Southern Hearts (Southern Love Series)

by Thorn, Ava

  Austin didn't want to push Farrah more than he already had. He loved her to death, but he knew how much Southern Rose meant to her.

  "Thank you." Farrah tucked the envelope back into the wicker basket. "I just need time to think."

  Austin nodded. He didn't have the heart to tell Farrah that he'd purchased a building for her already. He was trying to think of a holiday that would excuse his expensive gift.

  "Whatever my sweetheart wants."

  Farrah enjoyed the remainder of the picnic with Austin. They sat on the blanket eating and watching the sun dip over the hills. She couldn't ask for a better day with Austin. They laughed and told jokes as they lay on the blanket underneath the stars. Yeah, today was perfect from the beginning to the end.

  ***

  "I thought we agreed to keep our relationship on the down-low," Farrah said, frowning when Austin told her about the dinner party he'd planned.

  "Are you ashamed of me?"

  "No! Maybe you should be the one who's ashamed of me." Farrah sat down in the chair and looked at Austin. "You will tell me that I'm reading too much into things, but I promise I just don't want to make a fool out of you."

  "Farrah, I love you. I just want you to have the self-esteem that you used to have. I don't give a flying fuck what people think about our relationship. My momma used to always say that people are going to judge you every day of your life, even when you're dead. Shit, I don't think you're really even living unless you give people something to talk about."

  Farrah laughed at Austin. "Maybe I needed that pep talk." Austin kissed Farrah's forehead before leaving the room.

  Farrah went to the bed, lay back, and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly. She thought about what Austin said about having unfinished business and she felt like she did in her heart. Opening her eyes, she sat up in bed and pulled out the tabloid magazine from her nightstand. She had found the magazine in the trashcan in the kitchen. She assumed one of the housekeepers had brought it in. On the front cover were Rebecca and Austin with the caption Torn Apart.

  Picking up the phone, Farrah called the one person that could get Rebecca to the ranch.

  "Regina, I need a favor."

  ***

  "Austin, we know that you're planning to get married to Farrah Rue on the ranch."

  "Yep, that's not a secret." Austin fixed them a glass of scotch.

  "I was thinking that we could shut Rebecca up once and for all." Samuel smiled slyly.

  "I'm listening." This was music to Austin's ears. His mother always said sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. But in this case he was worried about the stress this drama had put on his pregnant fiancée and their unborn child.

  "A magazine wants to do a Q&A with Farrah and you. I haven't told them you guys are getting married, but if they knew that, I'm pretty sure they would give you guys the front cover and a whole spread in the magazine."

  "I have to talk to Farrah about it."

  Austin wasn't about to sign them up for anything without Farrah's consent. He knew better than that.

  "You do know that she plans on talking to Rebecca?"

  Austin paused, his drink suspended midway to his mouth. Did he hear Samuel correctly? "What?"

  "Rebecca's publicist contacted me due to Farrah not having her own publicist. Rebecca wants a third party present, such as a reporter."

  "Does Farrah know?" Austin sighed.

  "All Farrah did was to reach out to Rebecca. There is something else I want to talk to you about."

  Austin had a feeling that whatever Samuel had to say was about to blow the roof off the house.

  "You wanted me to keep tabs on the Dallas Police Department about the arson and the threatening letters to Farrah. There was something interesting regarding those letters. The investigator found out the sender was Rebecca's cousin, a guy named Ralph."

  "Is he being questioned about the arson?" Austin shook his head. He'd always felt that the burning of Farrah's restaurant with her in it was personal on so many levels. "Did Rebecca put him up to it?"

  "That's what the private investigator is trying to figure out. Right now, Mitch is going over Ralph's bank accounts with a fine-toothed comb."

  "I want to know everything, even if you find something out at like two o'clock in the morning. Man, tell Mitch I want him on that boy like white on rice."

  "I will tell you whatever details Mitch finds out. He is instructed to turn it over to the authorities in Dallas."

  "If Rebecca is implicated in this, I want her thrown in jail." Austin finished the rest of his bourbon with Samuel before his advisor and publicist left.

  ***

  Austin walked upstairs, where he found Farrah in bed reading one of those pregnancy books on what to expect.

  "Hey, baby," Farrah said. She looked up with a sly smile before taking a sip of ginger ale. "Is everything okay?"

  "Yeah, Samuel just came over to talk about a magazine interview he thinks we might be interested in doing."

  Austin never kept anything from Farrah, but he didn't want her to worry about something possibly fruitless. There was no concrete evidence that Rebecca had anything to do with anything.

  "Magazine interview about what?" Farrah patted the side of the bed next to her.

  Austin scooted next to Farrah and pulled her into his arms "A magazine wants to interview us and give us the front cover plus a spread of our wedding inside."

  Farrah bit down on her bottom lip. "What do you think?"

  "We can tell our side of the story. Give people a glimpse of our love." He kissed her head.

  "Can I sleep on it?'

  "Of course. I told Sam it was your decision because it's your wedding."

  "It's our wedding." She kissed him. "I'm amazed that you're doing all the planning."

  "I will have you know that I have everything under control. All you have to do is bring your sexy ass to the altar and be prepared to marry the man of your dreams."

  "You're kind of full of yourself, don't you think?"

  "Nope." He laughed and pulled the book from her hands. "I want to remind you that I have mad skills, Ms. Thang."

  "Please, don't ever say Ms. Thang. Or mad skills." Farrah laughed. "You sound like a cornball."

  Austin sat there and watched Farrah laugh. "I miss that."

  Her expression turned serious. "What?"

  "That laughter and smile." He stroked the side of Farrah's face.

  "I miss your smile too," she said softly.

  "Get some rest. You're going to have a busy day tomorrow." Austin helped Farrah get comfortable in bed and tucked her in.

  Farrah made small talk with Austin until she fell asleep. Austin sat up looking through the pregnancy book Farrah was so engrossed with as he listened to her adorably soft snores.

  ***

  "Ms. Rue, I don't think Mr. McBride had this in mind when he planned a dinner party."

  Farrah turned around to see Regina's face masked in worry. "Austin is very wasteful with money, Regina.

  He should have just asked me to cook the food."

  "Ms. Rue—"

  "Don't call me that. My name is Farrah," she interrupted.

  "Okay, Farrah, we're all just concerned because this is the first trimester," Regina said as she walked behind her.

  "Regina, I got this. I've read so many books about pregnancy. I know the dos and don'ts; I will not lift or bend over," Farrah said calmly. Ever since she'd arrived at the ranch, Regina had been treating her like she was an invalid. "Regina, do you have any children?"

  "Sí, three daughters and two sons." Regina took a pot from Farrah's hands.

  "So, did you work when you were pregnant?"

  Farrah smiled in triumph when Regina gave her back the pot.

  Regina shook her head in disapproval. "Mr. McBride is not going to like this."

  "Not going to like what?" Austin walked into the room wearing jeans and a red flannel shirt.

  Farrah
cleared her throat and looked at Austin. "I kind of canceled the caterers and chef for tonight."

  "I knew you were going to do that, so I took the liberty of hiring two catering companies," Austin said without missing a beat as he leaned down to kiss Farrah.

  Farrah blocked his kiss with her hand. "Austin, why can't we be a normal couple and plan an intimate dinner party?"

  Austin thought about what Farrah just said. She wasn't the type of woman who'd spend thousands of dollars to host a small dinner party. His Farrah was the type of woman who spent countless hours in the kitchen cooking and preparing a meal for her guests.

  "All right," he said. "I'll cancel the chef for tonight, but I will keep the caterers to serve the food."

  Farrah squealed as she hugged him. "I promise I'll take it easy."

  He watched as Farrah rambled off ingredients that she needed for a dish. He could watch her cook all day. "That girl is passionate about two things: family and cooking." Regina smiled. "Farrah is the right one for you."

  "Thank you for coming to Nashville when I asked you." Austin looked at the woman, who was like another mother to him.

  "Mijo, you don't have to thank me." Regina kissed Austin's cheek before she went to assist Farrah with cooking.

  ***

  Farrah took one last look at her appearance in the mirror. She'd promised Austin that she wouldn't work too hard in the kitchen, and he made sure that she kept her promise. She counted at least ten times that Austin came into the kitchen to either watch her cook or to help her with a dish. Tonight, she'd planned a sophisticated but country-style menu.

  She smiled as she put the locket that had belonged to her mother around her neck.

  "You look wonderful, baby girl."

  Farrah looked up to see Austin staring at her. "You do too, mister." Austin looked amazing. Actually, he was downright yummy in his all-black suit and cowboy hat. "I feel like canceling the dinner party and rethinking that whole no sex until after we're married thing."

  Austin was thinking the same thing as he stared at the beautiful knee-length dress Farrah wore, with its white lace and short sleeves. The dress absolutely did her body justice as it clung to her curves. "Sexy," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

  "You're going to mess my hair up." She wiggled out of his embrace.

  "I like your hair straight." Austin kissed the side of her neck.

  "I love you in that suit." She turned in his arms to face him. "For our honeymoon, just ditch the clothes and keep the hat."

  Austin laughed and hugged Farrah tighter. "Since we're making requests, I want you in those brown cowgirl boots that I bought for you."

  "Deal." She squealed as his hands slipped under her dress.

  "You're mine." His lips brushed softly against hers.

  Farrah reached up and caressed his face and neck before tasting his lips. He tasted like bourbon and honey. Farrah couldn't get enough of his kiss. It was making her lose her mind. Austin gently took hold of either side of her face and deepened the kiss. She moaned against his lips as their kiss grew wild and passionate.

  "Saved by the bell," Austin mumbled against her lips when the doorbell rang. "Come with me. I want you to meet one of my best buds."

  "Hold on." Farrah stood in front of Austin and wiped her lipstick off his lip. "All right, we can go." Austin took hold of Farrah's hand, and they walked down the spiral staircase.

  He kissed the side of her head. "Don't worry."

  Austin pulled Farrah to his side and opened the door. "Austin," Liam said with a smile.

  "Liam. I see Melanie is still dressing you," Austin teased.

  "Don't pay any attention to your fiancé," Liam said, looking at Farrah. "I can assure you that my wife has impeccable taste, but darling, she didn't dress me."

  "Seems like our guys forgot their manners." Melanie smiled. "I'm Melanie Owens, and this is my husband Liam."

  Liam Owens was a handsome man with shaggy brown hair and piercing green eyes. Melanie was gorgeous and blonde. Austin told Farrah that the happy couple was expecting their first child in three months.

  "It's such a pleasure to meet close friends of Austin." Farrah was taken aback as the woman gave her a hug.

  "I brought our favorite." Liam held up a bottle of Jack Daniel's.

  "Since they're drinking Jack, I have non-alcoholic beverages in the back for us," Farrah said.

  "I'll go with you," Melanie volunteered. "It smells so good."

  "Thanks." Farrah looked in the portable wine cellar for sparkling cider and cranberry juice. "How many months are you?" Melanie asked as she accepted a glass of cranberry juice.

  "Only two, but how did you know that I'm expecting?"

  "When Austin found out about the pregnancy, he started calling Liam non-stop for advice and wanted to know everything about morning sickness." Melanie chuckled.

  "My Austin is full of surprises."

  "Girl, he sure is. My husband was so ecstatic when Austin decided to make the move from Dallas to

  Nashville."

  "I do like it here, I must say. It's a new start for both of us. I think we can have two homes, one here and the other in Dallas."

  "Let's make a toast." Melanie held up her glass of cranberry juice. "To the beginning of a new friendship."

  "I'll drink to that." Farrah tapped her glass against Melanie's and took a sip.

  Farrah instantly took a liking to Melanie. She had a girl-next-door type of personality, friendly but always keeping it real.

  "We're practically neighbors," Melanie said excitedly. "We only live eleven minutes down the road from you."

  So that's the reason Austin purchased the ranch. "I didn't know that."

  "We can all sigh a breath of relief that Austin is not with Rebecca," Melanie whispered.

  "Was she that bad?" Farrah only met Rebecca a few times, but from those few times, she had determined the woman seemed self-sufficient, but spoiled. Beyond that, she didn't know.

  "Bad enough that everyone was planning an intervention! But it was called off when Hank called Liam and told him Austin was falling for his match."

  "I take it you didn't like Rebecca?"

  "Let's just say she butt dialed me one time and was ranting to her assistant about how she hated when Liam and I came to the ranch. Did I mention the part where she called me a dumb blonde?"

  Farrah laughed so hard she had tears streaming from her eyes. "Are you serious? You're blonde, but you don't strike me as dumb."

  "I needed that laugh," Melanie said. "I don't really have friends here. Nashville is full of cliques. Girl, I swear, everyone here is trying to be on 'The Real Housewives of Nashville.'"

  "I'm not interested in that lifestyle." Farrah checked on the food one last time before turning her attention back to Melanie.

  "Did you cook all this?" Melanie said as she looked at the vast array of food on the stove and the counter. Austin and Liam joined them in the kitchen.

  "Mel, you didn't know my future wife was a chef, did you?" Austin said. "In a little while, she will send your taste buds to heaven."

  "Austin is being biased." Farrah kissed Austin's cheek. "Why don't we have appetizers while we wait for Hank and Natalie?"

  "Baby, take it easy," Austin said as he sidestepped Farrah. "Why don't the pregnant women in the room go have a seat?"

  "Fine."

  Farrah left the room with Melanie in tow. She heard bickering on the patio. Walking to the window, she peeked out to see Hank and Natalie in a heated argument.

  "Farrah?" Austin said as he snuck up behind her.

  "They're arguing." She frowned.

  "Come eat something." Austin ushered her away from the window.

  Farrah was glad that she had made appetizers. Hank and Natalie stayed outside arguing until Austin called Hank's phone asking him if they were still coming for dinner. They finally came in and said their greetings, but quickly fell silent after that.

  "This is romantic," Melanie gushed as she observed
the screened-in patio, which Farrah had converted into a lush scene that made their guests feel like they'd stepped into a fairytale.

  "Thanks."

  Farrah had also decorated the table with a candlelit centerpiece. She had spent an hour in the garden finding the perfect flowers for it. She decided on white carnations.

  "You did a hell of job," Austin agreed, pulling the wicker chair out for Farrah.

  Farrah gave the caterers the go-ahead to serve them. She had prepared a sophisticated meal that consisted of spring onion soup, scallops with spinach and arugula, pasta and spring herbs, and for dessert, she made a cherry pie.

  "Austin's right, girl, you can cook," Liam groaned as he grabbed another heaping helping of pasta.

  "Thank you."

  "You should open a restaurant," Melanie moaned.

  "I'm thinking about it." Farrah looked over at Austin, who winked at her.

  "I promise if you open one, I will invest," Liam said as he shook his head.

  "I'll remember that." Farrah looked over at Hank and Natalie, who appeared to be locked in deathly silence.

  The tension was so thick between them that even a knife couldn't cut through it.

  "Farrah," Melanie asked, "What do you do for a living?"

  "Farrah doesn't have to work, not when she hit the jackpot," Natalie blurted out.

  Farrah coughed violently as the cranberry juice she was drinking went down the wrong pipe. Austin stood up quickly and patted Farrah on the back.

  "I'm okay," she said, waving him away.

  "Nat, that was rude!" Hank said as he apologized for his wife's behavior.

  "Don't apologize for me." Natalie turned her attention towards Farrah. "How does it feel to sleep with another woman's man? Did you ever think about her when you were screwing your fiancé?"

  "Excuse me?" Farrah stood up.

  "You heard me. And you walk around here like your shit don't stink." Natalie sneered.

  "Natalie, I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're not going to disrespect Farrah in her own home."

  Austin put a hand on Farrah's shoulder.