A MAN APART by Ginna Gray

Author:Ginna Gray
Format: epub

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Chapter 10

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Matt couldn't move. He'd never experienced so many conflicting emotions at one time. They swirled and buzzed inside his chest like a swarm of angry bees.

Maude Ann loved him.

Joy shot through him like a rush of adrenaline.

Fury followed.

Then came fear, longing, confusion, hope—and the most searing happiness he'd ever known.

This last brought fury rushing back.

No! No, dammit! This wasn't right. He hadn't asked for it.

But Maude Ann loved him.

The thought made his heart hammer, his throat tighten. His first instinct was to put his arms around her and never let go, but conflicting emotions and ingrained caution held him back, and in the end he waited too long. He saw the flash of despair and humiliation in her eyes an instant before her chin came up.

"I … that is—"

"No. It's all right, Matt. You don't have to say anything. I know this isn't what you bargained for when you came here. I also know how you feel about serious relationships. You've always been quite open about that."

"Maude Ann—"

"No, please. Don't worry about it. This isn't your problem, it's mine. I'm a grown woman, and I'm responsible for my own actions and emotions, not you. Don't worry, I'll work through this. Life goes on no matter what. Soon you'll go back to Houston, and I'll stay here and continue my work with the kids. I'll be okay. Maybe not right away, but eventually I will be. Really."

"But—"

An ear-piercing scream cut him off.

"What the hell?"

"Debbie!" Maude Ann cried.

She took off before the name left her lips, pounding up the stairs at top speed.

Matt followed as fast as he could. The child's shrill screams continued unabated. By the time he gained the upstairs hall, they had reached a hysterical pitch and ran together into the most chilling sound he had ever heard. At the very least, he thought someone was trying to murder her.

He skidded to a stop at the open door of the bedroom that Debbie and Jennifer shared just as Maude Ann scooped the shrieking child up into her arms.

At first Debbie was as rigid as a post, pushing against the arms that held her, but after a few seconds Maude Ann's gentle voice got through to the child. Debbie's little arms clamped around Maude Ann's neck in a stranglehold, but her cries continued, only fractionally quieter now.

"Shh, sweetie. Shh. It's all right. Maudie's here," she crooned, holding the child close. "I've got you now. You're safe. Nothing's going to hurt you, baby."

Sinking onto the edge of the bed, Maude Ann rocked the child back and forth, murmuring a steady stream of encouragement and endearments. "It's okay, baby. It's okay, little love. Everything is going to be all right."

Matt sat down on the bed beside them. Concern wiped every other thought from his mind. He had never seen a child so upset. Debbie's tear-streaked face was the color of a beet and hideously contorted. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, and her tiny body shook from head to toe.

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