The Wedding Guest (Colorado Billionaires Book 5) (8 page)

“Of course,” said Madz, dropping to her knees. A moment later, her eyes brightened. “Put your hand here. I can feel air coming through this seam.”

Kirby did so and nodded eagerly. “Yes, so can I. This must be it.”

Together, they used their fingernails to gain purchase on the seam.

“Wait,” said Madlyn. “Downstairs I pushed in first, then pulled outward.”

That was the key. They pushed, then pulled, and the small door sprang open.

Pearl squawked and fluttered through the opening. She managed to gain enough altitude to land on Brewster’s shoulder, where she scolded him severely for not finding her sooner. “Bad boy, bad boy. Dinner time!”

Kirby and Madlyn stood up. “Madz, how can I ever thank you? We thought we’d lost this little stinker.”

Brewster smoothed Pearl’s feathers. “Come along, you rascal. Your breakfast is waiting.”

“Dinner time! Dinner time!” Pearl dug her tiny toes into Brewster’s hair and began rubbing the top of her head against his ear.

“Yes, I’m glad to see you as well.” Brewster was all smiles. “I’m going to feed her in her C-A-G-E.”

“Good idea,” said Kirby. “Make sure the D-O-O-R is locked.”

“Will do.” Brewster turned and headed downstairs to their room.

Kirby was all smiles. “What a relief. But how did Pearl get in there?”

Madlyn closed the small door, then experimented by giving it a gentle shove. It popped right open. “She might have fluttered against it and when it opened, she went in.”

“I still don’t see how it—” As he spoke, they felt a breeze coming down the hall, and a moment later, the small panel swung shut. As it did, they heard a click.

“There you go,” said Madlyn. “Once she was inside, she wouldn’t have been able to figure out the mechanism, unless she was the smartest bird on the planet. Poor little thing.”

Kirby exhaled loudly with relief. “Thank you so much.” They headed downstairs.

Brewster popped his head out of the room. “All is secure. The errant dinosaur spawn is busy with her seed bowl. Shouldn’t we be getting ready?”

Kirby’s relief turned to dismay. “The Manse!” Kirby looked torn. “Brew, give me a minute. Madlyn. There’s something I need to—”

Brewster cleared his throat, more loudly than necessary.

Madlyn took pity on Kirby. “Go, get dressed, and do what you have to do.”

“Thank you for saving Pearl.” On impulse, Kirby leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her mouth.

The feelings evoked by the kiss shocked them both. They froze, their lips an inch apart, gazing into each other’s eyes. Neither one breathed. Then their lips met again in a long slow caress. Madlyn whimpered. Kirby moaned and pulled her gently into his arms.

Brewster muttered, “Good Lord,” and retreated into the room.

Kirby ended the kiss regretfully. “I’m so sorry. I have to go.”

Madlyn was beyond words. She blinked at him. “Must you?”

Kirby stared into her eyes, then squeezed her hands. “Spend the day with me,” he said softly.

Madlyn nodded, still unable to speak.

“I’m so fond of you.”

Madlyn croaked, “Mutual.”

Kirby’s smile lit up the corridor. “I’ll be down to get you in a few minutes.”

“Yes, please.”

Brewster called, “Kirby!”

“Bye,” he whispered, forcing himself to release her fingers. Then he called out, “Brewster! Change of plans!”

Madlyn wiggled her fingers in a reluctant farewell. She floated down the stairs and outside to the annex.

“I thought you went to the common room for tea.” Vicky was maneuvering her hair into a French twist.

“Oh, yes,” said Madlyn. She sighed dreamily. “It was lovely.”

Vicky stopped what she was doing and eyed her friend. “I know that look. Someone is in love!”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

M
adlyn inhaled sharply. “No way. I’m not in love. I’m not falling into that trap again.”

Vicky smiled and turned back to finishing her hair. “Whatever you say, but I know that look when I see it. You can’t fool me.”

Madlyn smiled against her will. “Maybe there’s some affection there.”

“Are you sure it’s not too soon? I mean, you are sort of on the rebound.”

“Three months is a lifetime.” She made a face. “Hey, you’re the one who told me it was time to move on. Besides, compared to what I feel for Kirby, I don’t think I was ever really in love with John. I think I was settling.”

“I knew it. You are in love.” Vicky grinned as she grabbed her sweater and purse. “Are you coming? Maria is sending a car for us.”

“Oh no. Kirby has asked me to spend the day with him. You don’t mind, do you?”

Vicky laughed. “I knew I was right. Love, love, love! Go on. Have fun. I’ll give Brewster a ride to the Manse.”

Madlyn grabbed her purse and headed outside just as Kirby was coming around the corner of the building. They met halfway to the BMW and without even pausing, they embraced. Madlyn felt him holding her tight, like a drowning man to a buoy. She wondered if she felt that way to him. A moment later they were in the car and driving faster than they should down the two ruts of road that connected the B&B to the pavement.

“Is everything all right?” asked Madlyn.

Kirby gave her a quick smile. “Brewster had a few words he wanted to share with me.”

“He’s not mad, is he?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. He’s a champ. He’ll fill in while I’m gone. I’m just a guest, like you. It’s not like I’m a member of the wedding party.” Madlyn thought she detected a note of sadness in his voice, but before she could ask about it, he prompted her, “Tell me more about Eagle’s Toe.”

“Okay. But where are we going?”

“Don’t know yet. As long as you’re here, I could just drive around all day and be happy.”

“In that case, would you mind finding some straight roads to drive on? These curves through the trees make me carsick.”

“Glad to oblige. We’ll head north. Now fill me in on everything.”

Madlyn babbled on about her job, about growing up in a small town. Worried that a world traveler might find that too boring, she also told him about Pueblo. Then she talked about her dreams, and told him again about Mina’s desire to expand and her troubles with funding. She told him how much her parents were enjoying being able to travel now that they were retired, and how she still lived in their house.

“But it’s not really like living with my parents,” she assured him. “I’m more of a caretaker. A couple of years ago, there was a fire, and I had to handle that disaster. Well, Vicky helped.”

“She sounds like a terrific friend. I look forward to getting to know her better.”

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. She flew us out first class. I guess she’s one of those normal rich people you were talking about.”

Kirby nodded, a haunted smile on his face.

“What about you, Kirby? I know your favorite books, your favorite movies, your favorite foods. But what about your family?” Madlyn reached out to touch his arm gently. “Brewster told Vicky your mother died when you were twenty.”

Kirby glanced at her. “What? He told her?”

“About your mom.”

Kirby rubbed a hand over his mouth.

“What’s the matter? Accidents can happen to anyone. You don’t have to feel bad about that.”

He chewed his bottom lip.

“If it’s too painful, you don’t have to talk about it.”

Kirby exhaled in a whoosh. “It was the biggest shock of my life,” he said at last. “I adored her. And I begged to go along. She was climbing Everest. It was a life-long dream of hers. She insisted I stay at school and finish my exams.” He closed his eyes against the pain, but only for a moment. His hands clenched the steering wheel. “I felt like she was my only link to the good things in the world. If it hadn’t been for her uncle, I would have been left completely alone.”

“You have an uncle?”

“A great-uncle. My mother’s uncle.” His expression grew tender. “His name is Kirby, too. He’s the person I told you I’d like you to meet. He kept me going. He’d always been very supportive and kind, but when mother died, he took me under his wing and got me through that horrible month.”

“A whole month? For the funeral?”

“We had to—” He choked for a moment, then began again. “We had to ship her body back from Nepal. There were problems. Uncle and I ended up flying over there to—” Again he choked and had to clear his throat. “—identify her. It was rough.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Madlyn softly. “I apologize for bringing it up. I can see now why you haven’t spoken of it.”

Kirby took another deep breath. “No, it’s fine. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but telling you about it is a huge help. I’ve kept it inside all this time. My mother was an angel on Earth. She worked as a tutor and a nanny to support me. My father was killed in the first Iraq war. I was four. My mother was employed by a very wealthy family, and we lived in their mansion. A year after my father’s death, my mother remarried. I’ve always felt like the ugly stepchild, if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t know how you could ever feel ugly,” Madlyn said, “but I do know what you mean.”

“My stepfather’s son was older than I, and he was the center of the household and the apple of his father’s eye. Mom and me, we did alright.” He shrugged. “But my stepbrother and I have never been close. It’s almost like his father worked to keep us away from each other. I don’t think he wanted us to be close, or even friendly. We went to different schools and everything.”

“Wow. That sucks.”

Kirby laughed abruptly. “I’m sorry. Hearing that come out of your mouth was a surprise.”

Madlyn laughed with him.

As they talked, the landscape turned into a carpet of rolling green. Here and there Madlyn could see modest houses surrounded by fields. The mist was gone, and the sky was a brilliant blue dotted with white puffy clouds.

“This is beautiful,” she said. “It reminds me of parts of Colorado.”

“Good,” said Kirby, sounding much more relaxed. “When I come out and visit, I’ll feel at home then.”

Madlyn was filled with a warm and tingly rush. “That would be wonderful.”

“And what about your ex-boyfriend? He won’t come after me with lights blaring and nightstick swinging, will he?”

“Ha! No way. He’s in Los Angeles, being a big city cop. That’s why he left Eagle’s Toe. It was too small for him.”

Kirby shook his head. “He left you for L.A.? Sounds like the worst trade in history. Didn’t he offer to take you with him?”

Now it was Madlyn’s turn to squirm. “He offered to do exactly that, and not an ounce more.”

“Explanation?”

Madlyn focused on her thumbs. “He wanted me to come to L.A. and be his kept woman. He was going to set us up in an apartment so we could play house, but he didn’t want to marry me because he thinks marriage means children and he doesn’t want kids.”

The car swerved so quickly, Madlyn thought for a split second they were going to wreck, but Kirby had pulled sharply into the lot of a tiny hamburger joint.

Once the car stopped, she found herself pulled into Kirby’s arms and a comforting hug. Kirby murmured in her ear, “He’s a total jerk. You did the right thing. You’re worth so much more than what he wanted to give you.”

A few seconds later, he let her go.

Madlyn’s eyes burned with tears. “Thank you.”

Kirby traced the outline of her cheek with one hand and fluffed her red hair. He glanced about. “As long as we’re here, shall we get a burger? I didn’t have breakfast.”

Madlyn nodded. “Okay. It’s almost lunch time.”

“Or second breakfast, at the very least,” said Kirby.

She started to get out of the car, but he took her hand and pulled her gently back. “As for kids? I want at least six. Just thought I’d let you know.” He winked at her, then let go of her hand and got out of the car.

The rest of the day was so wonderful, Madlyn thought she would burst from happiness on several occasions, and if not that, at least burst from eating so much good food. They drove all the way to Schenectady, where they had a delightful three o’clock meal at a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. And when Kirby finally admitted that they would have to turn around and go back to Pawling, they found a rest stop with soft serve ice cream.

Madlyn was sad to see the day end as they parked next to the B&B. Gravel crunched under their feet in the dark as he walked her to her door. Their goodnight kiss was the stuff of dreams. He waited for her to unlock her door and get safely inside.

Once she did, she found Vicky sitting cross-legged on her bed in her pajamas, staring at her expectantly. “Welcome back. Sit down. I want every detail.”

Madlyn laughed softly. “Oh my gosh. Do you think it’s too early to start thinking about wedding decorations?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Friday morning, November 20th

M
adlyn, Kirby, Vicky, and Brewster shared a table in the dining room. Brewster seemed very quiet, but Madlyn didn’t pry.

Kirby barely ate a bite. He couldn’t take his eyes off Madlyn long enough to find his eggs. “I’m really sorry, Madz, but Brew and I have to make an appearance at the Manse today. The groom is having a guy thing, horses and cigars and who knows what else.”

Madlyn nodded. “I understand. Vicky said there’s a gathering of the ladies as well, and she asked me to go with her.”
Even though I’d give anything to spend the day with you again!

“Thanks for understanding.” Kirby glanced at Brewster.

Madlyn had the impression that the two of them had had words. She hoped she hadn’t made trouble for Kirby. “Is everything all right?” she asked tentatively.

For the first time, Kirby dropped his eyes to his plate. “Just some difficult phone calls. Hopefully nothing to worry about. Brewster’s on it.”

Madlyn attempted a smile.

Brewster acknowledged her effort with what appeared to be forced good humor. “With luck, the biggest event this weekend will be Ray and Maria’s wedding. And unfortunately for your sake, my dear, Kirby is indeed expected to make an appearance at the Manse for at least one day.” He aimed a pointed glare at Kirby.

Madlyn pressed her lips together. That was that. No running away and hiding from everyone today. But then, she hadn’t spent much time at all with Vicky who’d been very involved in helping Maria prepare for the big day. The least she could do was attend today’s gathering. Tomorrow was the wedding, and hopefully she’d get to sit with Kirby during the ceremony. That would make it so much more bearable, since Vicky was actually part of the wedding and would be sitting with Jason and the rest of Maria’s family.