by Carson, Mia
Danny loved Mel and would do anything to spare her from being hurt.
“Ready?” Mel asked after he finished slipping into his boots.
“Let’s go see what Ma cooked up this morning,” he growled.
Mel opened the door and the dogs took off first, sprinting down the steps to wait by the barn door until Danny slid it open for them to race out into the open fields. The crisp morning air barely affected him as Mel curled against his side and they strolled to the back door.
“Merry Christmas!” he called out as they entered, the dogs quickly following and begging Mel for breakfast. She grabbed the food his parents had bought for them and poured it into their bowls as Delcie rushed into the kitchen, wiping her hands on a plaid apron.
“I thought I was dreaming,” she said, pressing her hand to her forehead and over-exaggerating, clutched at her chest with the other. “But it’s true! My long-lost son is home!”
“Really? How much longer do you think you can guilt me?” he said as he hugged her close.
“As long as I can,” she said and hurried around him to hug Mel. “Merry Christmas, hon. Did you two sleep well?”
Mel laughed quietly as Delcie winked. “We slept perfectly. Thanks for the wine, by the way.”
“My pleasure. Now, coffee’s already out in the living room, and the cinnamon rolls are almost ready.” She took a hand towel and shooed them both out of the kitchen. David hunched over a small stack of presents under the tree when they entered and stood as Danny reached him. Father and son embraced tightly as Delcie called out from the kitchen, “No peeking!”
“Who are you warning?” David yelled back.
“The both of you,” she replied. “I know who’s in my house!”
“One time, Ma,” Danny whined. “One time, I peeked.”
Mel took a cup of coffee from the table and settled in on the couch. “What did you do?”
“I might have tried to open and then rewrap my presents one year,” Danny said with a shrug. “It would’ve worked too, but Ma’s got a damn eagle-eye for detail.”
“Damn right I do,” Delcie shot back from the kitchen, and Mel snorted into her coffee, covering her mouth as Danny planted his hands on his hips and glowered at her. “David! Sort out the presents, would you? Rolls are finished!”
David sighed and picked up several small packages. “If I didn’t love your ma so much, I’d have lost what’s left of my mind by now.” He handed a small one to Mel from him and Delcie then another to Danny. He held three more that he set in a pile he said was for Delcie, and then planted his butt in his recliner as Danny picked up the bag he’d brought in from New York. He set one on the stack for his parents then handed two more to Mel.
“One of these is from Cindy.” He sat on the floor by her feet so Delcie could have the other half of the couch.
“I hope it’s nothing like what she got me last night,” Mel whispered.
Danny’s arousal grew instantly, and he shifted his legs so no one could see. He had to make sure he picked up a few things when they got back to Westbend. He cleared his throat, and Mel cackled. “You’re going to get it later,” he promised.
“Rolls!” Delcie announced and hurried into the living room.
Danny dished one onto a plate for Mel and took one for himself. As they dug into their food, Mel and Delcie talked about Westbend and the inn she owned. Delcie wanted to visit, and Mel told her to wait until springtime when she could get out and enjoy the grounds more.
“I have access to several paths running back through fifty acres or so,” she said. “The lake is big enough to take a canoe out on, too, if you like to fish.”
David perked up. “Fishing, eh? We might have to make this trip after all.”
“I’d be happy to have you,” Mel told them both, squeezing Delcie’s hand.
“Right, enough chit chat,” David said and downed the rest of his coffee. “Dig in, everyone.”
Mel waited until Delcie opened her first one and Danny urged her to go ahead and tear into the first package, the gift from Cindy. She opened the box and held up a metal calla lily attached to a keychain with an inscription on it. Mel read it, and when Danny asked to see it, she tucked it away.
“Inappropriate,” she whispered when he tried to grab it.
“Fine, open this one next,” he said and handed her his. He had bought women he’d dated jewelry and trinkets all the time, but his hands never shook with trepidation, wondering whether they would like it. He chewed his cheek as she tore at the paper and popped the box open. Mel’s eyes widened and her lips parted as her fingers traced the glass pendant delicately. “You like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, the words thick in her throat. “Can I wear it now?”
He grinned and took the pendant hanging from the thick black cord carefully from the box. She turned around, lifting her hair, and he draped it around her neck. “I thought it suited you.” He spread her hair over her shoulders, and she turned around.
She cupped his face and kissed him. “Thanks,” she whispered and kissed him deeper until Delcie cleared her throat and they broke apart, flushing. “Sorry,” Mel muttered, but Delcie shook her head.
“Don’t be, darling. I’m just wondering why you two are acting like there’s nothing serious going on here,” she stated. “Clearly, you’re both ready to march down that aisle and be done with it.”
Mel’s face slackened, and Danny held his head in his hands. “Really, Ma? We’re not exactly there yet.”
“That's not what it looks like to me,” she argued.
“We’re taking it slow.” Mel tried this time, but it was no use.
Delcie and David grinned madly from the recliner they shared, a picture of old love that had lasted decades and stood the test of time. Danny had always admired the bond between his parents, and if he closed his eyes, he saw a different couple sitting in a recliner by a fire, holding each other closely as their hair turned gray and their skin wrinkled. Without thinking, his hand reached out and held Mel’s left, running his thumb over her naked ring finger. He raised his gaze to hers and a glimmer of the same love flooding his body reflected back at him.
In time, she’d be ready to admit it out loud, and he would give her that time, however much she needed. Danny had found the future Mrs. Stone, and he might have to go through hell to keep her, but their love would be worth the burns.
Chapter 13
Mel held Danny’s hand the whole ride from the airport into the small town of Westbend, unable to let go of the man who had found his way into her heart. No matter what happened after the coming year, they’d find a way to make their lives work together, one way or another. She stifled a yawn as he drove up the drive to the inn. Xena whined in the back of the Bronco, and the other two woke up with her, their tails thumping against the back seat in their excitement to be home.
“I think you just spoiled my dogs by letting them fly first class,” she said as Xena stuck her head between the front seats and barked. “Thanks, by the way, for everything.”
Danny grinned and brought her hand to his lips, kissing each knuckle. “I’m glad you had a good time, really. I was worried it was too overwhelming with Ma being so upfront with what she thought was going on between us.”
Mel laughed, thinking of Delcie. “No, it was great being in a loving home again.” She fingered the glass pendant hanging around her neck, the one Danny had given her Christmas morning, and sighed. “I was worried you’d run for the door when she said the ‘m’ word.”
He chuckled and pulled the Bronco around to the front of the inn. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he assured her and ran his fingers down her cheek.
Mel’s breath caught as his stare consumed her, and the budding love growing between them exploded outward as he leaned over and kissed her. She melted at his touch, desperate to be inside the inn and tangled up together again beneath the sheets as the world passed by outside the windows. For the first time in thr
ee years, Mel was free of the spirit who had haunted her. He was still there—she knew he always would be—but Robert wasn’t a presence looking over her shoulder anymore. He was a quiet comfort and guiding force towards her new path in life. She nibbled Danny’s lip, and he groaned.
“We should at least get inside first,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Might be a good idea. I’m sure the dogs would love to get out of the car,” she said. She twisted around in her seat and opened the back door so the dogs could jump out, barking and growling as they leapt into the snow.
She reached for her purse when the dogs’ barking became loud and vicious. She opened her door and saw them standing by the porch, their fur sticking straight up as two people stepped out onto the front porch. Xena charged forward and didn’t stop until she was a foot from them both. They backed into the front door, yelling for help. The only person at the inn should’ve been Donna if she was checking up on the place, but that woman was definitely not Donna and she’d never seen the man before either.
“Danny?” she said, reaching for her cell, but when she glanced at his face, worry flooded her. He wore such a stony expression, and his chestnut eyes glared with anger.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
“Should I call the sheriff? Danny?”
“No,” he growled and stepped out of the car before she could ask him anything else.
She watched as he stomped through the snow to the front porch, stepping between the dogs, but she couldn’t hear anything. The man held out a hand, but Danny didn’t take it. The other man leered, jerking his hand back before he started yelling. The woman reached out as if to hold Danny, but he took a step back and she faltered on the porch steps. She yelled, too, and Mel jumped out and walked up behind Danny, holding out her hand to Xena and the other dogs so they backed off a little.
“Danny? Do you know them?”
“Ah, you must be the elusive Melissa Fairbanks,” the man said and held out a hand, but as he stepped closer, Xena bared her teeth and he dropped his hand quickly. “Right, I’m Todd Dylan, Danny’s business partner. I’m sure he told you about me.”
Mel shook her head slowly. “Danny has a business partner? You work in sales, too?”
The man frowned. “Surely he told you I’m the one you’ve been talking to, and this is Janet, his assistant. We came to ensure the sale was happening as planned so his board and investors don’t try to kick him out of his own company.”
“Recently fired assistant,” Danny grated. “You both need to leave, right now.”
“Wait,” Mel said. “Who are they? And I’ve never spoken to you before.”
“Well, I guess I didn’t use a name on all those proposals, but they were from me and Danny,” Todd explained. “About the sale of your inn. That’s why he came to Westbend, to procure the sale of your inn and land for his company.”
Mel’s chest tightened as Danny cursed and reached for her, but she stepped away from his hand. The edges of the almost perfect world they’d spent the last week creating tore and wrinkled at the seams as she breathed deeply, trying to wrap her mind around this stranger’s words. The sale of the inn… that came from a company in the city, and a man who tried to buy it from her for not even half of what it was worth. A man who wanted to tear the place down and create some luxury resort for the rich.
“Mel,” Danny whispered, trying to reach her again, but she shook her head violently and swatted his hand away.
“No. No, you don’t get to stand there and be furious,” she snapped as her heart cracked. “Tell me you’re not the man who’s been after my inn for the last year. Tell me that’s not you!”
His hand faltered as his head fell, hanging over his chest. “I wanted to tell you the truth. I was going to tonight.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered and staggered farther away from him. “You… you lied to me this whole time. You came here to convince me to sell, is that it?”
“Originally, yes,” he said, and she laughed bitterly. “But things changed. I don’t want the land or the inn. I don’t need it!”
“Actually, you do,” Todd chimed in, and Mel wanted to smack the leer off his face. “If you don’t manage this sale, your board will turn on you and the investors will pull out.”
Danny stalked towards the man. “You really think I don’t have a backup plan? I already talked to the board and the investors. You are not getting your hands on my company, Todd. Not now, not ever. The sale isn’t going to happen. We’re moving on without you.”
Todd’s eyes glimmered with hatred, and his hands curled into fists. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. I built you.”
“No, you stabbed me in the back,” Danny argued. “And you’re fired.”
“You’re one to talk,” Mel snapped.
Danny whipped around to face her, his tone shifting. “Mel, please, I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you.”
“You only came here because you hoped you would charm me into just selling my inn, convince me that life would be better with you, is that it? Did you plan on sleeping with me, too?”
“No,” he insisted. “No, I didn’t plan on any of this happening. It just did.”
“You used me! You bastard! You fucking bastard!” She aimed a punch at his face, but he stepped out of reach. Her dogs moved between them, blocking them from each other. “I trusted you! I gave you everything!”
“Please, can we just talk about this?” Danny pleaded, but she couldn’t even look at him.
“Get off my property,” she growled fiercely. “You don’t own it, at least not yet.”
Danny’s face fell, every line filled with sorrow and hatred as he glared at Todd and Janet. “You both need to leave.”
“All of you,” Mel corrected. “I want all of you gone, and don’t come back.”
Her vision blurred, and she wiped angrily at the tears welling in her eyes, refusing to let them fall while Danny watched her. All her hopes of a bright future, of spending her days with a man who loved her, cherished what they had together, went up in smoke. Their time together was nothing, not after realizing he was the man who wanted to take everything from her, the last bit of herself she had. Danny didn’t move, but Todd strode down the steps, followed by the woman, who threw herself in Danny’s arms and kissed him full on the mouth.
He shoved her away quickly and wiped his mouth on his arm. “Why are you even here? I fired you,” he muttered and glared at Todd.
“Oh, you were just angry, I know that,” she said flippantly as if she hadn’t just ruined everything for him. “Besides, it’s not like you’re going to stay here, are you? You’re not wanted, and she’s not worth your time.”
Mel glowered at the woman but didn’t speak. She wasn’t worth her time or any more breaths from her body. She watched Danny’s eyes narrow. “You do not work for my company, and I have nothing more to do with you, Janet. I suggest you find your ride back to the city tonight.”
“We’ll sue you. We’ll sue you for everything,” Todd argued, and Danny’s fist drew back and decked him in the face. Todd yelped and spun around, holding his nose as he cursed. “Damn it, man! What the hell was that for?”
“For being an arrogant bastard and thinking you run this company and not me!” Danny raged. “That you could steal it out from under me! I’ll make sure no one ever hires you again.”
Mel knew he would try to convince her to talk to him, but she couldn’t deal with that, not now. She rushed for the front door, wondering who the hell let these two into her inn in the first place, and slammed the door the second all three dogs were safely inside with her. She heard heavy steps run up the porch and knocking.
“Mel, please,” Danny begged. “Please, we can talk about this. I can explain.”
“No,” she yelled, resting her back against the door as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Just go away!”
“I was going to tell you,” he admitted, the words heavy with the same regret coursing through her limbs. “I
was going to tell you the truth so many times, but I didn’t want you to know—I didn’t want to hurt you more.”
She sucked in a pained breath and shook her head. “Too late. It’s too damn late!”
“I’m not leaving it like this, not after everything we’ve gone through.”
“Was any of it even true? Or were you just going to swoop in and take the place out from under me one day?” she accused.
Danny grunted on the other side of the door and cursed. “Damn it, Mel, I love you!”
His words stilled her heart, and she gripped the door behind her tightly. “You… you what?”
“I love you,” he repeated, his words stronger. “I’m pretty sure I have since the night you finally let me in, when you fell apart and let me pick you up.”
“How can you know that?” she whispered, turning to press her lips close to the window. “How could you possibly know that? It’s been less than two weeks!” You feel the same way, don’t even try to deny it.
“Because I trust what my heart’s telling me when I’m around you,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I can’t live without you, Mel, and I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry you found out who I really am this way, but you have to know it’s not what I wanted.”
“Then what is?”
“You. I want you, and I want you to keep your inn,” he insisted. “Just open the door, Mel, please.”
Her hand slipped to the doorknob, ready to pull it open, but her fingers froze and she couldn’t complete the motion. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t trust you, not now.”
She saw his hand rest against the glass of the front door followed by his forehead. “Fine, that’s…that’s fine, but you should know, I’m not giving you up that easily, Mel. I’m not leaving this damn town until you open this door and talk to me again.”