MIcah nodded, eating a handful of bar mix. "Ain't that the truth. Of course, I didn't think I'd be stuck with you for so long when I asked you to come play after school that day."
Gage snickered into his beer. "You sure as hell never thought he'd be in a position to be your brother-in-law one day."
Caine glared at his brother. "How 'bout we focus on your love lives for a change? I can't be the only one of us with a willing woman in my bed."
Both of the other men winced. Served them right. He didn't need anyone jinxing things with Mel by getting ahead of themselves with marriage talk. Every room in this town had ears, and all it took was one word for a rumor to start. He and Mel still had a ways to go before she and the town were ready for an engagement.
Gage recovered first. "You know me, big brother. I've got a few discreet friends with benefits around if I want a good time. Although, with you off the market, I'm gonna need to find someone to keep the Fan Club off of me."
“Maybe they'll pick on Micah for a change of pace. Single dad with a cute kid? He's bound to attract some attention." Caine smirked. He leaned over the pool table and took his first shot. “Especially once we convince him to coach Jax's team next year."
His friend gave a little shudder of disgust. He glanced warily around the room. "You guys throw me to the piranhas, I will make you pay. I'm not looking for any kind of relationship right now. I've got enough on my plate as it is. Those women are too high maintenance. Give me a simple girl any day of the week."
“Amen," Gage said, clinking his beer bottle with Micah's. He nodded to Caine. "I swear, man, you already got the best girl in town. Both of us are just gonna have to hold our breaths and pray we get some new blood in Unknown soon."
Caine smiled. He really did have the best girl in town. Maybe it was the satisfaction of regular sex with a woman he adored, but he wanted his brother and his best friend to be happy, too. Then again, he reflected, finishing off his beer, not everyone met their soul mates when they were six
#
Caine stayed in his office at Town Hall later than usual one Monday night, two weeks after his parents came to town. He was busy finalizing plans to expand the library's computer center, but he needed to leave soon. Mel had invited him to come over to just "hang out" and have dinner. Call him a sap, but he loved that he could do that now. Just go spend time with his girlfriend, be a part of a normal couple. He'd never really had that before. The few relationships he'd had were more about attending the right social events than building a connection with someone. He and Mel were building something. At least to his way of thinking. She might need a bit more time to admit that, and he would give it to her.
By now, the whole town knew they were getting serious. The only time he’d gone home this weekend was to pack an overnight bag. Saturday, they'd gone to his baseball game together then had pizza at Napoli's with Gage. To please her mom, he’d gone to church with her and to the Carrs’ house for Sunday dinner. They'd only been apart two nights in the last two weeks, and those were nights she’d been on call at the hospital.
Waking up with her in his arms, feeling her warm, sleepy body next to him, her nose nuzzling into his shoulder as she fought for those last few minutes of sleep before starting the day? That was pretty phenomenal. But what he loved best? This morning they’d done the morning dance, the one where they moved around each other, getting ready for the day. Every now and then, he'd touch her waist or she'd caress his back as she went to grab her toothbrush. No awkwardness. No hesitation. They fit.
Caine walked out of Town Hall, loving the echo through the old marble halls. He even whistled. With the rest of the building locked up tight, he opted for going out the back door, where he stopped short. The Mayor Mobile was completely trashed. He hadn't been out in the fenced-off little parking lot behind Town Hall in a while, so he had no way of knowing how long it had been that way. The tires were slashed. There were huge dents on the front that looked like someone had beat it with a sledge hammer. The side mirrors had been hit once each, the glass breaking in a spidery pattern. They'd sliced the seats into ribbons.
All of that, he could have dealt with in a fairly calm, professional manner. Easy to blow it off as a prank from some kids or a citizen angry about a new ordinance he'd backed. But the words in bright red spray paint sent furious bile rising up his throat. Leave the whore. She's a bitch. Death to the Mayor's Slut.
Jerking his phone out of his pocket, Caine didn't take his eyes off the cart as he punched in a number.
“Gage. Get your ass down to the parking lot behind Town Hall. Now." Caine didn't give his brother time to respond before hanging up. By muscle memory, he punched Mel's name on the top of his contacts list.
“Hey you. I just ordered the pizza. Where are you?" Her voice sounded happy. Relaxed. More than ready for their perfectly normal evening together. The hate raging through him ramped up a notch. Damn it. Everything was going so well. Couldn't people leave well enough alone?
“I'm at Town Hall. Someone really messed up my golf cart."
Mel giggled. "Your golf cart? Who would do anything to that dopey thing?"
“I don't know, sunshine, but it's bad. Seats ripped to pieces, spray paint everywhere. Gage is on his way down here right now to take a look, so I'm going to be a little late."
Her tone shifted to alert and tense, exactly what he hadn't wanted to happen. "I'm coming down there right now. This is getting ridiculous."
His stomach clenched. "No. I don't want you going anywhere alone right now. Whoever did this is probably the same person who got your car and the clinic. No more taking chances. I want you to lock the door and stay safe until I get there, okay?"
Caine waited for her to argue. He knew she hated being ordered around, but he had no choice. He couldn't risk her getting hurt.
“Fine. You be careful. I'll keep the pizza warm until you get here."
He hung up before the words he wanted to say came rolling off his tongue. I love you. That's where all of this fear came from; this protectiveness. He loved Melody Carr and someone didn't want her in his town. And damn it, she wasn't ready to hear it yet.
Gage's Jeep honked outside the gate and Caine jogged over to let him in. The ominous look on his brother's face told Caine that this worry for Mel wasn't unjustified. Mel was right; this was getting ridiculous. But whoever had done this was good at not getting caught. “You didn’t touch it, right? Anything stand out to you? Handwriting or something?"
Caine shook his head. "No. I haven't touched anything yet. I want this bastard found yesterday, Gage. The first time it could have been a prank. Maybe even the second time. This? No."
“You're right." Gage got out a fancy camera and started shooting pictures of the damage. "Somebody wants Mel gone. But who? I've looked into every possible lead. None of the usual suspects in town could have done this."
Caine fought the urge to punch the wall. "Why would anybody do this? Mel's a sweet girl. She's a healer, for Christ sake. I love her. Everyone in town likes her."
“There are still some people in town who are jealous of her. Her brains, her luck in landing the Maddox prince. I'm pretty sure some of the Fan Club started making voodoo dolls of her after Merna's Matches broke the news." Gage clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm doing the best I can, man. Not a lot to work with. Whoever's doing this, they're smart. Wears gloves, doesn't leave anything behind. Works at night in low traffic areas."
“Yeah, I got all that already." He kicked the tire of his brother's jeep, plowing his hands through his hair. Never in his life had he felt so helpless. "Just find them, Gage. If this starts to get worse, Mel might leave. And I can't lose her. Not again."
Gage nodded. "You worry about convincing her that you can't live without her. Let me worry about who's doing this. I've got a few theories I need to look into."
“Let me know the second you find anything.” Caine almost laughed at the whole situation. God, this was not supposed to be happening. Not here, not in his to
wn. "So, do you want to be the one to tell the town that the Mayor Mobile has been murdered, or should I?”
His brother chuckled. "If nothing else, taking out the golf cart might be enough to get someone to step forward if they know anything. Crazy people around here love that damn thing. If they saw whoever did this, they'll turn 'em over in a heartbeat."
“Hope you're right." The joy of the small town. They'd gossip and backstab amongst themselves, but mess with one of their own in such a blatant way? There were bound to be consequences.
Caine walked over to Mel's apartment, hands shoved in the pockets of his dress pants. He couldn't let her know how bad this was. He'd tell her the basics, but leave out what was written on the golf cart. She'd been a little spooked before, but this might tip the scales. Things between them were good, but he knew she was still scared to believe it would last. If she thought his being with her was going to hurt his place in town, she'd find some way to finish it.
The second he knocked on the door, she threw it open, arms going around his neck in a choke hold. "Caine. My god. Gage just texted me the pictures. What the hell happened?"
Shit. Stupid camera phones. And stupid little brother. Guess he knew where Gage's loyalties lay in this case, the traitor. Wrapping her in a tight grip, Caine let himself savor the comfort of her heat melding with his. "I don't know, sunshine. Best guess? The same nut job that trashed your car and the clinic went after the golf cart because I'm dating you."
“But why? Why are they doing this?" Mel pulled away and he expected to see fear. Not from his girl, though. No, fear was for a much weaker woman. Righteous anger, on the other hand, fit her to a T. "So I worked my ass off to become a doctor. Who cares? I came back to town to help people. Trying to scare me out of Unknown doesn't help anyone. I really thought things were getting better.”
Caine led her into the living room and settled onto the couch with her legs draped over his lap. The pizza sat on the coffee table with a beer for him and a hard apple cider for her. He grabbed the bottles and handed her one. "There's gotta be something more to it. This time they focused on the fact that we were dating. Maybe that'll narrow the search down for Gage. Is there anyone in your past who might be pissed that you're dating someone?"
“Nooo..." She hesitated, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. He got the feeling she wasn’t telling him everything. "No, there's no one in Unknown. I was the boring virginal bookworm, remember?"
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the sensitive spot just behind her ear. "I definitely remember the 'virginal' part. And the bookworm part is undeniable. But you were never boring. The only reason you never had a date in high school is because Gage and Micah wouldn't let a guy within ten feet of you. Every summer I came back, you just kept getting prettier and sexier. I saw the way guys looked at you. You scared them all.”
“But not you?" She reached out to stroke his hair, brushing it out of his eyes.
He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Scared is the wrong word. You fascinated me. Like a fine piece of crystal with too many facets to find them all. I thought if I touched you, you might break. I'm glad I was wrong."
She rested her head against his shoulder, quietly sipping her cider. Caine could hear the wheels in her head turning over and over, but he didn’t force her to tell him what she was thinking. She'd tell him in her own time. But he sensed something wasn't connecting in this whole thing. Either she knew more than she was saying, or he was missing a vital part of the equation. Whatever it was, he didn’t plan to lose her. At this moment, not having her in his arms where she belonged sounded like a fate worse than death.
Chapter 16
Caine left his office the following afternoon and braced himself for the disapproval. He just knew the ladies of the Garden Club were going to be waiting to give him hell about the golf cart. This morning, he and Gage had towed the ridiculous thing over to Leo’s Auto Shop to have the repairs done, at his cost of course. Still, he knew Jemma Hartsfield and her cronies were going to be pissed that he’d let something happen to their precious golf cart.
He was supposed to meet Micah and Gage for drinks and the Fortune Saloon before he headed home, so he decided to walk. Walking meant that he was more likely to get stopped on the way, but he knew he needed to take his medicine and get it over with.
“Mr. Mayor!”
Caine stopped walking and turned towards the sound of the voice. He saw Charlotte Gardener and Ada Brown, his predecessor’s widow, bustling towards him. “Good afternoon, ladies. You both look lovely today.”
“Thank you, dear, you’re very sweet,” Mrs. Gardener said, sounding a little out of breath.
“We want to talk to you about something important, young man.” Mrs. Brown, in her yellow dress, resembled a giant cheese puff stuffed with indignation.
He bit back a sigh and put on his political face. “What can I help you with?”
Mrs. Gardener gave him a small smile. “We just wanted to know what’s being done about catching the hoodlum who ruined your golf cart.”
“It’s a sad thing when there’s a crime in a peaceful town like ours, but it’s even worse when it happens to the town mayor,” Mrs. Brown added.
“Gage and the rest of our fine police department are hard at work trying to find out who’s behind this.” Caine shifted his weight. “We’re fairly certain that it’s linked to the attack on the Unknown Family Clinic earlier this spring and the vandalism of Dr. Carr’s vehicle shortly after that.”
Mrs. Gardener pursed her lips. “This is just unacceptable. Dr. Carr is such a sweetheart and you two are just adorable together. Who would be so cruel that they’d want to attack the two of you?”
“In my day, no one would be so cowardly as to go after someone like this,” Mrs. Brown groused. “I know she’s a bit of an unconventional girl, but Melody Carr doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”
Caine blinked at the women in surprise. He knew that the people of Unknown had started to be more accepting of Mel since they began dating, but he didn’t expect an old dragon like Mrs. Brown to be such a fierce supporter. “It’s good to know that the people of Unknown are behind us.”
“How is she doing? I haven’t seen her around today.”
“She went to the office early this morning,” Caine said. “I’m going to pick her up on my way home tonight. She’s doing well, all things considered. She’s a bit shaken up.”
Mrs. Brown shook her head and made a little tsking noise, her hands braced on her ample hips. “I’d be shocked if she wasn’t a little shaken. You let her know that we’ve organized all of the neighborhood watch organizations to be on full alert. This vagrant isn’t going to get away with this if we have anything to say about it.”
Caine opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. These feisty little old ladies were rushing to Mel’s defense. The town was remembering that Mel was one of their own. “Thank you, both. It’s good to know we’ve got the town looking out for us. Just make sure you don’t get in Gage’s way, otherwise I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll stay out of his way.” Mrs. Gardener patted his cheek. He nodded goodbye to them and started to continue on his way to the saloon.
“You just worry about getting that girl to marry you.”
Mrs. Brown’s last statement had him doing a double take. “Pardon me?”
“You heard me, young man.” Mrs. Brown’s glower was lethal. “We’ll worry about helping your brother catch whoever it is going after your young lady. You just worry about how you’re going to get her to marry you. You won’t find a better choice.”
“Yes ma’am.”
He walked away, a little shell-shocked. Deep down, he knew that marriage was definitely on the table, but no one vocalized it before. Marrying Mel would be the best thing that ever happened to him. There was no question about that. He could see the two of them, living together at Fortune Hill, waking up next to each other just like they had this morning. Upstairs, there’
d be two or three kids running around, frantically trying to get ready to go to school. They’d be a family. They’d be a family who loved each other and spent time together and they’d both be happy. God, that sounded like a good idea.
After they got through this mess, he was going to propose to her. He was going to get a ring and get down on one knee and prove to her that she was the only woman he ever wanted to be with. Yeah, he liked that idea a lot.
#
A week after the incident with the golf cart, Mel’s temper still hadn’t calmed down. There was only one person she could think of who would pull stupid shit like this. Andrew the Rat Bastard. It had to be him. The last thing he’d ever said to her was, “I’ll never let another man have you.” He knew where she was from. Wouldn’t take a lot for him to come here and snoop around. But someone would have seen him. They got a lot of tourists in Unknown, but if a new person was seen more than twice, the whole town got curious.
Agitated, Mel slammed the medical book closed on her desk. She needed to finish the last article she’d promised the New England Journal of Medicine, but her focus was completely shot. What pissed her off the most was that they’d dragged Caine into this. An attack on her was fine. She’d been bullied and teased and picked on most of her life. Came with the territory, and she was tough skinned. But Caine didn’t deserve it.
God, he’d been so freaking considerate and thoughtful lately. At his insistence, she’d stayed at his house the past seven nights because of the gate and security fence. Trust the Maddox family to have a veritable compound, even in a town like Unknown. Still, she couldn’t let herself settle in. Her gut told her all of this mess was her fault, and she felt so guilty. He didn’t deserve to be pulled into her mess of a past.
“You leaving so soon?” Anna’s question startled Mel. She hadn’t even realized she’d gathered up her stuff to leave. She needed to get out of her own head and stop brooding, it seemed.
She forced a smile. “Yeah. I thought I’d get home early and spend some time with Caine. He’s working from home today.”
Need You Now (Love in Unknown) Page 19