Need You Now (Love in Unknown)

chapter 6





“Melody Elaine Carr.”

Mel cringed, freezing over the tomato she was chopping in the tiny kitchen of her apartment. Her mother glowered at her over the bar. Mel had heard that tone more than a time or two in her life, but she could practically see the smoke coming out of Emma’s ears.

“Hi, Mama. How are you this evening?”

“How am I?” Emma crossed her arms and cocked one khaki-clad hip to the side. "Melody, I swear, I used to think that brother of yours was going to be the death of me, but I'm beginning to think it'll be you."

Mel returned to her chopping. "I guess you heard about my car. Micah tell you?”

“No, and he's already got an earful for it." Emma pulled out one of the barstools, collapsing into it. Mel winced seeing how worn her mother looked. "Why on earth would you not tell me? Two whole days, Melody. I heard about the clinic, but everyone thought it was just random. Someone destroying your car like that is personal."

Mel scooped up the small pile of juicy tomato and sprinkled it onto the bowl of salad. "Oh, Mama. I'm fine. The car will be fine with a few new windows and a new paint job. There's really nothing to worry about. I really don't want to talk about it anymore. Caine and Gage already made me go over it a half dozen times when it happened."

“Fine? Yes, sweetheart, I’m sure you think you’re fine. You always do.” The older woman shook her head. Mel knew her mother wouldn’t back down easily. The stubbornness didn’t all come from her father’s side of the family. No one could beat her mother for bullheadedness when it came to her children’s welfare. "But I'm not fine. I'm worried about you. Those boys may be convinced that you'll be all right here on your own, but I think you need to come stay at home for a while."

“You know full well I can't do that. You've got enough on your plate taking care of Jax and the house. With the hours I keep, all I'd do is disturb everyone. Besides, I like being alone. I like my space." Mel hated holding back from her mother, but ten years on her own made it difficult to open up. Part of her hoped it was just a side-effect of medical school, the need to remain clinical. But the blame probably lay at the feet of her ex-boyfriend, the a*shole.

“Your space." Emma glared at her daughter. "Even if having your space means that I'm worried sick about you? That you could end up hurt?"

Mel braced her hands on the counter. "I won't get hurt. As I told those Neanderthals you consider sons, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Emma leaned forward, refusing to back down. “You are allowed to feel, you know. To admit that you're scared. Even when you were little, you refused to back down from anything or accept help."

“Mama, I'm not scared. I've lived on my own for eleven years now." Mel grabbed two plates from the cabinet and held one out. Truth be told, she doubted that whoever was behind this would actually be brave enough to hurt her. They were more concerned with scare tactics that harm.

“You can let other people support you, sweetheart. Me, your brother. Even Gage or Caine. It doesn't make you less of a person if you lean on someone else every now and then. I relied on your father for over thirty years. Does that me any less strong?"

The tension in Mel’s shoulder released a little. She’d always admired the partnership her parents shared. They each found their own strengths and they recognized how they worked together. "Of course it doesn't. And when I find the one person I can't live without, I'll rely on him. I love you and Micah, but you have your own lives to worry about. So do Gage and Caine. If things get really bad, I promise I'll ask for help, but for now, I'm fine."

Mel hoped that was true. She really didn’t believe that someone would hurt her. Unknown was a lot of things, but a hot bed for criminals wasn’t one of them.



#

“What’s Micah doing here?”

Caine looked up from the clipboard he was studying to find his brother standing next to him. Baseball practice was in full swing, the boys throwing balls back and forth, most of them managing to catch the ball rather than chasing after it. “I invited him and Jax to watch practice. He said the other day that baseball is one of the only ways to drag Jax out of his room and away from his Nintendo.”

“Maybe next year we could get him to coach the coach-pitch team. With him running things, we might get a dynasty started.” Gage’s eyes lit with a plot. He always got that look right before he dragged Caine or Micah into a scheme that ultimately ended up with them doing all of the work. Typical younger kid.

Caine walked over to greet his friend. “Hey, man. Glad you could make it.”

Jax took in the scene on the field, brown eyes wide with delight. “Do all these kids get to play baseball? On your team?”

Caine laughed, tugging on the bill of the kid’s oversized, brand new hat. “Yep. Most of ‘em started when they were your age and will keep on playing through high school. Baseball’s a pretty big deal around here. But I bet a city boy like you doesn’t think much about baseball.”

“I love baseball!” Jax insisted. The animation on his face was unusual, from Caine had heard around town. “Dad used to take me to see the real Rangers when they would play the Yankees. They’re awesome.”

“Glad to hear you’re raising the boy right,” Gage said, coming over to them. “We were worried he’d like those darn Yankees.”

Micah and Gage shook hands in greeting. “No son of mine would like those sell-outs. Hard work over money, any day, right?”

Caine and Gage both snorted at that.

“Right,” Caine said. “Go take a seat on the bleachers. If y’all stick around ’til the end of practice, we can throw some pitches to the little guy, see how he does.”

Micah snorted. “With your fan club?”

He groaned. At every practice, a small group of single mothers or mothers and their single friends congregated on the bleachers to ogle Caine and Gage. They never resorted to outright wolf whistles or catcalls, but he’d started to have sympathy for what male strippers had to put up with.

They rounded out practice by having the kids run a race around the bases. Caine always got a kick out of how the smallest thing could make little boys hyper-competitive. He remembered the drive to be the best, to show the other guys that he was just as tough as them. He’d always had the extra determination to prove that he wasn’t just the rich boy from the big house. Being just one of the guys had taken work and a lot of help from Micah, but he’d managed. At least until his grandpa died and his parents sent him away.

Still in a cast, Teddy Allen refused to leave until they let him pick up all the stray balls and gloves.

“Can I help?” Jax asked the older boy.

Teddy smiled and nodded eagerly. Poor kid. The boys his own age teased him and wouldn’t invite him to play with them outside of practice. He’d take any friend he could get, even a five-year-old.

Caine joined Micah on the bleachers, leaning back against the row behind him. Thankfully, the fan club had cleared out at the insistence of their overexcited sons. “How’re things at your place?”

“Not bad.” Micah mirrored his pose. “Bakery’s doing well. Mom’s too busy fretting over Jax and Mel to try to interfere too much.”

Mel. He couldn’t blame Emma for worrying about her. Caine still tossed and turned at night, worrying that whoever had trashed her car and the clinic would decide to hit her apartment next. “How’s Mel doing? Can’t be easy for her to settle in and deal with everything that’s been going on.”

“Hell, I don’t know.” Micah’s dark eyes were heavy with concern. “Gotta admit, I’m worried about her too. And it’s not just the car and the clinic.”

Keeping his attention on the field, Caine watched Gage wave to Teddy before handing Jax a little bat. His brother helped Micah’s son get into position, adjusting his back elbow away from his ear and squaring his hips. Caine tried not to sound overly interested. Micah had no clue that he’d even had any interest in Mel beyond friendship. “What is it, then?”

“This dating thing.” Micah spit the words out as if they left a bad taste in his mouth. “Letting Mom set up blind dates for her. It’s not…it’s not Mel, you know?”

Yeah, he knew. “What’s wrong with that? Mel’s always been shy. Why not get a few preliminary introductions to nice guys?”

“It’d be one thing if that’s what it was. Mel’s dated. She’s had boyfriends. Well, two.” Micah pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't know everything, but the last one did a serious number on her. All of the guys she's seeing? She's not connecting with them. It's like she thinks that the more she dates, the sooner she'll get past whatever damage this guy did to her."

Damage. Somehow Caine doubted all of that damage was the result of her last boyfriend. Although he still didn’t fully comprehend why Mel ended things with him ten years ago, he knew that whatever it was had made her wary. Cautious. From the sound of it, one of the guys who’d followed him screwed her up even more.

Almost worse than the guilt he felt for contributing to Mel's walls was the guilt that gnawed at him for not telling Micah that part of it was his fault. Instead of saying something, all Caine could do was force a smile. "She probably hasn't met the right guy yet. When she does, she'll connect. Just give her time."

Give her time. That’s exactly what he needed to do. Give Mel time to realize that he was worth a second chance.

“Daddy, come with us! You, too, Uncle Caine.”

Caine pulled himself out of the brooding that was starting to set in. “Okay, little man, let the master show you how it’s done.”

He jogged out to the pitcher’s mound where Gage stood. “Go play catcher, baby brother.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Micah jog out to take his spot on second base. How many times had they all taken their stances in this line-up? Coaches had known not to try to move them as they came through the ranks. The Maddox boys and Micah Carr were a unit. Divided, they could hold their own. Together, they were almost unbeatable.

The only thing missing from this picture was Mel sitting in the bleachers, her face buried in a book. Still, no matter how absorbed she seemed to be in whatever she was reading, she always knew every major play of the game and what they all needed to work on.

Caine grinned at his brother, hands braced on his knees, standing behind Micah’s little boy and at Micah punching his glove in anticipation.

Damn, but it felt good to have all of them together again.

#

Despite the fact that she had to get her car repainted, life in Unknown was shaping up for Mel. Tonight marked her fifth first date in six weeks. Each guy her mother set her up with was nice enough. This was the best-looking one of the bunch. Smartest, too. She was slightly annoyed to know that he’d heard about her recent dates through Merna’s Matches, the town gossip blog, but she wasn’t going to hold that against him.

“How long have you been practicing law in Unknown?” she asked him, sipping the full-bodied house red wine. Soft music drifted over the speakers of the small restaurant. Kevin. That was his name. Kevin Harris of the pretty gray eyes and wavy auburn hair. Unlike the other men she’d dated so far who looked uncomfortable in department store suits, he wore a perfectly tailored, slate-colored suit, with a light blue shirt, no tie. Very polished, very unlike Unknown.

“I moved here about five years ago to join my uncle’s firm. We handle everything from family law to corporate.” He smiled. “I like the diversity. Keeps things interesting. I understand you just moved home?”

Mel nodded, toying with a piece of bread in front of her. “I finished up my residency in Chapel Hill, then came home to take over the clinic from Doc Booth. It’s been the plan since I was in junior high.”

Kevin looked surprised. “You’ve known what you were going to do with your life since you were that young? I don’t know if that’s seriously impressive or just intimidating. When I was in junior high, I still thought I was going to play drums for the next Rolling Stones.”

Great. Now he thought she was intimidating. “Well, I didn’t always believe it would happen. For a while in college I considered a very…different life. But I love what I do. And I’m happy to be home.”

“I’m guessing you’re really close to your family.” He smiled at her as the waiter removed their plates. “Emma’s always bragging about you.”

Covering her face with one hand, Mel laughed self-consciously. “Oh, God. I hope not. She thinks my education is far more impressive that it actually is.”

“It also helps that you’re beautiful and sweet and charming,” Kevin said, taking her hand in his. Mel held her breath for a second, waiting to feel a spark or even a tiny little sizzle. A flicker might have zinged across her hand. More than what she'd felt with most of the other first dates. Maybe she might let this one kiss her when he dropped her off. She'd decide on the ride over.

By the time they got to her stairs, she’d decided. Polite, sophisticated, handsome— aka a rare find in Unknown, Texas— Kevin definitely merited the Kiss Test. He followed her up to the apartment, a hand hovering over the small of her back, never quite touching her. She stopped in front of the door and turned to find him barely two inches away from her. “So.”

“So.” In the pale glow of the porch light, he smiled down at her.

She smiled back. “I had a good time tonight. Definitely one of the best first dates I’ve been on in a while.”

“I’m glad.” Almost in slow motion, she watched him reach up to brush aside a stray piece of hair, then rest his hand on her cheek. Smooth move. He leaned in just the right amount, waiting for her to meet him halfway. Taking a small breath, Mel started to lean up so she could touch her lips to his. Right before the feel of his breath warming her skin turned to the feel of his mouth, her phone blasted out the first few bars of the chorus to “Make Someone Happy.”

Shit. When Caine programmed his number into her phone after the car incident, he’d insisted on downloading that stupid song and setting it as the ring tone. Their song, he’d said. One time back in college —one time—they’d dance to the song while watching Sleepless in Seattle, and now it was suddenly "their song." And yet she hadn't had the heart to change it.

“I’m sorry. That’s my…friend. He calls every night around this time to make sure I’m home safe.” She dug through her shoulder bag, pushing the ignore button to silence the phone.

“Every night? That’s nice, I guess.”

She shook her head, annoyed as hell with Caine. “He’s just a worry wart. You’ve seen all the posts on Merna’s Matches, haven’t you? With the people breaking into the clinic and trashing my car, he’s just concerned me. I've already told him about a million times that I'm fine, but I can't tell him to stop caring."

Kevin nodded. “No, no. You’re right. I get it. Um. Anyway, I had a great time tonight. I’ll call you later and maybe we can see each other again. Soon.”

Kissing her cheek, he turned and jogged down the stairs. Mel glared at the phone she still held in her hand. She opted to wait until she got in the apartment and turned off the alarm and reset it for the night before dealing with her own personal gnat. But he didn’t wait that long; she barely had the door open when her phone rang again. She’d had it up to here with the hovering! Gage and Micah were mildly annoying, but their overprotectiveness had more than twenty years of solid relationship to back it up. This one…this one was starting to piss her off. “Caine Maddox, swear to God, my own brother isn't half as much of a pain in the ass as you are."

“Why didn’t you answer your phone when I first called?” he asked.

Mel huffed, punching in the pass code on the security pad. “Maybe because I was still on my date, genius. Kinda rude to answer a phone call from one guy when another guy is trying to say goodnight.”

“Oh. You were on a date? That was tonight?” He did his best to sound innocent, but he’d always sucked at it.

“Cut the crap. I’m home safely, as usual.” She tossed her keys on the kitchen counter before moving to flop into her reading chair, legs draped over the arms. “And you knew my date was tonight. I know this because I told you about it yesterday when you called at exactly ten thirty. In fact, I'm pretty sure I told you not to call tonight. I might have even promised to call you after the date was over."

A snort came through the phone. "Yeah, right. You would have conveniently forgotten, just to make me stay up all night worrying."

She so couldn't see him doing that. The Caine Maddox she knew in college didn't stay up all night worrying about anybody. The only time she ever saw him stay up all night was when he and his friends would go out partying. The Caine Maddox she was getting to know now was too much of a take charge kind of guy to sit at home fretting when he could get answers himself. “Please. I bet you a cookie that you were planning to hop in the car and drive your overprotective butt over here to check on me if I ignored your call again." Cookies had been the currency of choice growing up around the Carr household. She'd won several dozen over the years by calling the boys' bluffs.

“Maybe.” His voice dropped to a deep, husky level. “Or maybe you wouldn't call me because you knew that I would come over and you secretly want me in your apartment. Alone. At night. I seem to recall some of our most memorable interactions occurred after ten p.m."

Memories sent ghost shivers of desire through her whole body. Damn him. In a five minute phone call, he’d managed to make her feel more heat than six first dates put together. She quickly reined in her nearly photographic memory. Time to take back control of this conversation. Fast. "Yeah, I remember spending a lot of nights watching Lord of the Rings and Star Wars with a big bowl of popcorn between us. Good times. Look, Caine, I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. You really don't need to call me every night."

“Call it my personal sleeping pill. When I worry, I work all night. And I do worry about you, Mel. Always have." He paused meaningfully. "Are you really sure this dating thing is a good idea?"

Mel groaned, rubbing her forehead. Yup, that was a headache coming on. "Yes, I am. I highly doubt my mother would set me up with anyone who would do something that heinous to my car."

“Keep in mind that nearly every guy she's set you up with is new to town. How much could Emma really know about them?" Caine almost managed to sound convincing there. Almost.

“Caine. My mother has the CIA beat when it comes to character profiling. I trust her judgment. And so do you, when you're not acting like a paranoid caveman." She sighed, curling into a smaller ball. "Will you back off a little if I promise not to be alone with any of them until I'm positive they're not some crazy wannabe attacker?"

Mel could have sworn she heard the wheels turning in that business-oriented mind of his. He never could resist a good deal. She knew that he would understand that "not alone" meant no sleeping with anyone right away. Despite everything that had happened between them, she'd never broken a promise to him. "Deal. On date nights, I'll accept a text that you're home safe."

A text. She could settle for that. When dealing with overprotective alpha males, sometimes it was necessary to give a little to get your way.

There was a long pause before Caine let out a deep breath. "I really do just want you to be safe, Mel. If anything happened to you, Micah, Gage, and I would probably self-destruct."

“No, you wouldn't." Mel felt a little glow at the idea, though. She liked mattering to people, especially the most important men in her life. It didn't matter if she never found someone to marry; she’d always have them. "I really do appreciate it, though. Even if you are a serious pain in the ass."

“Goodnight, sunshine.”

Sunshine. He hadn’t called her that since…well, since the last time they were in bed together, probably. Before that, it had been his special name for her since she was little. She’d almost forgotten.

Mel hung up, a warm feeling sparkling in the center of her body. Shit. She could not do this again. She would not do this again. Caine Maddox was charming and thoughtful and sexy and... No. She was not going to fall in love with him again. Not going to happen.