Chapter 11 #2
Feeling shredded, Maggie drove up the driveway to Matthews House and around the stables, where she encountered a shirtless Brayden hammering nails into a wooden platform and discovered that under those Western shirts he favored, he had muscles on top of muscles.
She watched him move, mesmerized by the play of those muscles and the snug fit of faded denim over his ass and legs.
She propped her sunglasses on top of her head to get a better look.
Dear God, the man was absolute perfection.
She blinked several times, trying to remember what she’d been doing before she came upon him.
Oh, right, parking her car, getting out, going back to work.
After pulling into her space, she shut off the engine, grabbed her purse and got out of the car to find that Brayden had turned around, giving her the full-on view of his chest and abdomen.
Holy moly… The front was even better than the back.
His chest was covered with dark hair—not too much.
Just enough. His abdomen was cut, and his jeans hung low and—
“You’ve been crying.”
When she snapped out of the lust-induced fugue state she’d slipped into, Maggie realized he was now standing right in front of her, half-naked, sweat making his golden skin gleam in the early afternoon sun.
“Maggie?”
“What?”
“I said you’ve been crying. Why?”
“I was with Corey at the hospital. She made the difficult decision to give her son up for adoption.”
“Oh damn. That’s a tough one.”
“It was brutal, but she really feels like it’s the right thing to do. She said she can’t take care of herself, let alone a child with special needs.”
“What will she do now?”
“We’ll bring her back here to recover from the birth, and then I guess we’ll see. She’s welcome to stay here as long as she needs to.”
“She’s so lucky to have you and everyone here. This place will save her.”
His kind words put a lump in Maggie’s throat, and fearing she would break down in front of him—again—she shifted her gaze to the platform he’d built. “You got a lot done.”
He glanced at his work in progress. “It’s pretty straightforward, and I’m under the gun to get it done before I leave tonight so we can start next Monday.” After a pause, he added, “You remembered I mentioned an already-planned vacation, right?”
“Yes, I remember. Where’re you going?”
“Key West with my college friends to do some fishing.”
“That’ll be fun.”
“Yeah, it will. We go every year. Hit me up if you need anything while I’m gone.”
Maggie, who had started to walk away, turned back to him. “What would I need?”
He shrugged as his lips curved into a small smile. “Someone to talk to? Someone to vent to? Someone to listen? Whatever the need, I’m around.”
He’d rendered her speechless with his kindness as much as his sexiness. “I’ll, ah, keep that in mind. Thanks.”
“Have a good week with your family.”
Maggie had almost forgotten that her parents were arriving in a few hours. “Thanks. Enjoy the time away.”
“Oh, I will. It’s nonstop laughs, hijinks, beer, fish and sun.”
“A winning combination for sure.”
“You ought to try it sometime. I bet you’d like it.”
“I know I would. I used to fish off my dad’s boat all the time. I was the only one of the kids who ever caught anything.”
“What kind of boat does your dad have?”
“A sailboat named Blueprint that he and his business partner brother-in-law own together. They’re architects.”
“Clever.”
“They think they are.”
“Wait. I’ve heard about your dad and his firm. They’re kind of well known, right?”
“I guess. They’ve done well for themselves.”
“It was an article about Kate that mentioned him and his firm. I read about their work.”
“My aunt Frannie, who’s my dad’s sister, and my uncle Jamie, the partner brother-in-law, are also coming with their kids to meet Poppy.” Why was she telling him all this, anyway?
“You guys will be overrun with guests. Where will they all stay?”
“The bunkhouse I told you about at Kate’s. Reid built it before their wedding last Christmas. The whole family came for that.”
“Smart idea.”
“It’s necessary since our family arrives in groups of ten or more.”
“I can’t imagine that.”
Maggie told herself to walk away, to get back to work, to let him get back to work. “You don’t have a lot of family?”
“Nah, it was just me and my mom after my grandfather died. We have a lot of good friends who are like family, though. Is it just you and your sisters?”
“We have five younger brothers, too.”
“Holy crap!”
“We didn’t all grow up together. It was me, Jill and Kate until Andi and Eric joined our family. She’s my stepmother. She and my dad had twins, John and Rob. My mom and stepfather, Aidan, adopted Nick and Max. It’s a big blended family.”
“They all get along?”
“They do.”
“So your parents had a friendly split, then?”
Maggie smiled. “That’s a story for when we both have much more time than we do now.”
“Can’t wait to hear it.”
“I’ll, ah, let you get back to work. Safe travels.”
“Thanks. Have a good week.”
“You, too. Enjoy the fun in the sun.” Maggie went inside the kitchen, where she found several female members of her staff gathered at the kitchen window. “What’s up, ladies?”
Tonya, one of the program assistants, was standing with LeAnn, who cleaned the common areas, and Cathleen, who helped Mitch in the kitchen.
“He’s lifting one of the big pieces of plywood,” Tonya said.
“Look at those fine, fine muscles,” Cathleen said with a dreamy sigh.
The three of them had their noses pressed to the windows.
Amused, Maggie said, “All right, that’s enough.”
Tonya looked over her shoulder at Maggie. “Are you going to tell me you weren’t drooling when you were out there talking to him?”
“Nope, no drool.”
“And you didn’t happen to notice that he’s the sexiest man since Chris Hemsworth?” LeAnn asked, her voice rising with every syllable.
“Is he? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Girl,” Tonya said, “you’re a damned liar.”
Maggie laughed. “Back to work everyone. Show’s over.”
“I love working here,” LeAnn said as she left the kitchen. “The view is outstanding.”
Amused, Maggie went into her office and sat at her desk, spinning with thoughts and emotions after the difficult morning with Corey and her reaction to half-naked Brayden Thomas.
The other women were right—he was the sexiest man since Chris Hemsworth—and in just a few days’ time, he’d begun to feel like a friend.
Hit me up if you need anything.
It occurred to her in a moment of startling clarity that she would miss having him around for the next week, which was ridiculous. He’d been there a few days so far. How was it possible that she would miss him?
“You’re so stupid,” she muttered to herself as she fired up her computer to do some of the administrative work that never ended.
Reports, statistics, data, updating the website, coordinating the open house Reid suggested they have to show off their new facility to the larger community and starting a newsletter to communicate with donors and other stakeholders.
When Reid and Kate had announced the formation of Matthews House and detailed its mission, they’d been inundated with donations from other music business luminaries as well as former colleagues of Reid’s in the local contractor community who wanted to support the program.
Managing the donations was one of the many hats Maggie wore.
She checked her voicemail and found a message from local law enforcement, updating her on the case pending against Corey’s boyfriend, Trey.
The man had been held without bail on outstanding warrants and felony assault charges after the incident that had brought her to Matthews House.
Maggie was relieved to learn he was still being held, so even if Corey gave in to temptation and reached out to him about the baby, he wouldn’t be able to take the call. Corey was better off with him out of the picture.
LeAnn came to Maggie’s door. “There’s a Ruth Samuelson here from the Department of Children’s Services. She’d like to see Trish Lawson.”