”

“What did you think?” she asked coolly. “That I might provide a diversion for you, alleviate your boredom for a little while since there’s nothing else to do?”

He looked offended. “Not at all. I thought, well, I’d hoped that I might remember something if I, if we … He paused. “I’m sorry to have imposed on you.” He left the kitchen and returned to the living room, where he put another log on the fire.