Page 239 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

DANIEL

I was halfway into town by the time I hung up the phone. I was surprised by Melly’s call, not expecting her to talk to me again.

Ever.

Instead of mentally kicking my own ass, I went out back and decided to toss some logs.

Running a landscaping and tree service meant I had access to timber and had cleaned up some logs so they could be used for caber practice: lifted, rested on my shoulder and tossed.

While they were pine instead of larch like in Scotland, they did the job.

With my backyard being big, there was plenty of room to toss trees.

Usually I focused on getting the line perfectly straight.

Worked on hefting it end over end. Tonight, I used my strength to heft and toss, working off my anger at myself over technique.

Throw after throw, my frustration level didn’t lessen.

The first thing out of her mouth when I pulled my cell from my jeans pocket was about sex. Dog sex, which didn’t get me hard. It made me cringe. Especially when I was stuck having Earl hump my leg while she’d stormed into her house earlier.

I agreed that I’d been wrong but that hadn’t stopped her from continuing with the last thing I ever imagined her saying. She asked me if I could get my dick inside her.

Yeah, she said that. Filthy words from the sweetest mouth.

I was instantly hard, standing in my backyard with an eighteen foot log propped vertically against my shoulder.

Exterior lights illuminated the closest portions of the field.

While it hovered just above freezing and my breath was coming out in a white cloud, I was sweaty and my blood had been pumping, but her soft voice and… Fuck, those words.

I was ready to find her, get between her thighs and prove to her that I could absolutely, positively get all of my inches inside her.

But I was sure little Melly Harwood didn’t talk like that usually and that had me riled in an all-new kind of way. She was at a bar with random women in the background telling her she could get dicked up by any guy and I never felt so possessive in my life.

I had a kid and I knew the fierce protectiveness of being a parent. Since mine divorced when I was eight and my dad moved on from me and Deek to making a second family, I knew how important one solid role model was. That had been me. Sole caregiver for Danny and I’d made raising him my mission.

Sure, I fucked, but no relationships. I wouldn’t subject him to the same second-family arrangement Deek and I had. Sure, Deek and I got three cool half-brothers, but still. I wouldn’t know a legit relationship if it bit me in the ass.

But Melly Harwood and what she said? This wasn’t me being a parent, even though she was close to my son’s age.

This was feral. Possessive. Her drunk dialing at the bar?

Someone could mess with Melly and I couldn’t stand by and let that happen.

She was kind and innocent and I didn’t want that to change.

Yes, I’d take that virginity, but I knew what hurt looked like on her face. I’d put it there earlier and I was never letting that happen again. From me or anyone else.

Leaning forward, I let the tree trunk fall to the ground with a solid thump, turned and cut through the house. On my way through, I grabbed my keys and was out the front door, all the while with Melly still talking.

Earl didn’t even stir from his dog bed.

I asked her where she was and I tore out of the driveway.

When Melly admitted she was a virgin, I almost drove off the road.

No way would she have told me that if she wasn’t drunk.

Or tipsy. In a bar full of horny men, she wasn’t safe.

I hurt her, so I needed to protect her so I told her to stay right where she was and hung up.

Focused on staying on the road and not getting pulled over.

A few minutes later, I burst through the front doors of Kincaids and searched for her fiery red hair and only took a breath when I saw her sitting at a high-top table with two other women.

Three sets of eyes widened at my approach, but I only focused on one.

Wide, expressive green ones. No glasses this time.

“Daniel,” she breathed as I stood directly across the table. “What are you–

“You called.”

“You called him?” the dark-haired woman said. “When?”

“Um, in the bathroom line. You said to confront him, and the wine told me to do it on the phone while I was waiting to pee. Daniel Pearson, this is Mallory Mornay and Bridget Beckett.”

The blonde was Mallory. She was on my left. Bridget on my right.

Beckett… Beckett… “I took a tree out of your house last summer.”

The brunette nodded, pushing her glasses up. Laughed. “You did. Thanks for taking care of that.”

I gave her a small smile and tried hard to keep my eyes on hers instead of drifting to Melly, who looked a little out of sorts. Obviously she was reconsidering her phone call and never imagined I’d show up here.

“That’s my job.” I winced. “Or was.”

She frowned. “The business closed?”

I couldn’t resist, I flicked my gaze at Melly. Without glasses, her eyes seemed wider. Lashes longer. Were those freckles on her nose? I wanted to get even closer and find out, but I had to answer Bridget Beckett’s question.

“No. Um… no. I retired and my brothers run it now.”

I gave up the fight and stared at Melly. She stared right back.

“Wow, congratulations,” Mallory said.

“What are you going to do now?” Bridget asked.

They were pushing small talk, but I wasn’t interested. Yet I had no choice. I crashed their girls’ night and I had to play by their rules.

“I’m going to Scotland to compete in the Highland Games,” I said.

Melly’s eyes widened and dropped to my chest, then arms.

Mallory laughed and out of the corner of my eye, I could see she was looking me over, too. It wasn’t an appreciative once-over, but more like data collecting. “You’re a lumberjack going to… hammer throw–”

“Caber toss,” I corrected.

“–caber toss, which means throwing logs, right?”

I nodded and kept right on staring at Melly. In her front yard earlier, I didn’t notice the small studs in her ears. Or the way her upper lip bowed. Or–

“Recap,” Mallory said. “You. Beard. Throwing Logs. Highland Games. In a kilt?”

“Yes.”

“Holy shit. Okay, well…” Mallory climbed from her stool. “Time to go.”

Bridget stood as well. “Definitely.”

“What? Now?” Melly asked, breaking our connection to look at Mallory in confusion.

“Us, yes,” Mallory told her. “You? No. Daniel came to see you and we wouldn’t want to keep him from that. He can drive you home. Right, Daniel?”

“Absolutely.” I nodded to back up the one word.

Melly’s gaze returned to mine and she swallowed.

“If he’s a dick, Arlo’s here,” Mallory told Melly, but I recognized it for what it was: a warning to me.

“I won’t be a dick,” I vowed.

“But–” Melly sputtered as Bridget gave her a hug. Before she could say anything else, they were gone.

Mallory gave me a chance to make things right and I sure as hell wasn’t going to blow it.

So I pulled out a stool and sat down, grabbed Melly’s and pulled her closer so her knees were tucked between my legs. “Now. What were you saying about how your vibrator fits?”