Melissa laughed. “Who says you’re going to kiss me!”
He laughed, too, but set his wine glass down and pulled her to him. “I was going to wait until after dinner, but I can’t wait. I’ve missed you too much.” He leaned in and touched his lips lightly to hers, kissing her briefly but tenderly before pulling back.
“I just wanted to make sure you missed me, too?”
Melissa smiled. “More than I thought I would.”
Jack held onto her hands and looked her in the eye. “My feelings for you are very real and very serious. Our pretend marriage was the best relationship I’ve ever had. It’s never felt so right for me with anyone else. I just like being with you, no matter what we’re doing.”
“I feel the same way, and it scared me to feel so much so fast. I doubted that it was real,” she admitted.
“It’s very real for me.”
“For me, too.”
The oven timer beeped, and got their attention.
“Are you getting hungry yet?” Jack asked as he opened the oven to check on the bread.
“I am, actually.” Melissa took a sip of her wine.
“Well, everything is ready, so let’s eat.”
They ate in Jack’s dining room. The lemony chicken pasta was so good and the garlic bread that was dripping with butter was, too. They ate their fill and then Melissa helped him to put everything away. Jack topped off their glasses and they settled on his comfy sofa. They didn’t drink much more of the wine, though. Jack put his arm around her as they sat close together on the sofa.
“I have something important I want to say to you,” he began and turned so that he was looking directly in her eyes.
Melissa felt the warmth of his gaze and waited anxiously to hear what he had to say.
“I’ve known this for a while, but I didn’t want to scare you off and I wanted to make sure you were feeling something for me too. I know you had the situation with Cooper to deal with and to process. But the thing is, I love you, Melissa. I do. I felt that way while we were together, but this past week, without you, only reinforced those feelings. I don’t want to be apart anymore. You’re home for me.”
Melissa felt her heart leap and her eyes well up with happiness. “You’re home for me, too. I feel the same way and it scared and confused me completely. I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with someone so quickly. But I did, with you. Only you.”
“So what do we do now? Can we cancel our break and go back to the way things were?” Jack asked. His tone was light but Melissa could tell he was serious.
“You want to move back in?” Melissa asked.
“Yes, or you could move in here, but I think I like your place better and the yard is bigger. Roger likes your yard better.”
Melissa laughed. “All right then. It’s a shame you just had your kitchen all redone though.”
Jack grinned. “Not really. Now I can sell it for a lot more than I could before. This kitchen is exactly what everyone wants. It makes the house turnkey.”
Melissa realized he was right. “That’s very clever of you.”
“And we can have Bryan do the same thing to your kitchen—or rather our kitchen, if you think that’s a good idea?”
Melissa’s kitchen was very basic and simple. A renovation like what Jack did would make it beautiful. Melissa didn’t care especially, but she could tell it was important to Jack and if he was going to do most of the cooking…”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Jack grinned. “Well, Mrs. Jennings, I don’t think I’ve given you the full tour of my house. Would you like to see the second floor? We can watch TV after that, or go back to your place, whatever you like.”
“I’d love to go upstairs with you. I’ll go anywhere with you, Jack.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later, Melissa was putting the dishes in the dishwasher after dinner when her cell phone rang. She glanced at her phone and saw it was Melanie.
“Hi, Melanie!”
“Hey, do you have a minute? I’m not interrupting your dinner, am I?”
“No, we just ate and Jack’s outside walking Roger. What’s up?”
Melanie sounded excited. “I have some news. I called Wade yesterday. We talked for almost an hour about his ideas for the fitness center, and then he offered me a job.”
“He did? That’s wonderful! Do you think you might take it?”
“I already did. I told him yes on the spot. I’d already done my thinking before I called him and the offer felt right. So, I’ll be in Riston in three weeks!”
“That’s awesome! I’m so excited for you. I can start looking for some listings for you. Do you think you’ll want to rent or buy a place?”
“Neither actually. The job includes housing, at least for the first year while we’re getting it up and running and I’ll be spending longer hours there. Wade thought it might be helpful for me to be nearby.”
“Oh, that’s great. You can pop over and visit me at the shop whenever you want to.”
“I know! I’m really excited about this. I’m going to put my condo on the market tomorrow. See you in three weeks. Though I’m sure I’ll talk to you in another day or two.”
Melissa laughed. “I’m sure you will. Congrats!”
She was still smiling when Jack and Roger walked back in the house.
“What are you so happy about?” Jack asked as he took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen.
“Melanie just called. Wade offered her a job managing the fitness center and she accepted. She’s moving here in three weeks.”
Jack’s eyes softened. “That’s great news. I know you’ll love having her here.”
“I will.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. He responded enthusiastically and when the kiss ended, he asked with amusement, “What was that for?”
“I’m just really happy and it’s mostly because of you. And now Melanie is coming here, too. I’m grateful and feeling really lucky.”
“Well, I feel lucky, too. I have ever since I met you.” He pulled her in for another kiss.
“Life is good,” she said happily.
“Yes, it sure is.”
Other books by Pamela M. Kelley
Six Months in Montana
Mistletoe in Montana
Mischief in Montana
Match-Making in Montana
Winter in Ireland
The Wedding Photo (a friends to lovers romance)
Trust (Waverly Beach Mystery Series #1)
Motive (Waverly Beach Mystery Series #2)
River’s End Ranch Series
Veterinarian’s Vacation
Charming Chef
Cute Cowboy
Merry Manager
Bernie’s Birthday
The Wedding Photo
Up next, watch for Nashville Dreams set in the country music world. I think of this one as my big soapy saga—true love torn apart by amnesia and a scheming billionaire with political ambitions. Coming very soon…
About the Author
Pamela M. Kelley lives and works in Plymouth, MA and has always been a huge book worm. She worked as a journalist many years ago and in recent years as a food writer and an hr marketing consultant.
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Missing Melissa (Rivers End Ranch Book 27) Page 10