Page 7 of The Cinnamon Spice Inn (Maple Falls #1)

SIX

MADISON

Madison stepped off the staircase only to come face-to-face with Gram, who was refilling the coffee station while whistling a tune.

Madison looked into her grandmother’s eyes.

They were the same rich green as hers, with gold flecks around the irises.

Though Gram was well into her seventies, she carried herself with the confidence of someone half her age.

Her silver hair was pinned up into a twist, though a few wisps had already escaped, much like her frequent opinions.

“Morning, Gram,” Madison greeted her, ready to confront Zach, but a second later, all rational thoughts left her brain.

Zach was there, alright, working on the dining room ceiling. His head was through the hole, leaving only the lower half of him visible.

And oh, what a view.

Perfectly fitted jeans. Strong, muscular legs. Firm backside—and exactly at eye level, too. His flannel rode up just so, revealing a sliver of his lower back.

For a second, Madison lost herself as she stared up at him.

First the sex dream, now this. As if she needed a real-life encore to last night’s thoroughly inappropriate fantasy. She needed an ice-cold coffee, stat.

Madison tugged at the collar of her sweater, feeling like it was suddenly a hundred degrees in the lobby. The worst thing about being a redhead was the instant blushing. Otherwise, she was proud of her hair—it reminded her of her mother’s Scottish roots.

People said don’t mess with redheads for a reason. And normally, Madison liked to think she lived up to that fierceness.

But right now? She was one hot, flustered mess.

She blinked. Swallowed. Looked away. Looked back.

“Nice view, isn’t it?” Gram quipped.

Madison nearly choked on air. She whipped her head toward her grandmother, who was smirking knowingly.

“I… What… I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Madison’s phone pinged and she looked down, avoiding eye contact just as Zach joined them in the lobby.

“Who was that, love?” Gram asked as she made her way back to the inn’s front desk.

“Jo,” Madison said, forgetting the text message entirely. Her throat was suddenly dry. Very, very dry as she watched Zach use a worn red rag to thoroughly dry off his hands before tucking the lucky piece of fabric into his back pocket.

“And how is your lovely Jo?” Gram asked.

“Perfect. Missing me already, but, you know…” Madison, still flustered, turned and poured a cup of coffee to keep her hands busy and her eyes from wandering.

At that moment, her phone vibrated again.

Madison glanced down at the text, only to nearly choke again at the message. It was the combination of an exhale and a cough that did her in. She laughed to try and cover it, but the noise came out more like a strangled wheeze.

It was three emojis: eggplant, sweat droplets, saucy wink. Followed by: Send a pic.

No way. Madison was not about to sneak a pic of Zach for Jo.

She clutched her phone to her chest in case he saw it. She went so far as to cover the back of the camera with her hand.

Zach look at her oddly, which only made her nervous laughter worse. It was possibly the most unnatural sound she’d ever made. Why couldn’t she just be cool?

Zach’s brows lifted. “Something funny?”

“Hmm?” Madison shook her head.

“You okay?” Zach asked.

“What? Yes. I’m fine. Thanks,” she said far too quickly.

Madison cleared her throat, forcing her voice into something resembling normalcy. “Thought I told you we didn’t need your help.” She motioned toward the dining room.

“Actually…” Gram smiled. “Zach has already had a chat with me and your dad. He’s going to be staying here a while, fixing up the old honeymoon cabin.”

Madison glared at Zach. “You’re staying here?” Her brain short-circuited.

She could practically feel the amusement radiating off him. Yep, that stupid smirk was back.

Madison inhaled sharply through her nose, grasping for words, but her grandmother was already looking at her like she dared her to make a scene.

Madison forced a tight smile. “I see,” she said, her voice dangerously even.

Zach’s grin widened.

She was going to kill him.

Zach bypassed Madison and moved to pour himself a cup of coffee before joining Gram at the registration desk. “You sleep okay?” he asked Edith with easy charm. He looked so relaxed in the lobby, as if he took coffee there every morning.

“Like a dream,” Gram replied honestly. “It’ll take more than a tree crashing through the roof to disturb my sleep.”

“We could all be so lucky.” Zach took a slow sip of his coffee. “Still, I’ll have it fixed in no time.”

Madison spoke up. “Hold on. Do we have a quote yet?”

“Madison!” Gram scolded.

“What? You don’t expect me to agree to work without seeing a quote first.” Madison’s eyes widened with mock innocence.

Gram scowled. “Don’t mind my granddaughter. She’s been in the city for far too long.” She shot Madison a look.

Zach chuckled as if Madison amused him.

Madison pursed her lips and tightened her fists until her nails dug into her palms.

“I don’t mind. I can get you a quote,” Zach said, with far too much ease for Madison’s liking. It was infuriating how calm and relaxed he was. And she hated how she suddenly felt like the outsider in her own family home.

She would find somebody else to take on the project, someone who didn’t make her feel like she was twenty-two again, with a heavy dose of frustration pumping through her veins.

She was about to tell Zach to get his toolbox and get the hell out of there—that she didn’t care about whatever agreement he, Gram, and her dad had shaken on—when a tiny blur of fur charged into the room.

Cocoa ran straight for Madison and jumped up on her, pushing her backward with more force than one little puppy should be able to manage.

If Madison hadn’t been holding a coffee cup, she might have caught her balance, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Her woolen socks slipped on the hardwood floor, and she started to fall—until warm, steady arms caught her.

Zach’s hands wrapped around her waist, keeping her upright with an ease that made her stomach flip.

For a second, the world narrowed to the space between them.

Madison’s breath hitched. Zach was close. Too close. She could feel his body—solid and warm—against hers, his grip strong enough to steady her, but he didn’t let her go.

His thumb brushed the hem of her sweater, barely grazing the skin beneath, and she swore she felt the heat of it straight to her core.

Zach’s gaze flickered over her face; his brows pinched like he was checking for injuries, but his hands hadn’t moved.

Neither had hers. Her fingers had instinctively gripped his forearms and now, she was hyperaware of the firm muscle beneath her palms, the way his flannel was rolled to his elbows, exposing tanned skin and strong wrists.

Her mind betrayed her, flashing hot and fast to the fantasy last night.

His hands on her hips.

Lifting her onto the kitchen table like she weighed nothing.

His mouth on her skin, leaving a trail of kisses that made her toes curl.

A slow, desperate ache unfurled low in her belly.

For one wild second, Madison imagined sliding her hands higher, fisting his shirt, tugging him closer until there was nothing between them but heat and memory.

Until reality blurred into fantasy, and this time, she could actually finish.

Zach’s throat bobbed. His fingers flexed at her waist, digging in slightly, like he wasn’t entirely immune either.

Then, with visible effort, he let her go.

She barely had time to process before Gram scooped up Cocoa. “Here, I’ll take the little rascal.”

Zach brushed his hands off on his jeans, but Madison noticed how he flexed his fingers, like he still felt her.

He looked back at her. “You sure you’re okay?”

Madison swallowed, willing her voice to sound as normal as possible when she responded, “Yeah. It was nothing.”

She was not about to admit that her entire body was still tingling.

Zach nodded, slipping back into his normal cool, calm self.

“Alright then, I’m going to run to the hardware store and pick up some drywall.

I have a patch on the roof that will hold for now.

I’ll work today cleaning up the dining room, and then I’ll be in the rafters dealing with the structural end of things. That part’s going to take a few days.”

“Take however long you need,” Gram said. “You know where to find us.” She beamed at Zach.

“Mind if I store my tools in the back?” Zach motioned to the inn’s office.

“Um, you better not,” Gram replied with an apologetic smile just as Madison was about to tell him he could take his tools with him. “But I’m sure you can leave them in the dining room,” she added.

Madison was confused again. There was no way Maurice would want a bunch of tools in his way. What did Gram know that Madison didn’t?

“Alright, then. I’ll be back in a bit.” Zach grabbed his coffee and left them with a nod before heading toward the kitchen.

Gram waited exactly three seconds after he walked out the door before turning on Madison.

“You should take it easy on Zach,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s doing us a favor, you know. They’d charge us ten times as much if we had to call one of those fancy contractors in Merrillville.”

Madison sighed, staring into her coffee. “I know.”

“He’s a good man,” Gram continued.

“I know,” Madison repeated, still not looking up.

She was about to make an excuse to disappear upstairs when the smell of smoke reached her. “Is something burning?”

Madison didn’t wait for Gram to answer before tearing across the lobby, through the dining room, and into the kitchen.

Madison had heard that toasters could catch fire, but she’d never actually seen it with her own eyes.

Her dad was standing in the kitchen, too, his back to the appliance, examining something. He didn’t even notice anything was wrong until Madison came running over.

“Dad, the toaster!”