David was being a jerk. But he was right. Her formerly crystal clear future had turned a bit murky. She did have some serious thinking to do. While she wasn’t prepared to be a doormat for him or anyone else, she couldn’t afford to be reckless, either.
Swallowing her pride, she pasted on a smile. “I appreciate your concern and counsel, and—” she breathed in deeply “—I’ll do just that.”
His features relaxed. “I’m glad. Truly. You know I have only your best interest at heart.”
She managed a small nod. “I’ll get Chelsea. Then I’ll show you the stables.”
“Don’t bother. I have to get back to my office. I’ll say something to her on my way out.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” she said quickly, not wanting him anywhere near Lucas.
His gaze lingered on her face, the longing in his expression making her nervous. Then he reached out a hand. “Melanie...”
Her stomach jumped.
The sound of the doorknob had them both turning. It was Shea, and Melanie had never been happier to see her.
“Hey, stranger, you’re early.”
“Oh, yeah.” Shea shrugged, which likely meant she’d gotten the flights mixed up. Brilliant in most areas, she often spaced over the little things. She gave David a brisk smile. “Am I interrupting?”
“No,” Melanie said.
David shook his head. “I was on my way out.”
Melanie gladly held the door for him. “I’ll see you back at school.”
“I’ll be in meetings the rest of the afternoon.”
“Tomorrow, then,” Melanie said pleasantly, holding on to a smile while he hesitated. If he thought for one second she’d agree to see him later, he could go suck a lemon.
Finally he nodded at Shea, then left. Melanie closed the door and sighed.
“Your boss, right?”
“Yes. Haven’t you met David before?”
Shea frowned. “Maybe.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Melanie rushed to the window when she remembered about Chelsea. And Lucas. David did not need to meet him. “Oh, Jesse’s here with you.”
He was leaning against a pole talking to Lucas. Chelsea was walking toward the barn with a grumpy expression on her face. Someone had obviously said something to her but it wasn’t David. He was headed for his car. God bless Jesse for unwittingly running interference.
“He picked me up at the airstrip,” Shea said, coming to stand at the window with her. “You put the PRN guy to work?”
“Not me. Lucas volunteered. He’s been helping Levi around here and figured he’d start the new corral while he waited for you.” After a brief silence, she tore her gaze away from Lucas and glanced at Shea, who was frowning at her. Melanie cleared her throat. “How was your trip?”
Shea ignored the inane question. “What’s that funny look on your face?”
“What look?” Melanie wondered if she meant the touch of extra makeup she’d used this morning. It was only mascara and a tiny bit of blush, certainly nothing Shea, of all people, would notice. “We’ll have to discuss this PRN thing as soon as possible since it might require a board vote,” she said, moving to the desk and sifting through stacks of paper. She chanced a peek and saw Shea turn her puzzled frown back to the window.
“Oh.” Shea sighed. “Now I get it.”
“Get what?” Melanie saw the impatience flash in her friend’s face. “Okay, okay.” She groaned and gave up shuffling invoices. “Lord help me if even you can see that I’ve got my panties in a twist over him,” she said, returning to the window.
Shea didn’t take offense. She accepted that she was often clueless about this sort of thing. “Now I understand something Jesse said on the way here.” In a rare display of physical affection, Shea gave her a solemn one-arm hug. “If it helps, he thinks Lucas has his panties in a twist over you, too.”
* * *
LUCAS GRABBED HIS T-shirt when he saw the women walking toward him and Jesse. From a distance they almost looked like sisters. They were close to the same height and build, and both had thick dark hair, though Melanie’s was a little longer. She also filled out her jeans better. Not that he was biased, he thought with wry amusement as he pulled on his shirt.
He wiped the sweat from his eyes and smiled at Melanie. Now that they were a few feet away, the differences between the women were obvious. Melanie had perfect lips, a perfect smile and beautiful, intelligent brown eyes that made more than his brain perk up.
No disrespect to Shea.
Melanie and Jesse both tried to introduce her at the same time. Then simultaneously backed off. Without missing a beat, Shea ended up finishing the introduction, which she punctuated with a no-nonsense handshake. He’d been warned about her direct manner. Didn’t bother him. It was the intimate way Jesse was gazing at her that unsettled Lucas.
Made him feel a little jealous and a whole lot foolish. Jesse and Shea had an honest committed relationship. There was no chance for anything like that with Melanie. They could share their bodies and a few confidences. Build some memories. But that was it.
“I appreciate you being understanding about my unexpected trip,” Shea said, putting her hand up to shade her gray-blue eyes. “Mel emailed me a summary of what you’re looking to accomplish. I read it on the plane, but unfortunately, we have to ask for more of your patience. The board might have to vote.”
“No problem,” Lucas said. “I have time. A week, anyway.”
Jesse rubbed Shea’s back and used his body to protect her from the sun. “Honey, it’s hot, and I know you must be tired. What do you say the four of us have dinner tonight and we talk then?” He waited for her nod, then raised a questioning brow at Melanie and Lucas. “Okay with you guys?”
Not so much. Lucas had hoped to spend the evening with Melanie. Alone. But maybe that was never meant to be, since she refused to look at him. It gave him a bad feeling even though they’d talked earlier.
“Okay with me,” he said, and she finally glanced at him.
Her shoulders stiffened. Addressing Jesse and Shea, she murmured, “I think that’ll be all right. I need to check my calendar at school to be sure. Where are you thinking of going, Marge’s?”
Time in prison taught a guy real quick how to read body language. She sounded deceptively calm, her tone almost matching her expressionless face. But she’d made two unsuccessful attempts to swallow, and she was trying too hard to keep her gaze from wavering. He’d bet her thoughts were bouncing all over the map.
“The diner’s okay.” Jesse shrugged. “If we eat on the later side, we’ll minimize interruptions. The Sundance is the other option. There’s always enough food for an army.”
“Oh, right, because we’d never be interrupted there,” Shea said with a sigh of total exasperation.
Jesse chuckled. “I’m not suggesting we sit with the general population,” he said, and Melanie and Lucas exchanged looks at his use of a term typically regarded as prison vernacular. “We can eat in the study or wait until the guests take off for the evening.”
Melanie noisily cleared her throat. “The Sundance would probably be best. I’d offer my place but I don’t have time to cook.” She blinked. “I do have pot roast, if no one cares that it’s leftover,” she said, then looked directly at Lucas and blushed furiously.
Hell, even he had trouble not reacting. “Whatever you want is fine by me, but let’s decide. It’s damn hot out here.”
“I agree.” Melanie fanned her rosy cheeks. “Can you believe it’s September?”
“You know what....” Jesse had obviously caught on, judging by the barely suppressed humor in his eyes. “Shea, you’re tired. It’s not a good night for dinner. And anyway, somebody should probably call Annie and Tucker for their input. We’ll get together another night and have a drink, shoot
the breeze.”
“That works for me,” Melanie said, no mistaking the relief in her voice.
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, I’m a little tired myself.”
Shea sighed. “Okay, back to square one. I have the bylaws on my computer and a hard copy at home. I didn’t want them lost when we moved offices. I’ll look them over tonight to see if we need a board vote. Mel, you mind calling Annie?”
“I should have thought to do that already. I’m sorry.”
“Hopefully, you were too busy,” Shea said in a stage whisper, looking pleased with herself.
Everyone just stared at her for a moment.
Jesse let out a bark of laughter. “Come on, sweetheart. We’re going home.” Looping an arm around her, he steered her toward the parking lot, stopping her protest with a kiss.
Melanie watched in silence as the couple climbed into Jesse’s truck.
“Something wrong?” Lucas asked, wondering if the guy in the suit had anything to do with her edgy mood.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” She glanced toward the barn. “Chelsea is going to get an earful, that’s for sure.” She turned back to him. “I hate to ask you this, but could you please work with your shirt on?”
“Right. I wasn’t thinking.” He felt like an idiot. Normally, he had better manners. But he knew in his gut something else was going on. “Nothing happened with Chelsea. She’s a kid. That’s how I think of her, so it didn’t cross my—”
“Oh, no. No.” Melanie didn’t just touch his arm; she let her fingers trail down to his hand before she realized what she was doing and abruptly drew back. “It has nothing to do with you. Chelsea knows she’s supposed to stick to her assigned area and that’s why I’m annoyed with her.” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “Personally, I’d prefer you work with nothing on,” she said and started laughing before she got out the last word.
Relieved but also frustrated because he couldn’t kiss her, Lucas grinned. “Feeling brave, aren’t you? Think I won’t grab you? No one’s around to see.”
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. “You can’t.” She relaxed when she saw he was teasing. “The man who was here earlier—he’s the principal and my boss. David didn’t like it that Chelsea was talking to you.”
Lucas could understand the man’s concern, given that Chelsea was a shameless flirt. “Does he come out here often?”
“First time.”
“You think it has something to do with me being over at your place?”
“I’d like to say no, but...” She shrugged. “Probably. I’m really not sure.”
Yeah, she was, but she didn’t want to discuss it. “You acted funny about having dinner with Jesse and Shea. Your boss have anything to do with that?”
She blinked and looked back toward the barn. He knew she was stalling, which made him itchy.
“Or maybe it’s about what I told you last night,” he said, and she whipped her gaze to him. “I figured it would take time to sink in, so I get it if you’re uncomfortable now that you’ve considered what it might mean to be associated with me.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Was I surprised? Oh, yeah. Shocked?” She thought for a moment. “Yes, probably shocked. But then you explained the circumstances, so the prison part didn’t change anything for me. If you’d left that fence up, different story. I would think you were a horrible human being. I hate that you have a criminal record because it can haunt you forever.” She smiled gently. “If you let it. But you’re a good man. That’s what counts.”
The ground seemed to shift under his feet. He felt funny, light-headed, probably from the heat. Damn, but September in northern Montana wasn’t supposed to be this hot. He pulled up the hem of his T-shirt and wiped his moist face. Made extra sure he got the sweat out of his eyes.
When he finally looked at her again, her soft gaze and gentle smile hadn’t wavered. He realized right then how much he’d needed to hear her say that. She didn’t just understand; she thought he was a good man. The words wouldn’t have meant half as much coming from anyone else. Not even from his ex-fiancée.
He’d known Peggy for half his life that day he’d gotten down on one knee and pulled out the ring. She’d been bursting with happiness; so had he. But that was not what he tended to remember when he thought of her. Mostly he recalled that terrible day a month into his sentence. He’d waited and waited for her, holding on to hope until the last possible moment, when he knew with grim certainty she wouldn’t be visiting him that day, and she never would again. It wasn’t her fault. He’d told her not to wait, to move on. He just hadn’t expected her to do it so quickly.
“Lucas?” Melanie had moved closer. She had the sweetest expression on her face. “You seem far away.”
It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to pull her into his arms. She was naive to think he had the power over whether his criminal record would haunt him or not. The cold hard fact was that his record barred him from holding certain jobs or even keeping a rifle. The list didn’t end there. But she believed in him, thought he was a good man, and that was something.
“Can we get back to tonight?” he asked, relieved his voice held. “Will I get to see you?”
She exhaled on a quiet sigh, and she looked like a kid who’d had her favorite toy taken away.
“Hey, no pressure.” He shrugged. “I know you’re busy.”
“Shut up.”
“What did you say?” He laughed, expecting neither her exasperated tone nor her choice of words.
“Busy has nothing to do with it. You know darn well I want to see you, too.”
“So is that going to happen?” he asked, watching her nibble at her lip, tormenting him. “Better tell me quick. You can’t expect me to stand this close and keep my hands to myself.”
“Oh, no.” She hid a smile behind her fingers and moved backward. “Let me figure it out and I’ll call you later.”
“I was joking. You don’t have to go.”
“I do. Really, I do. You forget I’m on the clock.”
“Look out.” He gestured to the post she was about to back into, and she sidestepped it. He smiled. “Just remember, we don’t want to disappoint Shea.”
Melanie pressed her lips together, laughed anyway and blushed like crazy. She did an abrupt about-face and hurried toward the office.
He watched her cute little butt until she disappeared from view. Still smiling, he picked up the hammer. Alone again with his thoughts, he felt his mood start to backslide.
Man, he hoped he wasn’t giving her the wrong impression. He was only working on the corral because Levi had mentioned they needed another one and Lucas had the time. Even his work with PRN was about giving back. He wasn’t a do-gooder like Melanie. Maybe she thought too much of him. That would be risky for both of them. He hadn’t had someone so firmly in his corner for a long, long time, and it would be foolish for him to get used to it. If he hung around a small town like this, his past was bound to catch up with him and she’d be caught in the cross fire.
Hell, of all the women in northern Montana, it had to be her.... What a pair they made...the sinner and the saint.
13
MELANIE WAS ABOUT to call Lucas when she saw his truck. She’d been sitting in her car in the Safe Haven lot waiting with her door open. If she weren’t so anxious to see him and being juvenile about it, she could’ve used the time to clear some paperwork. But the air had cooled considerably, and after she’d finished feeding the goats and chickens, she’d decided it was too nice to be indoors.
He parked next to her and got out, pocketing his keys and eyeing the small white pickup on the other side of the lot. “We’re not alone, I take it.”
“No. But Harold is way over in the quarantine stable and he’s hard of hearing.”
Lucas smiled. “But can he
see?”
“Yes, so stop right there.” This was so nuts. She felt as if she were back in high school. Or how she imagined she would’ve felt if she’d actually had a boyfriend to sneak off with. She wished she had the guts to be open about Lucas, but he wasn’t a forever guy and she had a responsibility to her parents and her students.
“So how is this thing gonna work?”
“This thing?”
“Yeah,” he said, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “Me not being allowed to touch you or kiss you.”
“Hmm.” She got out of the car, which put her about five feet away from him. “You know any dirty talk?”
His right brow shot up. “You first.”
She grinned. “I thought you were going to wait here for me.”
“I wanted to grab a shower.” He had on clean jeans, not so faded as the earlier pair, and she liked the snug fit of his collared shirt. The dark blue brought out the color of his eyes, though he needed no help there.
“Let’s go to the office,” she said, almost afraid to turn her back on him. In high school if a boy had looked at her the way Lucas was looking at her, she would’ve fainted. She still might.
“I should warn you,” he murmured, his voice dropping a notch. “I’m liking the dirty-talk idea a whole lot.”
“Um...no.” She was inclined to agree, except she’d embarrass herself. And they had business to discuss. “Bad news. I talked to Annie, the former director, and she thinks the board will have to vote.”
“Bad news because you know we’ll meet with opposition?”
“Not necessarily.” She saw that she’d worried him. The truth was, she was concerned after talking to Harold. He’d spoken to Abe, a board member, and the variety-store owner flat out said he wanted nothing to do with the prison system. “The only reason we have a board is so we qualify for government grants. Personally, I wouldn’t have chosen the same bunch. Most of them don’t really care what happens out here, but if one member is at odds with another over something silly, they can be petty.”
Need You Now Page 14
