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Authors: Carla Cassidy
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just say good-night,” he said. With a nod of his head he turned and disappeared into the house.
Melanie pushed herself over the threshold, then turned her wheelchair around to close the front door. For just a moment she remained with the door open, drawing in deep breaths of the cool, autumn-scented night air.
All in all the outing had been a huge success. She’d been surprised to discover that Jim Collins was a deputy and Denver Walton was a mechanic and had been dating Maddy Billings for a long time. She’d dated both men briefly in high school, but she hadn’t gotten serious about anyone. Dance had always taken precedence over boys and dating.
Even when she was living in New York City, there had been little time for dating. Life had pretty much revolved around auditions, rehearsals and performances. Most of the time a bunch of the cast of a particular show went out in a group to grab a bite to eat or have a few drinks or just unwind after a performance.
She’d had a relationship with a male dancer for three months, but different schedules and locations had eventually ended things between them.
Melanie hadn’t been in love with him, nor had he been in love with her. Still, it had been nice for a while to have somebody to talk to, somebody to make her feel desirable, not just as a fellow dancer but as a woman. He’d taken away some of the loneliness that often set in when the stage lights went out for the night.
She started to close the door but paused as a movement just behind the big tree in the front yard caught her eye. She tightened her grip on the doorknob. Was there somebody there? Was somebody hiding?
“Hello?” she called softly.
Darkness had quickly usurped the last gasp of day and a sudden shiver raced down her spine. The person who had killed two waitresses who worked at the Cowboy Café could possibly still be roaming the streets.
Was it possible he’d changed his victim profile and now had her in his sights? She narrowed her eyes, trying to see what or who had moved and caught her gaze.
Nothing.
She slammed the door closed and carefully locked it.
Silly, she thought as she wheeled herself into her bedroom. It must have been all the talk about the murders that had prompted the faint whisper of fear that pumped her heart a little too fast.
She was no better than silly Tilly, seeing bogeymen in shadows. She’d obviously mistaken a swaying branch or a cat for something more ominous. Still, as she got into bed, she realized that the wind hadn’t been blowing and the figure she’d thought she saw was far too big to be a cat.
Chapter 5
H e’d wanted to kiss her. He’d wanted to kiss her so badly, it had ached in his bones an hour later, when he got into bed. And when he woke up the next morning, he still wanted to kiss her.
Adam pulled himself out of bed before dawn. He showered and dressed and then left the house, deciding to head to the ranch and take a sunrise horseback ride.
He had enjoyed his time with Melanie too much, had almost crossed the line she’d drawn in the sand when he moved in. Tenant and landlord, that was the only relationship she wanted with him, and if he screwed that up, he’d be out of a place to live and he wouldn’t get a chance to spend more time with her.
The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as he reached the ranch. He went directly to the stables and saddled up his favorite mount, Jasper, and took off across the pasture.
He was attracted to Melanie like he’d never been attracted to a woman. He searched inside his heart, wondering if his fascination with her was simply pity for a woman whose life course had been halted abruptly by tragedy.
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find pity there. When he’d gazed at the photos on the living room wall, he’d admired the talented woman she’d been, but he was far more intrigued by the woman she was now, the woman she would become as she sought a new way of living.
In the weeks
Melanie pushed herself over the threshold, then turned her wheelchair around to close the front door. For just a moment she remained with the door open, drawing in deep breaths of the cool, autumn-scented night air.
All in all the outing had been a huge success. She’d been surprised to discover that Jim Collins was a deputy and Denver Walton was a mechanic and had been dating Maddy Billings for a long time. She’d dated both men briefly in high school, but she hadn’t gotten serious about anyone. Dance had always taken precedence over boys and dating.
Even when she was living in New York City, there had been little time for dating. Life had pretty much revolved around auditions, rehearsals and performances. Most of the time a bunch of the cast of a particular show went out in a group to grab a bite to eat or have a few drinks or just unwind after a performance.
She’d had a relationship with a male dancer for three months, but different schedules and locations had eventually ended things between them.
Melanie hadn’t been in love with him, nor had he been in love with her. Still, it had been nice for a while to have somebody to talk to, somebody to make her feel desirable, not just as a fellow dancer but as a woman. He’d taken away some of the loneliness that often set in when the stage lights went out for the night.
She started to close the door but paused as a movement just behind the big tree in the front yard caught her eye. She tightened her grip on the doorknob. Was there somebody there? Was somebody hiding?
“Hello?” she called softly.
Darkness had quickly usurped the last gasp of day and a sudden shiver raced down her spine. The person who had killed two waitresses who worked at the Cowboy Café could possibly still be roaming the streets.
Was it possible he’d changed his victim profile and now had her in his sights? She narrowed her eyes, trying to see what or who had moved and caught her gaze.
Nothing.
She slammed the door closed and carefully locked it.
Silly, she thought as she wheeled herself into her bedroom. It must have been all the talk about the murders that had prompted the faint whisper of fear that pumped her heart a little too fast.
She was no better than silly Tilly, seeing bogeymen in shadows. She’d obviously mistaken a swaying branch or a cat for something more ominous. Still, as she got into bed, she realized that the wind hadn’t been blowing and the figure she’d thought she saw was far too big to be a cat.
Chapter 5
H e’d wanted to kiss her. He’d wanted to kiss her so badly, it had ached in his bones an hour later, when he got into bed. And when he woke up the next morning, he still wanted to kiss her.
Adam pulled himself out of bed before dawn. He showered and dressed and then left the house, deciding to head to the ranch and take a sunrise horseback ride.
He had enjoyed his time with Melanie too much, had almost crossed the line she’d drawn in the sand when he moved in. Tenant and landlord, that was the only relationship she wanted with him, and if he screwed that up, he’d be out of a place to live and he wouldn’t get a chance to spend more time with her.
The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as he reached the ranch. He went directly to the stables and saddled up his favorite mount, Jasper, and took off across the pasture.
He was attracted to Melanie like he’d never been attracted to a woman. He searched inside his heart, wondering if his fascination with her was simply pity for a woman whose life course had been halted abruptly by tragedy.
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find pity there. When he’d gazed at the photos on the living room wall, he’d admired the talented woman she’d been, but he was far more intrigued by the woman she was now, the woman she would become as she sought a new way of living.
In the weeks
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