Natural-Born Protector / Saved by the Monarch

by Carla Cassidy

  Melody’s heart squeezed tight and she realized the tears of the night before hadn’t emptied the well of her sorrow. “Lainie was special,” she replied.

  Susan nodded, her graying hair sparkling in the sunshine coming in through the nearby window. “When Hank and Maddie moved here, Maddie wasn’t just a little girl mourning the loss of her mother. She was also mourning the loss of a lifestyle and, more important, the absence of her father.”

  Susan paused to sip the coffee and then set the cup down and continued. “Physically, Hank was there, but emotionally he withdrew from everything when Rebecca died, including his daughter.”

  She leaned back in the chair and a wistful smile played on her lips. “There was magic with Hank and Rebecca. They’d been high school sweethearts and there was no question that they were meant to be together.” The smile fell away. “When Rebecca died something died inside Hank. For a while, I didn’t think he’d ever laugh again for the rest of his life. But when he moved in here and met Lainie I saw sparks of life returning to him. She made him laugh.”

  Melody smiled. “For all the problems Lainie had, a sense of humor was one of her strong suits.”

  Susan took a sip of her coffee once again and eyed Melody over the rim of the cup. “I see more than a spark of life in his eyes when he’s around you.”

  “We’re just friends,” Melody said quickly. “He’s helping me get through some things, but it’s nothing more than that.” She didn’t want Hank’s mother to think that Hank and Maddie had any real place in her life, nor she in theirs. “I’m returning to Chicago as soon as I get things straightened out here.”

  Susan’s smile faltered slightly. “That’s too bad. Maddie has grown quite fond of you.”

  “I’m still calling her Madeline because she doesn’t know yet if we’re going to be friends or not,” Melody said with a small laugh.

  “That little scamp,” Susan replied, her love for her granddaughter obvious in her tone. “Hank tells me you’re a teacher.”

  Melody nodded. “And I love it.”

  “You want children of your own?”

  Melody leaned back in her seat, feeling as if she were being interviewed for a potential job. “Someday. I’m in no hurry. When I meet the right man and we decide together that it’s time to start a family.”

  Susan drained her coffee cup and stood. “Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you giving Maddie some of your time. I worry about her, you know. I love the role of grandma, but she seems to need more than I can give her in that role. I’m afraid Hank will never let go of his grief and have another real relationship with a woman who can give Maddie what she needs.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Melody said, although she had no idea if that was the case or not. “Hank seems like a great guy. Eventually he’ll find that woman he can have magic with again.”

  “I hope so,” Susan said fervently. “I just want to see my son and my granddaughter happy again.”

  When Susan had left, Melody washed the cups and put them into the dishwasher and thought about magic. There hadn’t been time in her life for magic with a man. She’d hoped that she’d eventually meet somebody in Chicago who would be special to her, but there hadn’t been time.

  She’d been so busy unpacking, settling in and starting the new job, so busy maintaining contact with Lainie and making sure that she was doing okay without Melody that dating had seemed like a far-fetched idea and finding somebody special virtually impossible.

  Maybe that’s why she had connected so quickly with Hank, because she’d sensed the grief that was still very much a part of his soul, and the grief inside her had recognized his.

  One thing was clear. From what Susan had said, Hank definitely wasn’t the man to provide magic. To him, she was nothing more than a momentary respite from his pain and he was nothing more than that to her.

  The rest of the morning flew by. Mike arrived and began painting and the two men from Cotter Creek Charity Services came to take away the items from Lainie’s bedroom.

  With each piece of furniture that went out the door, Melody felt her heart tearing into little pieces. It was the final goodbye to her sister.

  After the men left, her phone rang. She grabbed it to hear Hank’s voice. “Maddie has insisted that we go out to eat at the café this evening and I thought you could be our guest. You know, kind of a payback for the pizza party last night.”

  “That isn’t necessary,” she replied, having every intention of declining the offer.

  “Please come,” he said. “Maddie will be so disappointed if you don’t. Besides, you have to eat dinner somewhere, it might as well be while enjoying our company.”

  “All right,” she heard herself saying despite her intentions to the contrary.

  “Great, we’ll pick you up around six. Will that work?”

  “Perfect, but I have a request. Could we stop by the video store on the way to the café? There’s a movie I’d like to rent.”

  Her words were followed by a long moment of silence. “I’d thought that after last night you might have changed your mind about doing any more investigating.”

  “A little brick through a window isn’t going to stop me,” she said with unexpected forcefulness. She drew a deep breath then continued. “Besides, James O’Donnell is the only person I have left on my list to talk to.”

  “Are you expecting a confession?”

  “Of course not.” But his question made her wonder just what she hoped to gain. “But maybe I’ll see something in his eyes that will be guilt, or maybe he’ll know something about somebody who might have been responsible.”

  “I’ll take you into the video store to talk to this guy on one condition,” Hank said. “When you’re finished talking to him, you put it all behind you for the duration of our dinner.”

  “Deal,” she agreed.

  The afternoon flew by. The man from the glass shop arrived to replace the broken window, Mike finished up the painting and before she knew it, it was time to get ready for the evening ahead.

  After the chat with Susan, she’d thought it best to put some distance between herself and Hank and Maddie, but her brain had not engaged before her mouth had accepted the invitation to dinner.

  A simple meal out, she told herself as she pulled on a red-and-white-flowered sundress. Red sandals and earrings completed the outfit. Casual and comfortable, she thought as she applied her makeup with a deft hand.

  At precisely six her doorbell rang and she hurried to answer. “Daddy says I can order two desserts tonight,” Maddie said. Dressed in a pair of navy shorts and a red-and-navy top, Maddie looked like the all-American girl.

  “Only if you eat a vegetable with your meal,” Hank said as he smiled in greeting to Melody. “Hi. Are you ready?” He was dressed casual. His worn jeans snuggled against the length of his legs and a navy T-shirt clung to his broad shoulders.

  She was surprised by a tiny flutter in her stomach at the sight of him. “Just let me grab my purse,” she said. She picked up her purse from the sofa, then together the three of them left the town house.

  “Daddy says we’re stopping at the video store and I can pick out a movie to take home and watch,” Maddie said as she walked close to Melody’s side.

  “Have you decided already what movie you want to see?”

  “Maybe something about a horse. I love horses,” Maddie replied.

  “I’ll try to help you find something really good,” Melody offered and was rewarded with a bright smile from the little girl.

  “How was your day?” Hank asked once they were all settled in his car and driving toward the café.

  “Busy,” she replied. “I had the window replaced, and Mike finished painting the wall. Unfortunately, with that wall newly painted, I think he’s going to have to come back and do the other walls in the living room. The other three look kind of shabby now. Men from Cotter Creek Charity came and took most of the th
ings from the master bedroom. Slowly but surely I’m getting things done. What about you? Busy day?”

  She suddenly found herself wondering what he did during the days and nights. He didn’t have an official job. So, how did he spend his time?

  “About like all the other days. Mom had Maddie so I went down to the shooting range and practiced. I checked in with Dalton and hung out at the Wild West Protective Services office, then took care of a little financial business on the computer.” He shrugged. “At the moment my days aren’t the stuff that movies are made about.”

  “Actually, your mother stopped in this morning to visit me.”

  He glanced at her and crooked one of his dark brows upward. “And was that a good thing?”

  Melody laughed. “Of course. Should I have worried about it being a bad thing?”

  “Not really, but since we’ve moved here she’s become more of a hands-on mother than I’d have ever guessed her to be.”

  “She just wants you to be happy,” Melody said softly.

  “Yeah, well, wouldn’t it be nice if we could all be happy,” he said, and she thought she heard a touch of bitterness in his voice.

  The rest of the ride to the video store was filled with Maddie talking about her favorite movies and what desserts she intended to order after their meal.

  “I’m thinking of ice cream and cookies, or maybe a piece of pie and a piece of cake,” Maddie said.

  “How about you think of what kind of vegetable you want to eat first,” Hank said with a conspiratorial grin at Melody.

  “Personally my favorite is brussels sprouts,” Melody said.

  “Yuck!” Hank and Maddie said in unison.

  Melody laughed. “Just kidding. But, I do like broccoli or corn.”

  “Corn. That’s good. I like corn,” Maddie said, decision made.

  By the time they reached the video store a small knot of tension had formed in Melody’s chest. According to Hank, Lainie had complained of James O’Donnell stalking her. If that were true, he not only might know details of Lainie’s life that nobody else knew, but he was also the most viable suspect Melody had.

  A rivulet of fear slithered up her back as she thought of James O’Donnell.

  Hank parked the car in front of the store and shut off the engine, but before leaving the car he turned to look at her. “You ready for this?”

  She offered him a shaky smile. “As ready as I’m going to get.”

  “Just don’t forget I’m here for you.” He reached across the seat and grabbed her hand in his, and for a moment his gaze connected with hers in a way that felt like magic.

  And that scared her almost as much as the idea of standing face-to-face with the man who might have killed Lainie.

  Chapter Seven

  Hank had awakened that morning with the scent of Melody clinging to his skin, the heat of her lips burned into his. He’d spent most of his day trying not to think about what they’d shared the night before, shutting her out of his mind while he tried to fill his head with thoughts of the woman he’d lost.

  When Maddie had asked for Melody to join them for dinner, he’d wanted to tell her no, but one look from his daughter’s pleading eyes and he knew he couldn’t deny her request. He’d intended to keep his distance from Melody, to enjoy a pleasant dinner without feeling anything for her.

  But the moment she’d opened her door, his heart had jumped. Now, as they got out of the car to go inside the video store, he was surprised to discover a protective surge building up inside him where she was concerned.

  He knew O’Donnell on sight, had seen him lurking around the town houses from time to time, and Lainie had pointed him out as a creep she’d been nice to but couldn’t get rid of.

  When they walked inside the store, he saw only a female clerk behind the counter. James O’Donnell was nowhere in sight. Maddie hurried over to the children’s section near the register. While she looked for a video, Hank could keep an eye on her while standing at the register.

  “Is James O’Donnell here?” Melody asked the woman by the cash register, who wore a badge that indicated her name was Linda.

  “He’s in the back stocking,” Linda said with a snap of the gum she was chewing loudly.

  “Could we speak to him?” Melody asked.

  Linda shrugged. “Hey, James!” she yelled. “Need you up front.”

  A minute later James O’Donnell appeared in the doorway that led to a back room. O’Donnell was tall, a bit overweight and had a patch of acne scars on one cheek. His oily brown hair was in need of a haircut and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Melody.

  Hank stepped closer to her, close enough to smell the spicy scent of her perfume, feel the heat radiating from her body.

  “Can I help you?” James asked, his gaze not wavering from Melody.

  Hank felt the tension that rolled off Melody as James continued to stare at her, and he wanted to wrap his arm around her, claim her as his own so that James would stop looking at her with those dark, hungry eyes.

  “I’d like to talk to you about Lainie Thompson,” Melody said.

  “You’re her sister, aren’t you?” James said. “You look a lot like her.”

  “Yes, I’m her sister, Melody. I was wondering if maybe you knew something that would help us find out who murdered her?”

  Dark shutters seemed to fall over his eyes, giving him an almost reptilian look. “I told the cops I don’t know anything about anything. She put a restraining order against me a month before she died. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near her.”

  “But I saw you around the town houses the week that she died,” Hank interjected.

  A dull red crept up James’s neck. “I just wanted to see her. I didn’t bother her any. I didn’t bother anyone.”

  “Do you have any idea who she had a date with on the night she died?” Melody asked. Hank glanced over to Maddie, who was still looking at the juvenile movies, then he returned his gaze to James. The man gave him the creeps. There was something not quite right in the depths of his eyes.

  He reached a hand up and picked at a pimple on his face. “She was supposed to go out with Forest Burke, but he stood her up.” His eyes narrowed to small slits. “I didn’t mention it to the sheriff, but I was kind of hanging around that night. I left about ten and she was still home.”

  “You didn’t see anyone going into her place?” Melody’s voice held a faint plea, and the tension Hank had felt earlier wafting off her grew more intense.

  Hank placed a hand on the small of her back to ground her, to keep her anchored as he felt her emotions intensify.

  “You don’t know anything about her murder? Maybe you went to see her after work and you fought with her? Did you hurt her, James?” She leaned over the counter. “Was it a terrible accident?”

  James didn’t back away or even flinch. “I would have never hurt Lainie. I loved her. Eventually we would have been together. She would have realized that we were meant for each other.”

  “Daddy, I want this one.” Maddie broke the moment by dancing up beside Hank, a video in her hand.

  Hank took the video and set it on the counter, then touched Melody’s arm. “I think we’re done here.”

  The female clerk checked them out as James walked to the back room. He didn’t go inside, but rather stood by the door and stared at Melody in a way that made Hank want to punch the creep in the face.

  As they left the store, Hank pulled Melody against him on one side and Maddie on the other, his arms around both of their shoulders.

  “I feel like I need a shower,” Melody muttered as they got into the car.

  “Why?” Maddie asked from the backseat. “You don’t look dirty or sweaty.”

  “I just feel a little bit icky,” Melody replied.

  “Sometimes when I feel icky chocolate ice cream makes me feel not icky,” Maddie replied.

  Melody laughed, the sound easing the knot of tension in Hank’s chest. “At the moment a big bowl of chocola
te ice cream sounds terrific.”

  He knew she was disappointed by the talk with James, but as they got settled at a table in the café she seemed to put it behind her.

  Her eyes sparkled as she chatted with Maddie, discussing the finer points of a video game Hank had never heard of. Hank found himself watching her covetously. He’d thought that in having sex with her he wouldn’t want her anymore. But nothing could be further from the truth.

  As she sat across from him and Maddie, he felt a resurgence of desire begin in the pit of his stomach. Each time she flipped a strand of that luxurious dark hair over her shoulder, he remembered how it had felt draped across his skin. Every time she licked her lips, the memory of what that tongue had done to him shot hot blood through his veins.

  Was it any wonder? he thought. Until last night it had been a hell of a long time since he’d been with any woman. Was it any wonder that being with her had reminded him of how good a warm body could feel against his, how much he liked sex and had missed it?

  She’d certainly made it clear to him that she wasn’t looking for a relationship. She’d be out of his life in a matter of weeks, and that made her safe as far as he was concerned. That element of safety—no strings attached—made him want her as much as anything.

  “You’re very quiet,” Melody said as she cut into her chicken-fried steak.

  “Just relaxing,” he replied. And imagining tasting every inch of your body, he thought to himself.

  “Tell me about the ranch you used to own,” she said.

  “Daddy was the best cowboy in the whole world,” Maddie exclaimed. Her lower lip thrust out into a pout. “And he should still be a cowboy, not a bodyguard.”

  Maddie didn’t know about grief. She couldn’t understand that the ranch had been something he and Rebecca had built together, and once his wife was gone none of it had meant anything anymore.

  His grief had been too deep, his life ripped to shreds, and even now, thinking of the ranch and what he’d once had, filled a pool of sorrow inside him.

  “There really isn’t much to say about it,” he answered. “I owned a ranch and now I don’t.” He heard the finality in his words that indicated there was nothing more to talk about on this particular subject.