Do Not Disturb Until Christmas

by Charlene Sands

  Gillespie shrugged it off. “That’s what a manager does, Landon. You’re naïve if you think that’s news.”

  “Maybe not, but you see, I also know something that will insure Sarah never setting eyes on you again. Something that could land you in jail.”

  Gillespie’s eyes darted back and forth, contemplating what Code actually knew about him. Code relished the panicked glare he witnessed. He had Gillespie just where he wanted him. He played his hunch. “You see, I know you paid that man to attack Sarah on stage back in Nashville. Her career had slowed down. Things weren’t going your way, so you manufactured an incident and scared Sarah half out of her mind for the publicity. For that alone, I should—”

  Code held himself back from jamming his fist into Gillespie’s face. His investigator had only minor clues about Robert’s part in that onstage attack, but Code’s instincts told him it was true. Judging from the desperate look on the manipulator’s face now, Code had been right. He landed the final blow. “I have proof.”

  Gillespie’s cocky demeanor changed, and deep frown lines appeared on his face.

  “What, no denial?”

  Gillespie shook his head. “You can’t possibly have proof.”

  “And that guy my security team carted out of here the other night? You know, the man who rushed onto stage to get to Sarah? Well, he wasn’t shy about giving details. You paid him to do it. And you paid two other men to deliberately create a disruption in the audience pretending to be in a drunken brawl, which brought my team to the opposite end of the concert hall. Then your man jumped on stage. You wanted Sarah frightened again so she’d lean on you for help. She’d look to you for protection. That’s how you always operated, keeping Sarah in your emotional debt. Only, your plan backfired this time.”

  Gillespie’s shoulders slumped, and he started for the door. Code grabbed his arm.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  Code looked straight into his eyes. “You’ll leave Sarah alone from now on. She’s having my child, and I don’t want her upset. Agree that you’ll never see her again, and I won’t go to the police and tell them what I know.”

  Gillespie’s face fell with defeat. “Agreed.”

  Then he walked out the door and Code let go a deep breath. His hunch paid off, and his bluff worked.

  Gillespie was out of Sarah’s life forever.

  Code followed Gillespie from a distance, making sure he got in his car and left the premises. He was glad the man was out of Sarah’s life for good.

  Code tucked his hands in his trouser pockets and walked back slowly toward the Harmony Room deep in concentration. From outside the concert hall, he heard Sarah’s voice drifting throughout the first floor lulling the hotel with her sweet melodic tones.

  Then the music stopped suddenly.

  Sarah’s voice cut off.

  Code heard the audience’s loud mumbling and thought it strange. His first thought was that the electricity had gone out—the music had stopped that abruptly. But the audience murmurs increased to a fevered pitch, and Code picked up his pace. Three men from the hotel’s medical staff rushed by him. He caught up to one of them. “What’s going on?”

  “Someone collapsed on stage.”

  The uniformed medical technician ran on ahead as Code took it in, his heart racing with dread. He swore and began running, too.

  Sarah.

  By the time he entered the Harmony Room, paramedics and his security team surrounded the victim, keeping her safe from onlookers who had breeched the stage. The whole scene appeared surreal, but Code’s one thought was to get to Sarah.

  He ran onto the stage and shoved his way through the crowd, pleading to God for her safety. Suddenly, everything cleared in his mind.

  “Hey, watch it,” one of the medical technicians ranted until he recognized him. “Oh, sorry, Mr. Landon.”

  Code finally made it through the first responders and bent down next to the victim. He blinked and blinked again.

  “Sarah?”

  Sarah was kneeling beside her downed backup singer, Betsy McKnight, holding her hand. “I’m here, Bets. You fainted. They think from dehydration. You’re going to be okay.”

  Betsy smiled faintly up at Sarah and closed her eyes. “Oh God, this isn’t the way I wanted to stop the show.”

  Sarah laughed, although Code witnessed fear in her eyes for her friend. “You’re a show-stopper, Bets. But it’s okay. No one will forget this concert.”

  “Let us through now, Miss Rose.” The paramedics ushered Sarah and all others away as they settled the transport gurney by Betsy’s side. “We’ll take her to the hospital now.”

  “I’ll go with her,” Sarah said.

  Betsy shook her head. “No, you finish your Christmas show, Sarah. I’ll be fine.”

  Code’s heart nearly tripped over itself with relief. Sarah was okay. His wife looked fit as a fiddle. The baby wasn’t in danger.

  Sarah spoke with the stage manager to make an announcement to the audience that the show would resume after a short intermission.

  After they wheeled Betsy off the stage, Code reached for Sarah’s hand. “We need to talk,” he said, looking deep into Sarah’s gorgeous grass-green eyes. He guided her off-stage to a secluded alcove and didn’t waste a minute.

  Backing her against the wall, he kissed her senseless. “Do you know how scared I was when I thought you were the one who’d collapsed on the stage?”

  “The baby’s fine,” Sarah said, putting a protective hand to her belly, looking a little puzzled at his outburst of emotion. “I’m taking good care of her.”

  “Her?”

  She smiled. “Or him.”

  Code blew out a breath and raked a hand through his short, cropped hair. “When I thought you’d collapsed, it hit me. Suddenly. I couldn’t bear to have anything happen to you.”

  She searched his eyes and spoke slowly. “Because…of…the…baby.”

  “Because I love you,” Code announced and then repeated the words more softly. “I love you, Sarah Rose. I’ve never stopped loving you. All these years, I couldn’t move on with my life. Because of you.”

  Sarah’s eyes sparkled. “I never thought I’d hear you say that again.”

  “I’m saying it. And I mean it. I love you.”

  “I love you right back, Code.”

  “Cody,” he corrected and witnessed a grin spread across her face.

  “I thought nobody called you that anymore.”

  “You’re the only one. Are you good with that?”

  Sarah touched his cheek gently, her face beaming with joy. “I’m good with that.”

  “I want out of our divorce agreement. I want you to be my wife for real and forever. Are you good with that, too?”

  “So good with that,” she said without hesitation. “It’s what I’ve dreamed about for years. You and me. And our baby.”

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Miss Rose? Sorry to interrupt, but are you ready to finish the show?” the stage manager asked, stopping just short of the corner alcove. “The announcer already assured the audience that Betsy is going to be alright and that you’d finish your performance.”

  Sarah glanced at Code and he nodded his encouragement for her to go on.

  She took his hand. “Come out there with me,” she said, tugging him along. Code would have followed her to the moon and back if she’d asked.

  Sarah didn’t have to quiet the audience once they reached the stage. All eyes were focused on Code, the man Sarah brought onto the stage. She lifted the mike off the stand and spoke to her fans. “Guess I’ll just add to the excitement tonight,” she said with a chuckle. “I’d like to introduce you all to my wonderful husband, Code Landon. We’re expecting a baby next year.”

  The audience erupted with applause and shouts of congratulations, and when the crowd settled down, Sarah went on. “He’s been generous enough to match your donations from these past concerts. All proceeds will go to the Dream Foundation here in
New Orleans.”

  Another round of applause broke out.

  Sarah glanced at her husband with pure love in her heart. They’d been given a second chance, and she was certain nothing and no one would separate them ever again. “And I’ve decided that this will be my last concert for a while. I’m going into the mommy business.”

  Code tugged her into his arms and planted a sweet, loving kiss on her lips. “Are you sure?” he asked, his hand covering the microphone to block out his words to the audience.

  She nodded her answer without blinking an eye.

  “When you finish your performance, I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Sarah watched Code walk off stage with a wave to the audience and stand on the sidelines. She knew she made the right career decision. It had been a long time coming and now that she had a future to look forward to with Cody by her side, she wouldn’t pass it up again.

  “You know, I haven’t written a song in a long time,” she said to her fans, “but this one…this one I wrote for my husband.”

  Although at the time, she hadn’t realized the song was meant for Code, the lyrics flowing so easily that night. “It’s called, ‘Your Hometown Girl is Finally Coming Home’.”

  The band started playing and Sarah sung the ballad straight from her heart, pouring out each sentiment with deep devotion and love. She glanced at Cody in the wings watching her and found trust and love and the promise of a happy future in his midnight blue eyes.

  With joy and hope surrounding them now, they’d been given a wonderful gift.

  Christmas just didn’t get any better than this.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-2408-1

  DO NOT DISTURB UNTIL CHRISTMAS

  Copyright © 2008 by Charlene Swink

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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