Roping Melanie by Melissa Ellen

20

Nash

Melanie and Avery followed behind us as I drove my sister and Sam out to the land I’d purchased. It’d been only three weeks and already Tucker and his crew were moving right along on the new house. He’d broken ground the day I closed. The foundation was done, and they were going vertical with the framing as of yesterday.

I slowed the truck to a stop where the first floor of the house rose like a stick figure into the blue sky. Seeing the studs of the walls up, made it all seem that much more real. As I climbed out of the truck and walked toward where Mel had parked, Meg worked on getting Sam out of the car seat.

I opened the back passenger door of Mel’s car as Avery was unbuckling her seat and gave her my hand to help her out of the car. She took it for only a second before taking off in a sprint with Sam to check out the house.

“Careful, girls!” Melanie called out, joining me at my side. “There could be nails and things lying around,” she warned them.

“We will be!” Avery hollered back.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Meg assured us as she immediately followed in their tracks.

I watched Mel as she looked around the empty field, her eyes landing on the creek in the distance. With nothing and nobody in sight, you could hear the light trickle if you listened carefully enough.

“It’s really nice out here, Nash. Peaceful. I can see why you fell in love with it.”

The land wasn’t the only thing I’d instantly fell for in Texas. Pushing that thought aside, I replied, “Looking forward to it being done. It will definitely beat staying in the motel.”

“Will you be staying there the whole time it’s being built?”

I shook my head. “I’m thinking about looking around town for something to rent. Originally, I’d planned to be in Wyoming until it was done. But with Avery and you here . . .” I trailed off.

She nodded and set her sights on the house.

“You want me to give you a tour?” I asked.

She gave me one of her heart stopping smiles. “I’d love that.”

As we walked side by side to the house, the urge to grab her hand and it hold it grew stronger with each step. Instead, I waited until we neared, placing my hand at her back as she climbed the stairs to what would be the front porch when all was all said and done.

Everyone followed as we walked from room to room. I gave them all the lay of the land, letting them know which room was which.

“And this room will be yours, Avery,” I said, looking over at her. That was unless she preferred another room. But from the moment I found out about Avery, I knew this room was meant for her. It would have a window seat that looked out over the creek and a large oak tree. A perfect spot for a little girl to dream. “What do you think?”

“Are you gonna have a dog?” Avery asked.

“Um, maybe.” It wasn’t something I’d considered, but wasn’t out of the question. At least not until I’d glanced up at Melanie, who was slicing her throat with her finger as she shook her head no behind Avery’s back. “I haven’t really thought about it,” I quickly added and tried to get us off the subject. “But what do you think?” I asked again.

“I think you should get a dog.”

I chuckled. “I’ll take that under advisement. But what do you think of the room and the house?”

Avery shrugged. It was a whole-body shrug. And it was cute as hell. It made me want to pick her up and hug her to me and never let go. “It’s cool I guess. Are you gonna have a pool?”

Screw it. I couldn’t resist the urge to haul her in my arms. Picking her up, I tossed her over my shoulder and tickled her side “Who needs a pool when you’ve got a creek?”

She giggled, wiggling wildly in my arms as I walked us both to the water’s edge. The ladies laughed from behind us as Sam followed on my heels, reaching up to help tickle Avery too.

“Did someone say something about a swim?” I asked, pretending like I was about to toss Avery into the creek. She laughed and squealed. The anticipation making her wiggle even more.

“I want to!” Sam said, jumping up and down, begging for me to toss her in too.

“I don’t have a swimsuit on!” Avery protested through her fit of giggles.

I laughed and lowered her to the ground. “Good point. Maybe next time, then.”

“Ah, man,” Sam said, disappointed.

I rubbed the top of Sam’s head, ruffling her hair. She was over it in an instance when Avery suggested they race to the tree. The girls took off running as Melanie walked toward me absent of my sister.

“Where did Meg go?” I asked, looking over Mel’s shoulder for her.

“She got a phone call. Her husband I think?”

I frowned. They’d been here nearly a week, and this was the first time he’d called. She’d tried him a few times with no luck.

“Everything okay?” Mel asked, catching the expression on my face.

“Fine.” I shook it off.

“Uncle Nash, come quick!” Sam screamed from across the field, pointing at Avery who was standing stock-still, not moving an inch.

I took off in a sprint, worried she’d stumbled upon a snake. Melanie was hot on my heels, likely with the same fear.

“Don’t move,” Sam warned Avery as we neared.

“I’m not,” Avery gritted through her teeth.

I slowed and searched the grass at her feet, wondering where it was hiding.

“Look!” Sam said, pointing at Avery.

“Oh good lord,” Mel said with a relieved sigh and a hand at her chest. “You two scared us half to death for a couple ladybugs?”

It took me a minute to spot what she was talking about. But then I saw the little red spots dotting the crown of Avery’s head. They had swarmed her and looked like little jewels in her hair.

Bent over with my hands on my knees, I chuckled, relieved she wasn’t about to be bit by a snake. Meg had run up a few seconds after, having seen the whole thing from a distance. “What is it? Everyone okay?”

Avery was still frozen to her spot.

“Everything’s fine,” I assured her. “Seems Avery’s been attacked by ladybugs.”

“Well, isn’t that something?” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“What about you? You good?”

She nodded, refusing to say more. She didn’t need to. It was written all over her face.

With it being Meg and Sam’s final night here and Avery wanting to stay in a motel room for the first time, we decided a slumber party at the motor lodge would be a great idea. Melanie had easily agreed, since she was working the Sunday night closing shift to make up for the shift she switched with Tim earlier in the week.

Once I’d got the girls settled in Meg and Sam’s room, I walked into mine, using the door between the two suites. Meg sat quietly on my bed, her eyes on the blank screen of the cell phone in her hand. I closed the door slightly and watched her curiously. We hadn’t had a chance to talk about her phone call with Alec a few days ago. Our days and nights had been non-stop while we spent time with Avery and Mel, keeping the girls entertained all week.

“I’m leaving Alec,” Meg said after a long moment, breaking the silence. Her face was void of any emotion as she continued to stare. I wasn’t sure if she knew she’d even said the words aloud until she finally set the phone aside and looked up at me.

I glanced over at the cracked door between our two hotel rooms, where the girls were in bed watching a movie.

“When?” I asked, taking a seat beside Meg on the bed.

“He’s headed out of town for a few days. He won’t be there when we get back. I’m going to pack up and move us to Mom and Dad’s while he’s gone.”

“What happened?”

“He’s having an affair. Has been for a while. It just took me some time away to figure out what I wanted to do.” She turned to look at me. “You and Mel . . . I want that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way you look at each other. Like nothing else in the world exists. I never felt that with Alec. Not even in the beginning. I’ve always had to fight to keep his attention.”

“Meg—”

She took my hand and squeezed. “Time is precious. Every second counts. You know that. So don’t waste it the way I have. I should’ve ended things with Alec a long time ago.”

“Relationships take work. You were trying to make it work.”

“True, but there's a difference between maintaining a good relationship and trying to force a bad one.”

I pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her tiny arms around me and buried her head in the crook of my neck. “I’m sorry. What can I do?” I asked.

She shook her head. Tears dampened my skin. I held her as she silently cried. She was doing the right thing. She knew it. I knew it. I’m sure my whole family would agree, but it still hurt like hell to watch her hurt.

After a few minutes, she broke from my hold and swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m here whenever you need me. You know that.”

“Here as in Texas. Not in Wyoming.”

“Meg—”

“I’m only teasing.” She cracked a smile. “I totally get it now. All of it. You belong here. It’s why I’m telling you now to go clean yourself up and get out of here.”

I frowned in confusion.

“You heard me. Go get all gussied up and get your woman.”

I shook my head. “We’ve already been through this.”

“Yes. And I’ve been thinking about the whole thing. There’s no reason you two can’t test the waters first without telling Avery.”

“Lie to Avery?”

“Not lie.” She rolled her eyes. “As a parent, you aren’t required to tell your children everything. At least not until you two know whether it’s going to work.”

I considered what she was saying. I wasn’t sure if she was right, but I was willing enough to give it a shot and see how Melanie felt about it.

“You sure, you’re going to be okay here if I leave.”

“I’ll be fine. The girls will pass out any minute now, and I plan to do the same.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant. And my answer is still the same.”

I gave her another hug and kissed the side of head. “You need me, you call. I’ll be back in a heartbeat.”

She nodded.

I stood from the bed. “Love you, sis.”

“I know. Now get the hell out of here.” She shoved me toward the bathroom door.

I still hesitated for a moment until I saw the smile on her face. A weight had lifted from her shoulders in the last few minutes. Maybe all she needed was to voice her decision to leave Alec aloud. Deciding to take her for her word, I jumped in the shower.