Mel stumbled backward and plopped into a chair. Her father had been suffering from a lengthy illness? “I…I didn’t know.” She tried to collect her thoughts. This was not at all what she had expected to find. She had mentally prepared herself for the inevitable string of ongoing arguments with her father, but not for this. She looked up at Cody. “How can this be? He’s always been as strong as an ox, never sick a day in his life.” She saw it in Cody’s eyes. He was not able to hide the deep concern that he felt. “How…what…” Her words trailed off. She was afraid to ask the ultimate question, so she said nothing.
Cody was torn between her genuine surprise and unexpected concern and his resentment of her for the anguish she had put her father—his close friend—through for the past ten years. He steeled himself against the warm spot deep inside that seemed to want to reach out toward her need. “I sent you a letter last June. Since nobody knew how to get in touch with you, I mailed it to the publication that had just printed one of your articles, with a notation for them to forward it to you.” Even though he was determined not to make things easy for her, he still inwardly flinched at the bitterness he heard in his words and tone of voice.
Her response was almost a whisper. There was a slight quaver to her voice. “I never received it.” She held his steady look for a long moment before she broke eye contact with him. She could see his disapproval, and for some reason it bothered her. That this arrogant, antagonistic, unpleasant stranger seemed to disapprove of her actually bothered her. As she glanced away her gaze fell across his taut, well-toned upper torso with the ugly red gouges.
She recaptured his eye contact and he continued to stare at her. His posture and body language still challenged her and her right to have entered the house. She looked away again, and this time her gaze traveled around the living room. It was mostly as she had remembered it with one notable exception. A new recliner occupied a place of honor in the corner, replacing what had been her father’s favorite chair.
The old chair had been worn out for as long as Mel could remember. Her mother had bought him a new chair for Christmas one year, but he refused to use it and she had eventually donated it to charity. Apparently the ratty old chair had finally given out and her father had replaced it. Why had he not done it while her mother was still alive? Why had he not shown even the slightest bit of appreciation for her mother’s efforts or concern for her mother’s feelings? The old hurt flooded into her consciousness. She had thought she was distanced enough from the old memories to be able to handle them. She blinked away the tears.
Cody saw the tears fill her eyes and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. He relaxed his stance. “Is something wrong? I didn’t hurt you when I knocked you down, did I?”
“No…no, you didn’t hurt me. I’m exhausted, that’s all. I’ve driven all the way from Los Angeles without any sleep.” She stifled a yawn, as if to reinforce her claim.
She looked in his direction again and gestured toward his bare chest. “In fact, it seems I did the damage to you. I’m sorry.”
For the first time Cody noticed the scratches on his chest. It had all happened so quickly he had not been aware of them. The only thing clear in his mind was the moment he had discovered it was a woman he had tackled—the moment his hand closed over her breast. “That’s all right. I guess you’re entitled to defend yourself, even if you’re the one who’s the intruder.” He had expected some sort of rebuttal from her, but he did not get it.
Mel heard his words but was unable to respond to his accusation. There were too many memories, too many old feelings, all clamoring for her undivided attention. She looked up at Cody again. His stance had softened, as had his expression. “Where’s my father?”
“He’s moved from his bedroom into the parlor. Not only is it a much larger room, it’s also a bright corner room with lots of windows that give him the morning sun. He seems to be more comfortable there. He’s asleep now and I don’t want him disturbed.” Those last words carried the sound of absolute authority, again challenging her right to be there.
“But I’m his daughter—”
“Yes, the daughter who hasn’t sent as much as a postcard in nearly ten years.” The hard edge returned to Cody’s voice as he spoke through clenched teeth. “The daughter who broke his heart.”
Mel jumped to her feet. She would not tolerate any more insolence from this stranger who seemed to have appointed himself Lord of the Manor. The angry words spewed out before she could stop them. “How dare you presume to make judgments about me and my relationship with my father? You weren’t here. You don’t know what happened!” She fought back the tears. Her voice dropped to a mere whisper as she forced the words. “You don’t know anything about it.” She quickly regained her composure, her indignation once again taking command. “Besides, it’s none of your business!” She felt the heat color her cheeks and the angry tears sting her eyes.
The old grandfather clock struck five times, drawing Cody’s attention away from Mel. If he were not already standing in the living room, it would be time to get up. He became aware of the cold air against his chest and his bare feet. He did not answer her challenge. He wasn’t sure how to answer it. Perhaps he had been out of line in what he said, but he certainly had no intention of apologizing. He turned and went to his bedroom to finish dressing.
Mel watched as he walked down the hall and entered the first room on the right, closing the door behind him. Maybe he was through with the conversation, but she was far from finished with him. She charged down the hall and banged open his bedroom door, barging in uninvited. “Hey, you, cowboy—don’t you dare turn your back on me and walk away while I’m talking!”
His angry voice matched hers. “And don’t you dare—” He didn’t bother to finish his sentence, but grabbed her around the waist, effortlessly lifted her off the floor and carried her out into the hallway. Instead of putting her down, he held her up so that they were eye-to-eye, so close their noses were almost touching. His voice was soft, almost a whisper. “And don’t you dare barge into my bedroom again unless you have something a lot more interesting on your mind than merely talking.” He held her close for a moment longer, then abruptly deposited her on the floor.
He returned to his bedroom and closed the door, leaving Mel in the darkened hallway with her sensibilities totally shaken. She leaned back against the wall for support. What had just happened? One moment she was so angry she could have punched him in the nose and the next moment his nearness literally took her breath away and left her weak in the knees.
Cody peeled off his jeans and tossed them in a corner on his way into his bathroom. He had moved into the main house almost a year ago, when Buck’s illness started to take a noticeable physical toll. The bedroom/sitting room/bathroom suite had originally been for guests, but Buck had insisted that Cody occupy it. The two men had conspired to keep Buck’s illness as much of a secret as possible. At the time they were in the process of renegotiating a large existing bank loan being used for expansion and upgrading equipment. Buck didn’t want anyone to know he was not running things with his usual iron hand and total authority.
Cody showered, shaved and dressed, but the activity didn’t divert him from the nagging memory of his body pressed on top of Melanie’s. Her fiery temper had only accentuated the golden sparks that seemed to ignite in her hazel eyes when she lashed out at him with her anger. The lush fullness of her lower lip had trembled slightly when she fought back the tears. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was cognizant of just how much of her physical description had managed to seep into his consciousness. It was a realization that did not please him.
Cody stepped out into the hallway and was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. It was only five-thirty