Bring on the Rain (14 page)

Surprised with half of the things she
took out of the bags; she had shopped impulsively again and stood
in the kitchen, holding a sea sponge, wondering if her ass looked
like that? Because she was getting old, and hadn’t viewed it as a
man would.

Later eating cottage cheese Madeline
thought of dimples she had seen on the back of her thighs when she
was looking in the mirror yesterday. God, Rafael was right, she was
horny, and she was thinking about her body in ways she never had
before.

Looking down at her slinky shorts and
top, Madeline sighed and put the bag of chocolate pretzels she’d
intended to eat away. She worked too hard and used too much energy
to jog and she had no time for going to a gym, even if the
motivation was there.

Madeline went out on the porch to keep
away from the chocolate and stood gawking as Jason Coburn pulled
in.

Her place was sure crawling with Copper
Creek men lately.

He was driving a nice mid-sized car.
When he stepped out, she saw he wore a suit. She had never seen a
man from Copper Creek in a suit. Sardonically, she figured those
things were contra to their macho religion.

“
Hello.” He walked leisurely
toward the steps with a white smile.

“
Jason?”

He paused, one foot on the step. “I was
in the neighborhood.”

Madeline looked around. “Yeah,
right.”

Chuckling, he bounded up the steps,
leaned against the banisters, and crossed his arms. “Dovie wants to
see you.”

Her face paled, she knew because she
felt her blood drain to her feet. “What have you done?” When hell
freezes over, she might visit Dovie Coburn.

“
Me?”

“
Mitch told me you had
questions but—”

“
No. Yes, I do, but this is
a mystery to us all. Ya see, she’s got maybe six weeks to live. She
had several strokes and can’t talk well. Between working on her
house. I’ve been staying over there, though she has a nurse and a
couple of cousins staying there. The Doc said, fetch whomever she
wants to talk to, because she’s probably making her
peace.”

“
Does Mitch know you’re
here?”

“
No, he’s been gone all
week, working on a job site over in the next county.”

“
I see.” Madeline watched
the wind ruffle his short black hair. “I—I don't mean to sound
callous, but I don't see any point in it. My life has nothing to do
with y'all.”

His handsome young face was earnest,
his thick-lashed blue eyes calm. “I understand parts of it. Not
much though. Because Dad had a hard time talking about that stuff.
Dovie has called a lot of people to her bedside, people from town
too. She was not an easy woman, and hurt a lot of people with her
abrasive ways. It is hard to love a person like her, but we do. I’m
asking you, to come and see her.”

He would never know how bad it hurt to
look at him, to stand there, and think of another young man she had
only had a hand full of conversations with over the years. And
though she didn’t think Dovie could affect her anymore, it felt as
if the Copper Creek men were trying to put back a cancer she’d cut
out years ago. Slowly, they were dragging her back where she didn’t
want to be.

“
I’ve got nothing to do with
her now.”

He rubbed the back of his neck as his
father often did. He loosed his tie and undid the button, rested
his hand again on the banister and stared at her. “I’d enjoy
showing you my house.”

“
Thank you, but
no.”

He smiled knowingly. “You think I’m
trying to hook you up with Dad again, don't you?”

“
I don't know. I’ve never
been able to figure a Coburn out, but if you are, let me assure
you, I’m not interested.”

“
Did you ride old
Nimrod?”

Madeline blinked at the change of
subject. “Not at a fast pace. Y’all had a five-gaited mare there, a
roan I took out a couple of times. Those pacing horses are a little
too wild for me.”

He shook his head. “You know my mother
never got near them. She goes to the stable in her fancy outfit and
rides jumpers on occasion.”

“
I see.”

He grinned. “She’s not outdoorsy. When
she and Dad divorced, she pretty much already lived with Grandpa.
She probably went to Copper Creek three times. I brought her down
to see Dad’s house and she wrinkled her nose at it.”

Madeline tried to be tactful and
understanding, “Look, Jason, people have…different tastes, if I was
raised well-to-do, I’m sure I’d be more refined. Dissin' her to me
is not—”

“
I wasn’t, I was trying to
paint you a picture of what Dad lived with. When he lived with her,
which wasn’t often. Uncle Jude’s wife didn’t like him either, you
know? But my mom…she always accused Dad of loving someone
else.”

“
I’m sorry your parents
didn’t get along.”

He offered, “I’m trying to say, I like
you. Always have. Even though Brook was younger than I was, I
always found her cool for her age and open. Not snotty as you would
expect the Homecoming queen and cheerleader to be. She’s always
spoken to me.”

“
Thank you.”

“
My dad made a mistake,” he
confided quietly. “When I was younger, it didn’t bother me. Now I
have adult relationships of my own. It’s hard for me to see him
living an empty life.”

“
Copper Creek men have very
full lives. Your dad has groupies, even at his age. I wouldn’t call
it empty.”

“
Madeline,” he said firmly.
“I’m not trying to drag you in to anything, but I wish you’d stop
hating us.”

She flushed, feeling her face heat,
because she knew the young men saw her reluctance and distance as
hate toward them. It made her ashamed that she had been so
obvious.

“
My grandma doesn’t deserve
your time either, but I’m asking you to come with me and see
her.”

Madeline rasped. “I don't hate you,
Jason.” God, how could she when he reminded her so much of
Mitch.

He smiled dryly. “Just my dad, and
uncle, and aunt, and grandma and—”

“
You don't know anything,
you admitted that. You don't know what you’re asking of
me.”

He nodded, looked down at the tips of
his shoes a moment, then back up. “Two hours of your
time.”

She had to laugh. “You must have been
hell to raise.”

He smiled boyishly. “I was a good
boy.”

“
Yep.” Madeline could see
the charm in him, the ornery kind that was hard to
resist.

Jason chuckled. “So, you’ll go with me
to see Grandma, right?”

Calling herself a fool, Madeline nodded
and grudgingly agreed.

Chapter 9

He allowed her time to change her
clothing. Madeline fixed him a soda and put him in the living room,
shaking her head at how awkward he looked surrounded by shabby chic
furnishings. Men of their breed do not fit whitewashed and
pastels.

She chose a peach cotton outfit. Slacks
and a long sleeveless vest top. A pair of tan sling backs, and a
matching purse. She checked her layered hair and refreshed her
makeup. Her hands shook when she put gold hoops in her ears then
added her locket.

She lightly dabbed powder on her face,
wiping at a bead of nervous sweat from her lip. Standing at the
dressing mirror, breathing deep. Dovie could not hurt her now--she
no longer loved Mitch, and she was nothing in their lives. She was
an ailing old woman who had no power over her. Madeline was a grown
woman.

Madeline looked away, and then forced a
small smile as she proceeded to the living room.

“
I’m ready.” Her eyes met
Jason’s.

Jason looked over. He smiled. “Peach is
a good color on you.”

“
Thank you.”

He held the door for her when she went
to the car. She slid in, smelling the newish scent and thought how
comfortable the space and seats were.

He tossed his tie and jacket in the
back, rolled his sleeves up his forearms. As he drove toward Copper
Creek, he explained, “I had to go make a bid on a job today.”
Glancing at her, he said, “It’s about the only time anyone can get
me in a suit.”

He dipped his head and drove a bit,
asking questions about her work, talking of his. He spoke of local
politics, the house he was building. The school and the football
and basketball team came up in general conversation.

All and all, Madeline found him normal,
interesting, and very easy to converse with. He had a dry humor and
a way of teasing that females his age must have found
flattering.

She could see a lot of Mitch in
him-that early maturity and self-security that made him seem older
than he was. He was handsome, which she already had noticed when he
was younger. She felt sorry for females, all of them, who fell for
the Coburn men. It really was not fair, they just had too many of
the right assets.

As they made it up the main two-lane
hollow, Madeline noticed things she hadn’t the last time. Frankly,
she had been in a red haze of anger then--more houses, a few more
businesses, and when he was close to Dovie’s, she noticed she was
shaking again.

“
I think I’m going to be
sick,” she murmured.

He stopped the car and glanced at her.
He rolled down the window and backed up, turning down a narrow dirt
road that dipped, then went upwards. When the car stopped, she
found they were on a cool, shaded hill, with pine, oak, poplar and
walnut trees, a few red maples and dogwood mixed in.

She breathed in the pure fresh earth
scent. He got out and invited her to do the same. She did.
Eventually calming in the shady scented spot.

“
That’s my house, can you
see?” He sat on the edge of the hood, pointing up. Madeline leaned
beside him, looking up, and seeing the skeleton of a house through
the trees. “Yeah.” She looked around. “You picked a great place to
build.”

He nodded. “We got ten acres, Dad
started out with a hundred and fifty, being the oldest. My Uncle
Doug, Grandpa’s brother left his grandsons about the same. I think
Dad wanted more kids. He probably thought at one time, he would
make it work out with Mom. Bu—”

“
Do you stay with her much?
Your mom.”

“
I used to divide my time,
but the older I got; the more irritated she was with me. Says I’m
like Dad. Which means, I am not meeting her expectations. She
wanted me to be a doctor, like Grandpa. But I like working with my
hands, dirty work. When I stayed with her, I was tutored on
manners, and not allowed to do sports or anything.” He grinned
softly. “I’m probably the only kid who divided his time between
yuppie schools and our little hick town offerings. Mom thinks rural
is a disease.”

“
I’m sure she had good
intentions.”

“
Yeah, I think in her mind
she does. But we’re not comfortable with each other now.” He gazed
at her, and the tone of his voice dropped to a bass. “Grandma hurt
you, didn’t she?” His eyes seemed to probe hers gently, too
knowing.

“
She was...very
intimidating. She didn’t like me.”

He nodded and went to the car seat and
reached in, he brought out a tube. He extracted a blueprint from
it. “Here, let me show you my house.”

Madeline smiled, stood beside him while
he pointed out things, and proudly expounded on his own
designs.

“
I see you got the
priorities straight.” She traced the indoor pool and pointed out
the fact the kitchen was tiny.

“
I can’t cook like Dad does.
You know how winters are here. We hunt; ride four wheelers, still,
a heated pool? Now that would be a blast.”

“
Particularly for female
guests.”

“
Yeah,” he admitted, and put
them away. He asked, “You feeling better?”

“
I am.” She was, and she
liked the young man, liked the way he talked smoothly and deeply.
Liked the depth and variety of his conversation. It surprised her
to think Mitch had done a decent job raising him.

“
Ready?”

“
Yep.”

This time he joked a lot. They were
laughing by the time he pulled up to Dovie’s immaculate farmhouse.
It was obviously well maintained by the men, and when they exited
and climbed the steps, she noted the high shine to the porch paint,
the perfect rows of ladder-back rockers and neat
flowerpots.

The front door was black with a brass
handle. He opened it, they walked into a parlor with Queen Anne
furnishings, and a few other small antiques mixed in. A grandfather
clock ticked in the cool interior. Wood floors smelled of fresh
wax. He led the way around the staircase, down a papered hall lined
with old family pictures in oval frames. There was an open door and
they entered a large master bedroom.

Her eyes went first to the young man
she had seen at the club. He was Doug Jr., called Deege, the one
with streaked hair of brown and gold and a droopy
mustache.