Page 6 of Four Calling Birds

“Oh, I was here to see Mack… are you…? His…?”

The glass door in the back of the farmhouse kitchen slid open and closed. I heard the panicked steps of a man caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Mack’s breaths were heavy, as if he’d ran over the mountain to get here, probably hoping to prevent this exact meeting.

“Jesus. Mellie. Hi!” Mack sauntered beside me, nudging me out of the way, before he gritted out, “Go sit down on the couch before you hurt yourself.”

I did as I was told. Not because he ordered me to. But because the couch happened to be within view of the front door. I could eavesdrop from thereandspy on them. I’m a spook. Spying is just our natural tendency.

Bo joined me on the couch, placing his face on my lap, his tongue rolling out of his mouth as I scratched the top of his head and watched the show.

“Hey, I didn’t know you had a guest.” Her voice was off-putting. It was light, breathy. Young. So were the pretty, stitched leather cowboy boots under her slim-fitted jeggings. Was this his type now? Cute little missies in gingham shirts?

“Yeah, she’s… a pain in the ass, but we go way back. She needs a place to crash while she recovers from some… surgery…”

“Was it something serious?” Her eyes went saucer wide. She looked at me with genuine, saccharine concern.I fucking hated her.

“Tit job!” I yelled from my place on the couch, raising my hand in a slight finger wave.

Mack shut his eyes, tilting his head back, and staring up at the ceiling in agitation, as if he was sending up a prayer to the heavens for divine intervention.

Ha! We both knew that help wasn’t coming.

I leaned back in the seat and looked at my fingernails, while I casually sighed, “He’s been very good with massaging them all better.”

Mellie looked between me, Mack, and Bo. I wonder what that little pea-brain of hers was thinking as she took in the very domestic scene she had walked into.

“I’m about to throw her into the pond in the middle of fucking winter, I swear to God,” he said, shaking his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t listen to her. She’s off her fucking meds.”

“Oh, well, I just came over to see if you wanted to come over for Thanksgiving tomorrow.” She tore her eyes away from me to look at Mack. “You can bring your friend, if you like. I just wasn’t sure if you had plans or not…”

“He’ll be taking care of my tits,” I said, crossing my legs, and smugly laying my chin on my hand, my elbow on the armrest. Bo gave a small “ruff” of disapproval, as if evenhewas telling me to lay off the girl.

“She’s not fit to be around humans,” Mack said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “She’s feral, and mildly psychopathic. You don’t want to feed her.”

Mellielooked a little frightened, and a whole lot confused. If they were screwing, she still hadn’t figured out that she should be absolutely indignant by now. She should be clawing Mack’s eyes out. Oh, and when she gets the full story, she should shoot him and bury his corpse under a rose garden. I’d even help her, if she asked nicely.

Poor little moron was more looks than brains, obviously. But that’s what men liked, didn’t they? I may have thought Mack was different, but, in the end, all men are really the same. Huge disappointments.

“Listen, I’ll come by later, and we’ll talk about this?” he said in a whisper that he hoped I didn’t hear. But he should know better. I had the hearing of a fucking bat.

“Okay,” Mellie said with a smile. She went up on her toes, put a hand on his shoulder and put a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. He smiled at her. Genuinelysmiledat her, and watched her go down the steps, back to her truck.

He waved from the door as the truck drove out of view.

Then he slammed the door closed, and like a lumbering beast turned to me with furious eyes.

“What the fuck was that?” His eyes darkened in a way that should only ever happen in books. His amber eyes were the color of a forest fire, as it blacked out an otherwise blue sky. “Really? My first time dating since the disaster called Charlotte Elizabeth, and you had to swoop back in and piss all over that too? Has your time with Brett turned you into a douche bag as well?”

I tilted my head to the side. “I never took you to be a cheater.”

Oh, this was so good. His fucking high horse was stumbling, and soon, it would turn into a dead horse that I could beat with a stick.

“What the hell are you talking about? You and I haven’t been together in three years.” He tugged at the chestnut hair that was turning silver with age. It was irritating that it looked good on him. Even the act of aging was fucking sexist. That’s how I know God is a man. “You made sure of that!”

“Yes, that’s true,” I said, snapping my fingers and giving him the finger gun point. “But that doesn’t really change that we’re married. I’m still Charlotte McClanahan.Youmade sure of that!”

He looked at me confused, his brows knit together, and a deep divot came over the bridge of his nose. “Come again?”

“I’m sure that’s why Brett decided to drop me off in the middle of nowhere.” I rolled my eyes, preferring to look down at Bo, instead of the darkening cloud that circled over Mack’s head. “You could still make medical decisions for me if push came to shove because you are my legal husband.”

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