A Reason to Love Page 17

  “On the contrary, I like it too much.”

  She looked up to see if he meant that. There was such an amazing expression on his handsome face: a potent mix of pleasure, hunger, and something else she couldn’t quite define. He caressed her face with his fingertips. “I just want to finish this together, and I’m thinking we should try out that big claw-foot tub while we’re at it.”

  “Great idea. I’ll go start the water.”

  As he followed her into the bathroom, neither of them wearing a stitch of clothing, it occurred to her that she’d never been so comfortable being naked with any other man. With Spence, she was blissfully unselfconscious. And other than his momentary concern about his scars, he seemed to feel the same way. She was glad, because she loved having the freedom to explore his body, learning what he liked and what he liked even more.

  After turning on the water, she asked, “How do you feel about making it a bubble bath?”

  Rogue that he was, he glanced down at his body with a wicked grin. “I’m up for it.”

  She laughed and tossed a towel at his head. “Don’t blame me if the guys give you a bad time tomorrow for smelling like lavender.”

  “Not going to be a problem.” He swept her up in his arms and gently lowered her into the frothy bubbles and then slid in behind her. “After how great tonight’s been, I can’t imagine anything could spoil my mood.”

  All things considered, she thought he might just be right about that.

  • • •

  Spence pushed his motorcycle across Melanie’s backyard, waiting until he’d gone some distance before starting the engine to ride the rest of the way back to the cottage. There was no use in making it obvious where he’d spent the night. He felt bad about leaving Mooch alone so long, which was the only reason he was sneaking across the yard long before the sun crested the mountains to the east.

  God knows he hadn’t wanted to leave Mel’s bed at all. It had felt too good to have her incredible body cuddled next to him, that fiery red hair spread out against his skin. If he could have, he would have lingered there long enough to count the scattering of freckles across her shoulders. But for the sake of her reputation, as well as for poor Mooch, he’d shaken her awake long enough to tell her why he was leaving.

  Temptress that she was, she’d responded by coaxing him into an early-morning quickie. At this rate, he’d be dead by the end of the week and for real this time. At least it would be a far better way to go than what his captors had had planned for him, which was the last thing he’d ever expected to joke about. He was still chuckling when he let himself into the cottage. Mooch bolted past him in a rush to get outside. Poor fur ball. Spence would make it up to him with scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast.

  He gathered up the ingredients and quickly made a four-egg omelet for the two of them to share. As they ate, he considered Melanie’s financial problems. Maybe he could do something about that. His parents had left him a tidy nest egg. He’d barely touched it since taking full control of his inheritance. The house was paid for, and so was his motorcycle. If Melanie needed money, he had it to lend. Hell, he could give it to her outright and not miss it.

  Thinking about her problems made him realize that he needed to confront his own. Even if he wasn’t sure about what he wanted to do with his life, it wasn’t fair of him to leave Callie, Nick, and even Leif living in limbo. It was too early for his attorney to be in the office, but to make sure he didn’t chicken out, Spence left a message for him to call. Even that small step felt good. Once he knew where he stood on the legalities of everything, he’d contact Callie and Nick and have that long-overdue sit-down with them.

  He hoped the attorney’s office would be able to set up an appointment for him within the next couple of days. Now that he’d taken that first step, he wanted things to move along rapidly. Rather than pace the floors until he had to report to work, he went outside to tinker with his motorcycle’s engine. Considering how long it had been since he’d ridden the Harley regularly, it could use a tune-up. He’d picked up everything he needed a few days ago and just hadn’t had time to do the work.

  Naturally, the minute he got his hands greasy his phone rang. After wiping his hands on a rag, he checked to see who was calling. Good, it was his attorney, Troy Nash. That was quick service.

  “Hey, Troy! Thanks for calling me back.” He glanced at his watch. “Especially so early. Isn’t this before office hours?”

  “Yeah, it is, but I have to be in court and came in to pick up some files. When I heard your message, I wanted to get right back to you. The truth is that I’d expected to hear from you long before now, Spence. Are you doing okay? Really?”

  The man had always been a straight shooter. The concern in his voice was genuine, so Spence gave him an honest answer rather than the bullshit response he gave most people. “I won’t deny seeing my own headstone was a total freak-out moment, but I’m doing okay. And, yeah, I should’ve gotten in touch with you as soon as I got back, but . . . well, I just wasn’t up to dealing with anything complicated.”

  “And now?”

  There was no easy answer. “I can’t make any long-range plans until I get everything straightened out. Besides, there are other people who will be directly impacted by any decisions I make.”

  As usual, Troy didn’t pull any punches. “Callie and Nick have called a couple of times.”

  “I figured as much. Sorry if I’ve put you in a tough position.”

  To his surprise, the other man just laughed. “That’s why you pay me the big bucks. Is there anything you want me to tell them?”

  “Not yet. I need to know my options and what kind of fucked-up tangled mess my lack of being dead has created for everybody.”

  He meant that last part to be a joke, but Troy didn’t take it that way. For the first time, there was a thread of ice-cold anger in his voice. “Not funny, Spence. No one gives a rat’s ass how tangled things are. Not me, not Callie, and for damn sure, not your two buddies. All that matters is that you came home. Got that?”

  Well, shit. “Sorry, Troy. I really do know that. Sometimes my mouth goes out of control, but then that’s always been a problem for me.” He drew a slow breath. “What I should’ve said is that I can’t fix things with Callie and Nick until I know what my options are.”

  After a brief silence, Troy said, “Apology accepted. So, what does your schedule look like?”

  “After today, it’s wide open. Pick a time that works for you, and I’ll be there.”

  “How about nine o’clock tomorrow morning? We can start later, if you’d rather, but I want to make sure we have plenty of time to go through everything.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Damn, it will be good to see you, Spence. I’ve missed you. After we get all this legal crap settled, we should hit the lodge for a steak dinner, my treat.”

  One of the reasons Spence had always liked Troy was his down-to-earth attitude about everything, even though he could play legal hardball with the best of them. “Sounds good, Troy. Now I should let you go and get ready for work. See you tomorrow.”

  After Troy hung up, Spence forced himself to make the next call on his list. It rang twice before Callie answered, “Spence?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.” As if she didn’t know that from the caller ID on her cell phone. “I wanted to let you know that I’m meeting with my attorney tomorrow morning. Not sure how that’s going to play out, but I thought you’d want to know.”

  “I appreciate that.” There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “You might not want to hear this, but I really miss you. I miss what we had. Do you think we’ll get past all of this?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the pain that came with the truths he needed to share with her. “I hope so, Callie. I really do. I know now that what we shared is different than what you have with Nick. I g
uess I’d hoped that’s what the two of us would have someday. I am trying my best to be happy for the two of you. He’s a good soldier and a good man.”

  “He really is. He misses you, too, you know.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Kind of, anyway.

  Callie’s voice perked up. “Do you want to talk to him? He’s right here.”

  Hell no, but at least he had a better excuse than simply not wanting to talk to Sarge right now. “I can’t, Callie. I’m on my way out. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for work.”

  He was relieved to finally disconnect the call. Obviously he’d been wrong about nothing dulling his good mood after last night. The thought of wading through piles of papers and making one hard decision after another made him queasy. At least having to drive the truck all day followed by another evening of getting greasy with Will would help distract him.

  “Mooch, come on, buddy. It’s time to leave for work.”

  At some point, he would text Melanie to check on her. He hoped she would have a better day than she’d had yesterday. They hadn’t made any plans for tonight after he got off, but maybe he could coax her into sharing some more of her ice cream. Smiling at the prospect, he headed for the millworks, his good mood back in full swing.

  • • •

  It had been one of those days when there simply weren’t enough hours to finish everything Melanie needed to get done. At least that meant the hours had flown by, something to be grateful for. It hadn’t come as much of a surprise that Mrs. Cuthbert had called in sick for a second day. And who knows, maybe she really wasn’t feeling well. Recent events had to have come as a shock to her.

  Melanie was relieved not to have to face her when she was running on so little sleep. The emotional high from the night she and Spence had spent together had given her enough energy to carry her through the morning and well into the afternoon. Unfortunately, she’d finally hit the wall long before she could go home, at least not without carrying a big load of guilt with her.

  There was one more decision to make before she could leave. She picked up the envelope emblazoned with the name of the local country club and studied it. Her family had been members from the day the place had opened its doors. Who knew how many rounds of golf her father had played there with his buddies? And her mother had headed up at least one of the major committees every year.

  The Wolfes had also financially supported the winter charity ball and auction every year. She had a sinking feeling that’s what the letter was about. Using her father’s silver letter opener, she slit the top of the envelope and pulled out the thick piece of paper. After scanning the brief note, she dropped it on the desk before walking over to stare out the window. The contents didn’t surprise her. It was only reasonable for them to ask the Wolfes for their usual annual donation.

  Her mother would expect her to make the donation, even if the company couldn’t afford it this year. Melanie was surprised by her own urge to reach for her checkbook—and it wasn’t simply to delay the rumors that would be sure to fly around town about the fragile state of the family finances.

  It had nothing to do with the family image. Instead, she considered how many people benefited from the charity ball. Her trust fund would take a hit, but it was all for a good cause.

  Her decision made, she sat down and wrote out a check, wincing at the number of zeros she had to write. This might be the last year the Wolfe family would participate, but she’d reach out to help her neighbors as long as she possibly could. It was the right thing to do, and she felt good when she signed the check and put it in the envelope to go out in the morning’s mail.

  The last of the machines in the factory below had gone silent half an hour ago, and the offices in the upper balcony had emptied out shortly afterward. Now she could leave in good conscience, turning off the lights before making her way downstairs.

  As soon as she reached the main floor, a familiar bark rang out, accompanied by the scrabble of a dog trying to get traction on the slick concrete floor. Knowing what—or who—was coming, she set her laptop and purse down on a handy worktable and braced herself for some serious doggy love.

  Sure enough, Mooch came charging straight toward her at a dead run, only pausing to detour around the clutter of machines, carts, and tools when he was too tall to go under them. From somewhere on the far side of the factory, she heard Spence mutter a curse and something about how good a doggy skin rug would look on the front porch.

  Both she and the dog knew he was all bluff and bluster. She retreated to sit on the steps and waited for Mooch to join her. Two seconds later, he was sprawled on her lap and panting as if he’d run a mile. A couple of slurpy doggy kisses washed away the last bit of strain from her long afternoon. When Spence finally arrived on the scene, she and Mooch each offered him a grin.

  She jingled Mooch’s army-style dog tags. “I can’t believe you threatened to skin a fellow veteran, Corporal Lang.”

  Spence stood there with his hands on his hips and glared at the unrepentant dog. “He disobeyed a direct order. I told him the only way he could come with me tonight was if he stayed right where I was working.”

  She patted the dog on his head. “You’d better get back where you belong, Mooch. Besides, I’d like a moment alone with your owner.”

  As soon as she shoved the dog off her lap, he trotted back across the factory. About halfway across, he stopped to bark, sounding for all the world as if he were telling Spence to get a move on.

  “Sounds like you got your marching orders, too.” She gathered up her things. “I’ll get going and let you get back to what you were doing. The sooner you get done here, the sooner we can . . . well, I’m sure we’ll think of something to do.”

  She was surprised the answering flare of heat in Spence’s eyes didn’t set off the overhead sprinkler system. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  As they walked back across the factory, he shoved his hands in his back pockets. She liked to think he was doing it because he was having a hard time keeping them off her. She was glad to have her own full with her laptop and purse for the same reason.

  When they reached the door, he stared up at the evening sky. “I just met with my attorney this morning to get the ball rolling on straightening everything out. I also called Callie to let her know.”

  She knew those hadn’t been easy calls for him to make. “Good for you, Spence. I’m sure you don’t believe it now, but you’ll feel better when you get it all figured out and know what to do. I could go with you next time if it would help.”

  He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her lips. “Thanks for the offer, but this is something I need to do on my own. See you soon.”

  Melanie watched as he disappeared back into the factory, wishing there was something more she could do to help him get through all of this. Her heart ached to see him struggling so hard to pull his life back together. She needed him to succeed not just for his sake, but for her own as well. Because if Spence could make sense of his new reality and get on with his life, well, maybe then she could do the same.

  Chapter 17

  Two hours after arriving at the Reddings’ house on Saturday night, Spence was on his second beer and his third helping of Mama R.’s rhubarb coffee cake. She’d really pulled out all the stops tonight and prepared way more dishes than four people could eat. All of his favorites were there, and she’d promised to send him home with a load of the leftovers. He’d barely made a dent in the last batch of food she’d brought him, but he wasn’t about to complain.

  While he’d figured Mama R. would make every effort to ensure that he and Melanie felt welcome, he hadn’t been as sure about her husband. As it turned out, he hadn’t needed to worry about it. Mr. Redding had kept up a low-key discussion about sports and the chances of his favorite teams to have a good season.

  No, Spence’s sudden tension had nothing at all to do with thei
r host and hostess, but with his growing conviction that someone was watching his every move. He’d experienced the same burning itch on the back of his neck whenever the enemy had been lying in wait for them back in Afghanistan. He set his plate down and stepped away from the picnic table.

  “Spence?”

  He ignored Melanie’s worried question and kept his eyes trained on the tree line, straining hard to see if he could pinpoint the enemy’s location. There—just to the right of the path that led to his family home. Adrenaline pumped hard and fast through his veins, sending his senses into hyperdrive. When Melanie moved to stand beside him, he shoved her behind him. “Stay there. I promise I’ll keep you safe. Whoever is out there will have to go through me to get to you.”

  Mr. Redding tried to intervene, his voice level and soft. “Easy, soldier. No one is out there, and no one is after Melanie. Just look around. You’re not down-country anymore. You’re right here in Snowberry Creek at our house.”

  When the older man put a restraining hand on Spence’s shoulder, he shook it off. “I know where I am, sir, but there is someone out there. Watching and waiting.”

  And the closest thing he had to a weapon was a three-inch Swiss Army knife in his front pocket. One of the steak knives would’ve been better, but Melanie and Mama R. had already cleared the table of everything but the dessert dishes.

  Mr. Redding stood his ground at Spence’s side, but he clearly wasn’t happy. “Melanie, why don’t you go inside the house with my wife? I’ll stay out here with Spence.”

  Neither woman moved an inch. Melanie spoke from behind him. “Spence, do you think it could be Leif or Nick out there? I know they weren’t supposed to come over tonight, but I’m betting one of them couldn’t resist the chance to check on you.”

  Even if her suggestion made sense, he was too caught up in the moment to back down. One way or another, he was going to confront the intruder. He started forward, heading right for the path with his hands clenched in fists. Mooch fell into step beside him, but the Reddings’ dog and the three humans stayed right where they were. Good. No matter what happened, he didn’t want them to get caught in the middle.