Running After a Heartbreaker (Brides on the Run #4)

by Jami Albright

  “Hailey.”

  The silence that stretched was as wide as an ocean. Appropriate, since that pretty much described their relationship, but he’d called her, and she wouldn’t be the first to speak.

  The last blast of water and steam hissed to indicate the coffee was ready. She grabbed her favorite mug with purple and blue flowers on it and filled it. Still, she waited for him to speak.

  This was why they didn’t get along. All of their conversations began this way. She guessed he’d been waiting ten years for her to apologize to him for getting pregnant while she was still in high school. He’d never forgiven her for embarrassing him in front of the whole town. It did look pretty bad for the high school guidance counselor to have a daughter become a teen pregnancy statistic.

  She leaned her butt against the counter and brought her cup to her lips. Hot liquid slipped down her throat.

  “Hailey.”

  “You already said that.”

  “Why do you have to be so difficult.?” The reedy tenor of his stress-filled voice slithered down her spine.

  “I’m not being difficult, Dad. You called me. Just say what you have to say, I’m busy.”

  “Busy? Busy doing what? Moving into your husband’s house? Oh, wait, you don’t have one of those, since you threw a fit yesterday because someone told you somethin’ you didn’t want to hear.”

  “My relationship with Roger is none of your business.”

  “I don’t care one bit about your relationship with Roger. I care that you’re letting that bar ruin your life.”

  She gripped the counter and took another sip of coffee. “Is that all?”

  “No. That’s not all.”

  “Then get on with it, Dad. The buildup is killin’ me.” She knew she should rein in the sarcasm, but she just couldn’t. It wouldn’t change his opinion of her anyway.

  “Hailey, I swear, that mouth of yours…” He sucked in a ragged breath and blew it into the phone. “This is what I called to say. That bar has caused more trouble than it’s worth and I want it gone.”

  “You can’t sell it without my signature because Mom left it to both of us. I don’t understand you, Dad. How can you just throw away something that was so important to her? She loved that place. She slaved over it, and you’re ready to sell it to the highest bidder.” It was the same argument they’d been having since her mother died. The only thing that changed was the insults.

  “Hailey, will you please listen to reason? The land that piece of crap sits on is worth more than a million dollars. You could work every day for the rest of your life and never make anything close to that. Just think of what we could do with that kind of money.” The sensible tone of his voice irritated her almost as much as what he was saying did.

  “You know I could make more money if you’d help me at the bar. Why don’t you do that? Oh yeah, because barely a year after my mother died, you got remarried, and Carol wants to travel.” Remarried was like vinegar on her tongue.

  “Not this again.”

  The coffee sliding down her throat suddenly had gravel in it. “If you can continue to bring up what an idiot I am not to sell the bar, then I can remind you how disloyal you are.”

  “Enough. I’m not doing this with you again.”

  “Too late.”

  “Hailey.” Her name was muffled, so he probably had his hand over his mouth. “You have until the end of the year to put that bar in the black, or I’m selling it.”

  “The end of the year? That’s only four months.”

  “Not my problem.”

  “Dad, you can’t—”

  “We are equal owners of the bar. But I’ve talked to my lawyer, and he believes that because your mother was on heavy-duty pain meds when she revised her will, she wasn’t in her right mind. Which means I can have the will reverted to the original, where she left the bar solely to me.”

  Her words tried to fight their way past the emotion in her throat, but they were no match for her father’s betrayal. The most she could manage was an incoherent groan. It was true. Her mother had changed her will just a couple of months before she died. And she had been out of her mind with pain and heavily medicated, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know what she was doing.

  “Someone has to stop you before you ruin both yours and Lottie’s lives. Four months, Hailey.”

  Finally, she regained the ability to speak. “Dad…” But the line was dead. She tossed her phone to the counter. “Damn it!” She pressed her palm to her eye. Her father accused her of being unreasonable about the bar, but so was he. He expected her to run a business at a profit without putting any money into it. She’d made all the improvements, including the beer garden, but other things needed to be updated. Just last week she’d had an electrical issue, and the electrician told her she needed new wiring in part of the club. Also, big-name talent cost money to book. And that was the only way to draw the crowds.

  Tears she never shed tried to shove past her resolve. How could her father do this to her? He knew how important the bar was to both his dead wife and his daughter.

  The memory of her dying mother begging her to swear to keep Boon’s open, no matter what, ghosted through her mind. The woman was the only person who’d stood up for her, protected her, accepted her when all the crap went down, and there was no way she would betray that promise. No way.

  She’d grown to if not love the old honky-tonk, then appreciate it for what it meant to her mother. It also gave her a place where she was in control, her domain to rule. She’d do whatever she had to do to keep it open and thriving.

  “Hailey, we’re home.” Charlie’s voice cut through her misery.

  She scrubbed her hand down her face to rid herself of the ugly remnants of the conversation with her father. Lottie didn’t deserve any of that. “In here.”

  Her girl stomped into the room and dropped into a chair without a word.

  “Hey,” Charlie said as she strolled in behind Lottie.

  Hailey looked from her friend to her daughter and back to her friend. Something was wrong. “Morning. Lottie, are you hungry?”

  “No.” The sullen mumbled answer was barely audible.

  Charlie handed a small white paper bag to Hailey. “We stopped at the donut shop, but she decided after she ordered that she wasn’t hungry.”

  The sadness in Charlie’s eyes communicated everything that Hailey needed to know. Lottie still wasn’t looking at her, so she mouthed the word Derek to Charlie.

  The affirmative nod was unnecessary. Only Lottie’s father had the power to leach the life from her kid’s eyes and turn her from a happy child to a sad, brooding little girl.

  “Alright.” Hailey opened the bag and glanced inside, and saw a glazed donut with pink frosting and a cinnamon twist. “Mmm, Charlie got you your favorites.”

  Lottie didn’t even act like she heard her.

  “I’ll leave them right here.” She placed the bag on the counter next to the coffee pot. “If you decide you want them later, you’ll know where to find them.”

  “Walk me to my car, Hailey. I want to show you Phoebe’s new stroller.” Charlie kissed Lottie on the head. “We loved having you, kiddo. Come stay with us again soon.”

  “Love you,” Lottie said to the table.

  Hailey’s heart nearly broke in half when Lottie reached up and covertly swiped a tear from her cheek. Damn, Derek. What had he done this time? She kissed her daughter’s head too. “Be right back, sweetie.”

  She and Charlie made their way to the car. “What happened?” She couldn’t hold it in one more second.

  Charlie shoved her hands into the pockets of her cardigan and kicked at a tuft of grass. “Derek was at the donut shop with Ariel’s two kids. They were all three laughing and cutting up. Lottie ran over to the table. He was awkward and stiff with her, nothing like he’d been with the other two kids. Then he told her they needed to leave because he was taking the kids fishing.”

  “No.”

  Her be
st friend nodded. “Lottie said something about liking fishing too, clearly angling for an invitation, but he just walked off like he didn’t hear her.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest. “Who does that? Even if he couldn’t take her, he should’ve talked to her or at the very least acknowledged that she spoke.”

  Hailey pushed her hair from her face with trembling fingers. The heaviness in her chest made every breath a struggle. “The devil. That’s who.”

  Charlie’s arms came around Hailey’s shoulders, and for just a moment she let herself fall into the comfort. Then she quickly pulled back. Any more and she might not be able to stand back up and face her problems. That was the story of her life. Get knocked down, get back up and keep fighting. It was exhausting. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Charlie rested a hip against the car. “Now tell me about yesterday.”

  The heaviness in her chest became ten times heavier. She shrugged. “It started before the ceremony ever began. I heard him agreeing with my dad about the bar. I gave him a chance to prove me wrong before we walked in, but he reiterated what he’d said to my father. I couldn’t do it.” She shoved her fingers into her hair. “I’ve made another damn mess of things though.”

  The wind whipped Charlie’s hair into her face, and she looped it behind her ear. “Are you going to try and work it out with him?”

  Hailey turned, rested her butt against the vehicle, and stared at the house. “No.” She scuffed her tennis shoe over some gravel on the curb. “I drove around for a long time last night, and I realized I was marrying him to have some semblance of a family for Lottie, and because being with him was easy. The fact that he said all those things just proved that I only knew what I wanted to about him. That’s not how two people build a life together.”

  Charlie’s hand was warm on her arm as she ran it up and down. “I know it’s hard, but I think it’s for the best. You deserve something better, Hailey. Someone who lights you up and believes in you. Someone who worships you.”

  Hailey snorted without humor. “I don’t need all that.”

  “Yes, you do.” The seriousness in Charlie’s blue eyes punctuated the point.

  “Well, I doubt I’ll find that around here.”

  “Then go—”

  “You know I can’t leave.”

  “Why?”

  Hailey held up her index finger. “I have the bar.” Another finger. “I can’t take Lottie away from Derek, and as shitty as he is, she still loves him.” A third finger came up. “This is my home. I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to. I’m trapped in small-town hell.”

  Charlie cocked her head. “You don’t see it, do you?”

  “See what?”

  “You hold the keys to get out of your jail cell. It’s your decision.”

  Hailey laughed. “Yeah, no, it’s not.” She gave Charlie a quick hug. “Thank you for keeping Lottie. I love you.” She was done with this conversation.

  “Anytime. Call me tomorrow.” Charlie opened the car door and climbed into the vehicle. “Remember what I said, Hailey.”

  She waved as Charlie pulled away. Her friend didn’t understand.

  No one understood.

  Chapter Six

  Beau woke with his head hanging off the side of Lottie’s princess bed. The thing wasn’t built for a grown man. That was why the ticked-off kid, with her skinny arms folded over her narrow chest, was upside down in his vision. “Oh, hey.” He tried to get himself into an upright position while keeping his junk covered.

  “Why are you in my bed?” If he thought Hailey had a frosty, take-no-shit look, then this nugget hadn’t fallen far from the tree.

  “I’m a princess.” He shoved his hair from his eyes and flashed her a grin. “Can’t you tell?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Yep. Like mother, like daughter.

  “I’m going to tell my mom.” She turned and left the room.

  “She knows. She’s the one who told me to sleep in here,” he called after her.

  “I’m still going to tell her you slept in my bed naked.” Her voice came from down the hall.

  “I’m not naked.” Not a phrase he thought he’d ever yell at a little girl. There was something seriously wrong with this picture.

  He took advantage of her exit, closed the door, and slipped into his jeans. This morning was starting like last night ended.

  From the intoxicating high of celebrating his number one hit to the crushing low of the lonely and dejected drive home from Houston, none of it made sense. He was having trouble reconciling the whole thing in his head. On the one hand, it’d been the best night of his life and on the other, the worst. It was enough to make him want to crawl back into the princess bed and pull the covers over his head.

  But princesses were made of sterner stuff, and he had shit to do.

  Slow, shuffling steps took him to the hall bathroom. After he’d finished his business, he heard a bark, a squeal, and male voices. Sounded like Jack was here with Walter. Sparks of unease jetted across his nerves. What if they dropped him from the label? Didn’t matter that he was family, they were running a business.

  He moved to the sink, washed up, and splashed water on his face. An ache throbbed in his arms when he gripped the sides of the basin. He tilted his head from side to side until the bones in his neck cracked. An inspection of his face revealed a purple bruise on his jaw. Thankfully, Rick had only landed one good shot. Damp fingers tunneled through his hair, and he glanced at the door then back to the mirror. “Can’t hide in here forever, Callen.” May as well face the music, because the tune wasn’t going to get any better.

  From the front room, he could see Jack and Walter in the front yard. Jack had brought reinforcements. Luanne and Gavin were with him too. They were all talking to Hailey while Lottie hugged on Walter.

  Hailey was standing with her arms crossed and her shoulders hunched. They were probably talking about the wedding that wasn’t. Something about the scene rubbed him the wrong way. It wasn’t anyone’s business what had happened. A fierce protectiveness burned away his concern for himself. He didn’t like it, and didn’t want to think about why he felt she was his to defend, so he pushed the screen door open. “Mornin’.”

  Walter barked and ran for him with Lottie hot on his heels. He knelt and scratched the dog behind his ears. “Hey, boy. Were you good for Jack and Luanne?”

  “He was fine. He’s good company,” Luanne said. “Better than Jack some days.”

  Jack nuzzled his wife’s neck, and his hand went to her belly. “Woman, do I need to remind you what good company I can be?”

  “Get off me.” Luanne’s protest would’ve been more believable if there weren’t two rosy stains on her cheeks and she didn’t giggle like a teenager.

  Gavin groaned, and Hailey chuckled.

  Jack grinned at Gavin. “You’re just jealous.”

  “Not me.” The cocky grin Gavin Bain wore indicated that he’d recently shown his wife Scarlett what good company he could be.

  The sensation of being on the outside looking in grabbed Beau. These two men had everything he wanted—a career in the music business they loved and a family they adored. But they were the exceptions and not the rule. He couldn’t have his dream and a family. One would always suffer for the other. Clyde had hammered that into his head since he first picked up a guitar when he was sixteen years old.

  He and Hailey exchanged a look. Her discomfort seemed to match his. It was clear by her expression that she’d pay him to make it stop. Gladly. “So, should we get down to it?” He rubbed the light sheen of sweat from his forehead even though it wasn’t hot outside. “I’m sure the three of you aren’t here just to return Walter.”

  “Hailey, would you mind if we used your porch to talk with Beau?” Jack asked.

  “You can use the living room. I need to get ready anyway.” She placed her hand on Lottie’s head. “I’ll take Lottie with me into my room. You’ll have plenty of privacy.”

  “Thank you,”
Gavin said.

  They all made their way up the steps to the house. Beau got there first but stood back to allow Hailey and Lottie to pass.

  “Put on a shirt,” his host said.

  “Yeah.” Lottie agreed.

  He ignored the kid and focused on her mother, armed with all the charm he could muster. “You like what you see, don’t cha, darlin’?”

  She burst out laughing and patted his chest. “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Ace.”

  Her laughter rang off the walls even though she’d disappeared inside the house. His fist clenched at his side to keep from rubbing the spot she’d touched. His reaction to the feel of her soft hands disturbed him.

  The trio on the front lawn stared after Hailey. “What?” He glanced into the house. Maybe he’d missed something.

  “You don’t affect her at all.” Luanne said it like she’d just seen a unicorn.

  “So?”

  She shook her head and walked past him into the house. “I never thought I’d see the day, pretty boy.”

  Jack and Gavin followed her in, Jack’s expression grimmer than he’d ever seen, but Gavin merely looked amused. Weird.

  “’Scuse me a minute. I’ve been instructed to put a shirt on.”

  He made his way to Lottie’s room and dug through his bag for a shirt. He glanced at the princess bed behind him and chuckled. He’d never had a worse night’s sleep. The thing was way too small for him, but he’d been grateful for a place to lay his head.

  “Mama, why was Beau sleeping in my bed?” Lottie’s voice drifted down the hall to him.

  “There was a misunderstanding, he thought he was moving in here, but since we’re not moving out now, he’ll have to find a new place to live.”

  Crap. This day just kept getting better and better.

  He found Jack, Gavin, and Luanne with their heads together when he returned to the living room. They broke apart like a bunch of junior high mean girls at the lunch table when the nerdy kid asked to join them.