Defying the Odds (29 page)

“He shot up a casino full of witnesses and hidden cameras. Half this country’s seen video of him putting a bullet in me,” Clay said with a bark of laughter. “There
ain’t
no
way they’re letting him off.”

“True.” Melody took another deep breath. “I’m so tired of the news. I can’t wait for this to blow over.”

“The one nice thing ’bout Christmas,” Wyatt started thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee. “It finally sent all those leeches home for a few days. I’m sick of those reporters and cameramen camping out in Garnet.
Ain’t
there more interesting news in the world?”

“Than two UFC fighters stopping a crazed gunman?”
Melody laughed.
“Probably not.
Clay and Romeo are heroes. People like heroes.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “You two put a good name on the sport. I’ll give
ya
that. The promoters couldn’t pay for publicity like that.”

“They want us to go on a tour together.” Clay laughed. “Can you imagine? They’ve been hounding me since I got outta the hospital.”

“That’s a nightmare.” Wyatt laughed with him. “I thought they learned keeping you as far away from the public as possible was the best course of action?”

Clay shrugged. “Guess not. They want me to bring Melody. They think she’ll keep me cordial.”

Wyatt gave him a look.
“And?”

“Hell no,” Clay said. “I’m retiring so I don’t have to deal with that publicity shit anymore. I love the sport, but I hate the circus. Now I can camp out in the Cellar, teach classes, and die happy. There
ain’t
any amount of money that’s
gonna
change my mind ’bout it.”

“How much money did they offer you?” Melody asked curiously.

Clay winced, knowing he’d sound insane if he gave an actual number.
“A lot.”

“How long’s the tour?”

“A couple of weeks, maybe a month.”

“Well,” Melody started, giving him a look. “A few weeks of your life
ain’t
nothing
.”

“No,” Clay said firmly. “I can’t go and smile and pretend I know how to talk to people. I hate that shit.”

“But
Romeo’d
be with you,” Melody said thoughtfully. “And he talks ’bout as much as Wyatt. You wouldn’t have to say much.”

Clay grunted. “No.”

“You could do something good with your share of the money,” Melody said softly. “Like…open up a women’s shelter or something. It could be for charity.”

Clay considered that silently, hearing the hope in Melody’s voice. He turned to look at her hesitantly. “I
dunno
, maybe for charity. If you came with me, I
might
do it.”

“Really?”
Melody beamed, excitement radiating off her out of the blue. “You’ll talk to them about it?” she asked hopefully. “I’d go with you.
Hal’ll
give me time off; I’m sure of it.”

Clay sighed, knowing he was already defeated. It’d been a trying four days. It was nice to see Melody excited about something. Justin was still in the hospital. The outlook was hopeful now, but for a few days they’d thought he might not make it. Clay suffered through the very real fear that Melody may have watched him beat her ex-husband to death, which was good in theory but horrifying to face in reality.

Even when Justin did finally get out of the hospital, they had a trial to deal with, and Clay wasn’t real pleased with the notion of Melody facing Justin in court. They still had obstacles to face. If going on this tour and starting a women’s charity kept her mind off it, Clay could pretend he knew how to be polite for a few weeks.

“I’ll talk to ’
em
.” Clay gave her a smile. “We’ll use the money to set up some
sorta
charity. It’s
a
lotta
money, Mel. You could open more than one women’s shelter with it. Jules could start it up fast for us, and maybe they’d promote the tour for your new charity. Makes ’
em
look good, and that’s what they care ’bout.”

Melody’s eyes grew watery, glittering like emeralds beneath her glasses. “This is my dream, Clay. This is what I wanted to do ever since I first got away from Justin. Are we really
gonna
do it? Is it really that easy?”

“Absolutely.”
His smile grew broader. Her excitement was contagious, and he reached out, cupping Melody’s face in both his hands. He leaned in and kissed her, speaking against her lips. “We’re doing this. I promise.”

She hugged him and pressed her lips to his once more, but her smile made it hard to kiss effectively. Clay ran one hand to the back of her neck and pulled her closer. He nipped her bottom lip, hoping she’d part to him and let him kiss her for real.

“Oh hell no,” Wyatt snapped. “If you think I’m
gonna
sit here while you two
start
making out in lovey-dovey bliss, y’all got another think coming.”

“Fine.”
Melody laughed and pulled away from Clay. “I
gotta
go back to work anyway.”

“Go,” Clay said, giving her a playful shove. “Get these folks outta here so we can get home.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Melody scooted out of the booth. Her smile was still broad and pleased, showing off deep dimples in both cheeks. She smoothed her uniform and then reached out, smacking Wyatt’s arm lightly.
“Stop sitting there and scowling.
Life
ain’t
that bad.”

“It’s Christmas.” Clay laughed at Wyatt’s scowl. “Where’s that easy charm you’ve always got?”

Wyatt shrugged as Melody ran back behind the counter. He looked at his coffee. “It’s weird at home now that you’ve moved in with Melody.”

Clay smirked. “I didn’t know you cared.”

“It
ain’t
that.” Wyatt sighed. “Just makes me realize I’m thirty-three years old, with no damn prospects, and no hope for anything more than living out my days arguing with Jules.”

“Half the women you meet are in love with you,” Clay reminded him. “You got more prospects than any guy in Garnet.”

Wyatt looked up from his coffee. The charismatic facade falling away left him exposed and vulnerable in a way Clay hadn’t seen in years. His eyes were stark with pain as he whispered, “They
ain’t
Tabitha.”

“Nope,” Clay agreed sadly, feeling his heart hurt for his friend. “They
ain’t
Tabitha, and they’ll likely never be. She’s gone, Wyatt. She’s been gone a long time now. She left, and I can’t really blame her for never coming back ’cause this town wasn’t ever any good to her. It’s probably ’bout time you got over her.”

“You stuck around,” Wyatt said sullenly, the comparison obvious. Before life left him jaded, Wyatt had a real talent for attracting friends from the wrong side of the tracks. He studied Clay silently, drinking his coffee before he whispered against the rim of his cup, “It turned out all right for you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t really give a shit what people think of me. They thought I was trash and I never cared,” Clay reminded him. “Tabitha cared.”

“For you.”

Clay looked up when Melody put a piece of praline pie in front of him. Her hair was in a bun, with wisps of blonde hair framing her face. Her blue and white uniform clung to her lush figure. Her black-framed glasses made her bright green eyes seem just a little bit bigger. With the exception of the gloves protecting her injured hands, she looked almost exactly the same as she had the night he met her. The wistfulness hit him in the center of the chest. He could be sitting here miserable with Wyatt like he had every Christmas before, but he wasn’t.

He smiled, feeling happy to be where he was, even with a hole in his shoulder and obstacles left to face. “Thanks, Mel.”

“No problem.” Melody grinned back at him and leaned over to put a piece of pumpkin pie in front of Wyatt.
“For you, Sheriff.
On the house.
That’s lucky pumpkin pie.”

“I guess.” He looked at the pie as a smile tugged at his lips. “Thank you, Melody.”

“Merry Christmas,” she said as she moved to check on the booth behind them.

Wyatt took a bite of his pumpkin pie, and Clay watched him eat it for a few moments before he said, “You never know, Wyatt. Things could change for you.”

Wyatt gave him a look, making it obvious he thought Clay had lost his mind. “You telling me you think a piece of pie’s
gonna
fix my problems?”

“Why not?”
Clay laughed.
“Fixed mine.”

The BATTERED HEARTS Series

Defying the Odds

A freckle-faced redhead born and raised in Hawaii,
Kele
Moon has always been a bit of a sore thumb and has come to enjoy the novelty of it. She thrives on pushing the envelope and finding ways to make the impossible work in her storytelling. With a mad passion for romance, she adores the art of falling in love. The only rule she believes in is that, in love, there are no rules and true love knows no bounds.

 
So obsessed is she with the beauty of romance and the novelty of creating it, she’s lost in her own wonder world most of the time. Thankfully she married her own dark, handsome, brooding hero who has infinite patience for her airy ways, and attempts to keep her grounded. When she leaves her keys in the refrigerator or her cell phone in the oven, he’s usually there to save her from herself. The two of them now reside in Florida with their three beautiful children, who make their lives both fun and challenging in equal parts—they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Read more about
Kele
and her books at
http://www.kelemoon.com
.