Brides on the Run (Books 1-4): Small-Town Romance Series

by Jami Albright

  “What?”

  “Do you want me to call your insurance agent?”

  Insurance? Her thoughts rioted in her brain. What was it about insurance that made her want to barf? “Um…sure…”

  “Who are you with?”

  “Southwest Insurance. Hang on, I have Sandra Caplan’s card in my wallet.” She grabbed her purse from the nightstand and fished around for her wallet. A white envelope stuck out of one of the inside pockets of her purse. It was barely visible except for the insurance company’s insignia in the upper left corner. What was…

  Oh, shit.

  A cold numbness spread from her core to her extremities like a flesh-eating virus. It killed everything in its path, including her ability to draw breath. Short staccato puffs were all she could manage and a silent scream rode each clipped exhalation.

  With everything going on, she’d forgotten to make her insurance payment. She didn’t have any insurance. How utterly stupid could she be? “Wait. No, I’ll deal with it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” The realization of what this meant ripped the bottom out of her stomach.

  “Alright. I’ll post a deputy to the area to keep looters away until you can get back.”

  Nausea foaming up her throat made anything more than a thank you impossible.

  “I’ll let you go. I’m so sorry, Hailey.”

  She hung up. One more word of his sympathy and she’d lose her shit. Her finger immediately went to Beau’s name on her phone, and she pushed the button to send the call through.

  “Hey…”

  “Beau, I need—”

  “You’ve reached Beau. We both know I won’t call back, so send me a text.”

  Her finger shook so much that she could barely disconnect the call. She tried again. Maybe he hadn’t heard it or felt it vibrate. But when his chipper message came through the line once again, she hung up. She sent a short text.

  Fire at Boon’s. Please call.

  What could she do? They weren’t supposed to fly out until six that evening, but she had to get back. She had to see if she could fix this. Could she change their flights? Only one way to find out. She grabbed her phone and pulled up the reservation, then called the airline.

  Thirty minutes and five hundred dollars that she had to borrow from her father later, she’d changed the flights for Lottie, May, and herself. Beau was on his own. He still hadn’t called her.

  The familiar loneliness she’d lived with for the past ten years wrapped its slimy arms around her. She’d deal with this just like she’d dealt with every other blessed thing in her life.

  Alone.

  She showered, then woke Lottie and May, and they headed to the airport.

  Back to Zachsville, where she belonged.

  Chapter 32

  Beau stretched the kinks out of his neck as he rode the elevator to their floor. It was six in the damn morning and he was dog-tired, a little buzzed, and he missed Hailey like crazy. Last night had been like a dream come true for him, but most of the fun left with her.

  By habit, he checked his phone before he remembered that it’d died right after Hailey texted him to tell him Lottie was okay. He’d never been so relieved to get a text in all his life.

  He slid his keycard in the door and entered as quietly as possible. He didn’t want to wake the three women in his life. A bubble of happiness expanded in his chest. They were his, and he was theirs. For a moment, he stood and let the contentment roll over him.

  He studied the award in his hand. How many nights had he dreamed of being in this exact position and holding an award like this? Too many to count. He was thrilled he’d won, and with all the opportunities it created for him. But it paled in comparison to his feelings for Hailey. She was at the center of his world, and nothing mattered without her.

  Crazy that after the events of the last twelve hours, the thing that gave him the most joy was this little family they’d all created. He studied the sun inching over the horizon, signaling a new day. One where he’d settle things with her and convince her they belonged together, no matter what.

  Exhaustion pulled at his bones. All he wanted was to slip into bed next to her and feel her body against his. He gently turned the doorknob to the bedroom, then froze. The bed was partially made and empty. That was weird. Maybe she’d decided to sleep with Lottie last night to make sure she was okay.

  He went to the other bedroom. The two beds in that room were unmade and empty as well. What the hell? His dead phone was in his hand before he knew it. He stomped back to his bedroom and found his charger. A quick inspection of the bathroom confirmed what he already knew. They were gone.

  Back in the bedroom, he noticed a note on Hailey’s pillow.

  I had to leave. Check your phone.

  Check his phone? Had Lottie gotten worse?

  His device buzzed, indicating it’d come back to life. There were three messages from the woman he loved, and his heart sank lower and lower with each one he read.

  Since Lottie’s okay, I can meet you. Where are you now?

  I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go. Let me know where you are, and I’ll come.

  Fire at Boon’s. Please call.

  Fuckin’ hell. Of all the times for his phone to have died, this was the absolute worst. He grabbed the device and punched in her number. It went straight to voicemail. “Hailey, call me back. Shit. I’m so sorry. My phone died. Shit. Just call me.”

  He dialed May’s phone.

  “Hello.” The older woman’s tentative tone told him what he feared was true.

  “She’s ignoring my calls, isn’t she?”

  “Um…yes. Hang on. I don’t have very good reception. Let me move to the window.”

  He had no idea if Hailey was sitting right there with her or not, but May was about as covert as an elephant wearing a bikini.

  “Beau, sorry. Lottie was sitting next to me. Hailey went to get us some coffee.” She was whispering like she was a fugitive on the run.

  He rested his elbow on one knee and dropped his head into his hand. “Where are y’all? What happened?”

  “At the Nashville airport waiting for a flight, and I’m not exactly sure other than there was a fire at Boon’s. It took out the kitchen and one wall. She’s shut down until she can get it repaired.” The older woman sighed like the weight of the world was sitting on her. “She’s barely said more than that to me.”

  He fell back on the bed and covered his eyes with his forearm. “Damn it. How’s Lottie?”

  “Confused, but fine.”

  “Don’t tell Hailey we talked. It’ll only upset her.”

  May snorted. “Don’t worry. I didn’t get to be my age by doing stupid stuff.”

  He laughed in spite of how shitty he felt.

  She chuckled too. “Want some advice?”

  “Sure.” Hell, it couldn’t hurt.

  “Get on the next plane home.” She sucked in a gasping breath. “Got to go. She’s coming back.”

  “Oh, I plan to.” But the line had gone dead. The next call he made was to Clay.

  “Beau, you miss me already?”

  “Listen, man, there’s an emergency back in Zachsville, and I need to get on the next flight home. You’ll have to cancel the live show with CMT. Maybe we can do it remotely or something.”

  “No can do, Beau. You can’t miss this gig. Do you know the exposure you’ll get from this? This spot on the heels of your win last night will give you all the fame and fortune you can handle.”

  “Cancel it.” There was steel in his voice. “It’s not more important than what I have to take care of in Zachsville.” He hung up and immediately called the airline.

  He was going to Hailey, and nothing was going to stop him.

  Hailey stood where Boon’s kitchen used to be and picked through the rubble to see if there was anything she could salvage. The late afternoon sun had given up trying to fight its way through the clouds, and now a dreary half-light fell across the
whole desolate scene.

  This was her fault.

  Instead of taking care of business, she’d been gallivanting around Nashville living someone else’s life…wishing for someone else’s life. The fact was, besides checking in with Newt the first day of their trip, she hadn’t once thought about the bar.

  That wasn’t true. She’d thought how much she didn’t want to return to the place. The guilt of that nearly emptied the contents of her stomach.

  I’m so sorry, Mama.

  She had one job, one thing her mom asked her to do, and she’d failed.

  Something unrecognizable crunched under her booted foot. This part of the bar was utterly destroyed. A toxic combination of anger and despair filled her to the brim and mixed with the stench of charred wood and melted plastic. Bile gurgled in her throat as she surveyed the burnt husk of her bar.

  She’d known it was bad by the look on her father’s face when he picked them up at the airport. That’d been a call she hadn’t wanted to make, but she’d already asked him to pay for the flight changes and didn’t want to ask him to loan her money for a rental car too.

  He didn’t deliver the I told you so lecture she’d been prepared to endure either. He’d only hugged her, kissed her forehead, then chatted with May and Lottie all the way home, leaving her alone with her miserable thoughts.

  It’d taken her swallowing every ounce of pride she had to ask for help. That was why she hadn’t bothered calling the insurance agency. She couldn’t take that humiliation on top of everything else. What would be the point anyway? Being uninsured at the time of the fire meant she’d have to foot the bill for all of the repairs.

  She had the money, but it was the cash for the nonprofit. The bile inched farther up her throat. She tried to ignore a niggling thought worming its way through her brain. Was her dad and everyone else right when they said she was throwing good money after bad?

  Maybe. But at the end of the day it didn’t matter because she had to keep her word to her mother. Besides, this was where she belonged, running this bar…

  Hiding from the world.

  That was ridiculous. She wasn’t hiding from anyone or anything.

  Now the sound of wheels on gravel cut through her dark thoughts. She knew who it was without looking, and she was ready for him. She’d prepared her speech on the plane, and she’d deliver it with as much conviction as she could.

  His voicemail still rang in her ears.

  Hailey, call me back. Shit. I’m so sorry. My phone died. Shit. Just call me.

  He couldn’t help it if his phone died. That wasn’t the problem. No, it was all just part of the bigger picture and the reason why this would never work. She’d been a fool to think it could. He was a bright and shiny bauble, the thing that distracted her from her purpose and what was important. But no more.

  “Hailey?”

  All her self-resolve hadn’t prepared her for the pain she saw etched on his face. “Yeah?”

  He had her in an embrace in three strides. “I’m so sorry, baby. For everything, but mostly for this. I know how much this place means to you.”

  Before she could stop herself, she melted into his body, the safe place she’d found beyond the walls of this bar. All she wanted was to grab his hand and run back to Nashville, where she didn’t have to worry about burnt bars, cancelled insurance policies, or broken promises. But she couldn’t do that, so she pushed out of his hold. “Thank you.”

  His hands went into the front pockets of his jeans and he surveyed the area. “What did the insurance company say?”

  She picked up a half-melted plastic spoon and threw it to the side. “That I’m shit out of luck.”

  “What? Surely your policy covers fire. That seems pretty standard. You might need a lawyer.”

  A humorless snort filled the air. “No lawyer needed. My policy would’ve covered fire if I had one.”

  He took a step toward her, and she took two backward. “I don’t understand.”

  “My insurance lapsed last week because of nonpayment. I forgot to make the payment before we left last week. The bar was uninsured for…” She spread her hands wide. “This.”

  His big hands were on her shoulders before she could step away. “We’ll figure this out.”

  The tears were like acid against her eyes. The burn helped to center her, and she pulled away from him again. “No. We aren’t gonna figure anything out.” She waved her hand between them. “There is no we. I’m putting a stop to this.”

  “Hailey, don’t do this. If it’s about me not getting back with you last night—”

  “It’s not. Though that’s another glaring example of why none of this will work. You have your new life, and I have my place here.” The irony of her standing in the middle of a burnt-out building and calling it her place wasn’t lost on her. “You weren’t there when I needed you because you were living that glamorous new life. I get it, and I’m not mad. But I’m not part of that world and never will be.”

  “All of that shit means nothing to me without you there.”

  Her hands went to her hips to hide the way her chin trembled. “I know that’s not true. You can’t bullshit me, remember?” He hung his head, and her conscience stabbed her repeatedly in the heart, but she wouldn’t stop. She had to make him understand. “There’s always going to be something that keeps us apart. You on the road, Lottie’s activities and health, my business.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way.” He said it so softly that she barely heard him.

  “What?”

  He raised his head and looked into the very center of who she was. “I said, it doesn’t have to be that way. You, Lottie, and May could come with me. You could get paid for your talent and for doing something I know you love. We could homeschool Lottie, and take her and May on the road with us. We could start a new life in Nashville.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest to keep the beautiful picture he painted from penetrating her heart. “And what about the bar?”

  His spread his long arms. “This bar? The one that’s half gone, and you don’t have the money to repair? That’s the bar you’re talking about?”

  “I do have the money, or at least enough to get started with repairs.”

  The confusion on his face quickly turned to understanding. “You’re going to use the money you set aside for the nonprofit.”

  Not a question but an accusation.

  She looped her hair behind her ear and couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “My mother made me swear to keep the bar, so I think she’d approve of me using the money to honor her this way.” The nausea swimming in her belly tried to escape. Even with the money she had set aside, how could she possibly meet her father’s deadline?

  His arms went across his chest now. “The bar where she hid from you and your dad, and the place you hide from the world.”

  The air evaporated in her lungs. “That’s not true. This is where I belong. I’m going to rebuild, and then things will go back to normal.”

  “Normal?” He cupped her face in his hands. “Is that really what you want, Hailey?”

  She was so damn tempted to wrap her arms around him and never, ever let him go, but she knew she’d just be prolonging the inevitable. And if he stayed with her, then she’d ruin his life just like she’d ruined the biggest night of his life with this mess, and she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if that happened. She wouldn’t mean to, but that’s what she did. Just ask Derek and Roger.

  He was beautiful and glorious, and she was damaged goods. She had to cut this off, and the sooner the better. “Of course I want things to go back to normal. If I’d stayed here like I was supposed to instead of letting you talk me into leaving, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. I know I wouldn’t have been distracted enough to not make my insurance payment.”

  He dropped his hands and blinked several times. “You’re blaming me for this?”

  She shrugged. “Now that I know how you feel about the bar, I can’t say you
’re unhappy about what’s happened.”

  “You’re unbelievable. You know that? I’ve done nothing but support you while you tried to save this sinking ship. Not your dad. Not your ex-fiancé. Not your ex-husband.” He jabbed his finger into his breastbone. “Me.” His hands went to his hips, and he turned his head and closed his eyes. His nostrils flared as he sucked air through his nose. When he looked back, resignation painted his expression. “You’re never going to hear me, are you?”

  Her lips were sealed with so much pain that she thought she might die from it.

  “You’re going to hold on to this place and this life that is killing you and keeping you down because you think, what… You deserve it?” His fierce green eyes bored into her. “I’m here to tell you that you don’t deserve what this place has come to represent to you.”

  “You don’t—”

  He held up his hand. “Let me finish. The promise she extracted from you was unrealistic and cruel.”

  “She wasn’t cruel. You take that back.”

  He scuffed his boot across the charred remains of her bar. “I won’t. It’s the truth. And here’s another truth. There are about a million ways to honor your mother that don’t have to do with you rebuilding this cage. I want us to be together. I’m willing to do just about anything to make that happen, but I can’t do it by myself. Don’t you know how I feel about you? I—”

  “It’s not a cage!”

  His inspection of her peeled the skin from her bones. His resigned nod let her know that he knew she didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. He laced his fingers on top of his head. “What are you going to tell Lottie?”

  She couldn’t meet his interrogating gaze. “I’ll tell her what I’m telling you. This will never work.”

  The lips she’d spent hours kissing were a severe line on his grim face as he nodded. “I see that now, but it’s not because of my career or because you live in Zachsville, and it’s certainly not about Lottie. It’s because of you, Hailey. Because you insist on living in the past. Plain and simple.”