A Reason to Love (16 page)

“After today, it’s wide open. Pick a time that works for you, and I’ll be there.”

“How about nine o’clock tomorrow morning? We can start later, if you’d rather, but I want to make sure we have plenty of time to go through everything.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Damn, it will be good to see you, Spence. I’ve missed you. After we get all this legal crap settled, we should hit the lodge for a steak dinner, my treat.”

One of the reasons Spence had always liked Troy was his down-to-earth attitude about everything, even though he could play legal hardball with the best of them. “Sounds good, Troy. Now I should let you go and get ready for work. See you tomorrow.”

After Troy hung up, Spence forced himself to make the next call on his list. It rang twice before Callie answered, “Spence?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” As if she didn’t know that from the caller ID on her cell phone. “I wanted to let you know that I’m meeting with my attorney tomorrow morning. Not sure how that’s going to play out, but I thought you’d want to know.”

“I appreciate that.” There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “You might not want to hear this, but I really miss you. I miss what we had. Do you think we’ll get past all of this?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the pain that came with the truths he needed to share with her. “I hope so, Callie. I really do. I know now that what we shared is different than what you have with Nick. I guess I’d hoped that’s what the two of us would have someday. I am trying my best to be happy for the two of you. He’s a good soldier and a good man.”

“He really is. He misses you, too, you know.”

“Yeah, I do.” Kind of, anyway.

Callie’s voice perked up. “Do you want to talk to him? He’s right here.”

Hell no, but at least he had a better excuse than simply not wanting to talk to Sarge right now. “I can’t, Callie. I’m on my way out. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for work.”

He was relieved to finally disconnect the call. Obviously he’d been wrong about nothing dulling his good mood after last night. The thought of wading through piles of papers and making one hard decision after another made him queasy. At least having to drive the truck all day followed by another evening of getting greasy with Will would help distract him.

“Mooch, come on, buddy. It’s time to leave for work.”

At some point, he would text Melanie to check on her. He hoped she would have a better day than she’d had yesterday. They hadn’t made any plans for tonight after he got off, but maybe he could coax her into sharing some more of her ice cream. Smiling at the prospect, he headed for the millworks, his good mood back in full swing.

•   •   •

It had been one of those days when there simply weren’t enough hours to finish everything Melanie needed to get done. At least that meant the hours had flown by, something to be grateful for. It hadn’t come as much of a surprise that Mrs. Cuthbert had called in sick for a second day. And who knows, maybe she really wasn’t feeling well. Recent events had to have come as a shock to her.

Melanie was relieved not to have to face her when she was running on so little sleep. The emotional high from the night she and Spence had spent together had given her enough energy to carry her through the morning and well into the afternoon. Unfortunately, she’d finally hit the wall long before she could go home, at least not without carrying a big load of guilt with her.

There was one more decision to make before she could leave. She picked up the envelope emblazoned with the name of the local country club and studied it. Her family had been members from the day the place had opened its doors. Who knew how many rounds of golf her father had played there with his buddies? And her mother had headed up at least one of the major committees every year.

The Wolfes had also financially supported the winter charity ball and auction every year. She had a sinking feeling that’s what the letter was about. Using her father’s silver letter opener, she slit the top of the envelope and pulled out the thick piece of paper. After scanning the brief note, she dropped it on the desk before walking over to stare out the window. The contents didn’t surprise her. It was only reasonable for them to ask the Wolfes for their usual annual donation.

Her mother would expect her to make the donation, even if the company couldn’t afford it this year. Melanie was surprised by her own urge to reach for her checkbook—and it wasn’t simply to delay the rumors that would be sure to fly around town about the fragile state of the family finances.

It had nothing to do with the family image. Instead, she considered how many people benefited from the charity ball. Her trust fund would take a hit, but it was all for a good cause.

Her decision made, she sat down and wrote out a check, wincing at the number of zeros she had to write. This might be the last year the Wolfe family would participate, but she’d reach out to help her neighbors as long as she possibly could. It was the right thing to do, and she felt good when she signed the check and put it in the envelope to go out in the morning’s mail.

The last of the machines in the factory below had gone silent half an hour ago, and the offices in the upper balcony had emptied out shortly afterward. Now she could leave in good conscience, turning off the lights before making her way downstairs.

As soon as she reached the main floor, a familiar bark rang out, accompanied by the scrabble of a dog trying to get traction on the slick concrete floor. Knowing what—or who—was coming, she set her laptop and purse down on a handy worktable and braced herself for some serious doggy love.

Sure enough, Mooch came charging straight toward her at a dead run, only pausing to detour around the clutter of machines, carts, and tools when he was too tall to go under them. From somewhere on the far side of the factory, she heard Spence mutter a curse and something about how good a doggy skin rug would look on the front porch.

Both she and the dog knew he was all bluff and bluster. She retreated to sit on the steps and waited for Mooch to join her. Two seconds later, he was sprawled on her lap and panting as if he’d run a mile. A couple of slurpy doggy kisses washed away the last bit of strain from her long afternoon. When Spence finally arrived on the scene, she and Mooch each offered him a grin.

She jingled Mooch’s army-style dog tags. “I can’t believe you threatened to skin a fellow veteran, Corporal Lang.”

Spence stood there with his hands on his hips and glared at the unrepentant dog. “He disobeyed a direct order. I told him the only way he could come with me tonight was if he stayed right where I was working.”

She patted the dog on his head. “You’d better get back where you belong, Mooch. Besides, I’d like a moment alone with your owner.”

As soon as she shoved the dog off her lap, he trotted back across the factory. About halfway across, he stopped to bark, sounding for all the world as if he were telling Spence to get a move on.

“Sounds like you got your marching orders, too.” She gathered up her things. “I’ll get going and let you get back to what you were doing. The sooner you get done here, the sooner we can . . . well, I’m sure we’ll think of something to do.”

She was surprised the answering flare of heat in Spence’s eyes didn’t set off the overhead sprinkler system. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

As they walked back across the factory, he shoved his hands in his back pockets. She liked to think he was doing it because he was having a hard time keeping them off her. She was glad to have her own full with her laptop and purse for the same reason.

When they reached the door, he stared up at the evening sky. “I just met with my attorney this morning to get the ball rolling on straightening everything out. I also called Callie to let her know.”

She knew those hadn’t been easy calls for him to make. “Good for you, Spence. I’m sure you don’t believe it now, but you’ll feel better when you get it all figured out and know what to do. I could go with you next time if it would help.”

He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her lips. “Thanks for the offer, but this is something I need to do on my own. See you soon.”

Melanie watched as he disappeared back into the factory, wishing there was something more she could do to help him get through all of this. Her heart ached to see him struggling so hard to pull his life back together. She needed him to succeed not just for his sake, but for her own as well. Because if Spence could make sense of his new reality and get on with his life, well, maybe then she could do the same.

T
wo hours after arriving at the Reddings’ house on Saturday night, Spence was on his second beer and his third helping of Mama R.’s rhubarb coffee cake. She’d really pulled out all the stops tonight and prepared way more dishes than four people could eat. All of his favorites were there, and she’d promised to send him home with a load of the leftovers. He’d barely made a dent in the last batch of food she’d brought him, but he wasn’t about to complain.

While he’d figured Mama R. would make every effort to ensure that he and Melanie felt welcome, he hadn’t been as sure about her husband. As it turned out, he hadn’t needed to worry about it. Mr. Redding had kept up a low-key discussion about sports and the chances of his favorite teams to have a good season.

No, Spence’s sudden tension had nothing at all to do with their host and hostess, but with his growing conviction that someone was watching his every move. He’d experienced the same burning itch on the back of his neck whenever the enemy had been lying in wait for them back in Afghanistan. He set his plate down and stepped away from the picnic table.

“Spence?”

He ignored Melanie’s worried question and kept his eyes trained on the tree line, straining hard to see if he could pinpoint the enemy’s location. There—just to the right of the path that led to his family home. Adrenaline pumped hard and fast through his veins, sending his senses into hyperdrive. When Melanie moved to stand beside him, he shoved her behind him. “Stay there. I promise I’ll keep you safe. Whoever is out there will have to go through me to get to you.”

Mr. Redding tried to intervene, his voice level and soft. “Easy, soldier. No one is out there, and no one is after Melanie. Just look around. You’re not down-country anymore. You’re right here in Snowberry Creek at our house.”

When the older man put a restraining hand on Spence’s shoulder, he shook it off. “I know where I am, sir, but there is someone out there. Watching and waiting.”

And the closest thing he had to a weapon was a three-inch Swiss Army knife in his front pocket. One of the steak knives would’ve been better, but Melanie and Mama R. had already cleared the table of everything but the dessert dishes.

Mr. Redding stood his ground at Spence’s side, but he clearly wasn’t happy. “Melanie, why don’t you go inside the house with my wife? I’ll stay out here with Spence.”

Neither woman moved an inch. Melanie spoke from behind him. “Spence, do you think it could be Leif or Nick out there? I know they weren’t supposed to come over tonight, but I’m betting one of them couldn’t resist the chance to check on you.”

Even if her suggestion made sense, he was too caught up in the moment to back down. One way or another, he was going to confront the intruder. He started forward, heading right for the path with his hands clenched in fists. Mooch fell into step beside him, but the Reddings’ dog and the three humans stayed right where they were. Good. No matter what happened, he didn’t want them to get caught in the middle.

He knew long before he reached the edge of the yard Melanie had been right about who was lurking there in the shadows. Stopping just short of the trees, he called out one word. “Leif!”

As soon as the other man took a step toward him, Spence lunged forward to shove Leif up against a tree. “You son of a bitch! Are you trying to get yourself killed? What if I’d been carrying?”

At least the other man had the good sense not to come boiling right back at him. He held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, Wheels. I was just out walking and spotted Mooch moving through the woods. I was worried he’d decided to come back here without you knowing he’d taken off.”

Spence knew Leif well enough to know when he was telling the truth. “Once you knew he was with me, why didn’t you retreat?”

“Because I wanted to know what was going on. Callie’s parents said they were having friends over tonight, but they never said it was you and Melanie. What’s up with that?”

If he’d come across as mad instead of hurt, Spence might not have had the strength to tamp his temper back under control. He shoved his fists into his pockets before answering. “Mama R. came to see me last week. She wanted me to come see the two of them and told me to bring Melanie if I needed reinforcements.”

Leif stared past him to where she stood with Callie’s parents. “If you needed a wingman, you could have called me. We’ve always had each other’s back, or have you forgotten that?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten a fucking thing.”

Which was true, but things had changed and the fit felt all wrong somehow. Spence rocked back on his heels. “Look, like I promised Callie, I met with Troy Nash, my attorney. We’ve started wading through everything, and he’ll let me know when he’s heard back on a few things what my options are and what needs to be done. The bottom line is that I don’t have any answers yet, but I am working on it. Can you let Nick and Callie know that progress is being made for me?”

Leif crossed his arms over his chest and gave Spence a hard look. “It would be better if you told them yourself, but I’ll play messenger for you.”

The big lump in Spence’s throat made it hard to talk, but he forced the words out. “I owe you one.”

Now Leif looked totally disgusted. “You don’t owe me a damn thing. This is what friends do for friends.”

What could he say to that? When he couldn’t think of anything, Spence started to walk away but turned back after only a few steps. “How are you doing? Melanie tells me you’ve been seeing someone.”

Even in the deep shadows it was impossible to miss Leif’s smile, which eased the lines that pain had carved deep into his face. “Yeah, I am. Zoe is a former army nurse who served in Iraq. We met when she oversaw my therapy when I first got here. We’ve both been through some pretty rough stuff, but we’re dealing with it.”

So maybe there was hope for Spence, too. “I’m glad for you.”

Something ran through the bushes behind them, causing both men to jump. Leif cut loose with a long string of curse words. He’d always had a real talent for that to the point where more than one time it had given rise to applause from his fellow soldiers. For some reason, that small memory eased the knot of tension that had Spence all tangled up inside. It was a little taste of normal and how things used to be between them—and it suddenly struck him that he had been looking for a sense of normalcy ever since he returned to Snowberry Creek.

“We’d better get out of these woods before something jumps out and gets us.”

Leif laughed. “Yeah, some of the squirrels around here can be pretty vicious. Just ask Mooch.”

Evidently, Leif’s leg injury didn’t prevent him for moving fast if he wanted to badly enough. Before Spence realized what Leif was up to, the man had him wrapped in a hard hug. It lasted less than a second, maybe two, in real time. But in Spence’s head, it dragged on for an eternity. His lungs refused to work again until after he’d put several feet between them.

Leif held up his hands to show he was done with the sneak attacks. “Sorry, Wheels, but it had to be done. Maybe next time it won’t be so hard for you. Try to fix whatever’s out of sync in your head. I miss you.”

He disappeared into the trees while Spence stood there, trying to draw a full breath. Melanie joined him in the shadows, her scent and touch giving him something solid to hold on to. She simply stood with him, letting him have all the time he needed to paste the broken pieces inside him back together.

When he no longer felt as if he’d shatter, Spence wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Think we should be heading home?”

She nodded. “Mrs. R. has your goodies all bundled up and ready to go. All we need to do is say good-bye.”

With Melanie as his anchor, they bid their farewells to their hosts. Mama R. hugged each of them. “Don’t be strangers, either of you.”

While she held Spence close, she whispered, “I’d love to have another barbecue where I could ask Callie, Nick, Leif, and Zoe to join us. No rush, Spence. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

God knows when that would be, so all he could do was nod to show that the message was received and understood. “Thanks for always being there for me.”

Her eyes sparkled a little too brightly in the dim light. Aw, damn, he’d made her cry again, but she was still smiling. “You’re family and we love you, Spence.”

He hugged her again before getting into Melanie’s car with Mooch. He hoped that the small gesture conveyed everything he had no words for.