Page 10 of Tangled Passion

Both men scowled.

“We’re not done talking,” Trey said.

“As far as I’m concerned, we are. I came here to relax after… Anyway, I’d just really like to be left alone.”

She turned away and walked to the door. A warm body pressed against her back, and a hand above her head on the door kept her from opening it.

“I don’t know what’s going through your head, but I can guarantee it’s wrong.”

She breathed in Garrett’s masculine scent and shook her head. “I just want to lay down.”

She felt him press his lips to the back of her head. “Go. We’ll check on you later.”

She wasn’t going to fight. She just wanted to get away from them.

When she got to the room, she lay down in bed and tried to relax. She wanted to fall asleep, but the words of her husband and his mother filled her head.

“If you’d only lose weight, you’d be pretty,”his mother said several times. Her husband liked telling her she wouldn’t be there if she hadn’t been so useful. She knew the main reason he had married her was to care for his mother, who lived with him.

She was still shocked that they’d had any kids. He didn’t come to her bed often, and then not at all after Amy, her daughter, was born. She just realized she hadn’t had sex in twenty-seven years. The fact she hadn’t missed it said a lot about her husband’s technique, or she was just frigid, as he enjoyed telling her often.

Her resolve grew to stay away from the men. They were either cruel people who liked to mess with others or were bored, and she was the only single woman around.

If worse came to worse, she’d leave. She didn’t care if she lost money. Her emotional health was essential to her, and she didn’t need the money. The one thing her parents, husband, and mother-in-law had done was to leave her very well cared for. She never needed to worry about money. She had enough to last several lifetimes.

She’d take it day by day and try to avoid them the best she could.

Chapter Six

The men knocked again.

Garrett growled in frustration. “Do we open the door to check on her?”

“We can’t do that. Let’s try back later.”

They looked for her in the next few days, but she was very good at disappearing out of a room before they got there. It didn’t help that they were both busier than normal.

Several days went by.

Madelyn had the time of her life. She didn’t worry about the men as they seemed to stay away from her. She tried not to let it hurt, but she’d always been sensitive. She tended to pick up other people’s emotions and let them affect her.

Her happiness seemed to deflate when they were forced to be in the same room, but she tried hard not to let it show.

She couldn’t believe the two brothers were so different from each other. They were extremely handsome and had the same green eyes and dark hair, but Garrett’s features were more rugged than his brother, Trey’s. Trey also seemed to have a smile on his face when she hadn’t seen one on Garrett’s at all.

Madelyn refused to let them destroy her vacation. She hadn’t had one in decades and deserved it after all she’d been through. She tried doing things she hadn’t had time for. She tried reading, playing puzzles, and watching television to pass the time, but it just made her jittery. She’d never been good at sitting still, even as a child.

She had looked forward to helping with the new horse, but neither man had said anything more about it to her, so she left it alone. She figured they had come to their senses and were going to be kind.

The hikes she’d been on were her favorite. She went with a different group every day. The third time she set out on a grouphike, she learned Garrett was the guide. Madelyn almost turned around and went back into the lodge. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. This was her vacation, and she wouldn’t let anyone mess it up.

She made sure she stayed at the back of the group for the whole day. She ignored him when he stared at her and enjoyed her walk and talking to the other hikers.

The group of hikers returned to the lodge just as the sun slid behind the mountains. She hadn’t expected the hike to take all day, but she’d had a wonderful time and was energized. She felt she could have done a few more miles.

Madelyn went to her room, showered, and dressed for dinner. She hoped she could have a peaceful meal without the men ruining it.

A vehicle caught her attention as she walked through the lobby and jerked to a stop. A scream of happiness almost burst from her throat as she raced through the front door, down the steps, and into her son’s arms. She laughed as he spun her around and hugged her tightly. She took a step back and cupped his face between her hands.

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