Q has been seen in the company of a certain ex-military man. Apparently, Lumber Jack’s years in the service didn’t teach him anything about self-control or morals. It’s very disappointing. It appeared that after his near-death experience, and after the death of his fellow soldiers following a helicopter crash, that he had his head on straight. Well, appearances can be deceiving.
Q has been harassing dozens of Mirabelle’s residents to try to raise funds for this unnecessary bookshelf project at the school. Not to mention she’s been asking our hardworking businessmen to practically give their materials away. But it looks like she’s paying for some of the services provided with a few resources of her own.
Apparently Lumber Jack isn’t opposed to Q’s form of payment, either. The two have been getting down and dirty in public as well as behind closed doors. They made a rather indecent public display of themselves over the weekend, when they pretty much groped each other while mud wrestling.
Who would’ve thought that Q would stoop to such low levels to get a little help? I for one am shocked, and I don’t think I’m the only person. Q is a teacher, so what exactly are her students learning from her? What are they learning from this man who’s more than willing to trade his labor for sex? What happened to honor? Because he apparently has none.
Chapter Fifteen
Way More Complicated Than a Teddy Bear
Mel stared at the piece of paper in a daze. She couldn’t even process the words she’d just read. Her mind was racing too fast for her to catch up. It was the tension radiating off of the man next to her that finally pulled her out of her head.
But before she could open her mouth, Mitch was talking again.
“Look, I don’t believe it. I know you two are in a relationship, and that isn’t breaking any rules of any kind. I also know both of you well enough to know that this is a load of garbage, which is what I’ve told everyone who’s called, and it’s what I will continue to tell them.”
“Thank you,” Mel said, but Bennett was still silent.
“I just thought the two of you should know,” Mitch said before he left the shop.
“Bennett.” Mel reached out for his hand but he pulled away before she had a chance to grab it.
“I need to finish getting ready.”
“Can we talk about this?”
At that moment Dale and Kylee came into the room talking. They stopped when they saw Bennett and Mel, reading the tension that was in the room.
“Later,” Bennett said as he moved off.
Mel closed her eyes as he walked away. The article sucked, beyond any shadow of a doubt. But she was way more concerned about the effect it had on Bennett. That stupid cow had questioned his honor, and Mel knew him well enough to know he wasn’t going to deal well with that. Not at all.
* * *
Mel didn’t hear from Bennett at all that day. No text messages, no calls, no nothing. He’d barely said good-bye before he left, but at least he’d said something about her coming over to his house after she had dinner with Grace, Harper, and Paige.
Mel would’ve cancelled, but they were doing stuff for the wedding, and as Mel was the maid of honor, she needed to be there. Besides, Bennett needed to work on a desk he was restoring for a customer. He was going to be busy for most of the night anyway, and sitting in the house alone would’ve made her go a little crazy.
It was helpful for Mel to talk things over with her friends. Grace and Paige had been all over Bethelda’s blog in the past. They spent a good portion of the night bashing Bethelda in every way they could, which was helpful on so many levels. But they’d only had two words of wisdom on how to deal with the article.
“Ignore it.” They pretty much said it in unison.
“It’s just going to make you crazy,” Paige said.
“And you can’t change it,” Grace shook her head.
And when it came to what other’s thought about it, Mel really hoped she’d be able to just ignore it. But she was fairly certain that Bennett wouldn’t. She had to talk to him about it, because how he felt wasn’t something she could ignore.
When she got to his house the front door was unlocked, so she let herself in and headed for his garage. She pushed the door open to find him sanding the top of the desk. He looked up at her, frowning.
Well, this was promising.
“Hey, what time is it?”
“Almost ten. You get a lot done?” She leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms across her chest.
“Yeah.”
“Can we talk?”
“Mel, it’s not important. I don’t care what that woman had to say.”
“Except you do care.”
Bennett didn’t say anything as he reached over for his water bottle and unscrewed the cap. He looked away from her and took a long drink. Too long.
“Bennett.”
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he snapped at her.
Mel couldn’t stop herself from flinching back at his tone. She’d never heard him raise his voice.
“Shit, Mel, I’m sorry.”
“You weren’t the only one she made up lies about.”
He sighed. “I know.”
“I can go home if you want to be by yourself tonight.”
He crossed the space and grabbed her by the waist. “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you. I don’t want you to leave. I want you here. I just really don’t want to talk about the article.”
“Can I say something? Please? You don’t have to respond. Just listen to what I have to say.”
He nodded.
“You’re upset,” she said, running her hands up his chest. “I know you are, because I care about you, but I’m not stupid. I’m upset about what was said, too. That woman questioned a lot of things about me, but at the end of the day I was way more concerned about how this was affecting you. And I’m trying to talk to you about it, and you won’t talk to me.”
“Mel—”
She put her hand over his mouth. “I want you to want to talk to me—I’m not going to force it out of you. What she said was bullshit. You have more honor in here”—she put her hand over his heart—“than most could ever dream of. And all I’m asking is for you to let me in.”
She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss. “I’m going to get ready for bed.” She turned and started to pull away but Bennett grabbed her hand.
“Mel.”
She looked over her shoulder as she pulled her hand away. “You have to want to, Bennett.”
* * *
Bennett felt like an asshole as he watched Mel walk away. But he hadn’t been lying when he’d told her the article wasn’t something he could talk about. It had pissed him off for many reasons, but Mel didn’t understand the real reason he’d been so upset.
Today had marked three years since the crash, and he hadn’t realized the day until he’d seen that stupid article. He had no idea how he could’ve forgotten, and the very fact that he had made him feel like what Bethelda wrote was true.
How was he supposed to tell Mel something like that? That he wasn’t the man she thought he was? He couldn’t, so he chose to say nothing. Now Mel was upset, and he really didn’t have the first clue how to fix it, because he couldn’t talk about it.
Not now, not ever.
Bennett spent another hour out in the garage trying to clear his mind. It was mission impossible. By the time he went into his bedroom, Mel was asleep. She was curled up on the far side of the bed, wrapped around a pillow, and facing away from where he would sleep. It made his chest ache.
Even though it was slowly getting cooler outside, it was still warm and he’d been sweating as he’d worked in the garage. He headed for the shower, hoping the hot water might clear his head.
No such luck.
When he crawled into bed ten minutes later, he couldn’t stop himself from curling up behind Mel. She rolled over in her sleep and snuggled into him, her breath washing over his chest.
As he held her, he tried like hell to turn his mind off, but he couldn’t. Images from three years ago were playing in his head like a movie. The helicopter crashing, the screaming, and the gunfire playing on a loop and ringing in his ears. And then he was laying flat on his back, the sun blazing down as he choked on the grit in his mouth. The pain in his arm exploded and he touched the spot, holding his hand in front of his face and seeing blood.
Bennett woke up breathing hard. Mel was still curled into his side, and by some miracle he hadn’t woken her up.
He watched her sleep, counting her breaths as his calmed, and it was then that he realized he hadn’t had a panic attack. The nightmares were a sure trigger to send him over the edge, but not this time. Not with her in his arms.
“Melanie,” he whispered against her mouth. He ran his hand down her back and then slipped it up under her shirt before he ran it up again. “Melanie.”
She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. It took a second for reality to come to her. “Bennett?”
He didn’t say anything as he covered her mouth with his. She gasped in shock before she opened her mouth wide and let his tongue in. He rolled so that she was beneath him and she moved her legs to accommodate his hips between her thighs.
Sometimes words weren’t necessary.
Bennett had never been one to find comfort in words, and he still wasn’t. But he did know that he could find comfort in Mel, in her kisses, in her sweet sighs, in the way she moved with him. This was what he wanted. She was what he needed.
* * *
Okay, so they hadn’t exactly talked.
Who was Mel kidding? They hadn’t talked at all. No, they’d had hot sex. Really hot sex.
She’d laid in bed for a while that night waiting for him to join her, and the longer he’d been absent, the more of a void she felt. Like some sort of chasm was forming between them.
She was shocked that she somehow managed to fall asleep, but it was nothing to the shock of him waking her up. He’d said her name with a desperation she’d never heard before, so she gave in to what he needed. And, to be honest with herself, she’d needed it, too.
And though things might’ve been resolved for Bennett, they weren’t in any way resolved for her. She was never one to sweep things under the rug, but the morning after, he’d acted like everything was fine. She wasn’t sure how much, or how hard she could push him yet. She’d told him how she felt, that she wanted him to let her in. So the ball was in his court, and she was just going to have to pull out her handy-dandy patience again.
He would talk when he was ready. But when the hell was that going to be?
* * *
Mirabelle’s Fall Festival was customarily held during the third weekend in October. Mel had volunteered at a booth for the high school the last couple of years. This year she was in charge of a silent auction for the bookcase project. People were in and out of the booth the whole weekend, and Bennett kept her company for a majority of it.
When he hadn’t been there, Grace, Harper, and Paige were coming in and out of the tent. All three of them had put up items to bid on, and they were beyond curious as to how it was going. Harper was there at the end of the festival on Sunday to help Mel wrap things up, so she got to see who the winner was for the five massages she would be giving.
“Who is this Brad Nelson guy?” Harper asked as she looked at the list.
“That guy over there,” Mel said, nodding toward the booth across the way.
The guy was blonde but clean cut in a Clark Kent way, which meant he immediately stood out around the men of Mirabelle. He wore khaki pants and a buttoned-up white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had muscles behind those clothes of his, too; his shoulders filled out that shirt, and his biceps were clearly evident through the material as well. His thick hair was slightly tousled from running his fingers through it. He also had dark brown eyes and a big smile that showed off his perfect teeth.
“Oh. My. God.” Harper stared, her mouth hanging open just slightly.
“You’re drooling,” Mel whispered.
Harper turned to Mel with more than a slight look of skepticism on her face. “Tell me you weren’t.”
“What?” Mel shrugged. “He’s cute, but I like the man I’ve got.”
“Just because you’re with Bennett doesn’t mean you’re blind.”
Mel just laughed and shook her head.
“God, I get to put my hands all over that body of his.” Harper was hardcore lusting over the guy, something that surprised Mel.
“Wow, I haven’t seen you respond to a guy like this in a while,” she said.
“Oh, I’m responding all right,” Harper replied.
“I thought you couldn’t date clients.” Mel raised her eyebrows at her friend in mock disapproval.
“I can’t, but it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what the good Lord blessed him with. Do you know anything about him?”
“Bennett talked to him a little bit. He’s from Orlando, and he’s the general contractor the county just hired to fix the bridges and roads around here.”
“So he’s going to be around for a while?” Harper asked excitedly.
“It would appear so.”
“Well, things are about to get interesting.” Harper grinned hugely as she drummed her fingers together and looked Brad Nelson over for a little bit longer.
* * *
The baseball league season was over, so Bennett now spent a couple nights a week at the gym with Hamilton and Dale. Mel had noticed a big improvement in Dale over the last couple of weeks. He’d stopped acting out in class and was doing his homework regularly, and he was starting to get pretty good grades. He was also wearing pants that actually stayed up around his waist.
Mel was pretty sure this had something to do with Bennett as well. She could’ve sworn she’d seen the belt that was now holding up Dale’s pants poking out of a shopping bag in the back seat of Bennett’s truck last week. She was happy she was no longer seeing Dale’s underwear. She was also happy he’d pulled out those earrings.
And so was Virginia Rigels, Dale’s mother.
It was the fourth weekend in October when Dale’s mother came to the school. Class had just gotten out, and Mel was packing up her bag when there was a knock on the door.
Mel looked up to see Virginia’s round, smiling face. She was a very pretty, small, and curvy woman, but those curves had diminished as of late. Mel had met with her at the beginning of the year, and she’d seemed more than tired and stressed. It was understandable as she’d been working two jobs, one full-time and the other part-time. Today, there was definitely less strain around her hazel eyes.
“Do you have a second?” Mrs. Rigels asked as she reached up and pushed a lock of her dark brown hair behind her ear.
“Absolutely. How are you?” Mel crossed the room as she waved Mrs. Rigels in.
“I’m good.” Virginia reached out and grabbed Mel’s hands. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“For what?”
“For Dale. My son is coming back. And it’s because of you, this project, your little brother, and Bennett, that wonderful, wonderful man of yours. I just can’t thank you enough.”
Mel knew there was a little color coming to her cheeks. “I don’t need any thanks. Dale’s a good kid,” she said.
“Not everyone thinks that.” She shook her head sadly. “My son misses his father dearly. I mean I miss Vince every day, and it hasn’t been easy, but Dale couldn’t move past it. He’s needed something, or someone, many someones, and you were the catalyst behind that. He’s happy. You don’t understand how good it is to see my son again. Thank you.”
The smile that turned up Virginia’s face was so genuine, so sincere, so beyond anything Mel had known.
“You’re welcome.” Mel was lucky she’d been able to say that much, because she was at a complete loss for words.
* * *
Mel headed home still in a bit of an emotional daze. Virginia Rig
els’s words had affected her more than she’d been prepared for.
When she walked in the door she headed for the kitchen to figure out something for dinner. She opened the fridge and stared at the food inside for way longer than necessary and came up with absolutely nothing.
“So takeout it is,” she said as she shut the door. The cold air rushed out and surrounded her. Fall had come to the south and it was cold outside. Mel hadn’t turned the heater on yet, so it was fairly chilly in her house as well. She shivered as she headed for her bedroom in search of a thicker sweater and a pair of jeans.
As she threw her dirty clothes into the laundry basket, she noticed it was overflowing. She had a little while until Bennett got there, so she decided she’d be productive. She sorted out her darks, a couple of things of Bennett’s in the mix, and started a load. Just as she was closing the lid on the washer, Bennett’s big truck pulled up. He’d barely gotten it into Park before he was out the door and running up the steps.
“Hey,” she called out when he walked in.
“Hey,” he said, meeting her in the kitchen. He kissed her quick on the mouth before he grabbed her hand and started pulling her to the door. “Come on, I want to show you something.” He was jittery with excitement.
“All right.”
When they got to the edge of her porch he turned and made her stop. “Stay right here, and close your eyes. No peeking,” he said seriously, but then he grinned.
“Okay.” She closed her eyes, curious about what he was up to.
The door of his truck opened and a moment later it closed.
“Hold out your hands.”
She stretched out her arms and a second later she was holding something soft, warm, and wriggly. She didn’t wait for Bennett to tell her to open her eyes. There was a chocolate Labrador puppy in her face, licking her cheeks.
Unstoppable (A Country Roads Novel) Page 21
