Did the upcoming change in seasons also signal that it was time for him to be moving on? Would he already be packing if he had some plan in mind other than simply leaving Snowberry Creek?
His gut said it wasn’t that simple. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he strolled down the block to hang a right onto Main Street. As he looked around, it all seemed so normal, so familiar. Yeah, he had some bad memories connected with the place, but who didn’t have a few dark thoughts about their hometown? A few memories they’d just as soon forget? Look at Nick and Leif. There were reasons both of them had decided to settle in Snowberry Creek instead of going back to where they came from.
Frannie from the Creek Café spotted him and waved as he walked by. He waved back and wondered what kind of toxic chemicals it took to turn someone’s hair that violent shade of red. Even his sunglasses did little to tone it down, but that was Frannie at her best. He couldn’t even imagine the woman with her hair in any shade that approached a natural color.
The scent of roasting coffee drew him farther down the street. There was no way he could make it past Something’s Brewing without stopping in for a tall latte and some of those brownies Melanie loved so much. No doubt she’d complain about the effect they might have on her hips or some other bullshit reason why she shouldn’t eat them. He wouldn’t listen, because he liked her hips just fine. Especially when he was kneeling behind her as they . . .
“Hey, Spence, are you okay?”
He blinked and spotted Bridey looking at him with a slightly worried look on her face. There was no way he could explain that he’d drifted to a stop in the middle of the doorway because he got so caught up in the erotic memory of what he’d been doing with one of her best friends just last night. Twice.
When the truth wouldn’t work, go for the believable lie. “I just came from the lawyer’s office and thought of something I should’ve asked him.”
Her expression shifted to a bright smile. “That’s a good thing you’re doing for Nick and Callie, Spence. For that, whatever you want is on the house today.”
Greed went to war with good manners. Unfortunately, the wrong one won. “My first impulse is to ask for a tall, double-shot latte and one of every pastry you have in the case. Since that would be over-the-top greedy, I’ll settle for half a dozen of those brownies. I’ll let you spot me the coffee, but I’m paying for the chocolate, no arguments.”
She nodded and started transferring the pastries to a box while her assistant fixed his drink. He watched as Bridey piled the brownies on one side and then added a pair of cupcakes. As he reached for his wallet, he felt obligated to point out the obvious. “Bridey, I didn’t order those.”
She shot him a smug smile. “Never said you did. I tried a new recipe and thought maybe you’d be willing to give me some feedback.”
He already knew there was no use in arguing with her. “If you’re sure.”
Her boyfriend, Seth, strolled out of the kitchen. “She’s sure. She used to let me test all the new stuff, but she’s decided I’m prejudiced and no longer trusts my opinion.”
He grabbed Bridey for a quick hug and kiss. “Can I help that I like everything she does?”
Somehow Spence suspected Seth was no longer talking about cupcakes. That was okay. The man clearly adored Bridey. Over the years, Callie had kept him informed about their friends from high school, and he knew Bridey’s first marriage hadn’t turned out well. There was no mistaking that part of the heat in the pastry shop right now had nothing to do with the big ovens in the back.
It reminded him of the hunger that seemed to flare up every time he saw Melanie. Or hell, even thought of her. He picked up his coffee and the boxed goodies. Maybe he’d drop by her office and tempt her into leaving early with the promise of some hot sex and brownies.
Bridey gave him another considering look. “Spence, you had that exact same expression on your face when you walked in. I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but I’m betting it has nothing to do with your lawyer. In fact, I’m pretty sure if I could read your mind, it would leave me blushing.”
Spence didn’t bother to deny Bridey’s conclusion. He just grinned and winked at her. “I’ll let you know about the cupcakes next time I come in.”
“Do that, and tell Melanie hi for me.”
“Will do.”
• • •
Melanie stared at the letter from the bank. A second reading hadn’t changed a darn thing in the brief message. “Rejected” was the only word in the whole thing that really mattered. Oh, they tried to pretty it up with a bunch of other words like “regret” and “unfortunately” and “sincerely.” She wanted to scream. Now what was she going to do?
A knock on her office door brought her impending temper tantrum to a screeching halt. Maybe she should be grateful; all she felt was thwarted.
“Come in.”
The temp she’d hired through the local employment agency poked her head through the door. The young woman looked a bit confused at the moment. “There’s a Mr. Lang here to see you, Ms. Wolfe. He says he doesn’t have an appointment but that he does have brownies.”
Bless the man!
“That’s fine, Haley. Send him in.”
Spence came in carrying one of the distinctive blue boxes from Bridey’s shop. How many brownies had he bought her this time? No matter how often she told him that she shouldn’t, he just smiled and waved all that temptation right under her nose.
She casually dropped the letter from the bank on top of the tray full of papers on the corner of her desk, hoping he wouldn’t notice what it was. No such luck. The man had the instincts of a bloodhound. He dropped the box on her desk and stared right at the letter.
“You got the final answer from the bank.”
He wasn’t asking. He knew she’d been expecting to hear from the bank anytime now. She retrieved the piece of paper that might well herald the end for Wolfe Millworks and held it out to Spence’s outstretched hand. “It comes as no surprise that they said no.”
As Spence scanned the letter, his expression turned hard. “Assholes.”
She laughed. “Actually, they would say they were prudent businessmen.”
“Same thing if you ask me.” He tossed the paper back down on her desk. “So what’s your next step?”
At least she didn’t have to put up a brave front with him. “I’m not sure. I suspect that any other bank I’d talk to would come to the same conclusion, especially if they ask if I’ve been turned down for a loan lately.”
“It’s crazy they’d use one bank’s poor judgment as an excuse for their own.”
There was no use in pretending the chance of successfully obtaining a loan elsewhere was very high. “I can’t say for sure, but they all seem to follow the same criteria when it comes to handing out money. It’s like Mr. Lunt said, they don’t want to see the millworks close, but my lack of experience in running a company gives them pause.”
“Well, that sucks.” Spence dropped into one of the chairs facing her desk and propped his feet on the edge of her desk. Her father would’ve fainted at the sight, but it didn’t bother her. On the other hand, anyone else would think Spence was relaxed, but she knew him better than that. Despite the calm facade, his mind was working a hundred miles an hour.
While she waited for him to tell her what had him thinking so hard, she reached for the box he’d set in front of her. Flipping the lid open, she breathed in the rich, chocolaty smell of temptation. As if it had a mind of its own, her hand delved right in to pick up one of the brownies. What could she say? Obviously she was a person of weak character and no willpower. Besides, the letter from the bank definitely topped out on her chocolate emergency scale. She was entitled to splurge. But to be safe, she closed the box and pushed it back closer to Spence.
The movement must have caught his attention, because he nodded toward the box. “
By the way, Bridey wants our feedback on the cupcakes. Seth said she no longer thinks he can be impartial when it comes to her baking. I bet the lucky bastard still gets to try everything before she puts it out for the general public. I think I’m jealous.”
Spence was kidding, but she had other reasons to be jealous of what Bridey and Seth had going for them. Yeah, their relationship had gone through a slight rough patch, but now the two were engaged and planning a wedding in the near future.
Did it make Melanie a bad person to be envious of her friends who had found the love of their lives in the past year?
Probably.
Maybe she wouldn’t feel that way if she hadn’t had her own taste of what it was like to be half of a whole, because that’s what she shared with Spence. They spent some nights in her bed, and some in his. He’d even taken to packing her a lunch before she left for work in the morning. Tonight was his turn to cook dinner, but she’d be right there pitching in to help.
In truth, they were really only playing at being a couple even if her heart didn’t seem to know that. They both knew he wasn’t likely to remain in Snowberry Creek for much longer. If the factory closed, she wouldn’t have anything left to tether her here in town, either. She had to wonder where the two of them would be in a year. Would they still be in touch? Rather than ask, she changed the topic.
“How did it go with Troy today? Did you run into some kind of snag?” Spence had been staring off into space, his eyebrows drawn down low and his green eyes looking a bit grim.
He didn’t answer immediately. When he finally did, the serious expression had vanished. “No, Troy had everything ready for me to sign, so it all went pretty much as expected. We took care of transferring the title of the house, set up the agreement on the bed-and-breakfast, and a bunch of other stuff.”
“That’s good.”
Although she didn’t really mean that. She secretly hated each step forward he took toward hopping on that Harley and riding out of town for good. At the same time, she could tell that things were getting better for Spence. It had been several days since he left her bed to go prowling the grounds in the darkness with Mooch tagging along for moral support. He had to know that his friends didn’t want to see him leave, especially her. Maybe now was a good time to test the waters and see how he reacted.
“Now that you’ve worked things out with Callie and Nick, have you given any more thought to staying here in Snowberry Creek? You know they don’t want you to leave, and they aren’t the only ones who feel that way.” She hesitated before adding, “I don’t want to see you go, either.”
He was already shaking his head. “That’s nice of you to say, Melanie, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I’ve been thinking for a while now that the best thing for me would be to hit the road on the Harley and see where the highway takes me. I’ve been moving around so much over the past ten years that I’m not sure I can stay in one place for any length of time. I still have a few things to iron out with my attorney, but after that . . . well, we’ll see.”
He lapsed into silence again. This was the first time he’d mentioned having made any plans for leaving, and it hurt that he hadn’t mentioned them to her. Rather than bugging him for any further explanations she really didn’t want to hear, she polished off her brownie, gave herself a stern lecture on why she didn’t need another one, and went back to reviewing the work orders they had scheduled over the next few days. She was pleased to see that the numbers were up again.
Another ten minutes passed in silence. Suddenly, Spence’s boots hit the floor with a loud thump. When she looked up, he was already heading for the door. “Spence?”
He didn’t even slow down. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at dinner tonight. My place, right?”
“Yes, although I can cook if you’d rather.”
“Nope, I’ve got it covered. See you at sixish.”
Then he was gone. She hurried over to stand at the window to watch as he left the building with deliberate purpose, evidently a man on a mission. What was he up to now? Spence buckled on his helmet and straddled his motorcycle. As he circled the parking lot aiming for the exit, he looked straight up at her and waved. Busted—but what was going on with him? If necessary, she’d ply him with wine and hot sex to see if she could get him to open up to her.
For now, she needed to get back to work. Before sitting down, she carried the box with the rest of the brownies and the cupcakes over to the filing cabinet and locked it inside. Out of sight, out of mind. Right. It might only be her imagination, but she was pretty sure she could still smell the chocolate calling to her from across the room. Doing her best to ignore it, she began reviewing the short list of applicants to replace Mrs. Cuthbert.
• • •
Spence drove in circles for two hours, still trying to decide the best way to proceed. It would be complicated, far more so than convincing Callie to accept the house. Earlier, when he’d walked into Melanie’s office, he’d known immediately that the bank had turned her down. She’d done her best to put up a brave front, but he was learning to read her moods. The rejection had hurt her deeply. It had made him furious, to the point he’d had a hard time not heading straight for the bank to pound on somebody. That wouldn’t fix a damn thing, but he was a soldier and trained to protect what was important, what mattered, what was his.
And the bottom line was that Melanie Wolfe mattered.
So if he couldn’t fix her problem with his fists, maybe he could find another way. It would be tricky, for sure. He’d need Troy’s help again, because he was going to need a smoke screen if he was going to make this work.
His decision made, he turned back toward town in the hopes the attorney could see him again on short notice. This would be his one last mission before he left Snowberry Creek behind. He might not have a home here anymore. But before he left, at least he could make sure another one of his friends got what she needed.
Chapter 23
Melanie stared at the phone in the kitchen. It had been a bitch of a day, and she’d rather be sharing a bottle of wine with Spence than making another phone call, especially this one. But she knew procrastinating wouldn’t make it any easier, so she reached for the receiver and dialed the number. When the answering machine picked up, she breathed a sigh of relief. Yeah, it meant everything was still up in the air, but she gave herself points for trying.
“Hi, Aunt Marcia. Sorry I didn’t catch you, and I know Mom has been calling. I’ve been really busy lately, but having said that, I do need to talk to her about a few things. The kind of stuff that would be better done in person. Would it be all right if I drove down for an overnight visit? I won’t be home this evening, so just leave a message on this number to let me know what day works for you, and I’ll be there.”
After hanging up, she grabbed her keys and the bottle of wine and bolted out the back door. It was a good thing that she and Spence had made plans to spend the evening at the cottage. At least she wouldn’t be sitting around the house alone and dreading her aunt’s call. Or worse yet, her mother’s. She’d left a couple of messages, but Melanie hadn’t responded, figuring it was her usual demand for more money. That was part of what Melanie needed to talk to her about. And wouldn’t that discussion be fun?
When she reached the cottage, she was surprised to discover the front door was locked and Spence’s motorcycle missing. Had she gotten the time wrong? No, she was sure he’d said six o’clock. She had a key to the cottage on her key ring, but she didn’t feel comfortable letting herself in with no one home. Before she could decide what to do, a muted bark reminded her that one of her tenants was inside. The least she could do was let Mooch out for a run.
She unlocked the door and blocked Mooch’s escape while she reached inside for the leash and the Frisbee Spence always kept on the table by the door. Once she clipped the leash to Mooch’s collar, she stepped back and let him out. He hit the
porch at a dead run that had her stumbling down the steps in his wake.
“Slow down, dog. Spence won’t be happy when he gets home if you’ve managed to break my neck.”
Evidently, Mooch didn’t care what his master thought. He charged around the small yard, nose to the ground, until he completed one full circuit before finally stopping to take care of business. When he was finished, she led him around the side of the house and turned him loose in the backyard of her family home.
“Come on, Mooch, I’ll let you have a quick romp, and then we’ll come back and wait on the porch.”
Once he was off the leash, Mooch ran circles around her until she sent the Frisbee flying through the air. The dog tore off across the yard and made a high leap to grab it out of the air. He came trotting back and dropped it at her feet, his tail wagging like crazy. With a flick of her wrist, the disk went sailing with Mooch hot on its trail. She wasn’t sure which of them enjoyed the game more. For sure, it felt darn good to be doing something besides worrying about things she couldn’t change.
The next time she tossed the toy, Mooch caught it. This time, instead of bringing it to her, he froze in position with his ears up. “What is it, boy?”
The dog yipped in response and trotted a few steps toward the cottage before looking back at her as if to ask, Are you coming or what?
Then she heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle. “Go ahead, boy, I’ll catch up.”
When she reached the driveway, Spence had parked the bike and was pulling a couple of sacks out of his saddlebags. “Damn it, dog, settle down.”
She smiled because even as Spence crabbed at the dog, he was setting the bags back down so he could give Mooch a thorough scratch. Yeah, he was such a big softie. Then he tossed the Frisbee for him before picking up what had to be their dinner.
A Reason to Love Page 23