Betting on Love (6 page)

Lifting her chin to force the vulnerable feelings that washed over her to pass through, she peered into his cool eyes. Sincerity and warmth shown from their depths, and Melody found herself swallowing a knot that had formed in her throat.

“I wanted to thank you again for fixing the truck.”

He held her hand a bit too long, and Melody felt a thrill at the coarseness of his palm—proof that he was a man who didn’t shy away from hard work. She pulled her hand away and tried not to flinch as his kind gaze became almost more than she could bear. “Again, you’re welcome.”

Today of all days, she did not need to endure the kind side of Drew Wilson. She wanted the man to be normal with her, to fuss and fight with her, to do something that was not so attractive.

She gasped at the thought. The last thing she would think of Drew was that he was attractive. Sick with herself for the thought, she wiped her hand on her jeans and wrinkled her nose.

Drew’s expression changed. He must have thought she meant she was disgusted to have touched his hand. Fury swept across his face. A smile tickled the side of her mouth as she knew he was about to light into her.
Now that’s the Drew I need to see.

Lifting one eyebrow, she cocked her head. “Something wrong, Drew?”

“Not a thing.” Drew whipped around and walked out of the sanctuary.

To his credit, he didn’t fuss at her within the church’s walls, but she knew he wanted to. She smirked.
A good Christian wouldn’t get so bent out of shape so fast.

As she walked down the aisle to the door, she tried not think about the fact that Drew hadn’t given in to his anger but had walked out the door before saying an unkind word.

Melody woke up with a start. She flung off the covers and sat up, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Twisting her body, she allowed her legs to fall off the side of the bed. She placed her elbows on her knees and cupped her cheeks with her hands. She took long, slow breaths, in and out, in and out.

The nightmare had returned. This was the third time in only one week she’d awakened this way. It didn’t make sense why they would happen now. It had been over ten years since that day. She thought she’d gotten over it—put it in the back of her mind forever. And yet here it was—like the cobra being charmed out of its basket by the sound of the flutelike instrument—the nightmare had returned.

She could still smell his stale cigarette breath, still feel his firm, strong grasp. She’d never felt so alone, so scared, so vulnerable. Though she’d tried to fight him, in less than a moment, the man had complete control of her. He’d pushed her down in the bushes. When she remembered like this, she could still feel the small twigs break beneath her weight and the stronger ones claw at her back.

Just above her tailbone, she’d hit a root from a tree that towered just a few feet away. The deep bruise it made stayed with her in color and in pain for nearly a month. When she tried to scream, he’d cupped her mouth with one hand and blew into her face trying to shush her. His breath had parted her bangs, and droplets of his spit smacked her eyes.

Fear she’d never known gripped her as she realized with each breath that he had more and more control of her.
How could this be happening? This isn’t happening,
raced through her mind time and again.

Then as quickly as he’d attacked her, he was gone. A blond-haired woman with a little baby in a stroller in front of her reached her hand down to Melody. She held some kind of black device in her other hand. It looked like a container of mace.

“Let me help you,” the woman said as she brushed leaves and twigs out of Melody’s face. Panic, embarrassment, and fear wrapped themselves around her again, and Melody pushed the woman away and raced back to her house. She’d locked the door and shoved a chair beneath the doorknob until her mother got home.

Blowing the memories out with a long breath, she padded out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. She turned on lukewarm water and washed her face. Opening her eyes, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked tired. She
was
tired.

She didn’t want this nightmare to come back. Though she had begrudged the money she spent on it, Melody was able to convince her mother to enroll her in a self-defense class after that day. Melody knew how to defend herself. She knew when and how to fight and get away. If anyone ever caught her off guard again, she was prepared.
Of course, I’ll never allow myself to be caught off guard again.

Thankful that it was morning, even if it was a bit earlier than she’d intended to wake up and the sun had not yet made its appearance, Melody brushed her teeth and her hair then slipped on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Not ready for breakfast, she walked outside to Aunt Renee’s garden.

The small plants had grown so much. She knelt beside the cucumbers, her designated row, and pulled weeds that had started to grow around them. She and her aunt had to be consistent in plucking the weeds out of the garden. The vegetables wouldn’t be able to grow if the unwanted foliage overtook them.

She wanted the nightmare out of her mind, but while plucking the weeds, she began to wonder if she would always deal with that particular mental weed—if she would continuously have to fight the fear of what could have happened.

Sometimes she didn’t feel strong enough. She’d never admit that aloud. Everyone believed she was strong enough for anything, and she wanted them to believe that. But there were times, like this morning, that she wanted nothing more than to succumb to the fear she felt.

“You’re out bright and early.”

Melody jumped at the sound of Aunt Renee’s voice behind her. She turned and stood, forcing a smile to her face. “Yep. I woke up early.”

Her aunt waved her hand across the garden. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”

Melody looked down. She had weeded a lot more than she’d realized. She must have been deep in thought. She chuckled. “I suppose I have.”

“You wanna make some pancakes before the girls come to get you?”

Melody sucked in her breath and covered her mouth with her hand. “I completely forgot.”

“How could you forget a shopping trip?” Her aunt winked and wrapped her arm around Melody’s shoulders as she guided her toward the back door. “They’re coming at eight, right?”

“Yeah.” Melody looked heavenward, realizing the sun had already risen.
How could I have possibly missed a sunrise? I must be losing my mind.
“What time is it?”

“It’s a little after seven.” Aunt Renee opened the back door and guided her inside. “Why don’t I make the pancakes while you go get cleaned up?”

Melody stopped, placed her hand on her hip, and grinned at her aunt. “Are you suggesting I don’t look good enough for a shopping trip?”

“Not suggesting, honey. I’m telling you straight-out.”

Melody laughed as she made her way to the hall bathroom again.

“Maybe keep your hair down today. It’s so beautiful,” her aunt’s voice sounded from the kitchen.

Melody didn’t respond. She almost never wore her hair down in public. She didn’t want to look girlish or vulnerable, as she sometimes felt. After a quick shower, she put on fresh clothes and brushed and blow-dried her long, dark hair. It was pretty. Thick and wavy, heavy as it could possibly be. Taking a deep breath, she decided she’d let it fall down her back as her aunt suggested.

She opened the drawer to put her brush away and spied the mascara she’d used for Addy’s wedding. A little brightening of the eyes might not hurt either. After all, she was going shopping with friends. Before she could change her mind, she swiped on a coat of the black stuff and then surveyed her reflection. She looked a lot more feminine, but she still felt like herself. A part of her actually enjoyed it.
Wonder what Drew would think….

Ugh. She wanted to knot her hair into the tightest bun possible and scrub the mascara from her eyes at the thought. She refused to care what Drew Wilson thought about her appearance. The man drove her crazy.

She walked out of the bathroom and back to the kitchen.

“Well, lookie here!” Uncle Roy jumped up from his seat and hugged Melody. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Prettiest girl I’ve seen in a long time.”

Aunt Renee wiped her hands on a dish towel. She walked to Melody and pushed a long strand of hair over her shoulder. “Honey, you are absolutely beautiful. And such a natural beauty, too.”

Melody’s cheeks warmed at her aunt and uncle’s praise. She rarely received compliments about her appearance. They usually came in the form of her mechanical abilities. She couldn’t deny their words felt nice.

“Thank you.” Trying to change the topic, she pointed to the pancakes on the table. “These mine?”

Her aunt nodded, and Melody slid into the chair and swallowed down two pancakes before she heard Gracie pull into the driveway. She hopped up and placed her plate in the sink. “Thanks, Aunt Renee.”

“You have fun.”

Her aunt’s words sounded from behind as she raced out the door. Gracie’s whistle pealed through the air when Melody stepped off the front porch. “Look at you!” she squealed.

Melody’s face warmed as she walked to the car and slipped inside. “I don’t look
that
different.”

“Oh yes you do, and this settles it.” She flipped a strand of Melody’s hair. “We’re going to find you a cute outfit or two while we’re out. You’re entirely too pretty to wear coveralls, faded blue jeans, and old T-shirts all the time.”

Melody rolled her eyes. “Just go pick up Addy and her friend. What’s the girl’s name?”

“Val. She and Addy were roommates in college. You’ll love her.”

Melody nodded and stared out the window. This morning she’d had the nightmare that had terrorized her too many times already in her life. Now she was going shopping with a group of girls who wanted to transform her into a pretty woman. It seemed the most ridiculous thing she could do, and yet she wanted to change. She wanted to feel different. Maybe a change in the way she looked would do the trick and help her put the past behind her.

When they pulled into Addy and Nick’s driveway, Melody jumped out of the car and raced to the front porch to give Addy a hug. She hadn’t seen her friend since her wedding. Taking in Addy’s beautiful, long, blond hair and glowing green eyes, Melody smirked at her. “Someone sure looks happy.”

Addy bit her bottom lip and giggled. “Being married is a lot of fun.”

The tall, thin woman with bright red hair clipped in the shortest, spikiest hairstyle Melody had ever seen extended her hand. “You must be Melody. I’m Val, Addy’s roommate from college.”

Addy moved her eyebrows up and down. “I hear we’re doing a bit of a makeover on someone today.” Melody giggled, a sound she never thought would come from her own lips. “Believe it or not, I’m going to let you.”

Addy clapped her hands then brushed her fingers through Melody’s hair. She looked at her friend, Val. “With her dark hair and eyes, she’d be beautiful in yellow. Don’t you think, Val? I’ve always wanted to wear yellow, but I’m too fair.”

“Oh, and soft pink. She’ll look gorgeous,” Val added.

Melody felt dizzy as they led her to Gracie’s car. “What were we going shopping for to begin with?” she asked as the three women continued to talk about the colors Melody should wear.

“Sweetie, we were going to try to make you over all along.” Gracie smacked the top of the steering wheel. “We thought it would be a battle, but you’re already willing. Wonders never cease.”

“Amen, sister.” Addy lifted her hand for Gracie to give her a high five.

“God is always working, even with the small stuff,” Val added.

Melody’s body stiffened. It was always about God with these people in River Run. Even with Addy’s friend it was about God. She didn’t need God, and He definitely wasn’t involved in the small stuff.

She closed her eyes. She wouldn’t let the little comments ruin her day. She needed a change—something to get her mind off her past. She’d enjoy acting like a girl. For today anyway.

As they did at least once a month, Drew’s parents invited Roy and Renee, Nick and Addy, and Melody to their house for a cookout. He’d felt anxious about seeing Melody again. She’d seemed pressed on his heart all week. The girl needed Jesus. It was as obvious as a car’s need for gas. Today, Drew was determined to keep the peace with the woman and be a good witness to her.

Roy and Renee pulled into the driveway. Drew could hardly believe his eyes when Melody stepped out of the car. She didn’t even look like herself. Her hair cascaded like a waterfall almost all the way to her stomach on one side. Even from a distance, he could see long dark eyelashes framing chocolate-colored eyes. She wore a light pink sundress and carried a small purse in her left hand. Even at the wedding, she hadn’t carried any kind of purse.

The woman was a vision. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind since Sunday, having felt her inner struggle with God. Now, he’d never be able to get how beautiful she was out of his head either.

“Do you need some help carrying anything?” Drew hollered to Renee.

“Come get the deviled eggs,” she called back.