Page 26 of Walking the Bird

Smiling, Cade released Melinda’s hands, shifting from his position in his own saddle to straddling behind her, cocooning his body around hers.

Melinda waited for the panic to rise in her chest, the terrifying sensation of being unable to catch her breath, but it never came. Instead, she felt as if she were wrapped in comfort, surrounded in a feeling she’d never experienced and never wanted to leave.

Cade took the reins from Melinda’s hands, kicking the horse to move down the beach toward one of the restaurants about to open up.

“Mind you, I’m speculating here, but Brutus never cared for Vickie, something I should have taken more notice of. On the rare occasion he would give her the time of day, he usually tried to bite her.”

Melinda let out an unladylike snort, followed by several seconds of laughter. “I wish I could meet him; I’d give him an apple for being such a great friend to you.”

“Better bring sugar cubes, Brutus is as picky as he is big, turns his nose up at anything less than pure sugar.”

Cade could picture more mornings like this with Melinda, granted there would be less clothing and a label placed on what they shared.

“I’ll remember that. Now, what were you saying about Vickie?”

Melinda wished she could leave this island, travel to the states and move on with her life. Trouble was, she didn't know how. She had a good job at the resort, a few friends, and a boss who was ultra-protective over her, yet she lacked any form of a romantic relationship, as none of the men around here held her attention. Until she’d met Cade. Sadly, Cade would be gone at the end of next week, taking a huge piece of her with him.

Tucking his face into the crevice of Melinda’s shoulder, Cade took a deep breath as he traced his nose along the shell of her ear. He found her presence comforting, taking the final sting out of Vickie’s betrayal and setting about stitching up the remaining part of his once damaged heart.

“I suspect Vickie planned to either kill or maim Brutus, and she nearly succeeded.”

Without thought to her position, Melinda twisted her body to face Cade. “Tell me she didn’t hurt him.”

Cade appreciated the fire in Melinda’s voice, so did his now aching cock. Licking his lips, Cade shifted the reins into his right hand, bringing the left between them and twisting it so Melinda could see the silver scar on his knuckle. “Brutus broke free from the stall I’d put him in, hightailing it to the storage area. Robert shifted the gun from my chest to Brutus’s, which made me jump in front of the horse. I remember hearing Vickie scream and then a loud pop before my hand felt as if it were on fire. Brutus spun around several times before he collapsed at my feet, a trail of blood running down his front leg.”

Cade would never forget the look in Brutus’s eyes as he lay there bleeding. He no longer cared about stopping the burglary, didn't give two shits if Vickie took every tool he’d had.

“The gun shot woke one of the ranch hands, who came running in, took one look at the pair of us and called nine-one-one. I dropped to my knees, taking Brutus’s head on my lap, the blood from my hand staining his coat. I had tried to keep him calm, which was next to impossible as I was freaking the fuck out with the probability I was going to have to shoot Brutus. After what felt like a lifetime, the vet arrived with the sheriff, and loaded Brutus onto a trailer so he could get an x-ray. They tried to push me into an ambulance, but I refused, demanding to stay with Brutus. I was half-way to the trailer when my vision grew fuzzy. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed, a huge cast on my hand and my mom sitting in a chair beside the window.”

Melinda traced her finger along the crooked scar, “You refer to Brutus in the present tense, so I don't have to ask if you had to put him down.”

“No, we were both lucky. The bullet went through my thumb and grazed his leg. Where I had to have surgery to repair a shattered bone in my hand, Brutus survived with eleven stitches and a few weeks of therapy.”

“What about Robert and Vickie?”

“I was told they tried to take off when the ambulance arrived, but the engine in their van gave out, leaving them to run across the field and hide in the foothills. They were found a few days later trying to break into the house owned by my game warden friend.”

Tipping her head back in laughter. “Oh my gosh, you couldn't make this kind of a story up if you tried.”

Pulling back on the reins, “I wish it was fiction.” Cade admitted, feeling lighter about the situation now that Melinda knew of the burden he’d carried for far too long. “Been a hell of a lot easier to get passed if it was.”

Swinging his leg around, Cade reluctantly climbed down from the horse, helping Melinda to her feet. “What about you, beautiful? Any crazy exes dangling around in your closet?”

Melinda stopped short, her heart galloping like one of Cade’s horses. She’d come clean to two people about her past, Dr. Lovell, her psychiatrist, and one of the men who’d rescued her. Maybe it was time to let another person in, test and see how much healing she’d done.

“There are,” Melinda hesitated, drawing out her words as she gathered every ounce of courage flowing through her body. “Nothing even remotely as romantic as you and Vickie.”

Handing the reins of the horses to the man he recognized from the stables, Cade kept his focus on Melinda’s worry-filled eyes. He wanted to argue romance with Vickie was never something either of them expressed, their relationship solely based on carnal need.

Reaching for the closest chair, Melinda dropped her body into the cushioned comfort, motioning for Cade to take the chair opposite her. Fighting the need to reach out and take his hand across the table, she folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath.

“Several years ago, I came to the Islands on vacation with a few of my friends. A naive young girl with visions of lying in the sun all day and drinking my weight in booze all night.” Shifting her attention to the approaching waitress, Melinda donned her signature smile, the one she’d perfected since making the decision to live her life despite what happened. She waited as Cade ordered a carafe of coffee, waving off anything to eat.

Cade could feel the bile rising in his throat, silencing the hunger pains he’d begun to experience earlier. Something deep inside screamed for him to remain silent and allow Melinda to share the words he suspected haunted her.

“After we stashed our luggage in our room, my friends and I hit the beach. I fell instantly in love with my view of paradise, while my friends fell in lust with a group of guys walking down the beach. These guys were every warm-blooded female’s wet dream with their sun kissed skin and glistening muscles.” Shaking her head, Melinda wished she could go back to the moment she’d laid eyes on them. “They claimed to be locals, gave us the name of a bar not far from the hotel with free booze and decent music. I’d half-listened to what they’d said, too caught up in the clarity of the ocean and the palm trees swaying in the breeze, until one of them called my name.” Lifting a cup of coffee to her lips, Melinda darted her eyes to the water of the ocean. “Gideon was by far the most handsome man I’d ever met. His deep blue eyes and perfect smile took my breath away. He’d treated us to lunch, pulling me out of my chair and twirling me around the dance floor, while whispering how incredibly beautiful I was.”

Shifting her focus back to Cade, “My friends were not as taken as I was, so when he and his friends offered to take us to the bar they mentioned, they declined. I had wanted to go, but we’d agreed to stick together. Gideon kissed me on the cheek and promised to see me later. We hit the clubs beside the hotel, effectively drinking our body weight in booze, also draining a substantial amount of the money we’d brought. The next night we had agreed to check out the bar Gideon suggested, finding it packed to the rafters, and one of the guys who’d approached us inside the DJ box. It wasn't a minute later when Gideon approached with drinks in hand and a smile I’d convinced myself was all for me. We danced and drank until dawn, stumbling back to the hotel for a few hours rest before doing it all over again. Near the end of our stay, Gideon invited us to his house for a birthday party he was throwing for his mother. He’d said he wanted the two most important women in his life to meet.” Leaning back in her chair, Melinda crossed her arms over her chest, a wave of anger replacing the humiliation she’d felt for years.

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