by Cindy Stark
He was the one who pulled back this time. “Melinda…”
A pout formed on her ruby red lips. “I know. I don’t deserve a kiss, and you have every right to be angry with me. I was gone for far too long. But I’m here to make it up to you.”
Too long was right. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means I’ve decided to put school on hold for a bit. After we had our talk, I realized what I was about to lose and just felt all sick inside. I had to finish the semester, but now I’m here.”
He turned from her, not about to be pulled into her scheming, and picked up a wrench instead. “You said it yourself, design school is your dream.” He slid the end of his tool on a bolt and tightened it.
She walked behind him, disappearing from his line of vision. Then suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his middle, cuddling up against his back, pressing her breasts against him. “I was wrong. You’re my dream.”
Shit. His body had been used to responding to her touch for a long time, and apparently now, his dick had disconnected from his brain. He twisted in her embrace and set her away from him.
How did he get his point across without being a complete jerk? “You can’t come back after all these months and pretend they didn’t happen. You said it was your dream…and you left. I’ve moved on.”
An icy glaze frosted her blue eyes. “With that woman at Annabelle’s house?”
“What difference does it make?” He wasn’t about to discuss Erin with her.
Melinda stroked the fur running down the front of her coat. “Do you love her?”
“That has nothing to do with why we broke up.”
Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid a possessive kiss on his lips. He nearly had to pry her off.
“What are you doing?” To his own ears, his voice sounded breathless, and he cursed himself.
“Trying to prove there’s still something between us. That you still want me.” She ran a hand down his chest and over his solid erection. “I know you do.”
He backed away from her, putting the engine he currently worked on between them. Shame swallowed him for reacting the way he had. “That has nothing to do with us. Any pretty girl who kissed me like that would probably get the same reaction. It only means I’m a man.”
She raised a brow, a satisfied smile on her face. “You still think I’m pretty?”
He nearly exploded then. “God, Melinda. Stop already. We had our chance, and it’s obvious we weren’t meant to be.”
“Why?” Her bottom lip quivered, and he feared she might start crying.
He needed to finish this conversation and send her on her way. “Because you left. And more than that, because you could go more than eight months without seeing me. I don’t blame you for wanting to pursue your dreams, but did you have to shut me out at the same time?” Anger took over, and he gripped it like a safety line.
She sniffed. “That wasn’t my fault.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Of course it was. You’re a free agent.”
She stepped closer, raising his defenses even more. “I didn’t want to say anything to you, didn’t want to hurt you anymore. I know how much you loved Annabelle.”
“What the hell does she have to do with this?”
Melinda bit her bottom lip, studying him before releasing a big sigh. “She paid me to leave Argent Springs, Rick. Said she’d give me part of her inheritance from Grandpa Henderson when all of it rightfully should have been mine.”
He stood stunned for a few seconds, letting her words sink in. “I don’t believe it. That’s an easy claim to make now that she’s dead and can’t defend herself.”
“I can prove it. I have a copy of the check she wrote.”
“I’d like to see that.” He knew for a fact that she most likely would have been in line to inherit everything from her grandpa if he hadn’t married Annabelle, but he had, and he had made it very clear in his will what belonged to Annabelle, and what was Melinda’s. Rick had thought Melinda had left that in the past, but obviously not. He tried to fully fill his lungs and failed as acid churned in his stomach.
A sad expression lit in her eyes as she looked from him to her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and pushed the screen several times before holding her phone out to him. “Scroll through the next couple of photos, too.”
Rick took her phone and glanced at the screen. The picture was a vicious kick to his heart. Two thousand dollars dated January of that year. The next screen was a similar check dated February. All bearing Annabelle’s signature.
“She promised to pay me two thousand a month if I left and didn’t contact you for a year. She wanted me to go to school, and I figured why not? At least I could get some of what was owed to me. I could finish school and then you could join me in L.A. At that point, there would be nothing she could do about it.” She put a hand on his arm. “But she couldn’t stop you from calling me, or she’d have to explain what she’d done. It kind of backfired on her.”
All the conversations he’d had with Annabelle about his love life came flooding back to him. She’d been adamant that Melinda was no good for him, and it annoyed the hell out of him that she’d kept butting in. It all made so much sense now. “She paid you to leave?” Her money did not give her the right to interfere with his life.
Melinda cradled one of his hands between hers. “I’m so sorry. I feel like I’ve lied to you, too. But I couldn’t refuse the opportunity, and I knew we loved each other and she couldn’t keep us apart forever. I did it for us.”
His brain felt like it might explode. All of the times when he’d waited and wondered if she really cared, she had. Melinda hadn’t betrayed him. Annabelle had. Just like his mother. “Fuck.”
She ran her fingers down the side of his face and across his chin. “I love you, Rick. I always have. If it hadn’t been for Annabelle, we’d probably be married by now. That house should have been mine. Should now be ours.”
If she wouldn’t have left, he never would have started this thing with Erin. He’d based all of his decisions on Annabelle’s lies. God.
“Are you okay?” she asked, concern etched on her face as she looked into his eyes.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” He shook his head as though the movement might help him clear it. “How could she do that to me?”
She snuggled up next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head against his chest. “I don’t know. I suppose she thought she was doing the best thing for you. She was wrong.”
She tilted her head back, looking up at him with crystal clear blue eyes. She slipped a hand behind his neck and pulled him toward her. Her lips were soft and warm beneath his, and she quickly escalated the kiss, her tongue demanding entrance to his mouth, her hand caressing and making him hard all over again. He let her kiss him, trying to imagine what it might have been like if Annabelle hadn’t interfered.
But thoughts of Erin crowded in. She was as innocent as he was in the matter. And he loved her.
He ended the kiss, pushing her away from him. Her chest heaved with excitement, her eyes flashing with desire.
“I need some time.” This wasn’t a cut-and-dry situation, and he needed to figure things out.
“I understand. You’ve been living with a lie, and it might take a bit of time to accept it.” She gave him a hopeful smile. “Can I see you later? Maybe meet for dinner?”
He frowned. Erin expected him at home. Home. God, this was such a mess. “I don’t know. I’ll call you.”
She pouted again. “Okay. You have my cell. I’m staying at Janice’s house. You could always drop by there, too.”
He nodded noncommittally and watched her walk out the door, his heart a tortured rock inside his chest.
* * *
Erin tensed when she heard the front door close. She was pretty sure the couple who would be staying the night hadn’t returned already. They’d barely left a half hour before, intending to take in some of the town and
eat dinner at Eleanor’s Restaurant.
That meant it could only be one person.
Rick.
“Hey,” he said, walking into the kitchen and taking a big sniff. “Smells good.”
“It’s just soup,” she responded, not wanting to meet his gaze. She was so terribly afraid of what she’d find there.
“Anything I can do to help?”
She shook her head. “Nope. It’s pretty much ready.”
He moved closer and took her hand. “I was hoping we could talk about something over dinner.”
She looked at him then, about to ask which topic they’d be discussing, but one look and the red lipstick next to his mouth told her all she needed to know. “Melinda?” she asked, her voice cracking on the last syllable.
He seemed surprised. “Did she stop here?”
She nodded. “Sure did.”
“What did she say?”
She took a couple of calming breaths before she answered so she wouldn’t lose all dignity and cry in front of him. “Can we just stop with the crap and be honest?”
He drew his brows together as though he didn’t understand.
“Melinda’s back, and you’d prefer to be with her. I get it.”
He touched her shoulder, and she shrugged him off with a vengeance. “I don’t prefer her.”
“Don’t lie to me, Rick.” Emotion pushed past her barriers. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, Erin.” His anger seemed to equal the hurt pulsing through her, and she wanted to believe him. “I had no idea she was coming back. She just showed up at my shop.”
“And you kissed her.”
“I didn’t kiss her.” He let go a heavy sigh, his next words less heated. “She kissed me.”
“At least you’re not lying about that.” She pointed to the side of her mouth, indicating that he had something on his face in the same spot.
“Shit,” he said under his breath before he quickly scrubbed his face, erasing most of the evidence.
“Just go to her. If you’re even questioning your love for me, then I don’t want you.” She turned her back on him and picked up the wooden spoon to stir the soup. “Just go.”
“It’s not that cut and dry, Erin.” He took her shoulder and turned her toward him. “I found out today that Annabelle paid Melinda to leave.”
“So?” He hadn’t professed his undying love for her right then and there when she needed it so badly. He wasn’t reassuring her at all, so what difference did it make? The hollow feeling inside her multiplied, faster than it had when she and Craig broke up.
“So, she lied to me Erin. She knew what Melinda’s leaving did to me, and she was behind the whole thing. We might still be together if Annabelle hadn’t done that.” He slammed his hand on the counter, making her flinch.
“Well, at least you found out now.” She blinked and embarrassing tears raced down her cheeks. “Annabelle’s gone, and there’s nothing to keep you from being together.”
“Goddamn it, Erin. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“Then what are you saying? That you love me more than her? That I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you? No. You’re upset because Annabelle lied.” Her voice escalated with each sentence. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe she had her reasons? That maybe she could see something you couldn’t? No.”
“How would you feel if she’d manipulated your life that way?”
She met his gaze head on. “I’d be angry, too. I’d be so angry that the first thing I’d do is exactly what she didn’t want me to. Which it appears you’ve already done.”
Angry fire flashed from his gaze. “I told you, she kissed me. She came in acting like she had a right to be there. When I pushed her away, she tossed the Annabelle bomb at me and took advantage of the carnage she’d created.”
But he still hadn’t told her he loved her. “What did you say to Melinda after she told you this?”
“I told her I needed some time.”
The bottom of her world crumbled beneath her feet. “I see.”
“Is that so much to ask, Erin? Annabelle hijacked my life, and I need a minute to get my feet back under me.”
What was the point of pretending that she hadn’t already lost him? “Would you mind taking that time living somewhere else besides my house, then? I don’t want you here anymore.” A sob escaped her lips, leaving her in utter mortification.
Rick reached for her, his face a mask of misery, but she shook him off as the tears came harder.
“Just go.” She dashed from the room, fighting off the cloying scent of lavender that threatened to choke her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Erin wasn’t all that surprised when Livia called. She lived in a small town after all, and it didn’t take long for word of her break up with Rick to spread. What did surprise her was that Livia took two days to call and ask if she could come over.
She agreed and had put on a kettle of water so they could share some of Annabelle’s herbal tea while they talked.
A swirl of bitter winter wind followed Livia into the house, leaving Erin with a cold chill. “Let’s go into the atrium. I have a fire and some tea ready for us.”
Livia smiled, but it wasn’t a cheerful smile. More like an ‘I’m happy we’re friends, but this isn’t a happy occasion’ kind of gesture. “I’m sorry about Rick moving out.” Livia’s green eyes shown with compassion.
Erin shrugged, not really wanting to have this conversation. “He’s torn…about me and his ex-girlfriend. I don’t need a man who’s torn. I need a man who knows without a doubt he can’t live without me.” Her last words came out a little unsteady and Livia hugged her before they sat down.
“Let’s have some tea. You said Annabelle’s herbal? It’s one of my favorites.”
“Okay,” she said with a tight voice, her tears still mostly restrained.
“I’ll pour.” Livia filled both of their cups and added two oversized spoons of sugar to hers.
“You like it sweet.”
Livia raised a brow and smiled. “That I do.” She took a sip before releasing a murmur of appreciation.
After they’d both settled and talked about the six new inches of snow they’d received the previous day, Livia cleared her throat. “As much as I hate to say it, this isn’t only a social call.”
Her already-raw emotions tightened. “How do you mean?”
Her friend heaved a sigh and pulled a manila envelope from a large black leather handbag. “I received this yesterday. I would have come to see you then, but I figured two pieces of bad news in one day was too much for a girl to bear.” She slid out a stack of official-looking papers.
Erin eyed the documents in Livia’s hands as though if she stared at them long enough, she’d be able to read what they contained. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
Livia stared at Erin for a moment, hesitation and compassion filling her gaze. “It’s a challenge to the rightful ownership of Annabelle’s late husband’s estate.”
“From who?” Had others in her family figured out that she’d been Annabelle’s benefactor and now wanted their share?
“Melinda Morgan. She was Henderson’s granddaughter. She also happens to be—”
“Rick’s ex-girlfriend.” Or perhaps not so ‘ex’ after all. “I’m going to be sick.”
Livia put a hand on her arm. “Don’t start freaking out yet. I’ve reviewed the documents, and I don’t think she has any kind of a case. She’s grasping at straws. She’s saying Henderson wasn’t in his right mind when he married Annabelle and that everything he gave to Annabelle should have gone to her.”
She couldn’t swallow. “Meaning this house.”
“Yes,” Melinda said solemnly.
“And the money?” Erin asked. Could she seriously be in jeopardy of losing everything? The money she’d give back if she had to, but this house was hers. It had belonged to her ancestors, to her beloved Annabelle, and this was where she
planned to live out the rest of her life. She hoped she could pass along her family’s history to one of her own kids someday.
“The money was Annabelle’s. At least most of it.”
“So, what do I do?” Icy fear ripped at her.
“We. What do we do? You’re not in this alone, Erin. I realize I might not look like it, but I still have plenty of cutthroat poison running through my veins that I can call upon if necessary.” She squeezed her hand.
At that moment, she’d never been more grateful to have a friend who had her back. “Thank you.”
“I’m filing a motion to have the petition dismissed based on lack of proof. I’ll attach statements from various townsfolk in prominent positions, including Dr. Albert, stating that Henderson was, indeed, still very much in his right mind when he married Annabelle and when he’d created his will to leave everything to her. It’s highly unlikely this will go any further than that.”
“But there’s a story…about Henderson. He told everyone a ghost had touched him, and Annabelle said everyone thought he was crazy.” Could her future happiness really hinge on that incident? “What if Melinda tries to use that in her favor?”
Livia stared at her for a silent moment. “She already has.”
Her friend’s words were a sucker punch to the gut. “What if the people side with Melinda instead of me? She’s lived here much longer. I’m just an outsider looking in.”
“You might not have grown up here, Erin. But your roots are here. You’re one of us.” She stuffed the stack of documents back into her bag. When she looked at Erin again, her face was set with strong determination. “We’re fighting it all the way. Seriously, Erin. People aren’t declared incompetent because they believe in ghosts. Can you imagine if that was true?”
The pressure of tears behind her eyes became too much and began running down her cheeks. “I can’t lose this place, Livia. My heart is here. If I lose this, I will have lost everything that matters.”
“I know, honey. I know.”
“Do you think—” Her voice caught on a sob, and she took a breath. She couldn’t speak it without breaking up. “Do you think that’s why Rick left? Because he knows Melinda will get the house, and he wants it, too?”
