Free The Mighty Quinns: Kieran by Kate Hoffmann Page B

your relationship with your—”
    “I’m selfish,” Maddie snapped. “I think everything revolves around me. I never even thought to ask about you and your family. I mean, you told me about your brothers, but I just assumed everything had been—happy. You seem so normal, I thought you’d had a normal life.” This brought another flood of tears.
    “Don’t cry,” he said, brushing his lips against hers.
    “How horrible for you. I feel so bad.”
    “Maddie, we’ve known each other for three days. Not even that long. I figured we’d get to that story sooner or later. Sometimes, it’s just difficult to explain. And people usually react like you. Which makes things even more difficult.”
    Forcing a smile, she brushed her tears away. “Sorry. It’s just so sad.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him again, her backside nestled in his lap. “I didn’t have a father, but I never really missed him. He was never part of my life. Your parents were just ripped away.”
    “We adjusted,” Kieran said. “My brothers and I were—and are—really close. And my grandfather did his best. But he really didn’t know how to deal with grief like that. We hung out at work with him and learned the business. And that’s why I’m here, on my way to Bitney.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “My grandfather wanted us all to find a different life for six weeks. Since we didn’t have a chance to follow our own dreams, he thought by sending us all out into the world with a bus ticket and a little cash, we’d find out whether we were living the life we wanted or the life we’d been handed.”
    “You’re on a quest,” she said.
    “Me and my three brothers. Although, I can’t imagine that their quests have turned out anything like mine.”
    “Tell me more about your brothers,” she said. “And your childhood. I want to know everything. Even the bad stuff.”
    Kieran pulled her down beside him, her body stretched out against his. “We’ll have time,” he whispered. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know. But right now, I’d rather kiss you.”
    They had to get up and get packed in about an hour. And right now, he just wanted to close his eyes, pull her naked body against his, and sleep. Sad stories could wait.
    “All right,” Maddie said, wiping away the last of her tears. “Next time, I won’t cry.”
    “That would be good,” he murmured, kissing her temple.
    * * *
    T HEY BOARDED THE train fifteen minutes before departure. The attendant helped them find their room, a tiny cabin with a pull-down bed and a closet-sized bathroom. A bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit sat on the small table between the seats and they were informed that breakfast would be served in the dining car after the train left the station.
    But Maddie wasn’t interested in food. She had the attendant pull the bed down, then crawled into it. The gentle rocking of the train lulled her into a deep sleep that began outside Topeka and didn’t end until the train was somewhere in Iowa.
    For Maddie, this was the perfect way to travel. She and Kieran were alone, with everything they needed to be comfortable. They caught up on their sleep and after they got up, Kieran went to the dining car and fetched their lunch, a tasty sandwich with fresh fruit and French fries.
    They continued their conversation about his childhood and hers. He opened up about the fears and confusion during the time of his parents’ disappearance, the grieving that never seemed to come, and the effect it had had on him and his brothers. And she tried to comprehend how a boy so young could handle such a tragedy.
    As the rural landscape sped by, Maddie curled up beside him on the wide seat, her feet tucked under her, her head resting against his shoulder. They’d found comfort in each other, a mutual understanding that made sense of their childhood troubles. Maddie couldn’t imagine another person in the world who could understand her like Kieran