Page 5 of Defending Madison

Chapter 2

MADISON

“What the fuck do you mean, we aren’t going?” Dixon growls from the kitchen. It’s barely six in the morning, and the hairs prickle on the back of my neck. My dad used to scream in the kitchen before he left for work. The heavy smell of coffee hangs in the hallway outside the kitchen. I run my hand across the peeling paint of the door trim, eavesdropping.

“I’m taking CiCi to her sister’s in Phoenix.”

“Fuck you, Brian. You haven’t had any contact with the woman since you joined the TEAMS. Why the hell is it your responsibility to drive her fifteen hours to Phoenix?”

My brother grumbles something about guilt, and I roll my eyes. Brian uses his leaving her as fodder for her life choices since they broke up. Bitch. The back door slams as I move to the bottom of the stairs with my hand on the banister. I’m readyto go back up the stairs just as Dixon storms out of the kitchen, halting as he sees me. Gritting his teeth, he seethes. “I guess you can go to the cabin to hunt, after all.”

Shaking my head as I frown. “I’m sorry. This is the Brian who comes home, so I’m not surprised. You don’t need him to go hunting. All the stuff is in the cabin. I can write directions to get there, and you can take the truck.”

Dixon casts a glance up the stairs. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind my taking the truck?”

“No. She doesn’t drive it, anyway.”

He stares at me with an intensity that makes me uneasy. “Come with me.”

“Really?” Oh. This could be bad. The warmth of my core and my moist panties vie with my brain.

He leans against the wall, seeming less imposing. “Screw Brian. Let’s both go hunt.”

My heart races so far ahead of my brain that I’m dizzy. Without thinking, I blurt out. “Sure. That sounds good.” It’s one sided. He has no interest in me. “We need to fill the cooler so we have fresh food and grab the guns.”

He touches my arm and slides down his hand, pulling it away with a strange look. He steps around me. “Can we leave in an hour?”

“Sure. Let’s see who can get ready faster. The winner gets to sleep on the way there.”

He speaks over his shoulder. “Deal.”

MADISON

We’ve been at the cabin for an hour. I’m fully rested, having slept for the drive. A smile peaks my lips. I loved the look on Dixon’s face when he got to the truck, and I had tucked myself in the passenger seat with my pillow against the window.

I stroll out of the smaller bedroom in our cabin and smile at Dixon, who’s loading a rifle. “Your family’s got some nice hunting gear.”

I run my hand over the rifle stock, remembering my father and his gun safety directions. “We loved to hunt.”

He sets the cloth down after wiping down the rifle, setting it into the case. “Thanks for suggesting this.”

“You’re welcome. There’s no reason for you to give up bagging a White-tailed deer, because Brian has his nose up her skirt.”

He flicks his wrist. “Want to try for a late afternoon kill?”

“You’re confident. Sure. I’ll put food in my pack and be ready to go in five.”

Four hours later, we drag a twelve-point buck into the prep room attached to the cabin. Dixon scoffs. “I can’t believe you got him.”

I beam. “Thanks. I love to beat people’s expectations. Are you going to help me dress this?”

He nods, hanging up the carcass. We’ll do additional cleaning to make sure our field dressing of the deer washed out all the bacteria. We used a cooling blanket and ice packs to get the deer back to the cabin.

“Does your mom cook with venison?”

“Pfft. Mom doesn’t really cook anymore. Dad taught me how to do it all, and I’m the one who stocks the freezer every season.”

He leans against the large steel butcher table. “You cook, too?”

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