Chapter 5-1
925 Words
Chapter Five
Maddie slowed her horse to a walk as she approached the stables. One of the Fermilab perks she enjoyed most was the stable they kept on site. When she’d been a student at MIT, she’d desperately missed her horses. Even though there’d been no time for regular rides. But shortly after she started at Fermilab, she’d convinced her cousins Gunnar and Axel to drive up her Palomino, Daisy, and another mare for Jamey. Her uncle was the best horse trainer in the region, and she was secretly thrilled her cousins had opted to stay in the family business. At the very least, they helped keep an eye on her dad.
She dismounted and led Daisy to her stall near the barn door to begin the routine of unsaddling and grooming her. The ride, an extra long one today, hadn’t given Maddie the relief she sought. Maybe the slow steady rhythm of grooming would help. She needed to purge Blake Sinclaire from her mind.
Permanently.
The man had turned her into a heap of irrational…feelings. A shiver twisted down her spine as she attempted to relieve the itchy, tight sensation that was a constant reminder he’d completely unnerved her. She didn’t have the time or inclination for this. It was affecting her work. To make matters worse, her heart galloped every time she replayed their last encounter in her head.
Don’t play me for a fool, Madison.
As if.
The sting of his accusation still reverberated.
She wasn’t one of those manipulative, shallow people. If anything, the moment someone showed interest was usually the moment she ran for the hills. She’d learned the hard way back at MIT what happened when you let feelings cloud judgment. It had nearly ruined her academic career, and she’d freeze in hell before she ever let herself make that mistake again.
Daisy nickered and turned her head.
“What?” Maddie reached for a treat from the pail hanging on the post. “Sorry, girl. Be glad you’re a horse.”
Her phone buzzed from inside the bag she’d hung on the hook outside the stall. In many ways, Fermilab shared the qualities of a small town like Prairie. Both in its relative safety, and in the way it functioned like a gossip mill. She’d fielded no less than a dozen questions in the past weeks about who she’d been seen dancing cheek to cheek with at Frenchie O’Neill’s. She should have expected the gossip.
Especially about a man like Blake.
His yum factor was higher than ten rocket scientists combined.
Or more.
And that made him bad news.
At least for her.
And being the subject of the gossip mill was yet another reminder that she needed to avoid entanglements of any kind. Even with a hot cowboy from her hometown.
The phone buzzed again.
“What do you think, Daisy? You think that’s Jamey? Think she’s got another prospect for me?” She shook her head vehemently. “No. Thanks.”
She was done with Jamey’s setups.
Done.
Daisy twitched as she reached a sweet spot on her withers.
“That’s right, Daisy. It’s better to be alone than in bad company. I’ve got a date with fuzzy jammies, wine, and Jeopardy reruns tonight.”
At least the TV wouldn’t screw you over with someone prettier or easier.
Her phone buzzed a third time.
Huh.
Either her work had just won a Nobel, or she was suddenly popular.
“They can leave a message, huh Daisy? We’ll finish you up, and then I’ll see who’s burning the phone lines.”
She finished brushing Daisy then checked her hay and feed. Giving her one final pat, she stepped out of the stall and grabbed her bag, fishing for her phone.
It buzzed again as she reached for it. At least it wasn’t Jamey this time.
“Aunt Martha. Just promise me you don’t have a date lined up for me.”
“Oh thank God, honey. We’ve been trying to reach you for hours.”
The smile froze on her face as ice cold fear swept into the pit of her stomach. “What is it, Martha? Is everything okay?”
Martha’s voice hitched. “Oh, honey. Your father had a massive heart attack.”
Her hands went cold. “What happened? Where is he?”
Tears thickened Martha’s voice. “Thank God Blake Sinclaire was there when it happened or he’d be dead. I’m sure of it.”
“What was Blake doing there?”
“I don’t know, honey, but thank God he was. Rode in the ambulance the whole way. Kept us posted the whole time. Eddie is beside himself. Thinks it’s his fault for–”
“What do you mean? Where is he?”
“Oh sweetie. He’s in surgery right now–”
“Where, Martha?”
“Manhattan. Via Christi. You know we don’t have any facilities here. They took him by ambulance. They’re not sure…” Her voice rose into a sob. “They’re just not sure.”
Maddie forced a wave of panic down. “Facts, Martha. Stay with me.”
Martha hiccupped and sniffed. “Oh God, honey. You need to get here as quick as possible.”
Dread crashed over her in waves. She’d gone through this with one parent. She wasn’t ready for a repeat. Not after the way she’d left things with her father. She blew out a steadying breath, pushing at her glasses, holding the panic at bay.
“Okay, Martha. I can get to the airport in about an hour, I’ll come as fast as I can. I’ll text you my flight information. Have one of the boys come and get me.”
Her clearance allowed her to bypass security, provided there was a flight leaving soon. As a last resort she could call the lab director and request emergency use of the plane.
She offered a silent thought up to the stars that were popping out as she hurried to her office to grab her laptop. I’m not ready to be an orphan.
- Writer
