Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise) (8 page)

Melody couldn’t help
it; she began to laugh, burying her face in her hands.

“Nobody mind me.  I’m
just the lawman with two guns and a rapidly growing headache,” Zeke muttered
under his breath before nailing Bradley with a dangerous glare.  “And I’ve now
lost my patience for this crap.  Sir, the lady that owns this home has asked
you to depart her property.  Repeatedly.  Now, either you can back up and go on
your way or you can leave in handcuffs riding in the back of a squad car.  I
suggest you choose,” he ordered.  “Now!”

“I’ll go,” Brad
returned, then glared at Callum.  “For now.”

Zeke shook his head. 
“If I have to come back to this address to remove you, you’ll be going to
jail,” he warned Brad.  “I don’t care how much money you have or who your
parents are or aren’t, buddy.  When you harass a woman in this community, you
deal with me.  And the words coming out of your mouth are sounding more and
more like a threat to me.   I’m going to highly recommend that Ms. Reardon file
a restraining order against you.”

“On what grounds?”
Bradley sputtered, his jaw dropping.

“On the grounds that
you’ve now officially irritated the hell out of me,” Zeke snapped, taking
Bradley’s arm and forcefully walking him toward his sleek car. 

Melody watched as Brad
and the sheriff exchanged a few more heated words before her ex climbed into
his car and backed out of his parking space.  “Thank God, he’s leaving,” she
breathed, sagging slightly as Brad drove past them.

“He’ll be back,” Cal
grumbled as Zeke walked toward them.

“Yeah,” Zeke agreed,
hearing Cal’s assertion.  “I believe he will, too.  Ms. Reardon, I wasn’t
kidding about that restraining order.  You need to get one.  I could tell by
the look in that man’s eyes that he thinks he’s got unfinished business here. 
Get that restraining order and keep my office on your speed dial.  If you have
even the slightest bad feeling, you give us a call.”

“I’ll have her down at
the station first thing in the morning,” Cal asserted firmly, holding out his
hand toward Zeke.  “We haven’t formally met, either.  I’m Cal Valentine, your
newest resident to Paradise.”

“Zeke Monroe,” Zeke
introduced himself, shaking the man’s hand.  “So, you’re looking to settle here
in our town?”

“Already settled,
Sheriff,” Cal replied with a grin, jerking his head toward Melody’s house.

Zeke slowly scratched
his head, looking from Cal to a gaping Melody.  “Uhhh… I don’t wanna be the
bearer of bad news, but I think somebody might just have a problem with that,”
he declared with a nod toward where Melody stood staring at him with outraged
eyes.

“You got that right,”
Melody shouted, finally finding her voice again.  “Just who the
hell
are
you, how the hell did you get into my house, and why the hell is your pet pony on
my couch trying to eating my remote control?” she asked, jabbing a finger
toward the bay window of her house where – sure enough – a black canine the
size of a small miniature pony appeared to be trying to chew through her
television’s remote control.

“Now, babe… I’m gonna
need you to take a deep breath and cool your jets for a second.  I can explain
everything,” Cal said calmly, lifting both his hands in front of him, palms
spread. 

Melody’s jaw tightened
as she silently counted to ten and reminded herself that this man
did
just have her back while dealing with her former flame.  That had bought him a
little good will.  Not much.  But a little – enough so that she didn’t automatically
have him arrested.  “Didn’t I already tell you once today
not
to call me
babe?”

“Sweetheart, we said
lots of things this morning.  Among them, I told
you
to get that tire
changed before the spare blew out, but am I bitching at you about it?” he asked
her with a nod toward her tires.

“I…you….This….” Melody
sputtered.  How the hell could he just stand there and berate her about her car
when he’d evidently been stalking her?  How the hell else had he known her name
and where she lived?    “You need to hear this, and I mean
really
hear
it.  You are not the boss of me,” she finally managed to scream.  “I am my own
woman, and I am fully capable of deciding when to get my tire changed.  I don’t
even know who the hell you
are
!”

“Babe, you don’t need a
boss; you need a keeper,” Cal’s deep voice declared as he crossed his arms over
his broad chest and stared down at her.  “Lucky for you, I’m available,” he
declared with a wide grin as Maggie and Patience inhaled sharply and Zeke
winced. 

Melody turned her wide,
dilated eyes toward Zeke.  “That’s it!” she growled, pointing at Cal.  “I want
him arrested.  Immediately.  He’s been stalking me, Sheriff!  He broke into my
home.  He was aided and abetted by that…that…
animal
, too,” she accused,
shifting her body to point toward the huge animal that now appeared to be
chewing through a throw pillow.

Turning to look over
his shoulder, Cal groaned.  “Goose!  Put that down!!” he thundered.  The dog
stopped briefly to look out the window but resumed chewing a moment later.

“I…Is what Ms. Reardon
is saying true?” Zeke asked, eyeing Cal suspiciously.

Callum shrugged.  “She
says stalking, I say shadowing.  To-mae-toe, To-mah-toe.”

Melody blinked. 
“Seriously, you’re just gonna be breezy about all this?  You followed me.  You
just admitted to it.  And, you broke into my house. 
With a dog
.”

“Goose is now
your
dog,
too, roomie,” Cal pointed out easily, cocking his head as he looked down at
her.  “And the breeder warned me that he doesn’t like it when Mommy and Daddy
fight.”

Melody’s jaw dropped as
Patience choked on a laugh and Maggie stared up at the sky.  Zeke just looked
confused.

“Do you two know each
other?” Zeke asked carefully, eyeing the pair in front of him much the same way
Melody imagined he’d look at a ticking bomb.

“No!” Melody exclaimed,
shaking her head frantically.  “I’ve never seen this man before today!”

“Yes.”  Cal’s response
was clear and firm.  “We know each other, but I’m betting we’ll know each other
a lot better before the night is done.”

“Are you certifiably
insane?  We do not know each other,” Melody insisted, glaring at Cal.  “I only
met him this morning, Sheriff.  He bought my coffee and then proceeded to
follow me into the parking lot to harass me.”

“I wasn’t harassing
you.  Lecturing you on letting people walk all over you, maybe.  Harassing you,
no. 
And
I
changed your tire.  Don’t forget that part,” Cal added
with a lazy smile and a wink at Patience and Maggie.

“You did not! 
I
changed that tire.  You just…”

“Did the heavy
lifting?” Cal asked smoothly.  “Face it, honey, if you’d changed that tire,
we’d still be sitting in the parking lot.  She couldn’t even get the lug nuts
to turn,” he informed Zeke with a sigh and a roll of his eyes.

“That’s totally…. You
know what?  Fine.  I’ll give you this one because I’m a generous woman.  
You
changed the tire.  But buying my coffee and changing a tire for me doesn’t
entitle you to follow me home and invade my house.  With a freaking dog, no
less!”

“I didn’t,” Cal
returned calmly. 

“You didn’t?”  Melody
repeated, perplexed.  “We all saw you come out of my house, you moron.  You
even admitted to being inside.  That’s breaking and entering!  Arrest him,” she
ordered Zeke.  “And call animal control for his four-legged beast inside!”

“He can’t do that for
you, Princess.  You see, I was an invited guest,” Cal explained patiently, his
smile never wavering.  “I live here now,” he declared with a shrug at Zeke.

“You do not!” Melody
exploded, her cheeks reddening as she battled the urge to stomp her foot like a
three year old.  “As the owner of this house, I think I’d remember if I invited
some super-sized giant of a man to live inside my home.  You’re pretty
unforgettable, sir, and not in a very good way, I might add.”

Cal continued to grin
as he shook his head and wagged a finger underneath her nose.  “But you aren’t
the sole owner of this house, either, are you?”

Stunned, Melody
blinked.  He was right.  She wasn’t the sole owner to the property.  She and
her brother owned it jointly.  But, that would mean….

“Are you telling me
that my brother, RJ, invited you to live inside my house?” Melody shrieked, her
heart pounding as the pieces began to fall into place.

“Well, he invited me to
live in
his half
of the house,” Cal clarified.  “But don’t worry,
sweetheart, I’m really good with tight quarters.  Goose and I plan on being the
best roommates a gal could have.”

Closing her eyes,
Melody deflated.  “Rhythm sent you, didn’t he?  That’s why you knew my name,
why you’ve been following me, and why you’ve invaded my home.  He sent you here
to spy on me because he thinks I can’t handle being alone.”

“Nope, he knows you can
handle yourself just fine.  It’s your ex-dickhead boyfriend he doesn’t trust. 
And from what I saw this afternoon, he was right on the money.”

Clearing her throat,
Patience took a step toward Melody.  “Listen, honey, I think you’ve got this
under control now.  I don’t think this one,” she continued, jerking her thumb
toward Cal, “has any hostile intentions, and I’ve gotta get back to the
babies.  Call us if you need anything, okay?”

Turning to smile at
Patience and her friend, Maggie, Melody nodded.  “Thanks for coming to my
rescue, ladies.”

“No problem.  It was
just a boring day at the office until Patience showed up,” Maggie declared with
a grin.  “And take your car over to Wrath’s garage on Fulsom Road.  He’ll cut
you a better deal on tires that that chain at the interstate will.”

Melody nodded. 
“Thanks,” she murmured, hugging both women before watching them go.

“I’m gonna go, too,
unless you need me to stay, Ms. Reardon,” Zeke added, passing her gun back to
her.  “Take a care with that firearm.  It’s only helpful to you if your
attacker can’t take it from you.  Also, make sure you keep the safety on unless
you’re ready to use it.”

“Call me Melody,
please,” Melody invited with a stiff smile.  “No, I think the answers I’m
looking for will be found with a phone call to my brother.  I’m sure I can work
something reasonable out with Mr. Valentine.  I’ll make sure to keep the safety
on my gun unless I’m firing it.”

Zeke nodded at her
before offering his hand to Cal again.  “It was nice meeting you, Cal.  I’d
welcome you to town, but in all honesty, you seem like a nice guy.  So I’m
gonna do you a favor and warn you now that crazy breeds in this town faster
than roofied rabbits.  Don’t let the insanity suck you under, too.”

“I’ll keep a mind to
that, Zeke,” Cal replied with a chuckle.  “But, I think I got a real good
reason to stick around now,” he said with a pointed look at a still-fuming
Melody.  “I’ll get her down to the station for the restraining order in the
morning.  Thanks for coming out here, though.”

“My job,” Zeke said
dismissively as he turned toward his cruiser.  “Y’all have a good night.”

Melody waited until she
no longer saw Zeke’s glowing taillights before she turned to face the man she
knew called himself Callum Valentine.   Swallowing hard as her emotions
suddenly overwhelmed her, she made herself look up into his steady blue eyes. 
“Let’s go inside.  You can try to convince your canine that my couch isn’t his
personal jungle gym while I call my brother and find out just exactly who you
are and why he sent you.”

“Lead the way,
Princess,” Callum directed with a small nod and another of his panty-melting
smiles.

Cal Valentine had been
in enough life-and-death situations in his lifetime to know that sometimes the
most prudent thing a guy could do was put his back to the wall, say a prayer,
and wait for the fire fight to be over.  Watching as Melody Reardon continued
to rant to the heavens about interfering bossy ass brothers and the Army and
canine compatriots that came with them as she paced the length of her living
room for the seventieth time, Cal knew without question that this was one of
those times.  The good news was that her rage was currently focused somewhere
other than him.  As long as he made no sudden movements, he still had a chance
of getting out of this with all his limbs intact. 

“What do you
mean
you
gave him a six-month lease on your half the house, RJ?  You don’t think this
was something you should have checked with me first?  He’s not living here!  I
don’t care what you two asshats signed!  This can’t happen.  What the hell kind
of asinine plan did you two fools cook up between you?  Did you know he brought
a frickin’ horse with him, Rhythm?  Yeah, well, he did.  And it’s already
inhaled my remote and one of my good throw pillows,” he heard her screech into
the cordless phone she clutched in her hand as she glared at the Great Dane
currently sitting in front of her, panting  happily.

Grimacing at the pitch
of Melody’s angry voice, Cal gave thanks that they’d had the forethought to get
that lease agreement notarized by the guy up in JAG before he left the base
where he and RJ had been stationed.  He wasn’t exactly certain the document
would stand up in court, but it was official looking enough that it might sway
Melody from throwing him out.  He’d hate sleeping in his truck outside her
house, but he would if it came down to it.  He didn’t trust that dickhead ex of
hers as far as he could see him.  Any idiot could see that the little toad
wasn’t done trying to get her back, and Cal was far from stupid.  There was no
way he was gonna allow that maggot of a man near Melody if she didn’t want him
there.  Not while there was breath in his body.

No, he was gonna stick
closer to Melody than a fly on dog shit whether she wanted him guarding her
body or not.   It would just be easier to look after that lush ass of hers if
he was allowed in the house.

“Rhythm Blue Reardon, I
may never forgive you for this, you asshole,” he heard Melody threaten, her
voice sounding a little too watery for his comfort level.  Please, God, let
there not be tears, he prayed vehemently as he stared at the back of Melody’s
head where she stood, facing the window on the east side of the living room. 
Cal was gonna kick RJ’s ass if he’d made his baby sister cry.  He didn’t care
what the fuck good intentions the bastard had.  He hated a woman’s tears on any
day of the week, but he had a feeling that seeing a woman as sweet and vibrant
as Melody cry would gut him.

Straining his ears, he
continued to eavesdrop, barely suppressing a growl when he heard Melody say,
“Fine, RJ.  You win this battle.  He can stay, but don’t think I won’t find a
way to make you pay for this.  And if he doesn’t agree to my conditions, I’m
throwing him out of here on his ass.” 

Cal’s lips twitched. 
Maybe things were starting to go his way after all.

“But I’m telling you,
if he calls me babe, princess, or honey one more time, I’m going to take a sledgehammer
to the side of the guy’s head.”

Okay, maybe he’d been
overestimating the change in his luck.

“Okay,” he heard Melody
huff.  “Yes, I already
told you. 
I’ll take out the stupid restraining
order, but I’m telling you he’s not dangerous, and I don’t think those hang-ups
have a thing to do with Bradley.  It’s probably just somebody dialing the wrong
number.  Seriously, RJ.  Just worry about you.  Be safe and call me tomorrow to
make sure I haven’t staged an accident for your former boss. Love you, too. 
Bye.”

Callum held his breath
as he witnessed her viciously pushing the end button on the phone and tossing
it on one of the two club chairs in the room before she turned to nail him with
her chocolate colored eyes.  The longer she stared at him, the more he wondered
if this is how Jonah felt after the whale swallowed him.  He had a lot in
common with the guy at the moment since he, too, was now sitting in the belly
of a very pissed off beast.  “I’m assuming by that phone call that things
didn’t exactly go your way,” he deducted lightly, knowing instantly he’d made
an error in judgment making that joke.  Honest to God, if she could have blown
him up with the power of her mind, he’d be dust particles right now.

“Why?” she barked, her
hands dropping to her curvy waist and settling there as her gaze became focused
on his face.

“Why, what?” he
repeated cautiously, keeping his body still.   Any sudden movement from him and
he was fairly certain she might try and commit an act of violence she’d regret
later.  Seeing her fists tighten at her sides, he reassessed.  Perhaps, she
wouldn’t regret attempting to assault him at all if that vicious look in her
eyes was anything to go by.

“Why are you doing
this?  I know that RJ probably made me sound like I’m some helpless maiden,
but…”

Cal chuckled, holding a
hand up.  “I don’t think you’re helpless, Mel.  Hapless, maybe.  But not
helpless.”

“Gee, thanks,” she
snapped sarcastically.  “I’m not real sure that’s better.  At any rate, as you
saw earlier, I have a gun.  I could defend myself if it came down to it.  I
don’t need anyone or thing,” she said with a pointed look at the canine draped
across her feet “… to guard me.  I’m doing just fine on my own.”

“You know, you’re gonna
hurt Goose’s feelings callin’ him a
thing
,” Cal drawled, pleased with
how the animal had promptly taken to Melody.  The breeder had assured him he’d
be a great guard dog and would love a woman, but he’d been unsure.  He’d been
leaning toward a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler.  The Great Dane, however, had
been what was available.”

“I can’t believe you
named this animal after water fowl.  Who names a dog Goose?”

Cal shrugged again,
stretching his legs out in front of him.  “When I picked him up, he was jumping
around, chasing the ducks at the pond beside the breeder’s house, and just
generally acting silly.”

Melody continued to
look at him strangely.  “So?”

“So, he was acting
silly.  You know, silly as a goose.  Thus, the name Goose was bestowed upon
him.”

Melody groaned and
lifted a hand to massage her temple.  “Fine.  His name is Goose,” she muttered
as the dog barked happily at her feet and pressed his cold nose against her
arm.

Cal grinned as Melody
slowly settled a hand over the canine’s head, biting back a laugh as he heard
her morose voice soothing Goose with, “Don’t take it personally, fella.  I’m
just more of a cat person.  As long as you keep your teeth off my pillows,
shoes, and remote controls, we’ll find a way to get along.”

“I’m glad to see you
making peace with your guard dog.  That’ll make things a lot easier, Princess.”

Melody took a deep
breath as she continued rubbing Goose’s head.  “The animal can stay.  What I do
with you, however, remains to be seen.  As I said, I have a gun and can look
after myself.”

Cal knew he had to
approach this conversation with kid gloves.  The woman clearly thought she had
things under control.  She was wrong, but sharing that with her now would
probably only get him thrown out on his ass.  Instead, he decided to stall and
redirect their chat.    “So, what did RJ tell you about me?  Learn anything
interesting?”

Rolling her eyes,
Melody stepped over where Goose was sprawled out on the floor and threw herself
into one of the nearby leather chairs.  “You’re his boss,” she shared, her
voice miffed… probably because he was forcing her to talk to him.

“Former boss,” Cal
corrected, stretching both arms over the back of the couch and getting
comfortable.  “He tell you what I did?”

“Just that you were his
First Sergeant before you retired a few weeks ago.  I don’t understand the
Army’s hierarchy, but the way RJ spoke, you were fairly important.”

“Only to the guys that
worked below me.  Basically, I told men what to do for a living, Melody.  It
was my job to keep a battalion of men alive, kicking, and productive - in the
field and out – and to handle any problems that came along.”

“Is that why it sounds
like everything that comes out of your mouth is an order issued from the High
Counsel of Annoying Assholes?” she asked pertly.

 His lips twitched as
her cute button nose scrunched in distaste.  “That’s a little harsh, don’t you
think?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he met her agitated gaze with
his own serene eyes.

“The truth usually
hurts,” she declared with a grim smile.  “But I get it.  You are a man that’s
used to bossing people around like its second nature. The problem with that is
that this isn’t the army; it’s a town called Paradise.  I’m not one of your
soldiers; I’m a self-sufficient woman capable of taking care of her own life. 
And finally, you aren’t
my
boss; you’re just the guy my big brother has
convinced to stalk me.  I won’t be blindly obeying you, Cal.  I also refuse to
give any man control over my decisions.  I think I need to be real clear about
that.”

“Your objections are
duly noted, Princess, but you never know.  You might enjoy handing the reins of
that control you’re intent to hang onto over to me.  I could take you some
pretty interesting places.” Cal returned evenly though his eyes danced with
amusement.  Damn, but this woman got his blood pumping.  He hadn’t been this
excited in years.  She made his heart race and his dick hard.  Two things that
he found he liked.  A lot.  Agreeing to do this favor for RJ might have been
the single best decision of his life.

Melody blushed, ignoring
the suggestiveness of his statement.  “I know RJ said you’d retired, but don’t
you still need to find some kind of job?  I mean, you aren’t gonna be able to
live entirely off your retirement check.  RJ says that when he gets out, he’ll
need to get a job to supplement his income.  I know you are a higher rank and
all, but…”

“I’ll look into finding
some kind of work eventually, but honestly, I don’t really need to be in any
kind of a hurry.  I’ve been a single guy all my life, Melody,” he began to explain
when she frowned at him in confusion.  “That means no ties, no commitments.  Just
me and my career in the Army.  Because of that and the fact that single guys
don’t need much to live on, I was able to nurture quite a nest egg during my
twenty something years in the service.  But your concern for my finances is
touching.”

“I wasn’t worried about
your cash flow,” Melody grumbled under her breath.  “I was just hoping that if
you had a job, you’d get out of my hair.”

“Sorry, that’s not
gonna happen anytime soon, Sweetness,” he apologized though, in actuality, he
wasn’t the slightest bit remorseful.  He liked Melody Reardon.  He liked her a
whole lot.  She might have had a rough go of things lately, but she still had
spirit, and he was a guy that valued spirit.  “I’m around at least until I’m
sure that your ex-asshole has moved on and we find out that those hang-ups
you’re getting are indeed just hang-ups.”

Melody made a face. 
“You heard that?  Were you eavesdropping on me?”

“Babe, you were
standing in front of me, talking on the phone while you stared out the window. 
I wasn’t trying
not
to hear you, but saying I was eavesdropping would be
a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?” he asked reasonably.

Melody growled, her
face thunderous.  “You…. You’re going to be a problem for me,” she proclaimed
severely, thumping her closed fist against the arm of the chair with enough
force to make Goose raise his head and look at her.

“Problems have
solutions, darlin’,” he returned pleasantly.  “And I don’t think that
I’m
the problem.  I think the feelings you get when you look at me are the
problem.”

“Yeah, that’s true,”
Melody drawled.  “These homicidal urges I’m having are distracting as hell,”
she informed him primly, her pink lips pursing in displeasure as she narrowed
her eyes at him.

“Uh huh, and the fact
that you’re turned on as all fuck isn’t a problem for you at all, huh?”

Melody’s eyes widened
as she gasped.  “You did
NOT
just say that!  Out loud.  Where I could
hear
you.”

“Sure did,” Cal
confirmed with a slow, lazy smile as he eyed Melody’s now heaving breasts
though the thin pink tee shirt she’d changed into when they’d finally come
inside the house.  “Babe, your nipples are hard as diamonds and you’ve licked
your lips no less than ten times since you sat down in that chair in front of
me.  You, Princess, are very, very turned on.”

“I am not,” she
exploded, her blush deepening as it descended down her neck.  “If my nipples
are hard, it’s because the room has gotten cooler since it started to get dark
outside.   And if I’m licking my lips at all, it’s because the air is dry in
here!  You are not seeing any come hither invitations, you horndog!” She
yelled, yanking the soft throw from the back of her chair and pulling it across
her chest when his lustful stare didn’t move from her chest.  Snapping her
fingers, she growled, “Hey, eyes on mine, asshole!”