In those few seconds, Melody recognized the woman’s intent and knew that she was about to die.
It sucked, too, since she’d finally found a life with Cal that was worth living. Surrounded by good people in a town that had welcomed her back with open arms, she was going to become a victim of two gold-digging tramps and their less than impressive sugar daddy.
“I love you, Cal,” she whispered as she lifted her chin defiantly, facing her killers bravely as twin gunshots shattered the silence for the second time of the day.
Chapter Twenty-Five: What a Day! What a Day! What a Dastardly Damn Day!
A gentle rain splattered against the windows lulling her body into a mellow, relaxed state. Amazing, considering how her morning had gone. Feeling Cal’s large hand stroking the curve of her back, Melody closed her eyes and relished the sound of his heart still beating beneath where her ear rested on his broad chest.
They’d all gotten so frickin’ lucky this morning.
All of them.
Thanks to Honor McKinnon’s quick moving fingers and ability to remain cool under pressure, she’d managed to get a call out to the Sheriff that morning despite the fact that she’d had a crazy woman pointing a gun at her. Somehow, she’d been able to dial the number before dropping the phone to the floor. Sheriff Zeke Monroe had heard everything going on and was able to quickly marshal his forces outside the store. Couple that luck with the fact that the Zeke’s brother, Ice, was a former Army Ranger Sniper and happened to be in the store with them all, and they’d had the makings for a true miracle.
Somehow, Ice Monroe had known that Maggie Winstead had been carrying a concealed pistol in her expensive leather purse and had managed to inconspicuously retrieve the weapon while their two captors had been pointing their guns elsewhere. Armed with a pink pearl encrusted handgun, Ice had waited for his moment, and then he’d used that gun with ruthless effectiveness.
That pivotal moment had occurred at the exact same time that Melody had seen her life flash before her eyes. The firefight had only lasted a scant minute, but in those breathless moments when Cal had rolled her underneath him and gunfire had erupted around them, she’d decided that life was simply too short to waste.
When the smoke cleared, both of her former friends had more than one hole marring their pretty flesh, but none of those injuries had been life-threatening. No, they’d both live long lives behind bars far away from Melody or anyone she loved. Once the two she-demons had been loaded into ambulances, Melody hadn’t wasted any time in throwing Brad out of her store and out of her life once and for all. Both Cal and RJ had assisted the sobbing bastard out the door and one of Zeke’s helpful deputies had escorted Brad to the county line, offering the shaken man a stern warning to stay out of the town of Paradise.
Her friends and would-be customers had all been shaken, but resilient, and at the McKinnon sisters’ insistence, the day had gone on as planned, party and all. Melody, however, had taken time to personally apologize to each person that had been held in that tense stand-off with her, and the reactions of those folks had been as wide and varied as their personalities. Grand matriarch of the McKinnon Family, Orla McKinnon, had proclaimed with dancing eyes that Melody’s hostage standoff was more exciting than the drive-by shooting their café had endured just a year ago. Patience and Maggie had been disappointed that they hadn’t gotten to aim a shot at their captors. Faith McKinnon Turner simply smiled serenely and continued to hug her husband, Cain, who had been waiting outside the store behind the police barricade. Jake and Harmony Stone had smiled and hugged her, stating that they’d survived worse. Dr. Daniels and his wife, Millie, had been understanding, too, though Melody doubted that the good doctor would allow his wife to come shopping without him in tow from now on. Then, despite Cal’s unhappy growls, she’d hugged Ice Monroe and thanked him for saving their lives.
Finally, she’d spotted Honor hovering near the door with Zeke Monroe standing in front of her, obviously giving her hell for something. She’d had to wait to speak to her until the Sheriff had finished lecturing her for disobeying their captors’ direct order to not make the call. Truthfully, it seemed Zeke Monroe was more rattled than Honor by the events of the morning.
Of course, she kind of understood the Sheriff’s reaction because while Melody had finally stopped shaking within minutes of the end of the standoff, it was clear that it was going to take Cal a hell of a lot longer to settle down. Her man hadn’t been still even after they’d hauled her would-be killers out of her business. Obviously, Zeke didn’t like Honor being in harm’s way any more than Cal enjoyed it when Melody was threatened.
The only time her man had allowed them to be separated since this morning had been when she’d insisted he have the gunshot wound in his arm taken care of at the hospital. He’d reluctantly accompanied Faith’s husband, Dr. Cain Turner, to Paradise General and had his arm patched up with a few stitches. He’d only been gone an hour, but Melody could admit that it felt like a lifetime, and that if it hadn’t been her opening day, she’d have been right at his side.
Thankfully, however, it seemed that the nightmare was finally ending. All the bad guys…or gals, as the case happened to be… were in custody. Bradley finally understood that he had NO shot with her. Not now and not ever.
She was quite happily attached to the big lug currently idly stroking her back and nuzzling her hair, and she couldn’t be happier. She’d found a man that had found a way to get her beloved older brother home from a deployment just because he knew it would make her happy. He was a man who’d willingly used his own body as a human shield for her protection and literally took a bullet so she wouldn’t be hurt.
Clearly, former First Sergeant Callum Valentine was not a man to be trifled with. He might not give his affections freely, but when he did offer them, he did it fully.
“Princess,” Cal murmured against her temple as his arm slid over her waist until his hand cupped one of her naked breasts. “You’re too quiet. You know how uneasy your silences make me. Makes me feel like I’m back in the dessert waiting for Al Queda to make a move. I don’t need those kind of flashbacks, babe.”
“Are you comparing me, your loving woman, to a terrorist network?” Melody asked, shaking her head at him.
“Of course I am…you’re both dangerous as all fuck when you’re under pressure. And today, babe, the pressure was on high,” Cal reminded her gently, brushing his thumb over her nipple until it began to stiffen.
Melody shrugged. What could she say? He was right. She’d never been under that kind of pressure until this morning. It had been terrifying, but they’d survived. All of them.
“It’s over now,” she stated needlessly, dropping her head back to his chest. She wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.
Grunting as her forehead connected with his sternum, Cal’s arms tightened around her. “Yeah, it’s over,” he agreed. “But there are still some loose ends for us.”
Melody frowned. “Like what?” she moaned. “Seriously, Cal, I just wanna put it behind us and get on with our lives. Crying about what happened now would be kind of anticlimactic.”
“And we will. Right after you swear to me that you will never play fast and loose with your life again,” Cal demanded, burying the fingers of one hand in her hair and tugging it until she tilted her head back to see his eyes. “You scared the fucking shit out of me today with your heroics, babe. I was shot. I knew my reflexes would be shit and I had to watch those bitches point their guns at you. Do you know what the fuck that did to me?” he whispered.
“Probably the same thing it did to me to see a bullet that was meant to punish me tear through your flesh,” she retorted, swallowing hard as she felt a surge of anxiety begin to climb up her throat as her eyes went to the stark white bandage circling his muscled arm. God, she’d thought he’d been a goner. There’d been so much blood.
Cal’s lips pressed together, and Melody knew she’d made her point.
“Don’t d
o it again, Melody. Do not ever put your life on the line for me or anybody else. Your life is precious, woman. You guard it like the gift it is.”
“Same goes for you, Valentine! You were the one tryin’ to be a hero this morning. I just wanted them to…”
“It’s my job to protect you. You do NOT put your life on the line for me or anybody else. Jesus, Princess, I love you more than my life. It’s my privilege and my honor to protect you. I’d give my life for yours in a heartbeat, and I’ll make no apologies for it,” Cal proclaimed sharply, his jaw tight as he stared into her eyes. “For always and ever, babe. That’s just the way it is. It’s the price you pay for tangling your heart with mine. Now, say you get me,” he ordered, his faded blue eyes holding hers.
“I get you, Callum, but what you have to understand is that I love you, too, just as deeply and just as fiercely as you love me. If I see a way to keep you safe, I’m always going to want to take it, too. That’s what happens when you love somebody with your whole heart. You’re the one that taught me that.”
“Sure, it was that lesson you choose to pay attention to learning,” Cal grumbled, dipping his head to press a kiss against her damp lips.
“I’m as selective about my lessons as I am about my men,” Melody shared with a playful smile as she returned his kiss. “So,” she murmured, lifting her arms to circle his neck, “Are we done revisiting our awful morning? I’d really rather move on to more…. enjoyable activities, Cal.”
“Not quite yet,” Cal denied against her lips. “There’s just one more thing,” he said, lifting his head. “I never got to finish with my surprises. See, this morning you said you’d gotten almost everything you ever wanted.”
“I remember,” Melody smiled. “You proved me wrong when you surprised me with RJ.”
“Well, I’ve got one more surprise,” Cal said, reaching behind him.
Watching his movement, Melody’s eyes widened as Cal’s hand reappeared between them holding a small velvet black box. “Cal,” she whispered as he cracked open the lid and withdrew a flawless Princess cut diamond ring.
“See, I wanted to do this earlier in front of our friends and family, but the twin terrors kind of put a damper on my plan. So, because I’m not exactly a patient man and I’m sort of desperate to know the direction my future is gonna take, I decided there’s no time like the present. Melody Song Reardon, if I had made a list of the qualities my perfect woman would have, I’d have been describing you. I’ve seen that you can be sassy as a hissing cat, sweet as spun sugar, and sexy as a waking wet dream, and I’m still not sure which one I love the most. I’d like to spend the next fifty or so years figuring that out. You got anything better to do?”
Melody giggled through her tears. “That depends. Will you promise to always buy my coffee and put nasty baristas in their place if they’re mean to me?”
“Absolutely, baby. For as long as I live,” Cal promised softly as he slid the gold over her left ring finger.
Lacing their fingers together, Melody beamed at the man she loved. “Then I think the only thing left to say is I do.”
Closing her eyes as his body shifted over hers, Melody’s soul sang as their tangled hearts became one.
THE END
Thanks for reading Tangled Hearts!!
Want to read more by Sarah O’Rourke and find out more about the amazing town of Paradise? Pop over and check us out at Amazon!
Playlist
I Get Knocked Down – Chumbawumba
I’m a Woman – Peggy Lee
Give Me Back Hometown – Eric Church
Give Me Back My Bullet – Leonard Skynnard
Mama’s Broken Heart – Miranda Lambert
Someone Like You – Keith Urban
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
Tainted Love – Soft Cell
Drink You Away – Justin Timberlake
You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Getting to Know You – Bing Crosby
Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Faith Hill
Bad Day – Daniel Powter
Saddle Up – Colt Ford
Before He Cheats – Carrie Underwood
Crazy – Patsy Cline
You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
Cupid – Sam Cooke
Cell Block Tango – Queen Latifah and Lil’ Kim
You’re So Beautiful – Empire Cast
Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
I Feel Lucky – Mary Chapin Carpenter
Trashy Women – Confederate Railroad
Bang Bang – Ariana Grande
Whatta Man – Salt-n-Pepa
Acknowledgments
Thank you to our amazing author, blogger, and publishing friends who took their precious time to read and critique! We owe a debt of gratitude to: Author Brynne Asher, Author CP Smith, Danielle Deraney Palumbo, Jane Graf, Author Julia Goda, Linda from Sassy Southern Book Blog, and Shay from Triple A blog. Thank you for helping us keep the timeline straight, for finding our glaring errors, and for generally being great writing friends!
Crazy One’s momma is a godsend as our main editor. We couldn’t do this without her! Thanks, Momma!
We are always grateful to the amazing blogging friends who share about our releases. Thank you for investing in us!
Thank you to our fabulous readers. You are the reason we love what we do. The comments, messages, and reviews you send make our days better...trust us!
And finally . . . our husbands deserve more thanks than we can ever say. Their support and love are everlasting, and we are blessed to have them in our corners. And our children are amazing. Enough said.
Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise) Page 28