The Past Came Hunting (27 page)

Chapter Thirty-four

Inside one of two cars gracing Coronado’s dark, abandoned parking lot, Mel sat waiting for Luke to finish his workout.

Not one other player had shown up for open gym.

Who could blame them? Two days before Christmas, most likely they were with family and friends. Not so for Luke or Coach Hood. Luke wanted to make up for his lapse in judgment. The coach obviously planned to let him.

She glanced at her watch. By now, Karen Crandall’s plane had touched down. Had Joe taken one look at his ex-wife and daughter and wondered how he’d ever let them go? Had he and Karen looked longingly into each other’s eyes and felt the rekindling of a love gone bad?

Weighed down by depression, Mel sighed. She had to stop this negative thinking. She had no claim on Joe, and after the humiliating scene outside his office, as well as her drunken abandonment of common sense last night, she doubted he would speak to her even in passing.

She remembered Karlee and Chloe bringing her home last night, and vaguely remembered Joe discovering them in her front yard. What she couldn’t remember were the events that followed afterward, or why she’d awoken in her bedroom. With her head threatening to split wide open, she’d sat up carefully to find herself minus her clothes, with her jeans and sweater folded neatly on her cedar chest. On the nightstand beside her, two aspirins and a glass of water were waiting, along with Joe’s note, “Feel better.”

Oh, God.
While she lay passed out, he’d undressed her, which had reminded her of the night he’d brought her to climax. Her heart had ached at the unfairness of life, and she’d pressed her fingertips to her temples and resisted a groan.

A knock on the Corolla’s passenger window pulled her from her mortification. She unlocked the door and Luke slid in beside her. “Hey, Mom. Headache?”

Mel blinked. Amazingly not. She’d downed the pills and water the moment she spotted them. “No, just tired,” she said. Luke obviously hadn’t taken the time to shower. She cracked a window. “How about you?”

“Beat. Coach and I played one on one. Holy cow, Mom, he’s awesome. I can’t tell you how many times he stuffed me.”

It was nice to see Luke smile. “Feel like driving?” she asked.

In a few months, Luke officially would have his driver’s license. He needed supervised hours to complete the training.

“Sure,” he said.

Luke did a good job of negotiating the short distance to their house and Mel relaxed. She had gifts to wrap, among them a tie clasp and cuff links she’d purchased for Simon. After their last dismal encounter, the warden hadn’t called much. Mel planned to invite him up for Christmas dinner and hopefully place their friendship back on track.

As Luke veered onto Serendipity, a car pulled into Joe’s drive. Suddenly the headache she hadn’t felt made itself known. Talk about awful luck. The entire Crandall clan had arrived.

“Cool,” Luke said, placing the Corolla into park. “Matt’s home.”

Cool?
Mel did everything but slink down in the seat.

“You coming, Mom?”

Damn
.

She gathered her purse. “In a moment, sweetheart. I dropped something.”

Matt tore out of the backseat of Joe’s Crown Victoria and dashed over to join his friend, while a woman and girl got out of the car. Joe popped the trunk and began unloading luggage. All this Mel noticed through the corner of her eye. No way in hell would she be caught staring.

Intent on giving a friendly wave and making a dash for her front door, she climbed out of the car.

“Mrs. Norris?”

Heart thudding, Mel turned to see a dark-haired woman approach. With Luke and Matt hovering close by, an adolescent girl in tow, the woman extended her hand. “I’m Matt’s mom. I’ve heard so much about you, I wanted to introduce myself.”

Stunned, Mel held out her own.

Joe stood in the background, arms loaded with luggage.

“Karen Crandall,” the woman said, shaking Mel’s hand. “Luke is all Matty talks about.”

“Vice versa, Mrs. Crandall. Very nice to meet you.”

“Karen, please.”

It didn’t take daylight to see that Karen was beyond attractive. Joe’s ex-wife was a statuesque brunette, had straight white teeth, perfectly applied makeup and not a hair out of place.

She appeared to be sizing Mel up as well. Arching an eyebrow, she said, “No one mentioned that you were gorgeous. This is my daughter Trish.”

A thin girl around eleven or so stood close to her mom. With dark hair and eyes, Trish Crandall would grow to be the likeness of her mother.

“Hi, Trish,” Mel said.

“Hi,” the girl replied. “Mommy, I’m cold. I’m going inside. I want to see my new room.”

“Sure, sweetie.”

Mel shifted uneasily. With Karen and Trish in Chicago, it was easy to forget Joe’s additional responsibilities. Up close and personal, reality hit her squarely between the eyes.

Karen returned her gaze to Mel’s as Joe carried the bags into the house. “Joe said you’ve been helping Matty with his homework. I’m very grateful.”

Finding it difficult to speak, Mel also found it hard to dislike this woman. “It’s been my pleasure,” she said, rediscovering her voice. “Matt’s the best friend Luke’s ever had.”

“You know these two have been plotting.” Karen grinned.

“About?”

“Matt’s been begging me to let Luke come skiing with us.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Mel shook her head, noting Joe had reappeared and made his way toward them. Ignoring her knotting stomach, she said, “This is family time, and it’s the holidays.”

“Ordinarily I’d agree,” Karen said. “But have you ever been trapped with a bored teenager on the slopes? You’d be doing me a huge favor if you’d let Luke come along.” She hesitated. “I promise to have him home before Christmas.”

Daring a glance at Joe, Mel asked, “But what about Trish?”

Joe met her gaze, then quickly looked away. Mel was surprised at how badly his cold shoulder hurt.

“She’ll be fine. She’ll be skiing with Joe and me most of the time anyway, and we’ll be playing a ton of board games at night.”

Joe and me
.
Ouch
. Accepting the fact, Mel nodded. “Joe?”

“If it’s okay with Karen, sure,” he said.

“Great, then, it’s settled. Thank you. Hey, you two,” Karen called, then sauntered toward the boys. “Good news.”

As Matt and Luke’s excited whoops filled the air, Mel endured the loneliness of being the outsider.

Out of Karen’s earshot, Joe asked, “How are you feeling?”

Her gaze drifted back to his. No doubt he referred to last night’s binge. Heat stung her cheeks. “I’m fine, thanks. I should get inside.”

“Mel?”

She stopped, but Joe seemed as tongue-tied as she. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said at last.

The pain on his face nearly undid her. What was he sorry for? That his career had to come first? That his feelings for her had been a lie? That he realized he still cared about his ex-wife? “Enjoy your family,” she said, and darted for her front door.

Chapter Thirty-five

After an exhausting day of skiing, Joe led his daughter to a bench outside their cabin to help her remove her snow boots. The other three in their group made the trek from the Chevy Tahoe that Karen had rented to the three-bedroom A-frame cabin nestled among the snowy pines. In truth, the day had been glorious. Sun, fresh powder and almost no wait at the chairlifts.

Luke’s athleticism had served him well. He’d caught on to skiing like a pro and had gone from snowplowing to advanced technique in no time.

Wrapping his arms around his daughter, Joe said, “You’re a speed demon, you know that? Tomorrow, take it easy on your old man.”

She giggled. “Tomorrow, Daddy, we switch to the
black
trails.”

Joe narrowed his gaze and tweaked her nose. The girl had no fear. “We’ll see.”

Removing his ski boots, Joe switched to hiking shoes, then noticed Karen struggling with hers. “Need some help?”

She tugged off her cap, allowing her dark shoulder-length hair to tumble free. “Would you? I’m a little sore.” She glanced toward their daughter, who now, free of the heavy footwear, had engaged in a snowball fight with Matt and Luke. “It appears I’m not eleven anymore.”

Joe took in her shapely curves. She certainly wasn’t.

Amid squeals and yelps of the warring kids, he lifted Karen’s leg. Resting her calf on his knee, he unfastened the boot buckles, then pulled. Even in bulky stretch pants he made out her well-defined legs. Karen took pride in her looks and had always stayed in good shape. A divorce and a move to Chicago had proved no exception.

Rotating her ankle, she leaned back and lifted her face to the afternoon sun. “Oh, that feels good.”

Joe didn’t trust the seductive tone in her voice. She’d fallen a couple of times today. Naturally he’d stopped to help her. What bothered him was that Karen had taught him to ski. He tried to curb his suspicion, cautioning himself that she was simply rusty.

His distrust was cut short by a snowball hitting him in the back. With Karen laughing and looking on, Joe joined in the war zone between his aggressors and soon emerged the snow-covered loser.

Later, when he walked inside, Karen had changed into slacks and a tight-fitting silk pullover. The smell of chicken vegetable soup and cornbread filled the rustic cabin. The kids meandered to the lofts upstairs, challenging one another to a game of Monopoly.

“Hungry?” Karen asked.

“Famished,” Joe said. “I’d like to eat before I get a move on.”

She stopped spooning the soup into bowls and set the ladle aside. “You were serious.”

“What about?”

“About not staying the nights?”

His gaze fell to her breasts which filled out the top spectacularly. “Very.”

As she spread honey and butter onto the cornbread, a drop fell to her fingers. She licked it off, then turned her gaze on his. “And if I don’t want you to go?”

Years ago, a ploy like this would have had him carrying her to their bed. He smiled, but it lacked humor. “What are you up to, Karen?”

“If we ski all day, when will we have time to talk?”

“Is that what you want to do? Talk?”

“Of course. We have children to discuss.”

“I’m listening.”

She pursed her lips, a gesture that after thirteen years of marriage he was well acquainted with. “Do you ever...”

“Ever?”

“Why are you making this so difficult?”

He clenched his jaw. One would think after four years he could let this all go. Still he’d never forget how he’d felt when he’d followed her to the Antlers Doubletree and discovered her taking an elevator up to a room with the rich Dr. Bryant. Had she thought about Joe’s comfort? Hell no. But past was past, and they did have children together.

He took a seat on the bar stool. “What is it you want to say, Karen?”

She joined him at an adjoining stool. “I made a mistake.”

Joe was suddenly void of all appetite.

“You know that saying, ‘the grass is always greener’? Well, it’s true. You and I had a good thing, and I blew it. I’d hoped this ski trip might be a way for us to rediscover each other.”

“What about Mark?” Joe asked.

A flush fell over her face and she lowered her head. “I think the grass will
always
be greener for him.”

Ah. The truth. Guess it was time for Joe to be honest as well. “You’re one of the sexiest women I’ve ever known. It’d be a lie to say I don’t desire you. But I’m not in love with you anymore, K.”

“I see.” She looked to the ceiling and blew out a breath. “Is there someone else?”

He thought of Mel and the passion she ignited in him, but hesitated to share that with Karen. “I want there to be, but no. We’ve got too many barriers between us.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “We’re a hopeless pair, aren’t we?” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “No more games, Joe, I promise. I respect you too much to toy with your feelings.”

“I appreciate that, K.” He hugged her back.

“These barriers...”

“Yeah?”

“Just make sure they really exist. Life’s too short.”

Later, as Joe drove the winding route from Breckenridge to Colorado Springs, Karen’s advice weighed on him. Was she right? Was there a way for Mel and him to be together? Solutions weren’t exactly forthcoming. She would be forever an ex-con, and he a cop who had no intention of ending his career.

“Melanie, are you sure about this?”

Mel pushed a plate of sugar cookies across the table to Lenora Sims. “Absolutely not, but it’s Christmas. I say ‘eat hearty.’”

Lenora frowned. “You know what I mean. This is an extremely good offer. Do you have any idea how rare this is, or what a profit you’d make?”

Mel cringed. What was wrong with her? Lenora Sims, the woman who’d gotten Mel into this house in the first place, had brought her an offer. The full purchase price of what Mel should have actually paid for her house on Serendipity. Lenora had done Mel an amazing favor by going down in price so she and Luke could live here. And now, out of the blue, a former homeowner had seen it, liked what Mel had done to the place, and wanted it back.

She rubbed the back of her neck, pressing hard on the never-ending knots that had taken up residence in her body. Is that how Lenora saw Mel now? An interloper? She’d signed the contract in good faith. Luke loved it here, while she. . . The knots cramped up with a vengeance.

Wouldn’t it be ideal if she could find another place in the school district and get away from Joe? Maybe even fit all the stuff she’d finally moved into storage? Still, the idea of packing, moving, renovating, buying another alarm system―when she’d just installed one―she was not putting herself through it again. Joe, or no Joe, she’d meant it when she said no one was forcing her from her home again.

She thought of her plants heartily taking off in the basement, how much work and pride she’d put into converting it. In Cañon City, Carl had built her a greenhouse. It was a labor of love and three times the size of her new home’s lower level. She’d even occasionally made money from the enterprise. She rarely thought of the place anymore.

Why? Because she had a new life here, and this was her home.

“You’re right,” Mel said. “It’s an excellent offer. But my answer is no. I can’t uproot Luke again.”

Lenora nodded slowly. “I thought you might say that. But you
were
worried about money for his college. So tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to leave this contract with you, as well as some MLS listings of some lovely houses you could trade up to if you made this deal.” Lenora grinned. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t apply
some
kind of pressure.”

“I’ll look at them,” Mel said. “But don’t get your hopes up. I’ll make you a promise, though. If I ever do move again, you’ll be the first person I call. And if anyone needs a realtor, I’ll refer them to you.”

“Well, that’s all I can ask, isn’t it?”

Leaving the contract and listings on the table, Mel showed Lenora to the door. What Mel hadn’t mentioned was that she loved living on a street named Serendipity. The very idea had filled her with hope that she was finally headed in the right direction.

She swallowed over a lump in her throat. But while serendipity meant fate, it didn’t guarantee happiness. She tried not to think of Joe in Breckenridge with his stunning ex-wife, or the sensations he’d brought out in Mel by a look or a touch. She discovered the feat nearly impossible. Could one die from this all-encompassing sadness?

Not if she didn’t let it. She’d survived much in this lifetime. For Luke’s sake, she’d survive this heartache as well. She returned to the kitchen, placed the sugar cookies in a tin for her son, then picked up the MLS listing.

The doorbell rang, and she tossed it aside.

Standing at Melanie’s door,
Joe stuffed his hands into his pockets and waited for her to answer. He’d been checking his mail when an older woman drove off. He figured the least he could do was give Mel an update on Luke’s day on the slopes.

Now that he’d made his decision to keep his distance, the plan was to tell her quickly and leave. But the moment she opened the door, his good intentions went into hiding. Amid the soft glow of lights, wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans, her hair carelessly piled atop of her head, she had the appearance of someone spending an evening alone.

She’d never looked better.

Subtle scents of pine and vanilla greeted him, which was just as well, because she did not. “Busy?” he asked.

Their eyes met and his damn heart rate increased.

“I―Not really,” she said, frowning, a look more of confusion than displeasure. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to stop by work. Thought I’d check in on you as well. Luke’s having fun, by the way.”

She smiled. “I know. He called a couple of hours ago. Thanks for inviting him.”

“No problem.”
So much for the update. All right. You’ve seen her. Get the hell out.
“Think I could get a cup of coffee?”

Wariness crossed her face, but she stood aside and opened the door for him. He entered the house, feeling the awkwardness of the first few times he’d been here. They’d seemed to have taken several steps backward; yet, seeing the keypad that led to her new alarm system filled him with satisfaction.

He followed Mel into the kitchen, watching her lithe movements to the coffeemaker until a set of documents on the table distracted him. He recognized them as computer printouts of homes for sale. With both their sons in basketball, they knew many of the same people. “Somebody moving?”

She turned from the sink. “Oh. Sorry, I meant to put those away.”

That comment merely fueled Joe’s interest. He didn’t intend to snoop in her private affairs, but a comment like that was as good as a dare. Another look down revealed a contract. “Mel? What is this?”

“It’s nothing.” She took the contract from the table and stuffed it in a drawer. “Nobody’s moving. I received an offer on my house.”

“I didn’t know it was for sale.”

“It’s not.” Shrugging, she held her hands up. “It came out of the blue.”

“Out of the blue.”

“Yes, you know, random.”

“Somebody drove past your house, and of all the houses in this neighborhood that
are
for sale, picked out one that isn’t and made you an offer?”

She put her hand on her hip. “Why are you grilling me? I just told you it’s not for sale.” She cocked her head. “But now that I think about it, I guess it wasn’t truly random. A man who used to live in Colorado Springs is moving back and wants to repurchase it.”

“Gilman?”

“I don’t know,” Mel said, staring at Joe in exasperation. She pulled the contract out of the drawer and handed it to him. “See for yourself.” She returned to the counter that held the coffeemaker.

“Gilman took crappy care of his yard.”

As Joe raised his head to view her profile, she lifted a brow, forming something between a smirk and a smile. “Well, that settles it. I’m definitely not selling to him now.”

“This is a nice offer, Mel,” Joe said, scanning the particulars.

She spooned coffee into the filter. “I know, and it would probably solve everything, but this is my home now, and I’m not interested. So don’t waste your breath.”

He approached her, leaning his backside against the counter so he could read her face. “Is that what you think? That your moving would solve our problems?” He folded his arms. “Because you’re wrong. Okay, originally, yeah, I wanted you gone. But not now. The day you saw Bruce in my office, I never got the chance to explain. I never apologized.”

“You didn’t have to. One look at that bastard’s smug face, I knew he’d come to warn you away from me.” Melanie poured water into the reservoir, then shuddered. “It was as if there’d been a time warp and Bennett was Sylvester all over again.”

“Say again?”

She sighed. “It was a game I played when I was in lockup. The first time that pompous assistant district attorney came to see me he was wearing this fancy black pinstriped suit. He was so arrogant and overbearing, and I was this know-nothing little
nobody
, that I felt I had to protect myself. I compared him to Sylvester the Cat, while me, I was Tweety Bird.” Her gaze stayed on the coffeemaker as it began its drip.