ointment on those cuts."
"Oh goodie. Something to look forward to."
He grinned at her, enjoying her cutting wit. "Give me one second to throw on some clothes." When he returned a minute later dressed in clean cargo shorts and a Miami Dolphins T-shirt, he leaned down to bring his face in close to hers. "I want you to know that I'm not here because I feel like I have to be."
Her pretty lips formed a surprised O. "No?"
Mac shook his head. "Today has been fun—not the part where you got hurt, but everything since then."
"Clearly, you don't get out enough."
Wiggling his brows at her, he uncorked a bottle of white wine and poured it into mismatched glasses he'd found in her cabinet. He handed one to her and raised his in toast. "Here's to getting out more."
Maddie made him wait an uncertain, breathless moment before she touched her glass to his.
Celebrating the small victory, Mac got busy with the lobsters.
Linda McCarthy paced the length of her wide back porch without noticing the spectacular sunset. She'd succeeded in luring Mac back to the island, but nothing else was going according to plan. If she didn't find a way to get him to come home, the whole town would be talking about her son being shacked up with that … that woman!
He hadn't given his own mother even an hour of his precious time, but he had plenty of time to spend with a woman most people considered the town tramp. Not that Linda had anything against Maddie. She was a good worker at the hotel and at the house one afternoon a week. However, she wasn't someone Linda wanted to see with any of her sons, especially Mac.
Linda didn't believe in a mother having favorites, but Mac had always been special, a son any mother would be proud of. Watching him pitch his team to the state championship his senior year remained among her fondest memories. When he suffered the injury that ended his professional baseball aspirations, her heart broke right along with his.
And then he picked himself up, refocused on his education and emerged with an engineering degree that led to his current career as the co-owner of a thriving business. Along the way, she'd hoped and prayed he would meet a woman who'd complement and support him as he continued along his successful path.
That certainly wasn't going to happen once the local woman she had in mind for him heard he'd stayed overnight with Maddie Chester. He'd just made his mother's plan to find him a suitable wife on the island a lot harder than it would've been otherwise.
The phone rang in the kitchen. Hoping it might be Mac, Linda rushed inside and groaned when she heard her sister's voice. "Hello, Joan."
"Why didn't you tell me Mac was coming home?"
"Because I wasn't sure which day he was getting here." No way would she admit he hadn't bothered to share his travel plans with her. Joan would take too much pleasure in hearing that.
"Teensy just called. Her grandson delivered lobsters to Mac at Maddie Chester's apartment."
Linda suppressed a groan. Three hundred pounds on her slimmest day, "Teensy" was the island's biggest gossip. If she knew Mac was shacking up with Maddie, everyone else knew, too.
"And get this," Joan said, clearly enjoying the scoop, "Mac answered the door in nothing but a towel !"
Linda would kill him. "He knocked her off her bike and hurt her badly. He's helping her until she recovers. There's nothing more to it than that."
"Teensy's heard they looked awfully cozy."
When she was finished with Mac, Joan would be next on her hit list. "Honestly, he's been in town for eight hours. What do you think could be happening when she's bruised and bloody from falling off her bike?"
Joan's chuckle infuriated Linda. "Use your imagination. He's a red-blooded man, and she's always willing. A few scabs won't slow her down."
"That's just unkind, Joan, and beneath you." It really wasn't, but Linda had no desire to start World War III with her sister. "Mac is doing an honorable thing by helping her. I don't
"Oh goodie. Something to look forward to."
He grinned at her, enjoying her cutting wit. "Give me one second to throw on some clothes." When he returned a minute later dressed in clean cargo shorts and a Miami Dolphins T-shirt, he leaned down to bring his face in close to hers. "I want you to know that I'm not here because I feel like I have to be."
Her pretty lips formed a surprised O. "No?"
Mac shook his head. "Today has been fun—not the part where you got hurt, but everything since then."
"Clearly, you don't get out enough."
Wiggling his brows at her, he uncorked a bottle of white wine and poured it into mismatched glasses he'd found in her cabinet. He handed one to her and raised his in toast. "Here's to getting out more."
Maddie made him wait an uncertain, breathless moment before she touched her glass to his.
Celebrating the small victory, Mac got busy with the lobsters.
Linda McCarthy paced the length of her wide back porch without noticing the spectacular sunset. She'd succeeded in luring Mac back to the island, but nothing else was going according to plan. If she didn't find a way to get him to come home, the whole town would be talking about her son being shacked up with that … that woman!
He hadn't given his own mother even an hour of his precious time, but he had plenty of time to spend with a woman most people considered the town tramp. Not that Linda had anything against Maddie. She was a good worker at the hotel and at the house one afternoon a week. However, she wasn't someone Linda wanted to see with any of her sons, especially Mac.
Linda didn't believe in a mother having favorites, but Mac had always been special, a son any mother would be proud of. Watching him pitch his team to the state championship his senior year remained among her fondest memories. When he suffered the injury that ended his professional baseball aspirations, her heart broke right along with his.
And then he picked himself up, refocused on his education and emerged with an engineering degree that led to his current career as the co-owner of a thriving business. Along the way, she'd hoped and prayed he would meet a woman who'd complement and support him as he continued along his successful path.
That certainly wasn't going to happen once the local woman she had in mind for him heard he'd stayed overnight with Maddie Chester. He'd just made his mother's plan to find him a suitable wife on the island a lot harder than it would've been otherwise.
The phone rang in the kitchen. Hoping it might be Mac, Linda rushed inside and groaned when she heard her sister's voice. "Hello, Joan."
"Why didn't you tell me Mac was coming home?"
"Because I wasn't sure which day he was getting here." No way would she admit he hadn't bothered to share his travel plans with her. Joan would take too much pleasure in hearing that.
"Teensy just called. Her grandson delivered lobsters to Mac at Maddie Chester's apartment."
Linda suppressed a groan. Three hundred pounds on her slimmest day, "Teensy" was the island's biggest gossip. If she knew Mac was shacking up with Maddie, everyone else knew, too.
"And get this," Joan said, clearly enjoying the scoop, "Mac answered the door in nothing but a towel !"
Linda would kill him. "He knocked her off her bike and hurt her badly. He's helping her until she recovers. There's nothing more to it than that."
"Teensy's heard they looked awfully cozy."
When she was finished with Mac, Joan would be next on her hit list. "Honestly, he's been in town for eight hours. What do you think could be happening when she's bruised and bloody from falling off her bike?"
Joan's chuckle infuriated Linda. "Use your imagination. He's a red-blooded man, and she's always willing. A few scabs won't slow her down."
"That's just unkind, Joan, and beneath you." It really wasn't, but Linda had no desire to start World War III with her sister. "Mac is doing an honorable thing by helping her. I don't
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