Chase might have been slower on the wounded side, but his eyes were steady, his movements fluid and deadly. Several times he landed solid hits to Dan, the other man crying out in pain but not backing off.
When the glint of a gun flashed into view, Melanie saw red. Dan raised the weapon, ready to fire again, but Chase knocked his hand aside. Somehow, Dan managed to retain possession, but seemed unable to raise it a second time.
Lunging for the bag Abigail had left out, she found a child’s ball bat sticking out of the end of the duffel. She snatched it and ran toward Dan...
Just as he raised the gun in her direction.
***
For the second time in his life, Chase was about to lose someone he cared about. Only this time, he knew he’d never recover. The gun pointed at Melanie might as well have been pointed straight at his heart.
With a cry, he lunged for Melanie, not caring if he was shot again as long as she was safe. But his woman proved too quick even for him. With a battle cry to do any warrior on the battlefield proud, she swung her bat, the blow landing squarely on Dan’s gun hand. The weapon skittered across the room. Dan’s wrist snapped with a sickening crunch.
Raising the bat to swing again, Melanie’s expression was a mixture of fear, anger and...anguish. In that moment, Chase realized the differences in their situations. He was a man she’d known only a few weeks, while Dan she’d dated a few years. Obviously, she’d expected to marry him or she wouldn’t have stayed with him for so long. Yes, they had issues. Yes, Dan had told her he hadn’t wanted Abigail. But did Melanie still have feelings for him? In such a violent struggle, would she choose Dan over Chase? Surely not. The man was a complete ass, as well as a certifiable bully.
“That’s enough, miss.” The arrival of the police had gone unnoticed by everyone, including Chase. That was when despair hit Chase. As awful as it was to lose Ritchie, the thought of Melanie going to Dan instead of him felt like someone had not only gutted him, but sliced open his chest and cut out his still-beating heart, showing it to him like they’d won a trophy.
Melanie dropped the bat, sinking to her knees, her body visibly trembling.
“Melanie?” Dan’s pleading voice rang in Chase’s ears even as his shoulder began to sear him with pain where the man had shot him. Double whammy.
As if in waking up from a trance, Melanie shook her head and shot to her feet, launching herself at Dan. Only, far from a sobbing, clinging woman begging for forgiveness, Dan Jackson got a banshee on the warpath.
It took two cops to pull her off Dan. Surprisingly, they didn’t cuff her, but pulled her away gently, not commenting when she spat in Dan’s direction.
“Take it easy, ma’am,” one said as he stood between her and her target. “The ambulance will be here in a minute to check you over. Social Services were notified, but I don’t see a child.”
Melanie’s horror-stricken eyes met Chase’s. “Ohmigod! Abigail!”
Hearing her name, the little girl burst from the back room where she’d been hiding and into Melanie’s arms. The two of them sank down beside Chase and included him in the circle of their love! In an instant, all his despair turned to elation. Abigail threw her arms around his neck, making his shoulder scream in protest. Not that he cared. He clung to her as tightly as she did to him.
“Baby, be careful with Chase.” Melanie tried to extract the little girl, but neither Abigail nor Chase was having any of it. Finally she gave up, adding her own embrace, though careful.
The next few hours passed in a blur for Chase. He and Dan were taken to the hospital–though in separate ambulances. Melanie and Abigail refused to leave his side, even during the short interview with Social Services. Melanie’s friend and caseworker had been the one to conduct it, tears welling in her own eyes as Melanie related the events. Everything had been confirmed by Chase’s open line to 9-1-1 during the incident. The bullet wound to his shoulder had been a through and through. He’d be hella sore for weeks, but, with proper rehabilitation, should heal nicely.
The hell had started when Chase’s family stormed into the ER like the Hatfields after the McCoys. Chase had stopped trying to argue with everyone, raising his voice to the officer outside in the hall. “Just take them all to jail. Well, except Mama. She’s meaner than the other four.”
That had gotten startled looks from everyone until Abigail giggled, rushing into Vivian’s arms. “I hope they don’t take Rick to jail!” the child blurted out, hugging Vivian tightly.
“Don’t worry, Princess Abigail. No one is going to jail.” Vivian reassured the child.
“No one here, anyway,” Melanie muttered. “I hope Dan rots in there.”
“I know it’s bad,” Jennifer, Melanie’s caseworker and friend voiced, “but, with all this happening, no one will take anything Dan says seriously. I’m officially labeling his claim as unsubstantiated and extremely predacious, citing this incident and the recorded call as proof.”
“Wait.” Mike pinched the bridge of his nose, squinting, trying to make sense of the little girl’s though process. “Abigail. Why are you worried about Rick going to jail, but not me or Leland?”
“Well, the potties are in the cell,” the little girl answered, little face serious.
“So?” Mike still had a blank look on his face. “I don’t want to go to jail either. Aren’t you worried about me?”
“Well, yeah. But you don’t have overactive bladder.”
Epilogue
Halloween was always the start of the holiday season for Melanie. This year was especially exciting. In her new apartment, with a new job, a new family, and a new life, she felt like she was a different person. Dan had gotten six months in jail–far too lenient as far as Melanie was concerned–with the condition that, when he got out, he stay away from Melanie, Abigail, and Chase. It would be a condition of his parole. If he violated those terms, he’d spend several years behind bars. Melanie almost thought it would be worth it if the bastard showed up again.
Then she looked at Chase and Abigail playing in the leaves. No. Nothing better disturb her happiness. Nothing at all.
“Mommy!” the child squealed. “Chase is burying me in the leaves! Make him stop!” Of course, the shrill laughter ruined the effect, but Melanie went to them like a good mother should.
Mother... She was truly Abigail’s mother now. The adoption papers had been signed, all the legal mumbo-jumbo complete. Once she and Chase married, he’d be her daddy. They’d already started the paperwork.
For the first time since her father had died, Abigail seemed like a normal child. All the time. Chase’s family had been so good for her. Good for them both. Melanie was no longer alone. She found that Chase’s brothers and parents treated her like they would a sister and daughter, sometimes taking her side over their own children. Most of the time, in fact. Not that anyone complained. Sometimes, she thought they argued with her just to see her temper flare.
When she reached for Abigail’s hand to pull her free of the leaves, the little girl and Chase tugged until she fell onto the ground with them, both laughing as they attacked Melanie with tickles and kisses.
“Nana Vivian!” Abigail squealed when Vivian and Leland pulled into the drive. The older couple welcomed an enthusiastic Abigail with open arms, surrounding her with love and affection the child had been missing no matter how much Melanie tried. A child should be surrounded by people who loved her. Not just one.
“You know how much they love her. Right?” Chase was all serious now as he stroked Melanie’s face, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb.
Smiling, Melanie nodded. “She loves them too. And your brothers.” She lifted her hands to frame Chase’s face. “And we both love you, Chase Carver.”
“You’re my hero, you know that?” he murmured as he bent to gently kiss her lips, his tongue tracing the path where his thumb had been. “You’ve given me so much.”
“The feeling’s mutual, I assure you.” They stared at each other for several moments, t
he background noises fading away until it was just the two of them.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue.” Chase nuzzled her neck and Melanie arched into him.
“It wasn’t anything you didn’t do for me. For us. I feel like the whole world is brand new because of you, Chase.”
He pulled back to stare into her eyes. “I love you, Melanie Wade.”
“And I love you, Chase Carver.”
“Always?”
“Forever.”
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A Hero to Rescue Me (Hero's Crossing) Page 7
