A Reason to Love Page 5

  As soon she spotted him, she immediately closed the folder she’d been reading. “Good morning.”

  He nodded, still unsure how to proceed. “Good morning.”

  Then she glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. “Or I guess I should have said good afternoon. The coffeepot is on the far counter, and the mugs are in the cabinet right above it. I made a run to Bridey Roke’s new coffee shop and picked up half a dozen of her best muffins. Pile your stuff on the counter and help yourself.”

  “Thanks, Mel.”

  Was it just him or was her smile looking a bit forced? As he rattled around fixing his coffee and picking out a couple of the muffins, he noticed her eyes kept straying back to that folder. If he had to guess, he wasn’t the reason behind whatever had her so worried. What was going on?

  He sat down across the round table from her and took his time peeling the wrapper off the first muffin. “I hope your mother wasn’t too upset about me crashing here last night.”

  Melanie flinched. “Not a problem. She doesn’t know.”

  Interesting. “So maybe I should go before she and your father come home and find out. I don’t want to cause you any problems. And before I forget, thanks for hanging out with me last night. I know I wasn’t the best company.”

  Her smile brightened a bit. “Believe it or not, I rather enjoyed myself.”

  He looked up from his coffee to see if she really meant that. It wouldn’t have surprised him if she was yanking his chain, but her smile now looked more genuine. “Really? Sitting in a dive watching me try to drink the place dry was a good time? You must not get out much.”

  Okay, he’d meant that last part as a joke, but she took him seriously. Melanie’s smile faded as she explained, “You might not have heard, but my father passed away unexpectedly last summer. I came back to help my mother get things settled, so it’s been a while since I’ve had time for much of anything other than work. By comparison, hanging out in a bar for an evening was a vast improvement, not to mention Liam serves a mean burger.”

  Okay, then. He got that. It wasn’t as if his life had been filled with grins and giggles lately, either. As good as the burger had been, if he were to choose the high point of the evening, it would have been dancing with Melanie. Especially during that slow song there at the end.

  The memory of how it had felt to hold her in his arms came rushing back. It left him hungry for more of the same, especially since he’d always had a weakness for leggy redheads. The downside was that this was Melanie Wolfe. He didn’t need her mother to tell him that Mel was off-limits, especially for damaged goods like him.

  Despite Spence’s best intentions, his dick chose that moment to surge back to life for the first time since . . . hell, he couldn’t remember. A lot of things had gotten scrambled when that IED had . . . No, he couldn’t think about that day and what had come afterward. He also ignored his body’s interest in the woman seated across from him as he shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. After everything he’d been through, maybe he should be grateful that the damn thing still worked, but now wasn’t the time or the place. And God knows, Melanie wasn’t the right woman.

  He needed to hit the road before he did something stupid. With that in mind, he stuffed the final bite of muffin in his mouth and swallowed hard. After washing it down with the last gulp of his coffee, he put his mug in the dishwasher. “I should get going before your mom gets back. I don’t want to cause you any trouble, not after everything you did for me last night.”

  “She’s not coming back.”

  Melanie looked as if she’d just bitten into a lemon. He returned to the table and sat back down. “As in not today or as in not ever?”

  She shrugged and let out a long breath. “To tell the truth, I don’t really know. Mom took my father’s death hard, and everything else that’s happened since has only made it worse.”

  Melanie gave that same folder another worried look before continuing. “After he died, I took a leave of absence from my job in Spokane to come stay with her, but I never expected to be here this long. My boss at the library was pretty patient, but I eventually had to resign. When that happened, I gave up my apartment and put all my stuff into storage.”

  She looked around the kitchen and sighed. “Sometimes it feels like I’m living in one of those extended-stay places.”

  Not that it was really any of Spence’s business, but right now Melanie looked as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her slender shoulders. “So where did your mom go?”

  “About three weeks after the funeral, she packed a bag and drove down to Portland to visit her older sister. That was months ago. My aunt keeps me posted on how she’s doing. It’s not good.”

  Well, shit. Last night Melanie had stood toe-to-toe with him, refusing to back down an inch. She’d bullied him into eating his hamburger and into getting into her car. He might have no memory of how he came to be in that bed upstairs, but he’d bet his last dollar she’d been beside him every step of the way, nagging him into taking care of business.

  Right now Mel looked as if a stiff breeze would blow her away. He might not know her all that well, but he recognized desperate when he saw it. It had to be lonely rattling around in this behemoth of a house all by herself.

  Speaking of which, “Is it the help’s day off or something? I haven’t heard anyone else moving around.”

  “Our housekeeper retired right after Mom left, and the maid only comes once a month to do the heavy cleaning. With just me living here, things don’t get very messy.”

  There had to be more to that story than she was telling him. Why else would she be biting her lip as if struggling to hold back something?

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  To give her credit, she hesitated a few seconds before shaking her head. “Not at the moment, but thanks for the offer. The main problem is that I’ve had to learn the family business from the ground up and on the fly. I’ve made progress, but it’s been a lot to absorb all at once. I’m trained to do research, so gathering the pertinent information is easy. It’s figuring out what to do with it that’s the problem.”

  Spence leaned forward to rest his arms on the table and stared her straight in the eye. “You will call me if there’s anything I can do.”

  He put enough emphasis in his words to make sure she understood not only that he meant it, but that he also expected that call. Before she could argue, Spence changed the subject. “I hate to ask, but can you give me a ride to the bar? I need to get my motorcycle back from that guy Liam so I can start looking for a place to live.”

  She was already up and moving. Without being asked, she got him a small backpack to dump his gear in and then dug her keys out of her purse. “So it sounds like you’re back in Snowberry Creek to stay.”

  “I’m back, but that’s as much as I can say at this point. I’m not going to reenlist in the army, but I haven’t had time to make any solid plans. I just need a place to roost temporarily.”

  She bit her lower lip and studied him for several seconds. “There aren’t a lot of rentals here in town, and the nearest motels are all the way back out on the interstate. What kind of place are you looking for? An apartment or a house?”

  Something else he hadn’t thought much about. He supposed by rights he could move back into his family home, but that didn’t feel right. Either way, it hurt to think about Callie and Nick living there together. He wasn’t ready to poke that nest of snakes yet.

  Melanie was already heading out the back door. He slung the strap of the pack over his shoulder and hurried after her. Outside, he stopped to think about what he did want. Hell, he had no idea. He ran his hands over his head in frustration and found the familiar feel of his military buzz cut soothing. “I’m not picky. Got any suggestions?”

  “Yeah, actually I do.”

  A set of keys came f
lying over her shoulder right at him. “What are these?”

  “The keys to the housekeeper’s cottage. It has a separate driveway off the street that runs behind our property. It’s probably in need of a thorough cleaning, but it is furnished. You can stay there for as long as you want.”

  He didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure, Melanie? How much is the rent?”

  Not that it mattered. It didn’t sound as if he’d have many other choices here in town. She named a figure that had him shaking his head. “That’s not nearly enough, Melanie. I might not have lived in the area for a long time, but I do know rents are higher than that.”

  She didn’t answer until they were both in the car. “Fine. I’ll drop you off at the bar and then run some errands. You check out the house and see what you think. If it will suit your needs, stop by later and make me an offer.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Even sight unseen, he already knew he was going to take it. Just like she said, there were never many rental properties in Snowberry Creek. Even if he could find an apartment on such short notice, he’d have to spend a lot of time and money buying even the bare essentials to make the place livable. Part of getting his life back on track involved deciding if he could stand to live in the same town as Callie and his other former best friends.

  Just thinking about Leif and Nick had him wanting to punch something. Yeah, the chances of making Snowberry Creek his permanent home seemed pretty slim. Renting the cottage from Melanie would be the perfect short-term answer.

  Now if only he could find such easy answers to all of his other problems. Rather than dwell on things he couldn’t change, he turned his attention to studying the small business district that formed the core of his hometown. He smiled as they drove past the Creek Café. Some things never changed, including Frannie’s menu. Her prices might go up, but the food stayed the same. She never got any complaints about it, either.

  There were a few new businesses, but the character of the town was the same. People waved, most likely at Melanie. He wasn’t sure if anyone recognized him, although he’d guess by now the news of his return had spread like wildfire.

  At the next stoplight, she asked, “Did you ever think you’d end up back here?”

  Interesting question. He gave it some thought. “I don’t know. Maybe eventually, but not this soon. I’d planned to stay in the army long enough to earn a pension. That’s not going to happen now, but I haven’t had enough time to make other plans.”

  He glanced in her direction. “I guess neither of us meant to end up back in Snowberry Creek, but here we are.”

  She grimaced. “Yeah, lucky us.”

  Before he could think of how to respond, they’d reached the bar. Melanie looked around at the empty parking lot. “I didn’t think about it being Sunday or that the bar might not be open. I’ll wait to make sure Liam’s around so you can get your motorcycle back.”

  Spence got out and headed for the door. Sure enough, it was locked. He pounded on it a few times with his fist. He waited a few seconds to see if there was any response and then tried again. This time, he heard someone on the other side of the door. Luck was with him, because it was Liam who opened the door.

  “You survived, I see. I had my doubts.”

  “So did I.” Spence laughed. “Thanks for taking my keys.”

  “Anytime. I’ll go get them.”

  While Liam disappeared back into the bar, Spence jogged back over to where Melanie was waiting for him. He leaned down to look at her. “He’s getting my keys, so you can go. Thanks again for everything, and I’ll let you know about the cottage this afternoon.”

  “Sounds good. I should be home in a couple of hours.”

  He patted the top of the car. “See you then.”

  Spence started to walk away but immediately turned back. “If you don’t have plans for dinner, why don’t I pick up something for both of us? Do you have a preference?”

  She didn’t even hesitate. “I’m not picky, especially when I don’t have to do the cooking.”

  He’d made the offer on impulse, but it pleased him more than it should have that she accepted. “Okay, then. I’ll drop by around six.”

  “See you then, Spence. Tell Liam hello for me.”

  Spence stood back out of the way as she drove away, the whole time debating whether he’d actually deliver her message. He had no claim on Melanie. She was only being friendly, so there was no reason to be a jerk about it. It wasn’t as if this dump was the kind of place she’d start hanging out in on a nightly basis.

  The man in question reappeared. Liam tossed Spence his keys. “It’s in the garage in back. Come on, and I’ll unlock it for you.”

  As he unfastened the old-fashioned padlock on the door, Liam gave Spence a sheepish look. “I have a confession to make. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a Harley that nice. I took it for a couple of laps around the block before I put it away.”

  Spence wanted to be mad, but he owed the guy for how he’d treated both him and Melanie the night before. Liam had gone above and beyond for the two of them. “Not a problem. I would’ve done the same.”

  He climbed on and started the engine. “Thanks again. And Melanie said to say hi.”

  Liam nodded. “Your lady is good people. Stop in again sometime.”

  “Will do.”

  Spence revved the engine and headed back toward Melanie’s to check out the cottage. As he did, he realized he should’ve told Liam that Mel wasn’t his. Next time, maybe he’d do that. But then again, maybe not.

  Chapter 6

  Melanie let herself into the corner office, one of several that made up the second-floor interior balcony. It used to be her father’s, and it still felt strange to think of it as hers. It didn’t help that the factory down below was eerily quiet. During the workweek, a constant cacophony of machinery echoed throughout the two-story structure as the employees made the custom-order doors, cabinets, and other wood products that were the company’s mainstays. As a librarian, she was used to working in relatively quiet conditions. Here in the small millworks that had been in her family for generations, silence was a rarity.

  Since taking over the company after her father’s death, Melanie had slowly become more accustomed to the endless racket made by power saws, nail guns, lathes, and forklifts, but some days it was still too much. Whenever she really needed to concentrate, she came in on weekends, when the crew was off.

  At least today, she didn’t plan to stay long. The payroll report was finished, and Melanie just needed to review it before signing off so the paychecks could go out on Wednesday. It was one of the jobs she always saved for when she was alone. Reading the numbers always left her feeling a bit sick. No matter how many different ways she looked at them, they all added up to an ugly truth she could no longer deny. The time was coming when she was going to have to start laying off employees if she couldn’t create a better balance between the red ink and the black on the bottom line. Once that happened, it might be only a matter of time before Wolfe Millworks would have to close its doors for good.

  “Dad, how could you have let it all get this out of hand?”

  Her one-sided conversations with her father were the other reason she liked to be alone when she worked on the company’s books. She knew the downturn in the building industry wasn’t Edmond Wolfe’s fault. However, as far as she could tell, he’d ignored the harsh reality of the changing economy until it was far too late. That part was all on him.

  She’d never bad-mouth her father in front of the employees, but in private she had plenty to say to him. Not only had he let the business nearly go broke, but he’d exhausted most of his personal savings and then borrowed against the family home in an effort to make ends meet.

  The only reason she could continue to pay the bills at all was that he hadn’t been able to touch the trust fund that her gr
andmother had left her. If he’d asked, she would’ve given him the money, but all things considered, it was better that hadn’t happened. As much as she hated to say it, he would’ve run through it and still not gotten the business back on track.

  All she could do was keep moving forward. There was no changing the past. With that bit of wisdom, she opened up the file Bertie had left for her. She didn’t bother double-checking the bookkeeper’s figures. Bertie might do everything the old-fashioned way, but she did it right. The only trouble was that her system was decades out of date, just another of the problems that Melanie needed to deal with.

  Somehow the company had to be dragged into the twenty-first century, but it was slow going and not just because of the financial issues. The sudden death of Melanie’s father had come as a shock to everyone, especially the long-term employees. Most weren’t ready to accept Melanie as the new face of the company leadership. It didn’t help that a lot of them had watched her grow up.

  Their attitude would have pissed her off, but she couldn’t really blame them. She was out of her comfort zone, and they all knew it. If there had been enough money, maybe she could’ve hired someone to step in to take over. Well, that wasn’t happening. No one worth having would work for the pittance she could afford to pay right now.

  She scanned the report, initialed the paperwork, and then signed the stack of checks. The whole process took her less than an hour but left her right hand cramping from holding the pen too tightly. Tension did that to a person.

  When she was finished with the last one, she gathered up all the papers and locked them in the safe. With that job out of the way, she reviewed the work orders they had lined up for the week and sighed with relief. There was enough to keep everyone busy, a welcome improvement over the winter months. The number of new jobs still wasn’t great, but it was definitely better.

  Done for the day, she locked up and headed downstairs and out to the parking lot. At least it was sunny outside. At this time of the year, the rain the Pacific Northwest was famous for could blow in with no warning. She’d been planning on working out in the yard that afternoon.