Stone Cold Surrender (63 page)

She
licked
her
lips
nervously
and,
when
she
remembered
all
the
things
that
the
reporter
had
said,
she
immediately

decided
that
she
didn’t
owe
him
an
explanation,
just
like
he
didn’t
owe
her
one.
“I
decided
to
return
home
since
Mom
was
okay,”
she
said,
as
she
went
back
to
studying
the
fruit.

“I
think
we
need
to
talk,”
he
said
and
she
looked
back
at

him
and
wished
she
hadn’t.
She
studied
his
features.
There
was
a
stubble
of
beard
that
darkened
his
chin
and
tired

lines
were
etched
under
his
eyes.
He
looked
downright

exhausted.

“When
was
the
last
time
you
had
a
good
night’s
sleep?”
she
asked,
as
she
continued
to
stare
at
him
for
a
long

moment.
She
wondered
if
his
lack
of
sleep
was
due
to
all
the
partying
he
had
done
while
in
New
York.

He
shrugged.
“Not
since
trying
to
get
back
to
you.
I
was
too
wired
up
to
sleep
on
the
plane
from
New
York
to
Montana
and
then
when
I
arrived
at
Uncle
Corey’s
and
found
you’d
gone,
I
immediately
left
again
and
flew
here.”

She
lifted
an
arched
brow.
“Why?”

“Because
I
have
to
talk
to
you.”

She
sighed.
“Where
are
your
things?”

“I
checked
into
a
hotel.”
He
glanced
around.
“Is
there
someplace
we
can
go
and
talk?”

Madison
swallowed
immediately.
She
had
a
feeling
she

knew
what
he
had
to
say
and
thought
that
the
last
place
she
wanted
him
was
in
her
home
where
she
would
always
have
memories
of
him
being
there.
But
it
was
the
closest
place
and
the
least
she
could
do
was
offer
him
a
cup
of
coffee.

“Yes,
my
condo
is
not
far
from
here
if
you’d
like
to
go
there.”

“Sure.”

They
walked
side
by
side
on
the
brick
streets
with
little
or

no
conversation
between
them.
Occasionally,
she
would

point
out
a
historical
landmark
or
some
other
note
of

interest.
Moments
later
when
she
stopped
in
front
of
the

elegant
Ritz-Carlton
Towers
he
met
her
gaze.
“I
live
in
the

Residences,
a
portion
of
the
tower
that
has
private

condos,”
she
said,
after
saying
hello
to
the
doorman.
“The
entrance
is
through
a
private
lobby
that
is
separate
from
the
hotel.”

He
nodded
as
he
followed
her
inside
to
the
lavishly
styled
lobby
that
led
to
a
private
elevator.
“How
long
have
you

lived
here?”
he
asked
as
they
stepped
onto
the
elevator.

“Ever
since
I
finished
college
at
twenty-one.
My
father
left

me
a
trust
fund
and
I
decided
to
invest
a
part
of
it
in
a
place
that
I
knew
would
increase
in
value.
It’s
located
within

walking
distance
from
my
job
and
I
like
the
ultimate
amenity
of
having
the
hotel
as
an
extension
of
my
home.
We
use
the

same
hotel
staff
and
any
packages,
dry
cleaning
and
other
deliveries
I
get
are
held
until
I
get
home.
I
have
access
to
all
the
restaurants
in
the
hotel,
as
well
as
all
the
hotel’s

facilities
like
their
spa
and
pool.”
She
smiled.
“And
on
those
days
that
I
come
home
too
tired
to
cook,
I
can
even
order

room
service.”

Stone
liked
what
he
saw
the
moment
he
walked
into
her

condo.
It
was
spacious
and
elegantly
decorated.
He
could
tell
the
furniture
was
expensive
and
added
soothing
warmth
to
the
interior
of
the
room.
“I
have
one
bedroom,
one
and
a
half
baths,
a
living
room
with
a
fireplace,
a
kitchen
and
a

library,
and
it’s
just
the
size
I
need,”
she
said,
crossing
the
room
to
open
the
blinds.
The
floor-to-ceiling
window

provided
a
breathtaking
view
of
Boston.

His
attention
was
drawn
to
the
beautiful
white
piano
in
the
middle
of
her
living
room.
She
saw
where
his
gaze
had

gone
and
said,
“That
was
the
last
Christmas
gift
my
father
gave
me
before
he
died.
And
for
me,
at
fifteen,
it
was
like
a
dream
come
true.
Sauter
pianos
are
renowned
for
their

outstanding
sound,
fine
touch
and
unique
expressiveness.”
She
brushed
some
curls
back
from
her
face
and
added,

“And
as
you
can
also
see,
it’s
pleasing
to
the
eye.
There’s
not
a
day
that
goes
by
that
I
don’t
admire
it
whenever
I
look
at
it.
It’s
brought
me
hours
of
joy.”

He
nodded.
“Do
you
play
it
often?”