“Hi, Spence. I see you’ve met Reilly.”
The reporter twisted his head to the side, trying to look directly at the lawman. “Chief, I want to press charges against this guy for assault.”
Gage ignored him. “Spence, want to tell me what’s going on here?”
Not particularly, but he had no choice. “This guy ambushed me when I came home. I told him I wasn’t interested in being interviewed and made it clear that if he didn’t leave I would call the police and report him for trespassing.”
He finally released his hold on the reporter and stepped back, figuring things would go more smoothly if he at least appeared to be in control of himself.
“He refused to leave and prevented me from entering my house.” He flexed his hands and fought to calm himself. “Then this little pissant told me that it was my obligation to tell him my story, that people have the right to know what happened to me over there.”
He hated that he sounded desperate. Rehashing the hell he’d lived through would be like ripping the scab off a barely healed wound, one where the infection had run bone deep. To make matters worse, at that moment Melanie came pelting around the end of the house. Son of a bitch, he should’ve known the sound of the siren would bring her running.
Ignoring her, he kept talking. “He threatened to tell the story one way or the other, and if I wanted to control what went into the story, I’d better cooperate. I don’t much like being threatened.”
“And that’s when you called me?”
Spence nodded. “It was either that or beat the shit out of the little prick.”
Melanie gasped.
Gage turned his attention to the reporter. “Are you going to deny any of that?”
“I didn’t threaten him, Gage. Hell, look at the difference in our sizes. I’m not suicidal. I did tell him that I was going to run the story whether or not he contributed to it. Neither of you can stop me, First Amendment rights and all that.”
Melanie sidled nearer until she was standing close enough to Spence for him to feel her body heat. Damn, he wished she wasn’t there. He didn’t need her rushing to rescue him again. It might not look like it, but he had the situation under control. Mostly.
Gage got right in Reilly’s face. “Spence is a personal friend of mine, so I’m going to tell you this once. He’s already sacrificed enough for our country without having to give up his privacy just to satisfy your need to fill the front page of the paper.”
“But, Chief, he’s a hero!”
Spence started to speak, but Gage cut him off. “Every man and woman who puts on a uniform is a hero, Reilly, not just the few who make for good headlines. The last thing Spence needs right now is the attention you’d be aiming his way, especially when he’s been back such a short time.”
“But I—”
“No! You’re still not listening. Maybe you’d really like to face those trespassing charges Spence mentioned. If that happens, I’ll also have your car impounded, so you won’t only be spending a night in a cell, you’ll be out a couple of hundred bucks in towing and storage fees. It’s your call. And if you do bother Spence again in any way or form, well, let’s just say it won’t be pretty.”
Reilly stalked away still muttering under his breath about the Constitution and the public’s right to know. It made Spence queasy to think about seeing his life spelled out in black and white for everyone in town to read. He didn’t care what most folks thought about him, but there were a few whose opinions mattered.
Even if he wasn’t speaking to them.
Gage walked back to his cruiser and shut off the flashing lights. He waved at a couple of the neighbors as if to let them know the show was over for the night and came strolling back up across the yard.
“I’ll give the owner of the paper a call when I get home to let her know what really happened here. I’m not saying Reilly would embellish the story, but sometimes she needs to give his leash a good hard yank.”
Gage took his hat off, which made him look less like a hard-nosed cop and more like a concerned friend. “I think she’ll be reasonable, Spence, but he was right. I can’t legally stop him from running the story.”
“Yeah, I know.” His neck was tight. He rolled his shoulders in a futile attempt to ease the tension. “Maybe I could’ve handled the situation better, but it’s been a long day.”
He glanced down at Melanie and then back at Gage. “Do you two want to come in for a beer? I was headed that way myself when all of this started up.”
“I’ll take a rain check if that’s okay.” Gage put his hat back on. “I’m actually off duty, and my daughter, Syd, likes me to get home before she goes to bed.”
“Thanks for coming, Gage. I’ll try not to need your professional services for a while.”
He expected Gage to laugh, but he didn’t. Instead, his eyes bounced back and forth between Spence and Melanie while he was probably trying to decide how much to say in front of her. “Not a problem, Spence, but here’s the thing. You did the right thing by calling us, but your reaction was over-the-top. Hell, Reilly’s half your size and couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag.”
Spence’s face flushed hot. The man wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hear about it. Not with Melanie standing right beside him, listening to every word. Did she always have to witness him at his worst?
Gage was still talking. “Next time, walk away. Lock yourself in the house if you have to, and then call us. If he’d insisted on filing assault charges, I would’ve had to drag both you back to the station to sort it all out. That would not have made me a happy man.”
What could Spence do but apologize?
“Sorry, Gage. Like I said, I’ll try to stay off your radar for a while.”
“See that you do.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Good night, Ms. Wolfe.”
“Good night, Chief Logan.”
As Spence watched Gage pull away, he remained acutely aware of the woman standing beside him. Why hadn’t Melanie made an excuse to leave, too? Especially since the only reason she’d come running was that she’d seen the flashing lights. Instead, she’d stayed.
“Would you like that beer?”
He hadn’t meant to repeat the offer, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. While he waited for her to answer, he walked up the stairs and unlocked the front door. Reaching inside, he flipped on the outside light, which bathed them both in its soft light.
She followed him up the steps, making the small porch seem crowded. “No, I can’t stay. I was on my way over to see how things went at the factory with Mr. Cosgrove when I heard the police siren.”
She rubbed her arms as if she were chilly. Didn’t she have enough good sense to dress for the weather? He shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“It went fine.” Realizing how gruff he sounded, he added, “By the way, it’s no longer Mr. Cosgrove. I get to call him Will now.”
Silly as it was, he was actually pretty proud of that fact. Melanie was clearly impressed, too. “Wow, that’s quite an honor. Even after all the years they worked together, my father never got to do that, but then Dad always drew a sharp distinction between management and the people who worked for him.”
What could Spence say to that? Both of her parents had always struck him as cold and aloof, which made him wonder how Melanie had turned out to be so warm and approachable. When she looked up at him with those gentle eyes, he was reminded that there were good people in the world, ones who would never betray him. His gut instinct said that once she gave her loyalty, there would be no holding back, no second thoughts.
A man would do well to have someone like her at his side. She’d bring such passion to every facet of their lives.
Not liking where that line of thought might lead, he decided it was past time to put some distance between the t
wo of them. With everything that had happened since he left the factory, his control was about shot. He pulled the door closed and locked it again. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to the house.”
“You don’t have to, Spence. I know the way.”
He ignored her protest and used the only excuse he had. “I want my jacket back.”
Neither of them pointed out that she could simply hand it back to him right there. As they cut through the grounds toward the main house, she stopped and touched her fingers to her forehead. “I swear half the time I’m lucky to remember my own name. There was something else I wanted to ask you. Didn’t you used to drive one of the delivery trucks for my dad?”
Where was she going with this? “Yeah, he had me cover whenever one of the regular drivers was on vacation or out sick. Why?”
“I got a call right after dinner that one of my delivery guys has to go out of town for a family emergency. He’ll be gone the rest of the week. Ordinarily, I could shift a few things around and make do, but he didn’t give me enough notice to do that. We’ve got a full schedule of deliveries to make tomorrow, and I’d rather not ask customers to wait an extra day.
“Please feel free to say no, but I was wondering if you’d be able to drive one of the trucks. You wouldn’t have to cover the rest of the days, but it would really help if you could fill in for him tomorrow.”
Why not? It wasn’t as if he had any pressing engagements on his calendar. “Sure. What time do I need to be at the factory?”
She started walking again. “The trucks are loaded and ready to roll by nine. I’ll call your buddy Will and tell him that you won’t be able to help tomorrow night.”
He so didn’t need her doing her mother hen imitation right now. “No, don’t. I can handle both.”
“That will make for a long day, don’t you think?”
Shit, could she not hear the thread of temper in his voice? His bad mood was not her fault, but her concern wasn’t helping matters. “Damn it, Melanie. If I couldn’t handle the work, I wouldn’t volunteer.”
She shot him a considering look as if deciding if she could believe him. “Fine, then, but I will pay you for tomorrow. No arguments or the deal is off. Got that?”
He liked that she didn’t back down. “Yeah, since you put it so nicely.”
They’d reached her patio. She took off his jacket and handed it back. “Thanks, Spence. You’re a real lifesaver.”
Before he could turn away, she rose on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She no doubt meant the gesture as a simple thank-you for helping her out of difficult situation, but his body reacted as if he’d stepped on a live electrical wire. He stepped back and waged a hard-fought battle not to gather her into his arms and show her what a real kiss was all about.
He lost the fight.
She’d already started up the steps when he threw his jacket on the ground with a muttered curse and followed after her. Melanie immediately turned around and came back down to the first step, which put her right at his eye level.
“Did you need something, Spence?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He grasped her upper arms and tugged her tumbling forward to land hard against his chest, her mouth in the perfect position for a kiss. Melanie immediately opened her mouth to protest or maybe did so simply out of surprise. He didn’t care why she did it; he was just grateful for the chance to take the kiss to a whole other level, deep and hot and hungry.
At first she protested and tried to push away from him. He immediately softened the kiss, aiming to coax her into enjoying the moment. Five seconds in, and she was right there with him, taking as much as she was giving.
He might go to hell for this, but right now he was pretty sure it was worth the price.
Chapter 10
Melanie pried open one eye to make sure she was really kissing Spence Lang. Hot damn, she was! Back in high school, how many nights had she lain awake dreaming of a moment like this? Far more than she would ever admit to anyone. It was everything she’d ever hoped for, possibly the best kiss she’d ever had.
His tongue darted into her mouth and swept across hers, tasting and teasing. Earlier, the temperature had been chilly, but right now the two of them were burning up the night. His arms cocooned her in a powerful grip, one that shut out the rest of the world and made her feel safe and protected.
Clear thinking was nearly impossible. This was no time for second thoughts, only pleasure bubbling out of control. Then Spence’s big hand brushed across her bottom and settled there to lift her firmly against his erection. In that instant, the simple kiss transformed into something so much more complex.
As attracted as she was to Spence, she wasn’t ready to take that next step. It was too much and too soon. This time when she pushed against Spence’s chest with both hands, he ripped his lips from hers and took a giant step back, looking as stunned as she felt. She grabbed onto the stair railing in part to regain her balance, but mostly to keep from following right after him.
Even if she regretted breaking off the embrace on one level, seeing the panicky expression flash across Spence’s face made her glad she hadn’t given in to the temptation to invite him inside. She should say something, but what?
She went with the first thing that popped into her head. “I’m sorry.”
He went from panicked to pissed in the blink of an eye. “What the hell for? I’m the one that started it.”
Would apologizing for apologizing be completely stupid? Yeah, probably. She shut her mouth and left the next move up to Spence. He glared at her, but somehow she sensed she wasn’t the real target for his anger. “Go inside. I’ll wait here until you lock the door.”
“But—”
“Don’t push it, Mel. Go now.”
Don’t push what? Obviously this wasn’t the time to ask. She ran up the stairs, each step of the way feeling as if she were making a huge mistake. A few seconds later she was inside with the locked door providing a safe barrier between her and the man still standing in her backyard. What was he doing out there? She had her answer when her cell phone rang. He was already talking before she had a chance to even say hello.
“Look, I’m the one who should apologize. These days my temper rides pretty close to the surface. I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
He paused as if waiting for an answer. All things considered, she went for the obvious. “Apology accepted.”
Watching out the window, she could tell he jerked his head in a quick nod, but it was too dark to read his facial expression. What was going on in that head of his that kept him hanging on the line but not saying anything?
“I’ll see you in the morning, Spence.” She softened her voice. “Get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”
He shook his head, but she was pretty sure he was smiling now. After picking up his jacket, he started across the yard still holding the phone to his ear. When he was almost out of sight, she said, “Good night.”
His last words before he disconnected stabbed her right in the chest. She was almost, but not quite, sure what he’d said before hanging up was “Good night, Callie.”
Maybe she was wrong, but then maybe not. It was all too easy to believe, especially thinking back to the night of the wedding and the look of despair on Spence’s face as he watched Callie marry his friend Nick. As Melanie turned off the lights and trudged upstairs to bed, she pondered what had just happened. It was all too clear in her head exactly who she’d been kissing out on the patio: one Corporal Spencer Lang.
The real question was: Who had he been kissing back?
• • •
Groaning, Spence rolled over in bed and reached for his cell phone. He’d set his alarm to go off at seven thirty, but it wasn’t even six yet. What the hell had woken him up at this ungodly hour?
He sta
yed right where he was and waited to see if he heard the noise again. A few seconds later, the racket started up again. As near as he could tell, some kind of an animal was raising a ruckus out on the front porch. It sounded as if the damn thing was trying to dig its way under the house.
His sidearm would provide a quick fix to the problem, but he’d promised to stay off Gage’s radar for a while. Waking up the neighbors with gunfire just so he could scare off a varmint would no doubt violate that agreement, but he had to run it off somehow. For Melanie’s sake, he couldn’t let the place be torn apart by some four-legged intruder.
He crawled out of bed and grabbed a pair of sweatpants to pull on. Padding into the living room, he peeked out the front window but couldn’t see anything. Things were quiet out there again, so the critter must have knocked off for the moment. Rather than open the front door, Spence headed toward the kitchen to go out the back way and circle around to the porch to do a little recon.
As he rounded the side of the house, his feet stuttered to a stop while he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. At first he couldn’t believe his eyes, but the proof was sitting right there staring at the front door, wagging his tail, and whining.
“Mooch?”
The dog froze, his tail stopping midswing. Spence started forward again. “Dog, how the hell did you get here?”
The mutt’s only answer was a joyful bark as he came barreling off the porch to bounce off Spence’s chest. The blow knocked Spence right on his ass. Landing hard on the gravel driveway hurt like hell, but he didn’t care. Not when his arms were full of wiggling canine love, something he’d been missing for months.
The two of them rolled and wrestled with a lot of hollering and barking. Spence fought hard to fend off an early-morning doggy-spit bath while Mooch was just as determined to give him one. Finally, Spence surrendered and conceded victory to his buddy. After all, the dog had been on a mission and successfully captured his target. A soldier, even a four-legged one, deserved to celebrate a victory like that. It was good for morale.
A Reason to Love Page 9