A Heart's Endeavor (12 page)

“Trooper Jones, ma’am. Please go back to the store. I’ll need to take your statement.”

Mel wasn’t about to argue. She pushed her feet into motion. By the time she reached the store and turned around the few onlookers that had gathered in a clump were gone. Traffic was running smoothly and she now sported a pounding headache.

Ten minutes later Trooper Jones came inside the store, and as she recounted her side of the story he wrote down all of the information on a little notepad he had pulled from his back pocket.

“Ma’am, do you realize what could have happened out there? Chasing down a twenty dollar gas drive-off isn’t worth risking your life.”

Mel deflated like a balloon. That thought had occurred to her. Now that someone else had pointed it out she felt downright stupid. Yes, she knew exactly what she had done, but it was the principal of the thing. The customer had lied to her face, and that’s what pissed her off. She had acted without thinking.

“Yes, I know, stupid, huh?” she said.

The man merely raised a brow at her observation.

Mel wasn’t keen on asking this particular question, but she did anyway. “Is Trooper Horan anywhere nearby?”
When he finds out about this he’ll blow a gasket for sure.

“He’s on the interstate, probably having heart failure right about now.”

That remark didn’t comfort Mel in the least.

Her dismay must have shown on her face because he added, on a friendlier note, “Hey, we all do things without thinking at times. Don’t sweat over it. Next time, just try and get the plate number or at least a description of the car and we’ll do the rest.” She saw his hazel eyes darken to a chocolate brown. “Bob needs to get his act together and set up a pre-pay for gas. I don’t know what he’s waiting for. There aren’t many gas stations in Pennsylvania that don’t have pre-pay.”

The rumble of a motorcycle interrupted the conversation. Mel assured Trooper Jones that she was okay and he went outside. She watched as he shook Bob’s hand. The two men talked for a while. By the tight set of Bob’s mouth Mel knew she was in trouble. He came into the store and flicked his fingers in a motion for her to follow him. They reached the office and he stepped aside for her to go ahead of him.

Mel sat down and twisted her hands in her lap. “I’m so sorry for causing such a commotion.”

Without a word, Bob left the office and returned with a cup of coffee. “Here, drink this, then I want you to go home and relax.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. “I mean it, Mel. Go home. I’ll stay with Stacy. Pull yourself together and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You mean you’re not firing me?”

Bob chuckled. “Now why would I fire the best employee I ever had?”

Mel exhaled a loud whoosh of relief.

“That doesn’t mean what you did was the right thing to do. I don’t expect you to chase down gas drive-offs, but I appreciate your dedication. I’ve put off a pre-pay system for far too long. Tomorrow, I’ll set the ball in motion. Cash customers must come inside and pay first. Credit cards can be used at the pumps.” He took the empty cup from her hands. “Now, go home.”

Chapter 11

Jack banged on the door and waited. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. If she didn’t answer soon, he’d shoot sky high. Damn! Why in blue blazes would she risk her life by chasing down a gas drive-off? Christ, if the guy had been drunk or high on drugs she could have been killed.

The door opened and he fought back the urge to gather her into his arms and kiss the stuffing out of her. She looked ruffled from sleep and downright sexy as hell in a pink satin nighty and matching robe. His cock rose to full salute at her bare feet and pink-polished toenails.
Down, boy. Now is not the time for fun.
He ground his jaw and pushed his way inside, giving Mel no other option but to back up into the kitchen.

“I heard what you did.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. “Don’t ever pull a stupid stunt like that again.”

Mel yanked out of his grasp. “My, it didn’t take long for your watch dogs to report, did it?”

Jack’s jaw twitched. Okay, she had him there. If he was busy with a case or had to go out on a call, he made certain at least one of the guys stopped by the store whenever she was working to check on her. If she considered that a problem they’d talk about it later, right now he could hardly see straight he was so angry. By the livid expression on her face she was too.

Mel crossed her arms over her chest. “I haven’t seen you since the day before yesterday and now you show up telling me what to do. I saw a wrong and I corrected it. The man fueled his car without paying.”

Jack clenched his fists at his sides. He so wanted to strangle her. “You could have gotten run over for twenty fucking dollars. And for your information, it’s not your job to chase someone for stealing. That’s my responsibility.”

Although angry, Jack bit back a smile at the sight of her standing in the middle of the kitchen with her blue eyes shooting daggers and her mouth clamped shut. Well, he’d be damned if he’d let her keep everything bottled up inside. He wasn’t Mike. If she had something to say then he’d rather she come right out and say it. It’d probably make her feel a hell of a lot better.

“What’s the matter, Mel? You want to yell at me? Hit me?” He made a sweeping gesture with his hands. “Go ahead and give me your worse.”

Her brows narrowed. No doubt about it. She was definitely fighting a battle between remaining calm and biting his head off. Either way she was going to get a sound spanking for taking at least ten years off his life.

Whatever she said or did wouldn’t piss him off any more than he was right now. All she needed was a little bit of a push. “You know I’m going to punish you for scaring the hell out of me. You might as well go for broke.”

* * * *

Punish her? Just who did he think he was? Mel clenched her teeth. He was standing there with that knowing grin on his face and those powerful arms crossed over his chest. Damn, she hated when he did that. He probably thought it made him look superior. Too bad it did.

“Damn you, Jack Horan, don’t you think I know what I did was stupid?” Her voice rose with each word. “I told Bob I wouldn’t do it again.” She screamed the words at him. Boy, it felt good to yell. Damn good. So good she was ready to do it again.

“Damn straight you won’t.”

Now that note of authority really ticked her off. She didn’t mind being bossed in the bedroom, but Jack Horan had another thing coming if he thought he could order her around any other time. “Don’t stand there and act all Neanderthal and tell me what to do. Where were you the past couple of days?” Shit, she hadn’t meant say that. She sounded like a jealous wife.

“Didn’t you read my note?”

Momentarily caught off guard by the question, and not sure how to respond, because he had indeed left a note, Mel pressed her lips together and remained silent.

He stepped closer, and she could feel the heat radiating from his body. “You thought I didn’t want to see you again because of the panic attack, didn’t you?”

Mel so wanted to kick herself. Mike would have reacted with such ignorance. But not Jack. Jack was different. He had proven time and time again that he wasn’t at all like Mike.

She swallowed hard. He sounded more hurt than angry. The sight of him in his full trooper regalia had her growing warm all over. God, he was hot. Judging from the tic bouncing along his jaw, his mood matched. This was not the carefree, happy man she had been with the past week.

All of a sudden he moved. Mel backed up a step, then another, but he kept on coming. She sidled along the cupboards and passed the refrigerator. The only place left was the living room or the bedroom. Mel knew she wouldn’t get past him so she darted to the opposite side of the oblong kitchen table. If he wanted her, he’d have to move the solid piece of furniture because she wasn’t budging. Her eyes widened when he reached for his gun.

“You’re not planning on shooting me, are you?” Talk about pushing one’s luck.

He looked disappointed. “No, Mel, I’m not going to shoot you. What I am going to do is give you a spanking.” He unbuckled his belt with all the trappings. “Maybe if I blister your bottom you’ll think twice before placing yourself in danger.”

Mel’s belly tightened.

“I don’t like what you did today, Melanie. You scared me half to death.” He laid the palms of his hands on the table and leaned forward. She automatically backed away and came up against the wall behind her. “Come here, sweetheart.”

Oh no. If he thought she’d bow her head and meekly lay across his lap, he was in for a big surprise. She was quite familiar with those powerful hands on a good day. No way in hell was she going to surrender when he was this angry. Under normal circumstances Mel trusted him not to hurt her, but at the moment he looked livid enough to inflict some type of painful retribution on her person. Specifically her backside.

His lips flattened into a thin line. “Honey, don’t make me come and get you.”

Blast, he was dead serious. Okay, now it was time to grovel. “I’m truly sorry for scaring you. L-let’s sit down and talk this over, shall we?”

The thunderous scowl on his face was answer enough. She wasn’t coming out of this unscathed. His nostrils flared like an angry bull she had seen on the nature channel once. Her eyes darted toward the bedroom door. Just three steps and she’d be bolted behind that solid piece of wood. Dark green eyes locked onto hers. It was as if he was trying to hypnotize her and make her remain where she was. She had to make a run for it.

Mel feigned a move to her left then lunged to her right, but Jack caught her neatly around the waist. He kicked out one of the chairs, sat down, and deposited her none too gently across his lap. She pummeled his legs and kicked out with her feet. “Jack Horan, you let me go this minute. I’m too old to be spanked like a child.”

Jack grabbed her hands and pinned them at the small of her back. “You’d never be too old for a spanking, young lady. Stop this kicking and remain still.” His tone was calm, but the firm note of authority warned Mel that he had reached his breaking point. “Keep fighting and I’ll lift up this flimsy nighty and bare your ass to my hand.” He gave her hands a light squeeze. “Care to put it to the test?”

No, Mel didn’t want to put it to a test. He had her pinned. She was in no position to fight.

He tapped her sharply on the ass. “Do we understand each other?”

His touch prompted a short nod and nothing else. Mel couldn’t form any words right now if her life depended on it.

“Good.” Jack relaxed his hold on her wrists and leaned back in the chair. “Now, I came here to deliver one punishment, but it would appear you have earned two.”

The casual manner in which he spoke made Mel gnash her teeth together. Blasted man was intent on making her sweat.

“Your first mistake was placing yourself in danger over something that was not your fault. Bob needs to get his shit together concerning those gas pumps. The second mistake was that you doubted me.”

Mel jerked as his free hand grazed along her bottom.

“Do you know how scared I was when the call came in about a woman standing in the middle of the road at the Grab ‘n’ Go?” he asked.
Smack
. “Then Jim radios me and tells me it’s you.”
Smack
. “Dammit, woman, I was stuck on the interstate checking for drugs while you were frolicking in the middle of the road.”

Mel reared her head and glared at him. “I was not frolicking. I was…ouch.” Clamping her mouth shut, she hung her head and concentrated on his black dress shoes. She refused to cry out as he delivered another slap. At the rate he was going she wouldn’t be able to sit for a week.

Three more whacks in swift succession then she was turned right side up. She winced when her butt connected with his hard thighs. Jack brushed the hair out of her eyes and wiped away her tears with his thumb. He tilted her chin. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, do you hear me? What made you pull such a crazy stunt?”

The word ‘crazy’ struck a sensitive chord in Mel. She wiggled out of his hold and fell to the floor. Jack bent down and reached for her, but she slapped at his hands.
Oh God, he thinks I’m crazy.
He needed to know the truth. They couldn’t go on this way. She couldn’t go on this way.

Without a word, she stood and went to the bedroom. Within seconds, she returned with a bottle clutched tightly in her hands. She tossed the bottle to Jack. He caught it smoothly and turned it over so the printed side was facing up. “What do these have to do with anything?”

Mel snorted her disbelief. Who was he kidding? “Can’t you read? You said I was crazy.” She jabbed a finger at the bottle in his hands. “Well, there’s the proof. I not only have panic attacks on occasion, I also have clinical depression.” She threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, and I forgot to mention OCD.”

“Obsessive compulsive disorder.”

Mel clapped her hands together in mock-glee. “That’s it. It would take me longer to check and make sure I unplugged my coffee pot and locked the door than it did to get dressed for work.” She paced the small kitchen. “Isn’t that a hoot?” She stopped directly in front of him and thrust out her chin. “I’ll understand if you want to leave.”

There, it was out. The shame of having to take a pill every day so she could function normally in society was laid at his feet. If he left, then so be it. She’d be alone again. She had handled loneliness once and she could do it again. Mel’s breath hitched. She didn’t want him to leave. She couldn’t do this alone anymore.

Jack set the bottle of pills on the table and took hold of her hands. He lifted them to his mouth and kissed each one of her knuckles. “I never said you were crazy. I asked what made you pull such a crazy stunt. There’s a big difference.”

Mel shook her head adamantly. “Not to me. I have to take those blasted pills every day.”

“So? I have type two diabetes. I have to take pills every day too.”

Mel eyed the bottle on the table as if it were a coiled snake ready to strike. “Not those kind.”