Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise)

by Sarah O'Rourke

  “Did he just say what I thought I just heard him say?” Patience whispered violently to Maggie as she stared at Melody’s ex-fiancé as if a horn had suddenly sprouted from his forehead – which, incidentally wouldn’t surprise anyone watching this drama unfold. “Does he expect her to reward him with a cookie or something for admitting to failing to be discreet when he got busy banging other chicks? This Peckerhead stuck his wee wee repeatedly in other women’s woo woos? While he was engaged to Melody! Even in high society that shit’s gotta be wrong!”

  “Unfortunately, arrogant assholes like this only consider it to be wrong if they get caught,” Maggie murmured, her green eyes glittering as she looked from the asshole to the woman she’d just met but felt a sort of female oneness with at the moment. “Sadly, I know this ingrate’s type all too well. Hell, my father and brother are probably buddies of his. Disgusting pricks, every single one of them.” Maggie shook her head in disgust, beyond sorry for what the petite, pale-faced woman was going through. After all, Melody was in the Universal Sisterhood of Women Wronged, dammit. And the garbage the whiny little maggot in front of them was spewing was enough to make even the most devout Christian woman willing to pay whatever penance necessary if it meant they could get one good punch to connect with this horse’s ass’ face.

  “A few little indiscretions?” Melody echoed faintly as she stood between Patience and Maggie, barely breathing as her vision narrowed and she heard a roaring in her ears. “YOU CALL WHAT YOU DID A LITTLE INDESCRETION?” she repeated, her voice thinning as her pulse skyrocketed. “Are you for fucking real right now?” Looking around at the sympathetic faces staring at her, she shook her head dumbly. “This isn’t happening,” she mumbled, closing her eyes while she tried to will the world away. “I’m gonna wake up and today will just be some kind of horrible dream.”

  “Well, now, you’re just a special kind of stupid, aren’t you, dickface?” Callum asked curiously as he sidled closer to Melody. “Don’t bother answering. It’s obvious you are. After all, who goes out looking for another meal when he’s got gourmet cuisine at home? I’ll tell you who. Only the monumentally fucking stupid. Face it, man. You deserved to get dumped like a piece of trash. Unlike you, however, I’m a guy that recognizes a good thing when he sees it,” he continued, casting a hungry look at Melody.

  “I know exactly what I’ve got,” Brad returned scathingly. “I don’t need you to educate me on Mellie’s finer qualities.”

  “Evidently, you do because you don’t have her anymore, man,” Cal replied with a calculating smile. “I can recognize a good woman when I see her, and even better…I know how to treat one.”

  Melody slowly opened her eyes and looked from the man who’d once held her heart to the guy that seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear. “Give up, Cal. Bradley only ever saw me as a tool to get what he wanted. Was that corner office worth putting up with a woman that didn’t do it for you for over five years, Brad?”

  “Mellie… no. Honey, yes, my parents expected me to settle down with a certain type of woman…”

  “And what type of woman was that, Brad? Gullible? Slow? Compliant? Did I tick off all the boxes for them?” Melody asked, her eyes burning with anger. “Did you get a kick out of knowing that I’d always be waiting patiently at home whenever you got done screwing another woman? Did you get some kind of perverse pleasure making a fool out of me?”

  “I hate that I broke you,” Brad said sadly, staring at the ground as he shook his dark head. “Sweetie, I know I sound like a broken record, but all men make mis-….”

  “I swear to God Almighty that if you say you made a ‘mistake’ one more time, I’ll claw your eyes out,” she threatened with a kind of quiet rage that immediately got Bradley’s attention. “I deserved better, Brad!” she yelled. “I deserved so much better than I got from you. In and out of the bedroom,” she stated more quietly, taking a step back and bumping Cal’s chest. Instantly calmed by the feel of his body against hers, Melody decided if she was in for a penny, she was in for a pound, so she went on. “And I found better, Brad. You didn’t break me. You think you did, but you weren’t strong enough to do that to me. Sure, I might have a few cracks in my ego after what you put me through, but those little wounds will just remind me to never put blind faith in a man again. So, get this straight. I might have been left with a few fractures from our doomed love affair, but I am a far, far cry from being broken, you self-serving narcissistic prick.”

  Bradley’s cheeks flushed at Melody’s blunt speech. “This isn’t over, Melody. I won’t let you leave me like this.”

  “And on that note, I’m gonna interrupt,” Zeke growled before Cal could attack again. “Leave is exactly what you’re goin’ to do right now, sir,” he sternly informed the still-bleeding Bradley.

  “I beg your pardon,” Brad snapped, unaccustomed to anyone – least of all an officer of the law – telling him what to do.

  “He’s tellin’ you to get the fuck gone, asshat,” Cal roared, losing his patience. “Is English not this fuckwad’s first language?” he asked with an irritated look at Melody.

  Brad stiffened. “You know, I’ve just about had enough of listening to this hillbilly’s tripe, Melody. Send him away so that we can sort things between us.”

  Melody couldn’t help it; she began to laugh, burying her face in her hands.

  “Nobody mind me. I’m just the lawman with two guns and a rapidly growing headache,” Zeke muttered under his breath before nailing Bradley with a dangerous glare. “And I’ve now lost my patience for this crap. Sir, the lady that owns this home has asked you to depart her property. Repeatedly. Now, either you can back up and go on your way or you can leave in handcuffs riding in the back of a squad car. I suggest you choose,” he ordered. “Now!”

  “I’ll go,” Brad returned, then glared at Callum. “For now.”

  Zeke shook his head. “If I have to come back to this address to remove you, you’ll be going to jail,” he warned Brad. “I don’t care how much money you have or who your parents are or aren’t, buddy. When you harass a woman in this community, you deal with me. And the words coming out of your mouth are sounding more and more like a threat to me. I’m going to highly recommend that Ms. Reardon file a restraining order against you.”

  “On what grounds?” Bradley sputtered, his jaw dropping.

  “On the grounds that you’ve now officially irritated the hell out of me,” Zeke snapped, taking Bradley’s arm and forcefully walking him toward his sleek car.

  Melody watched as Brad and the sheriff exchanged a few more heated words before her ex climbed into his car and backed out of his parking space. “Thank God, he’s leaving,” she breathed, sagging slightly as Brad drove past them.

  “He’ll be back,” Cal grumbled as Zeke walked toward them.

  “Yeah,” Zeke agreed, hearing Cal’s assertion. “I believe he will, too. Ms. Reardon, I wasn’t kidding about that restraining order. You need to get one. I could tell by the look in that man’s eyes that he thinks he’s got unfinished business here. Get that restraining order and keep my office on your speed dial. If you have even the slightest bad feeling, you give us a call.”

  “I’ll have her down at the station first thing in the morning,” Cal asserted firmly, holding out his hand toward Zeke. “We haven’t formally met, either. I’m Cal Valentine, your newest resident to Paradise.”

  “Zeke Monroe,” Zeke introduced himself, shaking the man’s hand. “So, you’re looking to settle here in our town?”

  “Already settled, Sheriff,” Cal replied with a grin, jerking his head toward Melody’s house.

  Zeke slowly scratched his head, looking from Cal to a gaping Melody. “Uhhh… I don’t wanna be the bearer of bad news, but I think somebody might just have a problem with that,” he declared with a nod toward where Melody stood staring at him with outraged eyes.

  “You got that right,” Melody shouted, finally finding her voice again. “Just who the hell are you, how
the hell did you get into my house, and why the hell is your pet pony on my couch trying to eating my remote control?” she asked, jabbing a finger toward the bay window of her house where – sure enough – a black canine the size of a small miniature pony appeared to be trying to chew through her television’s remote control.

  Chapter Five: Stalkers, Surprises, and Other Hideous Revelations

  “Now, babe… I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath and cool your jets for a second. I can explain everything,” Cal said calmly, lifting both his hands in front of him, palms spread.

  Melody’s jaw tightened as she silently counted to ten and reminded herself that this man did just have her back while dealing with her former flame. That had bought him a little good will. Not much. But a little – enough so that she didn’t automatically have him arrested. “Didn’t I already tell you once today not to call me babe?”

  “Sweetheart, we said lots of things this morning. Among them, I told you to get that tire changed before the spare blew out, but am I bitching at you about it?” he asked her with a nod toward her tires.

  “I…you….This….” Melody sputtered. How the hell could he just stand there and berate her about her car when he’d evidently been stalking her? How the hell else had he known her name and where she lived? “You need to hear this, and I mean really hear it. You are not the boss of me,” she finally managed to scream. “I am my own woman, and I am fully capable of deciding when to get my tire changed. I don’t even know who the hell you are!”

  “Babe, you don’t need a boss; you need a keeper,” Cal’s deep voice declared as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared down at her. “Lucky for you, I’m available,” he declared with a wide grin as Maggie and Patience inhaled sharply and Zeke winced.

  Melody turned her wide, dilated eyes toward Zeke. “That’s it!” she growled, pointing at Cal. “I want him arrested. Immediately. He’s been stalking me, Sheriff! He broke into my home. He was aided and abetted by that…that…animal, too,” she accused, shifting her body to point toward the huge animal that now appeared to be chewing through a throw pillow.

  Turning to look over his shoulder, Cal groaned. “Goose! Put that down!!” he thundered. The dog stopped briefly to look out the window but resumed chewing a moment later.

  “I…Is what Ms. Reardon is saying true?” Zeke asked, eyeing Cal suspiciously.

  Callum shrugged. “She says stalking, I say shadowing. To-mae-toe, To-mah-toe.”

  Melody blinked. “Seriously, you’re just gonna be breezy about all this? You followed me. You just admitted to it. And, you broke into my house. With a dog.”

  “Goose is now your dog, too, roomie,” Cal pointed out easily, cocking his head as he looked down at her. “And the breeder warned me that he doesn’t like it when Mommy and Daddy fight.”

  Melody’s jaw dropped as Patience choked on a laugh and Maggie stared up at the sky. Zeke just looked confused.

  “Do you two know each other?” Zeke asked carefully, eyeing the pair in front of him much the same way Melody imagined he’d look at a ticking bomb.

  “No!” Melody exclaimed, shaking her head frantically. “I’ve never seen this man before today!”

  “Yes.” Cal’s response was clear and firm. “We know each other, but I’m betting we’ll know each other a lot better before the night is done.”

  “Are you certifiably insane? We do not know each other,” Melody insisted, glaring at Cal. “I only met him this morning, Sheriff. He bought my coffee and then proceeded to follow me into the parking lot to harass me.”

  “I wasn’t harassing you. Lecturing you on letting people walk all over you, maybe. Harassing you, no. And I changed your tire. Don’t forget that part,” Cal added with a lazy smile and a wink at Patience and Maggie.

  “You did not! I changed that tire. You just…”

  “Did the heavy lifting?” Cal asked smoothly. “Face it, honey, if you’d changed that tire, we’d still be sitting in the parking lot. She couldn’t even get the lug nuts to turn,” he informed Zeke with a sigh and a roll of his eyes.

  “That’s totally…. You know what? Fine. I’ll give you this one because I’m a generous woman. You changed the tire. But buying my coffee and changing a tire for me doesn’t entitle you to follow me home and invade my house. With a freaking dog, no less!”

  “I didn’t,” Cal returned calmly.

  “You didn’t?” Melody repeated, perplexed. “We all saw you come out of my house, you moron. You even admitted to being inside. That’s breaking and entering! Arrest him,” she ordered Zeke. “And call animal control for his four-legged beast inside!”

  “He can’t do that for you, Princess. You see, I was an invited guest,” Cal explained patiently, his smile never wavering. “I live here now,” he declared with a shrug at Zeke.

  “You do not!” Melody exploded, her cheeks reddening as she battled the urge to stomp her foot like a three year old. “As the owner of this house, I think I’d remember if I invited some super-sized giant of a man to live inside my home. You’re pretty unforgettable, sir, and not in a very good way, I might add.”

  Cal continued to grin as he shook his head and wagged a finger underneath her nose. “But you aren’t the sole owner of this house, either, are you?”

  Stunned, Melody blinked. He was right. She wasn’t the sole owner to the property. She and her brother owned it jointly. But, that would mean….

  “Are you telling me that my brother, RJ, invited you to live inside my house?” Melody shrieked, her heart pounding as the pieces began to fall into place.

  “Well, he invited me to live in his half of the house,” Cal clarified. “But don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m really good with tight quarters. Goose and I plan on being the best roommates a gal could have.”

  Closing her eyes, Melody deflated. “Rhythm sent you, didn’t he? That’s why you knew my name, why you’ve been following me, and why you’ve invaded my home. He sent you here to spy on me because he thinks I can’t handle being alone.”

  “Nope, he knows you can handle yourself just fine. It’s your ex-dickhead boyfriend he doesn’t trust. And from what I saw this afternoon, he was right on the money.”

  Clearing her throat, Patience took a step toward Melody. “Listen, honey, I think you’ve got this under control now. I don’t think this one,” she continued, jerking her thumb toward Cal, “has any hostile intentions, and I’ve gotta get back to the babies. Call us if you need anything, okay?”

  Turning to smile at Patience and her friend, Maggie, Melody nodded. “Thanks for coming to my rescue, ladies.”

  “No problem. It was just a boring day at the office until Patience showed up,” Maggie declared with a grin. “And take your car over to Wrath’s garage on Fulsom Road. He’ll cut you a better deal on tires that that chain at the interstate will.”

  Melody nodded. “Thanks,” she murmured, hugging both women before watching them go.

  “I’m gonna go, too, unless you need me to stay, Ms. Reardon,” Zeke added, passing her gun back to her. “Take a care with that firearm. It’s only helpful to you if your attacker can’t take it from you. Also, make sure you keep the safety on unless you’re ready to use it.”

  “Call me Melody, please,” Melody invited with a stiff smile. “No, I think the answers I’m looking for will be found with a phone call to my brother. I’m sure I can work something reasonable out with Mr. Valentine. I’ll make sure to keep the safety on my gun unless I’m firing it.”

  Zeke nodded at her before offering his hand to Cal again. “It was nice meeting you, Cal. I’d welcome you to town, but in all honesty, you seem like a nice guy. So I’m gonna do you a favor and warn you now that crazy breeds in this town faster than roofied rabbits. Don’t let the insanity suck you under, too.”

  “I’ll keep a mind to that, Zeke,” Cal replied with a chuckle. “But, I think I got a real good reason to stick around now,” he said with a pointed look at a still-fuming Melody. “I’ll get her do
wn to the station for the restraining order in the morning. Thanks for coming out here, though.”

  “My job,” Zeke said dismissively as he turned toward his cruiser. “Y’all have a good night.”

  Melody waited until she no longer saw Zeke’s glowing taillights before she turned to face the man she knew called himself Callum Valentine. Swallowing hard as her emotions suddenly overwhelmed her, she made herself look up into his steady blue eyes. “Let’s go inside. You can try to convince your canine that my couch isn’t his personal jungle gym while I call my brother and find out just exactly who you are and why he sent you.”

  “Lead the way, Princess,” Callum directed with a small nod and another of his panty-melting smiles.

  Chapter Six: The Belly of a Very Pissed Off Beast

  Cal Valentine had been in enough life-and-death situations in his lifetime to know that sometimes the most prudent thing a guy could do was put his back to the wall, say a prayer, and wait for the fire fight to be over. Watching as Melody Reardon continued to rant to the heavens about interfering bossy ass brothers and the Army and canine compatriots that came with them as she paced the length of her living room for the seventieth time, Cal knew without question that this was one of those times. The good news was that her rage was currently focused somewhere other than him. As long as he made no sudden movements, he still had a chance of getting out of this with all his limbs intact.

  “What do you mean you gave him a six-month lease on your half the house, RJ? You don’t think this was something you should have checked with me first? He’s not living here! I don’t care what you two asshats signed! This can’t happen. What the hell kind of asinine plan did you two fools cook up between you? Did you know he brought a frickin’ horse with him, Rhythm? Yeah, well, he did. And it’s already inhaled my remote and one of my good throw pillows,” he heard her screech into the cordless phone she clutched in her hand as she glared at the Great Dane currently sitting in front of her, panting happily.