A Heart's Endeavor (6 page)

“Don’t you want me to return the favor?” Mel saw the surprise on his face. She immediately regretted her words. Maybe he didn’t want her mouth on him.

“Baby, I’m not some untried schoolboy only out for a piece of tail. I can control my urges. I wanted to do that for you.” He stared out the window, then turned to look at her. “And for me.” He grasped hold of her chin. His thumb stroked her bottom lip. “I will see you again, Melanie Manning. Make no mistake about that.”

He followed Mel to the porch and waited while she fished in her pocket for the key. “Make sure you lock the door.” He didn’t leave until she was safely inside.

Mel stood for a long time staring out the window after Jack had left. What in the world had gotten into her? Spread out on the front seat of Jack’s Durango with his head between her legs wasn’t how she had expected the night to end. And on a first date no less. But she didn’t feel guilty. She’d been faithful to Mike throughout their twenty years of marriage even though he had fooled around with other women. She wasn’t committed to anyone, and if she wanted to indulge in a sexual fling, she had that right.

But what scared the hell out of her was the fact that Jack seemed to want something much more serious than she was ready to give. He wanted to find the right woman and settle down. Plus, his job was so dangerous, and she didn’t know if she could handle constantly being worried about his safety. And she couldn’t tell him about her depression. Jack should have a strong woman by his side, and she didn’t fit the bill. Mike often told her she was too emotional.

Mel pressed her forehead against the cool window pane. Could she be the woman a man such as Jack needed? An ache, deep in the center of her chest, swelled to her throat. He might change his mind if she bared her soul and told him the truth about her depression.

Chapter 5

Mel studied the mass of cardboard scattered on the floor. “I don’t care what this diagram shows. There’s no way slot A…” She held up a piece of colored cardboard with a dog’s face on it. “…is going to fit into slot B. No wonder Bob wished me good luck. You’d have to be a rocket scientist to slap this display together.” She was talking more to herself, but when Stacy didn’t toss out one of her usual smart-assed comments, Mel looked up and saw the younger girl chewing on a pencil.

“Yeah, well, according to Bob’s way of settling instant lottery tickets we’re ten dollars short.” Stacy dropped the pencil on the counter. “I can’t do this right now, I have a headache.”

“We can’t be short. We haven’t sold much lottery today. It’s the middle of the week. Everyone’s broke. Besides, the weather is calling for heavy rain later on tonight. Cigarettes, D batteries for flashlights, and iced tea are the only items flying out of here.” Mel stepped around the cardboard and made her way to the counter.

“I’ll let it go for a few minutes then maybe I’ll see where I’m going wrong.” Stacy emptied another carton of Marlboro then tossed the box in the trash. “If you’re amazed at the way people react to a severe rainstorm wait until winter. When there’s a threat of snow, bread, milk, and eggs fly off the shelves just as fast.” She flashed a grin. “Hey, I have an idea. Let’s switch jobs for a while. I’ll work on the display and you can figure out the lottery.”

Mel frowned. “Why do I feel like I’m on the losing end?” She pondered a moment then asked, “Did you end a pack of tickets too early?”

“I don’t think so,” Stacy replied and filled another empty row of cigarettes.

“Check under each pack of tickets. Sometimes the last one on the roll sticks. I closed a pack the other night and was twenty dollars short. I nearly had a stroke.” She studied the tablet filled with numbers. “I thought for sure I’d be handing in my resignation.”

Stacy squatted and rummaged through the multitude of tickets. Soon she was waving a loose ten dollar ticket in the air. “I found it.”

Mel expelled a sigh of relief. “That’s one problem solved.” She yanked open the drawer underneath her register and held up a roll of duct tape. “And this solves the second problem. If I fool around with that display any longer I’ll snap.”

The door opened and a customer made a beeline for the lottery machine. Mel watched Stacy punch in the numbers with alarming speed.

“I must say I don’t know if I’ll ever master that lottery machine. Remembering all these games played on different days is enough to give me heart failure.”

She was getting better at it though. The majority of customers were very patient. All but one guy, who seemed to be a confirmed grouch. Mel had messed up his numbers twice, and now he insisted that Stacy do his lottery. Mel was determined not to take it to heart, although it did piss her off that she still made mistakes. Bob advised her not to take it so seriously. Some people were like that. The other ninety-nine percent made up for that one percent who were hell bent on being a pain in the ass.

Mel finished taping the display together and was looking for a place to set it when three state troopers entered the store. Jack strolled by and tossed her a wink. Immediately her cheeks grew hot. Just last night this handsome man had his face between her legs. Good Lord, she had to get a grip and stop thinking about how his firm jaw had glistened with her cream. Needless to say she hadn’t slept all night.

A much younger officer followed Jack to the cooler while the black officer trailing nonchalantly behind stopped at her register and flashed a shit-eating grin. Mel gave up her search of finding a home for the display and set it in the corner out of the way.

“Can I get you anything…” She looked at his name tag. “Trooper Davis?”

He propped an elbow on the counter and cupped his chin. “No, thanks. This time Dog’s breaking open his moth-eaten wallet. He lost a bet.”

“All right, all right, so you were right this
one
time.” Jack set three bottles of water in front of Mel. After she rang up the water the younger trooper took his, smiled politely, and went outside.

Mel frowned. “He looks awfully young.”

Jack twisted the cap off his bottle and took a drink. “Yep, fresh out of the academy. He’s been riding sidesaddle all day, and it hasn’t been a picnic.” He took another long pull of water then replaced the cap. “A man was holed up in his house with a shitload of guns and ammunition. There were six of us all together so we formed a plan. Two of us would break in while the other four surrounded the house. I was at the front door and Trooper Connors was positioned at the back window. It was all supposed to be done by the count of three. The guy was already subdued and handcuffed when we heard glass shattering. Our cadet was a little too late. Of course, we’re razing him about it.”

“Of course,” Mel mimicked. “Is that all you guys do is agitate each other?”

Jack shrugged. “Most of the time, otherwise how would we get through the day?”

Jim shouldered Jack aside. “Speaking of agitating… After we dealt with the guy holed up in his house, then we had to deal with a guy high on bath salts. He was hallucinating, claiming that aliens were after him, so he went running through the woods about a mile from here. There’s a clearing adjacent to the woods, but instead of listening to me, Dog chased after him on foot. I drove the cruiser to the other side and got the drop on the guy first.”

Mel’s lips twitched. “I take it the water’s your prize. I would have held out for something more.” Instead of shaking in her Skechers, Mel’s pussy throbbed at the stern glare Jack gave her. She had a few more hours to work and soaked panties wouldn’t be all that comfortable, especially in the cooler.

“Yep, I wasn’t planning on killing myself running.” Jim expelled an exaggerated breath. “But Dog here likes the thrill of the chase.” He leaned closer toward Mel and smiled in a flirty sort of way, but she knew he was just trying to push Jack’s buttons, and the scowl on Jack’s face showed that it was working.

Jack purposely stepped in front of his partner. “Shadow
here
prefers not to exert himself any more than he has to.” He turned and gestured toward Jim’s slight paunch. “As you can see.”

Jim continued as if Jack hadn’t spoken. “You know, Mel, this young pup doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Jim couldn’t have been much older than Jack, yet he had made it sound as if he possessed the wisdom of a lifetime. “Why should I exert myself when I have a forty-five in my holster plus a car at my disposal? If a shot in the kneecap doesn’t slow the perp to a decent walk I can always run him down with the car.”

The thought of someone being shot just for running away had Mel stuttering. “A-are you serious?” she asked, looking from one to the other.

Both men looked at her with such wide-eyed innocence she knew they were bluffing.

Jack took another swig of water and Mel frowned at the deep scratches on his arm. “You need to get cleaned up and put some antiseptic on those cuts before they get infected.”

Jack waggled his brows. “Are you offering to play nurse? If you’re good I’ll let you play with my expandable baton.”

Mel was certain her cheeks resembled two very ripe tomatoes. Jim rolled his eyes in mock disgust, and Stacy weaseled her way into the conversation by blinking her big brown eyes. Her lashes were covered with a layer of mascara so thick Mel wondered how her bottom lashes didn’t stick fast to the upper set. “We have a sink behind the deli if you’d like to clean up, Jack.”

“No, thanks. We have to gas up and head to the barracks and fill out paperwork.” He kept his gaze on Mel as if no one else existed. She went weak in the knees and clutched the edge of the counter, otherwise she would have landed on the floor in a heap.

“For heaven’s sake, get a room.” Jim punched Jack in the arm. “I’ll meet
you
outside.” He shook a finger under Stacy’s nose. “You stay out of trouble, missy. Your father’s hair looks grayer every time I see him.”

As soon as Jim went outside, Mel turned to face the man who turned her insides into a pile of mush. How he could stand there all relaxed as if chasing someone through brambles and bushes was an everyday occurrence? Well, she supposed for him it was. It took a very special breed of man or woman to wear a uniform and risk their lives every day. She’d never be able to do it. “I don’t know how you guys can keep smiling after all the human depravity you see day in and day out.”

“It comes with the job.” His expression grew serious. “Don’t think for one minute that we’re not affected. We do see the worst man has to offer, but there are some good people floating around out there too.” He used the water bottle to point to the gas pumps. “As for Jim, all he thinks about is going home to his wife and baby daughter at the end of the day. They’re the two most important people in his life. He jokes around a lot, but I know he has my back.” He finished his water and threw the bottle in the trash can at the end of the counter. “Glen’s Grove is having their annual block party this weekend. I work seven to three tomorrow. The block party starts around five o’clock. Can you switch with one of the girls and go with me?”

Talk about a change of subject. “Er...”

“Sure she can,” Stacy spouted from the other side of the deli. She pinned Mel with a pointed glare. “Remember? Sara agreed to switch shifts with you tomorrow so we could have a girls night out.” Not waiting for an answer, she scooted behind the counter and squeezed past Mel.

Mel groaned.
That’s right.
After a shift of non-stop badgering, it was either agree to go along or pull out her hair. She had set an ultimatum though—she’d go only if she could be the designated driver. That gave her the excuse not to drink alcohol. She wasn’t in the mood to invent some other excuse. On the flipside, a block party sounded like fun. She hadn’t been to one in ages. But their first date ended with his head between her legs—how would the second date end?

“Good ethnic food followed by cotton candy and funnel cake should be enough to tempt you into going with me. Maybe I can play a game of darts or something and win you a stuffed animal.”

He didn’t need to offer food or dangle a prize in front of her face. She’d go in a heartbeat. She’d probably look ridiculous lugging a stuffed animal around, but time spent with Jack would be worth looking like an idiot.

A sharp kick to her shin startled her.
Darn Stacy.
Mel clenched her teeth and swung her foot back with equal force. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stacy limping to the cooler. She turned her thoughts back to Jack’s invitation. If she had known Jack planned on asking her out again she never would have agreed to go with the girls.

“I have to go into work later in the day so that frees you up for your night out,” Jack said.

A night out at a strip club was the last thing on her mind. “Okay.” At least she’d have some time with him.

The store was empty except for Jack. He slid his hand around Mel’s neck and eyed her sternly. “You better behave yourself tomorrow night or I’ll paddle your ass.” Before she could reply, he whispered into her ear, “I want to lick you until you’re soaking wet.” He nipped her earlobe. “Then I’ll suck you dry and eat you up all over again.”

Hot damn!
“Trooper Horan, you are not a gentleman.”

His grasp tightened. “That’s Corporal to you, young lady. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six.” He kissed her hard on the mouth and left.

Stacy tore out of the cooler at top speed. “Ooohhh, I saw that.”

Mel tried her best to be angry, but the girl’s excited chatter had her shaking her head in despair. It was no use. Maybe being around these girls and their fantasies would keep her thinking young. “I thought you were filling the cooler,” she admonished mock-severely.

“I was, but I can still see out of the glass doors, ya know.” She frowned. “Hey, you never told me if you got him out of his uniform the other night.”

Mel grinned. “And I’m not going to.”

Chapter 6

The following afternoon, Mel penciled in her time on the schedule sheet and grabbed her purse. On her way out the door she thanked Sara for switching shifts.

“No problem, Mel,” the tiny blonde in her early thirties replied. “Have a good time, and don’t let Stacy talk you into doing anything stupid.”