Talking to her was as tricky as juggling a porcupine. He should probably just let the past lie, forget it. But she sure hadn’t. Heath pulled in a deep breath. “Are you still pissed at me for staring at your ass?”
Mel frowned. “That’s just…”
“That would be just stupid, right? Because it was a long time ago, and I couldn’t be blamed for that, could I?”
She spoke through gritted teeth. “You have a very irritating habit of finishing my sentences. I was going to say that’s just ridiculous.”
“You didn’t like it, though, did you?”
Mel’s hands formed fists on the tablecloth. She looked as though the urge to punch him out was warring with the need to stay calm. “I didn’t appreciate being objectified by a man I hardly knew, if you must know. I felt insulted.”
Her gaze pinned his, daring him to deny it.
“It’s a good many years too late, but I’m sorry.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“I was pretty much focused on the physical back then. And you had a pretty cute…”
She held up a hand. “Stop right there.”
He grabbed her hand and held it. “I didn’t mean to make you angry. Then, or now. Looking was automatic…” He rubbed his hand over his eyes; damn, he was making it worse with his rambling. “Lust was sort of automatic for me, back then. I’ve changed.”
Her expression softened. “I guess if you’re sorry, then I should be a bigger person and accept your apology.”
He released her fingers. “I’d be glad if you would.” Heat pooled in his stomach as her mouth curved into a smile. Despite his speech, lust still had a pretty good grip.
A woman across the room waved at Mel and she lifted a hand in the air in a brief wave back.
“Seems like everyone here knows you,” Heath said.
“I grew up in Meadowsweet. Have never lived anywhere else.” There was a wistful look in her eyes. “Although I’ve often thought about it.”
“I guess you’re tied to the garage.” Heath drank a mouthful of beer. He sympathized. He’d felt constrained and trapped by his family’s expectation that he would step into his father’s shoes and take over the reins of the business when Dad retired.
Mel nodded. “That, and my mom. There’s only ever been the two of us, and she needs me living nearby.” She pulled a face. “Well, I was living nearby—my house is on the market so I guess when it sells I’ll be moving back home for a while.” She drained the last mouthful of her drink.
“Just until you find another place, I guess?”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “Probably longer. I didn’t want to sell but I sort of have to. My mom is behind on her mortgage…” She took in a breath and forced a bright smile. “Sometimes you’ve just gotta do what you’ve gotta do, y’know?”
“Yeah, I do.”
In the past month he’d taken the first step closer to claiming his dreams. The possibility existed that his decisions would cause problems within the family, but he had no choice. Cindy, the incessant noise that kept him from being able to fully connect with himself, and the fact that his thirtieth birthday was looming on the horizon had aligned like planets in the cosmos.
Heath wasn’t living the life he wanted to. It was time to change.
Mel’s updo was fast becoming a downdo. The caramel strand that brushed against her cheek had been joined by another, and now another errant lock tumbled down against her neck.
“Oh heck.” She reached behind her head and pulled out the pins holding it in place. Then shook her head from side to side.
“That’s better.” She smiled. “So tell me about your photography. If you love it so much, have you ever thought about doing it professionally?”
…
Heath’s brow pleated. His jawline tightened as if he were pressing his back teeth together. She’d asked an innocent question, but from the look on Heath’s face, it was apparent he was giving deep thought to the answer.
“The week before Alice had the accident, I’d made a decision.” His gaze held hers. “I haven’t told anyone about it yet.”
Mel’s chest burned with her held breath. She surreptitiously exhaled and left her lips parted a fraction so she could breathe in and out through her mouth and get back to normal without him noticing. “What decision?”
“I haven’t told anyone,” he repeated. “Maybe we should just forget it.”
The glass of beer she’d drunk loosened Mel’s tongue. “If you don’t want me to tell anyone, I won’t.” Warmth spread through her chest. His midnight-black hair curled around the nape of his neck, growing thick and springy there, in a way that invited her fingers’ touch. “What’s the big secret?”
There was silence for a moment as Heath considered her question, then he spoke. “I’m changing careers. Two years ago, I bought a serious camera. I specialize in outdoor photography, and a couple of months ago I submitted a portfolio of pictures to National Geographic.” He smiled. “Long story short, they liked them. They want to see more. A writer friend of mine is pitching them a project, and if my pictures are good enough—original enough—I’ll have a shot at doing the pictures.” He ran a tanned hand through his hair. “I intend to spend every single spare minute out there, communing with nature.” The last words were delivered in a self-mocking tone, as though communing with nature was something other men did.
Mel’s heart thumped hard. Growing up, she’d spent all of her spare time in the mountain’s foothills. She’d hiked the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail more times than she could count. She knew the variety of every tree in the majestic forests, could identify the calls of a wide variety of birds in the leafy branches overhead. Caves hung with stalactites and stalagmites, their cool dripping water, and hidden secrets had fascinated her all her life.
“There’s an abandoned shack up there where a hermit woman lived fifty or sixty years ago,” she breathed. “I remember my uncle showing me when I was a kid. She painted these amazing scenes of animals and birds on the walls. I don’t think it’s ever been photographed.”
Heath’s eyes widened. “Can he show me?”
Mel shook her head. Things had been easier when her mother’s brother lived in Meadowsweet. She missed him. “He and his family moved away.”
Heath frowned. “Could you find it?”
She thought for a moment. “I think so. Mark’s family has a cabin deep in the forest. It’s in the hills up behind there. It’s been years, but…yes, I think I can.”
Heath said, “I was going to hike out tomorrow and reconnoiter. Maybe you could come with me?”
Mel shook her head. “I can’t. I’m working tomorrow.”
“So you’re meeting Betty in the garage at nine tomorrow morning. I thought maybe you were meeting up for breakfast or something.”
When she’d walked out today, there had been five cars requiring attention; they’d have to work solidly to reach their goal. “Breakfast will be doughnuts and coffee in the garage.” She smiled. “I know it’s Sunday, but we figure if we throw another day at it, we’ll be caught up.”
“You should have asked me.”
Mel shook her head. “You’ve already pulled an all-nighter. You need a day off. Anyway, you have a plan for tomorrow, one I don’t intend to scuttle.” She took a sip of her drink. “Alice and Mark could—”
Heath shook his head. “I want to keep the project private. If Alice knows, she’ll feel pressure to tell the rest of our family, and I’m not ready for that yet.”
Mel rubbed her temples. “You won’t find the cabin without help. It’s pretty remote, and the track isn’t marked on GPS.”
“So I need you to come with me.”
Mel’s mouth dried. “I can’t. I told you, I’m working.”
His gaze bored through her. “How about if I abandon my plans for tomorrow and come to work instead. With three of us, we’ll get the work finished faster.”
“I couldn’t ask you to…”
“Yo
u’re not asking. I’m offering.”
Her heart flip-flopped as he leaned closer.
“You pay me back by taking me to the cabin next weekend, and show me where the shack is.”
Her gaze darted away from him. “I don’t know…I…”
“You don’t need to worry about anything happening between us. I’m not asking you to come away with me for the weekend because I want to get you into bed. I really need your help to find that shack.” His expression was earnest. “There’s more than one bedroom in the cabin, isn’t there?”
She wished he’d move farther away. He was too close, too male, too everything. Once she’d turned back to look at him, she’d become fascinated by the contrast his light-blue eyes made against his dark hair. “There are two,” she croaked.
“So you’ll come?” His eyes seemed to darken in the dim bar.
She pushed her hair behind her ear. “Just as friends, right?”
He nodded. “Just one friend helping another out.”
“Well, okay. Yes. I’ll come.”
Chapter Four
Excitement quickened in Heath’s veins. He had to find that shack and see those paintings—in all his research about the area he hadn’t come across any reference to it, and adding pictures of something unusual to his portfolio would definitely help make his plan of becoming a National Geographic photographer a reality.
She’d lived in Meadowsweet all her life. In the shadow of the mountains. Having her as his guide was more than perfect, it was essential.
Country music picked up in intensity and couples stepped onto the floor and started to dance.
Heath turned to Mel. “Want to dance?”
She hesitated. Then, “I don’t dance.”
She’d been casting glances at the dancing couples. Had tapped her feet along to the music. Now she chewed on her bottom lip with indecision in her eyes.
He should just leave it. If she didn’t want to dance, she didn’t want to dance. But everything about her gave lie to her words and Heath couldn’t resist finding out why. “Oh, I get it. You’re a foot stomper.”
That earned a tiny smile. “I’m sort of awkward on the dance floor.” She glanced at the dancers again, and he was sure he detected a hint of envy in her gaze.
“Because of the whole man-woman-attraction thing?”
She nodded and avoided his eyes.
“You said you needed to learn to fake it.”
That got her attention. Mel’s widened green eyes looked directly into his. She swiped her tongue across her bottom lip in a way that betrayed her nerves. “I guess…I did,” she admitted in a deep, husky voice.
“Why not practice on me?” His motives were far from pure. He wanted to hold her in his arms, feel her body against his. Wanted her to acknowledge the attraction that shimmered in the air every time they were together.
“I couldn’t do that. It would be using you. I couldn’t just…”
“Why not?” Heath smiled, and saw a flare of interest in her eyes. “You wouldn’t hurt my feelings—I know you’re not attracted to me.” He leaned forward and trailed a hand over her cheek.
She jumped back.
“See?” He laid his hand on the table. “You’re too jumpy. Acting like that is going to give a potential boyfriend the feeling that you don’t want him to touch you.”
She grimaced. “I just can’t help it. It’s instinct. Even when I try to suppress it, I—”
“Let’s try again.” He covered her hand with his.
Her hand twitched under his, but she didn’t pull away. “That’s good. Now, relax. Breathe.”
Her shoulders dropped, as she did as he asked, taking long, slow breaths.
“Smile at me,” Heath demanded. “As if you’re enjoying my company.”
She gave a wobbly smile. “This is ridiculous.”
Heath looked out over the dance floor. The music had switched to a slower song, and couples drifted across the floor held close in each other’s arms. “See how relaxed they look? How they’re just going with the flow? You can do that.”
Her gaze followed his. Then her hand clenched, and she hissed in a breath and turned away.
Heath leaned forward. “What is it?”
“My ex.”
Heath glanced back to where she’d been looking. A tall skinny guy with a receding hairline swayed to the music with a redhead in his arms. Her torso was pressed tight against his, and her arms were looped around his neck—her fingers probing his hair. She was plastered to him so close it reminded Heath of a nature documentary of octopuses mating.
“Stop looking,” Mel hissed.
“You and that guy?” She could do better. So much better.
“His name is Michael.” She pulled her hand away and looked into his eyes.
“He ran at the fourth date?”
She looked so damn miserable, he almost felt like stalking over there and punching the guy out on her behalf.
“I thought we were well-matched. He’s intelligent, and we got on well. It’s just when it came to the physical…” She looked over at Michael again. “Well, I never could have danced like that with him, that’s for sure.”
Michael held Octopus Girl’s hips as she ground against him in a move that was more bedroom than ballroom. He looked as though all his birthdays had come at once.
“Hey.” Heath touched her face, and this time she didn’t flinch. “Forget him.” He stared into her eyes. “If he wasn’t man enough to wait for you to be ready, he’s not worth it.”
“I don’t think I ever would have been ready,” she said in a low voice. “I just didn’t think the sex thing would matter so much to him.”
The sex thing mattered to everyone, but he wasn’t going to add to her distress by pointing that out.
“You’re overthinking this whole thing,” Heath said. “You just need to relax, and enjoy the moment. Get used to casual contact without jumping out of your skin.”
“The problem is I destroy every budding relationship by flinching or pulling away.” Her mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I’m never going to lose my Ice Queen tag.”
“So you practice. On me. There’ll be no relationship with me to break. No consequences. You call the shots. You’re helping me by taking me to the mountains to show me all the secret places that need to be photographed and to find the hermit’s shack. I can help you with this. We both win.”
She glanced out at the dance floor again, straightened her shoulders. “I’ll try.”
And when he asked her to dance this time, she agreed.
Despite her insistence that she never felt attraction, Mel’s body language whispered a totally different story. The moment they started to dance, the whisper became a shout he’d have to be deaf not to hear.
She threw off the serious mask that fit her so closely, and laughed as her tight skirt wrapped around her thighs, constricting movement. At one stage, she hitched it up a bit, but it didn’t really help.
He wasn’t the only man in the place glancing at her knees, but he was the only one she noticed. Time stilled for a moment, then spun out again as he clutched her hand and swung her away, then pulled her back in close against his body.
She was laughing. So in the moment she forgot to stiffen up in his arms. She watched his mouth. With another woman, it would be the perfect, natural moment to kiss. But Mel wasn’t any other woman. She didn’t seem to know her body’s wants, and there was no way that guiding her to recognize them was his job.
All he had to do was get her used to a man’s touch. Then she could find someone who ticked all her boxes for a relationship. His hands skimmed over the gray silk on her back, feeling her body’s warmth through the fabric, and he breathed in her scent, wishing he was as immune to her as he pretended. He’d said he knew she wasn’t attracted to him, but she was. Maybe she didn’t know it—more likely she did, but wouldn’t acknowledge it, but he’d known enough women to read the signs.
So, as her head rested on his shoulder,
he stilled his hands and resisted the urge to pull her closer. And at the end of the song, it was he who suggested they call it a night.
He wanted to kiss her in the car outside his apartment. She wanted it, too; her lips parted and her eyes shone when he said good night. As he stepped out of the car, a little crease above her eyes appeared moments before he turned and strode away.
Something about her tangled his insides, made him want, even as he knew there was no possibility of a relationship with her. Even if by some miracle Mel realized she wasn’t as cold as she imagined, the last thing she needed was a quick fling, and with a new career on the horizon, there was no way Heath had more to offer her than that.
…
Meadowsweet was silent this early in the morning. Mel picked up a box of Danish pastries and drove to the garage. She whistled as she unlocked the door. Last night was fun. For the first time ever she’d danced with a man without the pressure of sex getting in the way. Every time she went out with one of her girlfriends, they were approached by men on the prowl.
Being with Heath kept the dogs away. What dog would even try to move into a wolf’s territory? She grinned as she filled the coffee machine and flicked it on.
“Good morning!” Betty pushed the door open, and stripped off her coat. “How did your date go last night?”
“You know very well it wasn’t a date. Although we did go to Mike’s for dancing and drinks after.”
“Whose idea was that?” Betty asked.
“It was his idea. But it was a good one. We cleared the air.”
“Spill.” Betty poured herself a cup of coffee. “I want to hear all the gory details.”
There weren’t really any to share, but Betty’s eyes twinkled with interest—so Mel would have to come up with something. “Well, we danced. And we talked. He’s a nice guy.”
Betty grinned. “Rethinking your hands-off policy?”
“You know I’m useless when it comes to men. We had a good time. He’s coming in to help out this morning.”
Betty frowned. “That’s beyond the call of duty. He must be exhausted after the week he’s put in. How did you persuade him?”
“I didn’t. Once he discovered you and I were working, he offered. He’s a pretty considerate guy; I think we can be friends.”
Love for Beginners: An Under the Hood Novella Page 4