In a sudden move, he turned back to her and gripped her arms. "You drove the car into the wall. I didn't stop him, so you had to drive a car into a concrete wall. You could have died at any time."
Melody burst into tears. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know what else to do." James let go of her, and she crumbled to the floor, sobbing, her face in her hands. "I couldn't think of anything else," she said through the tears. "James, he was going to kill me, and he was going to enjoy doing it, enjoy knowing you knew that was what he was doing. He probably would have sent you pictures wrapped around roses. I couldn't let him do that to you."
With a sigh, he sat next to her on the floor and pulled her into his lap. She put her arms around his neck. "I couldn't let him. I didn't know what else to do."
James whispered, "He made me doubt."
"What?" Melody sniffed.
His face turned cold and serious. "He made me doubt whether forgiving him was the right thing. Now he's dead and I find that I'm not exactly unhappy about it. In fact, I'm tempted to go spit on his grave. Did I really forgive him?"
She wanted to be strong for her husband. James forgave the man who had viciously murdered his first wife and a number of his friends. That single act of forgiveness was a tremendous witness to her. Melody realized that she would have to find a way to forgive Rikard, too. To her shame, she wasn't ready, yet, to begin that journey.
Maybe somewhere on earth there was a woman strong enough to forgive a man who had beaten her nearly to death then kidnapped her and threatened to kill her a scant few hours before. Melody was not that strong, though she wanted to be. She would have to find a way to ask God to forgive her for all of her hateful thoughts about him. She would have to pray for the strength it would take to forgive him. It would take reading her Bible, praying, and asking James to help her.
That was for tomorrow. Right now, she was ready to help her husband. Through her tears, she said, "James Montgomery, you are the strongest man I have ever known in my entire life. You did absolutely nothing wrong. Don't let that evil man control you from the grave."
He kissed the side of her neck then brushed his lips over her temple. "It's okay, baby. Please quit crying." He rubbed his hands across her back, trying to soothe her. He kissed her neck again, and she turned her head, capturing his mouth with hers. He fought the passion that surged through him, and kept his lips gentle and soothing, keeping his arms loosely on her back.
"I know you loved that car."
"Yeah. But I love you more. And I don't want another Jaguar," he said.
"Okay. I'll buy you a little hybrid. You can brag about your mileage and pack groceries in the trunk."
He didn't laugh.
Melody put her hands on each side of his face and tried to deepen the kiss, but he started to pull away. "No, don't," she whispered, "I don't want gentle." She kissed him again, and he let her deepen the kiss.
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JAMES lay in the bed, playing with Melody's hair. "You need to sleep," he told her, looking at the clock. It was almost three.
"You need to sleep," she mimicked him. He shifted and stood. "Where are you going?" she asked as he walked to the door.
"Be right back," he answered. When he returned, he carried two glasses of water. She sat up and took one from him, then leaned over to kiss his shoulder. The movement caught her by surprise with how very sore and stiff her body felt.
"I don't know if I'm going to even be able to perform Sunday night," she said as the realization struck her.
"Can you reschedule?" James asked lightly.
"Not easily, but I guess I could," she answered.
He took a sip of water with the glass in one hand while his other hand drew light patterns against her skin. "Maybe you could postpone a couple of days and we could squeeze in a quick honeymoon."
Melody smiled. "I think that's a great idea." Then her expression clouded.
"What?" He prompted.
She sighed. "There's all kinds of fees. Like if the venue is booked through I'd have to pay all the way through. I'd have to re-contract all the local support people and concessionaires. A certain percentage of ticket holders will want refunds. Insurance would cover most of it but it would be a major hassle. It would be a nightmare, really. But I just don't think I'm going to be able to dance. I'd rather not do a show if I can't do it right."
James pursed his lips and half-closed his eyes. Melody somehow knew he was mentally analyzing the problem with all of the intellectual ability that his genius could bring to bear. When his eyes widened, he spoke again, "Honestly, I think your fans would respect you more for doing the show … gutting it out, you know? They would get the bragging rights to say they attended the first concert you did since the kidnapping. They'll all show hoping you'll reveal something they haven't read in the tabloids."
Melody shook her head, "I just want things to get back to normal."
"I wouldn't worry about that tonight. You need to relax now and get some rest. You've been through a lot in the last few weeks," he said, draining his water and setting it on the night stand. "I think I know how you feel. You feel scattered and anxious instead of focused and at peace. You feel really angry and you're still a little bit afraid. Am I right?"
Melody sat up and took a sip of her water while she examined her feelings. "I guess that's about right."
James smiled, "I felt a lot like that after my wife and three of our employees were murdered by that madman. I was so angry with everybody. And I was scattered to the point that I just couldn't prioritize anything. I'm ashamed to admit it now, but I was also a little bit afraid. I was afraid that whoever could pull off something like that would certainly come after me or Kurt next."
Melody felt herself crossing her arms. "And how did you fix it, darling. Wait, let me guess. You prayed."
James grinned. "Not exactly. I did a lot of other useless, pointless, and ineffectual things first. Wasted a lot of time. Made the way I was feeling a hundred times worse. Why not wisely benefit from my mistakes and cut to the chase?"
He eyed her with an eyebrow raised in challenge while he took her glass and then helped himself to another sip of water. Melody loved how handsome he looked with his tousled hair and his teasing grin. She uncrossed her arms and said, "I think you're right."
With mock superiority, James announced, "You sound so surprised."
Melody laughed even though it made her muscles twinge. Her husband set her glass of water down on the bedside table next to his. Then he very gently wrapped his strong arms around her and tucked her head under his chin. "Let's pray. We have so much to be thankful for. God is so amazing and so glorious. He has very obviously blessed us with protection and favor. Let's thank Him for revealing and removing this evil from both our lives. Let's ask Him to continue to keep us safe as long as we remain in His will here on earth. And let's do our part to fulfill His will from this day on."
As her husband's rich, baritone voice washed over her, as it vibrated through her skin from his chest and neck, Melody felt herself letting go. She felt her grip loosen and felt herself releasing her fear and her anger. She felt the frustration and the anxiety washing out of her very soul as she and her husband communed with the Creator of the universe. Then she felt such surprise when James prayed for God to heal her and give her strength to perform at her concert despite her recent trauma.
She found herself hearing the beginnings of a song, just a strain of a refrain of an echo of a tune or a chorus, and then it was gone but not forgotten. Clearly, God was speaking to her in a language He knew she would hear and understand and she tucked that snippet of song away for the right time and place. Perhaps a tribute album to raise funds for the orphanage or another ministry, or perhaps her first crossover song into the realm of contemporary Christian music, or maybe even a praise hymn offered license free to modern places of worship in the name of giving glory and honor to her Maker.
In the middle of that prayer she began to pray silently of her own accord,
speaking to God from the very depths of her heart. She asked Him to forgive her for so many of her thoughts and actions. She thanked Him for showing her what a terrible person Rikard was before she offered her vows to him all those years ago. She thanked Him for her worldly successes and wealth and promised to better steward her funds for purposes of ministry to those in need. She asked God to help her find the strength to forgive Rikard for all of the evil the man had brought into her life. More than anything, she thanked God for bringing James back into her life.
When her husband said, "Amen," she echoed it wholeheartedly. Then he kissed her very sincerely and said, "Now please get some rest, baby."
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CHAPTER 37
MELODY opened her eyes and slowly stretched a leg, glad to feel no muscles protesting the movement. As she sat up and rolled her neck, she felt only a slight twinge. She had begun to think that she might never feel normal again. Over a week had passed since the kidnapping, and the first few mornings she was barely able to move. James had whisked her away to a little private beach on the Caribbean, and she'd just moved from beach side lounge chair to pool side lounge chair to hammock on the front porch for four glorious and beautiful days. Finally, the last day there, she had started feeling better, and could move without her muscles screaming at her.
Now they were back in Atlanta, and in the last four days, she'd had a crash course in what her new normal would look like. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was five, then looked behind her, not surprised to see the empty bed. She'd learned that James was not a normal human being. During the past few days, he was more and more comfortable about leaving her alone, and she got a picture of what his normal schedule felt like.
After a hot shower that took some of the lingering soreness away, she made her way to the kitchen, knowing a pot of coffee awaited. She was on her second cup and in the bedroom getting dressed when James returned to the apartment, dressed in his normal workout clothes, sweat pants and a sweatshirt with the arms cut off. He didn't say anything to her, just threw his gym bag on the floor of the closet, ripped off the fingerless gloves he wore and tossed them on top of the bag, then pulled his sweatshirt off over his head. Then he started walking toward her with a wicked gleam in his eye.
She held a hand up to stop him. "Don't touch me," she squealed, trying to get around him but being blocked, "you're all sweaty and I just put on this suit."
He grinned and kept advancing. "But if I get you, the advantage is that you would take a shower with me." He whipped his hand out and caught her wrist. She started laughing so hard that she couldn't even fight him. He pulled her toward him, stopping when she could feel his body heat, then leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss before he let go of her wrist. "I'll give you a break, but only because it's Monday. Don't expect this kind of fair play on a Tuesday," he said as he headed toward the bathroom.
She smiled as she finished getting dressed. Grabbing her makeup bag, she moved her hair out of the way and examined the bruise at her temple. It had started to fade, though still a sick looking greenish yellow color. Carefully, she started applying concealer to completely cover it. James came out of the bathroom and saw what she was doing. His eyes met hers in the mirror and flared briefly, but he came up behind her and kissed the bruise.
"What time are you leaving?" he asked while he pulled on a shirt.
"Seven, I think. That was the last time I had, but I didn't talk to Hal yesterday." She leaned back from the mirror and looked. It was still there if you looked close, but not so obvious. She'd have to get a hold of Lisa, see if she knew what else she could do. "He went to Savannah over the weekend."
"I'll wait and ride with you to the airport," he said, coming up behind her and nuzzling her neck.
"James, I don't need a baby-sitter anymore," she grumbled. She felt guilty enough as it was, knowing how much he'd adjusted his schedule during the last two months.
She felt him stiffen and let him turn her around to meet his eyes. She saw understanding replace the quick flash of anger. "If I want to spend as much time as I can with you before we're separated for two weeks, then I will. My first meeting in Tokyo isn't until tomorrow morning," he said as he started to nibble on her lips.
The phone rang before he could deepen the kiss, and he broke away from her mouth to answer it. He hung up the phone and turned to her. "You're leaving at six-thirty," he said, then came back and took her face in his hands, giving her another quick kiss. "I'll drive you and you can meet Hal there. Better finish getting ready."
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MELODY spent two days in Nashville working on recording a new album and wrapping up long neglected business, then flew to Los Angeles for a concert on Wednesday night. She woke up Thursday morning and felt a little sore again, but by the time she did her concert on Saturday in San Francisco, her bruises had almost completely faded, and her body felt normal again.
During the day, she sent James little messages with her new phone app, and spoke with him every night, but as the week ended, she began to miss him fiercely. She'd gotten used to having him around all the time, and had a hard time interacting with her crew during their down times.
She had another concert in Portland on Tuesday, and when she got back to the hotel early Wednesday morning, she decided to surprise him. She called Rebecca's assistant Julie and got the number to Rebecca's hotel room, then made the call to Tokyo, where they'd arrived the day before. She looked at her watch and calculated that it was almost eight o'clock in the evening in Tokyo. She hoped that Rebecca was in her room and not having dinner somewhere.
Rebecca answered, and the two of them solidified the plans they needed. Melody could only spend one night, because she had a gig in Seattle on Friday, but she decided that the hours and hours on the plane round trip would be worth it.
She decided to use a commercial airliner to save her pilot from having to do such a long flight. A car met her at the airport in Tokyo Thursday afternoon local time and took her to the hotel. The concierge met her in the lobby and escorted her to James' room. He was breaking hotel policy — but this was Melody Mason. He estimated it was worth the breach in the rules when she smiled at him and took his hand.
She made arrangements with the hotel before coming, and found everything she needed. Rebecca had informed her that James would probably come back to the room by nine that night, so she had a couple of hours to get everything ready. She grabbed the bags that were waiting on her, and began to set up the room.
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JAMES' mood did nothing but worsen as the day wore on. He looked at his watch and wished that he could try to call Melody again. He'd tried to reach her off and on all day, but hadn't been able to get through.
He decided he would take a shower and sleep, then try her again in the morning. He could perform long division in his head but the time difference here was going to drive him mad.
He opened the door to his hotel suite and stopped short. Candles of various shapes and sizes flickered all around the room. A small table set for two sat in the corner near a window, and soft music played in the background.
He shut the door behind him and set his briefcase down. He cautiously stepped further into the room and saw Melody rise up from the couch and come toward him. He hoped he wasn't dreaming, and without speaking a word, pulled her into his arms.
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"HOW much longer can you stay?" he asked a few hours later. Melody had her head pillowed on his chest, and he lifted her hair just so he could watch the strands fall.
"Just until morning. I have to get back for the Seattle show on Friday." She stretched and nuzzled his chest. "Are you still going to be able to come home on Saturday?"
"I don't know yet. I should have a definite answer tomorrow." He reached over to the night stand and checked the phone that had just vibrated with an incoming text. "How's the West Coast?"
"The fans are terrific. More of a mixed group of people there than in the South, though." She spoke around a yawn
. She rolled away from him and sat up, grabbing his shirt as she stood. "If I stay that way, I'm liable to fall asleep. Want some coffee?"
"No. Come back to bed. Sleeping next to you is half the fun," he said as he held his hand out to her. She smiled at him and got back in bed, curling up next to him. She fell asleep within minutes.
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MELODY barely made it in time for her concert in Seattle, and took a severe scolding from Hal before she performed. In no shape to fight back, she just sat there shaking while Lisa applied her makeup. Her phobia intensified because of her fatigue.
Hal watched her do the concert, and was surprised when she appeared to have the same energy as usual. Then he had to bite his lip when she fell asleep in her dressing room waiting for security to give the go-ahead for her to leave.
She went straight from the concert to the airport, wanting to get home. She had nearly a week before her next concert, and planned on spending half of that time in Nashville recording. The short distance between the two cities would allow her to commute nearly every day.
James hit a snag in Japan and called to let Melody know he'd return to town on Monday rather than Saturday. She felt a little disappointed, but glad she'd stolen three days to go see him for one night. Melody spent the remainder of the weekend with Morgan.
On Sunday morning, Ginger called and invited them over for dinner after church. Kurt already had plans, so the sisters and Ginger decided to go and make it a girls' night out.
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JAMES walked into his apartment and immediately felt disappointed that Melody wasn't there. He remembered all of the time differences and that she and Morgan were at Ginger's having dinner. He called Melody's cell and left a voice mail to let her know he had returned home a day early.
A Melody for James (Christian Suspense) Page 32