by Sabrina York
Holy fuck. Something bitter roiled in his gut. “Did he say that?”
“Verbatim.”
“Son of a bitch.”
She shuddered. “Yeah.”
“First thing tomorrow, we’re going to file a complaint with the Department of Corrections and get you a restraining order.”
“A restraining order won’t stop him.”
“Maybe not, but he’s on parole. If he breaks it, he goes back to jail.”
“It’ll just make him angrier.”
“Let it.” He set his teeth and stared at the road ahead of them. “Let him get mad and do something stupid.”
“The chief of police said he has friends on the parole board.”
“Then we’ll make a stink. Go public. Create havoc.”
Her laugh was wan. “Oh, that should make him behave.”
Fury washed through him and he pulled the car to the side of the road and pinned her with his glare. “I don’t want him to behave. I want him back in jail. That’s the only way you’ll be truly safe.”
“But he’ll get out eventually. Don’t you see? It was always just a matter of time.”
“I’m not letting him have you. Not in any way, shape or form.” He was surprised at the ferocity of his tone, but not about the sentiment. That fucker could never have her. Never hurt her. Never touch her again.
He couldn’t protect his mother, or his brother, but by God, he could protect her. He would.
“What good would going public do?”
“See, that’s the thing. These guys thrive in the shadows. They get away with their abuse because their victims are too afraid to speak up. We will deny him that cloak. Everyone should see him for what he is.”
“You wanna take out an ad in the paper?” she asked on a shaky laugh.
“Whatever it takes. But let’s forget about it for tonight. We’ll focus on it tomorrow.”
She paled. “I have to work tomorrow.”
The thought of her exposed made his blood run cold. “I’ll come with you to work.”
“You can’t spend every day babysitting me.”
No? He was pretty sure he could.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have anything better to do.”
“It’ll get old really quick,” she said.
He forced a smile. Mostly teeth. “Millie’s has great coffee.”
He would protect her. If he had to follow her around like a guard dog, he would.
Baron Hadley could rot in hell.
Andrew was as good as his word. After making love to her all night in a frenzy designed to make her forget about Baron—which totally worked—he got up early to make her breakfast in bed and then drove her into town. They stopped at the police station first, and he stood at her side as she filed the restraining order against Baron, and the complaint of his parole violation. Melissa didn’t have any illusions that either would do any good, but she agreed with Andrew, that they had to make a public complaint and at least let the police know what was going on.
After that, he took her to work and sat in a booth facing the door pretending to read a book the entire length of her shift.
She had to tell Millie what was going on, which was embarrassing, but her boss reacted in a way she never expected. The gruff old owner of the diner yanked Melissa into her arms and hugged her. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.
“I had no idea,” she said. “No idea you were going through this.” She shot a look at Andrew, her eyes aglow. “You wanna keep hold of that one,” she said.
Melissa had nodded. She did want to keep hold of him. Not just because he was her stalwart protector. It was because she saw his soul, and in it a nobility, a vulnerability, and a courage in the face of fear that made her soul ache.
She recognized what this tenderness was, and to her surprise, the knowledge didn’t make her feel weaker, as she had assumed love did.
It made her feel stronger.
It made her feel up to any challenge as long as he was by her side.
But she wasn’t a fool. She knew this solution to her problem couldn’t last forever. She could not expect him to put his life on hold for her. Despite his insistence, that was exactly what was happening.
She knew he would much rather be puttering around in his shop or setting up the new kiln or playing with the dogs. But here he was, sitting in a booth at Millie’s, nursing a cup of coffee, watching over her.
Her heart swelled then it hitched as a movement on the street caught her attention.
She stilled. Nearly dropped the tray she was carrying to table ten.
Her breath locked in her lungs and sweat beaded on her hairline.
Baron stood at the window, looking in.
Staring in.
Staring at her.
Shit.
She sucked in a deep breath, stiffened her spine and turned away, pretending his presence didn’t affect her in the least.
It was an Oscar-worthy performance.
She delivered her plates and then made her way to Andrew’s side with the pot of coffee. She refilled his cup without asking and murmured, “He’s here.”
“I see him,” Andrew said, shooting her a toothy smile. “I called 911. The police are on their way.”
The next time she looked, Baron was gone. He was probably well aware that if he was caught out on the street, he’d be locked up again. What confused Melissa was the fact that he was supposed to be wearing an ankle bracelet that notified his parole office if he left the perimeter of his home. Yet here he was, walking around like a free man.
As though he hadn’t a care in the world.
It made the little hairs on her nape prickle.
God, was she glad for Andrew’s presence.
Especially when it took the police twenty minutes to arrive.
Yeah, when it came to protection, she was on her own.
No. They were on their own.
After her shift, Andrew took her back to the ranch and made her dress in sweats and then gave her a lesson in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. All stuff he’d learned as a SEAL. Melissa went along with the lesson, though she doubted any of this would work on a man twice her size. But it was good to know where those vital pressure points were.
Andrew showed her how to use his pistol too. How to load it, check the clip, aim and fire. She was surprised at the kickback, but he assured her that with practice, she wouldn’t even notice it. Though, he warned her, “Never point your weapon at someone you are not prepared to kill. That’s rule number one.”
She nodded grimly. She had no desire to kill anyone, but if her life was at risk, she could probably do it.
Beyond the ethics lecture, it was a hell of a lot of fun shooting cans in the field.
At the end of the lesson, she grinned up at him.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s just nice. Having you on my side.”
“On your side?” He laughed.
“Yeah. A big, bad muscleman who knows how to bring down an opponent with a fingertip.”
He winked at her. “You can bring me down with a fingertip,” he said in a sexy voice.
“Who, me?” She fluttered her lashes, but she knew exactly what he was talking about. The night before, she’d made him crazy, just drawing tiny circles on his cock.
“Mmm.” He pulled her closer and kissed her.
“How long before you have to be at Hardbodies?”
She checked her watch. “Hour and a half. But I think we have a hard body right here.” She rubbed against his groin. Which was, indeed, hard.
“Do you think we have time?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“We’ll make time,” she said. “We can distract the dogs with bacon and run in and close the bedroom door.”
“Wait.” He pulled back and frowned at her. “We’re not wasting bacon on the dogs.”
“They deserve a little joy in their lives.”
“True, but they would be just as happy
with bologna.”
She nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” But at that moment, she would have agreed to anything.
As it turned out, he was right.
Bologna totally did the trick.
Chapter Twelve
They quickly fell into a comfortable routine, spending every night at Andrew’s and every day in town together. He found things to do as he sat on guard at Millie’s, including sketching out designs he planned to create once he got the kiln set up. She went with him when he had appointments with Cady and, true to her reputation, the therapist worked wonders with Andrew’s hip and knee.
Melissa was relieved to know his pain was subsiding.
No one deserved to live in constant pain, though Andrew rarely complained.
Of Baron, there was not a glimpse, which made Melissa hopeful that he’d decided to stay clear of her.
Despite the fact that things seemed to have calmed down, Andrew didn’t let up on his vigilance. He continued to shadow Melissa wherever she went.
Other people noticed it too.
What surprised her was the fact that the McCoys approved.
All of them.
They’d taken to referring to Andrew as one of the clan, because he was in Hardbodies so often.
Isaac didn’t even complain that Andrew rarely had more than one drink, though he occupied the same chair for hours. To Melissa’s entertainment, Andrew even stepped in as an emergency backup bouncer when Terrance couldn’t make it to work one night.
“He’s good,” Isaac said as he watched Andrew shepherd a couple of college kids out to the street. They’d become rowdy and tried to start a fight. He’d taken one down in a blur and incapacitated two others before anyone else had realized what was going on. “Do you think he wants a job?”
Melissa chuckled. “I think he enjoys the exercise, but I doubt he would want to do that every night.” Besides, he had plans. Plans for the future. The house was almost done. It was time to start thinking about furniture.
It was time to start thinking about the future.
While she knew what she wanted more than anything, she wasn’t sure what he wanted. Oh, he’d made his passion for her quite clear. But he’d also told her early on, he was a lone wolf who wanted to be footloose and fancy-free.
She dreaded the day when he announced he was leaving.
She hoped to God he’d changed his mind. That the house they’d made together was a place he could be happy. But she knew how deep some scars could run. How hard it could be to wash them away.
Even though she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking, the last thing she wanted to do was corner him and demand a commitment. So she avoided that conversation.
However, she’d learned, the hard way, that avoiding an issue didn’t resolve it. Answers never came to unasked questions.
Sooner or later, they were going to have the talk.
One night, as he drove her home, she toyed with ways to bring it up. Her ideas were all terrible. She had no idea how to broach the subject.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“Thinking?”
“Yeah. You’re making little grunty noises.”
She frowned at him. “I do not make grunty noises when I think.”
He grinned. “You kind of do. So spill it. Are you worried about Baron?”
She hadn’t thought about Baron for days. “I was thinking about…” Oh, hell. Should she just say it?”
“What?”
“About us.”
She flicked a glance at him to gauge his response. She nearly dissolved into a puddle of relief when it was a smile. Not just a smile. A beautiful smile. “Us?”
“Mmm hmm. Does that freak you out?”
He glanced at her. “Should it?”
“You did say you were a lone wolf.”
“I did say that. I was.” He reached out and took her hand. Wove their fingers together. “Then I met you.”
Her breath locked. She stared at him. “Andrew…”
“I’ve been trying to think of a way to ask…”
Her heart launched into a dizzying tattoo. “Ask what?”
“What you think. About us?”
“I really like us.” She leaned forward to kiss his cheek and he nearly swerved off the road.
“I like us too. But maybe we should wait until we get home to continue this conversation.”
Home. She liked that. She liked that a lot.
She sat back with a smile, but didn’t release his hand. “Okay.”
They drove in silence and all the while, Melissa was filled with visions of their future, or what it could be. The two of them, living in that house, raising a family, building a no-kill shelter, making beautiful pieces of glass art. It would be beautiful and perfect.
It would be her heart’s desire.
For a long time, she’d wondered if she were somehow lacking, if that was why achieving happiness seemed to be such a challenge for her. Now she knew there was nothing lacking in her and there never had been.
It was the courage to change that created opportunities for happiness. It was accepting herself for who and what she was that made love possible.
She had always been loveable.
She just hadn’t yet found the man who made those parts of her shine.
Well, she’d found him now.
She would never let him go.
They reached the ranch house and walked inside, still hand in hand. With unspoken consent, they sat at the kitchen table facing each other.
“So…” he said in a choked voice.
“So.”
Yeah, this was going to be harder than she expected. Baring one’s soul usually was.
Thank God, he took the lead. “I love what we have.”
“I do too.”
“I love spending time with you.”
“Me too.”
“I don’t want this to end.”
Oh, thank God. “What about your restless feet?”
He grinned. “My restless feet want to settle down. Here. With…you.” His expression sobered. “Is that something you might consider?”
Consider? “I’ve been considering it for weeks, actually. Not just because you have a really awesome house.”
“Not the house?”
“Well, the house is awesome.” She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. “But it’s the man I…love.”
He stilled, his gaze locked on her. His eyes were wide. Damp. “Did you say love?”
“Oh, yes, I did. I am totally over the moon in love with you, Andrew. You are powerful and gentle and encouraging and funny. I want to spend every day with you. Every night.”
His Adam’s apple worked. “It’s, um, night now.”
She laughed at the glimmer of lust in his eye. She loved that he was so easily led…into the bedroom. “I think we need to finish this conversation. If we allow ourselves to be distracted every time we talk about it, we’ll never settle this.”
“So you’re saying we should settle this quickly?”
She barked a laugh. “All right.”
“Then it’s settled. I love you. You love me. We want to be together. Marry me. Done.”
“Now there’s a romantic proposal.” Hardly any sarcasm at all.
“Do you want it in skywriting? Tomorrow I’ll rent a plane. But for now…” He stood and stalked her around the table. She allowed herself to be caught.
“For now?”
“Now I need you. It’s been too long since this morning.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the bristles on his chin, which had not been there that morning. “Do you really love me?”
“More than I can say with words.” His wicked grin blossomed. “Lucky thing I know of another way.”
He walked her back, toward the bedroom. Though his kisses were delicious and drugging, she had the presence of mind to realize, something was wrong. “Where are the dogs?” she asked, glancing aroun
d. Come to think of it, they hadn’t met them at the door as they usually did.
Though they could have taken this opportunity to make love in relative privacy, a prickle of apprehension made it impossible for her to continue until she found the dogs. Andrew nodded and followed her as she made a round of all the rooms searching for Sadie and Toto.
They were not in the house.
“We left them inside,” Andrew said, his brow wrinkling. They always kept the dogs indoors. It was safer for them on a ranch teeming with wildlife. “Could they have gotten out on their own?”
“I don’t see how.” Unease flared.
“I’ll check outside.” He pulled on his jacket, grabbed a flashlight and headed for the front door.
“I’ll go too.” At his frown she added, “We can cover more ground that way.”
“All right. Here.” He went to the closet in the foyer and pulled out another flashlight. “I’ll take the west side and the barn. You look in the east field. Okay? Call me on your cell if you find them.”
“Got it.” With a sigh and a hurried kiss, they both headed out on their respective missions.
Melissa was befuddled and bemused. She had no idea how the dogs could have gotten out on their own. She would have suspected a burglar, but the ranch house was empty and too far from the main road for it to be a hot target. Still, she decided to circle the house and see if she saw any signs of a break in. She found one just around the corner. A broken window on the ground floor, leading into the pink office. Not that it was pink—Andrew had painted it green—but she still thought of it as the pink room. It was easy to see why they’d missed it when they searched the house because it was on the far wall and would have been in the shadows.
It made one thing perfectly clear. The dogs were not missing.
They’d been taken.
She sprinted around the house to let Andrew know what she’d discovered, but a bellow from the barn stopped her in her tracks. That and a flicker of light in the window of the room Andrew had set up as his shop.
Her instinct was to bolt over there, but she knew—somehow she knew—whatever was happening here was not a simple burglary. She knew it was something far more menacing. She ran back into the house, found Andrew’s pistol, and—after checking the safety—tucked it into the back of her pants. She grabbed a knife from the block on the counter as well, before heading for the barn.
