Page 15 of Tangled Passion

“Why?” he asked.

Madelyn shrugged and continued to watch the fireworks.

Garrett sighed and stood with his hands in his pockets, dividing his gaze between the fireworks and Madelyn.

When the fireworks were over, Madelyn stood and turned to go, and he placed a hand on her arm. She froze, turned to face him, and waited for him to speak.

“Good night, Madelyn,” he said, gritting his teeth.

Madelyn stared at him for a moment.

“Good night,” she said softly, gently pulling her arm from his grip.

He watched her walk off and had to fight the urge to pull her back into his arms where she belonged, but once again, his emotions were strung tight. He didn’t trust himself not to make things worse for them.

Chapter Nine

The next day, Madelyn pulled into the lodge parking lot and grabbed her purchases. She bit back a scream when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and spun her to face Garrett.

“Where have you been?”

She stared at him in confusion. “In town.”

“For what?”

She gritted her teeth. “I didn’t know I had to tell anyone where I was going?”

“You don’t, just Trey or me.”

“Why?”

Garrett grunted and placed his hands on his hips.

“Where did you go, and why are you hiding the sack?” he asked suspiciously.

Madelyn’s heart dived in embarrassment as she shook her head. “I’m not.”

“Then you don’t mind me knowing what’s in the bag?”

Madelyn rolled her eyes and turned to keep it away from him when he tried to reach for it. “If you must know, it’s bread, peanut butter, crackers, and fruit.”

Garrett looked stunned. “For what? The meals are included with the price.”

“I can’t eat when I’m stressed,” she said softly, lowering her eyes to her bags, trying to hide her true feelings.

There was a long pause where Garrett stared at the top of her head. “I stress you out?” he asked.

She looked away and didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say to him. He was the cause of most of her stress, but she’d never been the type of person who liked to hurt someone for any reason.

He gritted his teeth in frustration. “I want you to eat in the dining room.”

She nodded slowly. “I will.”

“Every meal,” Garrett said, his voice heavy with authority.

“No.”

Garrett gritted his teeth in frustration. “You’ve lost weight. Is it because of me?”

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