Ball Buster

by Kara Sheridan

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I’ve been kinda busy with something else.”

  He smiled. “I made you forget?”

  “Almost.”

  “Only almost? I’m losing my touch!”

  “Never,” she said, hugging him. “Now about the farm…”

  “I don’t want the name of the farm revealed or the exact location. I know it could be found eventually, but we need to be careful, okay?”

  “I understand.”

  “Just tag it as somewhere in Alabama.”

  “You do know a simple title search on the property…”

  “I don’t really want to think about it, Sadie. I like my privacy—more than you know.”

  “I’m accustomed to dealing with high-profile people. I promise to utilize the protection mechanisms I’ve regularly used for past clients.”

  “OK, but Rex doesn’t spend much time around people. He makes a trip to town every couple of weeks for supplies, maybe stops at a bar for a beer. I don’t want him to feel cornered. It can trigger an episode.”

  “Is he on medication, seeing a psychologist?”

  “Negative.”

  “Why not?”

  “Drugs can’t fix everything, Sadie. He doesn’t like the side effects—the numbness.”

  “I can’t imagine what he’s been through.”

  Carson kicked at something in the dirt, sighing. “He watched my dad die.”

  The sad news wrenched her heart. “I’m sorry, Carson. Maybe we should forget about it.” Christ, she was an insensitive idiot. Sadie blinked several times, unsure what to say. She’d grown up around Carson’s family, loving his father—everyone did. His sense of humor and ability to make anyone feel important made him an unforgettable character.

  “No,” Carson said. “Rex expressed interest in something outside of the farm. That’s real progress for his recovery. Interacting with the public is a big challenge for him. I’m good with it, really.”

  Sadie wanted to believe it. “I’m going to watch out for you, Carson. I’ve already told the front office you don’t belong in my class. But for some reason Jack and your coach insist on you being a part of the process.”

  Carson shoved a hand through his hair. “Apollo never catches a break, believe me.”

  Sadie crinkled her nose. “I never liked that nickname.”

  For the first time since they’d started spending time together, Carson seemed unsettled. “Do what you need to do, okay?”

  She touched his arm. “Does the offer still stand for picking blackberries?”

  His eyes lit up. “If we can find the baskets in this grass.”

  Sadie bent over and started searching through the high grass. A few minutes later she squeaked with disappointment. “Oh no!”

  “What?”

  “Look.” She held up the crushed basket so Carson could see it.

  He waggled his eyebrows. “Collateral damage.”

  “The other one should be here.”

  Carson joined the effort and finally found the second basket, in perfect condition. “We have dozens of these in the barn,” he said. “We get a steady stream of customers visiting this time of year.”

  “How long have you owned the farm?”

  “A little over a year.”

  “It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing here. Offering Rex a second chance, giving your mom the perfect home.”

  “If she’ll accept it. Silly woman doesn’t like taking my money.”

  “Independence is a great quality.”

  Carson clicked his tongue. “She’s just stubborn.”

  “A little of that, too,” Sadie agreed. “Guess that’s where you get it from.”

  For the next hour they picked berries, enjoying the sunshine. Just as they arrived back to the house walking hand-in-hand, a car pulled up. A couple with two children climbed out of the sedan. Sadie froze, eyeing the man.

  “Sadie?” Carson whispered. “Something wrong, sweetheart? You’re crushing my fingers.”

  “I…I’m sorry.” She released his hand, unable to look away from the visitors.

  “Stay here,” Carson said, handing her the basket and then stepping forward to greet the family. “Can I help you folks?”

  “Mommy,” the little boy said. “Is he Carson Savage?”

  The young mother looked at Carson, then back at her son. “The quarterback?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe you should ask the man yourself.”

  The little boy couldn’t be more than six years old. But Sadie lost interest in him as soon as the boy’s father stared her way, studying her closely. Jason Millar. It had to be. An asshole who’d always taunted her in school after she refused to date him. Sadie’s hackles went up, that fight-or-flight instinct kicking in.

  Jason took a few steps in her direction, and Sadie wished she could just disappear. This is why she didn’t like Alabama. Everyone knew each other. And though they weren’t in Fairhope, Point Clear was only a few miles away. The chance of running into someone she grew up with were ridiculously high. The proof was standing in front of her, all six-foot-plus, with dark hair and black eyes.

  “Sadie Reynolds?” he asked.

  Run! That’s what the little voice inside her head suggested—demanded. But she couldn’t. “Hello, Jason,” she said, fighting to keep her composure.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said. “How many years has it been? Six or seven?”

  “Seven,” she confirmed, grateful her sunglasses were dark enough to hide her eyes. “Is that your family?” She gestured at the kids.

  Jason looked over his shoulder. “My niece and nephew. They live in Denver. Janice brought them down for a visit. You remember my sister, don’t you?”

  How could Sadie forget Janice Millar—the leader of the bitch clique that often targeted Sadie because she didn’t wear the right clothes or hang out with the right people, even after she started dating Carson. “I remember her.”

  “I can’t believe you and Carson are back together.”

  Sadie started to say something, but it was too late—Carson was on his way over, smiling. He stood beside her, draping his arm over her shoulders, holding her close. “Been a long time, Jason. Thought you moved to Reno.”

  “I did,” Jason said. “Moved back home four years ago.”

  “Small world,” Carson continued. “We were just leaving. And the farm is closing soon. There’s other places to go.”

  “So no berries?” Jason pressed.

  Carson gazed at Sadie, and she forced a smile. He nodded at her as if he understood, then took the basket from her hands, thrusting it into Jason’s arms. “Take these.”

  Jason didn’t get a chance to respond. Carson steered Sadie to his car. Once she was inside, he told her to wait for him. He closed the door and jogged toward the barn. Sadie sank down in the comfortable leather seat, her gaze focused on Jason, who was busy talking to his sister.

  Lord, talk about bad timing. Or was this fate trying to tell her something? Giving her every reason to stick to her plan of leaving Alabama as soon as her job was done? She didn’t care if it had been seven years since Jason and Janice had made her life a living hell. But if she was going to be with Carson, she’d have to get used to all the drama again. She wasn’t sure how their relationship would work but if they continued to see each other she’d have to spend at least some time in Alabama. And life in a small town came with a hefty price. But she appreciated the way Carson had dismissed the asshole and his sister. It gave her hope for the future.

  Turning the key in the ignition so the radio would turn on, Sadie forced herself to focus on the music. Jimi Hendrix blared through the expensive sound system, drowning out her thoughts.

  Maybe Barbi was right to reschedule that trust-building workshop. Sadie needed to let go of a lot of deep-rooted negativity. If she wanted to stay with Carson and build a successful relationship, she’d have to learn how to deal with her emotions and ge
t rid of the fears that often kept her on edge, even when she was in South Carolina.

  She deserved better, and so did Carson. It just wasn’t going to be easy.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Please don’t mention anything about me to the family out there,” Carson told Rex in the privacy of the barn.

  “Is this about you and Sadie?”

  Carson nodded. “The price you pay growing up in a small town only a half hour away. People still talk about us.”

  “That’s why I left California,” Rex said. “Nowhere seems far enough away.”

  “And that bastard”—Carson grimaced—“doesn’t think I know how much he hurt my girl.”

  “You two getting reacquainted, then?”

  “Better than that.”

  Rex’s grin stretched ear to ear as he slapped his arm. “Happy to hear it. Remember the letters you wrote to me after you graduated? You told me everything about her. They’re in the house somewhere if you’d like to show her.”

  “No.” The last thing Sadie needed to read were those letters. She already had missed out on the ones he’d written to her. The ones to Rex were even more volatile. It would give her a taste of the desperate, angry man he’d turned into after she left him. What he’d really like to do is grab Jason by the throat and beat the shit out of him for mistreating Sadie. But Sadie didn’t know that Carson knew everything Jason had done. “Be courteous, but get them the fuck out of here as soon as you can.”

  “Got it, boss.”

  Carson shook his head. “I’m not your boss—we’re friends.”

  “You sign my paychecks.”

  “Couldn’t have done any of this without you, Rex.” He gave Rex a hug, then headed outside, more than ready to get home and make love to Sadie again.

  Halfway to Mobile, Sadie cursed as she was scrolling through her messages on her cell phone.

  “What’s up?” Carson asked.

  “Pull over,” she demanded.

  “We’re on the highway, Sadie. Can it wait?”

  “No. Please pull over.”

  He took the next exit, ending up in the parking lot of a gas station. He turned in his seat so he could see Sadie.

  “Can you believe it? We’ve only been gone thirty minutes and that asshole has already posted our picture all over Facebook.” She shoved her cell into his hand. “Look.”

  Carson read the post on Jason’s page:

  Out for a casual drive with the family today. Never expected to run into Carson Savage with his favorite piece of ass from high school. Guess who’s back in Alabama? Sadie Reynolds. Did red ever look so good?

  He eyed a picture of Sadie from high school and then the new photo Jason had obviously snapped while they weren’t looking. Yeah, red never looked so good…unless it was a bloodstain on Jason’s goddamned shirt after Carson punched him in the face.

  Frustrated, Carson slapped the steering wheel with both of his hands. “Sonofa—”

  “Don’t,” Sadie said. “It’s my fault, not yours.”

  “How, sweetheart?”

  Her lips formed a thin, tight smile. “I never should have come here, Carson.”

  Did she mean Point Clear or Alabama in general? “Can you be more specific?”

  “We should have stayed in Mobile.”

  Breathing out a sigh of relief, Carson grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers one at a time. “I know you’ve been away for a long time. And I know you never liked the politics of Fairhope, how everyone was always in involved in other people’s business…”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “The dynamics of living in a small town. But there’s an upside, Sadie.”

  She arched a brow.

  “Whenever there’s an emergency—you can count on your neighbors to be there.”

  Sadie looked at him like he was crazy. “Maybe for you.”

  Carson shook his head. “Do you know what happened after you left?”

  “I don’t want to know, Carson.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re so anti-Fairhope. So many people missed you. They still talk about us.”

  “My point exactly! We’re old news. If they haven’t moved on yet…what does it say about them? About their lives?”

  Carson shrugged. Alabama wasn’t the same as other states. And Fairhope definitely was unlike any other town he’d visited. Generations of families stayed there for any number of reasons. Whether he liked it or not, it was home, and not just for him. Sadie couldn’t deny her roots. “I’ll take care of Jason,” Carson assured her. “But he doesn’t represent the majority of people in Fairhope, Sadie. If you’d just take a ride with me…”

  “No.” She withdrew her hand, not looking happy.

  “Sadie? I feel like I’m missing something big here.”

  Averting her gaze, Sadie stared out the window. “Tell me, Sadie. Please.”

  She laughed nervously. “Why? What good would it do now?” She faced him again. “We were bigger than life back then, weren’t we? The perfect couple destined for a great future together. You’d play ball and I’d have kids. We’d move back home after college and put Fairhope on the map.”

  A sad smile crept across Carson’s face. “Yeah, we were. And what’s wrong with being the perfect couple?”

  “It was too much pressure for teenagers to deal with. When I broke up with you, Carson, a lot of people blamed me for your downward spiral that summer.”

  “I’m not the only player from Fairhope that had aspirations for the NFL.”

  “No, but you’re the first to really make it. And everyone knew it. I jeopardized that future, and people didn’t want me to forget about it.” Suddenly tears threatened to fall from her beautiful eyes. Carson reached for her cheek, but she avoided his touch.

  “No,” she chastised. “You can’t make me feel better with a hug.”

  “Jesus Christ, Sadie. Did someone hurt you?” Rage started to uncoil in his gut. If she didn’t hurry up and explain, he was close to driving to Fairhope to find out on his own.

  “Yes and no,” she said.

  He raked his hand through his hair, his blood pressure spiking. “You’re killing me, Kitty Kat.”

  “I never wanted you to know…really, I didn’t.” She sniffled. “I received death threats, Carson. So many people shunned me—wouldn’t even greet me on the street. It could have been anyone.”

  “Death threats?” His control was unraveling.

  “Relax. Please. I’m okay.”

  “Shit.”

  “Emails, anonymous phone calls…”

  “Did you report it to the police?” He wished she would have told him back then. It would have given him great pleasure to destroy whoever it was. He cracked his knuckles, trying to recover from the shock and rage.

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  “Chief Isaac dismissed it as crazy fans caught up in the moment. I believe his exact words were ‘It’s not an immediate threat.’”

  “Asshole.”

  Sadie shrugged. “Another realty of small-town life. The chief was one of your biggest fans, I think.”

  A moment of silence passed between them, and Carson couldn’t take his eyes off her. “I’m sorry, Kitty Kat.”

  “Not your fault, Carson. Can we go back to Mobile now?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I think we could both use a good night’s sleep.” But rest was the last thing on Carson’s mind.

  Sadie hurried up the stairs, not wanting to see Tamera. In fact, she wanted to be back in her hotel room alone or, better yet, in her condo in South Carolina. But that wouldn’t be fair, not to Carson or to her. He’d done nothing wrong, and only wanted to share his life with her. Normal people did that. But Sadie felt completely out of sorts.

  Standing in the middle of Carson’s luxurious bedroom, she eyed the king-sized bed with its ornate wood headboard and high-end comforter. Dozens of plush pillows tempted her to just curl up under the covers and shut out the world fo
r a night. A gas fireplace was situated on the left side of the room, next to the doors opening to the balcony. It would be too easy to make herself at home here. A glass of red wine, maybe a favorite book, definitely a cozy fire, dim lights, and the soft lingering scent of roses in the air from the gardens below.

  Carson had indeed done well.

  “Sadie?” He came in with her overnight bag. “Can I get you anything? Maybe a hot bath? Glass of wine?”

  “No, thank you,” she said. “Would you mind if I slept in one of the guest rooms?”

  His expression changed from one of concern to deep disappointment. “Of course.”

  “It’s nothing you did…”

  He held his hand up. “I understand, Sadie. Come on.” He turned and walked out.

  The guest bedroom was smaller than the master suite, but no less comfortable. Carson set her bag on the end of the bed.

  “There’s an intercom system if you need anything. Just give me a call, or better yet, come and find me.” He pointed to a white box on the wall by the bed. “Don’t feel guilty if you wake me up. And just so you know, I understand that you need some adjustment time. Jason and Janice are assholes. But not everyone in Fairhope is like them. I promise.”

  Sadie wrung her hands, trying to find the words that would let Carson know how much it meant to her that he understood. If Barbi were there, she’d tell Carson how far Sadie had come in just a few days, facing her fears and ignoring that little voice that always told her to avoid uncomfortable situations. That little voice that told her to run away. She may be sleeping in a different bedroom, but at least she wasn’t running back to South Carolina. It was progress.

  “Carson.”

  “Sadie.” They’d both uttered each other’s names at the same time.

  “Breakfast, eight o’clock. Okay, beautiful?”

  “Okay. Thank you for not pushing anything. Good night.”

  “Night.”

  Her heart tightened as he walked out and closed the door.

  “Stupid,” she muttered as she unzipped her bag, searching for her toiletries case and nightie—a sexy, white lace ensemble. She’d intended to wear it for Carson.