Page 15 of Texas Scandal

Prescott’s smile was big enough for all three of them. “Ma’am.” He nodded toward Tiernan before saying, “I can show myself out.”

Tiernan followed anyway so he could lock the door. Melody sat at the granite island, her expression a little lost. Her life had been turned upside down today, and the exhaustion was beginning to show.

“If you want to shower, there are always fresh linens in the bathroom. Soap and shampoo is always stocked,” he continued. “There’s a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. You’re welcome to use it.”

Melody nodded. She glanced around the room. “Where does Loki sleep?”

“Usually out here in the main living room. I leave my door open, and he comes in and out as he pleases,” he said.

She glanced over at the couch and then at Loki’s bed, where he’d gone to curl up in a ball. “Mind if I sleep out here?”

“On the couch?” he asked, thinking a bed would be far more comfortable for her. And then it dawned on him. Was she scared to sleep alone?

“IFYOUDON’TMIND, I’d rather be out here,” Melody answered after a beat of silence. The couch looked comfortable enough and she had no desire to sleep in a strange bed alone. Based on the layout, in the guest room she’d be on the opposite side of the cabin, far away from Tiernan. The irrational fear someone could break in and somehow get to her crept into her thoughts. Now that it was there, it would be impossible to get rid of. Plus, even though she was tired, she wondered if she could get any real sleep anyway.

“Not a problem,” Tiernan said. “I have a few things to address on the work front, so I’ll be out here while you shower.”

“Oh, good,” she said. Having him nearby sent another wave of calm through her. She realized her concerns were probably unfounded and yet she couldn’t quite shake them off, either. Knowing someone died either coming after her in order to hurt her or searching for her for some kind of answers or connection was wreaking havoc on her mind.

She excused herself after being told where to find the shower. The layout was intuitive and the furnishings comfortable. There was a masculinity to the design, with the oversize leather sofa across from a tumbled stone fireplace. The cabin had large rooms with high ceilings and looked more high-end resort on the inside than fishing cabin.

The rain shower had good pressure and the warm water was heaven on earth. If only she could wash off this day. Melody ended the shower, dried off and slipped on the white cotton robe. She cinched the belt around her waist, pulling it tight to ensure the robe stayed closed. She scooped up her business suit, wishing she had casual clothes with her. She didn’t even have her car, not that it would matter. She wasn’t leaving town so there were no extra clothes in the back seat. Her gym bag was at home. All she had with her was what she’d put on that morning. Morning seemed so long ago.

“Do you have anything I can put these dirty clothes in?” she asked after clearing her throat. She didn’t want to surprise Tiernan as he sat there in one of his oversize leather chairs that flanked the fireplace, gaze intensely focused on the laptop.

He made an immediate move to set the tech down on the floor beside his chair and get up. “I’ll take those.” He cut across the living room and took the ball of clothes from her hands.

“All I need is a grocery bag or something to put these in until I can swing by my house tomorrow,” she said, then realized it might not be so easy to do that if reporters and the law could be snooping around. Murder wasn’t something that happened every day in small towns like Mesquite Spring. Austin was another story altogether.

“I’ll throw them in the wash,” he said as she let go.

“I can do it if you point me in a direction,” she said. “Besides, you’ve already done enough for one day.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, like it was nothing. “The washer and dryer are in the hallway leading to my bedroom. I have to head that way to take a shower anyway, so it’s no trouble.”

“If you’re sure,” she said.

“I’m good,” he confirmed with a small smile.

“I found the toothbrush and supplies in the basket on the counter,” she said. “Are you always this prepared for company?” She didn’t want to go there in her mind that he had a string of women who came through a revolving front door. The lack of female touches in the home and the fact he didn’t wear a gold band reassured her there didn’t seem to be anyone special in his life.

He shrugged as his smile grew, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth. “I have a housekeeper who comes in once a week to take care of all those details. I’ll be sure to thank her on your behalf when she comes in Monday.”

“Thank you,” she said. “To both of you.” Her gaze dropped down to his Cupid’s bow mouth where it lingered. Suddenly, she realized just how naked she was underneath the cotton covering.

Standing this close was a bad idea, so she took a step back, thankful she didn’t fall. She wasn’t exactly the athletic one in the family. She left sports up to her brother, who’d played just about everything.

“I put out blankets and a pillow on the couch,” Tiernan said. “There’s still a few things for work that I need to handle, so I’ll grab my laptop when I’m out of the shower. It’ll only take me a few minutes. Are you good if I come back in the living room?”

“Of course,” she said. “As tired as I am, it’ll be hard to shut down my thoughts. I’m just looking forward to lying down for a little while and shutting down as much as possible. You won’t bother me if you work in here. In fact, it might be nice to have company in the room.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He exited the room. She was grateful Loki was content to stay with her.

After drinking a full glass of water, she made a bed on the sofa. Her cell was inside her purse, turned off. She’d flipped it off after the meeting with the sheriff on the ride home. As she climbed underneath the cover, she started thinking about all the stuff she needed to take care of. She’d left her boss hanging today and was afraid to check in at this point. They would manage at the office fine without her. It was a real estate development office, not a hospital. Still, work piled up on a daily basis. She could only imagine how many calls and texts were waiting on her phone, not to mention her email. The iPad in her purse was turned off, too. It was probably good for her sanity but not her livelihood. She had a little money saved. It wasn’t like she spent money on anything but rent and food. She’d been needing to walk away from her bully of a boss for months. He kept her so busy she didn’t have time to look for another job until today. She figured that was by design. The pay was good even though the hours were long. The last straw had been when he’d thought it was perfectly okay for his son to hit on her. The kid wasn’t old enough to legally drink. Meanwhile, she was thirty-three years old. The boss had called his college son’s actions “harmless.” The real estate development company was small and family owned. Her HR contact was a relative of the boss. The only option was to find another job where she would be respected.

This wasn’t the time to be angry with herself for not listening to her small circle of friends—friends she’d lost touch with because she’d been too busy to keep up relationships over the past three years. Too many years had been sacrificed with little time off only to end up being chased around a desk like the #metoo movement hadn’t happened. Time wasn’t stuck in the past, when men got away with bad behavior with a slap on a back and a cigar.

Maybe being forced to quit would end up being a good thing for her. Maybe she shouldn’t let it get her down. Maybe this was exactly the push she needed to get a real fire under her backside about getting another job. As soon as the new one read about her in the news, they would rescind their offer—if there was going to be one in the first place.

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