Page 21 of Long Hard Road

“Fire them.” I had been spending quite a bit of time studying Madison’s body over the last couple of days, and it would look incredible even if she gained twenty pounds.

“Maybe I will.” She smiled and took another bite. “I’m really enjoying not waking up before dawn for a two-hour workout.”

“I don’t mind an early morning workout as long as it’s done in bed,” I said with a smirk.

She blushed all the way to the tips of her ears. “I believe paying my trainer for that kind of workout would be illegal.”

“A real gentleman would never charge.”

“My trainer is a woman.” She finished the last bite with a flourish. “I do eventually need to find a gym. As much as I’m enjoying the break, I can’t take an entire month off.”

“Why not?” From what I knew about Madison’s career, she was one of the most successful celebrities in the country. I would think someone like that could do whatever she wanted.

“My manager is arranging another tour for me. I’ll have to start rehearsals in a couple of months and that will be a brutal experience if I’m out of shape.” She frowned at the empty container in front of her. “Plus it might put the entire rehearsal process behind schedule if I can’t keep up.”

“Do you like touring?” I had never met anyone remotely famous and I was fascinated by Madison’s lifestyle. My only adventures outside of Crestwood and college had been my deployments with the army. Not exactly a luxurious experience.

She nodded with a frown. “I did like it, at first. It was exciting to be in a new place every day and the rush of being on stage is exhilarating. But after four concert tours in seven years, I’m exhausted. I just want to stay in one place for a while and figure out what my life looks like outside of performing.” She sipped her coffee and glanced at me. “I know, I know. Poor little rich girl. Has everything anyone could ever want and can’t even be grateful for it.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.” I had actually been thinking that Madison was just as good at hiding her sadness as me. “If you don’t like touring, why are you doing it?”

“Because I would be letting down a lot of people if I didn’t. My manager and agent would miss out on a financial reward, not to mention the dozens of people on the concert payroll. Backup singers, dancers, makeup artists, hair stylists, costume designers, the entire crew of about a hundred people who handle the lights, sound, stage design, and logistics, plus the drivers who haul everything.” She let out a long breath. “Not to mention the fans.”

“But what about you?” I hated that she was listing all those people who depended on her and hadn’t included herself in that list. “You should be at the top of your priorities, Madison.”

“It’s not that easy.” She fidgeted with the cardboard sleeve on her cup. “Or maybe I’m just not strong enough to say no.”

“I don’t know you very well, Madison, but you seem pretty strong to me. You’ve been carrying hundreds of people for years.” I couldn’t help but compare her to my oldest brother, Evan. He had been carrying our family and the family business on his back since our dad’s stroke. That was a lot of pressure and Madison’s situation was even more intense. “I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but I think you should forget about all those other people while you are here and just live your life for you. No one else.”

Her back straightened and she turned to me. “That was my whole plan when I arranged this trip. I thought I would be able to focus on myself without everyone else bothering me and asking me for things. But then I got here and… It’s really hard to shut all that out.”

“Maybe I can help you with that.” A plan started to formulate. It was going to require me to let down my guard a little bit, but I had a feeling that Madison would be worth it. “Do you trust me?”

8

MADISON

Apounding on the door woke me up the next morning. I groaned and stretched my tired muscles. Nate had somehow convinced me to turn my life over to him for the next month. Yesterday, after coffee and a cinnamon roll, he’d waited while I layered on warm clothes and then led me out into the snow.

For the next hour, we worked together to craft the perfect snowman. I hadn’t made a snowman since I was a kid and it felt weird at first to do something so silly, but Nate made it fun. He claimed to be a snow architectural expert after having made many snow creations with his niece and nephew. I had to admit that our snowman turned out great, complete with stick arms and a scarf around its neck.

While I was admiring our creation, Nate had nailed me in the back with a snowball and then we were engaged in an intense battle that ended with us both covered in snow and out of breath. I dropped to the ground and flapped my arms and legs.

“What are you doing?” he’d asked with a laugh, towering over me.

“Making a snow angel.”

His expression softened as he watched me, eyes scanning every inch of my body. When I was done, he held out a hand to pull me up. My heart had raced the second our hands touched, even with our gloves on, and it only got worse when he kept ahold of my hand after I was on my feet. We stood with just inches between us, our chilled breaths merging into one hazy cloud that floated into the air.

Nate’s head had inched closer to mine and my lips had parted in anticipation of a kiss, but then he’d taken an abrupt step back and sent me inside to warm up while he cleared off my car and shoveled a path in the snow from the porch to the driveway.

When he was done, I invited him inside to warm up, but he declined and said he needed to go home. I had been disappointed, but not surprised. We had spent most of the day together and he needed to get back to his life. But he surprised me when he promised to be back the next morning.

I hadn’t taken him very seriously and hearing the pounding on my door confused me at first. But then I remembered his promise and I scrambled out of bed.

“Coming!” I blinked a few times to chase away the remnants of sleep as I stumbled down the hall. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would’ve thought to stop and pull on some pants and maybe brush out my hair.

Instead, I yanked open the door while wearing just a worn, oversize t-shirt while my long hair was still caught in deep tangles. Nate grinned when he took in my appearance.

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