A Reason to Love (20 page)

Spence intervened. “Go ahead, Leif. You don’t need to play referee.”

He wasn’t sure which one of them Leif looked more disgusted with. Most likely it was a tie. “Fine, but I’m not part of this. You two can bash each other’s brains out as far as I’m concerned. Just know, Nick, if you end up bleeding, you’re riding home in the back of the truck.”

After Leif left the booth and limped his way across the bar to disappear into the parking lot outside, Nick got up in Spence’s face. “I’ll take a rain check on that punch, Spence, but you fucking well better never say anything like that again. For the record, if I hadn’t thought you were dead and buried, I wouldn’t have gone near Callie. As it was, all I meant to do was find a permanent home for your dog and then move on. I never expected to fall in love with her.”

He retreated a step. “I was pretty much a basket case when I got here, thinking I’d gotten you killed, not to mention what happened to Leif. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if it hadn’t been for her.”

Spence knew a lot about living with guilt. He’d lived every minute he was in captivity thinking both his friends were dead. He might have been in hell, but he’d still been breathing. “Sarge, I’d be one sorry excuse for a human being if I can’t eventually figure out how to be happy for my two best friends. I might still struggle with it a bit, but I’m trying.”

He stuck his hand out and hoped Nick would accept the peace offering. When he did, Spence felt as though one small piece of his life was settling back into place.

“Now, we’d better head outside and let Leif know we’re not going to kill each other, at least not over this. I’m sure some other reason will come up eventually, though.”

Nick laughed. “Something always does.”

On their way past the bar, Spence called out to Liam, “Good news. We’re making it out of here without spilling any blood or beer on your nice clean floor. It was close, though.”

Liam was busy stacking glasses on the back counter. “Glad to hear it. Leif’s already been arrested in here once. I’m thinking Gage Logan wouldn’t take kindly to a repeat performance.”

Spence waved and followed Nick toward the door. “Seriously? Leif got arrested? Where were you in all of this?”

“I was finishing up my time with the army.”

When they reached the parking lot, Nick looked around for Leif. Once he spotted him sitting in his truck, he turned back around. “The damn fool hooked up with your buddy Mitch Calder, and the two of them decided to take on some of the local talent. From what I heard, with Mooch’s help, they made a fair showing for themselves. Luckily, Liam didn’t press charges, but Gage made Leif attend the veterans’ support group meeting.”

Nick closed his eyes and took a slow breath. “That was before his last round of surgery, and he was still hoping for a full recovery. Obviously that didn’t happen, but Zoe has helped him find some peace with that. The meetings help, too. We both go sometimes.”

“That’s good, Sarge.” Spence gave Nick a light punch on the arm. “I’ll call Callie to set up a time to talk to her.”

Nick still didn’t look happy about that, but he simply nodded. “I’ll tell her. I’ll also tell her about the house. She won’t think you’re being fair to yourself, Wheels. I feel the same way, so don’t be surprised if we come up with a counteroffer that we’ll all be able to live with.”

“You can try, but no promises.”

Now that they were talking again, it was hard to walk away. Spence made himself take that first step to prove to himself he could do it. “I’ve got to get back to Mooch. He wasn’t happy when I dropped him off at the cottage before coming here to meet you.”

“Tell the mutt hi for me.”

Nick started toward Leif’s truck but turned back. “About Callie. You might want to meet her at the park along the river and bring Mooch. She misses him.”

Not to mention it was a public place, meaning Spence wouldn’t be alone with her behind closed doors. He didn’t call Nick on it. “Sounds good, Sarge. Let me know about the house.”

He headed for the station wagon. It had been a long day, and he ached as if he’d been on a forced march in the desert with a full pack and new boots. Once he got back to the cottage, he’d let Mooch out, let Melanie know he’d survived, and then hit the rack.

M
elanie sipped her tea and stared at the succinct message on her phone. “Well, at least he kept his promise to let me know he was okay.”

That didn’t mean she was satisfied. She wanted details, or at least more than Spence’s text that simply said
I survived.
Darn the man, didn’t he know she’d been worried about him? Maybe he didn’t care. After all, from the start they’d both said no promises and no demands. Those words, spoken with such sincerity at the time, now stabbed her in the chest. After all they’d shared, would he eventually ride out of town with no more than a friendly wave as he disappeared into the distance? Or more likely, another text message, something along the lines of
I’m out of here. See you around?

No, she wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

They both had things on their minds, a lot of stuff to deal with and get through somehow. This wasn’t the time to let emotional entanglements take over. Neither of them knew how their lives were going to play out, especially over the next few months. Who knew where she’d be living a year from now? If she couldn’t get the bank loan, she’d have to close down the company, and it would be time to move on from Snowberry Creek.

Another flash of pain ripped through her. When she’d first taken on managing the millworks, she resented having to uproot her own life for the sake of those who depended on it for their living. Now she didn’t want to fail either herself or her employees. That didn’t mean she was happy living here. Not Snowberry Creek, but specifically here in Wolfe House. She’d long grown tired of living out of a suitcase. Yeah, she’d unpacked, but she hadn’t really moved in, either. She missed having her own place and living surrounded by her own possessions.

She strolled down the hallway and into the living room, pausing to pick up a knickknack here and then a framed family portrait there. The artfully arranged clutter left her cold. It was like living in a museum or maybe a hotel, a place people passed through but never left their mark on.

It was time to confront her mother on that particular subject. If she wasn’t interested in coming back to live in Snowberry Creek, maybe it was time to put the house on the market. If they could get out from underneath the weight of the place, financially as well as emotionally, they could move on with their lives.

Rather than stay a minute longer when the walls were closing in on her, Melanie picked up her keys and purse off the counter. Maybe a quick trip to Something’s Brewing would improve her mood. A tall coffee with a dash of cinnamon and one of Bridey’s wickedly good brownies sounded pretty good about now. She closed the door behind her, putting its solid weight between her and the oppressive gloom that was her family home.

•   •   •

As she drove down Main Street, she wondered if Bridey would have time to sit down with her even for a few minutes. Probably not. Sunday was a busy day for her friend. If the shop was crowded, maybe the two of them could at least make plans to meet later in the week for dinner. They hadn’t gotten together for a girls’ night out in ages, especially since Bridey had Seth in her life. It was the same with Callie, although right now Melanie wasn’t so sure Callie would be interested in hanging out with her.

On the other hand, it was time for Melanie to make the first move toward repairing their relationship. They’d been friends too long to let anything come between them. Besides, in a town the size of Snowberry Creek, it wasn’t as if they could avoid each other forever. No sooner did that thought cross her mind when she caught a glimpse of the woman in question standing in the park as she drove by. It was as if Melanie had conjured Callie just by thinking about her.

She circled the block to head back to the park. Feeling better than she had all morning, Melanie parked her car and took off across the small rise that led to the creek, hoping to catch up with her friend.

But as she reached the top of the slope, Melanie came to a screeching halt. She’d found Callie all right. It was the person next to her who had Melanie gritting her teeth: Spence. She watched as the couple spoke briefly and then embraced. Not exactly one of those quick, haven’t-seen-an-old-friend-in-a-long-time hugs, either. Afterward, the two of them walked over to sit down at a picnic table with Spence talking a mile a minute the entire time. Why hadn’t he told Melanie that he had plans to see Callie? And where was Nick? She wanted to walk right up to the pair and ask, but she had enough of her mother’s fear of making a scene in her to ensure that she wouldn’t confront them. Not now.

But later, when she had a chance to corner Spence alone, she would get to the bottom of things. She backed down the rise, intending to return to her car. Unfortunately, she didn’t make her escape fast enough. Mooch came flying straight at her, barking as if he hadn’t seen her in weeks. Now what should she do? If she continued her headlong retreat toward the busy parking lot, that would only lead her furry friend right into danger. She might be mad at his owner, but she wouldn’t risk Mooch getting hurt.

“Come here, boy.”

The dog clearly thought it was a game and danced in and out of her reach. She finally succeeded in grabbing him by his collar. Kneeling beside Mooch, she debated what to do next. That decision was made for her when she heard Spence yelling the dog’s name. Great. There was no way to avoid him now. Despite her current mood, she wouldn’t let him worry about the dog.

“Come on, Mooch.”

She kept a firm hand on the dog’s collar as they walked back toward where she’d last seen Callie and Spence. Sure enough, there they were, both spinning in circles looking for the dog and calling his name.

She waited until Spence turned in her direction and called out, “I’ve got him.”

His relief was obvious as he immediately headed straight for the two of them. There wasn’t a touch of guilt in his expression, and Callie’s entire focus was on the dog when she caught up with them. “Thank goodness you happened by, Mel.”

Then she shook her finger at the dog. “Darn you, Mooch. Don’t you dare scare us like that again.”

Yeah, like that impressed the dog if his tail wagging like crazy was any indication. Right now he looked all too happy to have three of his favorite people surrounding him. Melanie relinquished control of the dog once Spence slipped the end of Mooch’s leash through his collar and tied a solid knot to keep it there. When he straightened up, he gave the dog a disgusted look. “We were standing there talking when he took a big lunge forward and snapped the damn clip right off his leash.”

“Well, now that you’ve got him under control, I’m out of here.”

She had made it about five steps when Callie said something to Spence, but she spoke too softly for Melanie to make out what it was. She kept right on walking, not happy to be the topic of further conversation between them. Unfortunately, the sound of running footsteps warned her that she wasn’t going to make a clean escape. A few seconds later, Mooch cut her off at the pass, with his master following right on his heels.

Spence stopped right in front of her, leaving her only two choices: stand her ground or try to outrun a man who was nearly a foot taller than she was. Opting for what dignity she could muster, she said, “Was there something you wanted, Spence?”

“Callie thought you looked upset, Mel. Is something wrong?”

She forced herself to meet his gaze head-on. “I saw Callie in the park and thought I’d ask her if she wanted to get together for a girls’ night out. I hadn’t realized that the two of you were . . . well, that she was here to see you. I didn’t want to intrude and was trying to leave when Mooch spotted me. Now I’ll just be going.”

He caught her arm before she could make good on that decision. “You don’t have to leave.”

Seriously, she had to spell it out for him? She glanced back toward Callie. “Yes, I do. The two of you obviously have a lot to talk about.”

Then, before Spence could stop her again, she marched past him, determined that this time he wouldn’t prevent her from reaching the sanctuary of her car. When he fell into step beside her, she wanted to scream. “Look, don’t you have something better to do than bother me?”

“Nope. In fact, I was hoping you’d give me and Mooch a ride back to the cottage. We walked here.”

By this point, she was nearly running. “Then you can walk back. That’s what you would have done if I hadn’t happened along.”

“Actually, I would’ve gotten a lift from Callie.”

She glanced back toward the park to where Callie stood watching the two of them with a funny look on her face. What was that all about? “It’s not too late. She’s still back there. I’m sure she’d be only too glad to take you home.”

They’d reached her car. She pressed the button to unlock the driver’s door. There was no way she was going to double-click it and let him in the passenger side. She tried to yank the door open. Before she could, Spence shoved his way between her and the door, successfully blocking her one escape route.

“Move, Spence.”

No dice. She counted to ten, keeping her eyes focused on the logo on his faded T-shirt, and tried again. “Move, Spence. Please.”

Still he stood there, a solid mass of sculpted muscle and sheer stubbornness. What kind of game was he playing now? Frustrated beyond all measure, she snapped her gaze up to his, only to realize she’d badly miscalculated. He wasn’t playing any game. Instead, he was clearly furious. What did
he
have to be mad about? She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to explain.

•   •   •

God save him from stubborn women. He’d just had words with Callie when she’d totally refused to accept the house as an outright gift. She and Nick would only consider his offer as long as he let them make him their partner in the bed-and-breakfast. She’d opened the negotiations insisting he retain seventy-five percent ownership in the house until they could afford to buy him out. He’d bargained her down to twenty-five percent, with them taking the seventy-five percent majority for doing all the remodeling and then managing the place.

Her look of triumph when she accepted made it clear that he’d been had. He should’ve known she was up to something when she’d conceded so quickly. At least he wouldn’t have to be involved in the day-to-day details of running the place, but it would give him a permanent tie to Nick and Callie. His heart said that was a good thing.

Now he was standing there facing off with Melanie. Until Callie had pointed out that she’d acted upset, he’d had no idea anything was wrong. It would’ve helped if Callie had been a little more specific about her suspicions before sending him after Melanie. He was in no mood to play guessing games.

For the third time, the woman in question glared up at him and said, “Move.”

No way in hell was he going to let her drive away and leave him standing there wondering when and how they’d gone off the rails. “I will after you tell me exactly what it is that I’ve done wrong.”

“Oh, brother. You can’t possibly be that dense.” She rolled her eyes, her mouth set in that tight-lipped way that was guaranteed to make any male see red.

If it had been anyone else, he would have said “fuck it” and walked away, but this was Melanie. He’d developed a real talent for ignoring emotions, so he counted to ten and tossed his anger aside. Brushing a strand of her softer-than-silk hair back from her face, he aimed for calm and said, “Come on, Mel. I get that you’re upset. Since we haven’t even spoken since yesterday morning, I’m finding it hard to figure out exactly what I’ve done wrong.”

She angled her head to look past him to where he’d been standing with Callie, but she still didn’t explain. Suddenly, it clicked. “Son of a bitch, you think I’m meeting Callie on the sly? That the two of us are sneaking around together on Nick?”

She wouldn’t look at him, but the bright flush on her cheeks was answer enough. “Seriously, Mel?” He laughed but there wasn’t much humor in it. “I’m not sure which one of us you’re insulting more by thinking Callie would cheat on Nick or that I would cheat on you like that.”

Melanie jerked as if she’d been hit. What was going on in that pretty head of hers? “I admit I was jealous, but that’s not what I was thinking. Not exactly, anyway.”

Damn, he would’ve thought she knew him better than that, but then maybe not. It wasn’t as if the two of them had been all that close back in high school, and if circumstances hadn’t thrown them together now, chances were their paths might never have crossed. But even if he cut her some slack, she still should know Callie would never jeopardize what she had with Nick. Just like Mama R. had said, if Spence and Callie had really wanted to hook up, they could’ve done it years ago.

“I need to go home.”

Melanie’s words were accompanied by a sniffle, meaning tears were imminent. They needed to take this conversation someplace more private. “Give me the keys, Mel. I’ll drive you there.”

“I can drive.”

He wasn’t going to budge and held out his hand. “Yeah, I know, but right now you’re upset. I’ll take you home where we can talk in private.”

She pushed the button that unlocked the passenger door and dropped the keys into his hand just as his cell phone rang. Melanie pushed past him to walk around to the other side of the car while he checked to see the name on the screen. He groaned as soon as he saw who it was, but he couldn’t ignore the call, not when the person calling was no doubt standing right where she could see him.

He kept his eyes aimed toward Main Street. “This isn’t a good time.”

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah.”

“She didn’t like seeing you hug me.”

He sighed. “I’ve figured out that much. I am still working on the why.”

Callie’s laughter rang in his ear. “Here’s a hint: Say you had happened upon the same scene, only with Melanie and Nick instead of us in the lead roles. How would you have reacted, especially if she’d never made it clear how much you matter to her or that she planned on sticking around for any length of time? I’m guessing here about how things stand between the two of you, so forgive me if I’m wrong. Either way, here’s the bottom line: Would you have assumed it was all innocent or would you have come out swinging?”