"Do you both want your usual or Bob's special? I'd go with the special if I were you."
"What is it?" Bernie and Jack asked at the same time and then laughed.
"Monte Cristo—like a ham and cheese made with French toast. Hash browns on the side."
They both decided to have the special and Kelsi topped off their coffees before heading into the kitchen to give their orders to Bob, the chef.
"So, I hear from Lily, who ran into Melissa, that you're both up for the fair tonight. It should be fun."
"It's always a good time," Jack agreed.
"So, as soon as this guy heads back to Boston, you'll move out of Melissa's?" Bernie asked. The change of subject took him by surprise.
"What? I suppose so. That's the plan, anyway," Jack agreed.
Bernie looked at him in dismay. "I was afraid of this."
"Afraid of what?"
"You've fallen for her. And you're hoping that she'll fall for you, too, even though she's given you no indication whatsoever that she's interested in a relationship with anyone right now. I worry for the both of you."
"Don't be ridiculous. There's nothing to worry about."
"No? I had a college friend, Steve, who did this…he was madly in love with a mutual friend of ours. She was looking for a roommate and he moved in. She told him she wasn't interested in him that way, but he thought he could change her mind."
"Did it work?" Jack asked as Kelsi set their food in front of them.
"No. He lived with her for two years before he finally understood that nothing was going to change. He didn't date anyone else during that period."
"It's not like that with us."
"Right. And I love you dearly, but I worry just as much for Melissa, too."
"Why? I'd never hurt her."
"Not intentionally, no. But I know you. You're always most interested when they are unattainable, out of reach for whatever reason. Once they're into you, you lose interest. And I like Melissa. I think the best thing that could happen, frankly, would be for you to both go your separate ways when this guy leaves town. Move on."
"You don't have a whole lot of faith in me. It's different with Melissa," Jack insisted.
Bernie grinned. "Sure it is. Like I haven't heard that before. Try your breakfast. It's delicious."
The shop was busy all day and Melissa had one of her best sales days since opening. So, she was in a better mood than usual when she arrived home. Jack was already home, but when she walked inside, the house was quiet and there was no sign of either Jack or Roger. They must be out for their evening walk, though she hadn't passed them on the way in. They must have gone in the opposite direction.
Melissa went upstairs to change into more appropriate clothes for a county fair and came downstairs a few minutes later in her favorite worn jeans, her fun purple cowboy boots and a pretty purple flowered top.
A few minutes later, Jack and Roger came through the door. Jack fed Roger and then they headed out to meet the others at the fair.
It was a beautiful night, with a warm breeze. The fair looked like it was drawing a good crowd for opening night. Jack parked in a huge makeshift lot on a grassy field and they made their way to the entrance to the fair. Bernie and David were chatting with Wade and Maddie by the ticket window and Vivian was with her best friend Violet, and Sadie and her husband Shawn.
"Lily and Cody should be here any minute," Bernie said while Jack went to buy their tickets.
"Do you have fairs like this in Boston?" Maddie asked.
Melissa smiled. "Not in Boston proper, no, but my sister and I used to drive a little north to Topsfield. They have a huge fair, probably very similar to this. We used to love to go."
Jack came over with their tickets just as Lily and David joined them. As soon as they got their tickets, they all went inside.
"Let's go to the food tent first," Bernie said. "We can taste everything, vote for Jaclyn's jam and then check out the games."
That sounded like a good plan to everyone. Both Melissa and Jack hadn't eaten anything yet for dinner, so they were happy to taste anything. The tent was huge, with an assortment of vendors and individual home chefs offering tastes of their dishes. They were each handed a list of the different dishes, some voting slips and told to cast their ballots as they left the tent.
Jaclyn waved at them from behind her table. In front of her were tiny paper cups filled with pieces of bread topped with jam.
"I knew you'd come!" she said happily as they went over to say hello. She handed samples to all of them.
"Now, be sure to try all of my competitors and then vote for your favorite…as long as it's me. Just kidding," she said with a wink, although Melissa was pretty sure she wasn't kidding. She didn't need to worry, though. Her jam was by far the best. They all agreed on that.
By the time they left the tent, they'd tried all kinds of things—pulled pork mini-sandwiches, chili, and more. Melissa thought she was full but when Jack asked if she wanted to split a piece of fried bread dough dusted with cinnamon sugar and melted butter, she didn't hesitate to say yes.
They nibbled on their dessert as they watched some of the others try to win prizes at the various arcade games. The girls wanted to go on some of the rides so they went there next and then on to visit the animals, the ponies and goats. By then, the girls were getting tired, and Wade, Maddie, Sadie and Shawn all said their goodbyes.
Lily led the way over to the music area where it looked like a band was almost ready to play.
"There are two bands tonight and both are supposed to be really good. One is more bluesy and the other is country rock. Anyone want a beer?"
"I'll go with you," Melissa said as Jack and the others found seats. Melissa and Lily brought back beers for everyone and Melissa settled next to Jack on one of the long wooden benches. The first band was excellent, as Lily had predicted, and the one following was even better. It was almost ten when they finished playing and Melissa laughed when she and Lily both yawned at the same time.
"It's about that time," Lily said. "They were great, weren't they?"
Everyone agreed and as they walked out together to their cars, Bernie reminded them about trivia the next night.
"We have to go. We won that gift certificate last time and Jaclyn will want to use it this week."
"We wouldn't want to disappoint Jaclyn," Jack said.
"We may be celebrating her win, too. She should know by tomorrow afternoon," Lily added.
When they got home, Jack took Roger out for a quick walk in the back yard. Melissa heard the front door open and then a loud crash. She ran to see what happened and saw Jack sprawled on the front step with Roger nudging him. She noticed that the front light was out.
"What happened? Are you okay?" She held out her hand to help him up.
Jack got to his feet slowly and grabbed onto the side of the house instead of taking her hand.
"I'm fine. I just missed the step in the dark and went down hard. We need to replace the light over the door."
"I saw that was out when we drove up. I'll go grab a bulb." Melissa returned with a light bulb and a flashlight and was going to change the bulb herself, but Jack reached out and took the bulb.
"I'll do it. It's easier for me to reach. Can you just hold the flashlight up so I can see?"
She did and he quickly replaced the bulb. When they came inside, she noticed a spot of blood on the hard wood floor.
"You're bleeding. Let me see your hand," she demanded.
Jack held out his right hand and Melissa sucked in her breath.
"Come into the kitchen. Let's clean that up and see how deep it is." It looked bad, as there was blood all over his hand, but she hoped the cut wasn't too deep. If it was, they'd head straight for the emergency room so he could get stitches. She knew that you had to do that right away if a cut needed stitches. Otherwise if you waited, then they wouldn't be able to close the wound because bacteria might get trapped inside.
Once Jack rinsed his hand
under the kitchen faucet they saw that it was just a few bad scrapes.
"Stay here and hold that paper towel on it. I'll be right back." Melissa ran upstairs into her bathroom and came back with a large bandage and antibiotic ointment. She took the paper towel and dabbed gently at the cut, then squeezed a bit of the ointment over it and rubbed it lightly so it just covered the scrapes. The bandage followed. Melissa tried not to notice how close she was standing to Jack or how he caught his breath as she smoothed the ointment across his palm. Or how she liked the feel of her skin against his.
"Thanks," he said.
"It's nothing. I'll put the ointment and an extra bandage in the downstairs bathroom closet in case you need it."
"Thanks. Are you going to head to bed or stay up for a while.”?
Melissa hesitated. "I'm not sure. I might stay up for a bit."
He smiled. "Good. I'll keep you company, then."
Melissa sat on the sofa and Jack joined her, sitting closer than he usually did. She flicked on the television and flipped channels until she found her favorite news channel. She settled back on the sofa and absentmindedly rubbed the side of her neck. It was a little stiff.
"Did you sleep wrong?" Jack asked as he reached out his good hand and started to knead the spot she was rubbing. He somehow managed to hit the exact spot that was bothering her.
"Yes, I must have. It feels better already, though. Thank you."
Jack worked on it for a few more minutes and as she started to feel her muscles loosen, Melissa tried not to think about how much she was enjoying his touch. When he finished, the stiffness was almost completely gone.
"Better?" he asked.
"So much. Thank you." She wanted to know more about Jack.
"What made you become a police officer? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do?"
"I thought about being a lawyer. I went to school for criminal justice. But the more I got into it, the less I wanted to go to law school. I liked school, but I didn't see myself behind a desk all day. I wanted to be out there in the field, making a difference and helping to keep the community safe."
"And you like it?" Melissa couldn't really picture Jack as lawyer. He was too active, had too much energy.
"Most of the time I love it. Every day is different. It's a great bunch of guys. I couldn't ask for a better boss than Shane."
"It's an important job. They're lucky to have you." Melissa glanced at his bandaged hand. "How is it feeling?"
Jack grinned. "It's fine, just a scrape. I've survived much worse."
"I bet you have."
"I've had my share of broken bones and sprains. Mostly from skiing. I used to be a little reckless. I've calmed way down." His eyes were twinkling and Melissa laughed. "Sure you have."
"What about you? What kind of work did you do in Boston? You'd make a great nurse. You have mad skills with bandages."
"I don't know about that. I've been known to faint at the sight of too much blood. I actually have a master’s degree in Library Science and worked at a library in Cambridge right up until I moved here."
"I bet you were good at that, too. Do you miss it?"
"I miss the people. They were a lovely bunch. But I don't miss the work. I've always wanted to open a bookshop and working in a library was good experience for that. My undergrad degree was in business, so that has come in handy, too."
"I'll have to come visit you in the shop one of these days. I need to find a good book to read."
"I can definitely help you there. What do you like to read?"
"Mysteries, mostly. Especially involving boats or set in ocean areas. That must seem strange considering that it's all mountains here."
"I don't think it's strange at all. Books take you to places you've always wanted to visit."
"I suppose they do," he agreed.
Melissa stifled a yawn as she glanced at the clock. It was just past eleven. "On that note, I think I'm ready to visit my bed. I'll see you in the morning."
Jack clicked off the television. "I'm right behind you."
Chapter 8
Melissa left work at three the next day. Anna had done a great job closing up while she was in Seattle, so she decided to have her close at least twice a week from now on. This gave her a few hours to herself that she could spend on finishing her mystery and then she and Jack could ride to trivia together when he got home.
Roger was happy to see her and she took him out for a quick walk around the yard. He was a good dog, very lovable, and she was getting used to his enthusiastic greeting whenever she got home. She would miss him when he and Jack moved out. Once they were back in the house, she grabbed her laptop, made a cup of green tea and settled into her favorite living room chair. It faced the back slider, so she had a nice view of the back yard. Roger flopped at her feet and she reached down to give him a pat. She spent the next few hours immersed in her story and jumped when she heard keys in the front door. The time had flown by.
"How's the writing going?" Jack asked as he stepped inside and Roger ran over and threw himself at him.
"Hey, buddy, ready for a walk?"
"It's going good." Melissa stretched and stood up. "I didn't realize how late it was. I haven't moved from that chair since I got home. Except for a quick walk with Roger, but he's probably ready to go again."
"I'll take him out and then we can head out whenever you're ready."
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the ranch restaurant for trivia. Everyone was already there—Jaclyn and Simon, Bernie and David, Lily and Cody and Wade and Clark. Melissa had met David's doctor friend a few times now and liked him quite a bit. He reminded her a little of Jack. They were both too handsome for their own good and very personable. They slid into the two empty seats and Melissa sat next to Wade.
"Where's Maddie tonight?" she asked.
"She and Vivian are having a girl's night with Violet and Sadie. They left me all alone. So here I am."
"Well, we're glad of it," Melissa said with a smile.
"Jaclyn, did you take home the trophy?" Jack asked.
"Yes! Of course I did, thanks in part to all of you." Jaclyn was beaming and Melissa was happy for her. She really did work magic in her kitchen and seemed to enjoy it so much.
Barbi came by a moment later and took both their drink and food orders. They really didn't even need the menu as they always ordered the same things.
"It seems unusually busy tonight," Melissa commented as she glanced around the packed room. All the tables were filled and people were two or three deep at the bar.
"We've been at full capacity for the past week. A lot of people come for the fair and stay for the music festival this weekend."
"At the fair?"
"Yes, like the two bands we saw the other night but this weekend, it goes all day Saturday and Sunday. They bring in some well known acts and it's very popular."
"That might be something to do this weekend, if you're interested?" Jack asked.
"We are probably going on Saturday. Come with us!" Lily said.
"I wish we could go,” Bernie said. “We have a dinner we can't get out of."
"I'd love to go. A whole day of music sounds great," Melissa said.
Their pizza was as good as usual and even with more teams playing, they still did well and were in first place going into the last question. However, on the last question, they could easily lose it all as they could bet any amount and most teams bet everything. They usually held a few points back in case they missed the question, but this time there was a team only one point behind, so it was too risky to not bet everything. The category was movies, which most of them felt pretty good about.
"Okay, everyone, here's your final question." Arthur, the trivia leader, paused for dramatic effect. "Who's the only actor to receive a best acting nomination for a performance in any of the Star Wars movies?"
This one seemed too easy. Everyone agreed that it had to be Harrison Ford. Everyone except Jaclyn. "That doesn't seem right to m
e. But I'm afraid I don't have a better option. I hope I'm wrong."
Melissa felt uneasy as Jaclyn handed in the slip with their answer. They waited eagerly as Arthur prepared to announce the correct answer.
"Most of you put Harrison Ford." He looked around the room. "That is not correct." There was a collective chorus of groans throughout the room. "The only actor to receive a best acting nomination for a performance in any of the Star Wars movies…was Alec Guinness. Only one team got it right. Congratulations!"
"There's always next week," Jaclyn said as Barbi set a glass of Chardonnay down in front of Melissa, who still had almost half a glass left.
"I didn't order another glass of wine," Melissa said, wondering if she'd meant to deliver it to a different table.
"I know. It's from that fellow at the end of the bar, the one waving. He said you'd be glad to see him." Melissa felt her stomach flip as she glanced over at the bar. As Barbi said, he was sitting right there, waving. It was Cooper. Melissa felt Jack tense up beside her. He and Wade exchanged glances and they both stood up at once.
"We'll be right back. Stay here," Jack said. Melissa noticed a muscle twitch in his jaw.
She watched with dismay as the two of them started walking toward Cooper. Everyone else at the table looked confused by what was going on.
Jack had to force his hands to unclench as he and Wade walked toward Cooper. He fought back the strong urge to pummel the guy. Jack wasn't a fighter, but he could understand what led people to go there. Cooper leaned back in his chair and smiled smarmily as they approached. He was smaller than Jack had imagined he'd be. He'd seen his picture, of course, as it was at the station, so he'd recognized the perfectly groomed dark brown hair and face. But he'd expected him to be broader, bigger. This guy was maybe five ten, if that, and on the lean side. But as they drew closer, he sat up taller and looked every bit the cocky lawyer that he was.
"Gentlemen, is there something I can help you with?"
"You shouldn't be here," Jack said simply.
"It's my understanding that you have a restraining order against you," Wade added.
Missing Melissa (Rivers End Ranch Book 27) Page 6
