Burn

by HELEN HARDT

  I rose to the surface. Melanie was shyly touching her toes to the water.

  “Go ahead and get in the hot tub if this is too cold for you. I’ll join you in a while.” I was aching to do a few laps and work off some of this tension.

  “It actually feels good.” She tentatively shed the robe and laid it on a chaise longue. Then, instead of going in slowly via the steps as I expected her to, she walked to the edge, only limping a bit, and executed a perfect swan dive into the water.

  When she rose, her blond hair slicked back against her head, her breasts bobbing on the surface, I said, “I thought you said you weren’t much of a swimmer.”

  She laughed. “I’m not. But I’m a pretty good diver.”

  “So I see. That was perfect.”

  “Not exactly perfect, but it will do.” She started swimming forward.

  I followed, doing several laps of the front crawl and then switching to the backstroke.

  After a couple laps, Melanie rested on the side of the pool, sitting on the steps, while I continued swimming.

  When I was sufficiently winded, I joined her near the side. “Ready for a dip in the hot tub?” I asked.

  “Sounds heavenly.” She followed me to the tub.

  As we stepped into the hot water, it occurred to me that I had never had a woman in my hot tub. I’d had women in other places in my house, but never out here. I was happy that Melanie would be the first. If only she could be the last.

  She took a seat in one of the shallower seats, stretched her arms out on the railing, and inhaled. “This feels great. The only thing missing is—”

  “Lavender?”

  “Yes. How did you know what I was thinking?”

  “Maybe I know you better than you think I do.” I hoped that was true.

  She closed her eyes, inhaling again. “Wow, this could relax the tension out of anyone. And boy, do I need that.”

  I leaned over and kissed Melanie’s forehead. “Just relax all you need to, baby. No one is going to bother us.”

  And then a voice.

  “Joe?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Melanie

  I popped my eyes open, covering my chest with my arms. This was seriously happening again?

  Jonah stood up, stark naked. “Bryce? What the hell are you doing here?”

  The man glanced at me and then quickly turned back to Jonah. “Sorry. I’ve been trying to call you. Since you didn’t answer, I thought I’d come by.”

  “It’s after ten.”

  “That didn’t stop you from pounding on my door a couple weeks ago at midnight, remember?”

  “Touché, bro.” Jonah turned to me with an apologetic look. “This is…Melanie Carmichael.”

  “I’m sure sorry. I didn’t know you had a woman over here.” The man named Bryce smiled.

  “Well…”

  I wanted to sink into the water. How many times was I going to go through this? Getting caught naked at Jonah Steel’s house was becoming a habit that I really wanted to break.

  “Hey, look,” Bryce said. “I wouldn’t come over here unless it was an emergency.”

  “Yeah?” Joe said. “What’s going on? Is Henry okay?”

  “Henry’s fine. He’s with my mom.” Bryce shielded his eyes. “Would you please put something on?”

  Jonah stepped out of the hot tub, retrieved his jeans, and donned them over his wet legs. He then grabbed a towel and the robe and brought them to me. “You don’t have to get out yet if you don’t want to. Just relax. You’re safe out here.”

  I didn’t feel particularly safe, although I didn’t consider Bryce to be a threat. I knew he was Jonah’s friend. “I’ll get out, but thanks.”

  I tried to stay as modest as possible as I stepped out, wrapping the towel around me. I grabbed the robe and took it inside. When I got into my guest bedroom, I took a quick shower to get rid of the chlorine, and then I rooted through the duffel bag I had brought. I hit pay dirt with a pair of soft flannel lounging pants and an old white T-shirt. Perfect.

  I went back into the bathroom and combed through my hair, blew it dry until it was merely damp, and then decided to go to bed.

  But sleep would not come. Every time I closed my eyes, the masked man appeared.

  I walked back out to the kitchen. Jonah and Bryce were sitting at the table with drinks.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to interrupt you,” I said, warming.

  “It’s okay,” Jonah said. “Do you want something? A cup of tea?”

  I shook my head. “Maybe just some water.”

  He began to stand, but I stopped him.

  “I can get it myself.”

  He smiled and turned back to Bryce. “So what’s going on? Stop beating around the bush.”

  Bryce hedged. “Is it okay to talk?”

  I turned around. He was looking straight at me.

  I bit my lip and rubbed at the back of my neck. “I’m just leaving. Don’t mind me.”

  “No, Melanie, I want you to stay. I know you don’t want to be alone right now.” He turned to his friend. “You can speak in front of her. You can trust her. Talon trusted her, and look at his outcome.”

  Bryce met my gaze. “It’s really great to meet you, Melanie. I’ve heard nothing but good about you.”

  Nothing but good. I had helped Talon. He was one of my success stories, and I had many more. I needed to remember those things as I tried to deal with Gina’s suicide and consequently what had happened to me.

  I attempted a smile. “Honestly, I don’t want to interrupt you guys.”

  “Look, I want you to stay,” Jonah said.

  Bryce nodded. “Yeah, really, it’s okay.”

  Since I didn’t want to go back in the bedroom by myself, I relented and sat down at the table, taking a tentative sip of my water.

  Bryce rubbed his forehead. “My dad.”

  Jonah tensed. Someone who didn’t know him might not have noticed, but his jawline and forearms became rigid.

  “What about him?” Jonah asked.

  “He’s missing. He went to the city on business three days ago. We didn’t think it was a huge deal. He called Mom each night, until last night. He didn’t call her. We haven’t heard from him.”

  “Did you call his hotel?”

  “Yeah. They don’t have any record of him staying there.”

  Jonah visibly tensed again. He knew something. I had learned to read body language well as a therapist. There was something Jonah wasn’t saying.

  Jonah cleared his throat, seemingly taking longer than usual to do so. “Have you called the police?”

  “Yeah, this morning. But they haven’t been any help so far.”

  “Well, he’s a grown man. There’s not likely much they can do.”

  “But he’s the mayor, for God’s sake. No one’s seen him since Tuesday morning.”

  I jolted in my seat. The mayor? I had seen him—or at least someone whom the person manning the cash register called “Mayor”—on Tuesday, in the late afternoon, buying duct tape and rope at the little hardware store in town. Right before I drove home. Right before…

  I opened my mouth to speak, but decided against it. I’d let them talk for a few minutes. This really didn’t concern me.

  “Mom is beside herself. She’s convinced someone took him. I’m not sure. Maybe he ran off with someone.” Bryce shook his head. “No, he couldn’t have. He’s never lied to her in his life, and he wouldn’t start now.”

  More uneasiness from Jonah. It was thick in the room, and I wondered if Bryce sensed it. I certainly could.

  “I’m sorry about what you and your mom are going through. But what do you think I can do?”

  “I need you to help us find him, Joe. I know you guys have resources. Like those high-priced PIs who are working on your case.”

  “High-priced is an understatement,” Jonah said.

  “I don’t care what it costs.” Bryce pounded his fist on the table. “I need to find my dad. I
need to do it for my mom. And for my son. I want Henry to know his grandpa.”

  And yet more ripples of stress from Jonah. He was squirming, and a few beads of sweat emerged at his hairline. I could almost see it in color—angry red radiating around him like a fiery aura.

  What was going on? I opened my mouth again. “This really isn’t any of my business, but you said your father was the mayor?”

  Bryce turned to look at me, his gaze serious. “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know if this is relevant or not, but while I was here on Tuesday, I drove around Snow Creek for a little bit later that afternoon. I stopped in the hardware and office supply store, and there was an older man with silver-gray hair making a purchase. When he was done, the cashier called him ‘Mayor.’”

  “What?” Bryce said. “That can’t be right. He drove to Grand Junction that morning.”

  “I’m not saying it was him,” I said. “All I can tell you is that he was a man of average height with silver-gray hair, and the cashier, an older man named Gus, referred to him as ‘Mayor.’”

  “Sounds like him, Bryce,” Joe said. “He could have easily come back from Grand Junction that afternoon.”

  “Then why didn’t he come home? He told Mom he was staying in the city for a few days.”

  Tension was still sliding off Jonah in waves. He gripped his glass with white knuckles, his forearms flexed. “Melanie, do you remember what he was doing in the hardware store?”

  “I don’t really know much of anything. I didn’t talk to him. He was buying a few things. Duct tape and rope, I think.”

  “You must be mistaken,” Bryce said. “Why would my father need duct tape and rope?”

  “Duct tape and rope are pretty normal things to have around,” I said.

  And they were also the things the masked man had used to bind my hands and ankles. My heart thudded, and I dropped my mouth open.

  “Melanie?” Jonah looked at me with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

  I looked at Bryce, my knuckles tight as I clenched my glass of water. “Tell me. What color are your father’s eyes?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jonah

  “They’re blue,” Bryce said, looking at me. “Why?”

  “It’s just… It’s nothing, really.” Melanie looked down.

  “Melanie,” I said. “Why did you ask that? Did you see the color of the mayor’s eyes when you were in the hardware store?”

  She shook her head. “His back was to me. I had a view of the counter where he was making his purchases. That’s how I know what he was buying.”

  “Then why do you want to know the color of his eyes, sweetheart?”

  I hadn’t meant to call her sweetheart in front of Bryce, but I couldn’t bring myself to be sorry I had. We wouldn’t be a couple for much longer, once she found out the truth, but for now, it felt kind of good to have him think that we were.

  “I don’t know. It was a silly question.” She yawned. “I think I’ll take this glass of water back to my room. I’m sorry to bother you.”

  Melanie didn’t want to go back to her room and be alone. I could see it in her eyes, her demeanor. I touched her arm as she walked by me. “You can stay.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I’ll be all right. Just come check on me later, okay?” She shuffled out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

  I turned back to Bryce. “Before you ask, she’s staying here for a few days. Her loft was…broken into.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Seems we have a rash of crime around here these days.”

  More than my best friend even imagined, if what I suspected about his father was true. “Bryce, I’m sure your father is fine.”

  I was speaking the truth. The mayor was an iceman. I didn’t know where he’d gone off to, but I knew for damn sure that he had a reason for it.

  “I hope you’re right. But I need to find out. Can you help me?”

  Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Bryce was my oldest friend in the world, and on a normal day, I would have moved heaven and earth to help him. Today? I wasn’t so sure. One thing niggled at me, though. Why had Melanie asked the question about the mayor’s eyes?

  I sighed. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Float me a loan of a couple grand? I need to hire someone good.”

  That I could handle. “Sure, man. Absolutely. Consider it a gift.” I stood. “My checkbook’s in the office.”

  “No, no, I’ll pay you back. Every dime.”

  “All right,” I said. “If it’ll make you feel better. I understand.” And I did. Bryce was a good man. He didn’t want to owe me or anyone else.

  He followed me to my office, where I wrote him a check for five thousand dollars. I handed it to him. “That should get you started.”

  “That’s more than I asked for. Thanks, Joe. I owe you one.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  That was the truth. Because eventually, my best friend was going to hate me, when I told him the truth about his father.

  * * *

  Melanie was still awake when I checked on her. She sat up in bed when I entered.

  “I’m sorry, baby. Did I wake you?”

  “No. I haven’t been sleeping. I’m just a little on edge.”

  “Perfectly understandable.” I sat down on the bed and took one of her hands. “How are you doing? You need me to stay in here with you tonight?”

  She nodded, biting her lip.

  “All right. I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I’ll be back in, okay?”

  She nodded again.

  “I’m going to let Lucy in for the night. I’ll tell her to stay in here with you while I shower.”

  She smiled.

  I got up, went back to the kitchen, and let Lucy in. Then I went to my bedroom and showered. When I returned to Melanie’s room, I found Lucy cozy on the foot of her bed. I laughed. “She knows better than to get on the bed.”

  “Don’t blame her. I coaxed her into it. Having her here just feels good.”

  “If it feels good to you, she can stay.” I smiled. “I just hope there’s enough room for me.”

  “I’ll always make room for you, Jonah.”

  I snuggled up next to her. She was naked. I hadn’t been expecting that.

  “Why do you have pajama pants on?” she asked.

  “I just want you to feel safe tonight,” I said.

  “Safe from you?”

  I let out a sigh. “You’re always safe from me. I would never hurt you.” Except that I already had. She just didn’t know it yet. I shouldn’t have said those words, even if I felt them deep in my soul. I’d rather burn in hell for eternity than harm Melanie Carmichael. Why hadn’t I considered every single possibility when I saw her phone call that evening? Why?

  I was so tired of failing people.

  “Just take them off, Jonah. I need to feel you against me. I need to know that you’re here.”

  Having no barrier between Melanie and me was a prescription for a hard-on. She didn’t need more sex right now. She needed sleep, and so did I.

  I sat up, removed my lounge pants, and then snuggled back against her, trying to ignore the throbbing in my groin. I kissed the back of her head. “Sleep now. I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

  She seemed restless for a few minutes, but finally settled down. When her breathing settled into a shallow rhythm, I finally joined her in sleep.

  * * *

  Saturday morning. Again I awoke in a strange bed, and Melanie was nowhere to be found. I got up, put on my discarded lounge pants, and walked to the kitchen. The same smell of my childhood breakfasts in the big ranch house drifted toward me.

  Melanie was at the stove, cooking.

  She turned when I walked into the room. “That’s the end of the bacon and eggs. I think we need to go shopping.”

  “Okay.”

  “Want some coffee?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah. I’ll get it.”

  I sat down at the table with my cup of coffee. In a few minutes, she brought me a plate of food.

  I inhaled and took a bite. “Just as good as last night.”

  “It’s Saturday, so I wanted to let you sleep. But I suppose there are no days off for you here on the ranch.”

  I shook my head. “No, not really. But the three of us do tend to show up a little later on weekends. The guys know it. I won’t be missed.”

  “Good.” She sat down next to me with her own plate and cup of coffee. “I need to go to my loft today. I can’t stay away from it forever.”

  “You think you should call your insurance company first?”

  “I texted my agent yesterday. An adjuster and a cop will meet me there this afternoon. It’s a crime scene, so the cop has to be there. I was wondering if…”

  “I’d go with you?”

  She nodded, and the lip biting began.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to go back there alone. What time do you need to leave?”

  “My appointment is at three.”

  I looked down at my watch. “It’s only nine now, so we have some time.” I reached down and gave Lucy a pat on the head.

  “So what do you normally do on Saturday?”

  “I have to go to the office, see what’s going on, maybe get out in the pastures. But I’ll be back by one thirty or two, and you and I can then go to the city and meet the insurance guy at your loft.”

  She looked down.

  “Will you be okay here? Alone?”

  “I have to be. I can’t have you missing your work for me.”

  “Jade is home on Saturday. I can call her and have her come and stay with you. Marj might be free too, unless either Talon or Ryan has her doing something around the ranch.”

  She shook her head. “It’s sweet of you to offer, but I won’t be a burden. I can’t be. That’s not…me.”

  “The way you react after such a trauma doesn’t define who you are, Melanie. It’s perfectly normal to want someone with you.”

  She forced a smile. “You’ve obviously been with a really great therapist.”