Elusive Echoes (10 page)

On the drive back to the ranch, Sean's smile
lingered as well. He hadn't had so much outright fun with Mel since
they'd been kids together. He pulled up to the homestead and sat
for a minute, sorting through the emotions slamming him, knowing if
he didn't they'd be hanging out for the whole family to see and
analyze.

At the tap on the side of his truck, Sean
turned to see Ryan.

"Why are you sitting out here?"

"Working through some stuff." Sean opened
the door and climbed out. Flicking a warning glance in his
brother's direction, he ambled to the rear of the truck and opened
the cap. Bags and boxes of groceries lined the truck bed.

Ryan whistled. "We order all that?"

"Nope."

"Planning a party?"

"Nope. I also don't plan on doing the
marketing for a good long spell." He handed several packed bags to
Ryan, choosing his next words with care, lest he show too much
distress. "Mel sheered the axle on her car."

Concern etched into Ryan's face. "She all
right?"

Sean nodded. "Thing is, the car's not worth
the cost of the repair. She's trying to work out how to get another
one on a fixed budget. She's looking through the classified ads—"
He shook his head. "Most of what's in her budget aren't worth the
price of a tow to the scrap yard."

"Hey, I saved my 'Vette from the
junkyard."

Sean stopped walking and caught his
brother's eye. "And spent what? Two years making it drivable?
During which time you had another ride, I'm guessing."

Ryan conceded the point with a smile and
they started walking again.

"Thing is, she's limited herself to five
hundred bucks, and there's no way she'll let me help her."

Ryan whistled. "She won't get squat for
that." He rubbed his face. "You know, Ford was selling his Jeep.
It's pretty old with high mileage but he always makes a fair deal.
I think he wanted in the range of twelve hundred for it. But he'd
probably let her pay some now and the rest later."

Sean was way ahead of his brother, already
punching buttons on his cell. "I'll bet that's the Jeep he used for
his work with Search and Rescue." He put the phone up to his ear
and continued toward the house with his burden of groceries.

"Hello?" answered a feminine voice.

"Liv? It's Sean."

"Hey, Sean. Run anyone over with your
shopping cart yet?" asked Olivia Ford.

"I see the grapevine is as healthy as ever."
Sean chuckled. He removed a package of chocolate chip cookies from
the bag, setting it onto the kitchen counter. "I was wondering if
your brother still has his Jeep up for sale."

"Oh yeah, it's still sitting out there. Let
me get him."

Ryan put a gallon of milk in the
refrigerator. Sean carried the box of canned goods into the pantry,
his movements awkward as he held the phone to his ear.

After a short moment, Colton Ford's voice
came over the phone. "So you're looking for a Jeep?"

Sean explained what had happened to Mel's
car, and mentioned her cash flow issues, skipping the details.
"We're looking for something cheap but safe."

"It's twenty years gone. Got high mileage
but I had it in for regular maintenance. Engine and tranny are
solid, and there's no rust on the body. What's she looking to
pay?"

Ah, here was the sticky part. "I understand
you're asking twelve hundred."

"I was but I'll cut Mel a deal."

Sean shook his head. "A deal's not the
problem. I'll meet your price, Colt, but Mel needs to believe
you're dealing her down to five hundred. The rest'll come from me
but. . ."

"You don't want her to know," said Colt.

Ryan's eyebrows shot up. Sean turned his
back on his brother. "I know I could work at her and wear her down,
Colt, but I'd rather not. If you'll agree to sell it to her for
five, I'll run by tonight with a separate check for seven
hundred."

"Make your check for an even five," said
Ford. "Come on by right now if you want. Check it out, see if it's
what you're looking for."

Sean closed his phone and turned around to
find Ryan staring at him thoughtfully.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" his
brother asked finally.

Sean lifted one shoulder. "It's win-win. She
gets a reliable vehicle, Colt sells his Jeep."

"And you don't see anything wrong with going
behind her back to add in the funds to accomplish this
win-win?"

Sean's mind drifted to thoughts of Mel
secretly paying Sandy for the partnership. He shook his head. "Not
really."

****

The bar was hopping-crazy, even for a
Saturday. Sean usually didn't care. It was, after all, Mel and
Sandy's livelihood. But tonight the excess of humanity was crowding
him.

He wanted Mel to himself again. They were
going riding the next day but Sean, who took great pride in his
patience, was feeling anything but. As far as he was concerned,
tomorrow wasn't going to come soon enough.

"Hey, Sean. I guess this isn't much fun for
you, is it?" She leaned over the bar and caught him by surprise
with a quick kiss to the lips.

He grinned, immediately wishing she'd do it
again, pleased when she seemed to read his mind. Her second kiss
lingered, her soft lips heating his. When she drew back, she
brushed her upper lip with the tip of her tongue.

"That makes it worthwhile." Sean opened his
cell phone and pulled up the picture he'd snapped earlier. "Tell me
what you think of this."

"I . . . don't know. Tell me what I'm
looking at."

"If you want it, this is your new ride. Colt
Ford's selling it. Got high miles but he's kept it in good shape.
We can have Walt look at it if you want, but Colt had it in the
shop for a thorough inspection before he put it up for sale."

She sighed longingly. "I wish but it's
probably more than I can afford."

"Five hundred."

Mel blinked. "Really? It seems like it
should be more."

Shrugging, Sean took a long pull of his beer
before he answered. "He's been trying to sell it for a little while
now. He reduced the price." Funny, he hadn't anticipated feeling
that tiny twinge of guilt when he misled her.

But when Mel looked at the picture again
then back up at him, she was wearing a smile that made him forget
the rest of the world existed, so Sean shoved anything remotely
feeling like guilt to the back of his mind.

"When can I get it?" she asked.

"You don't even want to look at it before
you decide?"

Wide eyes surveyed him with complete trust.
"Not if you think it's worth it."

"We can swing by and take a look at it
tomorrow before we go riding. I'll pick you up about ten. Colt said
he's more than happy to deliver it to you on Monday, give you time
to get it licensed and insured."

"You've thought of everything." She leaned
over and kissed him again. "Oh, Sean, I do love you!"

If he never drew another breath, it was
worth it to hear those words. Mel's eyes went wide. Her hand
fluttered to her mouth.

"Um, I mean . . ."

With his gaze never leaving her face, Sean
took hold of her hand and laced his fingers through hers. Then he
brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a tender kiss. He smiled
but didn't say anything. Obviously, she'd only gotten carried away
on the waves of her excitement. He ignored the little ache of
yearning. Mostly.

"Hey, did you eat?" Mel recovered her
composure nicely, proving him right. "Kitchen's still open."

So he did what he always did. He went with
the flow. "Finally. I'm starving."

Mel bounced away, returning several minutes
later with a burger and fries.

"I'm afraid you'll have to eat it alone. My
break's about o—" She squinted toward the front door and her face
went ashen.

Quickly, Sean turned around but no one was
there. "What is it?"

"Oh, ah . . . nothing." She spoke softly,
her attention locked on the door, her forehead wrinkled into a
frown. "Just someone I thought—excuse me." She moved quickly,
slipping around the end of the bar and heading for the door. It
took Sean a few extra moments to make his own way through the
crowd.

****

Mel wasn't certain it was him. It had been
almost eleven years since she'd last seen her brother. He'd been a
kid of seventeen then. It wasn't so much that she recognized the
kid as she recognized signs of their father in his stance.

He'd never left the family
business, she reminded herself. If that
had
been him, he was up to no good.
If he had come to see her, would he explain his cryptic letter? Or
had word gotten to him that she was now partnered in the bar?
Either way, best she remember Denny and her father both served
themselves first.

Nothing but empty cars
waited for her in the parking lot by the time she got to the door.
Mel stomped her foot, then felt like a stupid kid.
Okay, breathe.
More than
likely it hadn't been Denny. But he
had
sent that letter, which meant she
was on his radar. The feet of a thousand imaginary insects marched
along her spine, leaving an unsettled feeling with their passing.
She shuddered and turned to go back inside, startled to find
herself up against Sean.

"Oh, you scared me."

"
I
scared
you
? Why'd you take off running like
that?" He brushed the hair out of her eyes and cupped her face in
his warm hands. "What did you see?"

This was it. She could lie or she could set
the groundwork for what she knew she would have to tell him soon.
He looked at her, his brow knitted with concern.

No pressure there. Closing her eyes, Mel
decided to stop running. "My half-brother," she whispered,
searching Sean's face for his reaction.

He jerked backward, clearly surprised. "I
didn't know you had a half-brother."

"He's my father's son." She
let him put an arm around her shoulder. "My
biological
father."

Sean blinked. "Todd Mitchell wasn't. . .
?"

Mel shook her head. "I promise to explain
the whole thing to you, but if I don't get back to helping LeeAnn,
she'll either quit or Valentine's will go bankrupt. Come on back
inside." When he remained where he was, looking out over the
parking lot, she tugged his arm. "Please."

She hesitated just inside the door,
wondering what he was thinking. She tried to see his face, but the
interior lighting was too dim.

In that peculiar way he had, Sean seemed to
know she needed reassurance. "Hey." He used one finger to push her
chin up, and looked into her eyes. "Whatever it is, it's going to
be all right."

Mel hooked a hand around the back of Sean's
neck and pulled him to her. She kissed him very softly, realizing
in that moment more than she ever had that she would be devastated
if she lost him. "I hope so. But it turns out Nick DeVayne—my real
father . . . is a class A jerk. And my brother is just like
him."

****

Sean hung around until the crowd thinned. He
wasn't sure if he was relieved she didn't see her brother again or
disappointed. A few of Mel's shadows had come back when she thought
she'd seen the guy, and they lingered. But if he'd come back, they
could confront him. Together.

"We don't close for two hours." Mel slid a
glass of water his way. "But you don't need to stay and babysit me.
You look really tired, Seanie. Will you be okay to drive home?"

He
was
tired, too tired to object to her
childhood name for him. He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment
and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I'll be
okay."

"Or." She touched his arm and caught his
gaze. "You can sleep at my place."

Disappointment washed over him, stealing his
earlier pleasure, and leaving a bitter taste. Sean shook his head.
Were they going back to the same old dance after all? With his
desire for more emotional intimacy and her offering of a physical
relationship?

But she squeezed his hand. "Just to sleep,
okay? I worry about you driving home when you're this tired."

He laid his other hand over hers and
squeezed back. "You don't need to worry about me."

She smiled, rolled her hand over and
threaded her fingers through his. "I won't worry if you stay. I'll
even take the couch."

Sean understood she could have pushed his
buttons; she knew him well enough. She could have played the
helpless woman in distress, afraid because she might have seen her
brother. But she hadn't. She wouldn't.

"I'll have to leave early to take care of
stuff at the ranch."

"Then go up now." Mel slid a key ring from
her pocket and singled out a key. "There's an alarm clock on the
nightstand. And I promise not to take advantage of you when I come
up. Although," she added, when he took the key, "I can't promise
not to take a peek."

****

Sean had only been in the efficiency
apartment above Valentine's once, when he'd helped Ryan move
Sandy's things out to the ranch. As Mel's home, it looked vastly
different. Sandy'd had a lot of things. Mel had very little and
most looked to be the wrong side of secondhand. An ugly purple sofa
divided one end of the room from the rest of the apartment,
apparently designated as the living room. One ancient end table
held a brass lamp. Another end table, in a different style, was
serving as a TV stand for a tiny television set. A wooden box,
about the size of his mother's old jewelry box, sat next to the TV.
Though he wondered what was in it, he wouldn't invade Mel's
privacy.

Looking around the apartment, Sean got the
feeling she was used to living lightly, like she never stayed long
in one place. But he'd known her all his life. She'd lived in
Orson's Folly from the time she was born until she'd had to go live
with relatives after her mother died.