EVERYWHERE MELISSA HAD GONE,Everything she'd done for the past year made her feel like she was the jackrabbit and her husband was the eagle.
There was always the thought of him lurking in the back of her mind,ready to swoop down and take Angelina away.
Even when he left in business _ and those were trips that had kept her sane _ there was never a feeling that he was ever truly gone.
The rest that he'd pop up around every corner had almost driven her beyond the brink. Once the baby had been born, Melissa had kept Angelina within arm's reach at all time.
Always aware that Richard could put two and two together at any moment and deliver on his threat to destroy Melissa and everyone she loved if she betrayed him.
And now she really was the jackrabbit,seeking shelter,scrambling to get away from the eagle that was circling, ready to pounce the se
How many nights in the past year had she stayed awake,wondering how much he hated het for what she'd done? The mystery was over. It was clear and so hard to see because she never stopped loving him, not even now.Her heart didn't care or seem to want to acknowledge there was no going back. Not with Colin. She'd known that she walked away and yet seeing it written all over his expression and hearing it in his words made it seem so... Final.She'd done what she had to do in order to survive,she reminded herself. Repeating her mantra had gotten her through so many difficult times in her life. Naively, she'd believed that given enough time she'd get over Colin.How young. How silly. Maybe there was one true love in life and if it didn't work out, that was it.She tried not to let the thought deflate her. Besides,Angelina was her
Storm clouds thickened as the day went on. The winds had picked up speed. It was obvious that a storm was brewing.Melissa wondered just how bad it was going to get. Thought of being in a boat during a bad storm weren't exactly warm and fuzzy. Few words passed between Colin and Melissa for the balance of the day. He needed time to think,to process, and she understood that in some level. A bomb had been dropped and he was trying to get his bearings. She'd felt the same way.At first, she'd been shocked. And then, afraid. When it came to Colin, there were worse things he could do besides give her the silent treatment. All things considered,this was good."The cream-colored boat with the blue stripe will work for us", he finally said,motioning toward one of the vessels. The thought of staying on a boat shoot
She thought about all the other times that Richard had said he was leaving for two days and then didn't return for a week or more. Those times were even worse. The persistent feeling that he could show at any second unannounced ensure that she wouldn't rest.She didn't dare pack it try to disappear because he could literally show up in a blink. A year. Twelve months. Every day had felt like a prison sentence,like being locked in solitary confinement. Protecting her father had been her initial marching order. And then Colin's father complicated the situation. Angelina had come along,giving Melissa a reason to live but also a reason to stay.As long as Richard had thought the baby was his,she was given everything she could want. The best doctor in Tyler. The best care . And the best part was that he'd left her alone physically. But if he'd suspected for one minute that Angelina wasn't his...... Melissa couldn
Wind had picked up and the spring Thunderstorms was rolling in as promised. Some of the worst storms came late in the season after a cold winter. And this one had been freezing. Warm air clashed with frigid temperatures,causing all kind of destruction where they met. "She'll have protection around her 24/7", Melissa said as her hair whipped around her face,the intensity of the threatening storm growing."Is she in the family business?" Colin didn't budge.Not even when the first droplets of rain splattered around them. Before Melissa could respond,he launched towards her.Melissa reacted quickly,rolling just out of Colin's reach. Good. "Your reflexes are honed. I don't think I want to know why you automatically flinch when a man comes towards you,but I can work with your instincts", he said,lying chest dow
Colin wasn't normally at a loss of words. Standing there in the kitchen,her body vibrating from anger,he couldn't think of one positive thing to say to calm her down.His own body was chorded with tension,strung so tight he thought his muscles might snap,so he threw all rational to the wind, pulled her into his arms and kissed her.Her muscles tensed against him and he half figured she'd pull away and throw a punch like she had on the shore. Instead, she leaned into him and popped up onto her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Colin groaned against her mouth and then pulled back. All he'd hoped to do was calm her down,not stir up bc a bunch of......feelings. That kiss was like a shotgun blast to the chest and stirred up an inappropriate reaction down south. He took a step back,put his hands behind him and gripped the edge of the counter to keep from doing any further damage. The thought that both of them were a na
COLIN LAY ON the couch, facing the ceiling. Thunder cracked in the sky overhead and he half expected Melissa to bolt through the door or the baby to wake. Neither budged. He flipped onto his side. The thin blanket covering him slipped off and landed on the floor. He picked up the tan piece of cotton and repositioned,trying to get comfortable. The material wasn't much bigger than the bath towel Melissa had been wearing earlier. Sleep was about as realistic as an ice cream in a Texas summer. He sat up.Something was bothering him and he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Melissa wasn't telling him everything. It was clear that she was afraid of husband___correction,her soon-to-be ex. And there was something else niggling at the back of his mind.Obviously Rancic was a ruthless criminal. Figuring out how to find him wasn't as cut-and-dried, especially with Angelina in the picture. Taking care of a three-month-old was already a ful
"How come you possibly be smiling?" Melissa asked as she broke into a smile,too,as she helped finish up the bottle. He just shook his head and kept on grinning.Angelina immediately settled down as soon as she started sucking on the nipple and the warm milk passed her lips."Hearing her cry is the worst",Colin said, situating himself on a chair in the kitchen so he could hold his daughter more comfortably without fear of dropping her. "Believe me,I know", She said. "She sounds so pitiful".He nodded. "The first few weeks were awful. She'd cry and I didn't have the first idea how to handle it. I just wanted to comfort her but I felt like I was doing everything wrong. Then,I don't know, I guess I started getting more confident with being a mother", she said.Melissa had been an only child and didn't
By the time the sun came up, Colin needed a strong cup of black coffee more than he needed air. There was no way he was going to leave Melissa or the baby alone to get one, though.He woke with the last words spoken between him and Melissa fresh on his mind. Seeing her and the baby together,knowing Angelina was his, threatened to chip away at his armor and they felt like his family. Colin couldn't believe his own stupidity. He'd started tripping down the road that could only lead to diaster with Melissa. He mentally slapped himself for momentarily forgetting just how burned he'd been before. *Don't get too comfortable, O'Brien*Darkness loomed on the horizon and Colin needed to focus all his attention on keeping his daughter and Melissa safe. At least the storm had abated, if only for a little while. He'd checked the weather and it w