She’d had to wait nine months for her eyes to heal enough for her to have corneal transplants. If it hadn’t been for her best friend Barbara inviting her to stay with her family, Melanie knew she couldn’t have coped as well as she had. After surgery, it had taken another year for her sight to improve enough for her to simply need reading glasses. Jordan had performed the surgery and become her friend. Regaining her eyesight was still such a miracle to her.
Leaving her room, she headed toward Amy’s laughter. The day had seemed to pass in a spin—finalizing her contract with Zack, studying the floor plans of his offices and examining each inch of space with an eye on her sample books. She’d only seen Zack for a short while this morning. He’d left for Santa Rosa after their meeting and hadn’t returned, as far as she knew. She still couldn’t believe she was staying in his penthouse! When he’d first proposed the idea, she’d panicked. Then she’d realized if Sherry Morgan was calling to her in some other-worldly way, this was the place where she could figure it out.
Amy’s giggles were coming from the bathroom. When Flo heard Melanie’s footsteps, she called, “Can you grab me another bath towel from the linen closet? I forgot to bring an extra one in.”
Melanie fetched the towel, feeling altogether comfortable with Flo Briggs. They’d fixed supper together—salads and a stir-fry. Apparently, Zack had called Flo to tell her he wouldn’t be home for supper. The woman had clucked over Zack working too hard and not eating right and had admitted to Melanie that she’d come to think of Zack as the son she’d never had.
Melanie pulled a fluffy pink towel from the closet and took it into the bathroom. She couldn’t help going over to the bathtub and kneeling beside it, thinking of all the times she’d bathed her daughter. Kaitlyn had loved the water. It seemed as if Amy did, too, as she sat in the tub and splashed as much as she could. A stream of water hit the front of Melanie’s T-shirt, quickly followed by a second stream that splashed onto her jeans.
Flo started, “I’m sorry she—”
Melanie laughed. “This is what toddlers do in the bathtub. I always—” She stopped.
Flo gave her an odd look.
She was kept from having to continue or explain by Zack’s appearance in the doorway. “Is this a party?”
Drops of water flew onto Melanie’s cheek as Amy splashed and giggled. She brushed them away. “A splash party.”
Smiling, Zack came into the small room. After he tugged his tie down and opened the top button at his collar, he noticed the front of Melanie’s T-shirt. The laughter left his eyes, replaced by something deeper…something fiery that excited Melanie, yet made her feel a little bit afraid, too. Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Neither of them looked away.
Then Flo said to Amy, “Come on, poppet, let’s get you out of the water.”
But when she reached for the little girl, Amy shook her head insistently and splashed some more.
“Now,” Flo said firmly.
After glancing at Flo, Amy looked at Melanie, and without hesitation reached her arms out to her.
Melanie wasn’t sure what to do, but Flo merely sat back on her haunches. “She’s taken a shine to you.”
Melanie’s throat tightened, and she didn’t know if the feelings she had toward this little girl were hers or if they belonged to Sherry Morgan. She only knew she couldn’t turn away from her—that she had to hold her.
Taking the towel from the rim of the bathtub, Melanie opened it and scooped Amy up into her arms.
Amy reached out and touched a lock of Melanie’s hair, then smiled at her. Melanie knew some people believed that children could talk to the angels. Could Amy sense her mother’s spirit?
Melanie took a deep breath, feeling as if she were an explorer in uncharted territory. “I’ll take her to her room.”
As Melanie passed Zack, she was aware of his chest only inches from her…aware of his attention on her. She didn’t look at him. She couldn’t. He might see something in her eyes she didn’t want him to see.
After she set Amy on her changing table, Zack came up beside her. “I’ll take over now. She and I haven’t spent any time together today.”
Melanie had started to step away when Amy reached for her. “Your daddy’s going to put you to bed,” Melanie explained with a smile.
But Amy just stared at Melanie, her lower lip trembling, and she reached out her arms again.
“It looks as if she wants you to do the honors tonight,” Zack said quietly.
“What would you like me to do?” Melanie finally looked up at him.
He held up a disposable diaper. “Do you know how to use one of these?”
“I think I can figure it out,” she responded with a smile. Kaitlyn had gone through disposable diapers until shortly after her second birthday.
Together she and Zack got Amy ready for bed. Melanie’s fingers trembled as she fastened the snaps on Amy’s pj’s. Then she picked her up and set her in her crib.
Amy looked up at Zack. “BoBo.”
He chuckled. “Right. We can’t forget BoBo.” He picked up a stuffed blue donkey sitting in the corner of the rocking chair and gave it to his daughter. With a grin at both of them, Amy tucked the donkey under her arm and lay on her side on the mattress, poking her thumb into her mouth.
“Good night,” Zack whispered as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“Good night, Amy,” Melanie said softly, wishing she had the right to kiss the little girl as Zack had done. She felt tears burn in her eyes, and a wealth of sadness washed over her with them. The turmoil like a squall inside of her was more than grief. She quickly turned away from Zack and headed toward her bedroom.
“I’m going to turn in now,” she murmured over her shoulder.
But he caught up with her outside of her door. “Melanie.”
She stopped, composed herself as best she could, and turned to face him.
“I won’t let Amy take advantage of you.”
“Oh, she isn’t.”
“If she thinks she can get away with it, she will. All she has to do is smile at me and I’m jumping through hoops.”
Melanie felt her heart lighten as she gazed at this strong, confident, self-directed man who could admit his little girl had power over him. “You’re her daddy. All I had to do was smile at my dad, and I could get that extra piece of chocolate or stay out later. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
“Where are your parents now?” Zack asked her.
“I lost my dad when I was fourteen, and Mom the year after I graduated from college.” She’d lost so many people she’d loved. Sometimes she wondered why.
“I’m sorry,” Zack said.
She saw the pain in Zack’s eyes and knew he was thinking about his own losses. She wished she could ask him what kind of marriage he’d had…what kind of person Sherry Morgan had been. It was too soon for that.
The shadowy hall seemed to hum—with feelings and memories and a connection to Zack that Melanie wondered if he could feel, too. Finally he motioned toward the kitchen. “I’d better get some supper. I have a few hours of work ahead of me.”
“Flo made a plate for you that you can warm up in the microwave. There was salad left, too.”
He nodded but didn’t move away. He kept searching her face, as if he was looking for an answer to a question he didn’t voice. When his gaze lingered on her lips, she felt her breath hitch and a shiver pass through her.
Taking a step back, he motioned to her T-shirt. “You’d better get changed.”
She just nodded, longing to be held in his arms…longing to feel his lips on hers…longing to know Zack Morgan in a very intimate way.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” His voice was husky, and that fire was back in his eyes.
“In the morning,” Melanie repeated.
When Zack turned and walked away, Melanie wondered how he doused a fire like that. Did it smolder until it leaped into passionate flames?
Shaking her head, she we
nt inside her room and closed the door, knowing fire was the last thing she needed. It had been a fire that had destroyed her life. Yet the fire in Zack Morgan drew her to him. She prayed it wouldn’t destroy her life again.
Chapter Three
White and gray clouds swirled around the jagged mountain peak. Drizzling rain fell everywhere and it was so bone-chillingly cold. Melanie felt as if she were floating around the mountain along with the clouds and a pair of pink-and-blue baby booties. Suddenly she was still.
She peered through the drizzling rain. To the east of the mountain, Zack stood holding Amy, looking up toward the peak. To the west of the mountain stood a beautiful woman with long, curly, dark-brown hair. She wasn’t looking up at the mountain peak. She was looking toward Melanie and beckoning to her. Melanie found she couldn’t walk toward the woman. She was frozen in place, and panic rushed through her. She began to tremble, then she finally reached out her hand to Sherry Morgan…
Melanie’s eyelids flew open and she sat up in bed. She was shaking and she was so cold. She knew it would take all night to get warm again. Sherry Morgan wanted something of her. But what?
Dropping her head into her hands, Melanie combed her fingers through her short hair. Maybe she was just going absolutely, stark-raving crazy. After she took a few deep breaths, she knew there was one way to decide that. She needed to see a picture of Zack’s deceased wife.
Each hour ticked by slowly as sleep eluded Melanie and she waited for morning to come. When it did, she was relieved. She was also afraid. Even if she found the next part of the puzzle, where would it all lead?
She thought about Zack and last night and how she’d felt and what she’d wished. The longing to be held in his arms had been overwhelmingly strong. The yearning to be kissed by him had been a deep ache. Her ache…or Sherry Morgan’s?
When Melanie went out to the kitchen, she was almost relieved to find that Zack had already eaten and gone. Amy smiled and waved and babbled something about BoBo and Daddy. Melanie wished she had the freedom to pick up the little girl and kiss her and hug her and say good morning as she would to her own child.
Flo glanced over her shoulder. “’Morning. Would you like me to scramble eggs for you? Zack had an early appointment in Santa Rosa so he took off.”
“Just some coffee and toast is fine.”
Over breakfast Melanie and Flo chatted about Clear Lake and the entertainers that appeared there, until Amy began banging on her tray—she wanted out of her high chair.
Flo shook her head and laughed. “This one knows exactly what she wants. She’s got her dad’s determination and Sherry’s stubbornness.”
“Ah, but she inherited somebody’s sweetness, too.” Melanie was positive of that.
“I suppose that’s the best part of both Zack and Sherry.”
“Did you know Sherry well?”
“I’ve known Zack since he was a kid, and I got to know Sherry after they married. I was a neighbor of his dad’s. After my husband died, I was at loose ends. Then Zack lost Sherry, and I offered to take care of Amy until he found someone. But I loved doing it, and six months ago I sold my house and moved in with him. It’s worked out great. And now I love being out here with the mountains and all.”
As Flo wiped Amy’s face, Melanie asked as casually as possible, “Does Amy look more like Zack or more like her mother?”
Flo thought about it. “That’s a good question. Probably about half and half of each. There’s a picture of Sherry and Zack in the corner cupboard in the living room. Go take a peek.”
Melanie went into the living room and headed straight for the corner cupboard. There stood a five-by-seven photo of Zack and a beautiful brunette. She hadn’t noticed it before. Or had she? Sherry Morgan was definitely the woman who’d beckoned to her in her dream.
Melanie wondered if she’d subconsciously seen this picture when she was in the living room. She hadn’t been in here much, and she couldn’t remember noticing it. That didn’t mean she hadn’t.
She took a few moments to steady herself, then went back to the kitchen. “I think you’re right. Half and half.” Feeling more than a little off balance, she said, “I have to make some calls before I go downstairs to the offices.” She took the cordless phone from the counter in the kitchen. “If you need this, just come and get it.”
“Oh, I won’t be needing that. I’m going to mix up some oatmeal cookies if this little scamp will let me.”
Amy grinned in delight. “Cook—ies.”
Melanie felt a stab of remembrance of her little girl asking for the treat in exactly the same way. She left the kitchen with the phone, hurried to her bedroom and closed the door.
She had to call a few suppliers, but first she needed to talk to Jordan. Maybe he could help her make sense of all this. Would he still be at home or at the hospital? Jordan Wilson might be her ophthalmologist, but more important, he was her friend. She decided to try him at home first.
When he picked up on the second ring, she let out a relieved breath. “Jordan, it’s Melanie.”
“I’ve been worried about you.”
She’d told Jordan all about her plans to meet Zachary Morgan. “Everything’s gotten a little complicated. He hired me and I’m staying at his penthouse.”
“You’re what?”
“Don’t start fretting, Jordan. His housekeeper’s room is next to mine. She and his daughter are great chaperones.”
“Does Morgan know who you are?” Her friend’s voice was worried.
“No, I can’t tell him that yet. He’d think I was crazy. You know he would.”
“I didn’t think you were crazy.”
“That’s different. You were my doctor.”
“I’m an ophthalmologist who’s never heard of the kind of experiences you’re having.”
“You have an open mind.”
“You didn’t give me much choice.”
She smiled at that. “That’s not true and you know it. You’re an understanding man, Jordan, and that made it easy for me to confide in you. I haven’t told anyone else about any of this except for Barbara. You know that. I still can’t. I can’t take the chance that Zack Morgan will shut me out of his life if he thinks I’m loony.”
“I’m sure he’ll be able to tell you’re not loony,” Jordan returned with some amusement now.
“I don’t know. Sometimes none of it makes any sense to me, either. There’s this connection I feel toward his daughter, too. And I had this dream last night…” Her voice trailed off.
“I’m afraid you’re going to get hurt,” he said quietly.
Even though he couldn’t see her, she shook her head. “I can’t hurt any more than I have since the fire. I really have no choice in this. I’ll never have peace of mind until I figure it all out.”
“I suppose you won’t. Just remember, you can pull out any time, and you can call me if you need me.”
Jordan was in his midforties and, more than anything else, he’d been like an older brother to her. When she’d first confided in him about what was happening, they’d had long discussions on life and death and everything in between. They’d had lunches and a few dinners and he’d become a very special friend.
“Thank you for seeing me through all of this,” she murmured. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Your friendship means a lot to me, too. It made me realize there’s more to life than hospitals and patients and science. You’ve helped me to remember again there are things we can’t explain and maybe we shouldn’t. Keep that in mind, okay?”
“Okay.”
After she hung up, she knew she had to understand as much as she could or she wouldn’t be able to move forward in her life.
The following afternoon Melanie stopped in at the penthouse to get some papers with specifications for the offices. There was a note on the refrigerator from Flo that said she’d taken Amy out in her stroller. Melanie was surprised by the thought that she’d rather be out with Flo and
Amy than working. She’d poured her life into her work since she’d recovered from the accident, but now her work just didn’t seem as important as spending time with that little girl. Sherry’s feelings or her own?
Going to the refrigerator, she took out a carton of orange juice and poured herself a glass. Time to immerse herself in work and stop thinking about all of it. She was headed back to the bedroom with her glass of juice when the phone rang. She knew there was a machine hooked up to it, but what if Zack was trying to reach her for some reason? He was on the road today, meeting with a distributor. He’d told her he wouldn’t be back until after dinner.
Snatching up the handset, she answered it. “Zack Morgan’s residence.”
“Hello?” a woman’s voice said. “Is this Mrs. Briggs?”
“No. My name is Melanie Carlotti. I work for Mr. Morgan.”
“Oh, I see. Well, I’ve left messages at all of his numbers. Can I leave another one with you? This is sort of urgent.”
“Sure.”
“I’m Mr. Morgan’s real estate agent. A contract came in on his house, and it’s a good one. But the buyer wants to take immediate possession and we need to get this settled. Could you have him give me a call as soon as possible?”
“If he checks in, I’ll tell him. If not, I’ll give him the message as soon as I see him this evening.”
When Melanie hung up, she realized that with this move, Zack was putting his old life behind him…or at least he was trying to. She had the feeling his loss was still raw, and she wished she knew why. Because he’d loved his wife so much? Or was there something else? Something else that had to do with her dreams and Sherry beckoning to her.
Amy was already in bed by the time Zack came home that night. After stopping to greet Flo and Melanie, he went to his daughter’s room to say good-night. By the time Zack had kissed Amy, Flo had set a plate of oatmeal cookies in the center of the kitchen table and gone to her room to watch TV.
Melanie waited in the kitchen for Zack, sipping a mug of tea. As soon as he entered the kitchen, she said, “I took a message for you from your real estate agent.”
A Husband In Her Eyes Page 4