He'd been insulted by that at first, but then he'd taken a step back and truthfully had to admit that his sister had a point. That was his pattern. And it wasn't like he'd left a string of broken hearts; he'd had his share of women dumping him, too. But he knew that he came on strong. He decided to bide his time and wait, and of course date up a storm while he was waiting.
Jack loved women, all shapes and sizes and ages. They were all beautiful to him in their own way, and women generally found him quite lovable as well, and fun to be around, even if they didn't see him as a good long-term prospect. But he was okay with that. Until he found his Mrs. Right, he was going to have as much fun as possible.
But, it had been weeks now since Wade's wedding and he'd been thinking about Melissa more and more, wondering what she was up to and how she was doing. He decided to find out. He picked up the phone and called his sister. Bernie answered on the first ring.
"Wade Weston's office, this is Bernie."
"Are you going to trivia tonight?"
Bernie laughed. "Well, hello and how are you, too? Yes, I think we are. Will you be joining us? You haven't come for ages."
"Yeah, I think I'm in the mood for it."
"Good, we could use you for sports and history. That's always our weak spot. Though David and Clark are coming tonight, too, so we should be in really good shape."
"Clark's coming, too? He's almost as much fun as I am."
Bernie laughed. "You should hang out with him more. You are like two peas in a pod." Clark was a doctor, like David, and Jack enjoyed spending time with both of them.
"How's Melissa doing? You should invite her to come, too," he said casually. But he should have known he couldn't sneak anything by his sister.
"So that's what you are up to! You just want to see her. You're not planning to ask her out, are you? I really don't think that's a good idea."
Jack was quiet for a moment. That actually had been his plan. But Bernie sounded so adamant. He could wait a bit longer.
"No, I just liked her. It would be nice to see her, that's all. No ulterior motive."
"Well, Lily and I were planning to invite her. She usually comes with us. We're going to stop by the shop on our way and see. So, you might see her later."
"All right, then. I'm going to head home and then I’ll see you there."
"See you tomorrow, Anna," Melissa said as Anna left for the day. It was a few minutes after six and Melissa was almost ready to go, too. She had just shut down the computer when the front door opened and the chimes sounded. It was Bernie and Lily.
"Are you up for trivia? We're going to have a bigger group than usual tonight. It should be fun," Bernie said.
"Yes, absolutely. I'll just grab my purse."
Melissa locked the shop and they made their way over to the restaurant at the ranch where trivia was held every Thursday night in the bar. It was also buy-one-get-one-free pizza night in the bar and restaurant so it was always packed with guests as well as locals.
"Who's coming tonight?" Melissa asked as they walked.
"David and Clark, one of the doctors that he works with, and you know my brother, Jack."
"Jack's coming? He hasn't come to trivia before." Melissa tried not to sound as excited as she felt about seeing Jack. It didn't make any sense, as she knew he was all wrong for her. Yet, he made her smile and she liked to be around him. She suspected that most people did. Jack was fun.
"He likes trivia. He comes in spurts. And then he's on to the next thing. Jack likes to keep busy." Bernie laughed.
"Is Cody coming?" Melissa asked Lily. Her husband, Cody, and his brother ran a ranch and did some real estate development. Lily worked in the office with Bernie, handling events and on the side, she wrote songs and occasionally sang at local bars with her brother Tyler and his friend, Mark.
"Yes, he should be along soon. Wade said he would try to stop by, too. He promised Vivian he'd take her and Maddie out for pizza."
"It will be fun to see them," Melissa said. "And of course Jaclyn and Simon will be there."
"They're probably already there," Bernie said as they walked into the restaurant. Sure enough, Jaclyn and Simon were at their usual long table, and waved as soon as they saw them. Barbi, their favorite waitress, met them at the table to get their drink orders.
"I don't suppose any of you want root beer?" Jaclyn asked, with a gleam in her eye.
Bernie laughed. "I'll stick to Chardonnay. Thanks anyway."
"I'll have the same," Melissa said.
"I'll have some of that root beer," Lily said.
"Great. I'll be right back with your drinks." Barbi walked off to the bar. Meanwhile, everyone was silently staring at Lily in surprise. Jaclyn slid a glass and the pitcher of root beer Lily's way.
"I have never seen you drink soda. What's going on?" Bernie asked.
Lily grinned. "Cody and I have some news to share."
"Oh, my gosh, you're expecting!" Bernie gave her a big hug, while Lily beamed.
"I've been dying to tell you all, but we wanted to wait until three months had passed. I was going to wait for him to get here and we'd announce it together, but I guess the root beer was too much of a giveaway."
A few minutes later, Cody, Clark and Jack walked in. Jack sat next to Melissa as everyone congratulated Cody.
"I tried to wait for you…but they knew as soon as I ordered a root beer!" Lily said with a laugh.
They ordered drinks and once Barbi returned with them, Jack lifted his glass and everyone joined him in a toast. "Congratulations to both of you!"
Jaclyn led the discussion of which pizzas to get and they ended up ordering their usual combinations plus a spicy Hawaiian for Jack.
"What is that?" Melissa asked as Barbi collected their menus.
"Pineapple, ham and Sriracha sauce for a little kick. You'll have to try a slice."
"I don't know." Melissa was looking forward to her plain cheese pizza.
"Trust me, it's amazing. So, how've you been? Seems like we were just at Wade's wedding."
"The weeks really have flown by. That was so much fun. They seem like they've always been together." Melissa waved as Wade, Maddie and Vivian walked in and were seated at the table next to them.
Melissa's phone vibrated and she glanced down to see who it was. A text message from Melanie.
I know you're probably at trivia, but can you call me. It's important.
"I need to go make a quick call. Back in a few minutes," Melissa said as she grabbed her phone and went outside to call Melanie. Her sister picked up immediately.
"You're at trivia, right? I know you go on most Thursdays. Sorry to interrupt."
"What is it?" Something about Melanie's tone had her senses on alert. Something was wrong.
"Okay, it may be nothing. But I've had a bad feeling about this all week and didn't want to alarm you until I had good reason. Cooper hasn't been into the club for three days now. You know him—he doesn't miss a day, ever."
He had been obsessive about working out. He went every day at the same time, without fail.
"Maybe he changed gyms?"
"No, his membership is still active."
"Maybe work has been busy?"
"I would have thought that, except that I called his office and asked for him, and they said he is out of town on a leave of absence."
"Oh. Well, maybe there was a death in the family or something." Melissa still didn't want to go there. It had been so long now since she'd left Boston that she finally was starting to really feel like it was over.
"Maybe. But the reason I called his office to check is because I was worried. He's said a few things to me. I didn't say anything before because I didn't want to worry you and I thought he was all talk."
"What did he say?"
"Well, you know he used to ask me all the time where you were?" Melissa knew that he gave Melanie a hard time when she first left. She insisted to him that she didn't know where she'd gone and he finally stopped asking.
Melissa was totally shaken and speechless.
"Did you hear me? I'm not hanging up until you promise me." Melissa could feel her twin's worry.
She signed. "I promise. Thank you. I can't believe this might not be over yet."
"It will be. It may be nothing...but better safe than sorry. Now go, win trivia!"
"Thanks. Love you."
Chapter 3
Jack knew something was wrong when Melissa returned to the table. She didn't say anything right away, but she was unusually quiet and it was clear something was bothering her. When Barbi delivered the pizzas and everyone's attention was on filling their plates, he asked her softly, "Is everything all right?"
Melissa was quiet for a moment and then said, "It's a long story. But, you know I have a restraining order in place?"
Jack nodded. He didn't know the particulars, but knowing that was enough to understand why she looked so worried.
"Well, my sister just gave me a heads up that there's a strong chance that my ex may be heading this way. We don't know for sure, but I told her I'd stay with someone or have someone stay at my place at least tonight, maybe longer. Oh, and I want to add a camera to my alarm system."
"That's a good idea, all of it. I know Dan who runs the company you use for your alarm. He could add that for you, and I'll put a call in to have him put a rush on it."
"Could you? Thank you, that would be great. I’ve taken both shooting and karate lessons since I moved here, but I’m not comfortable having a gun in the house and I stopped the karate lessons. I decided to do yoga instead. So it will be a relief to have the alarm system working well.
"Where will you stay tonight?" Jack asked.
"I don't know. I haven't told anyone about this and hate to get anyone involved or bother them. Especially Lily, now that she's pregnant. And Bernie and David are newlyweds. Maybe Jaclyn has room for a night or two."
Jack cringed inwardly at the thought of it. Jaclyn was sweet and feisty but would be no match against an angry ex. That much he knew.
"No, I'll stay with you tonight and then we can make a plan tomorrow." He grinned, hoping to help her relax. "I like sleeping on sofas and it's better for me to be at your place than at mine because if he's coming for you, he'll come to your house and I can deal with him."
"Thank you. I'll admit I will sleep better if you are there tonight. And you don't have to sleep on the sofa. I have a spare bedroom, with a brand new bed."
"Well, that sold me right there!" Jack said. "Now, let's shake this off and have fun. You sure you don't want to try a slice?" He took a big bite of his steaming pizza that was dripping with hot sauce and cheese.
Melissa laughed. "No, thanks. Very happy with my plain cheese."
Jack was glad to see that she seemed a little calmer now Over the next few hours, they had a great time playing trivia and came in first place, which meant Jaclyn pocketed a gift card to use the next time they all came in.
Jack followed Melissa back to her house and since it was only a little after nine, they settled on the living room sofa to watch some TV. Jack didn't want to pry, but he thought it might be wise to learn more about the man he was going to be keeping an eye out for.
"What can you tell me about your ex? Even just the basics would help, like what he looks like, and his name. I'm sure you don't like to talk about it."
Melissa sighed. "No, I don't. I feel pretty stupid about the whole sorry situation, to be honest, and mad at myself for not getting out of it sooner. His name is Cooper Cromwell and we dated for almost a year. He asked me to marry him and I said no. Well, I said I wasn't there yet. He was a hard person to say no to. It was easier to just say maybe later, I guess. That must sound awful." Her eyes looked suspiciously damp and Jack reached over, put his hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"No, it's not in the least. I see this a lot, you know. It's far more common than people realize. Even in a sleepy little town like Riston. And it's in all levels of society." He told her about the woman who was in earlier that day, without naming any names.
"You never in a million years would have guessed what went on behind closed doors in her house. Her husband is well known and highly respected in the community."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not surprised. Not now. I didn't realize this before, though. I missed all the signs."
"He was the perfect boyfriend at first, right? So charming and attentive, brought you flowers, remembered your birthday. Wanted to see you all the time?"
Melissa nodded. "Yes, to all of that. It was flattering at first, all the attention that he showered on me, telling me I was beautiful, buying me all kinds of gifts. We went to expensive restaurants for dinner regularly. The lightbulb didn't go off for a long time. Too long. My sister saw the signs long before I did."
"Let me guess. He didn't want you to see her as much?"
Melissa looked surprised. "You've seen this all before, I suppose? But, yes, you're right. He gradually crossed the line from attentive to smothering and then controlling. He either wanted to come along whenever I saw my sister or didn't want me to include her if we went out. He thought we spent too much time together. It was the same with my other friends. He didn't want to go to parties, he just wanted me all to himself."
"Did he ever get physical with you?" Jack asked.
"Yes, but not at first and not for a long time. He always had a temper. He couldn't stand to be late, ever. And he didn't like to lose. If he lost a case at work, he'd be in a foul mood. He smashed things when he got really upset, slammed things around, sometimes broke them. I was on the verge of breaking up with him when I did something that made him furious and he slapped me."
"Is that when you ended it?"
Melissa looked down and shook her head. "No, but I should have. He took me by surprise and once he hit me, his mood flipped, just like that. Suddenly, he was so sweet and apologetic. He sent me two dozen roses the next day and I was just so exhausted and confused. I put off ending it because I just wasn't ready to deal with it. But a week later, when I wanted to spend an evening with Melanie, just the two of us, he had a meltdown and I had had it. I told him that was it, and I was ending it for good. That's when he lost it and really hit me hard. He split my lip right open."
Jack realized that his hands were both clenched into fists. The thought of anyone touching petite and gentle Melissa made his blood boil. He wasn't a violent man and not prone to getting into fights, but he had a strong urge to hit this guy hard. He forced himself to relax his hands as the last thing he wanted to do was let Melissa see how he was feeling.
"Did you call the cops?"
"As soon as he saw my blood, he started apologizing and crying. Crying! And I just ran to my car and drove straight to Melanie's. We went straight to the police and I got a restraining order."
"You didn't press charges?" Jack asked. He knew most women didn't the first time something like this happened.
"No. I didn't. I just wanted to be done with him and the restraining order seemed like the best solution."
"Did he leave you alone after that?" Jack knew the answer, given that Melissa wasn't in Boston any longer.
"No. He stayed away for a few days. Sent so many roses, it was ridiculous. But there weren't enough roses to fix what was wrong with us, with him. He kept calling and every time I told him I was done. I reminded him that there was a restraining order and he needed to stop calling. I thought I saw his car in my ne
ighborhood more than once and that shook me up. It felt like he was stalking me."
"Did he try to come by?"
"He came to my condo complex and rang the buzzer at least ten times, begging me to let him come up so we could talk. It was Melanie's idea for me to come here, for a year or two, until he found someone else to obsess over."
"And it doesn't sound like he's moved on?"
Melissa bit her lower lip. "No. I really thought by now that he would have. But he doesn't like to lose. He really thought that we were going to get married."
Jack didn't like the sound of this guy at all. An idea had come to him as Melissa was talking. It was a great plan as far as he was concerned, but he knew Melissa might need some persuading. He decided to sleep on it and figure out the best way to present it in the morning.
Melissa slept fitfully though she knew if Jack hadn't stayed over, she wouldn't have slept a wink. She eased out of bed as soon as the sun streamed through her bedroom window. After a quick shower, she stopped by the guest bedroom on her way to the kitchen. The door was cracked slightly and it looked like Jack was sound asleep. She knew he'd be up soon, though, as they both had to be to work around the same time. She figured the least she could do was make him a nice breakfast before they left.
She got the coffee brewing and then set about making a big veggie omelet and toast for the two of them to share. Just as she was buttering the toast, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Something smells amazing."
"Are you hungry?" she asked as she poured coffee for both of them.
"I can always eat. You didn't have to go to any trouble, though."
"It was no trouble at all. I'm always starving first thing in the morning." Melissa plated up the food and brought it to her round kitchen table, which sat by a window overlooking her yard. The sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.
Missing Melissa (Rivers End Ranch Book 27) Page 2