Always Remember (12 page)

An endearing flush colored his cheeks and he sent his friends a disgusted look. “They
make
me play it.”

With a crash of cymbals, Mike drew their attention. “How ‘bout
Always Remember
?”

Her breath caught in her throat. Her gaze swiveled back to Nate. He stood apart from the rest, waiting, expectant — judging. He didn’t know, did he? He couldn’t know about the baby. Her mother would never have told him the truth. And no way George would have broken his vow of patient confidentiality and spoken about the night in the hospital. Was it her own guilt putting judgment in his eyes?

With a crash of cymbals, Mike drew her attention. “How ‘bout it, people? Are we ready to rock?”

George and Mike gave Nate a thumbs-up sign and he flipped the switch on the microphone. “Not sure how many of you will recall
Always Remember
.”

The crowd went wild, stomping their feet, clapping their hands, shouting and yelling. As Nate slipped into the opening notes of the song, Jessie stared into his eyes and saw heat and desire and a touch of humor. So familiar, as if only a moment had passed since they’d been on stage together.

Aware of only him, barely conscious of the crowd and the bass guitar and drums joining in, Jessie approached the mike and sang, “
I’m leaving you.
”

Nate’s voice wrapped around her, like a lover’s touch, different, yet not so different. Deeper than the boy’s voice she remembered. “
I’m leaving you.
”

“
I believe in you.
”

“
Always remember me.
”

His eyes held her captive, kept her on the stage when she might otherwise have run from the rush of emotions that made her heart stall, then skip into double time. It was still there between them, she realized with awe, the perfect harmony, the need for one another, the passion they’d once shared. But they couldn’t resurrect the past, not with the lies between them.

The words of the song echoed into the silent room and as the music died away, the sound of clapping and shouting reminded Jessie that they weren’t alone. Which was a really,
really
good thing. Otherwise she’d be falling for those bedroom eyes and sexy voice as he lured her off stage and into his truck. And darn it, one thing would lead to another and then—

Well, heck. Maybe she’d suffered enough. She’d lost everything she’d held most dear, paid for her mistake more than a thousand nights over. Maybe spending the rest of her time on the ranch cocooned in Nate’s arms wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“What next?” Mike shouted from his perch behind the drums.

Jessie blinked against the bright stage lights and realized she’d been staring at Nate. She looked away, hoping he hadn’t read her thoughts, seen her hunger. “I’m game for anything.”

They took her through a medley of her songs and by the time the set was finished, people were on their feet, clapping and stomping and singing along with the familiar tunes. When the final notes of George’s guitar died away and the drums were quiet, Nate stepped back to join his friends, leaving her alone at center stage.

Alone and lonely, like she’d been since she’d left him behind. Like she’d be for the rest of her life.

But there was no time to feel sorry for herself. Clamoring fans surrounded her as she stepped down from the stage, demanding attention, an autograph. Her soul. Jessie obliged without thought because that part of her life was so ingrained into her psych, she didn’t miss a beat.

Until anger hit.

Why had he been so stubborn that summer? If he’d chosen her over the ranch, she would never have hidden anything from him.

Reining in the fury, she concentrated on the people surrounding her. But then came the sorrow because she knew she couldn’t blame anybody but herself. Slowly making her way across the room, she felt the pain start deep and work its way up her throat and into her eyes. Somehow she broke free of the crowd and made her way to the public washroom without running.

Was she finally alone? Able to let down her guard? A toilet flushed, arresting the tears, but the pain didn’t stop. She turned on the cold water tap and splashed the icy liquid on her face, dribbled some down the back of her neck.

What had ever possessed her to get up on the stage with him? She’d left this life and this man. The pain of returning, of witnessing all she’d left behind, hurt more than she could ever have imagined.

She could leave now...tonight. And when the papers learned she’d left while her mother was so ill, the old speculations about a family dispute would return. But Jessie didn’t care. The newspapers would rehash the same, tired story until the public no longer cared.

What was she still doing here? Her toes curled at the memory of Nate’s kiss and she knew she’d gotten in too deep, wanting more than her mistakes allowed.

Get in. Get out.
Run.

The thought raced through her mind, setting fire to her blood, quickening her heartbeat. She dried off her face with a paper towel and stared at her image in the mirror.

No, she wouldn’t run, not any longer. She’d spent nearly half her life away from the home she loved, the people she cared about the most, the life she’d always wanted.

But as she stepped into the hallway, she came face to face with the local reporter.

Bobby leaned against the opposite wall, his face half hidden in the shadows. “You look very comfortable on stage with your old boyfriend.”

“Some things you never forget,” she replied in an easy tone, while her insides clenched with fear. She sent him a friendly smile, turned her back on him, and with a wave over her shoulder, headed down the hallway. “Enjoy the show, Bobby.”

His next words stopped her cold. “Your boyfriend should have gone to Nashville with you. So how come Maude wouldn’t take him?”

Jessie slowly turned to face him, one hand on her hip, her already shaky confidence hitting rock bottom. “This is old news, Bobby. Nate had the same opportunity I did, but he chose to stay on the ranch.”

“So how up-close-and-personal was your relationship back then?”

She wanted to tell Bobby to get his dirty little mind out of the gutter and mind his own business. What she’d shared with Nate had been beautiful and there was no way she was going to let some frustrated small town reporter turn it into something dirty. “We sang together, just like we did tonight.”

“Come on, Jessie. There was more to it than that, wasn’t there? In fact, I’m wondering if he had anything to do with your stay at the Foothills hospital.” He paused for obvious effect. “Or does he even know about that?”

He might as well have sucker punched Jessie in the stomach. Somehow, Maude had managed to keep Jessie’s stay in the hospital out of the news and now she had no idea whether or not he had the facts to back up his statement.

Years of hiding her emotions, of running from her mistakes, carried Jessie through the moment. She raised her chin and looked the reporter straight in the eye. “I don’t know where you get your information, Bobby, but it’s wrong.”

“Is it?” He sneered. “Do you have any idea how much I’ll be paid when I uncover the truth? Unless, that is, you want to pay me more to keep it quiet.”

Jessie stared at him long and hard before she let out a soft laugh. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“My mom thought I was pretty special.”

“Goodbye, Bobby, and good luck with...you know.”

Jessie spun on her heel, strode down the hallway, and back into the bar. She slipped into the seat next to Nate and tried to join into the conversation, but every breath she took hurt and she feared the pain would never go away.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The evening seemed to drag on endlessly, until finally Nate grabbed Jessie by the hand, and made some lame excuse about getting up early. Ignoring the good-natured teasing of his friends, he ushered her outside and into the truck.

As he drove out of town, silence filled the dark interior of the cab. Despite Jessie’s participation on stage, Nate had noticed her tension increase as the evening progressed.

Had she felt it, too? The perfect harmony of their voices. The ache for days gone by. The hunger, the unquenchable desire that pounded through his veins and left him feeling edgy, frustrated — angry, too.

Every time the crowd had closed him in, clamored for his attention, demanded he sing another set with Jessie, he’d wondered how she could keep her smile so firmly lodged in place. Man, if he’d gone with her that summer, he might have had to put up with all of that every day for the rest of his life.

If he’d gone with her...

He frowned. Would things have turned out different? Would they have been a family? Jessie and him and—

He finally admitted to himself that he missed the company of a woman. The trouble was, he didn’t want just any woman. He wanted one that was so far out of his reach, she might as well have been on Mars.

He wanted Jessie and no other woman could ever take her place.

He shot a look in her direction. Right now, she looked totally wiped, withdrawn, so different from the bubbly, enthusiastic girl he once knew. After witnessing the attention she gave to her fans, both off stage and on, Nate understood her need to rest and regroup for the next onslaught.

And yet, he felt as though there was something he should say, something he should do, like give her a neck rub to help ease the tension.

Did she have any regrets? It hardly mattered. He had enough for the both of them.

The silence in the truck tore him apart, made him wish he could stop on the side of the road and pull her into his arms to offer comfort. As he drove through the night, the back roads void of other traffic, he knew what he had to do.

Leave it alone, man. She doesn’t need you. She hasn’t needed you in forever.

When he drove into the yard, she jumped out of the cab before the truck rolled to a complete stop and instinct overcame common sense. He slammed the truck into park and followed her out. “Jess, slow down.”

But she didn’t stop. He thought he heard a sob carry on the breeze, a sound so soft it could have been the gurgle of the creek. The Jessie of old never cried but once — when she’d left him behind to go to Nashville with her mother.

Nate ran after her, caught her arm, and dragged her around to face him. Her eyes were full of moisture, brimming with unshed tears. And he couldn’t help but wonder if the girl he once knew, young, vulnerable, and full of love for the boy he had been, was still in there somewhere. He silenced her pain and his own in the only way he knew how.

Dragging her into his arms, he kissed the tears away, tasted the salty wetness on his lips. And lost himself in the feel of her pressed against him, the scent of her skin, the touch of her trembling lips, soft and inviting. For the first time since the day she’d left, he experienced a sense of completeness.

His brain registered the sound of a vehicle driving up the lane, but Jessie, soft and pliant against him, consumed every rational thought in his head. As the flash of light broke through the darkness and the sound of a car engine hummed to a stop, Nate crashed back to reality.

Jessie in his arms...what the hell was he doing? He had too much to lose if he let her back into his life and heart.

A car door squeaked open and slammed shut. In an instinctive move to protect Jessie, Nate clasped her to his side. He turned, raised one arm to shield his eyes against the bright headlights of the stranger’s car. A flash of light lit up the sky and Nate knew who had dared to invade the privacy of the ranch.

The son-of-a-bitch reporter.

He pushed Jessie behind him and with one objective in mind, stepped forward. He’d make sure the bastard never bothered either of them again.

“Dad?”

The ground below his feet seemed to sway, tilting precariously.
Sara? What was she doing home?

He sensed Jessie’s movement, turned as she staggered back, out of his reach. Shock and betrayal lit her eyes and her features with an expression that tugged at his heart.

Damn it. He’d tried so hard to prevent this.

“Jess?” Nate reached for her. A movement to his left brought Sara into his line of vision.

“Dad?”

Sara, with her big expressive eyes, looked at this moment as shocked, as betrayed as Jessie. She couldn’t even begin to guess what was really going on.

“Sara, get to the house.”

“Dad, I need to talk to you.”

“Do it, Sara.” He could hear the desperation in his voice, feel the fear flowing through his veins, driving his pulse rate sky high. “Now.”

She glanced at Jessie, curiosity alight in her eyes and on her face. He took a single step toward her, caught her attention, and the next thing he knew, she was racing for the house, the soles of her boots pounding up the stairs, silenced only when the screen door banged shut behind her.

Proof positive he still had some control over her. Not much and not often, but there were definitely moments like this when he wished he’d never been told about her.

Looking at Jessie right now hurt nearly as much as losing her had. He turned on his heel and headed for the reporter. “What are you doing with my daughter, Bobby?”

The reporter clicked off three more shots. “Found her at the bus station. Just doing the neighborly thing and delivering her home safe.”

He took a step forward. “Quit slinking in the corners, Bobby. You did that in high school. You haven’t changed a bit since then.”

“You hiding something, too, Coltrane?”

Nate balled his hands into fists, then forced himself to relax.
Chill out
, as Sara always said. Hooking his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans, he eyeballed the reporter. “Why don’t you climb back into your hole? Or are you going to make me put you there?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, Bobby. I’m flat out telling you. Come near my ranch, my family, or Jessie again, and I’ll make you sorry.”

A sly smile curved the reporter’s mouth. “I’ll get my story, Coltrane, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”

Nate lunged at him, missed, found his balance too late. By then, the other man was safe in his car, the locks clicking into place as he grinned and waved his camera practically right under Nate’s nose. Closing his hand into a fist, pulling his arm back, Nate aimed for the window.
Hit the slime ball right where it hurts the most. Aim for the camera. And if his nose gets broken in the process...so be it.