“Really?”
He did a double take of her expression. It alone said she couldn’t imagine such a thing. Had he become that much of a stuffed shirt like his brothers kept telling him? “Why does that shock you so much?”
“I just can’t picture you running around out here—” She stopped and turned a tinge of pink.
They were heading downhill and he watched ahead of them.
“I didn’t mean that as an insult,” she added.
“Oh, yeah right. You’ve been asking me to loosen up ever since you moved in out here.” Her arms tightened around him momentarily as she stretched forward to look up at him.
“I have not—”
“Have, too,” he cut in, grinning. “Me. Here. That’s me loosening up, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes, you’re right. And thank you,” she agreed just as Dough Boy, Seth’s horse, started down an incline and her arms tightened about him.
“That’s it, hold on tight,” he urged. “This might get tricky.” And he wasn’t just talking about the horse ride.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Melody said.
A few minutes later he held her hand as she slid to the ground and then he followed. They made their way down to the rocks he’d shown her before.
“So this is where we start,” she said. “These do look pretty much like matching rocks. And this is the south end of the ravine?” Hands on hips, she intently surveyed the rocks.
Seth could see the excitement in her expression. “Roger that on both counts,” he said. “If we follow the instructions, it would be fifty steps west.”
She pointed east and looked at him. “Right?”
He grinned. “Actually,” he leaned around her and pointed in the opposite direction. “It’s that way. The woods have you turned around.”
She bit her lip and got a crinkle between her brows. “I’d love to give the woods credit for my lack of direction but sadly I can’t. I’m directionally challenged.”
“Then remind me not to let you go running around out here alone.”
“Oh, believe me, if I got lost out here, I’d find a rock to sit on and I’d wait for you to bring the posse looking for me.”
She smiled up at him. “Good, that’s exactly what I’d hope you would do. It’s the smart move.”
“The smart move will be for me to stick with you,” she said.
“Now you’re talking.” They held gazes for a heartbeat.
“Th-then let’s get going,” she said and started walking. She hadn’t taken two steps when she paused. “Do you think he meant regular steps or small, heel-to-toe steps? I think he would mean regular steps.” She arched a brow in question.
“I agree…but when you get to about midway, we’ll start looking for anything that might look promising.”
“Right.” She resumed walking and counting. He trailed behind, content to watch her throw herself into the hunt. With each step she counted, the excitement in her voice built.
“Twenty-five,” she sang and came to a halt. “Do you see anything around here that looks like a tower?”
Seth scanned the area. “Not that I can tell. Keep going.”
She started counting again immediately. The way had grown increasingly dense as they went. She had to push through underbrush and duck under tree limbs. Seth glanced back at the rocks to make sure they were holding their course. They were, he thought.
“Fifty.” Melody glanced over her shoulder. “What do you think?”
They were standing in an overgrown area. Pines towered above them, almost blocking all the sunlight. “I hate to tell you, but I don’t see anything that resembles a tower.”
She frowned. “I know. So now what?” Disappointment rang in her voice as she scanned the area.
“I’ve been trying to figure out what he could have meant by towers, and I’ve come up blank.”
“Maybe it’s just something that we’ll understand when we see it.”
“Maybe so.”
“Do you think there were pines here all those years ago?”
“Probably,” he said. “Let’s go this way and get out of the trees some.” Seth led the way. But he knew he was only humoring Melody. He knew there wasn’t anything in this area that was a tower. He just didn’t have the heart to tell her she was on a wild-goose chase.
Chapter Ten
“Well, what do ya know?” Sam said as Melody slid into the seat across from Seth. “How are ya?”
She plucked the menu from its sitting place between the napkin holder and the bottle of hot sauce, feeling uneasy. They’d been driving back to her house when Seth said he was heading into town to grab a burger. He’d suggested that since it was so late she might want to join him. She kept reminding herself that his asking was simply because it was the polite thing for him to do. She could have refused, given him the easy out, but she hadn’t.
Something told her that her phone at home was probably ringing, and she just couldn’t face that notion tonight.
“I’m fine, Mr. Greene,” she said. “How are you?”
“Now, hold on a minute. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Sam? My daddy was Mr. Greene, and he didn’t much care for the formality of it either.”
“Yes, sir—Sam.”
“Now that’s more like it. Ain’t nothin’ in this town formal, most especially this joint with all these ugly ole cowboys.” A big hoot rang out from the roomful of cowboys and brought a good-natured scowl from Sam. “Not only are they ugly but they’ve got big ears. And this ugly thang your with ain’t much better—”
“Hey,” Seth protested with a grin. “You’re supposed to be nice to your customers, not harass them.”
“I am bein’ nice—to the one who counts.”
Melody smiled. Sam loved to give the cowboys a hard time. But he was always sweet to the women. Most of the women, that was—he did like to tease Norma Sue and Esther Mae. “I’ll bet you’ll be glad when Miss Adela gets home,” she said quietly.
He beamed. “Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough! I know my Adela and Norma Sue and Esther Mae had a good time, but I don’t know if I could make it another day without seein’ her beautiful smile.”
“I’m sure she’s just as anxious to see you, too,” Melody said.
Seth raised a brow. “Obviously, all we ugly cowboys will be glad for her to get home too, so he’ll stop mistreating us.”
That brought on a wave of grunted agreements, and when Melody met Seth’s gaze, he winked at her. It was pretty pathetic that a wink could send her world spinning, but it did. In all her life not once had it ever happened before.
Seth cupped his hands together on the table and leaned forward after Sam left with their order. “So, tell me what you like most about teaching.”
Her heart warmed to him even more at the question. “I love the kids.”
“Why?”
That threw her a little. “Why not? They’re great.”
He shook his head. “Too easy. I’m digging for info here, and you’re hording it. Why do you love to teach?”
A small laugh escaped her. He really wanted to know her better. It was a breathtaking thought. “Fourth graders are my favorite age. Because, see, they’re really settling into their personalities. They’re finding out who they are and exploring that. While at the same time, they are very open to influence. And they are just so funny, so full of life.” In the background, someone had put a quarter in the jukebox and Vince Gill’s beautiful voice gently filled the room.
“And you, the quiet teacher, likes them to be full of life?”
“I love it! I encourage it.”
He was taking a drink of his tea and choked at her answer. “Like how?” he coughed, his eyes dancing over the top of the fist he’d lifted to his lips.
“Well, like this one little girl who was so shy at the beginning of the year that she wouldn’t ask questions. She sat beside the cutest little blond. He had a rep from the year before as being the class
clown. And it was so true. This boy just couldn’t stop himself from entertaining once he realized he had an audience. The kid would just get louder and louder, and I’d have to ask him to quiet down. It was very disruptive so I had to start giving him assignments to help me do things. By the end of the year he’d become a leader in the best sense of the word.”
“Really?”
“Well, no,” she confessed. “But, he had moments when he shined and he took his tasks seriously. And he did them with a smile. He will be a leader, it’s obvious. But the best part was he actually countered the girl’s quieter side.”
“Yours, too.”
She gave him a teasing smile. “Yes, but don’t tell anyone.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.”
“Good.” She propped her elbow on the table and cupped her chin as she looked at him. “I absolutely loved that kid for bringing the little girl out of her shell—which he worked at.”
He really liked her. “I can see why you would.”
“Yes, but I love the teaching, too. I mean, you know me, how I get when I’m talking about history.”
“I like it when you talk about history.”
“You do?”
“I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying you talking about anything.”
Melody’s heart started drumming. She could talk to him without feeling self-conscious. She wondered if he even knew that he made her feel pretty with the intense way he held her gaze with his. Or with the flirting—or teasing that he was doing.
She wondered if he had any idea how alive she felt sitting across from him.
When Sam finally brought out their food, it was a given that Melody had never had a better burger and fries in all of her life. Their meal had taken a rather long time to get to them—not that she minded. She enjoyed talking to Seth, and it was nice to think that Seth had enjoyed talking to her.
“I had a good time today,” she said as they drove up in front of her house. The night was bright. Moonlight bathed everything in a silver shadow, and Melody felt breathless with the romance of it all. Not that this was really romance. But a girl could dream.
“I did, too,” he said, softly turning to look at her, resting his right arm across the back of the seat.
Melody was so aware of how close his fingertips were to her shoulder. It was silly, but she yearned with every fiber of her being that he would touch her. And yet she knew wishing such a thing was dangerous. The baggage she carried into a relationship…it was too much. What man would want a woman who had the troubles that clung to her because of Ty? “I have to go,” she said, fumbling for the door handle. She was certain he could hear the pounding of her heart, she was in such a panic. The door opened at last, just as he’d started to reach across her to open it. She almost fell out of the truck trying to get away.
“I’ll pick you up in the morning?”
She nodded.
“Then it’s a date.”
She wished.
She nodded. “Thanks for a lovely day,” she managed to say. “See you in the morning.” And then she ran…well, she walked, but mentally she was running. When she reached the porch, she dared to turn and watch him drive away on the silver ribbon of road that glistened like a moonbeam.
She told herself she was on dangerous ground. If she woke tomorrow to realize none of the day had really happened she wouldn’t be surprised at all. She knew it was too beautiful to be anything but a dream. She’d been right to come to her senses and remember that she had Ty and his addictions hanging around her neck like a dead weight.
And as if she needed any proof of what her reality was, she found it as soon as she opened her door and saw the blinking red light on her answering machine.
“You ready for some adventure?” Seth asked the next morning as Melody tugged open the door. But one look at her and he knew something was wrong. He’d found himself fascinated by her the day before. He’d been champing at the bit for the morning to come so he could see her again. Last night he’d intentionally steered the conversation toward finding out more about her. And he’d liked her all the more. Two weeks ago he couldn’t begin to picture her controlling a class of rambunctious fourth graders. He’d figured they’d run all over her, but now, having seen her spunk shining through on several occasions, he knew that she might struggle every once in a while, but from the stories she told as a whole, her class didn’t push her too hard. For that, he also found himself saying a prayer of thanks to the Lord…obviously He’d gone easy on her by giving her students who wanted to learn. Of course, once she started talking it was pretty hard to look away from her, and he could see her having the exact same effect on her class. She was infectious in a wonderful way.
Today he wanted to learn everything he could about her. And he wanted to start by finding out why her eyes looked haunted today instead of excited. He had a feeling he knew.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m running a bit late. The—a phone call held me up.”
He’d known it before she confirmed his suspicions. “Do you mind if I grab myself a cup of that coffee I smell?” he asked, following her into the hall.
She looked nervous standing there with her bare feet peeking from beneath her jeans as she fingered her socks. “I just need to get my boots on and then we can run—get out of here.”
He strolled into the kitchen with her following him. “No need to hurry,” he said, fully suspecting that her words hadn’t just gotten mixed up. She was ready to bolt as quick as she could, and he wanted to know why someone on the other end of a phone had the power to make her want to run. “You put your boots on, and I’ll pour my own coffee.”
She hesitated as if contemplating telling him that they didn’t have time for him to drink a cup of coffee. He reached for a cup from the drain board, and she sank into a chair at the table and started to pull on her socks. He tried to choose the right approach as he poured his coffee, then leaned a hip against the counter and watched her. Seeing her fumble to get the socks in place sent that out the window. “Is something bothering you?” he asked frankly.
Her head shot up. “No.”
“You really aren’t going to sit there and tell me that when anyone with half a brain can see something is bothering you.” A bit harsh but he suddenly wasn’t feeling real touchy-feely. He wanted to know what was causing that look in her eyes.
She yanked her second sock on and stood up just as the phone rang.
“I’ll get that,” he said, reacting to the fact that she’d jumped at the sound. He didn’t know what was going on but it was about to stop—
“No!” she exclaimed, shooting past him to snatch the cordless phone from the counter. “I’ll get it,” she said, and strode past him into the hall.
He watched her go, heard her hesitant hello as he stalked to the kitchen door. He had to plant his feet in order not to follow her and take the phone back from her. There was no rain to shield her words, and because she hadn’t closed her door all the way, her words drifted easily to him.
“Ty, don’t start. N-no, I’m sorry you don’t have any money…I wasn’t ignoring you…take it easy. No, this isn’t my fault…”
Seth’s fist curled around the door frame.
“I—I can’t keep living like this—” she said, and he heard weariness in her voice. “All right, all right. I’ll call the bank tomorrow and transfer the money.”
“What?” Seth growled, strode down the hall and pushed open her door.
“I have to go,” she said quickly and clicked the disconnect button. “What are you doing?” she asked as he took the phone from her.
“You might be surprised to know I’m not a man who’ll stand by and see some jerk mistreat a woman. Is this Ty your boyfriend?”
“You had no business listening to my conversation,” she snapped, brushing past him and stalking down the hallway.
“Wait, you’re mad at me?” he asked, following her back into the kitchen, totally baffled by her. “You’re as white as a sheet, and
you’re shaking, too.” He yanked a chair out from the table, grabbed her by the shoulders and gently guided her to sit. He stooped down in front of her. She wouldn’t look at him.
“I’m not mad, I just—let’s just go treasure hunting.”
“Forget it. You’re upset. Look, if the guy is mistreating you then tell me. I’ll put a stop to it.” Seth hadn’t been this mad in a long time.
“You don’t understand. It’s not like that. Ty is my brother.”
That set him back on his heels. “Your brother?” He stared at her as she nodded. Seth didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as sad as the look in her eyes. “Why would your brother treat you this way?”
Her lip trembled and a tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away and looked away from him. Unable to help himself, he touched his hand to the side of her face, gently turning it back to him. “Talk to me,” he urged gently. “It looks to me like you could use someone in your corner.” It was hard for her. Her eyes said so, but Seth thought he saw a glimmer of want in there. She looked away, not ready. He’d only heard her side of the conversation, but that was enough for him to know that he would have hurt Ty if he could have gotten to him.
Now he wanted to wrap her in his arms and comfort her. He stood instead. “I tell you what. Let’s get out of here. A ride on a horse and some fresh air will do you some good. Might even prove to you that you can trust me.” That won him a small smile. “How does that sound?”
“That sounds good. Thank you.”
“You might not thank me later. We’re going to continue this conversation soon—you have my word on that,” he warned as he tugged her out of the chair and gave her a hug. She needed it—at least that’s what he told himself as he wrapped his arms around her. She was tense but melted against him for a second, taking comfort and, he hoped, his strength. He’d glimpsed the whisper of a stronger woman over the last few days. The woman who’d stood up to him and refused to leave the coach house was inside Melody, only that woman wasn’t home at the moment. He was overwhelmingly protective of the one who was.
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