Need You Now (Love in Unknown)

by Lunsford, Taylor M.

  “I’m fine.” Mel tried to move past him to survey the damage, but he blocked her. “Have you called Gage yet?”

  “No. My hands were full and I wanted to check on you first.” He paused, collecting his swirling thoughts. Who would do this to her? Seeing the hate spewed on her car, he wanted to drop the coffee cups, scoop her up, and drive until she was safely at his house where there was security cameras on all the entrances. Every protective instinct in him screamed, beating at his chest louder than the heartbeat in his ears.

  Mel reaching into his pocket, handing him his phone. “Call your brother. I’ll get dressed and then go take a look. Don’t want to give the lovely citizens of Unknown anymore to talk about than they’ll already have. Me, in my bathrobe, with the mayor? Way too much gossip for this early in the morning.”

  Rolling his eyes, Caine called Gage and watched as the streak of ratty pink bathrobe that was Mel disappeared into the bedroom. “Gage, get over to Carr’s Cakes. Now. Someone vandalized Mel’s car.”

  Not waiting for a response, he hung up.

  “What time did you get home last night?” he asked Mel when she came back into the living room. The bathrobe had been replaced by jeans and a flower-print blouse. Strappy sandals covered her feet. She really had no business looking so pretty in the middle of a crisis.

  Mel frowned. “I guess around four? No one came into the ER, so I left a few minutes early.”

  “So, this happened sometime in the two hours between you getting home and Micah opening the bakery.” He shoved his hand through his hair. Someone had been outside her apartment while she was asleep. “Jesus, what if they were waiting outside when you got home?”

  She rolled her eyes and took a long drink of coffee. “Caine, I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. Now, can I go look at the damage or not?”

  He moved to intercept her. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Is it that bad?” The skepticism on her face both worried him and comforted him. Whoever was doing this, she had no clue they were gunning for her personally.

  “It’s pretty bad.” Banging on the front door stopped him from elaborating. Brothers, his and hers, stood on the small landing, their faces dark with protective anger. Finally, someone was taking this situation seriously.

  Gage entered first, more imposing than usual in his uniform instead of jeans and a button up. Micah still wore his baker’s apron and the flour-smudged Carr’s Cakes t-shirt. “What the hell happened?” Micah asked, arms crossed over his broad chest.

  “I don’t know,” Mel said. “Everything was fine when I came in early this morning. Did you notice anything when you got here?”

  Micah shook his head, frowning a little. “No, I parked in front and went straight in.”

  “How bad is it really?” Mel directed her attention to Gage. “Tell me the truth. Or better yet, let me see my car. Somebody is being overprotective and won't let me go down there."

  Caine braced his hands on his hips, looking at the ceiling. Stubborn woman. “Not overprotective. Just protective. I saw you after what happened to the clinic. This is worse, Mel.”

  Micah hesitated. “I agree, sis. You really don’t want to see this.”

  “What is so bad? A few broken windows? Come on, guys. I’m not seven anymore. This isn’t a dead bird in the woods that will make me cry. I’m an adult and this is my car. Now move your stubborn asses out of my way and let me see it.” Hazel eyes darkened to almost brown. Uh-oh. Storm ahead. She’d gone from annoyed to pissed.

  Gage and Micah stepped aside, hands in the air, surrendering to her just like they always did. Pansies. Caine stayed in front of the open door, refusing to move even as Mel pushed at him. Somebody needed to protect her.

  “Caine, if this whole being friends thing is going to work, you’re going to have to stop wrapping me in cotton wool and let me deal with my own problems.”

  He wanted to stay where he was, to keep her from knowing it wasn’t a random act of vandalism. She’d take everything on herself, just like she always did. But short of locking her in her room and barricading the door, he knew he really couldn’t stop her. She’d always down whatever the hell she wanted and damn the fallout. So he moved aside and let her go. But he followed her, ready to catch her when she saw the car.

  “Holy hell.” Mel stopped on the bottom stair. “Who would do this? Why would they do this?”

  Caine squeezed her shoulder. “I don’t know. That’s what we have the police chief for.”

  “Right.” Gage’s agreement came from just behind him. His brother had shifted into cop mode somewhere between the top of the stairs and the bottom, his face lined with concern. “I’m already running checks on all of the local hooligans. Has anyone had a problem with you at the clinic?”

  Mel walked over to the car, circling it slowly. “No. The few patients I’ve seen have been mostly kids. At the hospital, I’ve treated a few burns and broken arms. Nothing serious enough to piss anybody off.”

  “Doc said there were some people in town not too happy with you taking over for him,” Micah said, moving to stand beside his sister. “But I can’t imagine anyone from around here doing this just because you took over the clinic.”

  Caine’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. As mayor, he normally heard rumblings if there was something in town that pissed off more than two people. Apparently, they’d either kept their mouths shut around him because of his connection to the family or he needed to pay attention to something besides work for a change. “Is this true?”

  Mel looked ready to stamp her foot in frustration. She looked ready to kick the tire, but presumably thought better of it. “Stupid, close-minded people. Doc says they don’t like the idea of a woman treating them, especially one as young as me. What they really don’t like is that I had the guts to go away, get a doctorate, and still come back to Unknown to build a life.”

  “We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Gage wrapped an arm around her shoulders with an easy camaraderie that sent a pang of envy through Caine before he could stop it. Of course she still turned to Gage when the shit hit the fan. She’d let him in ever since they were kids and had never stopped.

  “Until we do, you need to be more careful.” Caine shifted into his mayor persona, taking charge of the situation the only way he knew now. “Talk to the hospital, tell them you need to only be scheduled for day shifts. Make sure you have your cell phone with you and charged at all times. If you’re out after dark, call one of us before you get out of the car, so we know you’ve made it home safely. Is there a security system installed upstairs?”

  He directed the last question at Micah.

  “Yeah, Dad had it installed when he had the bakery’s set up. Got a deal on it or something. Mel knows the code, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.” She moved to stand toe-to-toe with Caine, her jaw set in a hard curve that didn’t bode well for him. The Carr temper took a while to stir up, but once it got going, a man could come away scorched. “I can also take care of myself, as all three of you know very well. I think you’re all overreacting—“

  Caine snorted. The air between them crackled with electricity. If they’d been alone, he might have diffused the situation by silencing her with a kiss. But with her brother and his watching, he settled for standing his ground. “Overreacting? Mel, are you looking at the same car that I am? Are you reading those neon words?”

  “What my brother is trying to say is that we all care about you and we want you to be safe,” Gage said, stepping between them. “It might sound overprotective, overbearing, whatever you want to call it, but it’s better to take too many precautions than for you to get hurt.”

  Mel glowered at all of them. He’d never tell her this, but she was kind of cute when she got this mad. “Fine. I will take precautions. But do not think for one second that I will let any of you start controlling what I do. You couldn’t do it when I was ten and it sure as hell won’t work now.”

  Caine wanted
to argue with her. To tell her she just needed to go from work to home. But he knew better. Sharing a look with his brother and Micah, he accepted defeat as gracefully as he could. For now.

  Chapter 6

  “Melody Elaine Carr.”

  Mel cringed, freezing over the tomato she was chopping in the tiny kitchen of her apartment. Her mother glowered at her over the bar. Mel had heard that tone more than a time or two in her life, but she could practically see the smoke coming out of Emma’s ears.

  “Hi, Mama. How are you this evening?”

  “How am I?” Emma crossed her arms and cocked one khaki-clad hip to the side. "Melody, I swear, I used to think that brother of yours was going to be the death of me, but I'm beginning to think it'll be you."

  Mel returned to her chopping. "I guess you heard about my car. Micah tell you?”

  “No, and he's already got an earful for it." Emma pulled out one of the barstools, collapsing into it. Mel winced seeing how worn her mother looked. "Why on earth would you not tell me? Two whole days, Melody. I heard about the clinic, but everyone thought it was just random. Someone destroying your car like that is personal."

  Mel scooped up the small pile of juicy tomato and sprinkled it onto the bowl of salad. "Oh, Mama. I'm fine. The car will be fine with a few new windows and a new paint job. There's really nothing to worry about. I really don't want to talk about it anymore. Caine and Gage already made me go over it a half dozen times when it happened."

  “Fine? Yes, sweetheart, I’m sure you think you’re fine. You always do.” The older woman shook her head. Mel knew her mother wouldn’t back down easily. The stubbornness didn’t all come from her father’s side of the family. No one could beat her mother for bullheadedness when it came to her children’s welfare. "But I'm not fine. I'm worried about you. Those boys may be convinced that you'll be all right here on your own, but I think you need to come stay at home for a while."

  “You know full well I can't do that. You've got enough on your plate taking care of Jax and the house. With the hours I keep, all I'd do is disturb everyone. Besides, I like being alone. I like my space." Mel hated holding back from her mother, but ten years on her own made it difficult to open up. Part of her hoped it was just a side-effect of medical school, the need to remain clinical. But the blame probably lay at the feet of her ex-boyfriend, the asshole.

  “Your space." Emma glared at her daughter. "Even if having your space means that I'm worried sick about you? That you could end up hurt?"

  Mel braced her hands on the counter. "I won't get hurt. As I told those Neanderthals you consider sons, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

  Emma leaned forward, refusing to back down. “You are allowed to feel, you know. To admit that you're scared. Even when you were little, you refused to back down from anything or accept help."

  “Mama, I'm not scared. I've lived on my own for eleven years now." Mel grabbed two plates from the cabinet and held one out. Truth be told, she doubted that whoever was behind this would actually be brave enough to hurt her. They were more concerned with scare tactics that harm.

  “You can let other people support you, sweetheart. Me, your brother. Even Gage or Caine. It doesn't make you less of a person if you lean on someone else every now and then. I relied on your father for over thirty years. Does that me any less strong?"

  The tension in Mel’s shoulder released a little. She’d always admired the partnership her parents shared. They each found their own strengths and they recognized how they worked together. "Of course it doesn't. And when I find the one person I can't live without, I'll rely on him. I love you and Micah, but you have your own lives to worry about. So do Gage and Caine. If things get really bad, I promise I'll ask for help, but for now, I'm fine."

  Mel hoped that was true. She really didn’t believe that someone would hurt her. Unknown was a lot of things, but a hot bed for criminals wasn’t one of them.

  #

  “What’s Micah doing here?”

  Caine looked up from the clipboard he was studying to find his brother standing next to him. Baseball practice was in full swing, the boys throwing balls back and forth, most of them managing to catch the ball rather than chasing after it. “I invited him and Jax to watch practice. He said the other day that baseball is one of the only ways to drag Jax out of his room and away from his Nintendo.”

  “Maybe next year we could get him to coach the coach-pitch team. With him running things, we might get a dynasty started.” Gage’s eyes lit with a plot. He always got that look right before he dragged Caine or Micah into a scheme that ultimately ended up with them doing all of the work. Typical younger kid.

  Caine walked over to greet his friend. “Hey, man. Glad you could make it.”

  Jax took in the scene on the field, brown eyes wide with delight. “Do all these kids get to play baseball? On your team?”

  Caine laughed, tugging on the bill of the kid’s oversized, brand new hat. “Yep. Most of ‘em started when they were your age and will keep on playing through high school. Baseball’s a pretty big deal around here. But I bet a city boy like you doesn’t think much about baseball.”

  “I love baseball!” Jax insisted. The animation on his face was unusual, from Caine had heard around town. “Dad used to take me to see the real Rangers when they would play the Yankees. They’re awesome.”

  “Glad to hear you’re raising the boy right,” Gage said, coming over to them. “We were worried he’d like those darn Yankees.”

  Micah and Gage shook hands in greeting. “No son of mine would like those sell-outs. Hard work over money, any day, right?”

  Caine and Gage both snorted at that.

  “Right,” Caine said. “Go take a seat on the bleachers. If y’all stick around ’til the end of practice, we can throw some pitches to the little guy, see how he does.”

  Micah snorted. “With your fan club?”

  He groaned. At every practice, a small group of single mothers or mothers and their single friends congregated on the bleachers to ogle Caine and Gage. They never resorted to outright wolf whistles or catcalls, but he’d started to have sympathy for what male strippers had to put up with.

  They rounded out practice by having the kids run a race around the bases. Caine always got a kick out of how the smallest thing could make little boys hyper-competitive. He remembered the drive to be the best, to show the other guys that he was just as tough as them. He’d always had the extra determination to prove that he wasn’t just the rich boy from the big house. Being just one of the guys had taken work and a lot of help from Micah, but he’d managed. At least until his grandpa died and his parents sent him away.

  Still in a cast, Teddy Allen refused to leave until they let him pick up all the stray balls and gloves.

  “Can I help?” Jax asked the older boy.

  Teddy smiled and nodded eagerly. Poor kid. The boys his own age teased him and wouldn’t invite him to play with them outside of practice. He’d take any friend he could get, even a five-year-old.

  Caine joined Micah on the bleachers, leaning back against the row behind him. Thankfully, the fan club had cleared out at the insistence of their overexcited sons. “How’re things at your place?”

  “Not bad.” Micah mirrored his pose. “Bakery’s doing well. Mom’s too busy fretting over Jax and Mel to try to interfere too much.”

  Mel. He couldn’t blame Emma for worrying about her. Caine still tossed and turned at night, worrying that whoever had trashed her car and the clinic would decide to hit her apartment next. “How’s Mel doing? Can’t be easy for her to settle in and deal with everything that’s been going on.”

  “Hell, I don’t know.” Micah’s dark eyes were heavy with concern. “Gotta admit, I’m worried about her too. And it’s not just the car and the clinic.”

  Keeping his attention on the field, Caine watched Gage wave to Teddy before handing Jax a little bat. His brother helped Micah’s son get into position, adjusting his back elbow away from his
ear and squaring his hips. Caine tried not to sound overly interested. Micah had no clue that he’d even had any interest in Mel beyond friendship. “What is it, then?”

  “This dating thing.” Micah spit the words out as if they left a bad taste in his mouth. “Letting Mom set up blind dates for her. It’s not…it’s not Mel, you know?”

  Yeah, he knew. “What’s wrong with that? Mel’s always been shy. Why not get a few preliminary introductions to nice guys?”

  “It’d be one thing if that’s what it was. Mel’s dated. She’s had boyfriends. Well, two.” Micah pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't know everything, but the last one did a serious number on her. All of the guys she's seeing? She's not connecting with them. It's like she thinks that the more she dates, the sooner she'll get past whatever damage this guy did to her."

  Damage. Somehow Caine doubted all of that damage was the result of her last boyfriend. Although he still didn’t fully comprehend why Mel ended things with him ten years ago, he knew that whatever it was had made her wary. Cautious. From the sound of it, one of the guys who’d followed him screwed her up even more.

  Almost worse than the guilt he felt for contributing to Mel's walls was the guilt that gnawed at him for not telling Micah that part of it was his fault. Instead of saying something, all Caine could do was force a smile. "She probably hasn't met the right guy yet. When she does, she'll connect. Just give her time."

  Give her time. That’s exactly what he needed to do. Give Mel time to realize that he was worth a second chance.

  “Daddy, come with us! You, too, Uncle Caine.”

  Caine pulled himself out of the brooding that was starting to set in. “Okay, little man, let the master show you how it’s done.”

  He jogged out to the pitcher’s mound where Gage stood. “Go play catcher, baby brother.”