Mel rose, thrust a final time and saw Addie's face contort with pleasure. She's there.

Letting go of her own control, she threw her head back as waves of sensation roared through her. Her nerve endings p.r.i.c.kled delightfully, and an intense o.r.g.a.s.m rocked her system. Each time different and always better. Emotions got the better of her, and when she could breathe, she reached for Addie and kissed her firmly. "I love you," she repeated over and over between kisses.

Addie grappled for her face and held her cheeks as they kissed, then kissed some more.

Mel was in no hurry to be finished. She ran her hands over Addie's back, touching and caressing everywhere she could reach.

Eventually, she had to shift her body. She released Addie, rose up carefully and set the rubber contraption aside. She dropped on the bed next to her lover and placed her head on the woman's shoulder.

Addie wrapped her arms around Mel. She hadn't spoken, and the silence was growing deafening.

82.

"I love you, Addie." Mel repeated her words, forcing the woman to confront them.

"Thank you." Addie kissed her forehead. "I have very strong feelings for you, too, Melissa. I'm just not sure we should be talking about love. My life is so uncertain right now."

"Why does it have to be?" Mel stared at the wall, which seemed easier than facing Addie. "If you're talking about the lawsuit, you have a good chance of winning. But if for some reason you don't, you still have options. You could take a mortgage on the inn-"

"And pay it how, exactly? The guests haven't been clambering in since I opened the doors. I know I need to advertise, and business will get better in the summer. But a mortgage is a year-round thing. Without one, I can survive the lean months. If I'm in debt up to my ears, I'll worry about it every day."

"So, worst case scenario, you have to sell the inn. Move in with me and find another job here in Cattle Valley. We'd be together, Addie, and I think that's the most important thing."

"I'm not sure I could do that," Addie replied softly. "My energy and focus have been on the inn for a while, now. If I lose it, I'll need to figure out what's next for me. It's not a step I could take lightly."

"You're so stubborn," Mel spouted. She tried to blink back her tears, but it wasn't working.

"Hey," Addie gazed down at her, wiping them away with her thumb. "Don't cry. We aren't sure what's going to happen. We just need more time."

Mel sat up. "I know what I'd like to happen. I'd like to get rid of my apartment and move in here. If I'm paying rent, it might as well be to the inn. And maybe my contribution would be enough to finish the attic s.p.a.ce. I'd love to make that my room, a place for all my stuff, and a sanctuary you and I could retreat to whenever we wanted."

"Whoa!" Addie sat and turned towards her. "That's why you wanted Hal to look at the attic?"

"It is." Mel nodded. "I'd even thought about coming to work for you here. But Naomi told me yesterday she's pregnant. She's going to have to cut back her hours and needs me more than ever at the bookstore."

Addie blinked, an expression of disbelief crossing her face. "You want to work here?

And live here? Holy smokes, girl, you've taken a leap off a mountain I haven't even climbed yet. And Naomi is pregnant? I thought she lived with that Courtney woman."

83.

Mel felt the tears welling in her eyes again. She sniffled and nodded. "She does. They used a donor and invitro fertilisation. I think the sperm might have come from someone we know, someone around here, but she won't tell me. She just smiles."

"Wow, that's really something. I've never thought about anything like that. Have you?"

"I don't know. Naomi and Courtney talked about it from the beginning. They told me next time Courtney wants to carry the baby. So I guess they want more than one." Mel stood and started gathering her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Addie watched her.

"I need to get out of here. I've made a fool of myself, and I feel humiliated. I need to go."

"Oh, stop it." Addie stood up and grabbed her hand. "You've done no such thing. You were thinking ahead, and I haven't been able to do that, yet. With this lawsuit hanging over me-"

"It's more than the lawsuit." Mel jerked her arm away. "I told you I loved you and wanted to be with you. You couldn't say the same to me so apparently, I've really gone off the deep end." She quickly dressed and headed out of the room.

Addie folded her arms across her chest. "I said I have strong feelings for you, Melissa. I wish I could say more, but I'm not going to lie."

Mel shot her an irritated glance. "Oh, no, you couldn't do that. You'd never lie." She turned and walked out.

The rest of the weekend crawled for Mel. Her phone never rang, and she was too humiliated to return and admit she might have been hasty. They'd only known each other a few weeks. So what if Addie failed to jump head first into love with every woman she dated?

That's a good thing. But Mel had felt the deep connection they shared and couldn't understand how Addie didn't. They'd become great friends and had fun together. There was so much more to their relationship than just a dynamite time in bed. But there was that.

She dragged herself through the workday Monday and, by evening, had determined that no matter how much crow she had to eat, Addie was worth it. She would go to the inn *

84.

and apologise for getting carried away. She drove there straightaway and paused at the front door. It felt awkward walking in unannounced, so she rang the bell and waited, her heart pounding.

The door opened, and Mel's heart thudded to the pit of her stomach.

Chloe stood there wearing sheer baby doll pyjamas and a sneer on her face. "What do you want?"

85.

Chapter Eleven.

Addie washed her hands in the kitchen and hurried to dry them. "I'll be right there,"

she called loudly, but when she got to the front room, she found Chloe had already answered the door.

"It's n.o.body," Chloe told her.

"Oh, good grief." Addie rolled her eyes at the aggravating blonde woman and b.u.mped her aside with one hip. "Come in, Mel. Chloe, I told you the inn is open, now. You can't go parading around like that."

"Too much clothing?" Chloe peeled off her top and wiggled her b.r.e.a.s.t.s at them.

"You're right. You'd probably get more business if I answered the door like this."

Mel's eyes were as big as saucers. She stammered for a moment then fell silent.

Addie grabbed the pyjama shirt from Chloe's hand and shoved it at her. "Put this on, for christ's sake. Can't you find something to do for a bit? I have some business to discuss with Mel."

"I'll stay." Chloe made a show of raising her hands and allowing the silky top to slide over her. "I'd like to learn more about the inn business since I'm here."

Frustrated, Addie grabbed Mel's arm and tugged her towards the kitchen. "It's not inn business, it's something else. We'll be right back. Please stay here." She dragged Mel off before Chloe could respond.

In the kitchen, Addie made sure the swinging door closed before turning to face Mel.

She looked as if her head might explode, but Addie couldn't tell if the expression were one of anger or hurt. "I was going to call you."

"To tell me what? That Chloe is back?" Mel blinked rapidly.

Please don't cry. Addie hated seeing Mel cry. "No, of course not. I wanted to call you yesterday, but she showed up out of the blue. Somebody dropped her off, and she has no money and no place to stay."

"So she came here."

86.

Addie shook her head disgustedly. "G.o.d knows why. We've been apart almost as long as we were together. I don't pretend to understand how her mind works. All I know for sure is she got bored in San Francisco and hitched a ride back this way."

"Do you want her here?" Mel asked with trepidation.

"Of course not!" Addie pulled Mel into her arms and hugged her. "She's staying in one of the guest rooms. I want you here. I missed you like crazy."

Mel collapsed against her. "I missed you, too. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Addie kissed her temple. "You were right. I need to make some decisions in my life. Maybe I'm too deliberate and over-think things, I don't know. That's just who I am.

Please, can I have a little more time to figure this out? Don't give up on me."

"Get her out of here," Mel whispered.

"I want to. But if I offer to buy her a ticket somewhere, she'll know I have money. I was trying to avoid that, because if she finds out I have anything..."

Mel nodded. "She'll drain you dry. I understand. I just want her out. Tell her you borrowed some from me or something."

Addie rocked Mel back and forth. "I guess I'll have to. The c.r.a.ppy thing is, I know she really doesn't want to stay. She told me Cattle Valley is too small a town for her. But unless I pay her way out, she'll hang around here until something better comes along."

"Paying her to leave is preferable to letting her stay. I'll give you the d.a.m.n money if you want." Mel held her tight.

"I'll take care of it." Addie cupped Mel's face and kissed her lips. She was happier than she had been for the past few days, and even dealing with Chloe didn't seem like such a ch.o.r.e. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I am, too." Mel kissed her deeply then pulled back. "And now I'm leaving. Chloe doesn't like me. I think you'll get along better without me. That is, as long as you're sure you can keep her in the guest room."

"I'm absolutely sure. When she took off with Del and Rita, it sealed it for me. I want nothing more to do with her."

"I believe you and I trust you." Mel laid one hand on her shoulder. "Good luck. Call me tomorrow?"

87.

"Absolutely. Hopefully, I'll have something figured out by then." She gave Mel one more quick kiss.

"I'll just slip out the back door and walk around to my car." Mel wiggled her nose.

"Chicken." Addie grinned at her.

"You really don't want me to punch her. She might bleed all over your new furniture."

"True. See ya." Addie watched her go. She could slap herself for not committing to the beautiful woman and taking Mel's worries away. It wouldn't be so hard to say 'I love you', and she'd mean it. But something didn't feel right. A worry niggled at Addie. She was sure she hadn't heard the last of her mother and the lawsuit.

Returning to the front room, she found Chloe curled up on the sofa reading a magazine.

There's a familiar sight. If she stayed here, Chloe would become a permanent fixture in that spot, reading, smacking gum and chain smoking instead of helping out.