My Heart Can't Tell You No (66 page)

“I said put it down,” he growled.

“Put it down?” She looked at the glass, then smiled up at him. “Okay.”

She tossed it in his face. He quickly closed his eyes so the liquor wouldn’t get in them, then opened them and glared at her through a fury of his own.

“Oh shit!” came John’s voice as he and Beth immediately grabbed their coats. “She’s blowing up.”

She strode past them to the coat rack, grabbed her coat and started for the door. Oh, the joy she felt when she saw that blonde woman standing so close to the entrance. So close in fact that she yanked her outside with her.

“Come here. I’ve got something to say,” Maddie growled as she held the woman’s wrist.

“
Jesus
! Do you mind?!”

“Do you see who I am?” Maddie asked the woman as they stood on the sidewalk.

“Of course I see who you are! I’m not blind!” The woman’s superior tone only infuriated Maddie more.

“
Good
! Because this is what I wanted to say!” Maddie’s fist hit the woman’s jaw, dropping her down on the sidewalk. She stood looking down at her, rubbing her knuckles as she waited for a return attack. “Do you have anything to say in return?!” Maddie demanded, but the woman only lay on the sidewalk, touching her jaw as she looked up at her then shaking her head negatively. “
Fine
! Kindly relay my message to your friend in there!”

Maddie turned and started down the sidewalk as the front doors opened, the light from inside the building reaching the woman still watching her.

“John. Get her inside,” Joe said irritably, making Maddie quickly rummage through her coat pockets for her keys as she hurried toward her car. “
Maddie
! Goddamn it! You wait!”

Now she was running, sliding slightly on the ice covering the parking lot. She heard his footsteps hurrying toward her, prompting her to kick off her high heeled shoes for better traction and race toward her car.
‘God,
don’t
let
the
doors
be
locked,’
she prayed as she finally found her keys. The door was unlocked, thank God, and she was inside, quickly locking it, then starting the engine.

She saw Joe only a few car lengths away as she pulled out and raced to the street, then took off for the stop sign at the end of the block. After that, she was on the main stretch of road that led out of the city and toward her house. She might have been putting up with his tantrum these past weeks—but this was the limit. In her mind, she was already making plans to move back to town. She didn’t want to remain where he was free to enter whenever he wished. She wanted to get away from him. She wanted to be free of him.

Her tears flowed steadily as she pulled onto the road near the small school Jackie attended, two and a half miles from the city. Her car skidded on the ice until she got it under control then started driving again.
Damn
him
! He’s been there—interfering not only with her life—but shoving himself between her and her family for years—for as long as she could remember—but no more! If they wanted him over her—they could have him!

She missed the new stop sign where her road began.
Damn
! Good thing there were no cops around or she would have a ticket because of him! Only three more miles and she would be home. Alone. Safe. But as she came to a small curve in the road, the car began to swerve again. She turned it back to the forward position, but it kept going, again and again it turned until she wasn’t sure which way was forward. She stopped fighting it and was going to let it slide into the small hill on the side of the road, but it turned again, sending her down the ledge on the opposite side. She saw the trees slamming into the windshield. She saw the dashboard as she was vaulted forward, telling her the car was no longer in an upright position but was facing down. She felt herself heading toward the windshield, tossed over into the passenger’s side of the car then saw the huge tree trunk that the car was traveling toward.
God
—everything seemed in slow motion as with inexplicable calm she grabbed the steering wheel and pulled herself over to the driver’s seat again. Was the car going to flip? She wasn’t sure. There was nothing to do but ride it out. Finally, after the back end slammed down, the car was on all fours again—bouncing, but still heading for that large tree. Then suddenly two jerks—then nothing. The car had stopped. It hadn’t reached the tree.

She looked out the windshield. It was there all right—another six inches and she would have needed a new front end—and God knows what would have happened to
her
. Her hand went to the gear shift, shifting into park. What had happened to the underside of the car? Ruptured gas tank? She turned off the ignition and tried to get out of the car. Her door wouldn’t budge. She looked out her window, seeing it was two small trees, each trunk no thicker than two inches, that had stopped her from slamming into the other, larger tree. They had the driver’s door pinned closed.

She moved across the seat, sliding onto the passenger’s seat and unlocked the door. As she got out, a boot fell to the ground. She glanced into the back seat, seeing the mate of the boot and grabbing it, then took about ten steps away and pulled them on. The grass was cold, covered with ice. She looked at the hill she had to climb to get back up to the road—it was at least five times taller than she was.

‘God—Dad’s
really
gonna
get
mad
about
this
one,’
she thought childishly as she started for the hill, seeing the headlights coming down the road. ‘
Oh
great.
My
luck
it’ll
hit
the
same
patch
of
ice
and
come
down
and
really
smash
up
the
car.
Boy,
Dad’ll
really
bitch
then.’
She watched as the headlights slowed down, her immediate thought being to get out of its way in case it did come down. She jumped to the side, stupidly bracing herself behind a tree. After a second’s thought, she let go.
‘Christ
Maddie,’
she thought,
‘just
what
the
hell
protection
do
ya
think
that’ll
be?
Ya
ran
over
at
least
twenty
trees
this
size
on
your
way
down
here.’

She watched as the headlights stopped, then heard the sound of a door opening.

“
MADDIE
!”

‘Who
in
the
hell
was
screaming?
Good
thing
they’re
out
in
the
country.
But
even
so,’
she thought irritably,
‘we
deserve
our
peace
too.’

“
MADDIE
! Jesus! Maddie!”

‘Watch
it!’
she thought as she tried to make her way up the hill and saw the man sliding down toward her.
‘If
you
knock
me
down
after
I
got
this
far,
I’ll
punch
ya
the
hell
out!
Damn!
Dad’s
gonna
be
mad!
What
the
hell
is
that
man
doing?
He’s
mumbling
incessantly.
God,
he
acts
as
if
it
were
his
car
that’s
wrecked.
God,
Dad’s
really
gonna
be
mad.
Whoaa!
Watch
it!
Goddamn
it!
It’s
icy
and
I
don’t
feel
like
having
to
try
to
get
this
far
again!
Oh!
He’s
warm!
He
feels
wonderful!’

“Maddie! I’m sorry! God, I’m sorry!” His arms were around her, pulling her against him, his lips pressing against her cold face.

‘There’s
something
wrong
with
this
guy.
He’s
gonna
get
all
wet
lying
on
the
ground
like
this.
But
he’s
warm.
He
feels
good.’

“Come on. Get up in the truck.”

“Dad’s really gonna be mad,” she said quietly as she allowed Joe to pull her up the hill. “Can you drop me off at my house? I have to call a tow truck.”

“Get in the truck,” he repeated as he lifted her up onto the seat and pushed her inside.

“I forgot to turn off the headlights.”

“Did you turn off the engine? God, I don’t remember hearing it.”

“Of course I turned it off. You think I’m stupid?” She started laughing. “It was still running. After all that—the damn engine was still running.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be home soon.”

Maddie looked over at him as he was about to start the engine, the fog that had been eclipsing her brain quickly evaporating as she saw him clearly. She was across the seat in an instant, opening the door and jumping out.

“Damn you! Get lost!” She started walking up the icy road. It might only be twenty degrees and she might have over two miles to get back home—but by damn she’d rather walk it!

“Maddie! Get back in the truck!”

“I said back off! Go back to your friend! I’m sure she’ll be happy to keep you company!” She called over her shoulder, then watched as he drove past her, a mixture of anger at him for actually leaving her there, and relief at being left alone. But the relief was short-lived when she saw he was only pulling off of the road about twenty yards ahead of her.