Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
M elanie left the hospital and drew her coat closer together as the wind tried to chill her bones. When would spring begin to show up? Worry cascaded even more coldness through her.
How could Hawk be in a coma? She’d spent the morning talking to him and trying to get him to awaken, but he hadn’t moved. Colton was working on the ranch but would head to the hospital as soon as possible.
Hawk needed to awaken.
She slipped into her truck and drove back to Mineral Lake, stopping in front of Kurt’s Koffees to return her shirt. She’d quit her the waitressing job the other day and didn’t miss wearing that outfit a bit.
After giving Kurt a hug, she loped next door to the new deli where Dawn already sat in a booth, sipping a soda.
“Hi.” Melanie dropped onto the bench, her entire body aching.
Dark circles accentuated the hollows beneath Dawn’s bloodshot eyes. “Hi.” She’d pulled her dark hair up in a clip and wore jeans with a sweater. “I ordered turkey sandwiches for us both. How was the hospital?”
“He’s the same.” Melanie signaled for a soda. “Did you stay at the hospital all night?”
“I read a romance novel to him.” Dawn’s smile barely lifted her lips. “I figured he’d wake up and protest.”
Melanie nodded. “That should’ve done it.”
The bell over the door jingled, and Mrs. Joskly, the current town librarian, bustled inside with a hulking blond giant at her side.
“Oh, good. I thought I saw you come in, Melanie. This is my grandson George, visiting from Boise.” Mrs. Joskly straightened her peacoat.
“Ma’am,” George said, his deep voice matching his beefy body. Green eyes sparkled out of his round face, giving him the look of the Jolly Green Giant. He gingerly slipped his arm out of Mrs. Joskly’s grasp. “I’ll go order sandwiches, Naney.”
Mrs. Joskly waited until he’d lumbered toward the counter before speaking. “I was hoping you’d show Georgie around town, Melanie.”
Melanie glanced toward George’s broad back. “He looks about seventeen, Mrs. Joskly.”
“Oh no, dear. Georgie is eighteen and perfectly legal. Come on.” Mrs. Joskly winked a cataract-laden eye. “We all like to play the cougar once in a while, now don’t we?”
Dawn coughed into her water glass.
Melanie tried to keep from wincing. “How long will Georgie be in town, ma’am?”
“Just until next Tuesday,” Mrs. Joskly said cheerfully, clapping her mittens together. “Then you’ll have to say good-bye forever.”
Dawn cleared her throat. “Is Tuesday the day you have for the town pool, Mrs. Joskly?”
“Of course not.” The librarian gave her patented hard stare down her nose. “I have the following week. I certainly don’t expect a good girl like Melanie to date George on Tuesday and declare her love on Wednesday for Colton. That should take a least a week.”
Melanie leaned back when the waitress delivered their sandwiches. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m busy with work. Plus, I’m sure Georgie would have more fun hanging out with kids his own age.”
Mrs. Joskly sighed heavily. “Well, I suppose so. But keep two weeks from Thursday in mind, would you?”
“Of course.” Melanie smiled weakly and reached for her sandwich.
Dawn waited until Mrs. Joskly had joined her grandson across the deli. “This bet is getting odd, right?”
“Very. Any idea who the bet taker is?” Melanie asked.
Dawn frowned. “I really don’t know, but I’ve been out of town at school, so that’s not surprising.” She took a bite of sandwich and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “Did you ask me to lunch to talk or to talk ?”
“I asked you to lunch to chat and not about Hawk, not about Colton, and certainly not about love.” Melanie sipped her soda.
“Perfect.” Dawn sighed, relief crossing her classic features. “I don’t have the energy for a real heart-to-heart.”
Melanie snagged a chip from Dawn’s plate. “Me either. Tell me about your classes.”
They finished their lunches, and right as Melanie finished her chips, a twinge from the ride side of her abdomen caught her attention. She sat back and took a deep breath. Another twinge.
“Excuse me,” she said to Dawn and then slipped from the booth, heading toward the restroom. A quick glance in the one stall confirmed another shattered dream.
She’d started her period.
Her mind swam, and traitorous tears pricked the back of her eyes. Sure, it was foolish. But she’d believed, deep down, since Colton wanted to get her pregnant, that it’d work.
Hurt washed through her along with the rest of her hope.
A five percent chance was no chance at all, especially since that five percent might now be gone.
Her mind clicked to moments of Colton holding little Nathan, of him taking Leila on a date. The man loved kids and certainly wanted his own. Why wouldn’t he? The Freeze genes were pretty good.
Logically, she knew this wasn’t her fault. But deep down, in a place she hated to visit, shame lived. She couldn’t have kids. She’d never feel the beginning of a life, of being kicked inside the tummy, of sharing a body.
That awareness brought physical pain.
She knew Colton as well as she knew herself. He’d stick with her, no matter what, especially if she needed him. What about his dreams? Plus, it wasn’t like he’d declared any love.
They had friendship, they had trust. Maybe he did love her. The kind of love that came from childhood, that came from genuine friendship. If it had been the happily-ever-after forever kind, he would’ve said so.
Sometimes silence hurt worse than the most hateful of words. She took a deep breath and left the restroom, already planning her future alone.
Dawn glanced up. “Are you okay? You’re pale.”
“I’m fine.” Melanie placed bills on the table. “Just a little headache. Let’s get back to the hospital and force Hawk to wake up.” Then she’d plan her life alone.
Colton stood outside Hawk’s hospital room, trying to keep from punching the doctor in the face. “What do you mean, his vitals are slowing?”
The doctor sighed. “The brain is a mystery, and the longer he’s in a coma, the less likely he’ll awaken. We’d like to helicopter him to Seattle.”
“When he wakes up, he’ll want to be home,” Colt said. Reality began to spin away.
The doctor studied him. “I understand and think you should prepare yourself for the possibility that he’s not waking up.”
“No.” Colton pivoted on his heel and went into the room to drop onto a chair. Scents of bleach and plastic filled the air. He stretched back in the plastic hospital chair, his gaze on his buddy. The person he’d always told everything to, the person who had his back no matter what.
Hawk lay in the bed, not moving. Although his skin showed his Native American heritage, he looked pale. Wounded. Hurting.
Despair hunched Colton’s shoulders. Life had spiraled out of control, and he hated the uncertainty. The idea of losing Hawk burned like acid in his gut. He had to fix everything somehow. “I’m not leaving this seat until you wake up,” he whispered to his silent friend.
And he wouldn’t. A promise was a promise.
A rustle sounded by the door, and his dad slipped inside. He walked toward the bed, examined the beeping machines, and rested a large-boned hand on Hawk’s forehead. “How is our boy doing?”
Colton wiped his eyes. “His vitals have slowed, which is bad.”
Tom took the other chair. “I made Dawn go home and get some sleep.”
“I think only one of us is supposed to be in here.” Colt said woodenly.
Tom extended long legs and crossed his boots at the ankles. “I’d like to see them bodily remove us.”
Colton studied his dad. Although in his mid-fifties, Tom looked much younger. Broad across the shoulders, tall, and in excellent shape. He had the same blue eyes as Dawn. “Good point,” Colton said.
Tom glanced down at the bloody jeans and then up at Colton’s face. “Cattle kicked you?”
“Yes. The other day,” Colt said.
“At Mel’s house?” Tom asked.
“Yes. When I stayed over.” Colton had always leveled with his dad, and he wouldn’t stop now.
Tom scratched his strong jaw. “I wondered if you two would ever get together.”
“Me too. But now I’m not sure we’ll ever be friends again, if I screw this up, too.”
Tom shot him a look. “So don’t screw it up. Do you want things to go back the way they were between you two?”
“No.” The word emerged before Colt even had to think about it. “I don’t want to just be her friend. She’s pretty much everything.” At the thought of losing her, of not having her as a constant in his life, his gut clenched. Even more so, the thought of her loving somebody else made him want to hit the wall.
Tom nodded. “Been there. Your mother was a friend before we got together. In fact, her husband was my best friend. When he died, we both felt lost.”
Colton straightened and glanced at his dad. “I never really thought about that. Must’ve been tough.”
“Yeah.” His dad sighed, rolling his neck. “At first, we just helped each other cope, and I looked out for her two boys. Jake seemed utterly confused, and Quinn burned with anger, so we concentrated on them. Then, one day I turned around, and bam.”
Yeah . Bam. Colt exhaled.
Tom cleared his throat. “It’s nice to see you struggle a little.”
“What?” Colton pivoted to face his dad.
Tom flashed a dimple. “You’ve always had girls and now women flocking toward you.” He snorted. “No doubt because you inherited my good looks and charm.”
Colton rolled his eyes. “Right.”
“Okay. Your mama’s good looks and charm.” Tom cast a worried glance at Hawk. “Mel knows you, and she knows your bullshit. She also won’t put up with it.”
Colton frowned. “What’s your point?”
“You eased into a relationship with no risk, and I bet you haven’t even told her how you really feel.” Thoughtful contemplation, not judgment, echoed in Tom’s low tone.
Had he? Colton rubbed his chin. “I wanted to get my feet under me first.”
Tom shook his head. “There’s no getting your feet under you when you love a woman the way we do. Just hope you don’t land on your face when you fall.” He turned to pin his son with a hard look. “But make sure you mean it, because if you hurt that girl, I’ll kick your ass myself.”
“Fair enough.” Colton glanced down at his demolished jeans. “I should probably clean up first.”
“If you two are done with your hen fest, I’d like to get some rest,” Hawk rasped from the bed.
Colt and Tom immediately launched themselves toward the bed.
“Hawk?” Colton asked, his voice shaking.
Hawk glared up through bloodshot eyes. “Stop hovering. You two block out the light.”
“I’ll get a doctor.” Tom hustled from the room.
Colton smiled down at his buddy. “You’re all right.”
Melanie slipped off her gloves as she hurried down the hallway to Hawk’s room, where a small celebration had taken over. The Lodge boys and their wives took up one wall, while Tom and Dawn sat in the chairs. Colton leaned against the wall by the head of the bed, and she studiously ignored him.
“Hey, Mel,” Hawk said, his voice hoarse. He was sitting up, propped against a couple of pillows.
Relief swept through her so quickly her knees trembled. “It’s about time you stopped napping.” She strode toward the bed to get a better look and to reassure herself that he had fully awakened.
While bandages covered a good part of him, his green eyes appeared clear and alert. “I’m fine. Stop frowning.”
She schooled her face into calm lines. “How’s the head?” Reaching out, she smoothed his dark hair away from his broad face. The purple bruise across his temple had faded to a striated red.
“Fine.” He glanced at the clock near the far wall. “I’m leaving in a few minutes, probably.”
“No, you’re not.” Loni Freeze swept into the room with a Crock-Pot in her hands. “I brought you soup.”
Dawn laughed. “Mom, they have food here.”
“Not as good as mine.” Loni placed the pot on the counter and tugged a bowl from her massive handbag. Her dark hair had been braided down her back, and she wore a pretty purple blouse with a wool skirt. “Chicken noodle has healing properties.” Ignoring the amusement around her, she ladled a healthy portion into the bowl and handed it to Hawk. “Eat.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He accepted the spoon.
Melanie kept her gaze on Hawk, although she could feel Colton’s on her. Yeah, he knew her well enough to sense that something weighed on her mind. Maybe he wanted for her to end things so he didn’t have to do so.
The guy should take the easy out and run.
The doctor entered the room, his weary gray gaze taking in the entire group. “What happened to the limit on visitors?”
Hawk blew on his spoon.
“When can he come home?” Loni asked, looking almost miniature next to Colton.
Hawk paused. “To my house.”
“No, sweetie. To ours.” Loni bent and tucked Hawk more firmly in. “You shouldn’t be on your own for a while. Just until we make sure your brain is working all right.”
Colton and his brothers all stiffened in an obvious attempt to prevent jumping at the easy one-liner.
Melanie smirked. None of them were brave enough to tick off Loni.
Hawk blinked twice, raw emotion crossing his face to be quickly vanquished.
Loni ignored his struggle for control and pressed a motherly kiss to his forehead. “You’re family, and you’re not getting out of my sight until I make sure you’re all right.”
Now a slight panic lifted Hawk’s eyebrow.
“Melanie and I can take care of Hawk at Mel’s house,” Colton said calmly.
Mel’s gaze slashed to meet his, which looked full of challenge. He hadn’t. He really hadn’t.
Loni clasped her hands together. “Well, Mel’s is closer to Hawk’s spread so he can keep an eye on things. Colton’s cabin isn’t big enough, and I can visit Mel’s house daily. Yes, that’s a good plan.”
The other men in the room were suddenly busy looking elsewhere. Anywhere but at Mel.
Oh, she knew a good setup when one smacked her over the head. “I’d be thrilled to have you stay with me, Hawk. Loni, you’re welcome any time and any day. Colton, you don’t live with me.”
Hawk glanced from Colton to Melanie. “What did I miss?” he asked slowly.
“Nothing,” Melanie answered just as Colton said, “A lot.”
Anger slid through her veins like Pop Rocks. How dare he put her on the spot like this? Some privacy would be nice.
The doctor coughed. “It’s time for a new MRI for Hawk. I’m going to have to ask you all to leave.”
Melanie winked at Hawk. “I’ll be back later, and we’ll plan your getaway.”
He handed his bowl back to Loni. “That’s a plan.”
With a hard look at Colton, Melanie turned and exited the room, her boots echoing on the hard tiles as she hurried down the hallway and out into the sunny day.
Weak but bright, the sun glimmered off the wet pavement and a myriad of vehicles scattered around the parking lot.
She almost made it to her truck before Colton swung her around.
Jerking her arm away, she allowed her temper to blow. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He frowned, amusement glinting in his blue eyes. “You don’t want to help Hawk?”
Exasperation melded with anger. “Of course I want to help him. But I don’t need you offering for me, and I sure don’t need you making some sort of announcement that we’re living together. We’re not.” In fact, they were breaking up. “It’s over.” She took a deep breath and tried to keep her face calm. “We’re over, Colton.”
“What if you’re pregnant?” he asked softly.
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m not. I’ve already started and will very soon end my period.” One of the dubious benefits of her condition—very short periods, sometimes only lasting a day or two.
“Oh.” He exhaled heavily. “So we’ll try again.”
“No. This is too much, and it’s too complicated. We started because of the urgency, and now it’s too late. We’re just friends pretending to be more, Colton.” At least, he was. Unless he disagreed?
He blinked and shook his head. “Mel?—”
Her chin lifted. “Back off, Freeze. Whatever we had, it’s over. Deal with it.”
The slow smile he gave her tingled awareness along her skin, through her breasts, between her legs. “Ah, Mel.” He stepped into her space, and her butt hit her door. “Please tell me you meant that as a challenge.”
She kept her gaze steady. “I meant that as a brush-off, you arrogant ass.”
“Prove it.” He settled both hands on the truck, caging her.
“More games?” She tried for sarcasm, but her voice emerged breathy.
He leaned in, his lips brushing her temple. “Last time we played a game, you screamed my name as you came. Wanna play again?”
Lava flowed through her. “You’re boring me.” Okay. She may have meant that one as a challenge.
He lifted away, his gaze hot. “Am I, now? Well, let’s test that theory with one kiss. I’ll kiss you, and if you don’t respond, then I’ll walk away and believe you’re done with me.”
“Colt—”
“Afraid?” he taunted.
Stubborn pride straightened her spine. “No. Kiss away, and when you lose, keep your lips to yourself.”
“That would be a true pity considering how much my lips love every dip and crevice in your body,” he said.
Those crevices began to ache. “Hurry up.”
He leaned back in. “Fine.” Without warning, his hand fisted in her hair and tugged. The erotic move shot arousal straight to her core. Her neck elongated, and her chest lifted against his torso. His toned body brushed against her in blatant masculinity.
She swallowed and tried to prevent her eyelids from dropping. Her hands clenched into fists to keep from grabbing him.
He twisted his wrist, angling her face.
Colt had a way of overwhelming her, making her feel feminine. That appealing warmth competed heavily with her sense of self preservation.
His lips hovered an inch from hers.
She breathed out, trying not to move.
He flicked out his tongue, licking the corner of her mouth. She shuddered, her breasts scraping his chest. She felt his smile as his mouth slid against hers.
Gentle, sweet, and firm, he kissed her as if they had all day. Slow and drugging, he took his time, his body heating hers, so much bigger and stronger. An edge lived in Colton Freeze, always had, but this was the first time she’d felt its bite.
He increased his pressure until she opened her mouth. Then he swept inside, staking a claim.
He took her under, he took her over, Colt in full force.
She’d underestimated him.
The hand in her hair tightened, holding her in place. Where he wanted her.
She dropped into the whirlwind he created, kissing him back, her tongue mating with his.
He growled deep, his free hand clasping the back of her thigh and lifting. His cock pulsed between her legs, and she struggled to get closer. To feel more.
She protested when he broke the kiss and lifted his head. Then she gasped.
Hunger glittered in his sky-dark eyes, crimson spiraled across his pronounced cheekbones. His nostrils flared much like a stallion’s as it hunted a mate. The boy she’d known was gone.
Only a fully grown, dangerous man held her tight.
Need flushed through her. Every nerve she owned screamed for release. Her knees trembled, and her sex ached for him.
He released her hair and leg, tugging her way from the truck so he could open her door. His hands encircled her waist, and he lifted her onto the seat. Then he shut the door and turned to walk away.
Without saying a word.