weight from one foot to the other. "Aw, please don't do that. I'd have to catch you and then Boone would get all mad and Velda would skin and gut me...it wouldn't hardly be worth it."
Maddie did laugh then. "Velda is your wife?"
"Thirty-four years."
"That's wonderful. How romantic."
"Well, now." He shuffled again. "Velda don't think I'm very romantic."
"Staying with the same woman for thirty-four years sounds pretty romantic to me, Jim. Especially since your voice tells me you love her."
He reddened once more. "Well, I, uh—sure I do." Then he glanced up, assessing. "You're not like Helen at all."
"Helen?"
"Boone's wife."
Maddie couldn't contain her shock. "Boone has a wife?"
"She's dead. Died a couple of years back."
"I'm so sorry." That explained the shadows. "Boone must have been devastated."
Jim's voice went flat. "He was. But she hated this place."
Maddie frowned.
"She was a fancy woman, a city girl like you. But she never tried to like it. Between her and Sam, they made Boone's life hell."
"What happened to her?"
Jim's eyes narrowed, his jaw hard. "She drowned."
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. She was..." He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "It's not really my story to tell, Maddie."
She wished it were. "I understand. So that's why Boone doesn't like city girls? Because his wife was miserable here?"
Jim cut a glance over toward Boone. "Don't get the wrong idea. There's more to it than that. But I've already said too much."
"That's all right, Jim. And I don't hold it against him. He came back home to find that a stranger has inherited the house that should be his. We're both in an awkward position. A few more weeks, and then both of us can get back to our lives."
"You wouldn't consider staying?"
Maddie smiled gently. "It's lovely here. Not like anything I'm used to, but it has its own charm. But my life is...different from this."
"I imagine so. You sure brighten a place up, though."
Maddie smiled, her heart warmed. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a long time."
His face grew serious. "Don't think badly of Boone, Maddie. He's had a hard go of it. Truth to tell, I'm not sure I would have ever come back, not after what he went through the last time he was here." He glanced over at Boone and the colt. "But he belongs here. I never saw a man who could handle a horse better. This place needs him, and he needs to be here."
Maddie smiled fondly. "Boone's lucky to have a friend like you."
"Well, now..." Jim shifted his hat in his hand. Maddie studied the line on his forehead where his tan ended. "I'll just get those peaches for you and leave them with Vondell. Best get to work." He settled his hat back on his head and turned to leave.
"Jim?"
Jim turned back.
"Thank you."
"I'll tell Velda."
"Please do, but I'm thanking you for making me feel welcome."
Once again, his face turned red and he ducked his head slightly. "You're welcome. Stick around a while, Maddie. The place might grow on you."
"I don't think Boone would like that much."
"Aw, hell—I mean heck, Maddie. Boone ain't the only one around here. You spruce up the place real nicely, if you ask me."
Maddie laughed, charmed to her toes. "Well, I'll just keep sprucin' then."
He tipped his hat. "You do that, Maddie. You just do that."
Maddie watched him go. This place might be short on amenities, but the people were a marvel. Plain, honest, simple people who said what they thought and didn't play mind games.
Well...Boone wasn't plain and he sure wasn't simple, but she understood his reaction better now. He was wrong about her, but it didn’t matter. She didn't have to see him much with Vondell as a buffer.
Maddie finished up quickly then headed into the house, already savoring her peaches. "Vondell? Did Jim—?"
Vondell turned, one hand clapped over her ear so she could hear the phone better. Her face was pinched and dead white. "All right," she said into the receiver. "I'll get there as soon as I can." She hung up
Maddie did laugh then. "Velda is your wife?"
"Thirty-four years."
"That's wonderful. How romantic."
"Well, now." He shuffled again. "Velda don't think I'm very romantic."
"Staying with the same woman for thirty-four years sounds pretty romantic to me, Jim. Especially since your voice tells me you love her."
He reddened once more. "Well, I, uh—sure I do." Then he glanced up, assessing. "You're not like Helen at all."
"Helen?"
"Boone's wife."
Maddie couldn't contain her shock. "Boone has a wife?"
"She's dead. Died a couple of years back."
"I'm so sorry." That explained the shadows. "Boone must have been devastated."
Jim's voice went flat. "He was. But she hated this place."
Maddie frowned.
"She was a fancy woman, a city girl like you. But she never tried to like it. Between her and Sam, they made Boone's life hell."
"What happened to her?"
Jim's eyes narrowed, his jaw hard. "She drowned."
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. She was..." He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "It's not really my story to tell, Maddie."
She wished it were. "I understand. So that's why Boone doesn't like city girls? Because his wife was miserable here?"
Jim cut a glance over toward Boone. "Don't get the wrong idea. There's more to it than that. But I've already said too much."
"That's all right, Jim. And I don't hold it against him. He came back home to find that a stranger has inherited the house that should be his. We're both in an awkward position. A few more weeks, and then both of us can get back to our lives."
"You wouldn't consider staying?"
Maddie smiled gently. "It's lovely here. Not like anything I'm used to, but it has its own charm. But my life is...different from this."
"I imagine so. You sure brighten a place up, though."
Maddie smiled, her heart warmed. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a long time."
His face grew serious. "Don't think badly of Boone, Maddie. He's had a hard go of it. Truth to tell, I'm not sure I would have ever come back, not after what he went through the last time he was here." He glanced over at Boone and the colt. "But he belongs here. I never saw a man who could handle a horse better. This place needs him, and he needs to be here."
Maddie smiled fondly. "Boone's lucky to have a friend like you."
"Well, now..." Jim shifted his hat in his hand. Maddie studied the line on his forehead where his tan ended. "I'll just get those peaches for you and leave them with Vondell. Best get to work." He settled his hat back on his head and turned to leave.
"Jim?"
Jim turned back.
"Thank you."
"I'll tell Velda."
"Please do, but I'm thanking you for making me feel welcome."
Once again, his face turned red and he ducked his head slightly. "You're welcome. Stick around a while, Maddie. The place might grow on you."
"I don't think Boone would like that much."
"Aw, hell—I mean heck, Maddie. Boone ain't the only one around here. You spruce up the place real nicely, if you ask me."
Maddie laughed, charmed to her toes. "Well, I'll just keep sprucin' then."
He tipped his hat. "You do that, Maddie. You just do that."
Maddie watched him go. This place might be short on amenities, but the people were a marvel. Plain, honest, simple people who said what they thought and didn't play mind games.
Well...Boone wasn't plain and he sure wasn't simple, but she understood his reaction better now. He was wrong about her, but it didn’t matter. She didn't have to see him much with Vondell as a buffer.
Maddie finished up quickly then headed into the house, already savoring her peaches. "Vondell? Did Jim—?"
Vondell turned, one hand clapped over her ear so she could hear the phone better. Her face was pinched and dead white. "All right," she said into the receiver. "I'll get there as soon as I can." She hung up
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