Harlequin Intrigue March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Nichole Severn

  They finished the meal and Melinda jumped up from the table. “Can I go back to my room now?” she asked.

  “Before you go, did you come up with a name for the unicorn?” Hunter asked.

  “I’m going to name her Ella.” For the first time Melinda made eye contact with him. “Just because you bought her for me doesn’t mean I have to like you.”

  “Melinda,” Ainsley said in obvious surprise.

  “Well, it’s true. Daddy said I shouldn’t like him because Daddy is coming to get me and Mr. Hunter just wants to get into your pants.”

  Hunter wasn’t sure who gasped louder, him or Ainsley. “Melinda Marie, march yourself into your bedroom right now.”

  “I’m just saying what Daddy told me to say,” Melinda protested as her eyes began to glaze with tears.

  “Go.” Ainsley pointed to the bedroom.

  Melinda released a little sob and then raced to her room and slammed the door behind her. Ainsley turned to look at him, her cheeks pink. “I’m so sorry...I don’t know what’s going on with her.”

  “If you need to speak to her, I can cool my heels right here.”

  She looked at him with relief. “I’ll be right back.”

  He watched as she hurried to her daughter’s bedroom. Wow, there was no question he’d been shocked by what the little girl had said. It made him wonder where she had heard the adult, rather nasty words.

  He hadn’t expected it to be love at first sight with Melinda, but he certainly hadn’t expected this. Ainsley was gone about fifteen minutes, and then she came back into the kitchen.

  She sank down in her chair and shook her head. “I’m worried about her. She insists that my ex-husband talks to her at night, but of course that’s impossible. For the last couple of years, after the divorce, she didn’t really mention my ex-husband, even though she’d thought of herself as a daddy’s girl at one time. I don’t know if she’s just imagining or dreaming about him or if she’s having some sort of strange psychological issues that include auditory hallucinations.”

  “I’m not sure if this helps, but there is a psychologist in town who works with adults and children. Her name is June Atkins. She used to practice in Kansas City and moved out here to retire, but she is still taking patients here in town.”

  Hunter knew June because for a couple of months after his child had died and his wife had left him, he’d had sessions with the psychologist to help him climb out of his depression.

  “Can you give me her information?” she asked.

  “I’ll text it to you, and now I’ll help you clear the dishes.”

  “Oh no, you don’t. You’re my guest, and that means you get to just sit while I do the cleanup. Besides, it won’t take me long at all.” She got up and began to clear the table.

  “The meal was really delicious,” he said.

  “Thanks. Mexican food is one of my very favorites. Too bad we don’t have a Mexican restaurant in town.”

  He laughed. “As small as this town is, I’d say we’re lucky to have the café, the Chinese restaurant and a pizza place, plus a couple of drive-through hamburger joints.”

  “I suppose you’re right. The town isn’t big enough to have cuisine from all around the world.” She grew quiet as she continued to work to put the dinner leftovers away.

  He knew she was probably still worried about her daughter, and as much as he would like to spend the rest of the evening with her, he believed at this point she’d rather be alone.

  “Why don’t we go back into the living room?” she suggested once the kitchen was completely cleaned up.

  “Why don’t I get out of here?” He stood and walked over to her. He gently stroked down the side of her face with two fingers. “I really don’t think you’re in the mood to entertain tonight.”

  She sighed, but she didn’t object. Instead she captured his hand with hers and squeezed tight. “Thank you, Hunter.”

  They walked to the front door. “I’ll text you Dr. Atkins’s information as soon as I get home.”

  She nodded, and he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. She leaned against him for a long moment and then straightened. “Let me know if I can help in any way,” he said.

  “You’re helping right now.” She smiled up at him, but the smile wasn’t as bright as usual. “I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” he replied. He stepped out of the apartment and into the night air.

  Worry rode with him back to his house, the worry that his relationship with Ainsley was now threatened by a pint-size little girl who apparently had no intention of allowing him into her life.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ainsley pulled up in front of a two-story house just off Main Street. Her heart beat with anxiety as she parked and then turned off the car engine.

  “I don’t know why you just don’t believe me,” Melinda said from the back seat. “I don’t want to talk to anyone who is going to try to make me believe I’m just dreaming when Daddy talks to me at night.”

  “I’m sure that’s not what Dr. Atkins is going to try to do,” Ainsley replied, although she really had no idea how Dr. Atkins was going to try to help Melinda. All she knew was something needed to be done.

  It was late Wednesday afternoon, and Ainsley had taken off work to bring Melinda here. Since the disrupted date with Hunter the Thursday before, Melinda had continued to talk about her daddy coming to get her soon and how he spoke to her at night. She was also becoming more and more disrespectful to Ainsley, per Daddy’s instructions.

  “It’s time for us to go in and meet Dr. Atkins,” she now said and opened her car door.

  “I still think this is dumb,” Melinda grumbled as she got out of the car.

  Maybe it was dumb, but Ainsley was desperate to get somebody else’s opinion about what was going on with Melinda. June Atkins had been very nice on the phone when Ainsley had called her and explained what had been happening with her daughter. When Ainsley had made the appointment, she was instructed to walk around to the back of the house, where apparently the garage had been converted into an office.

  Ainsley knocked on the door, and June Atkins answered. She appeared to be in her late sixties or early seventies. Her hair was a beautiful silver and she had kind blue eyes.

  She ushered them into a little waiting room painted in pale blue and with a blue flowered love seat. A coffee table held several magazines for both men and women.

  “Please, have a seat.” She pointed to the love seat, and she sat in a wing-back chair that matched the love seat. She offered them a warm smile. “It’s so nice to meet you both. Melinda, I’m especially excited to get to know you better.”

  Melinda didn’t respond.

  The smile on Dr. Atkins’s face didn’t waver. “Mom, why don’t you relax out here while I take Melinda into my office for a private chat?”

  She stood, and Ainsley prodded her daughter with her elbow to get her up. “I promise I don’t bite,” Dr. Atkins said.

  A small smile crossed Melinda’s lips. “I didn’t think you would bite me.”

  The two disappeared behind a door, and Ainsley blew out a deep, weary sigh. It was exhausting to worry about a loved one. Melinda was her very heart and soul, and she didn’t know what was happening to turn her sweet, loving child into a stranger.

  Had the trigger for Melinda’s odd behavior been the knowledge that her mother was now dating? Something that hadn’t happened since the two of them had run from Portland? Run from Peter?

  If she had to give up Hunter to fix Melinda’s mental health, then she would do that. But even thinking about that option made her heart twist with an ache she hadn’t thought possible.

  In four short weeks, Hunter had already worked his way deep into her heart. She hadn’t realized how deep until this moment, when she had to contemplate telling him goodbye.r />
  She’d had such hope that finally she was going to get to live the fairy tale of love with a good man. But there was no way she could sacrifice her daughter for her own happiness.

  The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. What were they talking about in there? Would Melinda inadvertently say something that would bring a scrutiny to Ainsley’s life that she couldn’t afford?

  Peter had always been good at keeping his abuse of Ainsley under wraps and separate from their daughter. Many nights Ainsley had suffered in silence and lied to her little girl about black eyes and split lips so Melinda wouldn’t know the truth about her father.

  In any case, Peter hadn’t been a hands-on kind of father, and often several days and nights would go by without him even asking about his daughter. Even though he’d been the one who had told Melinda she was a daddy’s girl, the truth was the two hadn’t been close.

  For the past three years Melinda had seemed to accept that their vagabond lifestyle was normal and they were just seeking the perfect place to call their forever home.

  She hadn’t talked much about Peter, and Ainsley just assumed with the passing of time that Melinda had very few memories of her father and didn’t miss him at all.

  Until this...these nighttime disturbances that had Melinda believing her father was coming for her. Once again Ainsley released a deep sigh as she stared at the closed office door.

  She didn’t know how long these sessions lasted, but she did know how much they cost. Unfortunately, health care wasn’t in the budget at the moment. That was a whole different worry. She was hoping to at least be able to make enough in the near future to get Melinda some kind of health-care coverage, but that hadn’t happened yet. Still, she would work as many shifts as possible, sell whatever little she possessed to see that Melinda got the help she needed.

  Finally the door reopened, and the two walked back out. Both were smiling. “Melinda, can you wait out here for a few minutes so I can talk to your mother?” Dr. Atkins asked.

  Ainsley dug her phone out of her purse and handed it to Melinda. “You can play your games while I’m gone.” Melinda grabbed the phone and sat on the love seat while Ainsley followed Dr. Atkins into her office.

  The inner office held a nice oversize chair with a coffee table next to it and a small desk with a computer on top and a black swivel desk chair.

  “Please sit.” Dr. Atkins gestured her to the overstuffed chair. Ainsley sat and leaned forward.

  “First of all, you have a charming and very bright daughter,” Dr. Atkins said.

  “Thank you,” Ainsley replied.

  “She’s also very stubborn in her belief that she talks to her father at night, but I gave her some things to think about and hopefully we can start working to make her see that this is a fantasy.”

  “So, that’s what you believe it is?”

  “I believe it’s the longing of a little girl who doesn’t have her father in her life.”

  “But why now? Do you think this has something to do with the fact that I’m dating? Should I stop seeing the man?”

  “I would not recommend you stop dating. We don’t want to give that kind of power to an eight-year-old girl. It’s possible it was triggered at school or whatever. What I recommend for now is that you continue to listen to her, but don’t engage in a battle with her. I’m hoping I can appeal to her intelligence.”

  The psychologist smiled. “I don’t think this is a long-term issue. I’d like to see her next week at this same time, if that’s okay with you.”

  “That’s fine. I feel so much better now that I’ve spoken to you,” Ainsley replied. “We’ll definitely be here next week.”

  She stood as the doctor did the same. “I’m confident we can get this cleared up in just a couple of sessions.” She opened the office door, and they stepped out.

  Melinda got up from the love seat and handed Ainsley back her phone. “Melinda, it was nice visiting with you,” Dr. Atkins said.

  “Thank you,” the young girl replied.

  Minutes later mother and daughter were back in the car and heading home. “Did you like Dr. Atkins?” Ainsley asked.

  “She was nice. She didn’t believe me about Daddy, but she was still nice,” Melinda replied.

  “How do you know she didn’t believe you?”

  “’Cause of the questions she asked me.” Melinda frowned. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Can we stop for ice cream on the way home?”

  “I think I can make that happen,” Ainsley replied.

  The rest of the evening passed peacefully. Even though it was early, once Melinda was in bed Ainsley took a long hot shower, changed into her nightgown and then got into bed.

  She held her cell phone in her hand, and after several moments of thinking about it, she punched in Hunter’s phone number.

  He answered on the first ring. “I was just thinking about you,” he said.

  His deep voice smoothed all the rough edges inside her. “And what were you thinking?”

  “Since I didn’t get into the café for lunch today, I was just thinking how much I missed seeing you and wondering if we’re going to get together tomorrow night?”

  “I’d love to get together tomorrow night,” she replied.

  “I was afraid you might not want to see me again.”

  “I was afraid about that, too. But we had our first appointment with Dr. Atkins today, and she assured me that it was okay for us to continue to date despite Melinda’s current attitude toward you.”

  “That’s good to hear.” There was obvious relief in his voice. “I’m hoping Melinda will warm up to me as time goes on.”

  “We stopped on the way home to get ice cream, and I told her that no matter what her father said to her at night, she knows the difference between right and wrong and good behavior and bad. I told her I expected her to act appropriately.”

  “Did she listen to you?”

  “I believe she did. Time will tell. So, what are the plans for tomorrow evening?” She cuddled down in the blanket, happy that she was ending the night with a phone call with the man who was quickly winning her heart.

  “Whatever we do together, I’ll be happy,” he said.

  “Why don’t we go to your house and hang out watching television and eating popcorn,” she suggested.

  “That sounds good to me,” he replied. “But I think I’ll order pizza for us to eat before I break out the popcorn.”

  “How about you let me get the pizza, Hunter?”

  “That’s not necessary, Ainsley.”

  “I know it’s not necessary, but it isn’t always necessary for you to pay every time we get together.”

  “I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy. I like taking care of the woman I’m dating. I’ll let you know if and when it becomes a problem, deal?”

  She hesitated a moment. “Deal,” she finally replied.

  They spoke a few more minutes and then hung up. Ainsley plugged her phone into the charger and then settled in to sleep. She was falling fast for Hunter Churchill. He was everything she’d ever wanted in her life.

  She loved his patience and his kind heart. She adored his smile and the sound of his deep, rumbling laughter. She absolutely loved the sound of her name falling from his lips. She just wished it was her real name.

  The closer she got to him, the more she worried about the lies she’d told him. Could she go the rest of her life living the lie? As she drifted to sleep, she had no answer.

  * * *

  PETER HAD BEEN busy since he’d learned the location of his ex-wife. He’d bought himself a farm fifteen minutes from Dusty Gulch. It was a simple three-bedroom house, nothing like what he was accustomed to, but it was completely isolated and perfect for what he had in mind.

  He now stood in front of the bank of computer monitors that showed him images of Colett
e’s little apartment. Both Melinda and Colette were asleep, so there would be no more activity happening tonight.

  He’d been enjoying having conversations with Melinda after he knew Colette was in her own bedroom at night. It had been particularly fun to watch her misbehave at his command.

  Having the cameras and microphones installed there had been fairly easy. All he’d needed was to find somebody who could give him access to the café attic.

  He’d found that person in Ted Johnson, the janitor/maintenance man who worked at night at the café. Ted was sixty-three years old and worked hard to earn just a little bit more than minimum wage.

  When Peter offered the man ten thousand dollars for two nights of access to the attic and not telling a soul about it, Ted had jumped at the opportunity.

  The two nights had allowed Peter to set up the electronics he needed to watch and listen into the tiny two-bedroom apartment where his angel and his bitch of an ex-wife were staying.

  He now stretched with his arms overhead and then left the bedroom. He locked the door behind him and then looked into the master bedroom, where Sheila Turrel was sprawled across the bed.

  Sheila was the perfect woman he needed for now. He’d gone trolling for somebody just like her at a dive bar in Dusty Gulch called the Wrecking Ball.

  The thirty-six-year-old woman was thin as a rail and not pretty, but she was also a heavy drinker and a heroin user, which made her very attractive to him.

  As long as he kept her hooked up, she would be the best alibi he could have if for some reason he came under suspicion.

  She stayed nodded out most of the time and had no idea when he was home and when he wasn’t, but she would swear he’d been with her if anyone from law enforcement asked. Although he found her a weak, disgusting waste of a human being, he needed her right now to assure his own safety.

  He continued walking down the hallway and into the kitchen. He flipped on the light against the darkness of night and then opened the back door and stepped out on the back porch.