Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise) (24 page)

These days, she and Cal
came as a package deal, she thought with a small smile as she unobtrusively
glanced at the clock on her cell phone.  Speaking of her protective boyfriend,
she’d texted him a few minutes ago while Austin had excused himself to the
gentleman’s room and asked him to pick her up in half an hour.  Her time was
almost up since she knew her man was nothing if not punctual, a holdover
quality from his time in the military.  Callum had never been late for anything
since the day she’d met him.  If anything, he had an alarming habit of being
early for everything.  Tonight, however, she actually kind of dreaded seeing
him.

Because she knew, no
matter what she said, he was going to be angry that she hadn’t confided in him
about that stupid note under her windshield.  It was almost eerie that a few
hours ago she’d gotten another one slipped under the door of the locked store
door while she’d been shelving a box of inventory this afternoon.  And this one
had been even scarier.

I’m tired of
watching.  It’s time for some action.

Swallowing hard as she
remembered finding the folded paper with her name scrawled in what she really
hoped was thick red ink. 

She’d had the
forethought not to touch the note with her hands, instead, picking it up with a
pair of tweezers she’d had in her desk.  The stupid scare tactic was now in a
plastic baggy in her purse, waiting to be shown to Cal.

“Miss Melody?” she
heard Sunshine call.  “Mr. Jackson…I mean, Austin,” she self-corrected quickly,
‘He’s said that he’s good.  Did you want anything else?”

“No,” Melody answered
quickly, shaking her head.  “Just the check.”

Frowning when Austin’s
fingers reached the bill first, she held out her open hand.  “Give,” she
ordered.  “If Cal finds out another man paid for my meal, I’ll never hear the
end of it,” she warned.

Austin merely raised
his eyebrows and shook his head.  “And if my seventy-year-old mother hears that
you
paid, I’ll catch hell from now until forever.  I’m paying.”

Both Melody and
Sunshine laughed at that, and Melody couldn’t deny that mother trumped
boyfriend.  Nodding at Cal, she murmured her thanks as he quickly handed over a
few bills to Sunshine and ordered her to keep the change.

“Thank y’all!” Sunshine
said with an appreciative smile as she took a step back from the table.  “Y’all
have a good night.”

“You, too, sweetie. 
Either Austin or I will call you this weekend to let you know what time we’ll
be training on the computer system,” Melody said as she rose from her chair,
shrugging on her coat and hooking her purse strap over her arm. 

“Yes, ma’am.  I can’t
wait,” Sunshine smiled, her entire face lighting up at her enthusiasm.

Chuckling, Melody
nodded, waving at the woman as Austin followed her out of the café.  Turning to
look at the tall man, she shot him another smile.  “Austin, I can’t wait for us
to work together.  I just know we can make Hooks and Books a huge success.”

“I’m grateful for the
chance, Miss Reardon,” Austin said again.

“Melody,” she corrected
him for the third time of the evening with an exasperated look.  “My boyfriend
always parks across the way,” she said, nodding across the street.  “The lot
has always been packed every time we’re here so it’s just habit for us to use
that lot now.”

“I’ll walk you to the
edge, Melody.  I’d just feel better if you see your car before I go get in
mine,” Austin grunted as he followed her to the edge of the road.

Melody nodded, hurrying
toward the mostly darkened street in front of the diner.  Spotting Cal leaning
against his truck, she waved at him.  “There’s Cal,” she informed Austin,
shivering as a chilly wind blew over them.  “I’ll call you tomorrow and set up
a time to meet and discuss our training schedule.  Have a good night, Austin.”

“You, too,” he
returned, taking a step back as she stepped out into the road.

She made it halfway
across the deserted street when the bright headlights blinded her.  Freezing as
she turned her head to see a vehicle barreling down the road toward her, she
distantly heard Austin’s deep voice yelling at her to run as Cal’s agonized
shout tore through the night.  The body was a strange thing, though, and in
those moments, Melody understood perfectly the phrase ‘paralyzed by fear’.  She
quite literally couldn’t force her legs to move as the sound of the vehicle
coming toward her grew nearer and nearer.

Seconds later, she was
distantly aware of something hitting her with the force of a cannon. 

And after that, as her
head connected with pavement, there was only darkness.

When she woke up, he
was pretty sure he was going to kill her.

And at his murder
trial, when the judged asked him why he’d done it, he was going to turn his
head, look the fuckin’ jury of his peers in the eyes and tell them all with
unequivocal certainty his defense was simple.  She’d had it coming.

He’d decided that it
would be an open and shut case; no court in the land would convict him.

Shifting in the
uncomfortable plastic chair he’d dragged to her bedside, his eyes skated over her
face.  Scratched and bruised, it hurt him to see it now. 

Reaching out a hand to
gently stroke the strip of uninjured skin above the gash in her forehead, he
reminded himself that the doctor had said she was going to be okay.  Sore from
her fall and blow to the head and groggy from the drugs she’d been
administered, but okay in the long run. 

At first, he’d been
doubtful.  Melody’s head wound had left her covered in her own blood, and at
first glance, it had looked like she was dying, but the doc on call tonight had
quickly assured him that the wound was mostly superficial.  Yeah, she had a
concussion, but compared to what could have happened, she was lucky.   He’d
questioned the guy running the ER tonight within an inch of his life because
while the man might have been Paradise’s reigning star obstetrician, he was a
far cry from the trauma doctor Cal had hoped would look after the woman he
loved.  He’d found out quickly, however, that Dr. Mack Daniels knew his shit. 
The doc might choose practice in obstetrics, but he ran a damn tight ship in
the small emergency room.  Nurses had rushed to do his bidding as he’d barked
commands and ordered tests for an unconscious Melody.

In the end, she’d
roused for a few moments, answering a few questions to insure there was no
brain damage while Cal had held her hand tightly in his, refusing to let her
go.  After Dr. Daniels was sure she’d suffer no lasting damage, he’d given her
something for the pain that had knocked her back out.   

And that brought him to
now…sitting here, reliving the memory of watching that car rocket toward her,
knowing he’d never be able to make it to her in time.  It had nearly killed him
to watch that happen.  And if that guy she’d hired hadn’t pushed Melody out of
the way, Cal knew he would have lost her.

And THAT would have
ended him.

Which was why he wanted
to wrap his hands around her neck and strangle her… just as soon as she opened
those gorgeous chocolate eyes and looked at him.  He still wasn’t sure how he
could love her so fucking much while being this furious with her.

Furious because she’d
been keeping secrets from him… secrets that very well might have nearly gotten
her killed.

A-fucking-gain!

He’d learned about
those not-so-little secrets when he’d been going through her purse searching
for her insurance card and found not one, but
two
threatening notes
inside her handbag, one of them neatly wrapped in a plastic baggy as though
she’d been preserving it for the police.

As soon as she opened
those pretty eyes of hers, he’d be demanding some answers.

Well, right after he
kissed her.  And damn, he had to admit, he badly needed that kiss, he thought,
staring at her scraped face.  She’d had other bruises, too; the impact of being
knocked off her feet by a two hundred plus pound man would leave more than a
few marks, but Austin Jackson had saved her life.

And he really needed to
check on that guy.  He owed the man more than he’d ever be able to repay for
saving Melody’s life when he couldn’t.  The car had clipped him when it had
sailed past them, and last he heard, Dr. Daniels had ordered an X-ray of the
guy’s leg to make sure nothing was broken.  He knew the Sheriff was also
somewhere in the hospital, taking statements from both Austin and one of the
waitresses that had witnessed the hit and run.  He needed to find Zeke and talk
to him about those fuckin’ notes Melody had received, too.

“Hey, how is she?” he
heard as a low, gravelly voice asked from behind him.  Turning in his chair, he
saw Austin Jackson leaning heavily against the doorframe of Melody’s room, his
head leaned in to try to see around him to where his new boss lay in the bed.

“Austin, right?” Cal
greeted the younger man as he rose quickly to meet him, extending his hand. 
“I’m Cal Valentine.  Melody’s man.  You okay?” he asked, looking down at the
other guy’s leg. 

“Just pulled a tendon
in my knee.  They wrapped it; I’ll be fine.  I’m more concerned about the Boss
Lady,” Austin stated, his deep voice concerned.  “Did she ever wake up?” he
asked in a quiet voice.  “Honest to God, man, I didn’t mean to take her down so
hard, but I was so intent on getting her out of the way, that…”

“Austin,” Cal
interrupted calmly, hearing the apology and worry clouding the man’s voice,
“You saved her life when I couldn’t.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am to
you.”

“I hurt her,” Austin
muttered, staring at the tiled floor beneath their feet.  “I’d just got done
tellin’ her how much I’d changed… how I wasn’t dangerous to anybody.  She was
the only one willing to take a chance on me,” he said hoarsely.

“Son, did you not hear
me?  You
saved
her life.  The doc says she’s gonna recover just fine
once she wakes up from all the good drugs they’ve pumped into her.  And I’m
pretty sure you’re gonna have job security with my woman for life.  If not, you
can come work at my gym until the day you die if you want.”

Looking up at Cal,
Austin’s grey eyes seemed to lighten.  “You know me?  My history, I mean?”

“Yep.  I make it a
habit to know everything I can about any man goin’ near my woman.  Especially
the single ones.  I know your story.  You got a shit deal, Austin.  You’re just
a good man that was forced to do a bad thing for the right reasons.  You never
should have served time.  Melody and I agree on that.”

Nodding, Austin’s gaze
moved from a resting Melody to Cal.  “Thank you for that,” he acknowledged
softly.  “You should know that I’m real grateful to Melody for the chance she’s
giving me, but I learned in the joint that you never step freely into another
man’s territory so I gotta ask… you good with me working with her?”

Cal smiled, instantly
liking the other man and feeling bad that he’d given Melody shit for wanting to
hire the guy.  “I wasn’t,” he said truthfully, “But I wasn’t gonna be okay with
any
swinging dick near my girl.  You proved tonight that you aren’t just
any
dick, man.  You’re a stand-up guy.  I’ll rest a little easier
knowing she’s got you around to watch her back when she’s there at night. 
Especially after seeing how quickly you reacted tonight.”

“Yeah,” Austin
grunted.  “You kinda have to develop some catlike reflexes on the inside or the
consequences are pretty nasty.”

Cal nodded again,
darting another look toward the bed where Melody still rested.  “I gotta see
the Sheriff, man.  Would you mind staying with her for a few minutes?”

Austin nodded.  “Sure. 
Sheriff Zeke was in the waiting room with Sunshine taking her statement.  I
offered to take her home, but she seemed to want to stay and make sure Melody
was okay and she said she had her own car.  I think it rattled the poor girl
pretty badly.  She watched the whole thing from the window, but like me,
couldn’t tell any helpful details about the car.”

“Don’t feel bad about
that, I think everybody watching was more concerned for you and Melody than
trying to remember what the car looked like.  I’ll give Sunshine the all clear
to go home, though, and I’ll make this quick so that you can get off your feet
and get some rest, too.”

“Don’t worry about me,”
Austin dismissed him.  “I’m fine.”

Cal thanked the man,
grabbed the notes from Melody’s purse and headed toward the door.  He found
Zeke exactly where Austin had indicated.  Joining the man in the waiting room,
Cal forced himself to smile at the tiny black haired girl that Melody had hired
last week.  “Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted her gently.  “I just came out to let
you know that Melody is going to be completely fine.  They’ve patched her up
and she’s resting now.  I’ll take her home tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank God,”
Sunshine whispered shakily, her eyes tearing up.  “It looked so awful, Mr.
Cal.  I just felt so helpless standing there, watching it all happen in front
of me. ”

“That makes two of us,
kid,” Cal offered with a sympathetic smile.  He knew exactly how she felt, only
instead of wanting to cry, he wanted to find who’d done this and eviscerate
them.

“You’re sure she’s
gonna be okay?” Sunshine asked again.

“Positive,” Cal
confirmed.

“I told you so,” Zeke
murmured, patting the girl’s fragile back.  “Now will you let one of my
deputies drive you home?  I’ll make sure your car gets delivered later
tonight.”

“Cops coming to my
house?” Sunshine laughed humorlessly.  “Not a good idea, Sheriff.  It’ll just
cause problems with Billy, and all I want to do is go home and cuddle with
Zara.  I promise, I’m fine to drive.”

“How ‘bout I just have
a deputy follow you?  I’ll tell him not to stop when you get to the trailer,
but both Honor and I want to make sure you arrive safely,” Zeke bargained
smoothly.

“It’d probably make
Melody feel a lot better, too,” Cal interjected, trying to help out Zeke.

Sunshine slowly
nodded.  “Okay.  For Honor and Miss Melody,” she allowed, obviously reluctant,
but unwilling to argue with the two men as she gathered her sweater and
billfold.  “Is it okay to call tomorrow and check in on her, Mr. Cal?” the girl
asked hopefully, her wide dark eyes pleading with him.

“Sure, sweetheart. 
She’d like that,” Cal agreed gently, desperately wanting to help protect the
fragile looking creature standing in front of him.  She looked so young and
vulnerable, and not for the first time, he was glad that Honor, and now Melody,
had taken the kid under their collective wings.  She looked like she needed the
umbrella, he privately thought as he listened to Zeke rumble into the radio he
kept strapped to his belt. 

“Deputy Hanson is
waiting by your car, Sunny,” Zeke said with easy familiarity.  “No speeding and
call Honor when you get home,” he directed.

“Yes,
Dad
,”
Sunshine mocked lightly, kissing Zeke on the cheek and nodding toward Cal as
she left.

Watching the kid
disappear into the hallway, Cal sighed.  “That kid needs help,” he muttered,
remembering the ugly bruise she’d sported last week.  It was fading now, but it
was still glaringly clear that Sunshine was in a dangerous situation… one she
didn’t want to share.

“Yeah, we’re working on
that,” Zeke muttered heavily, watching Sunshine go.

Taking a deep breath,
Cal focused his attention on the biggest problem he faced right now.  There’d
be time to worry about Sunshine’s situation later.  “You got any leads on who
tried to kill my woman?” he asked bluntly. 

“Only that it was a
four door dark sedan, Cal.  I can’t even verify if it was a man or woman
driving,” Zeke shared unhappily.  “Could be it was just some drunk driver or
overzealous kid out for a joyride.  Might not have been intentional, man.  This
could be just a case of wrong place, wrong time.”

Cal scoffed as he shook
his head.  “Don’t think so, Sheriff,” he growled, handing over both notes to
the other man.  “Those indicate otherwise,” he stated with a nod toward the two
notes in the plastic baggy.  “Seems my woman hasn’t exactly been forthcoming on
the threats she’s been receiving.  AGAIN!”

“Shit,” Zeke cursed,
taking a closer look at the items inside the bag.  “I swear to God, our women
are determined to drive us insane!  I’m gonna have the county test the town’s
damned water supply for a chemical that makes the females in this town
downright stubbornly stupid!”  Flashing Cal a glare, he pointed a finger at
him.  “Do NOT tell Honor I said that.  The woman’s already threatening to evict
me from her house, and I still don’t have the first lead on who the fuck is
hunting
my
woman.”

Despite the grim look
of things, Cal chuckled.  Mostly because he’d be saying the same thing about
Melody if he’d been the one making the comment.  He totally understood where
Zeke was coming from.  “I’ll keep my mouth shut if you pull Brad Weller in to
the station and question him about his whereabouts tonight.  Seriously, Zeke,
either you get in his face, or I will.  I’m thinking if you do it, it’ll be a
lot less violent than if I do it.”

Zeke nodded.  “I’ve
already called Knoxville’s chief and got a man trackin’ him down, but Cal, I’ve
seen a lot of crime go down.  This doesn’t feel like a masculine crime. 
Men…when they want to hurt a woman… they make it physical.  Almost like they
want
to get their hands dirty.  Women, however, well, they like a little
distance between them and their crimes.  You know, they stick with things like
poisoning.  Hit and runs,” he educated Cal pointedly.  “See where I’m going
with this?”

Cal nodded slowly as he
frowned.  “Melody hasn’t mentioned any women that she’s made an enemy of, but
I’ll definitely ask her when she wakes up.  Shouldn’t be much longer.  The doc
said those drugs would wear off in about four hours.  She’s been here three. 
At any rate, I wouldn’t doubt that this has Brad’s handprints all over it.  The
guy is a pussy.  I’m half convinced he has a vagina.  Wouldn’t surprise me to
learn that he did this.  My non-surprise doesn’t mean I won’t kill him though,
Zeke.  If he hurt my Melody again…”