Scorched s-4

by Melody Anne

  Epilogue

  “My son and daughter are beautiful,” Adriane said to anyone who would listen while he cuddled his baby girl safely against his chest.

  “They sure are,” Rafe agreed.

  “And little Alessandro came out a full three minutes before his sister,” Adriane made sure to tell everyone for the hundredth time.

  “Oh, how wise you were to predict a son first,” Rachel teased him.

  He’d been quite pleased when his son was born first, but he’d been mesmerized when Marietta emerged next. Only a month old and already she owned her father’s heart.

  “I can’t help it if the Graziani line is all-powerful,” he said, teasing his wife while she cuddled Alessandro to her chest.

  “I want to hold my nephew,” Rafe said as he walked into the room and purposefully approached Rachel. She smiled and nodded her head and Rafe picked up little Alessandro. “He adores me.”

  “He loves anyone who smiles at him,” Rachel said, though she secretly believed that Alessandro did have a soft spot for his uncle. After all, Rafe had been the one to draw the first smile from her son, making Adriane quite unhappy. Adriane had been blessed with Marietta’s first smile, though, so he’d forgiven Rafe.

  “He’s just practicing for when his baby is born,” Ari said as she sat down next to Rachel and rubbed her own belly, which was beginning to be quite noticeable. “This will be the last trip we get to make until after the baby is born, so remember your promise to be there on time.”

  “I wouldn’t miss the birth of my niece for anything in this universe,” Rachel assured her.

  “Nieces, darling sister. I was just kidding at the wedding, but since we both have the same due date, you may be running back and forth between our delivery rooms,” Lia said as she sat down on Rachel’s other side.

  “It would be much easier if the two of you just had them in the same room,” Rachel said.

  “That would be far too much screaming to listen to,” Shane said, unwisely. All three women glared at him. “I was just kidding,” he added, and he stepped away with his arms raised in defense.

  “Oh, girls, I almost forgot to tell you. I finished reading the journal of your Civil War ancestor. When you come out into the world, you’ll have to read the story with me. It’s magical,” said Ari, a sigh escaping her lips.

  “Why, what happened?” Lia asked as she propped her feet up.

  “Their story is just heartbreaking. I refuse to tell you what happens, though. You have to come stay with Rafe and me and read it then. I’m telling you, you won’t be able to put the story down.”

  “It can’t be nearly as exciting as our own lives,” Rachel said with a laugh as she looked over at Adriane. Her husband, along with Rafe and Shane, had a drink in his hand.

  “Yeah, as much drama as we’ve all gone through, I understand why you’d think so, but really, their story is unbelievable,” Ari insisted.

  “OK. You have me intrigued. I want to learn about our great-a-million-times-over-grandparents,” Rachel said with a giggle.

  “They didn’t live that long ago. Only about a hundred and fifty years.”

  “That may as well be a million years,” Lia said. “Kind of like how long this pregnancy is taking.”

  “I know the feeling,” Ari said, rolling her eyes with a grin.

  “Neither one of you gets to complain until you carry two of these little things inside your body,” she said, but there was no heat to her words.

  “Is it possible to be any happier than this?” Ari asked as she looked across the room and her eyes connected with Rafe’s.

  “I don’t think so,” Lia said, as she smiled at Shane.

  “Agreed,” Rachel added, her arms aching for one of her babies. As if Adriane could read her mind, he brought over her daughter and rested her in Rachel’s arms, then leaned down and kissed his beloved wife’s lips.

  They’d all gotten their fairy-tale ending, and, of course, their happily ever after.

  THE END

  Want to know what’s coming next?

  Sign up for the mailing list at MelodyAnne.com, and we’ll send you an email when Melody Anne’s next book becomes available.

  Books by Melody Anne

  BILLIONAIRE BACHELORS

  *The Billionaire Wins the Game

  *The Billionaire’s Dance

  *The Billionaire Falls

  *The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal

  *Blackmailing the Billionaire

  *Runaway Heiress

  *The Billionaire’s Final Stand

  *Unexpected Treasure

  *Hidden Treasure – Coming Soon

  BABY FOR THE BILLIONAIRE

  +The Tycoon’s Revenge

  +The Tycoon’s Vacation

  +The Tycoon’s Proposal

  +The Tycoon’s Secret

  +The Lost Tycoon – Coming Soon

  RISE OF THE DARK ANGEL

  -Midnight Fire – Rise of the Dark Angel – Book One

  -Midnight Moon – Rise of the Dark Angel – Book Two

  -Midnight Storm – Rise of the Dark Angel – Book Three

  -Midnight Eclipse – Rise of the Dark Angel – Book Four – Coming Soon

  Surrender

  =Surrender – Book One

  =Submit – Book Two

  =Seduced – Book Three

  =Scorched – Book Four

  Contact Melody Anne through social media

  www.facebook.com/melodyanneauthor

  @authmelodyanne on twitter

  info@melodyanne.com through email

  If you enjoyed this story, please check out The Lies That Save Us by JL Redington, available now.

  Chapter One

  It was raining again in Startup, Washington, the kind of rain that came down sideways, sounding like a million tiny hammers on the roof. It did that a lot during a Pacific Northwest spring. Alexa Menetti stood staring out the window, her dark hair hung loosely about her shoulders, deep blue eyes scanning the cloud filled sky. Being from sunny, dry Arizona it always surprised her how so much liquid could pour from the skies. She never tired of it, though, to her it felt cleansing.

  Alexa lingered at the window, watching the weather. Her slender five foot seven inch frame silhouetted against the dark clouds and heavy rain.

  This particular kind of weather also brought in customers anxious to find a dry seat on a cold, wet day. The diner was just the spot, perfectly placed on the corner in the middle of town. Today was no different than any other sideways rainy day. While the rain poured outside, the customers poured through the door and the slow day became steadily busy.

  The diner was a wonderfully warm place that Alexa had decorated with ideas from years of dining with her father. She’d adopted a fifty’s theme with all the memorabilia she could find (and afford). There were bright red seats in each booth, swivel rotating bar stools at the long bar that encompassed nearly the whole length of the diner, reserving some space along the end of the counter for two more booths. There was a life sized cardboard cutout of Elvis at the end of the bar, rusty weathered gas station signs and photos of groups like The Platters and The Everly Brothers on any walls that weren’t windows. Large picture window’s opened to a quiet little town with quiet little streets, nestled right up against the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest. The peace and quiet was absolute, and she loved it. She loved everything about it; her diner, the small town, the rain and the forests. She’d named the diner appropriately ‘Alexa’s’, and she smiled with pride as she watched customers file through the doors.

  She was happy to have the customers on these rainy days. She’d purchased the small diner a year ago when she’d come to Startup after reading about it in an ad from a real estate brokerage. It sounded perfect for what she was looking for; a quiet little out of the way place with one stop light and nice people who enjoyed good old fashioned hometown cooking. A name like Startup, was also perfect for her new beginning. With Thomas and Billy trading off in the kitchen and Tahl
eah helping with the tables, she had what she needed with the lowest possible overhead.

  Alexa paid for the diner with the last of her life insurance money from her father. Not a huge policy, but enough to allow her to become her own boss, and that was her number one priority. Her last boss had turned into her lover, then her fiancé, and then, two days before their wedding, he’d become her father’s killer. She vowed never to take another lover, and never to have another boss.

  Alexa had been depleted of all emotional strength with the death of her father. The trial and incarceration of her fiancé only served to cement that weakness into place, and she felt she’d never again be the independent woman she’d once been. Her father had taught her to be strong and she’d learned a lot of it just by watching him. Now, however, that was all tucked away somewhere inside her and despite her best efforts, she couldn’t find it. Her determination to stay single, alone and free of ‘upper management’ was the only thing that kept her going.

  The one hitch in her plan came into play when the diner purchase came down to talking money. She was twenty thousand dollars short. Twenty thousand dollars and it may as well have been a million, because it didn’t matter how she scraped, what loan she applied for, who she talked to, she was still short twenty thousand dollars.

  However, mysteriously, two hours after she figured the deal was off, the money showed up at the escrow office with no name on it, except hers. She had no idea who it was from or how it got to the Escrow office. Even the receptionist was unaware. She’d walked some paperwork to back the offices and when she returned to her desk there was an envelope lying there with “Deliver to Alexa Menetti” scribbled across it. The whole incident left her feeling a bit uncomfortable…well, a lot uncomfortable. However, the joy of having her own place and being her own boss completely superseded the discomfort.

  Yes, the small, out of the way diner was the perfect place for her to hide, to mend her emotional wounds. It was perfection, and as far as she was concerned, made just for her. It was here in this wonderful place she hoped to heal from the devastating death of her father who was also her best friend in the world. She tried not to put her father’s killer into the loss equation, but sometimes she couldn’t help it. Hidden from the world, it remained separate, painful and still raw. This loss was filled with misplaced love, extreme anger and unbelievable hatred, making it all but impossible to move on. Still, it was her father’s death she felt more keenly than any of the other losses.

  Her father’s name was Max, short for Maxwell and in Alexa’s thinking it suited him perfectly. Tall, gray haired and lean, he was a handsome man, and she was very proud of that. Oh, she’d have loved him no differently if he’d been a potbellied, balding office worker, but he wasn’t. He was an imposing personality, commanding respect every time he entered a room. She was proud of her dad, and she trusted him implicitly.

  Alexa and her father did everything together; hiking, camping, fishing, movies, you name it. But their last outing, just before his death, was different. On this occasion they had chosen a nice rocky point to have a picnic and examine some interesting rocks they’d found on a previous hike. Before sitting down to their picnic, she’d wanted to get a picture of him in his hiking garb. They were having a great time, laughing, teasing, just the usual fun. Then, suddenly, it all stopped and he said they were done. He just quit. He quickly started putting things in bags and hurried her to the car.

  It was so unlike her dad. It was a piece she’d never been able to figure out, why the sudden end to the day with no explanation, no warning. He absolutely would not talk about it. He just kept telling her it was nothing; that he was just ready to head home, but for the first time in her life, she didn’t believe him. If she hadn’t known better, she would think her father was afraid, but he was afraid of nothing, so her perception was obviously wrong.

  All of which brought Alexa back to the same spot every time; standing in her diner in Startup, Washington, waiting on customers and wondering why her father had shut down their fun all of a sudden and then never spoke of it again.

  She also found herself wondering who her benefactor was that stepped up to close the deal on the diner. She knew no one with that kind of money, and even if she did, how would anyone have known she was buying this place? She had no friends she’d confided in about moving to the Northwest or her plans once she got here. She just packed up and left. So, who was it?

  She continued her rounds of the tables and booths, taking orders from drippy customers, making small talk with the regulars. She brought their food out quickly and smiled as she placed it on their tables. Her favorite regular was Keith.

  Keith was an elderly man who often couldn’t pay for his meal. He was kindly, and so encouraging of her new business venture. It was hard for her to see him order the least expensive thing on the menu, never ordering dessert or extra helpings. Often the only thing he’d order was a cup of coffee. Always, with that cup of coffee she would bring a plate of food, hot and steaming, fresh from the kitchen. He’d eat what he could and ask for a box, which she would fill herself. However, when she brought him his leftovers, there was always plenty more than what he’d left, including a ‘day old’ piece of pie or a take home bowl of chowder. She would ‘forget’ to give him a bill, or forget what he ordered, or how much it was. He never took advantage of her generosity, though. When he could pay, he insisted on paying and when he couldn’t pay, he always repaid her kindness with some small repair she needed done at the diner.

  Keith was in his late seventies, gray haired, with soft wrinkled skin. He had blue eyes that twinkled when he teased her and filled with concern when he worried over her. He was average height, maybe a bit heavy for his build, but that only served to make him seem more cheerful. He lived alone after the death of his wife a few years prior to Alexa moving to town. He was the first to befriend her when she was new in town and he reminded her of her dad in a lot of ways. Maybe that’s why they’d formed the friendship they had. Today he was sitting in his usual spot, the booth far to the back where no one else liked to sit because it was by the kitchen.

  “Hey Keith,” she said as she approached his table with a big smile. “How’re you liking the weather?”

  “Oh, I like it just fine,” he said smiling back at her. “Now what’s a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?”

  “Hey!” she teased back, “this happens to be my place, mister.”

  They laughed at the old joke and she took his order. Spaghetti this time and she’d add a little extra meat sauce. He knew she would, but he’d act surprised every time she set the plate down.

  She picked up the water pitcher and refilled his glass. She smiled at him and setting the filled glass in front of him said she’d be back with his order in a jiffy. Glancing at the window she caught a glimpse of a man staring back at her through the wet pane. She let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand, dropping the nearly empty pitcher. The noise of the shattering pitcher filled the room as all heads turned in her direction.

  “What is it? Alexa?” Keith struggled to his feet as fast as he could. “What’s wrong?”

  She turned her head to answer him and when she turned back to the window the man was gone. She quickly dropped to the floor and began picking up the larger pieces of broken glass. Her face was pale and strained.

  “It…it was…it was my dad,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. “He was there for just a second, but it was him, I know it.”

  She was picking up the glass as fast as she could, fighting back the tears. Keith knew the history of her dad and fiancé. She’d told him the story one night when the diner had only just opened and there were no customers yet.

  “You’re working too hard, Alexa,” said Keith as he softly patted her shoulder, “You need to take some time off and get some rest. The mind can play tricks on you when you’re as worn out as you are.”

  With the excitement over, conversation in the room resumed after a few c
oncerned looks in her direction.

  Alexa smiled weakly up at Keith and stammered, “I…I’m okay…it just caught me off guard, that’s all. It was probably someone that looked like him. Sorry to cause a panic. I’m fine. Thanks, Keith.”

  Tahleah hurried out of the kitchen with broom and dustpan in hand to help sweep up the glass.

  “Are you feeling okay?” she asked, searching Alexa’s face, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Alexa smiled her best smile and stood with help from Keith.

  “I’m fine. Just have slippery hands, I guess. Thanks for the help, Tahl.”

  She composed herself and straightening her shirt, she walked to the front of the diner and around the end of the counter. There was a new customer at the counter and as she came around the corner she asked him the same question she felt she’d asked a thousand times that day.

  “What can I get you?”

  She searched his face waiting for an answer. He perused the menu looking for what he might like to eat, not looking to the lowly waitress. When he finally did look up, his beautiful green eyes gazed at her from under wet and windblown sandy colored hair. Despite his boyishly handsome face, he looked tall. He was just a bit taller than she was, even sitting down…and he continued to stare, and stare and stare.

  On any other day she would have seen his attention as flirting and she’d get angry, want to flip him off and end up keeping all that to herself. But today she was feeling a bit off balance and just wanted to take his order and get away from him. He continued to stare at her.

  “Sir? Your order?” she said with no small amount of impatience. “Did you want to---“

  “Oh…Oh, yeah…sorry,” he said obviously blushing and looking down at the menu. “Uh, yeah, I’ll take the number three.”

  And that was how this sandy haired stranger came to be called “Ham and Eggs.”

  * * *

  “Can I get you anything else?”