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just hadn’t known to take responsibility for it.
    “Is she seeing that older guy?” The question
was out of his mouth before he could stop it.
    Quinn twisted around to look at him. “Are you
looking to repeat history?”
    “No. Just curious. She deserves someone
who’ll treat her right.” Be there for her, but he didn’t add
that.
    “She’s not seeing anyone, as far as I
know.”
    The lump that had formed in Maddox’s chest at
the thought of another man’s hands on her eased when he knew she
belonged to no one. When had he become the jealous type? He
certainly hadn’t been celibate for the past fourteen years, though
it had been a while. Recovering alcoholics weren’t encouraged to
pursue relationships until they’d been sober for quite some
time.
    “Her sister has her pretty twisted up,
especially with the baby,” Maddox pressed.
    Quinn made a sound of disgust. “If I knew you
were going to talk this much, I would’ve brought Lily instead. At
least she’s better to look at. But yeah, that girl’s breaking her
heart. The plan was to give the baby up for adoption, then Linda
couldn’t do it. Beth has never been able to say no to her, so now
Beth is raising the baby.”
    Maddox wanted to ask more questions, but kept
his mouth shut. He wanted to know if anyone helped her, if her dad
had ever come back, or if she was carrying all of this on her own.
He had a feeling she rejected any help that came her way. But he’d
already shown more of his hand than he’d planned.
    “You coming to the movie night tonight?”
Quinn asked a couple of hours later when they pulled back to the
dock. Quinn had caught a couple worth keeping, but Maddox had
released the little fish he’d hooked back into the water.
    “Movie night?”
    “Yeah, Lily and Trinity set up this outdoor
movie thing during the summer months. They project old movies
against the side of Boysen’s, everyone comes out and brings a
picnic and watches.”
    “I thought I’d be playing at your place.”
    “If I make people choose between you and the
movies, I’ll never hear the end of it from the ladies. Go to the
movies, give the people a thrill, rubbing elbows with you.”
    Maddox gathered his gear and rose. “Yeah,
maybe I will. Thanks again.”
    “Any time, as long as you don’t want to
gossip.”
    Quinn made no move to leave his boat, so
Maddox hopped onto the dock. “See you, then.”
    He’d made a decision while out on the water,
when his mind could relax. Beth might not want anyone’s help, but
he wasn’t taking no for an answer. Maybe he wasn’t the best choice
to help her, a recovering alcoholic with relationship issues, a man
just passing through, but it looked like he was the only one
willing to try.
    He could hear the baby crying when he got out
of his truck on the cracked pavement in front of her tiny house.
The windows were open and Beth’s off-key crooning floated on the
air. She never had been able to sing worth a damn. He walked the
five steps from the street to her door and knocked, then knocked
again. Just when he thought she might not be able to hear him over
the infant’s wails and reached for the handle, she snatched the
door open, one hand holding Jonas against her shoulder, and glared
at him. The look lost some of its power because her dark eyes were
shadowed with lack of sleep, her long black hair was in a messy
ponytail and spit-up stained her stretched-out Vikings T-shirt.
    “Give me the baby,” he said when she opened
her mouth.
    He reached out and plucked the tight little
body from her arms. Jonas’s legs and arms stiffened and his wail
grew more piercing, but Maddox turned him and placed him on his
shoulder.
    “I got this. Go get some sleep.”
    “I’m fine,” she said through her teeth.
    “You got home at, what, two? What time did he
wake you?”
    “Six.” The word was a sigh, and her shoulders
slumped in exhaustion.
    “And where was your sister?”
    “She had exams today. I told her I’d