The Cowboy Who Strolled Into Town (70 page)

The worst was when she started to go through Steven's things. She intended to give most of them to goodwill, since she figured that's what he would have wanted, but as she went through his drawers she found a small box with a ring. When she placed it on her finger it was a perfect fit, and knew that instead of wearing black she should have been wearing white.

Mark continued to call and check up on her but Melissa wanted to distance herself from him for she didn't think it fair that she was such a drain on his time. He had his own life to live, and she couldn't rely on him. She had to find her own way through the misery. As a couple of weeks passed she went back to work, and although it was difficult at first she soon got back in the routine of it, although people were still sympathetic to her. She worked at a restaurant as a waitress so it meant that she was speaking with customers, and since there were a number of regulars that came in her business, she was well-known to all of them. She remarked on this when she spoke to Mark on the phone.

“There's this look they get, you can see it on their face, they tilt their head to the side and have this weird half-smile. It's starting to get creepy.”

“I've had to deal with the same thing, so many people keep asking me if I'm alright.”

“Oh yeah, I'm sure all your model girlfriends are really the sympathetic type.”

“You'd be surprised! But actually I'm not seeing anyone at the moment.”

“That's something new, what's wrong with you? Has Casanova finally gotten bored of the chase?”

“I'm just taking a break, trying something new. I thought maybe I'd look for something a little more serious, see what happens. But I don't know, I'm not sure I'm in the mood for anything right now anyway.”

“Tell me about it,” Mark said, “I'm actually getting a little tired. It seems like I only seem to meet the same kinds of people whenever I go out. You might not realize this but I was actually jealous of what you and Steven had. To find that one person who makes you crazy, and to share your life with them. I was always envious of the two of you. I was in a whole different world. It's hard to find genuine people when everyone knows I'm a billionaire.”

“You have more to offer than your money,” Melissa said.

“But most people don't care about that. It's easy to meet new people and have some fun but to actually find that one person who is more special than anyone else? Even with all my money that's an impossible task, so right now I'm taking a break. Maybe something different will happen. I was actually thinking about trying some new things, do you want to take a cooking class with me?”

“I can already cook.”

“So you'll be a star, come on, it'll be a laugh, and it'll get you out of the house.”

“Fine, I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn some new recipes,” she said, and made arrangements to meet him there the following night. As her break was over she went back into the front of the restaurant. It was a large room and in the evening they always dimmed the lights and lit candles to try and provide a soft, sophisticated atmosphere. There were only a handful of people in the restaurant, all of whom she knew.

“Don't you just love nights like this? I could be home right now painting my nails,” Jess said, rolling her eyes. Jess was the one person who hadn't been treating Melissa any differently since she had returned, and although Jess could be blunt and too forthright at times, Melissa appreciated her friendship. They talked a little bit while their shifts wound down, and when it was finally over Melissa began the journey home again. The restaurant was just a short walk away from her apartment, and there were many times when she and Steven had walked back there together. Even now when she was walking alone it seemed that someone was there beside her.

Then she heard a noise. She turned around and gasped. The night was dark. Streetlights lit up the sidewalk in spotlights, but in between there was only a black darkness, which she peered into. She gulped and continued walking, suddenly very conscious of her echoing footsteps. In the background she heard the smooth roar of a car as it sped along the road. The office buildings and other bars seemed quiet, and everything was deserted. Her eyes glanced furtively around her area but she could see nothing, and tried to pass it off as a small animal. Sometimes foxes came around to rummage through the bins and find scraps of food. But even so Melissa increased her pace to get back to the safety of her home. Without Steven to protect her she felt vulnerable. It had been a long time since she had been alone, and even when she had been out with the girls without Steven it had been a help to be able to tell guys that her boyfriend was in the army, and she knew that Steven wasn't going to let anything happen to her. But now her guardian angel had died, and the world seemed a much scarier place.

Her hair raised on the back of her neck and she had the feeling that someone was watching her, yet whenever she turned around she could see nothing but shadows. She tried to tell herself that it was simply her mind playing tricks on her. She'd been through a lot, and there was nothing to be afraid of, yet there was a feeling in her gut that someone was out there, watching her, stalking her, waiting for the moment when they would strike and she could do nothing except let destiny run its course. She swallowed hard and covertly reached into her bag, cycling through her contacts until she reached Mark's number, ready to dial him in case anyone should approach.

It was only a few more minutes until she reached her apartment. Once she was inside she could lock the doors and draw the curtains and shut the outside world away, making it disappear, but even then she was still without the man she loved and how was she ever going to feel safe again when she knew that all it would take was one moment to take a life? Melissa fixed her gaze straight ahead and didn't dare look at anything else, yet she heard another noise and twisted her neck. Then a lorry whizzed by, the juggernaut filled her field of vision, but the wide beams of the headlights lit up a figure. It remained motionless for a fleeting moment and all she could see was a silhouette, then it disappeared. Melissa screamed and ran to her apartment, gasping for breath as she shut the door behind her. She quickly drew the curtains, the image of that person playing on her mind, and whenever she closed her eyes she saw him in the headlights, a black void staring at her.

4

“Did you get a good look at him?” Mark asked the next day. When Melissa had returned home she'd shut everything, turned off all the lights, and pulled the sheets over her head, creating a cocoon. All through the night she had strained her ears, trying to hear if this man was outside. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was beating like thunder. It was hot under the covers and soon enough there was a sheen of sweat covering her. Eventually she fell asleep, but it was not a restful slumber, and when she woke she looked around with panic. Even now she felt groggy, and her head throbbed with a dull ache. Mark looked at her with concern and repeated the question.

“No, I think he was just caught in the headlights. I didn't see anything.”

“You can't stay here Melissa, come with me. There's plenty of room.”

“And what am I going to do for work? I can't just up and leave at the first sign of trouble. This is my home. I'm not going to be scared away. I have to learn to live by myself,” she said.

“Then at least let me put a watch on you to make sure that no-one comes near you. I hate to think of you like this.”

“Mark, it's alright, I'm just a little shaken, that's all. It's sweet that you're this worried but you really shouldn't be.”

“Damn right I'm worried. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.” Melissa squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

“Let's just go to this cooking class. It'll help take my mind off it,” Melissa said, as she grabbed her coat and walked to the door. Mark didn't have any choice but to follow her, and although he was still worried he decided to leave the matter for the moment. They walked down the drive, and as they did so, Melissa glanced to either side, looking down the stretch of the road to see if anyone was there, but it was deserted. Mark pretended not to notice, but he was already deeply worried for her safety.

They drove to the middle of the city. The sprawling skyscrapers and buildings glittered in the early evening twilight. The air was sweet and warm as they made their way to the community college. It had been a long time since either of them had been in education, so to be there now was a strange sensation. They made their way through the corridors to the cooking class. It was already filled with people, and they took their space towards the back of the room, where they had their own counter with a sink, cooker, and other implements. The teacher was an elderly woman with dyed dark scarlet hair, and stern eyes. The rest of the class was made up of people of all ages. Some were obviously here because they found themselves in unexpected circumstances and had to learn how to cook, while others were there for fun. Melissa felt most sorry for a few of the older gentlemen. By the way they dressed and carried themselves she could see that they had either been widowed or divorced, and were evidently having to learn something that had previously been taken care of for them. It must have been a shock to the system, but at least they were able to set aside their ego and go to a class like this.

“There doesn't seem to be anyone for you to hit on,” Melissa said, for the only women there were either not Mark's type at all, or they were with their boyfriends.

“Yeah, this could have been a miscalculation in judgment,” he said, “ah well, at least I might learn something.”

The class got underway and the teacher gave them strict instructions. Melissa was happy to let Mark take the lead because she already knew the basics, and she enjoyed seeing Mark struggle. He was successful in most areas of his life but there were certain things she'd never seen him do, like cook, and he wasn't proving to be a natural.

“You could try and help me rather than just standing there laughing,” he said as he struggled to pick out some fragments of egg shell that had dropped into the mix. Melissa pushed him aside and dug them out, then took over and showed him how to do it. They were causing quite a ruckus as they guffawed loudly, and the other students looked at them with interest. The teacher kept clearing her throat and glaring at them, and at one point she even had to come over and ask the two of them to tone it down, otherwise she would have to ask them to leave. This only made Melissa and Mark laugh more, however, and they felt like scolded school children. But as the evening wore on they worked hard and worked together to bake a cake. As they mixed the ingredients together their hands rubbed against each other, and they laughed gleefully as they teased each other by flicking flour at each other.

When it was finally ready the teacher inspected their cake and turned her nose up at it.

“It's not that bad,” Melissa said, although it was in a sorry state. Mark looked down at the lopsided cake and the crumbling edges.

“It's lucky I can afford a chef,” he said, and the two of them left with their cake in two.

“I can't believe we almost got thrown out of a cookery class,” Melissa said, looking back at the college as they walked out into the night.

“I know, it was totally your fault though,” he said.

“What?” Melissa said incredulously, slapping his arm.

“I was there to learn, you were the one who went in all high and mighty saying that you knew everything anyway so you didn't even have to try,” as he said this he did an exaggerated impression of her, and this made her hit him again, although he skipped away. However, he almost dropped the cake, and had to adjust his balance to ensure that it didn't fall on the floor.

“Real smooth there,” Melissa said, “it's lucky there weren't any eligible women, I think you should rely on flashing the cash, it seems to have worked for you so far.”

“We'll see, I might spend some time practicing at home. I could surprise you one of these days.”

“Hmm, well, if you do just make sure to alert the emergency services first. I'd hate to see a report on the news about your mansion burning down.”

They fell into step with each other and went back to Melissa's place. Things were so natural between them that Mark didn't even question whether they were going to continue the night or not, he simply followed her inside. Once inside, he went to the kitchen and cut each of them a slice of the cake. When they ate it they found that it wasn't as bad as it looked, although it was a little dry. Melissa picked the crumbs off her chest and then collected the plates, while Mark picked up a magazine and flicked through to the television listings to see if there was anything on to watch. But then he heard a sharp crash and ran to the kitchen, finding Melissa standing facing the window with shards of a broken plate around her feet.