near-daily fine from the police wasnât enough to quiet things down, what else could she possibly do?
She was about to find out.
Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she marched across the street and through the front door of the bar. Sheâd actually only set foot into Woodyâs once before, when she tried to talk to Emmett about the noise the first time. Bars were not exactly her hangout of choice, although she knew her brothers liked to come here and watch football. Maddie didnât care about any of that.
Inside, she was immediately struck by the stale stench of beer, pretzels, and the unmistakable body odor that comes from too many people crammed into a room too small and too warm. If the police didnât work out, perhaps she could call Mack the fire chief. They had to be over capacity for a place this size.
It was also louder than she ever expected. Sheâd thought it was loud when she listened to the band from her bedroom, but this was a whole new experience. How these people didnât have bleeding ears, she didnât know.
Turning away from the band, she headed toward the bar to find Emmett. Before she could lay eyes on him, she found an unexpected traitor sitting on a stool and sipping a soda.
âSimon Chamberlain!â she shouted, although the music dulled the effect of the sharp accusation.
Simon turned to look at her, but he didnât seem impressed by her arrival. He set his drink down and leaned his elbow on the bar. âEveninâ, Maddie.â
âDonât you Eveninâ, Maddie me. I call the cops to shut this circus down and find you here enjoying the music.â
âI wrote him a ticket,â Simon said with a shrug that supposedly made everything okay.
âAnd?â
He shrugged. âAnd he didnât care. He promised me the set would be over by eleven. Itâs almost time, so why donât you go home, have a nice cup of chamomile tea, and by the time youâre ready to go back to bed, the music will be over.â
âI donât like your tone, Simon. Iâll not be patronized by my baby brother.â
âYou say that like youâre so much older than I am. Get over yourself.â
She hadnât gone to the bar to be insulted by her own brother. He was the law, and yet, he was ignoring the law to suit himself. âWhose side are you on, Officer Chamberlain? Are you taking bribes from Emmett?â
âHey now.â Simon stood up and gazed down at her with an unhappy expression, drawing his brows together. Heâd certainly grown a lot over the last few years. For so long, Simon had been the pipsqueak of the family. In high school, he shot up to the same height as his brothers, but he was thin and lean like a beanpole. It seemed like age and the uniform made him appear larger and more intimidating than she remembered.
âYou might be my sister but Iâm not going to let you insinuate something ugly like that,â he warned. âItâs not a felony, itâs a noise ordinance, Maddie.â
âMadelyn,â Emmett said, pushing between them. âDidnât expect to ever see you in here again.â
Maddie took a step back. She didnât like being that close to Emmett. He was so tall and broad shouldered he made Simon suddenly look smaller. It was bad enough she could feel Emmettâs body heat radiate through his shirt, and smell the woodsy scent of his soap. That alone made her pulse shoot up and her cheeks burn. She didnât need to risk actually touching him.
âI donât want to be here,â she snapped, moving even farther away from the two men. âIâd much prefer to be asleep, but you seem determined to make that impossible.â
âIâm sorry,â Emmett said in a deep soothing voice that almost made her believe him. âWould you rather I gather twenty drunks to sing Disney songs outside your bedroom window?â
Maddie couldnât help