GUILTY OR HOT

by Carson, Mia

  Mel rested her hand against the glass as he pulled away. Her heart yelled at her to go after him, to forgive him, but the darker voice in her mind whispered that he’d lied, and if he’d lied about who he truly was, how could she ever trust him again? Which Danny was the real Danny, the man born and raised in Iowa on a farm or the city CEO ruthless enough to try and take over whatever property he wanted? Who didn’t care about who he hurt in the process?

  She sank down at the front door and rested her forehead against her knees, wishing she could disappear where neither Danny nor anyone else would know who she was. Xena whined and rested her head against Mel’s shoulder, comforting her the best way she knew how.

  “Alone again, huh, girl?” she whispered. “Guess that’s just how it’s going to be. Always alone.” The emptiness of the inn closed in around her, and Mel shut her eyes to the darkness and the loneliness of the future that awaited her.

  ***

  Danny nursed his beer as he motioned to the bartender for another shot of whiskey, hoping to drown out the way Mel had yelled at him, the betrayal in her eyes as the truth about why he first came to Westbend came out.

  “Well now, didn’t expect to see you here by your lonesome,” Marty announced loudly as he clapped Danny on the back. “Back from your trip already?”

  “We are,” Danny said and wanted to tell Marty to go away, but the man plopped his hefty frame down and ordered a beer. The bartender delivered the beer and a shot of whiskey for Danny.

  Marty eyed both drinks and frowned. “Did the trip not go well?”

  “The trip went fine,” Danny replied and shot back the whiskey quick, waiting for the burn to kill the regrets, but he knew he’d never be rid of them. “I should’ve told her the truth the first time we met, but she never would’ve let me stay.”

  Marty sipped his beer and nodded slowly. “I’d agree with you if I knew what you were talking about.”

  Danny hung his head, holding it with his hands as he tried to decide the best way to explain when another person sat down on the other side of him. “Come on, Greg’s ready to take us back to the city tonight,” Todd said. “Let’s go.”

  Danny shrugged his shoulder, knocking Todd’s hand off. “I’m not going anywhere with you or Janet, and Greg is not your driver to order around.”

  “You can’t be pissed at me forever over this. She’s just one woman,” Todd argued hotly.

  Downing the rest of his beer first, Danny pushed to his feet and glared at Todd, smirking at the black eye forming on his face. “She’s not just one damn woman and you—you’re fired, remember?”

  Todd’s mouth gaped open. “You can’t fire me!” he yelled and the bar fell silent. “Who’s going to put up with all your shit? Who’s going to run the damn place while you sulk all day long in your office?”

  “I can, and I am. Last time I checked, I’m still CEO of the company I built,” Danny reminded him, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “You and Janet are finished. You can go back and pack up your things, but then I want you gone for good.” He knew Marty and everyone else in the bar were watching, but no one stepped between them or asked him what was going on.

  Todd stood straighter and shoved Danny hard, but he didn’t move an inch. “I helped you build this company. Where would you be without me, huh? Where?”

  “Not worrying about losing the love of the only woman I ever cared about,” he shot back.

  “You’re a fool,” Todd yelled. “You came here for her inn and now you think you love her? What the hell is wrong with you? When did you become so weak as to fall for a woman’s act? She’s manipulating you!”

  “I manipulated her!” Danny raged back and shoved Todd so hard he fell into the barstools and toppled to the floor. “I lied to her about everything, and I might never get to see her again! You—you are not my friend. I don’t think you ever were. You’re just like Janet and all the rest, trying to trample me and use me to get what you want.”

  He charged forward, but a steady and firm hand gripped his arm. “He’s not worth it, Danny,” Marty said sternly then nodded to the bartender. “Please escort our guest—I’m sorry, what was your name?”

  “Todd,” he snapped, hurrying back to his feet.

  “Yes, Todd. Can you please escort Todd from the bar and ensure he finds his way to whatever vehicle is taking him back to the city?”

  The bartender nodded, and he and two other men grabbed Todd by his coat and dragged him out the front doors. “This isn’t over!” he screeched. “You can’t just fire me! The investors will never back you now! No one will!”

  “Then I guess I’ll just move out here to Westbend,” Danny responded.

  The talk in the bar slowly picked back up again, but Danny knew they would gossip about this night for weeks to come. He hoped none of them would bother Mel over it. Marty led him back to his seat and rubbed a hand over his bald head.

  “Well, that was exciting. Can’t say we’ve had to break up a bar fight in quite some time.” Marty laughed and bumped Danny’s arm, but he didn’t smile. “Ah, things happen, son, don’t let it ruin your evening.”

  “I wasn’t worried about the fight,” he said and gripped the edge of the bar. “I’m assuming you want to know what that was all about?”

  Marty tilted his head back and forth as he sipped his beer. “A man’s business is usually his own.”

  “But I lied to everyone, to Mel,” he growled and held his head. “I lied to her.”

  “Yes, and here you are in a bar, beating yourself up over it,” Marty pointed out. “You clearly love her and lied to protect her from more pain.”

  Danny lifted his head and eyed the man. “I still lied.”

  Marty spun the wedding band on his finger. “People in love do stupid things,” he offered with a grin. “Trust me. I’ve been married long enough to know. Give her some time to cool off, but don’t you dare let up on her, hear me? She needs you in her life, and if you leave this town, if you stop fighting for her, we’ll lose Mel.”

  Danny peeled at the label on his beer bottle, thinking of what he would say tomorrow morning when he showed up at the inn bright and early. He needed to get a few things—flowers, maybe another necklace from Cindy… or a ring. His fingers stilled on the bottle, and his breathing quickened. A ring. He wanted to buy her a ring. He set his jaw and stood abruptly from the bar.

  “Is Cindy’s shop open this late?”

  Marty chuckled. “I believe it is. Why, what are you after?”

  Danny drained his beer, slammed it on the counter, stuck his chin out, and faced the door. “I’m going to get a ring, that’s what.”

  Marty sputtered on his mouthful of beer before his deep laughter filled the bar and he clapped his hands. “That’s the spirit! You go get her, son!”

  He’d taken two steps towards the door when sirens wailed outside and Donna rushed into the bar. “Marty! Where’s Marty?”

  “Right here, Donna, slow down,” Marty said quickly, rushing to catch the woman.

  “Danny’s here. Is Mel with you?” she asked and gave Danny’s arms a shake. “Is she?”

  “No, why?” Danny’s gut twisted with worry and his hands grew clammy. “Donna, what’s wrong? What’s with the sirens?”

  Donna sucked in a breath, her face ashen. “Fire—the inn’s on fire!”

  The world stood still. Danny’s hands tightened into fists, and he blinked rapidly, trying to quell the insane fear pouring out of him. He staggered back a step, shaking his head as he tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. He didn’t hear what Marty had said but felt their hands on his shoulders… too late. He sprinted out of the bar, slipping on the ice outside the door but pushing back to his feet when he spotted the flashing lights of the firetruck going slowly up the icy drive to the inn. Black smoke billowed against the pure light of the moon, and when he turned the bend, he jerked to a stop at the sight of flames licking the night sky.

  “Mel,” he whispered in a ragged voi
ce. “Mel!”

  He took off again, fighting the dizziness in his head as he trudged up the hill, his knees shaking so violently he lost his footing several times on the way up, but he finally reached the front drive.

  “Sir, you have to stay back,” one of the volunteer firemen said loudly. “Sir, can you hear me?”

  “Mel, where is she?” he gasped. “Where is she?”

  “We can’t go inside, the fire is too intense.”

  “What?” Danny whispered in disbelief as the inn creaked and groaned beneath within the flames, tearing it apart. “No, she has to be alive! She has to be!”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I’m sure she got out—wait! You can’t go in there!”

  Danny raced along the front of the inn, the heat from the fire driving the air from his lungs, but he pushed onward, fear driving him, needing to know Mel was alive. She had to be alive. He screamed her name every few feet, searching for a way into the inferno, but every window was blown out from the heat. When he reached the back of the inn, the kitchen door was thrown open and flames barely touched it, but as soon as he got close, the fire took on a life of its own and roared outward. Small explosions went off inside, tearing a hole right through the inn, and Danny was thrown backwards from the force.

  Stunned and his ears ringing, he lay in the snow on the back lawn, staring up at the stars. Mel… he’d lost her. He’d really, truly lost her. The light from the stars disappeared, and he closed his eyes, ready for whatever would happen to him, when something warm licked his face. A heavy paw thudded on his chest and whining sounded close to his hear. Carefully, he opened one eye to see Lucy standing over him.

  “Lucy,” he gasped. “You got out.” She barked and tugged at his shirt, trying to drag him.

  Danny clambered to his feet and followed the dog, shaking his head as he tried to clear the ringing in his ears. “Where… where are we going?” he asked the dog, but she took off across the back yard. Danny’s feet struggled to keep up until he spotted Bobby standing over two still forms in the grass. “No… no!”

  With a shaking hand, he reached out and rolled Mel over in the snow. Xena’s body rested beside her, her breathing shallow, her eyes open and searching.

  “Mel… Mel, can you hear me?” he called loudly, shaking her shoulders. “Mel, open your eyes, damn it!”

  But she didn’t, and her chest didn’t rise and fall with breathing. He checked her wrist and discovered her pulse—weak, but there. He bent over her and gave her mouth-to-mouth, willing her to open her eyes, to suck in a breath, to yell at him, scream at him, do anything as long as she lived.

  “Don’t leave me,” he whispered in between breaths. “Please, I can’t lose you. Not now.”

  Tears of rage and fear welled in his eyes as his heart thundered behind his ribs. He gave her another breath, and she coughed, sitting up and flailing around until he wrapped her body gently and safely in his arms and held her.

  “Mel, I’m right here,” he soothed her. “You’re safe. You’re all safe.”

  “What… what happened?” she whispered, her voice raspy from the smoke. “Danny?”

  “I’m right here,” he repeated, but her eyes rolled back and she passed out. “No, Mel, stay with me!” He held her in his lap, running his hands over her dirty face, and saw the bump forming on her head. Something must’ve fallen on her while she was trying to escape. “Mel!”

  “Back here! They’re over here,” a man yelled, and Danny waved his arm frantically over his head as two firemen rushed over. “You found her.”

  “She got out,” he told them. “She’s hit her head, and I can’t get her to wake up again.”

  One man radioed for the paramedics and the other asked Danny to let him take her, but his hands tightened instinctively on her body, refusing to give her up. The fireman stared him down then sighed and told him to get her to the front of the inn where the ambulance waited. Danny stood carefully, keeping Mel secure in his arms, but when Xena didn’t get up with the other dogs, they stayed by her side, whining and pawing at the ground around her.

  “She’s hurt,” Danny told the fireman, nodding to Xena.

  “I got her, don’t you worry,” the fireman said and bent down over the dog. “Come on, girl, let’s get you fixed up.”

  The ambulance was parked behind the firetruck, and two paramedics waited with a gurney to take Mel to the closest hospital in Saratoga Springs. He hopped in the back to ride there with them, not letting go of Mel’s hand the entire way. As they pulled down the drive, he watched the inn collapse in on itself, completely and utterly destroyed. She could’ve been in there when it came down, her and the dogs. He was so close to losing her, and he wasn’t even sure how well she was. She’d hit her head and was still unconscious.

  “Hang in there,” he whispered, kissing the back of her hand. “Just hang in there.”

  Mel’s grip tightened briefly on his, and he prayed they would make it through this in one piece.

  ***

  Her chest ached and she rubbed at it as she coughed, her throat raw and body sore.

  “Mel?” a man’s voice whispered close by. “Mel, can you hear me?”

  One eye opened slowly, followed by the other, but it wasn’t the man she hoped to see standing over her bed. He wore a white coat and held a penlight in one hand as he checked her eyes gently and smiled. “Pupils look good. How are you feeling?”

  “Throat… hurts,” she said hoarsely and the doctor nodded. “What… happened?”

  “There was a fire at your inn.” He sat on the edge of her bed, holding a chart. “I’m Doctor Evans. I’ll be taking care of you until you’re ready to leave—probably a few days.”

  “Fire?” she asked confused, trying to think. “I don’t remember.”

  “It may take time, but it’ll all come back to you. It appears during your rush to get out, you were hit in the head by falling debris, but you’re alive and that’s what matters.”

  “Dogs?” she asked quickly, sitting up despite the sharp pain ricocheting through her chest. “Where are my dogs? Are they alive?”

  Evans nodded. “Alive and well. I’ll let them visit you tomorrow morning. Rest now.”

  She settled back on the pillows and closed her eyes. “Has there been anyone else to see me?”

  “You’re asking about the man who found you, rode with you to the hospital, perhaps?”

  An image of Danny’s pale face staring down at hers, hidden in shadow by the bright flames behind his body and yelling at her to not leave him, flashed through her mind. “He rode here with me?”

  “He did and he hasn’t left the waiting room since, but I want you to rest. You can have visitors tomorrow,” he promised her. With her chart in hand, he exited the room.

  Mel tried to relax, knowing her dogs were safe, but the inn… the inn had burned down. Gone. She’d always thought of doing it herself, but it was just imaginings, not actually doing it. But now that it was gone, what was she going to do? Rebuild or move on? Danny was in the waiting room. She wanted to talk to him, figure out where their futures might lead, but sleep made her eyelids heavy and she sighed, letting the darkness take her. She’d talk to Danny in the morning, tell him she forgave him and understood why he lied.

  A ghost of a touch she was all too familiar with brushed her forehead, followed by lips. She swore she heard a man whisper in her, but when she forced her eyes open one last time before sleep took her, she was alone.

  Be with him, the voice told her. Be happy.

  ***

  Danny paced in the waiting room as Donna, Marty, and Cindy sat close by, watching. He swept another hand over his forehead, biting his lip hard as he waited for word from Doctor Evans about Mel. The paramedics told him she’d be fine when they arrived at the hospital, but that did nothing to staunch his fear and worry.

  If Todd hadn’t shown up with Janet, he would’ve been at the inn with Mel. He could’ve gotten them all out faster, and maybe they wouldn’t be at the hospital now.<
br />
  “Danny?” Doctor Evans called out, and he whipped around. “She’s fine,” he said quickly with a soft smile. “She’s resting and should recover in a few days.”

  Danny let out a heavy breath, bent over double as Donna and Marty patted him on the back.

  “Did you tell her about the inn?” Cindy asked. “Did she remember?”

  “Not everything, but it might take a few days. Her head was hit pretty hard. She has a minor concussion but no sign of any extensive damage,” he assured them. “Rest is what she needs right now. I said she couldn’t have visitors until morning, but if you want to sit with her through the night—one of you—I don’t see a problem as long as you don’t stress her.”

  Donna gave Danny a gentle shove forward. “Go on. We’ll expect a full report in the morning.”

  “Tell her we love her,” Cindy added.

  “And that she’s not to worry about the inn,” Marty said sternly. “We’ll take care of it.”

  “No,” Danny said and backed away. “No, I will. This is all my fault.”

  Marty and Donna exchanged knowing looks before the latter said, “It was an accident. The fire department said it started at the hearth. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “Yes, it does. All of this does,” Danny argued. “She doesn’t want me around.”

  “What about at the bar?” Marty retorted, stomping around to stop Danny from leaving. “You were going to buy her a ring. What happened to that plan?”

  Danny rested his hands firmly on his hips and glared at the floor. “She’s going to wake up tomorrow, and she’s going to remember what I did. She’s going to hate me, and I don’t think I can bear to see that look in her eyes again. I’ll be back, in a few weeks maybe, give her time to cool down and find a way to make this right. Just tell her… tell her I love her,” he grumbled and shoved past them all towards the door.

  “Danny, wait!” Cindy yelled, but he kept walking.

  Mel would be better off without him. She had to be. They might have thought they had something real, but if it was real, then why had he lied to her for so long? Why hadn’t he told her the truth? He loved her and held it back, too scared of getting hurt when he should’ve known she needed to hear it from him, needed to hear how much he truly cared about her and the inn.