A Reason to Love

by Alexis Morgan

  Yeah, but a year from now, there might not be a Wolfe Millworks. She kept that fact to herself. Rather than continue to pound her head against a closed door, Melanie rose to her feet and held her hand out to the banker. “Thank you for your time. Please let me know if you hear anything positive from the committee.”

  Feeling proud of her cool, professional demeanor, she smiled at him and walked away. It wasn’t until she was inside her car and driving away that she gave in to the frustration that had been building from the minute she walked into the bank.

  Pounding her fist on the steering wheel, she shouted, “Damn, damn, double damn!”

  Glancing around, she was relieved to see that the street was deserted. The last thing she wanted was for rumors to start making the rounds that she was losing it. It was late enough that she could call it a day, but she wasn’t ready to face going home yet. Maybe her attitude had more to do with the fact that Spence would be at the factory. She wouldn’t interrupt his work with Mr. Cosgrove, but just knowing he was nearby might help her get through the next few hours.

  Sure enough, his Harley was parked in its usual spot. Relieved, she retrieved her briefcase from the backseat and let herself in the back door of the factory. Several of the men were standing just inside, Spence among them. Their expressions were grim. That they fell silent when she walked in meant they were talking about her.

  She smiled and nodded as she passed them and started upstairs. At the top, she hesitated before turning in the direction of her office and glanced back down to see what the group was doing now. In that short time, they’d scattered like cockroaches when a light came on. The only one left standing there was Spence. He offered her a sympathetic look and mouthed the word “later” before disappearing toward the front of the factory.

  She let herself into her office and sat down in the oversized executive chair her father had preferred. For a moment, she flashed back to when she was a little girl and would play at his desk whenever she and her mom dropped by to visit her father at work. Back then, sitting there had been an adventure. Now it was a burden. And yet feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t help anyone. Far better to prove Mr. Lunt’s committee and everyone else who doubted her wrong. With that in mind, she started making a list of banks she could try next.

  • • •

  Spence forced his attention back to the pile of machine parts spread out on the counter. He’d been worried about Melanie ever since she accidentally walked in on her employees’ bitch session a couple of hours ago. From the uneasy silence that had fallen over the group, she had to have realized she’d been the topic of conversation. Spence had gotten there right before she came in, but there was no way for her to know he hadn’t really been part of the conversation. He’d only stopped in the hope he could figure out some way to convince them to give her a chance.

  Mel wasn’t stupid. She had to guess there was growing unrest among the workers. It made him angry on her behalf, but there wasn’t anything he could do to fix the situation. For one thing, he was only a temporary employee, and everyone knew it. He didn’t have the same stake in the game that they all did. Even so, they should give the woman a chance to prove herself. After all, no one had been let go other than the secretary, and technically she’d retired.

  Melanie hadn’t said a single negative word about the woman, which was probably a good idea. However, it pissed Spence off to know that Mrs. Cuthbert’s mistake might have cost Melanie the one chance to save the company. Certainly, her actions had resulted in a lot more work for Mel. It was tempting to let the other workers know the truth of the situation, but Melanie had shared the information in private. He wouldn’t betray her trust, especially since he seemed to be the only person she could vent her frustrations with.

  Will slammed a big wrench down on the counter and laughed when Spence jumped about a foot. He turned to growl at his friend. “Damn it, Will, don’t sneak up on a man like that, especially one who’s just back from fighting in a war. I could have decked you or worse.”

  The old man didn’t seem the least bit worried about the possible danger. He shouldered Spence out of the way to study the array of parts in front of him. After muttering something under his breath, he picked up two pieces and began fitting them together. “Boy, I don’t know where your head is tonight, but it’s definitely not on what you’re doing. It shouldn’t take more than half an hour to reassemble this mess.”

  Spence didn’t much like hearing that, but the old man wasn’t wrong. Rather than lash out, he picked up the next gear and handed it to Will. “Sorry. Guess it’s a good thing this is our last night together.”

  Will paused to spit into his soup can. “Nothing good about it, Spence. Can’t remember the last time I’ve actually looked forward to coming to work.”

  He took a long, slow look around their surroundings. “Near as I could tell, old man Wolfe didn’t give a damn about the nuts and bolts of running this place. He and that wife of his spent all kinds of money on fancy clothes to wear to that country club while this place was slowly falling down around our ears.”

  Will pointed up toward the office that now belonged to Melanie. “Some folks aren’t happy about his daughter taking over. They figure she’ll be just like him and milk the company of every last penny and then close the doors.”

  This time it was Spence who picked up a hammer and took his frustration out on the defenseless table. “Melanie isn’t like him at all, Will. She could have taken the easy way out and either sold the company or shut it down. Instead, she works here all day and then spends her evenings and weekends trying to make ends meet. She’s damn near killing herself trying to save this place.”

  Will gave him a suspicious look. “And how would you know so much about how the boss lady spends her time, boy?”

  Well, shit, he’d obviously revealed more than he meant to. Spence tried to forestall any more questions by saying, “I’ve got eyes, Will. She’s here long after everyone else leaves, and she’s one of the first ones through the door in the morning.”

  Will went back to work reassembling the pieces, but there was an odd glint in his eyes that said he wasn’t totally buying Spence’s explanation. At least he didn’t call him on it.

  When they had the motor put back together, Spence carried it back over to the lathe to reinstall it. Between the two of them, they got it bolted back in place in just a few minutes. After plugging the machine back in, Will flipped the switch and listened to it run. “Purring like a kitten. It’s a damn shame that people aren’t as easy to fix.”

  Where was Will going with this? Had he somehow sensed how shattered Spence was on the inside? The worst of the physical scars he’d brought home from the war were covered by his clothes. Outside of the medics who’d treated his injuries, few people had even seen them. He had to work far harder to hide all the cracks and crevices inside his heart and his head. The only time he felt close to whole was when he was in Melanie’s arms.

  Meanwhile, Will had kept right on talking. “. . . especially when they’re scared. Folks here at the factory are nervous about the change at the top and how it will affect those at the bottom. Anyone with half a brain can see that lady is working hard to learn the job in a matter of months, one her father had decades to learn, but that’s why they are scared.”

  He spit in his can again. “Me, I’ve seen too much in my life to be afraid of a little change. Shaking things up now and again can be good for the soul.”

  He paused to look over at Spence. “I’m thinking you have the opposite problem. The stuff you’ve seen and done, not to mention what was done to you, has left you raw and hurting from the inside out. If you and the boss lady are finding some comfort in each other’s company, I say good for you both.”

  Spence glanced upward to where he knew Melanie was still working. “She deserves better.”

  Will’s kindly expression turned to anger. “Better than what, boy
? Better than a man who believed his country was worth dying for? Who sacrificed everything he had for that belief? If that’s the kind of woman she is, why would you want her anyway?”

  “She’s not, but I’m—”

  “Stop right there. Nobody bad-mouths you to me, boy, not even you.” To his surprise, his old friend shook his big-knuckled fist right at Spence’s nose. “Especially not you.”

  An instant later, Will backed away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for the night to end with hard feelings. I’ve enjoyed working with you again, Spence. I think you should talk to Ms. Wolfe about taking over for me so I can finally retire.”

  Spence was well aware of the compliment Will had just paid him. “Maybe I will. After I get a few things figured out and decide if I’m going to stay in Snowberry Creek, I’ll give some thought to that idea.”

  Will bristled again. “What the hell is there to figure out? Snowberry Creek is your home. You’ve got friends here. Family, too, for that matter. Where else would you go?”

  Will walked away, shaking his head as if he thought he’d been talking to an idiot. Spence found himself grinning. All things considered, maybe he had been.

  Chapter 19

  “Are you sure you want to go alone?”

  While waiting for him to answer, Melanie topped off her coffee and then Spence’s. He hadn’t said more than a handful of words all morning. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was having some issues with this planned trip to his family home. When he didn’t answer, she tried again.

  “Spence?”

  He frowned and looked up from staring at the empty plate sitting in front of him. “Sorry. Did you say something?”

  She bit back her exasperation. “I asked if you were sure that you wanted to go alone.”

  He didn’t hesitate. “I’m sure. You’ve already got enough going on without having to deal with my problems, too. It’s enough that you’re going to let Mooch out if I’m not back by early afternoon.”

  Okay, maybe he did think he was doing her a favor by not asking her to go, but it felt more like he was shutting her out. Had he drawn some line in his head that marked off the boundaries of their relationship? If so, he hadn’t shared it with her. She’d make one more try and then give up.

  “You’ve been there for me, Spence. How many times have you let me rant and rave over what’s going on in my life? Seems only fair that I do the same for you.”

  He shoved back from the table and picked up his dishes. “Troy offered to go with me, too, but this is something I need to do by myself. Speaking of which, I’d better head out if I’m going to have time to get through the whole house.”

  Her heart hurt to hear the pain echoing in his words when she couldn’t do anything to ease it. Who knows, maybe he was right that he had to face this particular hurdle on his own. After all, a lot of his past was tied up in that house. Now that she thought about it, she had the same kinds of issues with her family home. Wolfe House was her heritage as well as her burden. There were times she hated everything about it from the roof all the way down to the foundation.

  She hurried to catch up with Spence before he reached the front door. “I’ll be here when you get back, but I realize that you might need time alone to process everything. Just text me to let me know that you’re all right.”

  “I will.” He stopped long enough to give her a quick kiss. “And I’m probably blowing this all out of proportion.”

  But he wasn’t, and they both knew it. His decision to visit his family house, to actually go through it for the first time since he came back, was a huge step. She could only pray it was a move in the right direction for him, something that would help him heal the wounds that were gradually tearing him apart inside. Instead of settling into his new life, he was growing more restless by the day. She wasn’t sure when he actually slept or if he did at all. He spent way too many hours prowling outside in the yard between her house and the cottage with Mooch tagging along at his heels. And often in the middle of the night he’d leave her bed without a word. A few minutes later she’d hear the distant rumble of his Harley, and she’d lie awake listening for his return, needing to know he was safe. She hated all of it for his sake. Hers, too.

  “What is it you said your counselor told you? One small step at a time? That’s all this is, Spence. If it gets to be too much, leave and try again on another day. Eventually, it has to get easier.”

  Spence tightened his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. “That might be true, but I can’t keep asking Callie and the others to disappear for hours at a time.”

  Why not? The bottom line was that she wanted Spence to be happy, no matter what it took or who it inconvenienced, because maybe that meant there was hope for her, too.

  She broke off the hug and took a step back. “I’m going to the store this morning. Want to grill some steaks tonight?”

  He turned so that he was no longer looking directly at her. “Better not count on me for dinner, Mel. I’m not sure where I’ll be this evening.”

  With that chilling statement, he walked away.

  • • •

  Spence made it all the way to the curb without turning around. At the last minute, he gave in and braced himself to apologize to Melanie for shutting her out, but the porch was empty and the front door firmly closed. Rather than hike his ass all the way back into the house, he pulled out his cell phone and sent her a quick text. It wasn’t a full-out apology, but it was a start.

  He got in the car and turned the key. Melanie had insisted on him taking the station wagon rather than his motorcycle, the thought being he might want to bring a few things back to the cottage from the house. He figured the chances of that happening to be somewhere in the vicinity of a cold day in hell, but he could be wrong. Besides, it seemed to have been important to Melanie that she do something to help him out.

  Before the car had rolled forward more than a few feet, he cursed and slammed on the brakes. How the hell had Mooch gotten out? The stubborn mutt planted his furry butt right in front of the car as if daring Spence to leave without him. Rather than waste time, Spence twisted around to open the rear passenger door. Mooch trotted around to hop in and then jumped over the back of the seat to land beside Spence, giving him a reproachful look as he settled in for the ride.

  “Damn it, dog, this isn’t some fun-filled outing we’re going on.”

  That was true, but it didn’t keep Spence from reaching over to scratch his buddy’s back. “You can come, but don’t complain if you get bored.”

  He put the car back into park and pulled out his cell phone to text Melanie a second time. Not sure how he managed it, but Mooch escaped and is insisting on going with me. No use in arguing with him when he gets like this. :-)

  She answered immediately. Glad you’ll have him with you. Let me know how it goes.

  Will do. I promise.

  After the brief exchange, the drive to his house was blessedly short. It was a relief to find the driveway empty and the place looking deserted. Troy had asked everyone living there to be gone for the day. That didn’t mean that one of the current residents might not have taken exception to the temporary eviction notice and stuck around anyway. Hell, it had taken calling the cops the last time he’d wanted squatters thrown out of his house. Granted, Nick, Callie, and Leif weren’t anything like his uncle Vince. He wasn’t so sure about his cousin, Austin.

  Either way, Spence planned to be in and out by midafternoon to further ensure that their paths didn’t cross, which gave him about five hours to accomplish his mission and then retreat to safe ground. Funny to think about visiting his own home in military terms, but damned if they didn’t fit. The gut-churning and hyperawareness of his surroundings as he got out of the car were all too familiar. He’d experienced the same exact feelings every time he prepared to go out on patrol, including the dry mouth that tasted of fea
r, the slight tremor in hands he hoped none of his buddies would notice, and the quiet prayers he murmured under this breath. Not knowing what the next few hours would hold for him made it all come rushing back. How many times had he, Nick, and Leif driven out of camp not knowing if any of them would be returning? Hell, look how that last mission had turned out, leaving all of their lives in shreds.

  This couldn’t be that bad. No one would die. No one would almost lose a limb. It wasn’t that kind of mission. He was there to reconnoiter, study the lay of the land, and then assess what his next objective should be. Piece of cake. No problemo.

  Yeah, right.

  There was no getting around the fact that this visit was going to be a flat-out bitch. He hated that his hands were shaky and his palms sweaty.

  Shit, get it under control. You’ve been through worse.

  Telling himself that Mooch needed a few minutes to make his rounds, Spence leaned against the front fender of the car and studied the changes in the exterior of the house. Nick and Callie had definitely left their mark on the place, including a few splashes of different colors of paint on the side of the house. Maybe Callie was trying to decide what color she wanted to paint the place. He’d vote for the blue. For sure, the new door he’d delivered looked good. Welcoming, even.

  His pulse pounded in his head until he couldn’t hear anything else. Maybe he’d start with a quick walk around the property. After all, there was nothing threatening about bushes that had been trimmed and grass that had been mowed. He noticed his mother’s roses were staging a comeback. Good.

  Having made note of the highlights of the front yard, he wandered around to the back of the house and saw more of the same. Another new door. Neat flower beds. A couple of lawn chairs he didn’t recognize.

  But what the hell was that thing sitting in the far back corner of the yard? His gut reaction was that the lacy white structure was something Nick had done for Callie. Chances were he’d even built the damn thing. If so, he hoped Leif had given Sarge some serious shit about it. He studied the octagonal structure. The right word didn’t come to him immediately, but a few others came to mind: god-awful, sissified, silly, and completely unnecessary.