Protecting Melody

by Susan Stoker

  “It sounded final.”

  “Exactly. I tried to keep her on the phone, but she said she had to go and she hung up.”

  “I’m going to find her, Amy.”

  “She’s going to be scared when you do. Someone’s after her. If you’re telling the truth and she doesn’t know what you look like, she’s gonna run.”

  “She won’t run when she sees me.”

  “You sound sure of yourself.”

  “I am.” Tex didn’t elaborate.

  “Please bring her home.”

  “I will. Can I ask a favor?” Tex knew what he was going to ask was highly unusual and Amy would most likely need some convincing, but after speaking with her he knew it was the right move and something he had to do.

  After Amy agreed to his favor, with a few conditions, Tex hung up. Amy had given him a lot of great information, including Melody’s last name, Grace, and Tex knew it was only a matter of time before he found her. And when he did, he’d make sure she was safe and could go home again.

  Chapter Two

  Tex smiled over at the coonhound sitting next to him in his truck. Baby was sitting on her haunches, almost like a human would, with her nose in the air sniffing the breeze coming in through the open window. Tex wasn’t a dog expert, but for some reason he needed to pick up Baby and bring her with him on his quest to find Melody.

  He had a connection with Melody, and having her beloved dog next to him made Tex feel closer to her. Besides, Baby was the cutest thing he’d ever seen, it wasn’t as if it was a hardship to have her along for the ride. She had legs that seemed too long for her frame. Her paws were big, but she was lean. She was tan and white, with most of her belly being white and the majority of her back and head being tan. Baby’s ears hung low, not quite as long as a basset hound or bloodhound’s might, but they made her face look perpetually sad. But it was her eyes that had solidified Tex’s decision to take her with him. They were a unique shade of brown, if Tex had to describe it, he’d say they were the color of amber. Every time she looked at him it was as if she saw right through him to all his fears and insecurities and could somehow make them all disappear.

  Luckily, Baby had taken to him right away. She’d walked up to him as if she’d known him her entire life and had sat down right on his foot. Tex ruffled her ears and Baby looked up at him with the most trusting look Tex had ever seen. It was as if the dog knew Tex was there to take her to Melody.

  On the phone, Amy had agreed to let him take Melody’s dog, but it had taken some convincing once he’d arrived at her home. Tex had told Amy he’d drive up to Bethel Park, Pennsylvania and collect Baby. After he’d arrived, Tex spent an uncomfortable two hours with Amy and her family. They’d asked a million questions, and given him a thousand directions on what Baby liked and how to care for her.

  When all was said and done, Amy had given Tex a hug and simply whispered in his ear before he left, “I’m only letting you take Baby because I know you’re gonna find Melody. Bring my friend home, Tex. Please.”

  So here he was. Tex had packed two laptops, a large duffle bag and headed north to Pennsylvania. Now he had a large bag of premium dog food, an assortment of dog toys and snacks, and a dog to add to his belongings.

  Tex was headed to California. It was a long drive from one side of the country to the other, but he was used to small amounts of sleep. He didn’t plan on making very many stops, counting on arriving in California in about three days. He wanted to be there immediately, knowing every day that passed with no communication with Melody meant one more day she could be in trouble. Making the stop in Pennsylvania meant Tex lost a day, but he didn’t want to leave Baby behind.

  His sixth sense was screaming at him to take the dog with him, and he never ignored that feeling. It had saved him and his SEAL teammates more than once. Tex had no idea why it was important, other than the fact he knew Melody loved her dog.

  His plan was to take Interstate 70 across the United States until St. Louis, then cut down to Interstate 40 to Barstow, California, then finally head south on Interstate 15 into the Los Angeles area.

  Tex was more certain he was on the right track in finding where Melody was hiding after his trip to Pennsylvania. Putting together all the things he’d gleaned from his conversations with Melody herself and from talking with Amy, he believed she was hiding on the west coast.

  He’d done a lot of research online before heading to Pennsylvania and Amy’s house. He’d tracked Mel’s movements when she left home. She went south first and then west to California. Most of the things he’d done to get that far weren’t legal, but Tex was used to getting what he wanted, and covering his tracks while he was doing it.

  Los Angeles was a huge city, and it was a long shot that Tex would find her quickly, but he was going to start with the Anaheim area. Melody had asked about his favorite Disney character, it had been an odd thing to ask out of the blue. Tex had asked Amy if Melody had a “thing” for Disney and she’d said no. So Tex could only conclude that Melody asking, had to have something to do with what she was seeing on a daily basis.

  Amy had also told Tex that Melody was a Closed Caption reporter. It fit. She could work on the road from anywhere that had an Internet connection. There weren’t that many CC companies in the country and Tex knew he could further track her that way. While it’d be more difficult because Melody was obviously using public Wi-Fi to connect, Tex could still narrow down the area where she was by backtracking the connection.

  Tex was also happy to be headed to the Los Angeles area because he’d get a chance to catch up with his friends and to meet all their women. He felt as if he already knew them, and he couldn’t wait to meet them face-to-face. While he wanted to rush and find Melody, he also knew he’d have to take at least one night’s break to take care of his leg. Tex figured he’d drop down to Riverton and visit with Wolf and the rest of the team before heading back up to LA to find Melody.

  He’d called the night before and told Wolf he was on his way west. Tex smiled remembering the shriek of joy that had come out of Caroline when Wolf had told her he was on his way to California.

  Tex remembered Melody commenting on how she thought his friends were taking advantage of him. He knew that wasn’t the case, but it felt good to have Melody looking out for him. Wolf had told him everyone had been planning on flying out to Virginia in a few months to visit. When Tex had asked who “everyone” was, he’d been shocked to hear it was all of them. Wolf, Caroline, Abe, Alabama, Cookie, Fiona, Mozart, Summer, Dude, Cheyenne, Benny, and Jessyka were all going to take a week off and come out to Virginia to see him. Tex almost couldn’t believe it. It was ridiculous for all of them to fly to him, when he could more easily go out to California to see all of them.

  Wolf had just laughed and said, “Try telling our women that.”

  Tex loved his friends’ women. They were tough as hell, but more importantly, they made his friends happy. Tex felt proud he had a hand in keeping them safe, and he’d continue to do it as long as they’d let him. He knew he came off as somewhat of a hard-ass on the phone when he’d had the pleasure of speaking with his friends’ women, but he wasn’t sure what to expect when he met them in person. While he was still a SEAL and knew how to kill someone with his bare hands, losing part of his leg had changed him fundamentally. Over the phone or on the computer, he could be the man he used to be, but in person, he couldn’t help but wonder if people thought he was weak. And that uncertainty had seeped into his psyche.

  Even with Tex’s excitement in being able to see his friends again, he had mixed feelings about this trip west. There was no doubt he’d have a great time with the group, but his main goal was to find Melody and figure out what was going on with her.

  Baby woofed in the seat next to Tex.

  “Need to stretch your legs, Baby?”

  Baby just looked at him, head cocked.

  “Yeah, okay, let me find a place to stop. I could use a break too.”

  Tex pulled ove
r at the next rest area along the Interstate and clipped a leash onto Baby’s collar. There was no way he wanted to risk losing Melody’s dog. Tex knew hounds were prone to follow their nose instead of commands and because they were in the middle of Indiana surrounded by trees, Tex didn’t want Baby to get the scent of a rabbit and take off.

  Baby jumped out of the truck after Tex and happily trotted after him as they walked around the grassy area. Baby did her business and didn’t protest when Tex steered her back to the truck. She jumped into the cab as if she’d done it a million times before. Tex unclipped the leash and left her in the truck with the windows cracked so he could go inside.

  When he came back outside five minutes later, Baby was sitting in the passenger’s side of the truck as if she was waiting for him.

  “Ready to go find Melody?” Tex felt silly talking to a dog, but as if she could understand him, Baby woofed once and put her paw on his arm. Tex scratched behind Baby’s ear and started the truck. They had a long way to go.

  * * *

  Tex pulled into Wolf’s driveway and shut off the engine. He was tired. His leg hurt, well it always hurt, but sitting in the truck for three days straight hadn’t done it any good. As much as it’d pained him, Tex had bypassed Los Angeles to head down to San Diego to see his friends and their women. It wasn’t much of a detour, and even though Tex wanted to see Wolf and the others, it was tough to put off his search for Melody for even one day, even though that had been his plan all along.

  Tex ran his hand over Baby’s head, which was resting on his thigh. Tex never had a dog growing up, but over the last three days he’d fallen in love with Baby. She was an easy dog to love. Mild-mannered, non-demanding, and she minded surprisingly well for a hound.

  “We made it, Baby. Ready to meet my friends?” As had become his habit, Tex told Baby everything they were going to do before they did it. Tex opened his door and Baby was immediately ready to go. She sat in the driver’s seat until Tex clipped the leash onto her collar and then happily jumped down next to him.

  Tex limped up to the front door, realizing suddenly that he probably should’ve stayed in a hotel for one more night rather than bothering his friends at this hour, but it was too late now. The door flung open and Caroline was running toward him.

  Tex stopped and braced himself, ready to catch the woman hurdling herself at him, but Caroline didn’t bowl him over. Baby shifted until she was standing in front of him and growled, a low menacing sound that Tex had never heard out of the dog in the time he’d been around her. Caroline stopped suddenly and Tex looked down in bewilderment. Baby had never shown one ounce of aggression toward anyone in the last three days. She’d sat next to him for thousands of miles and hadn’t growled or barked the entire trip. They’d seen countless of strangers along the way and Baby had never cared. There was even one rest stop that was crowded with rough and mean looking bikers, and Baby hadn’t even spared them a second glance. But she certainly cared now.

  “Holy cow!” Caroline said breathlessly, then Wolf was there. He curled one arm around Caroline’s waist and pulled her behind him, and away from the growling dog.

  “Baby! No!” Tex commanded gruffly.

  The coonhound didn’t completely back off, but she did sit down on top of Tex’s foot. He could tell she wasn’t relaxed. Every muscle in her body was ready to attack, to protect.

  “Nice dog you got there, Tex,” Wolf said sarcastically.

  “Sorry about this. She’s been perfectly fine the entire trip.”

  “I ran up at you, Tex. She’s protecting you. You’ve trained her well,” Caroline said humor lacing her voice.

  “She’s not my dog and I didn’t train her. I just met her three days ago.” Tex couldn’t understand why Baby was acting like she was, but he couldn’t help but be flattered. Apparently Baby had adopted him as a de facto master. Her loyalty to him felt good.

  “Well, it looks like the time you spent with her on the road cemented your relationship in her mind. She’s certainly claimed you, and I agree with Ice. She’s protecting you,” Wolf noted dryly.

  Tex leaned over at the waist, knowing if he crouched down he’d never be able to get up again with his bum leg. He took hold of Baby’s scruff with one hand and put the other under her chin and forced her head up so she was looking at him. “It’s okay, Baby. These are my friends. They’ll be Melody’s friends too once we find her. You can’t bite them. Hell, you probably shouldn’t even growl at them.”

  Tex ran his hand over the dog’s head as he let go of her. Baby licked his hand once, and her tail started wagging again.

  “Do you think I can give you a hug now or is she gonna go for my jugular?” Caroline joked.

  “Come here, woman,” Tex told her in response and reached out and pulled Caroline to him.

  When Baby didn’t growl or in any other way show aggression, Caroline relaxed in his arms.

  “It’s so fucking good to see you, Ice. It’s been way too long. You keeping Wolf in line?”

  “Hell, Tex. You know that’s an impossible task,” Caroline joked back. “Come on, let’s go inside and get you settled. I’m sure you’re tired and want to crash for a few hours. We’ve got the basement all ready for you.”

  Tex pulled back and smiled at Caroline. She was always wanting to take care of people. He snapped his fingers at Baby as he started walking. Even though he had the leash in his hand, he was trying to teach her to respond to his nonverbal commands. So far, Baby was doing a hell of a good job at it too. The dog was smart. Very smart.

  As they walked, Wolf clasped Tex on the shoulder. “Good to see you, man. Drive out okay?”

  “Yeah, long, but good.”

  The two men looked at each other and Wolf recognized Tex’s sign of “later.” Tex didn’t want to worry Caroline about how he was really feeling or about Melody either. Tex had told Wolf a little bit about what he was doing in California, but not the entire story.

  They entered the small house and Baby trotted alongside Tex as if she’d known him her entire life. He unclipped the leash as soon as the front door closed behind them. Baby continued to stick close to Tex, not exploring the house or otherwise even looking like she was curious about where they were. She had eyes only for Tex.

  After sitting at the kitchen table for about thirty minutes, and some general conversation, Caroline called it a night. She kissed Tex on the forehead and lovingly ran her hand over her husband’s head before she left the room. Baby lifted her head and watched Caroline leave the room, but she didn’t otherwise move from her spot at Tex’s feet.

  The men watched as Caroline disappeared from view, and they waited another couple of minutes. Finally Wolf spoke.

  “Talk to me. What’s going on? I know you. You wouldn’t drive across the country on a whim. What’s this girl to you?”

  “Wolf, I’ve never met her, but she’s in trouble.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I hate to see women hurting or in trouble myself, but it sounds like you’re in deep with this woman you don’t even know. It’s odd.”

  “I said I’ve never met her,” Tex repeated, “not that I don’t know her. I’ve been talking to this woman for the last six months. She’s in trouble and I have to help her.”

  “Okay, tell me what the team can do.”

  Tex smiled. He missed being a part of the teams. He remembered the instant loyalty and how no one ever questioned another when it was obvious they knew something was off or that it felt right.

  “Honestly? I don’t know. I’m operating on a hunch at this point. I don’t even know if Melody is even in Anaheim.”

  “You know it’s only a short trip up there if you need us. I’ll let the Commander know that we might need to bug out for a few days if you need us.”

  “Thanks, Wolf, I appreciate it.”

  “Speaking of the Commander, he wasn’t thrilled you sicced Julie Lytle on him.”

  Tex grinned. “Hey, I heard she wanted to talk to Cookie. I figured it’d be good
for both of them if she was able to move on from what happened in Mexico.”

  “You know the Commander and her are together now don’t you?” Wolf asked.

  Tex simply raised his eyebrows at Wolf.

  “Of course you do. Jesus, Tex. I shouldn’t be surprised at who you know and how you have an uncanny ability to know what people need before they know they need it, but I still always am.”

  “Seriously,” Tex commented, “I didn’t know they’d end up together, but if anyone needed some luck in their life, it was Julie. And if Hurt is happy, more power to him. And I fully intend to call in my marker from the Commander if Melody needs it.”

  “Of course. I know he won’t hesitate to do whatever it is to help you out. You know every one of us on the team owes you. Big.” Knowing if he continued along that vein, Tex wouldn’t appreciate it, Wolf changed the subject. “You taking the dog with you? You can leave her here if you want to.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll keep her with me.”

  Baby looked up as if she could tell the men were talking about her and whined. Tex put his hand down and placed it on Baby’s head.

  “Okay, go on and get some sleep then. Just to give you a head’s up, Caroline’s invited the entire clan over for breakfast tomorrow. I know you’re anxious to get on the road, but I’d appreciate it if you stuck around for a bit. They all want to meet you face-to-face.”

  Tex sighed in mock aggravation. Truth of the matter was, he was looking forward to meeting all the women as well. “I guess I can spare a few hours.”

  Wolf laughed as he stood up. “See you in the morning then. I think Ice bought enough food for you to live in the basement for months, but if there’s something you need that’s not down there, help yourself up here. I’ll go out and get your bag.”