Tackling Summer (23 page)

Maddox’s chest tightened, but before he could respond, Chanel continued. “But, on the other hand, because you know drama, you know how to handle it. And it’s not like I can shock you with my family secrets.” She sat up and looked into his eyes, a little smile on her lips leftover from her joke. Then she kissed him long, slow, and deep. Maddox forked his fingers into her loose braid causing chunks of sun-streaked hair to fall free.

Loud puffs of air brought them back to earth. They looked down to see a curious black calf sniffing at their legs. It sprinted back to its mother, tail in the air, at the sound of their laughter.
 

Maddox squeezed Chanel tight. “Summer’s not over yet.”

“Nope. We better milk it for all its worth.” She nodded over to where the startled calf was working his mother’s udder for comfort.

“Aaaaggghhh, that was awful. I think I’ve changed my mind.” Maddox poked her in the ribs making her squeal and leap from his lap.

“Too late, Jockstrap! You’re in it now.” Chanel opened the gate, and Maddox drove the ATV through. He was thrilled to his very core, but more aware than ever of the call that would come at any moment. He was a little surprised it hadn’t come already. There was only one week left in July. It was like Talbot to make him sweat his position on the team, but he had Maddox sweating about something entirely different now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Chanel laid out taco fixings on the bar. Mitch was still out finishing chores, and Maddox was at the bunkhouse taking a shower. She’d invited him up to dinner. Her father hadn’t batted an eye when they’d returned from the falls the day before. In fact, he’d almost seemed pleased, and she wasn’t sure how that made her feel.

The phone rang, and Chanel wiped her hands on a dishtowel before answering it. “Hello?”

“Hi, er, is Mitch there?” asked the gravely male voice.

“Sorry, he’s not available. Is there something I can do for you? I’m his daughter.”

The man cleared his throat. “I’m trying to reach Maddox Warren.”

A chill swept Chanel’s body. Coach Talbot.
 

“Uh huh. Okay. I can let him know you called. Is there—,” before she could finish the sentence, there was a quick knock on the front door before it opened. Maddox peeked around the corner into the kitchen with a grin and a handful of wildflowers. Ugh, she wanted to puke. “Wait, never mind. He just walked in. Hang on.”

Maddox’s smile faded as Chanel stepped across the room and handed him the phone, trading it for the flowers. “It’s him,” she said softly.

“K,” he said and pressed the receiver to his ear. “Hey, Coach.”

Chanel busied herself with finding a large mason jar for the flowers, trying to look like she wasn’t listening to her life fall apart. They knew this call was coming. It was no secret fall practice usually started at the beginning of August, but for some reason she’d foolishly hoped this year would be different. A selfish part of her hoped maybe Talbot wouldn’t take him back.

“Uh huh, yeah,” said Maddox, leaning against the bar on the living room side, his broad back to Chanel. “Well, it’s definitely been a game changer up here.”

There was silence as he listened. Chanel arranged the white daisies and yellow arrowroot in the jar, discreetly tossing the lupine in the burnable garbage. Mitch would have a fit if he found that plant in his house. It was a noxious weed to cattlemen, causing their cows to abort their unborn calves if ingested.

“Yep, I’ll be there. Thank you.” Maddox ended the call and turned to face Chanel. Those blue eyes she’d grown to love were serious. “Practice starts Saturday. Guess your dad gave me a glowing report in an email over the weekend.”

Chanel nodded, her throat too thick to speak. Maddox rounded the counter and took her in his arms.

“This doesn’t change anything. Remember what we talked about?”

The front door opened, and Mitch appeared a moment later. After taking in the scene he said, “Guess Talbot called.”

Chanel felt Maddox’s hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair, his chin resting on the crown. His chest rumbled when he affirmed Mitch’s statement.

“I’m really proud of you, son.”

“Thank you,” Maddox replied.

“Even if you did manage to steal my daughter in the process.”

Chanel peeked around Maddox’s wide body to see her dad grinning.

“I saw it coming from a mile away,” Mitch said. “You’re so much like your mother, Chel.”

That was it, the tears flooded her eyes, and she buried her face back in Maddox’s chest. Maddox gave her a squeeze and said to Mitch, “She was a firecracker too?”

“Yep, for sure. And we had the city country thing going too. Margo loved the city. She never lived anywhere large, but she visited New York once and never got over it. But, somehow she managed to stand living out here with me.”

Chanel pulled back and hunted down a roll of paper towels to wipe her eyes. Being compared to her mom was the biggest compliment someone could give her, and Mitch comparing her and Maddox to him and Margo was overwhelming. He was putting a lot of faith in their fledgling relationship.

Tears quelled for the moment, Chanel made her way across the kitchen and hugged her father. Then looking between two of the three men she loved most, she said, “Let’s eat.”

***

Maddox could hear the murmurs and clinks of Mitch and Chanel doing the dinner dishes. Mitch had given him permission to use his computer to send a couple of emails. The office was tidier than it had been before. There was only one dirty coffee cup, and the papers had been arranged into neat stacks. A person could even sit in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. Chanel must’ve tackled it at some point.

 
He hadn’t taken the time to check his messages since that night in early May. It was a little depressing to find he didn’t have many. There was one from his mother thanking him for checking in but no real news of what she and his dad were up to. Hollace had written in early June, leading off with a string of profanity cursing Maddox’s sentence to the ranch and going on about how stupid Coach was. After a rundown of the daytime beach and nighttime club scenes, he turned the topic to country bitches. Were they sexy? Were they easy? Maybe he should come up and see if he could score with a couple. Everyone knew how much blue-collar folks idolized football players. The email put Maddox’s teeth on edge. Even Lila deserved better than Hollace. He’d need to put him in his place at some point. It was hard to believe he’d been a lot like his friend three months ago. Finally, there was a message from Coach Talbot containing the fall practice and game schedules.

After composing a brief note to his parents and including the game schedule, Maddox wrote to Hollace. He’d catch some flack for sure, but he felt the need to prepare his friend to meet Chanel and educate him a bit about rural life.

As if sensing his thoughts on her, Chanel appeared in the doorway. “You about done?”

“Just finishing up,” Maddox said and pushed send. He logged out of the email program and nodded at the photo of Chanel and her mother beside the monitor. “I love that picture of you and your mom. You look just like her.”

“Thanks.”

Lacing his fingers with hers, he suggested a walk, and they headed out into the warm evening. The last rays of the day’s sun smudged the darkening sky with orange and purple. They had four nights left together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

As always, there was a lot of work to do, but Chanel told Mitch she needed to get some things done around the house, which was true. She’d also promised Christine some help in the garden. It was peak harvest and canning time. Plus, she wanted to call Bert and have a long conversation. With the time difference, it was usually too late to do so in the evening, and now, she was saving her nights for Maddox.
 

As she dialed the familiar number, Chanel realized Bert hadn’t called her once this summer. In years past her friend had called a couple times a week, running up overage charges on her cell phone, which in turn required Bert to take extra shifts at the department store where she’d worked. Chanel was determined to find out why she’d been dodging her.

Bert picked up just before the call went to voicemail. “Hey! Nice timing. You caught me on my lunch break.”

“Perfect. That’s what I was aiming for. How are you?”

“Good. They’re keeping me busy.” Bert’s answer was short and sweet, just like every other one had been this summer when it pertained to her life. Her friend had been much more animated when the spotlight was on Chanel.
 

Deciding her news could wait, Chanel said, “Tell me about it.”

“Well, I’ve been promoted from purse dog walker and coffee fetcher to overseeing my boss’s calendar and a lot of her communication. I’m also co-managing the company closet, which means I’m a librarian of clothing and accessories.”

Chanel could hear the excitement in her friend’s voice. “That’s wonderful!”

“This has been such a great opportunity,” Bert said.
 

There was a beat of silence, like something wasn’t being said. Then Chanel remembered Bert referring to the right person making you stop and think the last time they spoke. “So, I’m thinking you have more to tell me. Like maybe, there’s a new special someone in your life.”

Bert released a breathy laugh. Chanel couldn’t decide if she sounded nervous or happy. “Bert? You’re holding back on me. Unless I track you down, I don’t hear from you. And when I do get a hold of you, you don’t tell me much about what’s going on in your life.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Chanel. I did meet someone, and he’s great. I met him at my first photo shoot. He was the photographer—,”

“Wait a minute,” Chanel interrupted, “he was the photographer at a big New York shoot? That means—,”
 

It was Bert’s turn to railroad the conversation. “Yes, he’s about fifteen years older than me. But, he is so great. He’s funny and smart, and we’re interested in the same things.”

Chanel wished her friend wasn’t on the other side of the country. She could hear the same giddiness she felt in her chest in Bert’s voice. “And you love him.”

“Whoa there, cowgirl! This is New York. People do not fall in love over the course of a summer. We’re just having fun.”

“Call it what you want,” Chanel said. “I’ve been in denial most of the summer myself.”

“What? You mean you and Maddox finally came to an understanding?”

“Uh huh. He’s a different guy than he was in May. He’s thoughtful and caring. It’s crazy. Who would’ve thought of me and one of the celebrity jocks?” Chanel slid open the door to the deck and stepped out. The day was heating up, and she felt a little guilty for not going out with the crew to move cattle. It was even harder work when it was hot outside.
 

“Um, I did the first time you called whining about him.”

Chanel could picture Bert’s delicate features arranged into a smug look. “Whatever. So, when do you get back to school? I was thinking I’d go back a couple days early since Maddox will already be there for practice. He leaves Friday afternoon.” Her stomach clenched every time she thought about it. The week was going to go by so fast. It was already Tuesday.

Bert’s silence added to Chanel’s unease. “Bert?”

“Yeah, about that,” Bert spoke slowly and Chanel’s heart sunk. She knew what was coming.”

“You aren’t coming back, are you?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that Dolores didn’t just give me better duties for my internship. She hired me as her assistant. Hers left in a huff a couple of weeks ago. I stepped in, wowed her, and well, I got the job.”

“But what about your degree? You’re almost done!” Chanel couldn’t imagine walking away from her education when she was so close to the finish line.

“Dolores has connections and has gotten me into one of the best fashion institutes in the city. I’m going to finish over here. And, well, Magnus is the icing on the cake.”

Chanel plunked down on the deck railing, thrilled for her friend but crushed for herself. She didn’t have a lot of friends at Doumit despite being there for the last three years. There were some nice people at the stable where she worked, and she had some acquaintances she studied with from time to time. Knowing Maddox would be there helped a lot, but he’d be busy with football into November and maybe beyond if they made it to a bowl game. Plus, they were so new. They may not even make it more than a few weeks once he was back on his playground. And then there was the rent for the apartment she and Bert shared. Chanel couldn’t afford it on her own. Anxiety and doubt swirled through her mind until she was ready to throw up. How was it possible to feel so many things at once?

“Chanel? Are you okay? I’m sorry, doll. I should’ve called and told you sooner, but I was dreading upsetting you.” Bert knew her well. “You’ll have Maddox.”

“Maybe,” Chanel grumbled. “We’ll see how things go once we get back, and he’s surrounded with his buddies and their gorgeous groupies.”

“Stop it. For as in love as you say you are, you’re writing things off awfully quick. You’ll find another roommate. And maybe, we can get you over here at some point. I’d love to show you around.”

Chanel knew exploring New York with Bert would be an amazing experience, but affording it was so far away, that she couldn’t even entertain the idea. She sighed, “Maybe someday.”

“I hate to leave you sulking, but I have to get back into the office. We have a shoot in thirty. I promise to call soon. You know I love you?”

“Yeah,” Chanel replied. “And you know I love you and am excited for you. This just wasn’t what I expected.”

“I know. Take care. Talk soon.” Bert clicked off, and Chanel stared at the back of her house. That was not what she’d expected when she picked up the phone.

After moping for a couple of minutes, Chanel threw a load of laundry in the washing machine and headed out for Christine’s place. The familiar walk began the process of soothing her nerves. Huckleberries were ripe, and the air was heavy with their sweet fragrance. Chanel picked a handful and made a mental note to bring Maddox out after dinner. Mountain huckleberries were something he must experience before leaving. She noted a fresh pile of bear scat and grinned. That would unnerve him.