Page 53 of Rescued Dreams

Maddie said, “But you don’t tell people we live here.”

He could tell they’d been worrying about this, which meant they’d been talking about it with each other. Enough he had to explain and put their fears to rest. “The kind of things I see at work, the kind of calls I go on…I get nightmares. I wake up in a cold sweat. I don’t want you guys to know those things because they’re mine to live with. Keeping that dividing line between home and work helps me leave work at work, so that when I’m home, it’s just you guys and the town house and our peaceful lives.”

Ella’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Does that make sense?”

Maddie nodded.

“I’m not ashamed of you. Either of you. I want you guys here, and not just because I’d be worried if you were anywhere else.”

“Because Mom is a loser.”

Ridge’s eyes widened. “I don’t want you to talk disparagingly about her.”

Ella chimed in. “Even if it’s true?”

He moved into the room and opened his arms. The girls hugged him from either side. “Maybe one day she’ll explain it to us and we’ll understand, but it won’t make it hurt less. Right now we have to make sure her actions don’t make us bitter toward relationships. Or scared to trust people who are worth it because they are good people.”

Maddie said, “Amelia should know you’re good.”

Their heads reached his chin, which meant he couldn’t see the look he was sure they shared. He said, “I think she’s figuring it out. I at least made progress today.”

“Gross.” The twins started laughing.

Ella said, “I don’t want to know about you kissing anyone.”

Ridge smiled, holding them tight in the hug. “Whatever happens, I’ll keep you guys apprised.”

“Maybe we don’t needallthe details.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Because of Amelia.” Maddie lifted her chin, smiling at him. “Guess we aren’t moving to Benson.”

“We’re still talking about colleges,” he said. “I’m not budging on this.”

A slight flicker in Maddie’s expression caught his eye.

“Mads?”

“I just…had an idea about summer. That’s all. Ella doesn’t want to do it, so she’ll still be here.”

“It’s not about college?”

They stepped out of the hug, and Ella sat back on the bed. Ridge sat on the armchair and waited for Maddie to explain.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her back straight. Like she was nervous about the outcome—which meant she cared about his opinion of the choices she made. She took a breath and said, “I’ve heard about this camp. It’s in Ember, Montana. They have, like, a summer thing for people my age, where they teach them how to be wildland firefighters.” She looked at him, a mix of hope and earnestness in her gaze.

“Is that what you want to do?” he said carefully. “Be a hotshot?”

Had Kane and Maria been telling stories about the couple of years they’d just spent as wildland firefighters? If they had persuaded Maddie to do this, then his cousin was going to get a right hook to the chin.

His Maddie? Fighting wildfires?

Maddie shrugged her slender shoulders. “I don’t know. It’s just for the summer, and I’ll be safe there. It’s called Wildlands Academy.”

Ridge said, “I’ve heard of it. I know the people who run it.” Did he want to let Maddie go to that place when Charlie had told him some hair-raising stories? “How did you find out about it?”