The Keeping (28 page)

Ryne continued to
explain the intricacies of modern photography as they walked
through the woods. He also gave her pointers on looking for focal
point, watching shadows and a myriad of other small details that
she’d never considered before. By the time they headed back to the
cabin, she had a much greater appreciation for taking pictures.

“I hope you know
that you’ve ruined me. I’ll never be able to just point and shoot
again with a disposable camera from the drug store.” She laughed up
at him as they stood by his truck, their shoulders lightly
touching.

“You won’t be the
first woman I’ve ruined.” He quirked a smile at her, but Mel felt
her happy mood suddenly sour at the mention of his womanizing
ways.

She stepped back
and stuck out her hand. “Well, thank you for your time. Maybe we
can continue the interview tomorrow.”

Ryne looked
puzzled. “What’s the matter, Melody?”

“Nothing’s the
matter, and my name is Mel.”

“No. To me, you’re
a Melody.” He ignored her outstretched hand and much to her
surprise pulled her into his arms. Once she was pressed flush
against him, he questioned her again. “Now what’s wrong? One minute
we’re laughing and enjoying ourselves and the next, you’re the ice
queen.”

Mel compressed her
lips tightly, reluctant to explain herself, but once again feeling
compelled to bow to his wishes. It was strangely annoying, this
effect he had on her. Against her will, she found herself
explaining. “You mentioned all the women you’ve...er...ruined. And
it reminded me that I’m just here for a little while and I have a
job to do. Getting too...um...friendly with you is a bad idea.”

Ryne’s arms
tightened around her briefly before letting her go. This time he
was the one to step back. Mel immediately missed the contact with
him, but pushed the feeling away. Bad Mel, she told herself. You
slipped up the other morning, and just now you forgot again, but no
more!

“You’re right. Our
getting involved the other morning wasn’t the best idea, but...”
Ryne hesitated, appearing conflicted, almost as if he didn’t want
to utter the next idea. “That doesn’t mean we can’t at least enjoy
each other’s company, right? There’d be no harm in that. After all,
sitting around a table somewhere just asking and answering
questions won’t be a lot of fun.” He gave her a half smile and
winked.

No harm. Mel
repeated the words inside her head, not sure if she believed them
or not. Looking at the man in front of her, there was no way she
could conclude he was harmless. Dangerous—yes; harmless—no. But,
she did need to finish the interview and it was much more pleasant
to have a friendly conversation...

“I suppose...” She
thought for a moment, then made a face. “You’re right. I was just
over-reacting. I guess our little ‘encounter’ yesterday morning
threw me off.” Feeling herself flush, she forced herself to
continue. “It’s not the sort of thing I usually do.”

“Really?” Ryne
reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers
felt cool against her warm cheek. “I’d never have known. You seem
to have a natural talent in that area.”

Mel blinked at
him, processing the comment, totally unsure if she should feel
honoured or insulted.

Ryne gave a short
laugh, obviously pleased at having confounded her, and chucked her
under the chin before getting into his truck. Once inside, he
rolled down the window. “You can keep the camera while you’re here.
Play around a bit with the different settings and see what you can
do. There’s a cable in the case so you can download any pictures
you take onto your laptop.”

“But won’t you
need it?” For the moment, Mel gave up on sorting out her feelings
and focused on what he was saying.

“No. Like I said,
it’s my back-up. I hardly ever use it. The batteries are
rechargeable, but I put a fresh set in before coming over, so you
should be good for a while.”

“Well, thanks. I
appreciate this.” Mel hesitated before asking about seeing him
again. “Um... Can we get together again?” Seeing the evil twinkle
in his eye, she quickly clarified. “For another interview session
that is?”

“Sure...” He
paused, seeming to think of something. “If I can ask you a
question.”

“What is it?”

“How did you find
me? Here in Stump River, that is. I’ve kept a pretty low
profile.”

Mel swallowed
hard. She didn’t want to admit that she’d been watching Kane and
Elise at the post office in Smythston and then snooped through the
mail. Falling back on a tried and true answer, she smiled
nervously. “Reporters never reveal their sources.”

“What kind of an
answer is that?”

Thinking quickly,
she snapped back at him. “It came from the same category that ‘I
didn’t exist before photography’ did.”

He narrowed his
eyes. “Pure bullshit to avoid answering, in other words.”

“Worked for you.”
Mel raised her brows and inclined her head.

Ryne grunted then
gave what appeared to be a reluctant grin. “I’ll be in town again
on Wednesday. I work until four. We could have dinner at The Broken
Antler again and talk then.”

Mel nodded and
with a wave of his hand, he drove off.

Chapter
20

Ryne pulled up in
front of the house and turned off the engine. He made no move to
get out; his mind occupied with other more important things,
specifically, Melody Greene. For some strange reason, he had
difficulty staying focused when he was around her. The real reason
he was spending time with her—to keep an eye on what she was doing
and to monitor the information she gathered—kept slipping from his
mind.

Unexpectedly, the
afternoon had turned out to be fun. Melody was an enthusiastic
companion, eager to learn about her new found interest. He
chuckled, thinking of how she’d furrowed her brow and bit her lip
while absorbing what he told her. Then when she’d snapped a picture
and the image appeared on the screen, her delight had lit up her
whole face. There was a natural artistic streak within her. When
she set up a picture, she seemed to know how to frame the shot and
take the best advantage of the light and angles.

It was also
interesting to see how she seemed to have an instinctive affinity
to nature. This was surprising in someone who had purportedly grown
up almost exclusively in a big city. Yet, the wonder in her eyes
when she’d crouched beside him, examining the pattern on leaves and
the path of an early ladybug, was real. More than once, he’d caught
himself reaching out to grasp her hand as they walked along in
companionable silence, soaking in the world around them. He’d
enjoyed spending time with her, sharing his passion.

And speaking of
passion, her nearness had stirred him more often than he really
cared to admit. Her scent had filled his mind, making it hard to
concentrate on taking pictures and explaining photographic theory.
In reality, all he wanted to do was to throw her down on the ground
and taste her sweet lips one more time. The sex between them had
been great and, even though he knew any involvement with her was
dangerous, he was eager to experience her once again.

Maybe it was the
element of danger that was drawing him to her. She was like a
forbidden fruit and he’d never been one to toe the line any more
than he had to. While his logical mind said no, his wolf was
telling him yes. Burying himself between her thighs, filling his
hands with her curves, tasting her, smelling her; the very idea of
Melody was consuming him beyond reason.

Ryne felt as if
there was a battle raging within him. As Alpha, the needs of the
pack came first. He knew the law and what was at stake. The actions
he might have to take were spelled out clearly. Yet despite this
knowledge, his wolf kept urging him towards the woman, pushing all
other concerns into the background. What was it that his wolf knew,
that he didn’t? Usually, they were of one accord, but now a
dichotomy seemed to be developing within him. It was something he
had never experienced before and didn’t know how to handle, yet
handle it he must. The situation was too crucial. Who knew how many
lives were depending on the decisions that he would make over the
next few days? Having his mind clouded with lust was
unacceptable.

He clenched the
steering wheel and tightened his jaw. When he set out on his own,
he knew he wanted to create his own pack, to be Alpha, to use the
power within him. Well, now he had his wish and he’d live up to his
obligations, no matter what his personal inclinations might be. And
so he’d continue to see Melody, answer her questions as slyly as
possible, maybe even bedding her again if he thought it was needed
to keep her distracted from what was under her very nose. Then,
when he was sure she’d bought his story, he’d send her on her
way.

‘
But what if
she doesn’t ‘buy your story’ and keeps poking around?’
The wolf
inside, questioned him angrily.
‘What will you do then?’

Shaking his head,
Ryne growled at himself. “Whatever it takes,” he answered back.
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”

With that, he
climbed out of the truck and slammed the door shut. Bryan and
Daniel were inside supposedly installing the cabinets that arrived
this morning. He’d better see how they were doing. They meant well,
but enthusiasm didn’t always translate to solid construction.

*****

Ryne spent the
rest of the day, and most of the next, helping with the
installation of the cabinets followed by new countertops and a
sink. By the time the job was finished, the kitchen looked
considerably improved; the tempers of the three men, however, were
not. The walls of the old house were less than plum and there had
been considerable trimming and shimming required—a tedious and
frustrating process at the best of times—before the job was
complete.

Standing in the
room surrounded by the scent of new wood and the gleam of marble
countertops, Ryne knew it had been worth it. This was a kitchen
suitable for his vision of the future. He could see it filled with
pack members; some lounging at the breakfast bar, others busy at
the stove. It would be loud and friendly—.

“Hey, Ryne, Bryan
and I are heading up toThe Broken Antler for dinner and some fun.
Armand has a pool tournament arranged. Want to come along?” Daniel
popped his head through the door way, still buttoning his shirt and
obviously fresh from the shower.

Glancing down at
himself, Ryne recognized his own need to clean up. Bits of sawdust
still clung to his pants and pricked his skin where it stuck in the
sweat of his chest and arms. “Nah. I still have to get cleaned up
and then I want to go for a run.” He shrugged his shoulders and
stretched his arms, feeling the tightness of his muscles. The work
in the house was taxing, but still not enough to ease the tension
within him.

“Suit yourself. If
you change your mind, come in to town later.”

“I might, but if I
don’t, behave.”

Daniel rolled his
eyes and laughed. “Don’t we always?”

“No.”

“True, but it’s
more fun that way.”

Ryne faked a growl
back at him, then shook his head as the boy turned on his heels,
and hurried out. It was good to see the kid loosen up a bit once in
awhile. Daniel was far more serious than Ryne had ever been at that
age.

Scratching his
chest, he grabbed a broom and began the tedious task of cleaning up
sawdust, discarded nails, scraps of lumber and bits of packing
materials. The other two would have helped if he’d asked, but he
didn’t mind the time alone. Besides, they’d worked hard the past
two days, and deserved some kind of a break.

He heard the door
slam as his companions left, laughing about their plans for the
night. Soon the sound of a vehicle starting floated inside followed
by the crunch of gravel as it began to move down the driveway. Ryne
paused in his sweeping and listened until the sound faded into the
distance, then sighed and resumed his task. The house echoed with
silence now that they were gone, the faint scrape of the broom
against the floor the only sound. It was both calming and lonely,
if such a combination actually existed.

For a moment Ryne
regretted turning down their offer, but other thoughts weighed too
heavily on his mind to make him a suitable companion for the night.
He still hadn’t told Bryan and Daniel about his concerns over
Melody. They viewed her as a delightful little pest and had given
him no end of teasing about her while working on the cupboards.
Good naturedly, he gone along with them. There was no use giving
them cause to worry when nothing might come of it. If the need
arose, then he’d inform them.

Giving the kitchen
a last glance, he propped the broom and dustpan in the corner, then
headed towards his bathroom to take a shower. He’d get cleaned up,
then take a run around the perimeter of the property to check for
signs of intruders. If he planned his route properly, he’d end up
just a mile or so from Melody’s cabin, not that he intended to stop
by, he assured himself. No, last night during the sleepless hours
he’d spent tossing and turning, he’d come to the conclusion that
his association with the woman had to be short and sweet. He’d give
her the briefest of answers on Wednesday, declare that he was
through, and send her packing. It was the safest course of action
for all involved.

*****

Mel sat in her
cabin staring blankly at the computer screen, waiting for it to
download the pictures that she’d taken with Ryne the previous day.
She frowned at the screen wondering why it was taking so long;
there seemed to be a lot more pictures in the file than she thought
there should be. Idly she wiped a bit of dust from the screen with
her finger, contemplating the fact that she really should buy one
of those little laptop cleaning kits when she got back to Chicago.
Maybe she’d check out Brown’s General store when she was in town
tomorrow—for such a backwoods type of location, it did seem to have
quite a varied product line. Adding that to her mental to-do list,
she glanced at the screen and sat up straight, a look of
anticipation spreading across her face. Ah, the pictures were done
downloading.