Healing Her Wounds (Mayflower Series #1)

Chapter 5

Maddie had kept interaction with Max to a minimal after her ‘welcome’ in the morning was not well received. She had felt embarrassed the moment she saw his stony expression hardened. What was his problem? She did try and it was already not easy for someone like her. But just because she avoided talking to him, did not mean she did not steal glances at him, watching as his solid muscles flexed beneath his shirt while he worked.

Maddie had decided to brush some of the horses outside in the paddock while she left Max to finish up the last stall. She needed some space away from his unwelcoming aura. She gathered her brushing tools in a bucket and strolled to the last stall to inform Max.

“Hey I’m gonna go…” Maddie trailed off. Not that she had intended to, but seeing Max sweating with his sleeves folded and the top three buttons undone, revealing his very solid pectorals, had erased all thoughts from her mind. She watched as his sweat slid down his neck to his chest and then disappeared behind his shirt.

Max stopped his shovelling of hay and stood up straight, waiting for Maddie’s instructions, but it never came. Maddie heard him clear his throat loudly, and the low husky tone he produced made her lick her lips.

“I’m…. Uhh… Gonna go brush the horses….” Maddie mumbled, gesturing with one hand in the direction of the paddock. She was locked in a trance, admiring the fine specimen of man before her. Her eyes gradually moved upward and caught his raised eyebrows. Yeah……She should probably go.

She took a step toward the door, but in an instant, not knowing what literally hit her, she was on the ground with her tools sprawled everywhere. A little disorientated, she looked up and realised she had walked straight into a wooden beam. Who put that there?

The sound of a loud hearty laugh caught her ears. She glanced toward it’s source and her cheeks turned crimson red. Max was out right laughing at her. She felt the humiliation as she scurried to gather her things and sprinted right out of the barn.

“Hey!” Max called after her, but Maddie didn’t stay to hear the rest. How could she face him ever again?

It had taken Maddie a good hour for the redness on her cheeks to fade off. It helped that Princess was there to listen to her complaints as she got brushed.

“He’s infuriating,” Maddie grumbled. Princess snorted in response.

“And it doesn’t help that he looks so good,” Maddie half whispered, almost afraid that someone else would overhear her.

She half jumped when her phone alarm went off in her pocket, almost dropping the brush in her hand. She yanked out her phone and switched off the alarm. It was her usual Friday 3pm alarm.

She had been so lost in her conversation with Princess that she had forgotten what day it was. It was the one day every week that she requested to leave work early, because she could not afford to be caught in the house. It was the day that marked the start of the weekend; the start of her father’s drinking parade.

Maddie quickly released Princess, packed her tools, and took them back to the barn. She returned the tools to their places and hurried out, almost forgetting Max until she quite literally bumped into him at the door.

“Woah there. You ought to watch where you're walking,” Max chuckled as he held onto her arms to stable her.

She liked the warmth of his hands on her. s**t. She had to get herself together. She did not have time for this and she certainly did not want to explain her hurry. She stood stiffly and somehow he could sense her unease because he slowly released her.

“I’ve uhh…. I’ve gotta go,” she muttered quickly, barely making eye contact. “Derrick knows. He’ll check on you. Just uh…. Continue what you were doing.”

Before he could reply, Maddie had already scurried off.

Derrick and Susan never questioned Maddie when she asked to end earlier on Fridays or why she insisted on working 7 days a week. That was the beauty of Derrick and Susan, they never pried more than they should, and they trusted her to voice out when she needed help.

Maddie made it to her house in no time and sprung into her routine like clockwork. She flew up the steps to her room and into the shower. It was going to be another long night out and a nice clean shower after a day at the farm made a big difference.

After her shower, she got dressed and stuck her hand under her bed to grab her backpack full of books. Within half an hour, she was out of the house and off on her merry way. She headed to the Sunshine Bakery where Susan worked weekends.

The bell above the glass door jingled as she entered. Maria, a young lady slightly older than Maddie herself, looked up from the counter and smiled when she spotted her.

Maria inherited the bakery from her grandmother around two years ago. Being a young girl from a wealthy family, she was the town’s gossip for a long period of time, especially when she chose to run the bakery over going to college. Maria and Maddie were not exactly friends, but Maddie looked up to her. She admired her courage to make the bakery work despite her family being against it. In a way, she was alone, just like Maddie.

“Maddie!” Greeted Maria. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine,” Maddie looked at the display next to the counter. It was filled with an assortment of bread and pastries ranging from baguettes to bite-sized tarts. Maria's bakery was famous for its croissants, and as expected, there were hardly any left.

“I saved you a chocolate croissant,” Maria reached for a small paper bag in the display cabinet and handed it over to Maddie. “Also, Susan insists I let you try my new madeleine recipe, so I’ve tossed a few pieces in there for free.”

“Oh… You don’t have to…” Maddie began to decline.

“It’s done. I do want feedback though!” Maria interrupted. “So what else suits your fancy?”

Maddie looked down at the display. Every item looked enticing and if she had all the money and stomach space in the world, she would try each piece. For now, though, she could only get one, but which one? She looked back at Maria for help, but it was as though she had read her mind.

“Maybe a banana bread? They're fresh and you haven't tried them in awhile.”

Maddie nodded.

“How…How about you?” Maddie asked a little hesitantly, still trying to figure her way around casual conversations. “How is business?”

A broad smile formed on Maria’s lips as she handed Maddie back her change.

“It’s not bad actually! Hiring Susan for the weekend gave me a ton more time to focus on research and marketing,” explained Maria. “And because of that, this month has just been C.R.A.Z.Y. I think soon enough I’ve gotta think of hiring a full-time staff.”

That was one thing that Maddie liked about Maria. No matter how much Maddie mumbled or how unsure she sounded, Maria never once judged her. She would talk to her as though it was normal, and that encouraged Maddie to try every time she entered the shop, unlike a certain someone who practically glared at her attempt in the morning.

“That’s great! This bakery is gonna go places!” Maddie beamed.

“Not quite yet, but soon! Wish me luck, my friend!”

Her friend. Maddie smiled at the thought. She didn't have many, and having one like Maria was...nice. She wished Maria the best of luck and gave her a wave before she left the bakery.

Maddie munched on the sweet-smelling chocolate croissant as she made her way to the library. Each bite sent her a little taste of heaven. Maria was a genius at baking. If only Maddie could one day be as successful as her.

Once at the library, she began her hunt for books on veterinary sciences. Over the years, Maddie had come to accept that her life would never be as smooth sailing as the other kids. So she decided to focus her efforts and savings on buying her freedom before she sent herself to finish high school and then to medical school. It is going to be a long, arduous journey, but a girl should have dreams.

Her self-study in the library was a promise to herself to see that dream through after she could gain her freedom. That, plus her study in veterinary science had helped her a lot on the farm. To top it all off, her self-study was a great way to kill time. As the saying goes, kill two birds with one stone; in this case, three birds.

In no time, she was buried deep in books. Her working table was littered with notes. She had not noticed how dark the sky got until the librarian tapped on her shoulder, telling her that it was almost closing time. In a small town like Mayflower, however, it just meant that it was slightly past dinner time because of how understaffed the library tended to be.

Reluctantly, Maddie packed her bag and left. She made her way to The Three Little Pigs, an eatery owned by Katelyn’s family. Katelyn used to be Julia’s best friend when she was around. She used to take turns taking care of Maddie while the two older girls studied.

When Julia left, Katelyn came to Maddie one day after a particularly bad beating and offered her temporary shelter. She offered her food at the restaurant at a table by the corner and they ate in silence. They never spoke of what had happened. Katelyn never asked questions, and Maddie never said anything because Maddie simply did not trust anyone any more.

However, Katelyn did threaten Maddie to come to the restaurant at least once a week or else she would call the police. Maddie complied, although not reluctantly, because she knew that the visits comforted them both more than they would care to admit.

“Mads!” Greeted Katelyn before she engulfed Maddie in her usual bear hug. She led her to a quiet booth in the corner, Maddie’s secret booth, and went to place her usual order.

“So…. How are things?” Katelyn casually asked.

Maddie looked around the half-filled restaurant.

“Don’t you have other customers to greet?”

“It fine. I’ve got time,” Katelyn waved it off dismissively before reaching for an empty glass on the table and filling it with water. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. It’s…manageable,” Maddie smiled up at her. It had been manageable for a long while now. Maddie just hoped it would stay that way until her eighteenth birthday. She had less than a year to figure out a concrete plan, and she would never admit it, but the pressure was growing each day.