He had about the same chance of coming up with a reasonable answer to that question as did Mooch. Maybe a long walk would help. They’d head toward Main Street and maybe grab a burger somewhere. The one place he wouldn’t go was anywhere near the Wolfe House. He couldn’t stand the thought that Melanie had come back from Portland and had no interest in seeing him again.
If that was true, it would only play into his plan of leaving town with no strings attached. He should be happy about that, but he wasn’t. He was pissed.
“Come on, dog. Let me grab my shoes and socks, and then we’re out of here.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he’d only put on one sock when a heavy fist pounded on the front door. He picked up his boots and the other sock and headed out into the living room. There was a brief silence before the banging started again. By this time, Mooch was pitching a fit, barking and dancing around in front of the door. He wasn’t growling, though, which meant the idiot raising all the ruckus was someone the dog knew and liked.
Great. There was a pretty short list of possibilities, and none of them were people Spence wanted to deal with right now.
“Spence, I know you’re in there, so answer the damn door.”
The heavy door muffled the voice, but he would have recognized that irritated baritone anywhere. What the hell did Leif want now? Only one way to find out. He yanked the door open and walked away, leaving it up to Mooch to make their guest feel welcome.
By the time Leif got past the ecstatic dog, Spence was lacing up his second boot. “So, what brings you here?”
Leif planted his size thirteens right in front of where Spence sat on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m here to fetch you.”
Spence studied the man, trying to see through that carefully blank expression to determine what the hell was going on. “Fetch me where?”
“Does it matter?” Leif looked around the small house. “It doesn’t look like you have much on your agenda for the evening.”
Pitiful, but that didn’t mean he had to admit it.
“I was just getting ready to leave.” That much was true. “Melanie and I have plans.”
“Don’t try to bullshit me, Wheels. It won’t work.”
Okay, so that had been a lie. But how did Leif know to call him on it? He studied Leif’s whole demeanor. He wasn’t exactly smirking, but he was coming damn close. The bastard was up to something; that was for damn sure.
“I repeat, I was sent to fetch you. Now that you’ve figured out how to tie your shoes, get your lazy ass up off the couch. We have places to go. People to see.”
Spence’s pulse kicked up a notch. He unfolded off the couch to his full height, which gave him several inches over Leif. “And if I don’t want to see people?”
Leif flashed his cell phone. “I have reinforcements on speed dial.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. The only reason Nick didn’t come with me in the first place is that I reminded him how you were always so reasonable to deal with.”
Okay, neither one of them could keep a straight face after that bald-faced lie. “What did you really say?”
“That you wouldn’t be able to resist my charm?”
Snicker. “Try again.”
Leif lost most of his bluster. “Okay, fine. I told everybody if we ganged up on you, you’d refuse just out of pure cussedness, and that’s the honest truth.”
“And who exactly is this ‘everybody’ you mentioned?”
“You’ll find out when we get there. I’ve also got orders to bring Mooch with us.” He reached down to pet the dog, who had parked himself right at their feet. “How you doing, buddy? Is Wheels treating you okay?”
The four-footed traitor actually whined and tried to look pathetic. “Don’t buy what he’s selling, Leif. See that fat belly? He’s eating me out of house and home, not to mention he just devoured a handful of dog biscuits.”
Leif straightened up. “So, are you coming along peacefully or do I need to call Sarge?”
Anything was better than staying trapped here at the cottage. “Grab Mooch’s leash while I lock up.”
• • •
Fifteen minutes later, what had started off sounding like a bad idea suddenly got a whole lot worse. Leif turned into the driveway at Mama R.’s house and said, “We’re parking over here because the driveway next door is full.”
“Straight up, what’s really going on?” Spence glared over Mooch’s head at the other man. “The whole truth, Leif, or I’m not getting out of this truck anytime soon.”
His friend twisted around to face Spence more directly. “Nothing bad, Wheelman. That much I can promise. I’m sure you’d rather get the explanation directly from Melanie and Callie. This was their idea.” He swallowed hard and looked away. “Mostly, anyway.”
Anger started burning along Spence’s nerves. “And what is their objective? Tell me now.”
“We started off calling it an intervention. But I promise, it’s really a bunch of people who care about you getting together hoping to convince you to stay here in Snowberry Creek.”
What the hell were they thinking? Were they all crazy to think this was a good idea? Because it sure as hell wasn’t. If he’d had trouble breathing in the cottage, it was nothing compared to how choked up he was right now.
“I can’t do this, Leif. Take me back.”
At least his friend realized he was as serious as death about that. “We’ll just take it slow here, Wheels. Why don’t you get out and walk around the Reddings’ backyard? Give yourself a couple of minutes to think things through. If you still want to leave, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
Spence nodded and fumbled for the door handle. He and Mooch spilled out of the truck and took off toward the koi pond in the back. Leif got out, too, but he kept his distance. Spence might thank him later, but right now all he could do was focus on the soothing murmur of the water. Mooch lay down to watch the fish dart through the pond, his tail moving in a slow sweep across the grass.
Spence’s pulse gradually dropped back down below the imminent heart attack range. That didn’t mean he was ready to venture next door. Instead, he sat down on the swing and set it to swaying gently. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there before he realized he was no longer alone. The breeze rippling across the water carried with it the slightest hint of Melanie’s perfume. Maybe she wasn’t avoiding him after all.
“Come sit down. I promise I won’t bite.”
“That could prove to be disappointing.” She set a large flat package on the picnic table and joined him on the swing, taking his hand in hers. “Are you okay?”
If it had been anyone else, he might have lied, but this was Melanie. She’d seen him at his worst and never flinched. She could handle this. “I’m just coming down off a major panic attack.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
He tugged his hand free to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. “Just your being here is enough.”
Mooch joined them, his feet skidding on the vinyl seat when the swing moved again. He finally flopped down with his head in Melanie’s lap.
Melanie glanced up at Spence. “We meant for this to be a good thing, you know.”
“I know. And somewhere on the outer edges of my panic, I do appreciate everyone’s good intentions.”
He sniffed the air. “I’m guessing Nick’s barbecuing some big hunks of meat.”
She giggled. “Mostly steaks, although after a heated discussion, he conceded to throw some chicken on the grill, too. Something about it being for those who aren’t manly enough to eat their meat rare enough to still be mooing. That’s pretty much a direct quote, by the way.”
Spence chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds like Sarge.”
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes. Finally, Melanie as
ked, “Think you can handle facing the folks next door anytime soon?”
He didn’t want to, but it wasn’t in him to tell her no, not when she was speaking to him again. He’d feel better if they cleared the air between them first. “I’ve got to ask you something first.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he blurted it out and then waited for the fireworks. “How pissed are you over my offer to help with the financing at the bank?”
The explosion wasn’t long in coming. Between one second and the next, Melanie went from sympathetic to furious. She jumped up from the swing so abruptly poor Mooch tumbled off the seat with her, hitting the ground hard in a scrambling mass of black and white fur. She immediately knelt down to check him over for damage, apologizing profusely as she did. That didn’t mean her eyes weren’t ice-cold and glaring at Spence the entire time.
After verifying Mooch was all right, Melanie straightened up and pointed a finger right at Spence’s face. “If you want to do this now, fine by me. You had no right to go behind my back like that. I won’t be one of your special projects, Spencer Lang!”
The last vestige of his smile vanished in an instant. “What the hell are you talking about, Mel? I don’t have projects, special or otherwise.”
“The heck you don’t!”
Holding up one finger, she started counting off all the examples she could think of. “Mooch was a project. Bringing him home was your idea even if it was Nick and Leif who made it happen. You couldn’t stand the thought of that dog going back to starving in the streets.”
He started to protest, but she held up her other hand. “No, don’t interrupt. I didn’t say that what you did was anything but good, but this is my tirade. You can have your own when I get done.”
When his mouth snapped shut, she held up a second finger. “You volunteered to help Will get all of the machines tuned up and running right again. Yeah, that helped me and the people that use them every day, but the fact is that you did it for Will. It doesn’t take a genius to know he’s having trouble keeping up, so you helped out your old friend.”
The rest of the fingers on that hand popped up while she pointed toward the woods that separated the Reddings’ yard from the one next door. “I don’t doubt that you really have issues with your family home, but the truth is you gave up the house next door to make sure Callie got her chance at that bed-and-breakfast she’s been telling everyone about. Not to mention that signing the house over to her and Nick served more than one purpose. Once Leif and Nick finish doing all the work on that old beauty, their fledgling remodeling business will have some serious street creds that will attract more work for them in the area.”
She paused to take a quick breath and then launched back into her lecture. “So that left me, the last person in this town that you give a damn about. You couldn’t let yourself get on that Harley and ride out of Snowberry Creek until you knew you’d made sure I’d never forget you or what you did for Wolfe Millworks. Well, I won’t have it, Spence. It’s not up to you whether my family’s company succeeds or fails.”
He looked totally bewildered. “But I’ve got the money, Mel, and you need it.”
“Yes, I do need money, but I don’t need yours!”
Okay, that probably wasn’t the best way to put that, because suddenly she had a totally irate man lunging up out of the swing to stare down at her with eyes the color of jade. “So that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? If some stuffy banker offers you a handout, you’ll take it. God forbid that money come from a friend!”
He leaned in close, crowding her, until she retreated a step. “Or is it because the Wolfe family is too good to take money from a Lang?”
She so wanted to smack him, but her mother had raised her better than that. “Don’t you dare accuse me of being a snob!”
He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not ready to listen to her. Well, she was made of sterner stuff than he suspected. “Yes, my folks had issues with image. I’ll grant you that much. But just so you know, earlier this week my mother advised me to decide whether or not you were worth fighting for. If so, she told me to go after you, no holds barred.”
That got his attention. “She really said that?”
Melanie took back that step she’d given up and then another until she was standing so close that she had to tip her head back to look up at him. “Yes, she did. And if you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself. She’s next door at the barbecue. She and my aunt drove up this afternoon to help out. She even brought a casserole, so cut the woman some slack.”
After giving him a few seconds to come to terms with that little bombshell, she continued. “So I’ve spent the past two days thinking about everything in my life. I learned a lot, some of which I’m not all that proud of, but some that I am. I’ve spent years resisting being a real part of my family. I now know that it was the pressure from all sides to fit the Wolfe family image that I hated, but my heritage is still important to me. I also know my family has done a lot of good things for this town, and I’d love to continue that tradition. The bottom line is that I figured out what matters to me and what doesn’t.”
He was starting to look a bit panicky again, but she wasn’t about to stop now. There was no telling how long he’d stick around after tonight.
“My family home isn’t important to me, but it is to my mother. If I can save it for her, I will. On the other hand, she told me to sell it if that’s what it took to save the company, if that’s what will make me happy in the long run.”
This next part was not her proudest moment. “I also finally figured out that on some level I’m still trying to prove to my father that I was a worthy heir even if I’m a woman. The stupid thing is that I’m not sure I could have convinced him of that even if he’d lived to see me take over the helm. He was what he was, but I loved him. I still do.”
She blinked back the burn of tears. “But regardless of the reason, I’m not ready to let Wolfe Millworks go out of business or even pass into other hands. It’s my family heritage, and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep those doors open. However, I can’t do it alone, and I need to be honest with the people who work for me. I plan to call a meeting with everyone to let them know where we are on things. It’s their livelihood, and they deserve the truth. I also want them to know that if we do go down in flames, it won’t be for lack of trying on my part. Having said that, Spence, there’s one thing I need to have in my life or none of the rest means anything.”
It was time to move in for the kill. She placed her palms on his chest. Good, his heart was pounding as hard as hers was. That gave her the courage she needed to lay the rest of her cards on the table. “That one thing is you, Spence. If you leave, I leave. If you can’t find peace here in Snowberry Creek, then we’ll keep moving until we find the right place.”
His mouth dropped open in obvious shock. “But why, Melanie? You can’t walk away from everything you’ve fought for, especially not for me.” His voice was rough and deep with pain.
“I can and I will. If necessary, I can hire a manager to take over. Like my mother said, some things are worth fighting for, and for me, you’re at the top of the list. I love you, Spence, and I think you have strong feelings for me, too. I’m not asking you to commit to anything other than to give us a chance.”
He seemed to be at a total loss about how to respond, his expression confused and worried. “Melanie, I . . .”
When he hesitated, she forced herself to step back and give him some space. She’d needed a couple of days away from him to get her own head straight. He deserved some time to filter through everything she’d just dumped in his lap.
“I’m going to the party next door. If you don’t show up in half an hour, I’ll bring you something to eat.” She hesitated and then added, “Or if you’d rather, I’ll have Nick or Leif deliver it. Your choice.”
When he didn’t immediately respond, she had h
er answer. “Okay, then. I’ll get going.”
Before walking away, she picked up the package she’d brought with her. “This was supposed to be part of the celebration at the barbecue, but I think you need it now.”
Then she kissed his cheek and walked away.
Chapter 27
Spence started to follow her but stopped himself before he could go more than two steps. He’d already hurt her enough for one evening. The flash of pain in her pretty eyes when he didn’t ask her to be the one to bring him dinner had made him physically ill.
He stood frozen in midstep, moving neither forward nor backward. And if that wasn’t a perfect metaphor for his life right now. Mooch brushed against him, whining as he went past. When the dog circled back a second time, the nudge was harder, enough so that Spence snapped out of the freeze-frame moment to sit back down on the swing. Happier, the dog jumped up on the swing and curled up beside him.
Stroking his buddy’s head, Spence stared at the package Melanie had left with him. The wrapping paper, which was printed in the same camouflage as his ACUs, made him smile. Whatever was inside measured about fifteen inches square and maybe an inch high, although one edge was slightly thicker. He reached over to pick it up.
“Well, dog, staring at it won’t tell me what’s inside.”
He’d always been a ripper when it came to opening presents. Not this time, though. He went slowly as if it mattered whether or not the paper got torn. Yeah, it was a delay tactic, but he didn’t care. When he finally peeled away the last bit of tape and saw what was inside, his pulse kicked up into high gear again. It was a scrapbook. He knew that much because it said so right on the front.
No way he wanted to see what was inside. Running his fingers in circles over the pebbly surface of the faux-leather cover, he finally gathered up the courage to open it and look at the first page. Inside the cover was a note in a familiar handwriting.
A Reason to Love Page 26