Burning Barriers (Barriers Series Book 3)

by Shirley, Sara

  I pull my hair back and up into a messy ponytail before stepping up the stairs to the front door. I catch a glimpse of my appearance in the glass storm door and shake my head. The number of days behind the wheel of my car has not been pretty. Last night, I stopped at the same hotel I found on my drive out to Breckenridge. The same desk clerk, whom I saw weeks ago, was working again. He recognized me instantly, and I learned he isn’t as creepy as I thought.

  It was late by the time I pulled into the hotel, and I hadn’t grabbed anything to eat yet. It was a dead Wednesday night at the hotel, and after some small chitchat, Nolan, the clerk, ordered a pizza and threw in a movie on the lobby television for us to watch. We clicked and the old me would have probably tried to jump his bones, but I didn’t feel any of that with him. It was as though being with Jake again allowed me to finally see what true love means and forced me to put my old ways behind me.

  As the night progressed, the movie was over, and there was nothing left of the pizza. I knew it was time for me to finally say goodnight. It felt good to hang out with someone who didn’t know anything about my past and wouldn’t judge my future. Nolan stood and grabbed the pizza box and empty plates from the table and walked over to the front desk and dropped them into a trash bin out of sight.

  While he did that, I turned off the television and walked over to stand beside him and stared into his big brown eyes again like the first time we met. This time the air had changed, and those eyes that I originally thought screamed come fuck me had turned into something deeper. There was a pain behind them I didn’t see before because I never took the time to look. I was too quick to judge him then, but now that we’d finally spent some time together and talked, I felt comfort in his presence. A calming peace I never thought could have existed before.

  We parted ways this morning, and as we shook hands and wished each other well, we actually promised to keep in touch. I think something about the two of us together actually allows us to be who we really are, and it’s good to always have someone else in your life. You never know when that person might be the light to your darkness. It’s not every day you find someone who shares the same sick sense of humor as you. When you find a fellow sick goofball, you don’t let them go. After days of driving away from Jake, I needed a light. Even if I knew I’d be seeing my girls soon, I needed something. He was that something at the right time, as I was for him.

  Now, as I stand here waiting at the front door of this house, I wonder what life will have in store for me. I ring the doorbell again and suddenly hear loud footsteps from inside the house. I hear someone inside shout something, and my eyes narrow as I recognize the voice. The glass storm door swings open just as I take a step back, preventing it from hitting me. Standing here before this familiar face, I try to put all the pieces together.

  “Hey, Lucy, what’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? I haven’t seen that look since I first met you,” Josh says as he moves to the side at the same time I hear her screaming voice coming from somewhere in the house.

  “Where is she? I’m coming!” I hear her say before I see her turn the corner and rush toward me. Sam storms me, and all of a sudden, I’m in her bear hug as my eyes look around the house. When I finally see the C-Naughtie picture hanging on the wall of all of us together last year, it finally dawns on me.

  “You bought a house?!” I exclaim. “You bought a house and didn’t tell me!”

  Sam’s laughter rumbles through my chest before she pulls away. She keeps her hands resting on my shoulders as she stares into my eyes with a large smile on her face. “Yes, now before you go freaking out on me, tell me. Did you bring that hot piece of firefighter cowboy with you?”

  “I’m right here, Sam,” Josh drawls out.

  Sam waves her hand, dismissing his comment. “I said ‘firefighter cowboy’. The last time I checked, you were a cop. Just because I’m engaged to you doesn’t mean I can’t check out the menu.” Josh moves away from the door to stand next to Sam. His tall frame overshadows hers. He slides one arm across her stomach pulling her into his side. I watch as he whispers something into Sam’s ear, and her face instantly turns a deep shade of red. He pulls away and turns to face me with a mischievous grin on his face. “So, where is this cowboy?” she asks.

  Staring down at the floor at my Chucks, I answer, “I… I… I left him back in Breckenridge.”

  “What do you mean you ‘left him back in Breckenridge’?”

  “You called and said you needed me to come back home, so I came home.”

  “Luce, I didn’t mean come home right then. Shit, you left him just like that after the fire and Laurel’s death? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back alone? I could have told you the news over the phone.”

  “Sam, it’s fine. I needed to leave anyway. I need to get my life back in order around here. I couldn’t stay out there forever.”

  “Are you freakin’ kidding me with that shit?” Sam bursts out.

  Josh slowly backs up toward the long hallway. “I’m just going to be in the garage working on the Chevy.”

  “What happened to the Chevy?” I ask.

  “I might have dinged it a bit one day last week. And by ding, I mean took off the driver’s side mirror,” Sam replies.

  “Sam, you didn’t? He loves that car.”

  “Yeah, well, he loves me more and stop trying to change the subject. Why did you really leave him? I know you can’t love someone that much and think life back here without him is the best option.”

  I silently stare at her until she realizes that’s exactly what I was thinking.

  “Aww, Luce, don’t do it. Don’t make the same mistake I did. All those months you told me not to push Josh away, and I never listened. One day you’ll regret it. If he’s the one who truly makes you happy, no amount of getting ‘life back in order around here’ is going to fix those feelings you left behind with him. Love is love. It finds us once if we’re lucky. You found it twice with the same guy. What does that tell you? It tells you to pick up that damn phone and call him right now. You beg him to forgive you for your momentary lapse of all common sense. That’s what it tells you.”

  “But… what if it’s too late?”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out that answer. Isn’t there?”

  Five Months Later–Christmas Eve

  Her old dusty hat sits on the hook by the front door to the house with the cowboy boots placed right below them. A warm feeling runs through my body as I pull my eyes away from everything that is the epitome of Lucy. It’s hard to do since she is basically everywhere I look. Everything reminds me of her, and it makes me realize how much she impacts my life on a daily basis.

  As I continue twisting the corks out of wine bottles in the kitchen, the aromas from the hot spiced cider filter in with the fresh evergreen from the Christmas tree in the living room. Platters of finger foods are laid out just to the right on the buffet. Soft music plays over the speakers as I set the wine bottles onto the counter to breathe. I snatch a piece of smoked maple cheddar cheese and pepperoni from the platter and quickly stuff my mouth to fill the nervous void that is overtaking my stomach at the moment.

  Family and friends are all expected to stop by later this evening for a holiday party. Little do they know what to expect once they arrive. I’ve never seen the house as decorated as it is this year. The white lights twinkle amongst all the colorful, shiny ornaments scattered on the evergreen tree. Red and gold ribbons twist and weave their way around the branches. The mantle above the lit fireplace is lined with pinecones from the woods out back, red berry garland, and a few new pictures that have recently been added. A fresh coating of white on the mountains and backyard is the perfect backdrop for the season. The house finally feels like it used to at Christmas when I was growing up, and I have her to thank for it.

  Unexpectedly, a stuffed dog toy flies across the room, followed by Summit rushing behind it. Soft humming to the Christmas carols being played gets louder by the second as she
nears. I hear the clicking of her heels against the hardwood floor before her image comes into view, and I’m breathless.

  When she walked into the house earlier all covered in dust and dirt from helping train some of the kids with the horses at the ranch, she was just as beautiful, but not like this. Her blonde hair is curled in a messy updo with stray tendrils hanging down her neck, and her long black satin dress rustles as she walks closer to me. The tips of her hot pink platform heels sneak out every so often to tease me. I’ll be sure to tell her later that those will not be coming off while I pin her to the bed. Those heels had better leave a mark on my ass; otherwise, we’ll be continuing all night long until they do.

  I pour a glass of Zinfandel as she stops next to me at the kitchen island. As I hand her the glass of wine, her bright blue eyes twinkle as they gaze back up at me. When she tilts her head to the side, a soft giggle escapes her lips, and I know I love her more than anything else. I’ve told her a million times how much I love her and what having her in my life means to me. My heart races at the thought of how she makes me the happiest man alive. I know her coming back to live here with me was worth it.

  After everything went down with Laurel that night in the barn, I knew I couldn’t leave Breckenridge. But, I never thought Lucy would leave without giving me the opportunity to convince her one last time to stay with me. I was ready to hit the road when I heard she had left. I nearly did when Mom told me I was being the biggest idiot for not fighting for her, let alone going after her. And here I thought I was doing the right thing by staying with Mom after the fire. Who knew SJ would be the one to man up and take on the responsibilities of the ranch with me? I never imagined after the fire that he’d still want to be around the ranch. Even with Laurel gone, he found solace in working around the rebuilding project. In the end, our debts were paid off. He helped me get through my toughest days after high school, and here I was doing the same thing for him. It helped strengthen our friendship even more than before. He has and always will be family.

  No sooner was I back at the house, getting ready to see Ellen about finding out how to track down Luce since she wasn’t answering my calls, did my phone start ringing in the kitchen. The caller ID floored me. When I read Luce’s Cell, I couldn’t move. Nervously, I answered the call, and her voice spoke through the other end.

  The moment I heard her voice crack as she apologized for thinking that leaving me was the right choice, I knew I needed to choose my words carefully. She was vulnerable after everything she had gone through, and I couldn’t take back what Laurel tried to do to us at first, but I could offer her the chance to live a life in which she could truly love and be happy.

  I knew Mom would never say no to me, and I also knew that with Laurel no longer at the ranch, Luce would be a welcome addition to the group. Lucy loved the kids as much as the horses, and Mom would be able to handle showing her the ropes around the office. Convincing Lucy that working the ranch was a better option than working at a posh salon on the East Coast would be tough, but after a few weeks and a few calls from my mom, Lucy appeared at my doorstep, and the rest you could say is history.

  After trying to help her friend Sam through a tough few years, it was Sam who ultimately convinced her that being back here was the best thing for her. Lucy said Sam gave her one of her own lines about never hiding from true love if it’s right there in front of you. She spent those final weeks with Sam cleaning up any loose ends with the roller derby team and clients she had to let go at the salon.

  After Sam was married and her old derby roommates had parted ways, she knew what she wanted in her future. As painful as it was for her to leave all that she had learned to love over the years, her heart knew where it belonged.

  She still remains in touch with them, though. She video chats with the other derby chicks at least twice a week, and I’m not going to lie, even I’m afraid of a couple of them. Sam and Josh came out to visit for Thanksgiving, and I believe Sam’s first words to me were something along the lines of ‘Mother of all things holy, I’d ride that too if he was in my bed’.

  Just saying.

  Now, after being back here for nearly four months, Lucy and I have grown into the couple we were always meant to be. Through all the separation, pain, and heartache, I know it helped get us here.

  Staring into her eyes, I grab her wine glass and place it onto the counter. I reach for her hand as she curiously watches me pull her behind me into the living room. I turn to face her and softly wrap my hands around her neck to pull her into my lips. I kiss her as if she were my last breath. I love her and only her. When I pull away, her tongue glides over her glossed lips as she wraps her arms around my waist. A small grin and raised eyebrow tell me she thinks I’m up to no good. Perhaps I am. She knows me too well, except I don’t think she has any idea about me asking her to marry me tonight. I’ve kept this secret under wraps.

  “I love you, Lucy Wyatt. Did you remember to ask Santa for your gift this year?” I graze my hands along her soft, bare arms that are wrapped gently around my neck.

  “Of course, but if this is some ploy to get me to have kinky Christmas sex with you later, you can cut all the talk ‘cuz you know I’m already down for being your sexy Santa’s helper.”

  I laugh so hard my face hurts from smiling. “You certainly know how to take the romance out of any conversation. Don’t you?”

  “Wait. You were being serious?” A sense of confusion settles on her face as the doorbell rings. I make my way back to the front door but turn around to face her. “I will, however, take you up on that ‘sexy Santa’s helper’ thing later, though.” Something tells me she won’t be saying no anytime tonight. As I pass her old cowboy hat on the hook that hasn’t moved since the night of the fire, I smile to myself before opening the door to let the family inside.

  Lucy’s hat never gets touched and hangs on the hook as a symbol that life can be taken from you at any moment. Laurel may not be with us any longer, but her death is a reminder that everyone lives and loves in their own way. Inside the hat is my reason for happiness and a future filled with enough love that only Lucy could give me. Before I open the door, I quickly glance back to make sure Lucy isn’t watching me. Sure enough, she’s facing the mantle trying to sneak a peek in her stocking hanging there. My hand reaches inside the hat as she moves to play with Summit in the living room. I feel around for the box that has held her ring for a month, knowing she’d never look there for any Christmas present she thinks I’ve been hiding.

  I pull open the door, and within seconds, the house is flooded with everyone who means so much to me, but no one more so than the stunning blonde who brought life back to me when I thought it was gone forever. Our love will continue to burn for years to come, and I can’t wait to have her by my side for it all.

  The End.

  Set Fire to the Rain – Adele

  I See Fire – Ed Shereen

  Goodbye My Lover – James Blunt

  Clumsy - Fergie

  In the Air Tonight – Nonpoint

  Bad Company – Five Finger Death Punch

  Careless Whisper – Seether

  Broken - Seether

  Landslide – Dixie Chicks

  With Arms wide Open – Creed

  (Everything I do) I do it for you – Bryan Adams

  Heaven – Depeche Mode

  Here Without You - 3 Doors Down

  I Think it’s Going to Rain Today – Norah Jones

  What About Now – Daughtry

  Blackbird – Sarah McLachlan

  Try – Colbie Caillat

  Wild Horses – Indigo Girls

  With Me – Sum 41

  Breathe In, Breathe Out – Matt Nathanson

  SEX – Nickelback

  Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

  Desperation – Eminem, Jamie N Commons

  I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Sarah McLachlan

  For other books by Sara Shirley, you can find them on Amazon.com and B&N.

  Frozen Ba
rriers (Barriers Book 1) – Emily & Jeremy’s story

  Hidden Barriers (Barriers Book 2) – Sam & Josh’s story

  Coming Soon: Broken Barriers (Barriers Book 3) – Drew’s story

  Sara Shirley currently resides just outside of Boston. There she lives with her husband and one cat.

  A few questions that always seem to come up at takeovers and signings will be answered here.

  Ten Random Facts You Didn’t Know About Sara

  1. She figure skated for nearly 12 years

  2. She does own crazy underwear (Yes, the Minion panties do exist)

  3. She loves wine and coffee

  4. She did dress as Alice in Wonderland for Halloween once

  5. She multitasks at the gym while working out (reading, listening to music, and updating FB all at once)

  6. She loves blueberry pancakes

  7. She majored in Geography – Travel & Tourism in college and travels a lot

  8. She hates the smell of bacon cooking

  9. She is a candy junkie

  10. She does admit some parts of her books are based on real life experiences.

  I have said it before and I’ll say it again. I FLOVE all of my friends, blogs, readers and authors! Your support means the world to me. I’m sure I could spend countless hours naming off the people who I’ve met over the course of the past few years who have helped me. However you all know who you are and you know I love you to death. During the writing process of this book I found some new friends who swooped in and made my days that much better and gave me inspiration in ways I never knew existed.

  Kiki Amit, Stacia Newbill and Tracey Murphy…I’ve loved having you by my side beta reading since day one. <3 You’re supports means the world to me.

  My D.F. Girls…Antoinette Candela, Dawn Costiera, Frances Rosa, Kristine Marie, Jillian Estrella, Kiki and Joelle Mendes. You girls never cease to amaze me and I love our little family.