Stone Cold Surrender - Brenda Jackson [33]
Madison mulled this over for a second then said, “Yet he brought my mother here?”
“Yes, and that’s what has me, Durango and the Quinns baffled.”
Madison let out a deep sigh. “Now I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps they did know each other before.”
Stone stared at her. “There is that possibility, but if I were you I wouldn’t try to figure it out. Tomorrow you’ll see them for yourself and can ask all the questions you want.”
He reached across the distance and caught one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently. “But don’t feel bad if she doesn’t want to give you any answers. Maybe it’s time for you to let your mother enjoy her life, Madison. After all, it’s her life to live, isn’t it?”
Although a frown appeared on Madison’s face, she didn’t say anything. Nor did she withdraw her hand from Stone’s. All along he had given her food for thought and all along her mind had refused to accept what was becoming obvious.
“So when I see Corey Westmoreland, what should I expect?”
When he didn’t answer right away, Madison assumed he was getting his thoughts together. “What you should expect is a fifty-four year old man who’s been like a second father to his niece and eleven nephews. He’s a man who believes in family, honor, respect and love for nature. For as long as I’ve known him, he has preferred solitude in some things and a vast amount of companionship in others. He won’t hesitate to let you know how he feels on any subject and deeply respects the opinion of others.”
A smile touched the corners of Stone’s lips when he added, “And I learned early in life that he’s also a man with eyes in the back of his head. You can’t ever pull anything over on him.”
The affection Madison heard in Stone’s voice caused her to think just how different Corey Westmoreland was from her father. Her father had been an only child. He did have a cousin who’d also lived in Boston, but the two had never had a close relationship, so she hadn’t developed a close relationship with that cousin’s children who were all around her age.
Her father had been born in the city, raised in the city and lived in the city. They’d never owned a pet while she was growing up and the thought of leaving the city to go camping wasn’t anything he would have been interested in doing. And Larry Winters had preferred socializing to solitude, especially when it benefited him. He’d been a financial adviser. He would often host lavish parties for his clients with her mother acting as hostess. She remembered her father being excited each and every time they’d given a party, but now as she thought about it, her mother hadn’t particularly cared for entertaining. She had merely accepted it as part of her role as the wife of a successful businessman. She tried to think of one single thing her parents had in common and couldn’t think of anything. Last night Stone had asked her why two people who possibly didn’t love each other would stay together. Now her question was why had they gotten married in the first place?
She came out of her reverie when Stone removed his hand from hers. She sat quietly and watched him finish off the rest of his sandwich and down the last of his soda. He then glanced over at her and studied her as if she was going to be his dessert. Visibly feeling the heat of his gaze and not able to sit and take it any longer, she stood and glanced around.
Stone studied Madison for a long moment then asked, “How are you holding up so far?”
She shrugged. “I’m fine. Usually I have an overabundance of energy. It takes a lot to wear me out.”
Stone’s gaze drifted down the length of her body. He would definitely remember that later. He watched as she picked up her hat and placed it back on her head.
“Don’t you think we should move on if we plan to make it to that cabin before nightfall?” she asked.
He stood and flashed her a slow, sexy grin. “Yeah, Miss Winters, I think that you’re right.”
The cabin was not what either Stone or Madison had expected. What they assumed they would find was a small one-room structure. But what Martin Quinn