Heart and Sole (18 page)

She hugged her brother. “You’ve found your life and your career, Derrick. For the first time, I finally feel like I’ve found mine.”

Maddie ruffled the twins’ hair and released the brake on her father’s wheelchair for the walk to Ida’s.

It was shaky, but she would have a fresh start. She’d have a chance to make her ideas shine.

Maddie wasn’t the confused twenty-year-old who spent an extra year in college because she couldn’t decide on a major, or the one who couldn’t hold down a job, or the girl who almost married someone ridiculously, disastrously wrong for her.

She finally knew who she was. Despite her bone-deep sadness, she believed in herself and that she could power through with her plan. Now all she had to do was prove it. Who’d have thought she’d find herself a new life right here in Buckleberry Bend?

Even if the man she loved wouldn’t be part of it.

Chapter Twenty-One

The company was boisterous, drinks flowed, and the prime rib was tender and exceptional. Or it would have been if all food didn’t taste like sand. Nick’s dinner companion was successful, poised, and beautiful. He’d gone out to a big, noisy benefit specifically so he could forget that the ceremony for the Bergdorf shoe competition was occurring tonight in New York, and his grandfather and Maddie were finalists.

“You should join us. We could win,” Gramps had said.

“I’m in the middle of a huge deal for Children’s Hospital, Gramps. It’s been taking all my time.”

“You’re being stubborn. Maddie’s doing an amazing job with the company. She’s a great leader. And she got me a workroom, too. And a design team. I think she’s going to accomplish great things.”

Good for her.
He knew she’d be fine with or without his help.

Nick took a sip of the seductively heady red Bordeaux, not giving a rat’s ass whether or not it slid down his throat in a burst of sumptuous flavor as the waiter had promised.

Berries.
It tasted like berries.

A million memories flashed in his head like an old flickering movie. Maddie dressed up and sashaying onto that stage at the auction. In the boardroom, determined and resolute. In her childhood bedroom, her silky hair tumbling over him, brushing his chest while she stared at him with that clear, honest gaze. She had a habit of seeing deep inside of him, far beneath the ambitious businessman facade he’d created. She always saw the best in him. The man he could be. Hell, she saw the best in everybody.

It had been a long shot, but at that auction, Maddie had gambled everything on him. Not just money, but her whole self. And he’d let her down.

Well, hell, what more could he do to prove he believed in her? He’d left the company in her hands. This was what he got for violating his own principles. Of not keeping business and pleasure separate.

“You’re not eating your dinner,” a throaty voice chided.

Nick forced a smile and raised his glass again to his lips. Gayle Sommers was an attentive, attractive date, and he had no doubt how the evening would end if he wanted it to. “Just distracted by work.”

“I can help you keep those distractions to a minimum,” she whispered seductively, fingering her wine glass. She reached over the fine linen-clad table to lightly smooth her lovely hands over his. “You work too hard. You need a diversion.”

“I took a long weekend earlier this summer.”

“Oh, that little getaway to your home town? By the way, I saw the write-ups in the paper last Sunday on all the bachelors. Did you really judge a pie contest?” She fished out her iPad, tapped it a few times, and handed him the electronic article.

Gayle looked a little horrified, like judging a pie contest was an activity far below her usual standards. But Nick just grinned. The headline read,
Billionaire Bachelor Visits Home Town, Matches 15K Donation for Children’s Hospital.
There he was, surrounded by pies, holding a blue ribbon in his hand. Maddie stood off to the side, smiling. Little did they know they’d soon be wearing those beautiful pies instead of judging them.

The memory of licking the whipped cream from Maddie’s neck filled him a warm thrill, but then he looked closer. On the wrist of the hand holding up the ribbon, clearly visible in the photo, was the braided bracelet Maddie and the twins had made. That tiny bracelet made of patriotic thread she’d given him now seemed to mean more to him than his Rolex.

An unexpected anguish hit him like a violent gut cramp in the middle of a great run. Suddenly, he wasn’t grinning anymore. He bent his head to peruse the article.
Small businesses are the heart of America
, it began. How many of those small businesses had he dissolved without forethought, without considering the faces of the people behind them? For him, it used to be all about the bottom line. He’d defined success in dollars, not in helping people.

“The article says you helped bail out a little shoe company that belongs to your date’s family. Taking it under your wing, how heartwarming.”

“That’s what I’m good at.” Building businesses, bringing them to success. Relationships, on the other hand, he completely sucked at.

“You’re too modest, Nick. You’re one of the best. I’ve never known you to let anything stand between you and success.”

Truth was, it was Maddie who had bailed
him
out without his even knowing it. She’d awakened him to what was really important in life—looking at more than the bottom line. Taking time to enjoy people. Allowing yourself to love.

“It was a tiny company that’s been around that small town for a lot of years.”

“Small towns are fine to hail from, but for driven people like us, they don’t lend much but weekend escape. Speaking of weekends, I’m heading off with a couple of friends to Vegas at the end of the month. Want to join me?”

Gayle gave him a hopeful look. Plates were being cleared. Soon dessert and coffee would be served, speakers would be introduced, awards given. The usual routine he’d repeated many, many times. Suddenly the room felt stifling. Nick loosened his tux tie. Checked his cell phone. No messages, not that there would be any from
her
.

Gayle was right. He rarely allowed anything to stand in the way of getting what he wanted. He had this time, all due to his big, pigheaded nature.

“Why are you taking your Rolex off?”

He barely heard the question. Something smacked him upside the head—maybe his own common sense, which had been gone far too long. All the holding back he’d done in his life had served him pretty well. Maybe losing your entire family in one fell swoop made a kid grow up guarded. Cutting people off when they got too close worked wonders for protecting your heart so nothing could ever hurt you like that again. Trouble was, he couldn’t forget Maddie. She was too big, too wonderful, too
good
. He wanted to bask right in the middle of her circle of love and optimism.

His life of constantly pushing to acquire more and more businesses and money suddenly seemed meaningless. He didn’t want that kind of life anymore. He wanted
her
.

Maybe it wasn’t too late.

He turned to Gayle, then nodded politely to the rest of their table companions. “Something personal’s come up. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to leave.”

“Hope it’s nothing serious.” Gayle said.

“I left something in that small town I’ve got to retrieve.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Maddie looked down at her feet. She wore the prototype of the Bergdorf competition winning shoe, with lace and shining crystals and a silver platform that matched her sparkly silver dress. Samuel and she stood side by side on the stage, posing for picture after picture.

“How’re your feet doing?” he asked.

“Tootsies are comfy as can be,” she said, wiggling her toes, nails painted dark with silver sparkles to match the shoes. “Great engineering down there, Gramps.”

“Excellent,” he said.

The last time she’d been in front of a crowd, at the bachelor auction, she didn’t have a clue what to do. Now she was made of stronger stuff. She smiled and proudly held the giant stiletto-shaped gold trophy they were presented. Kingston Shoes was coming back, and she was spearheading their resurrection, thanks to Samuel. They made a great creative team, and she’d learned so much from him in the past two months.

“This is getting heavy.” She handed Samuel the golden shoe. “Here, you hold it for a while.”

“Forget the trophy. I want the check,” Samuel said.

“You sound like your grandson,” Maddie said, then halted.
Oh, where did that come from?
She’d done so well today. She’d only looked around the spacious ballroom fifty odd times since they’d arrived. She’d only thought about Nick a thousand more.

Wouldn’t he even show up for his own grandfather? They’d just won a national award. Orders were already pouring in for the brand they’d dubbed
Samuel Madison
. Upscale shoe stores were calling them, and the Buckleberry plant was gearing up production.

The photographers finally finished. Maddie linked arms with Samuel and steered him off the stage and down a set of stairs back to their table. Maddie’s family flocked around, giving hugs and kisses.

“We’re so proud of you, honey,” Maddie’s mom said. Her father stood and gave her a squeeze. Color was back in his face, and he was up to working half days now.

“Ditto,” Derrick said. He and Jenna had flown in from Fort Bragg and were enjoying a weekend getaway without the twins.

Grandmeel, who stood a little off to the side, looked her usual elegant self in a classic black dress, pearls, and pumps. Maddie walked over to talk to her in private. “Congratulations,” she said, as Maddie gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Grandmeel, I want to apologize for my outburst in the boardroom this summer. I was harsh and hurtful. It was a bad time.”

“Yes, you were rude. But I haven’t been the best grandmother, have I?”

She looked hard at her grandmother, who must have been a real knockout in her time. Cat had definitely been the one to inherit her peaches-and-cream skin and delicate Southern beauty. “You’re strong willed and tenacious, and I’d like to think I inherited some of that.”

“Good qualities to survive attractions to Holter men,” Grandmeel said.

“Maybe that attraction’s not really over.”

Maddie’s heart stuttered on hearing the masculine voice. When she spun about, she found the wrong Holter. Samuel had approached her grandmother.

Amelia raised an elegant brow. “Men. They do get cocky when they win major awards, don’t they?”

“Maybe so,” Samuel said. “It’s as good a time as any to invite you to dinner next week.”

“
You
are inviting
me
to dinner?” Grandmeel said haughtily. “I’m seventy-two years old. I’m a great-grandmother, for God’s sakes.”

“You’re still a beautiful woman, Amelia. Afterward, you could come over and watch the playoffs for the World Series on my big TV. What do you say?”

Maddie backed away to allow them some space and took a sip of her wine from the table. At least somebody was getting their happy ending tonight.

“Maybe Doris wasn’t so crazy after all, about the happy endings, I mean.”

The low tones of a familiar voice made Maddie whirl about for the second time. This time her heart full out stopped. Nick stood in front of her, looking movie-star gorgeous in an immaculate black tux and tie.

“I mean,” he said, “not only did we get our families together, but everybody’s working together again, too. I just need to change the end of that story.”

“What story?”

Their gazes locked, and Maddie’s heart skipped another beat. His eyes held a flicker of mischief.

Nick stepped closer. A five o’clock shadow outlined the strong lines of his jaw, and he looked a thousand times more handsome than in her daydreams. Except he looked a little tired, and he needed a haircut. Her whole body began trembling despite her resolve not to.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about the shares. I knew it would piss you off. And you’re right—I would have done anything to make it look like you succeeded, even if you didn’t, and I know that was wrong. But I always believed in you, Maddie. I always knew you could do this.”

He held out a plain white envelope.

She shook her head. “The company’s going to be fine now. We don’t need—”

“Open it,” he said.

Maddie tore open the envelope and pulled out a single white sheet, typed and signed. A solitary dollar bill floated down and landed on the floor next to her heels.

Her eyes misted over and the words blurred. Barely able to speak, she called out to her father, who wheeled closer. She handed over the document, gesturing for him to read.

Her father put on his reading glasses and perused it. “It says he’s allowed you to purchase all of his shares for the price of a dollar.”

Maddie’s heart wrenched. She forgot to breathe. Her brain couldn’t process. “You gave me all of your shares?”

“Well, technically he
sold
them to you,” her dad said. “He’s no longer the majority owner.
You
are.”

Maddie bent to pick up the dollar. She traced the familiar old numbers scrawled with black Sharpie across the green background along with the words “Call Me.”

She held a hand over her heart as a sharp, bittersweet ache filled her chest. It was the dollar she’d paid to Nick at the kissing booth so long ago.

“You kept it all these years.”

“I told you, that was some kiss.”

Nick had given everything back to her to do with as she wanted. Hell, he’d even given her dollar back.

“I know I’ve got a thing about control, but I don’t want to control anything about your company, Maddie. I do believe in you, and I know you’re responsible for your own success.”

“You were right about me having to believe in myself. I think I’ve finally left my past behind me. You’ve made it possible. I never thanked you for all you’ve done. I’m glad you’re here to see our first success.”

“The first of many.” He stepped forward and took up her hand. “I want to be around to see more of them too, if you’ll let me.”

Maddie dabbed at her eyes. Her mascara was running, but she couldn’t stop crying. She felt lightheaded and flushed.

“So do you remember it—the story around the campfire?”

“I remember some stuff you made up about love and happily-ever-afters. Something about bringing everyone back together because that’s what love does.”

“That’s what a
wedding
does.”

The blood was really going to her head. Nick pulled her close until they were face to face. His spicy cologne filled her nostrils.

Maddie was dizzy, the room was spinning. She could see her parents, Cat, Jenna and Derrick, Gramps and Grandmeel all standing there smiling. Then she looked into Nick’s beautiful brown eyes, and they were full of tenderness and something much deeper she was afraid to name.

She didn’t know exactly what he was going to say, but she sensed it was going to be good.

“I’ll love you till the day I die. Now marry me.”

“That’s a little pushy, Holter,” she finally managed to say. “I know you’re used to bossing people around all day, but I’m going to need a little more than that.”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath and looked deep into her eyes. “I can only promise to love you forever, with all my heart and soul.” He lowered himself to one knee. “
Please
marry me.”

Oh, that was good.
Really
good.

Her eyes blurred, but in her peripheral vision she could see Cat bring her hands to her mouth in shock. Her mom gave a little clap and held onto her dad. Even Grandmeel threaded her arm through Samuel’s.

Nick slipped something shiny and sparkly onto Maddie’s finger, but she barely noticed. All she could see before her was the gorgeous, wonderful man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. “Yes,” she said. “I will.”

He rose up and covered her lips softly with his, cupping her face in his strong hands and giving her a full-mouthed kiss that was slow and lush and perfect.

“I’m still dizzy,” she said when it was through.

“Not too dizzy, I hope,” he whispered in her ear. “The evening is just beginning.”

“Nicholas,” his grandfather said. “It’s about time you finally got your head out of your—”

Nick held up his hands. “Okay, okay, Gramps, I get it.”

“One more thing.” Samuel moved in menacingly close. “I never thanked you for giving me the chance I never thought I’d get. You’re a good boy, Nicholas. I love you.” His voice cracked on the last words.

Nick was never one to blush, but he was doing it now. If Maddie wasn’t mistaken, his eyes were a little watery too. “Love you too, Gramps,” he said in a low voice as they embraced.

“Join us for dinner, son,” Henry said after a while, clapping Nick on the back. “We haven’t had the chance to thank you for all you’ve done for us.”

Rosalyn kissed him on both cheeks and hugged him. “More importantly, we want to welcome you to the family.”

“I’d like that a lot.” He glanced at his watch. “But we’ll have to take a rain check. We’re going on a little trip. If, of course, Maddie’s agreeable.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

“Trust me, you won’t be needing any.”

Maddie blushed. “Nick! Our families are
right here
.”

He reached behind him and pulled up a standard black wheelie bag. “I mean, you won’t need any because I packed for you. OCD does have its uses.”

Nick moved to kiss her again, but Grandmeel intervened. “You’re not going to go gallivanting away with my granddaughter on some phony honeymoon without marrying her first. It’s just not proper.”

Samuel interrupted. “Amelia, for God’s sakes, leave them be. They’ve been apart long enough.”

For once, Grandmeel said nothing.

“Don’t you
dare
get married without me,” Maddie’s mom called out. “We want a service in the church. With flowers and bridesmaids and the whole family.”

Maddie kissed her grandmother on the cheek. “It’s all right, Grandmeel. Your objection’s noted, but I’m still going.”

Grandmeel shot a nasty glare at Derrick who pointed innocently at himself. “Don’t look at me, ’Meel. I
like
the guy.”

Madison kissed everyone and gave teary good-byes. She saved Cat for last.

“Cat, I’m so sorry about everything. I’ll be able to pay you back now with the prize money from the competition.”

Cat shrugged. “It’s for the best, Maddie. Robert just wasn’t The One. But I will take my money back. I always did want to see Hawaii.”

Maddie hugged her sister hard. “You’re the best sister ever.”

“I know. And I’m fine.” Cat brushed back her own tears and pushed Maddie away. “Now go have fun!”

Finally, Nick took Maddie’s hand and led her out of the hotel.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Maddie asked, sneaking a peek at her beautiful sparkler, which she held out to catch the light at different angles.

Nick approached the curb and put his arm out to flag a cab. “Turns out I really do own a small Caribbean island.”

“That’s great, but Nick…” Maddie tugged on his arm until he stopped.

“Yes, Maddie?”

“Would it be okay to maybe get a room here tonight? I mean, it doesn’t have to be anything big and fancy.”

Nick frowned. “You really are afraid of flying. Unfortunately, we can’t drive there.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that we’ve wasted enough time, and I don’t want to waste a second more. Not that I wouldn’t love an oceanfront suite but right now the only view I want is your naked chest on top of me.”

“Wow,” Nick said. “I can’t argue with that.”

She kissed him impulsively on the cheek. “I still can’t believe you saved that kissing booth dollar after all these years. There’s only one problem.”

Nick frowned. “What’s that?”

“You were a shark even back then, because the dollar was meant to go to the Rescue Dogs’ charity.” She tapped him on the chest. “You weren’t supposed to
keep
it.”

Nick tossed back a laugh. “Kiss me again, and we can adopt one to make up for it.”

She tugged on his sleeve. “Nick, one more thing.” His eyes were dark and dangerous and lit with the same glow of happiness she felt inside. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Madison. No more talking.”

Then he kissed her again, and she knew it was the beginning of a whole lifetime of kisses.

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