Chapter 48

Wyatt sat at the end of the bar and scowled into the glass of straight Coke in front of him. Louie had refused to serve him alcohol before five in the afternoon. For Wyatt’s own good, he declared solemnly, taking an obscene amount of pleasure in turning the tables. Wyatt could have walked a block down the street to Hamley’s or the Rainbow, but that would have required more initiative than he possessed at the moment, and there was something even more pathetic about having to get drunk in someone else’s bar.

At least he knew Melanie was safe—or had been first thing this morning. Goddamn Gil. What kind of asshole drove away without knowing for sure what she intended to do?

Beside him, Joe sat silently watching the Mariners validate Wyatt’s decision to continue being a lifetime, card-carrying Mets fan even though he’d moved to the Pacific Northwest. Wyatt had obviously done a piss-poor job of pretending that yes, really, he was fine, since Joe had caught the first flight to Pendleton. Melanie hadn’t told them about Hank, though. Joe would have said so. And he wouldn’t be here.

Another fight between Melanie and Wyatt? Nothing their friendship couldn’t handle. But a betrayal of this magnitude? When Joe learned the truth…

Behind them, the room buzzed and clattered with a decent-sized lunch crowd, evenly divided between first timers and return customers, who Louie and Helen greeted like old friends. Already today, three people had asked if they took reservations for Sunday’s chicken dinner. Wyatt smiled and nodded in the appropriate places and registered none of it. Words ricocheted off the shell that had closed around him, and he was only vaguely aware of the occasional clap on the shoulder, accompanied by a comment about his lack of roping prowess. He should keep going out to the saddle club, if only because they felt so sorry for him that they came and spent their money at his bar.

Melanie would have made him go.

He caught the fresh bubble of pain, cradling it close to his heart before he tucked it in beside the others. If this was all he had left of her, he intended to hoard it for as long as possible. At least he would feel something. He didn’t glance up when the door opened, or when the new arrival paused only a few feet away. It took a hard jab from Joe’s elbow to make him raise his head.

And there she was, a wavering image in the antique glass mirror behind the bar. The bubbles in his chest burst into a thousand shimmering points of light. He wondered—in a remote, out-of-body way—if they would simply fade away or transform into drops of acid rain. He stared at her reflection, not entirely convinced that it wasn’t a mirage.

The door burst open, and Grace, Philip, and Scotty piled through, then skidded to a stop in the entryway, eyeing Melanie as if she were one of devil cows turned loose in the bar. Joe’s stool screeched on the wooden floor as he jumped to his feet. He took a single step that put him between Melanie and Wyatt, his hands closing into loose fists and his knees flexed as if prepared to block her charge.

Wyatt swiveled to stare at him. “What are you doing?”

Melanie smiled cryptically, directing her answer to Joe. “For an extremely intelligent man, he can be pretty dense. He actually thinks you’ll automatically take my side, just because you’re married to my best friend. Even after you dropped everything to be here.”

“He’s done the same for me.”

“But he doesn’t expect anyone to return the favor.” She folded her arms and tipped her head in exaggerated thought. “I assumed it was a general lack of faith in humanity. Now I’m leaning toward abandonment issues. What do you think?”

“Guilt.” Joe said without hesitation. “And a sense of unworthiness. He can’t stop punishing himself for the sins of his forebears.”

“You’ve actually thought about this?” Wyatt asked, gaping at him.

Joe made a pained face. “I’m married now. I don’t get to just leave shit alone anymore. We’ve gotta pick, pick, pick—”

“Well, you can stop now,” Wyatt snapped.

“Oh no. Not just yet.” Melanie shifted her gaze toward Wyatt. “I would have been here sooner, but I stopped to see Grace.” She flipped a cool your jets hand when Wyatt stiffened. “She and I are fine. Right, Grace?”

Behind her, Grace nodded, eyes huge.

Melanie smiled grimly. “You and I, on the other hand…”

And of course Joe chose that moment to abandon him. “It looks like you have plenty of backup. I’ll just go check on the Camaro.”

“Honestly.” Melanie scowled at his retreating back. “It’s like people think I have no imagination. And you…”

Wyatt flinched at the fury blazing in her eyes. “I’m sorry. If there had been any way—”

“Five. Years.” She punctuated each word with a sharp jab of two fingers into his sternum. “You’ve been feeding me that It’s not you, it’s me bullshit since Violet’s wedding—and for the record, every woman in existence assumes Oh, yeah, it’s definitely me…so thanks for that.”

He sucked his arms up over his chest and twisted on his stool to take the next jab in the shoulder. “How long?” she demanded. “How goddamn long have you been in love with me and lying your ass off?”

“Not…ouch!” He grabbed her wrists before she could inflict any more pain. “Four years, max. The lying, I mean. I was serious at first. The other…” He could only shrug helplessly. “Always.”

She hissed a curse when he refused to let her yank her wrists free. Every conversation in the room had stopped, and every eye and ear was glued to them, but she didn’t lower her voice. “That’s forty-two months of dating losers and having mediocre sex when I could have had you!”

“They must have been losers if they managed to have mediocre sex with you.” And what the hell was he saying, in front of all these people?

She bared her teeth. “I didn’t say they had lousy sex. But imagine what we could have done with all those nights if you hadn’t been such a damn coward.”

Wyatt had to work at taking a breath because his lungs had done a full stop. “I didn’t think—”

“Don’t even try that line.” She gave her arm another yank, then settled for kicking his shin. Shit, that hurt. “All you do is think! If you’d stopped analyzing and just looked, maybe you would have noticed that I was in love with you, too, you stupid jerk.”

Damn. There went his heart. If something didn’t kick back into gear, he was going to pass out from lack of blood and oxygen to his brain. He managed to stutter, “I…you…really?”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” She fell in to him, forcing him to drop her arms and grab her waist as she kissed him.

Lights burst behind his eyes, neurons exploding like transformers during a lightning storm. For what may have been the first time in his life, Wyatt stopped thinking altogether and dragged her even closer. At some point in time that was both an eternity and hardly more than a microsecond, she pulled back, but left her arms linked behind his neck.

“Are we clear now?” she asked.

“Crystal. But what about—”

She cut him off with another quick kiss, then glanced around the bar, pausing to smile at Gordon, who was taking in the show from what had become his booth. “Hey, everybody. As you can see, Wyatt and I have a few things to discuss. So if you’ll just excuse us…”

Grace and the boys plastered themselves against the wall as Melanie tugged Wyatt off the stool and out the front door. A single, long wolf whistle followed them.

Damn Scotty.

* * *

When they were inside the apartment, she released him and tucked her fingers into the front pockets of her jeans, suddenly subdued, her eyes uncertain.

“You shaved,” she said.

“I didn’t see any reason not to.”

“Mmm.” She wandered over to the window that looked down onto Main Street. “I came to proposition you.”

He’d only just regained basic life-sustaining functions, and there she went, knocking the air out of him again. Wyatt plopped onto the edge of the bed. Less likely to suffer a concussion that way, if he did fall over. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’m going to apply for a job with a nonprofit in the Tri-Cities that helps women and minorities start their own businesses.” She fiddled with the latch on the window. “They can always use someone with marketing expertise.”

His heart stalled again. She wanted to stay? “What about Westwind?”

“After my experience with the Bull Dancer, I realized I wanted to go the small-business route. It’s where I hope I can make the most difference.” She hitched a shoulder, her gaze still fixed on the street below. “The new job wouldn’t eat up my entire life. I can do a lot of the planning work from home, and the schedule is flexible, which will make it easier to rodeo.”

“It sounds perfect.”

She flicked him a smile. “The pay is crap, but I was hoping I could hook a rich husband to keep me in the style to which I am not accustomed.”

Hell. There went his lungs again. “What…” He had to stop, take a gulp of air, and start again. “What about Hank?”

“Gil has relieved me of my position as guardian.” Her hand dropped to her side. “He tells me I lack the necessary experience to deal with the current situation. And”—her breath hissed as she sucked it in between gritted teeth—“now that I know exactly what Hank did to Grace, it may take a while before I can see him without wanting to throttle him.”

Wyatt almost smiled, but the pang in his chest canceled it out. She was hurt and angry right now. Once her temper faded…

She shook her head. “Yes, I’m pissed, but it’s more than that. Whatever he needs, I obviously can’t give it to him—or force it on him—or it never would have come to this. Gil’s right. I’m more of a problem than a solution…which I assume you’ve known all along.”

“I…yes,” he admitted. No more lies. No more evasion. They’d reached a place where he could—and would—deal in nothing but the truth. “I gave you that list of therapists hoping I could persuade you to talk to one of them.”

She gave a shaky laugh. “Always the man with a plan, and that’s a good one. I have some serious issues to work through. But I do know one thing for certain. I have to do what’s best for me…and as hard as we’ve tried to deny it, that’s always been you. It won’t be good for anyone if I spend the next fifty years resenting my brother for keeping us apart.”

Emotion slammed into the back of his throat, blocking his airway. She would do that? Choose him over Hank?

“Did you say…husband?” he asked, the words just now sinking in.

“We can start by living in sin.” She didn’t quite pull off the flippant tone. “I totally understand why you’d rather not rush into anything, although as Violet pointed out, we’ve diddled around long enough that if you don’t know what you’re getting into by now…” She turned to brace her back against the window frame, tucking her hands behind her hips. “I won’t even make you set foot in a church…but there is a catch.”

Of course there was. “Isn’t there always?”

“This one is a doozy.” Her eyes were dark with regret. “I can’t see her, Wyatt. Maddie, I mean. I realize that’s what Laura wants—a big, happy dysfunctional family—but as long as Hank doesn’t know, I just…can’t.” She hunched her shoulders. “I can justify knowing about her and not telling because it won’t help either of them. But getting to really know her—and love her, I’m sure—that goes way beyond Hank. My parents have a granddaughter. Maybe they’ll care, maybe they won’t, but either way they might never forgive me if I kept them in the dark while I played Aunt Melanie.”

Realization washed through him, numbingly cold, and he bowed his head. “Which means I can’t play Uncle Wyatt.”

She shook her head vehemently. “I wouldn’t do that to you. I have no doubt you’re crazy about that little girl…and I’m sure she adores you. Laura and Julianne have been your family for a very long time. I won’t force you to give that up.”

He raised his confused gaze to meet hers. “I don’t understand. How would that work with you and me, never talking about Maddie…”

“The same as it’s worked up until now. It won’t be easy. And I’ll probably give in to the temptation to ask a few questions, or peek at your pictures, but that’s as far as I can go.”

Still, it would leave a huge obstacle between the two of them. Or rather, a very small one.

“It won’t be forever,” Melanie said. “Grace told me about the ten-year clause. And she could decide to tell Hank before then.”

But there was no conviction in her voice. They’d both seen Hank. Hell, even before, when he’d just been oblivious, why would Grace have trusted him with a secret that would almost certainly alienate her entire family? In her place, Wyatt would wait as long as possible.

“There’s something else. And this might be the deal breaker.” Melanie laced her fingers tightly in front of her. “You have to lay down some serious boundaries with Laura. She can’t come running here every time she stubs a toe. I know you feel responsible for her, and that you care about her but…” She waved a hand toward the floor. “There are three people downstairs who raced across town to throw their bodies between us if necessary, and a man who should be getting ready to fight bulls at a rodeo in Texas right now, but he’s here instead because you needed him. Those are friends. Not just someone who lets you take care of her. I think it’s time Laura learned the difference.”

Wyatt sat there, stunned. She was right. So was Julianne, even though she’d never said it in so many words. And Laura wasn’t entirely to blame. He’d enabled her for too long. And she was the only thing he had left of the first half of his life. He’d clung to that connection, as warped as it was, because he had never been able to believe that, if worst came to worst, anyone else would choose him. But Joe had—no questions asked. And Melanie would, if he gave her the chance.

“You need time to think,” she said, and strode across the room.

As the door started to swing shut behind her, Wyatt lunged for it. “No, I don’t.”

Even he couldn’t think himself out of this one. Melanie wanted to stay. She would always stay, because she believed. In herself. In him. In them. And he would eventually learn to take as well as he gave because he’d found a woman willing and able to bear his burdens.

The abrupt sensation of release was so powerful he had to grip the door with both hands to keep from losing his balance. Melanie wrapped her arms around his waist, solid and steady.

“I thought you’d never forgive me,” he said.

She pried one of his hands off the door to lift it to her lips. “Because of you, my brother didn’t destroy Grace or her career. And you had no choice but to keep it from me and everyone else. Did you really think I couldn’t appreciate that, or how much it has cost you?”

There was no way to express what he was thinking or feeling, so he scowled. “I also thought you were never coming back.”

“There’s that I’m not worthy crap again.” She gave his cheek a patronizing pat. “Have you considered therapy?”

He made a strangled noise.

She laughed, then leaned in until their noses touched and he was drowning in the warm brown of her eyes. “I can’t promise I’ll never leave you again. There may be times when it’s the only way we both survive. But I will always come around sooner or later.”

He gave her a suspicious squint. “How will I know whether I’m forgiven or you’ve just finished plotting your revenge?”

“You won’t. But at least you’ll never be bored. And I love you too much to do permanent damage.”

Love. Marriage. His world did what felt like a full spin. She tried to drop a quick kiss on his mouth, but he hauled her close, shoved the door shut, and pushed her up against it. They were both breathing hard when he tore his mouth from hers to scatter kisses down the side of her neck while he tugged at her shirt. They left a trail of clothes as they worked their way to the bed.

Her stomach gave a deep growl, and she laughed. “I haven’t had lunch.”

“Luckily, I know a place close by.”

“It’s Thursday,” she said, then gasped as he nipped the tender skin below her navel. “Chili day. I love Helen’s corn bread.”

“You can have a whole pan, once we’re done with the appetizer course.”

Handy, having good food in the bar. They could stay up here for days while he made sure this woman understood that he worshiped her with all his heart, body, and soul, and let her return the favor. He was still amazed she would let him foot her bills, given that powerful streak of independence. But this was Melanie. She was too secure to feel undermined because he wanted to buy her a pickup and trailer to relaunch her rodeo career.

He tipped her onto her back to give her a mock frown. “That thing you said about me supporting you…are you sure you’re not just after my money?”

She arched and twisted so she was on top. “The cash is nice. Your incredible good looks don’t hurt. And I intend to take full advantage of all those connections of yours on behalf of my clients. But I could have all of that without a ring. The truth is…” She traced a line along the top of his shoulder with her tongue, then nipped his earlobe and whispered, “I’m marrying you for permanent custody of that kick-ass shower.”