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

by Jami Albright

  “I’ll get you a car.” Clay pulled out his phone.

  She smiled at Beau. “See, it’ll all work out. Go, be a star.”

  “Hailey, I don’t—”

  “Beau, I’ve dealt with this all Lottie’s life. She’ll be fine. I need to get to her so I can decide what the next move should be.” She kissed his cheek. “Tell you what. If I have to take her to the ER, I’ll call, and you can meet us there. Otherwise, you need to do your job. Deal?”

  The line across his forehead indicated that he didn’t like it, but knew she was right. “Fine.”

  Marissa hugged Hailey and whispered, “Thank you.” In her regular voice, she said, “I hope she’s okay.”

  Hailey kissed Beau. The sense of finality that washed over her unsettled her. “I’ll text you.”

  “You better.”

  The ride to the hotel took longer than she thought it would due to all the award ceremony traffic. Her thumbnail wasn’t going to survive the night. She’d been nibbling on it since she climbed into the car. Between worrying about Lottie and her off-kilter emotions surrounding that last kiss, she was a ball of uncertainty.

  Why did she feel this way? She’d just had the best night of her life with people who seemed to genuinely like her, and with a man who wanted her there with him.

  Ugh. This was why she’d sworn off men like Beau in the first place. The sensation of never being on stable ground was part of the thrill, but it also put her fragile heart on an emotional tilt-a-whirl.

  Just like Derek.

  That thought froze the blood in her veins.

  Calm the hell down, Hailey, before you lose something great.

  Also, Beau wasn’t Derek. He was trustworthy and reliable. She knew if she called him right now that he’d drop everything and come to her. For the first time in more than thirty minutes, her heart settled into a regular rhythm.

  At the hotel, her keycard slid into the door, and she entered the suite. May was sitting on the sofa with her feet up and Lottie’s head in her lap.

  Hailey dropped her stuff by the door and went to check on her girl. “How is she?”

  “She’s better.” May stroked Lottie’s dark hair. “Fell asleep about five minutes ago.”

  The bubble of worry that was lodged behind her ribcage released. Lottie wouldn’t sleep if she were still in an attack. “Thank you.” She dropped into the chair next to the sofa.

  May smiled a weary smile. “It was a bad one, and I think it just took her little body a while to respond to the meds.”

  Hailey squeezed May’s hand that was resting on the arm of the sofa. “I’m so glad you were with her.”

  “You looked pretty on the TV and sang even prettier.” May’s smile covered her whole face. “And that kiss, girl…”

  Her cheeks heated again. Lord, she was pitiful. Her neck and face were probably going to be permanently stained with a blush.

  “He looked so excited,” May said.

  “He was. So was I.” She pulled a piece of paper from her hand bag. “I got Carrie Underwood’s phone number.”

  “What?” May whisper yelled.

  “I know.” It was hard containing her own excitement and volume. “She wants information about Charlie’s hair care products. So yeah, it was exciting.” She laughed.

  May yawned and put the back of her hand to her mouth. “Sorry.”

  “It’s late.” Hailey stood. “Here, let me take Lottie.” With her daughter in her arms, all the weirdness from the evening fell away. She made her way to the bedroom, lowered her to the bed, and covered her with the sheet.

  “Mom.” Lottie never opened her eyes.

  “Yeah?” she whispered.

  “You did so good.”

  Hailey tucked the blanket around Lottie. “Thanks, baby.” She kissed Lottie’s forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

  Lottie turned over and snuggled under the covers. “Okay.”

  May was still in the bathroom, getting ready for bed, so Hailey quietly left the room. A glass of wine might help calm her frazzled thoughts and help her sleep. But first, she grabbed her phone and shot off a text to Beau.

  Lottie’s fine and asleep. All good here.

  She rubbed her thumb over the screen, then fired off one more text.

  I hope everyone is celebrating the hell out of you!

  It was a true statement. He deserved it. She just wasn’t sure how she and Lottie fit into this part of his life.

  Her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

  That’s good news. And thank you. I wish you were here.

  She should be with him right now. She glanced at the bedroom door. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t catch up with him now.

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

  Her reflection in the full-length window was a little ruffled. She made her way to the bathroom to fix her make-up and hair. A quick check of her phone showed no reply to her last text. He’d get back to her, so she went to pour herself a glass of wine. Then she sent another text.

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

  One glass turned into two and still no response from him. After an hour, she went into their bedroom and changed into her pajamas.

  She tried to quiet the uncertain thoughts beating the hell out of her brain, and the hurt feelings wringing the life out of her heart, but no matter what she did she couldn’t make them stop.

  Why hadn’t he texted?

  He was busy living his life, that’s why.

  No, Beau’s not like that.

  Why hadn’t he texted?

  Around and around the thoughts went until sleep finally took her, but her dreams were fitful and disturbing. Derek taking custody of Lottie. Beau leaving her alone with a ton of babies. Her alone in the desert digging and digging for water for her and Lottie. They were endless and so disturbing that when the phone rang at three a.m., it was a relief.

  The first thing she noticed was that Beau wasn’t back, then she saw the name on her display screen, and her heart stopped. Hank.

  “Hank, what’s the matter? Is Charlie alright? My dad?”

  “Hang on, Hailey. Everyone’s alright.”

  “Oh, thank God.” She pushed herself into a sitting position against the headboard. “Why are you calling, then?”

  “It’s the bar, Hailey.”

  Her erratic pulse shot up a thousand beats. “What about it?”

  “There’s been a fire.”

  “What?” The word barely made it past the panic choking the life out of her.

  “In the kitchen. Fire department thinks it started around the vent-a-hood, but they won’t know for sure until later today.” He let out a sigh as big as Texas. “The whole kitchen is gone and the west wall too, Hailey.”

  The only sound she could form was a sob. While she’d been living it up in Nashville, playing at being something she wasn’t, her mother’s bar had burned.

  “It could’ve been worse. One of my deputies just happened to be making his rounds and saw the fire. The fire department got there just as it hit the main room. They were able to get it under control before all that liquor became an accelerant. I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but I knew you’d want to know. Do you want me to call your insurance agent in the morning and have them start the paperwork?”

  “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 Thirty-Two

  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.