Page 24 of A Family Affair: The Ring
“I’ve been in more dangerous situations than this and I survived.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?Did you get held up at gunpoint?Kidnapped?Were you ill?What could be worse than almost getting taken out by a damn tree?”
A big huff and then “I betrayed you, didn’t I?Is there anything worse than that?”
Then she moved past him toward Cash and Tess’s front yard, farther and farther away until she reached the steps to the log cabin and headed inside, leaving Will to contemplate, decipher, and catalogue what she’d just said.
He waited a full ten minutes before he entered the house, made his way to the kitchen where Melanie was removing the sandwiches from the bag she’d carried in.He set the water and the groceries on the counter, cleared his throat when she didn’t acknowledge him.“I’m sorry.I know you were just trying to save your car, but…”
A flash of anger burst across her face.“But I’m not intelligent enough to reason through what could have happened?I acted on emotion?Not all of us possess the cold calculation you do to assesseverysituation andeverypossible outcome.”She removed bags of chips, crackers, cookies.… A dozen apples…
“Maybe I got a little carried away with the food.”He pointed to the pile in front of her, shrugged.“But Cash did say it was going to be a long night.”For the briefest second, her expression softened, and it felt like the old days when they could tease each other about silly things.Adding pineapple to a pizza, counting the number of bites in a waffle.The necessity of a dark chocolate-covered strawberry to make a person remember what was important in life—like love and each other.Will forced aside the image of Melanie feeding a strawberry to him, concentrated on his next words.“Again, I’m sorry I lost my temper.”
A shrug, followed by “I guess I should say it’s nice to know you weren’t hoping I was in the car when the tree landed.”Another shrug, a narrowed gaze.“I’m sure you thought of ways to get rid of me once or twice.”
Ways to get rid of her?He’d tried to block her from his mind, his life, his heart, and most of the time he’d been successful.But that was when she was miles away and not standing a counter-width from him.“I’m being serious.”Will had played out the scenario of Melanie standing on the front porch, preparing to run toward the car.He’d calculated the seconds that passed before she hesitated and changed her mind.Those seconds saved her life because in another scenario she might have been trapped in the car or in the path of the tree when it fell.
“I was, too.”She smiled, added, “Sort of… Anyway, I had second thoughts and didn’t run to the car.If something happened to me, who would clean out Grandma’s house?Who would go through the cupboards and drawers, set aside her chocolate cream pie and banana nut muffin recipes?”Her voice dipped, softened with memories.“Who would honor her life?”
Certainly not Ward and Marjorie Russell.“I wondered if you’d come back.After your grandmother broke her hip and couldn’t travel anymore, she sort of gave up...at least that’s what Cash told me.I thought...”Should he say what had been on his mind?I thought maybe you’d come back after it happened.Wondered about it—a lot.And was there a tiny piece of him that hoped she would?For what?No, he would not admitthat.
“I thought about coming back.Actually, I thought about it quite a bit, but I couldn’t, or at least I thought I couldn’t.”Big sigh.“My life is a mess and I told myself if I stayed busy and just kept moving in and out of each day, eventually things would make sense.Lifewould make sense and I’d be happy again.”She lined up the sandwiches as though the task required extreme concentration.
He shouldn’t ask this next question, but he had to know.“And did you find your happiness?”
The tiny headshake gave him his answer and the words attached to it told the rest.“I couldn’t find it and I tried.”Her gaze slid to his, and he spotted the tears in those hazel eyes.“Everything started and stopped here—” another shake of her head and the softest “—with you.I was coming to see Grandma because I needed to find a way to get back to myself, but I was too late.I waited too long, and she died alone.I will never forgive myself for that.”She cleared her throat, swiped at her eyes.“So, even though I’ll never make up for not seeing her again, Icanhonor her life.I can honor who she was and what she meant to all of us, and the way to do that is to sort through her belongings, cherish what she taught me and so many others, and not bring in a dumpster to just toss things out.”
The emotion tied to those words pinged his brain, squeezed his heart.Will could say he didn’t care about her or her apologies, but it hurt to see her like this and there was no denying that truth.“Of course, you wouldn’t bring in a dumpster.”
“Thank you.I wouldn’t and that’s exactly what I told Tara Ambrose when she suggested it.”
Ah, Tara Ambrose, real estate magnet.Beautiful.Ruthless.Determined.“She’s trying to get you to sell the house?”
A tear slipped down her cheek, then another.“My father contacted her.He said ‘we don’t want to be sitting on an empty house when winter sets in.’This place is so much more than just an empty house and I don’t know why he can’t see that.”Her head dipped as more tears spilled.“I don’t understand…”
“Melanie.”
A sniff, a clearing of her throat and then she looked up at him and there was no mistaking the pain and misery on that beautiful face, and the regret.“Oh, Will.I am so sad.”
“I know.”He was two seconds from making his way to the other side of the counter when Tess opened the back door.“The guys are ready for the sandwiches and…” Her gaze darted from Melanie to Will, no doubt figuring out they werenottalking about sandwiches or packaged cookies.“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Melanie swiped her eyes and glanced at Tess, smile bright, voice calm as though she hadn’t been crying or smothered in sadness.“I hope everyone’s hungry because there’s enough food here for thirty.”
What had just happened and how had Melanie turned off the tears and the misery so fast?The Melanie he knew had never been able to hideormanufacture emotions.Had what happened to them made her guarded and unwilling to share her true feelings?Hard to tell, and too much to think about right now.Will turned to Tess, forced a smile.“If you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll head outside and start loading and stacking.”
The slightest hesitation said Tess knew he was not a loading or stacking guy.“Sure, if that’s what you want to do.”
He grabbed the work gloves from his back pocket, careful not to look at Melanie.“I’m ready to work.”
15
Melanie sat on a pile of wood that had once been part of her grandmother’s favorite oak tree.When she was ten, her father added a makeshift swing to one of the thick branches.There was nothing quite like pumping your legs to see how high you could go, the breeze lifting your hair, blowing over your face.Pure bliss.Simple times filled with hot dogs, lemonade, ice cream cones.She and her sister would toss an old quilt on the ground and blow bubbles, play Monopoly and card games.So many years ago… So many dreams ago…
“I’m glad your grandma isn’t here to see the empty spot in the front yard.”
Cash Casherdon sat on the log next to her, his gaze fixed on the stump where the old oak had stood for so many years.“She would’ve been sad, but I don’t think she thought about it coming down in the storm or the possibility of it hurting someone if it did.”
“Esther was a tough one and if she ever once considered the tree could do you harm?”He laughed, shook his head.“She would have hobbled outside and taken an ax to it herself.”
