Page 60 of Talon
“Thank you.”
“For what?”Madison asked, eyes wide.“I didn’t do anything special.”
“You did.You got up to help me, even though you’re a guest here.Because you did, you realize at least an hour before anyone else would have, that I was gone.You sent them out looking for me faster than would have happened if you weren’t here and weren’t so kind, The guys would still be scrambling and trying to figure out what happened.”
“If I weren’t here, you wouldn’t have been taken.”
“I don’t want to hear that again,” Lurch spoke up from where he stood behind Kerry.“You are not responsible for anyone’s actions but your own and more importantly, you are not responsible for what a man that we already suspect has killed two people does.”
Madison shook her head, not sure what to say.She still felt like Kerry would never have been in danger if she hadn’t come here.
“If you want to look at it like that, it’s our fault.We invited you here,” Kerry said.“It’s as much our fault as it is yours.”
Madison shook her head.No.That wasn’t the way this worked.
“No more talk of blame and fault.The only person at fault or to blame for this morning was Morgan, and he will pay for it.I’m sure he’s regretting not doing more research into who he was messing with before he decided to trespass on the Open A Bar T,” Lurch said.“But either way we owe you.”He looked back and forth from Madison to Talon and back a couple of times.“Are you two going to make a go of it then?”
“I think we’re going to try,” Talon said, glancing at her.
“I want to but I’m not sure how it will work, I live so far away.And I can’t move, because that’s where my work is.”Madison shrugged, not knowing what to do.
“I was going to talk to you about that,” Lurch said.“Why don’t we go in the other room and have a seat?”
Madison and Talon followed Lurch and Kerry into the kitchen.Talon went to the coffee pot and filled a cup, turning to Madison he lifted the mug with a questioning look.She nodded.He pulled down a second cup, filling it then doctoring it the way she liked before bringing both to table where the three of them already sat.
“First,” Lurch said, speaking first.“I wanted to thank you.Not just for getting up to help Kerry this morning, then alerting everyone when she wasn’t there but for stepping up and making sure there was food for everyone.I know it’s not a small job, but you stepped in and took over as if you were meant for it.”
“Oh!That reminds me!”Madison started to stand but Talon’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Tell me, I’ll get it.”
“I can do it.Kerry hasn’t eaten yet.I was going to toss one of the burritos in the skillet and warm it up for her.”
“I can do that.”He stood and went to the refrigerator.Madison found herself watching him, enjoying how confident he seemed, even in a job he didn’t do all the time.
“How much do you love your job in Newcastle?”Lurch asked, pulling her attention back to him.
Madison shrugged.“I don’t.I keep it because it pays the rent, and I don’t have anywhere better to be.”
“That’s another part.How attached are you to Newcastle in general, and your apartment more specifically?”
Madison frowned.What was he getting at?Talon brought the burrito on a plate and set it in front of Kerry before circling the table and sitting beside her.
“Not hugely.It started as somewhere close enough I could work and still live at home, but then the commute got to be more than rent, plus I wanted to get away from Billy, so I moved.It’s where I am, but I'm not attached to it if that's what you're asking."Madison let her head fall against Talon's shoulder in a silent thank you as she wrapped her hands around the mug he'd brought her earlier.
"So, if an offer came along, there's nothing tying you there?"Lurch said with a lifted brow.
Madison watched him for a moment, intrigued.What was going on here?
"It would depend on the work and the offer.But I can say that not being in Newcastle wouldn't be a deal breaker.""Can I assume from where you grew up that you don't have a problem not being in town where you can run to the store and back in ten minutes if you discover you've forgotten something?"
“Honestly?I'd rather not be in town.I hear every bump and thump, every raised voice.When I first moved in it took me days to get more than a few minutes sleep at a time.I've learned a few tricks, but the noise still drives me crazy."
Lurch nodded slowly, as if considering something, "Would you be willing to consider coming and working for me, here on the ranch?"
Madison opened her mouth, but nothing came out.Her chest felt tight and for a moment it felt like the world was spinning around her.She released his mug with one hand and clutched Talon's.He squeezed her hand back but remained silent.
"It's something I would consider.I can't say either way for sure right now, I would need more details and a chance to talk about it before I would be willing to make a commitment."
