Love Song (12 page)

“Thank you. Could I ask you to go get it for me? I don’t want to leave Andi alone.” When she nodded, her eyes shining with pleasure, he took out his wallet and handed her more than enough to cover the price and tax. “Do they gift wrap?”

“I’m not sure, but they do have gold gift boxes. I saw some on the shelf behind the counter.”

He glanced at Andi to make certain she wasn’t listening. “If they gift wrap, pick out some pretty paper, maybe flowers or something. If they don’t, the gift box will do, but ask them to put it in a sack when they’re done.”

“Gotcha.” As she hurried off, her friends joined her. She glanced back at Wade, grinned, and started talking a-mile-a-minute, obviously filling them in on what she was doing.

It took a while for Nicki and her entourage to return. By then Wade had grown concerned about the number of people lined up for autographs. Practically everyone who walked by either recognized her, or stopped and asked someone else about her and ultimately got in the line. He noted fatigue creeping into Andi’s smile. There was no way she could keep this up long enough to take care of them all. He leaned over before she looked up at the next person. “You’re going to have to stop in a minute.”

“I’m all right. I don’t want to turn anyone away.”

“You’ll have to. There are at least fifty people in line, and it keeps growing. Five more, and that’s it.”

She took a deep breath, and he noticed her hand shake minutely when she lifted it. “Ten more. And I promise I’ll quit.”

He didn’t like it, but he knew the stubborn tilt of her chin meant there could be no arguing with her. “Ten, it is. But not one person more.”

He stood up, counting down the line, and made a mental notation of who would be the last lucky person today. Gathering up the boxes and sacks with all of their purchases, he walked over to the nearby table where Nicki and her friends sat. “She’s getting tired. I’m going to take her out of here in a few minutes.”

“That may not be easy.” Nicki glanced at the line. “We know those guys about half-way down. They graduated three years ago. They can get downright nasty when they want to.”

Wade followed her gaze to the three men. He had already singled them out as troublemakers. One was slight, but the other two were big, strong farm boys. Judging from the way they laughed and poked each other in the ribs, they were thinking up any number of suggestive things to say to Andi.

“I saw them,” he said gravely. “You girls want to help me get her out of here?”

“We can carry all your stuff. Then your hands will be free in case you need to punch them out,” said one of Nicki’s friends, a gleam of anticipation in her eyes.

“I don’t expect it will come to that, but it would be a big help if you took care of these. Then all I’ll have to worry about will be Andi.” He looked way down the mall toward the entrance where they came in and sighed. Some bodyguard he was. They had over half the length of the mall to cover before they reached the Blazer.

He drew his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Nicki. “I’ve got a dark blue Chevy Blazer in the third space, second row, outside that far door.” He gave her the license number. “Bring it around to the side opposite the theater, and we’ll come out that exit.”

The four girls grabbed their purses and all of Wade’s packages and rushed off down the mall. To his surprise, none of them giggled or made light of the situation. Their expressions were determined, almost grim. He figured he didn’t have to worry about them taking anything, not with Nicki’s telephone number—and her dreams—in his shirt pocket.

He walked over to the people in line, starting behind the person they had decided would be last, explaining the situation. “I’m sorry, folks, but Miss Carson is going to have to call it a day. She’s still recovering and has been warned by her doctor to take it easy. Can’t get too tired, or she’ll have a relapse. Maybe she can set up something in a few weeks, and you can come back and talk to her then.”

Most of the people were disappointed, but understood. As those near the front of the line started to disperse, the ones in the back figured out what was going on and began to drift away, too. All except the three cowboys he had expected to cause a problem.

“Hey, you can’t do that. We’ve been waiting ten minutes,” protested the smaller of the three men. “We’re not leavin’ until we get to talk to her, are we, boys? We’ll just go pay her a little visit right now.” He poked the biggest man in the back, and he started to move forward.

Wade stepped into his path. “Miss Carson is tired. She won’t be doing any more visiting with her fans today.” He stood eye to eye with the younger man, who probably outweighed him by about twenty pounds. It didn’t matter.

“I don’t give a hang about anybody else, but she’s going to talk to us.”

“No, she’s not.” Wade stood his ground, his voice firm, his expression implacable. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other large man take a couple of steps backward, his hands raised slightly, fingers open and palms turned forward in a gesture indicating he didn’t want any part of a fight.

The man in front of Wade sneered. “You think you can stop all three of us?”

“I know I can.”
I’m protecting the woman I love.
Adrenaline surged through him, but he remained still. He didn’t want to fight, but he would if he had to. He had been in more brawls in his younger days than he liked to admit. He knew how to hold his own.

He saw uncertainty creep into the man’s eyes. “It’s Friday night,” Wade said softly. “You don’t want to go partying with a busted nose, do you?” The man shifted his stance, relaxing slightly, and for a second, Wade thought he was going to walk away.

“Billy Bob, don’t let this jerk buffalo you.” The smaller man glared at his companion. “Hit him.”

Billy Bob stiffened, flexing his fingers.

“You always take orders from him?” Wade asked casually, preparing to ward off a blow.

“I don’t take orders from nobody.”

“Then why don’t you act more intelligently than your friend here and leave Miss Carson alone? You aren’t going to make a good impression with the lady by starting a fight and embarrassing her. You’ll make more points by being considerate of her health and her feelings.”

“We had tickets to her concert in Fort Worth,” Billy Bob complained.

“It will probably be rescheduled when she is completely well. Upsetting her will only delay her recovery.” Wade shifted slightly, so the man had a clear view of Andi. “Does she look tired to you?”

“Yeah, she’s kinda droopin’.” He scratched the back of his head.

“Billy Bob!” the short man whined.

“Shut up, Jinx.” Billy Bob spun around and grabbed his friend by the shoulder, shoving him into motion. “Let’s go. I ain’t being disrespectful to the lady ’cause you got your nose out of joint.”

Wade watched them move away down the mall before turning back toward Andi. She was standing by the table observing the confrontation. Several people, both men and women, stood protectively around her, but they moved aside as he hurried toward her. “Thanks, folks. Come on, honey, let’s get out of here before that little banty rooster talks those big dumb clucks into doing something else stupid.” He heard a few chuckles and caught a few speculative glances as he put his arm around her and propelled her toward the side exit.

“I thought the Blazer was at the other end.” She peeked back over her shoulder. “Where is our stuff?”

“Nicki and her friends took care of it. She’s bringing the Blazer around here.” He looked down at her, relief pouring through him. “I was afraid we might have trouble.”

“Are they behind us?”

Wade glanced back. “No.”

“Then slow down. My legs aren’t as long as yours.” She slid her arm around his waist as he eased the pace. “Have I told you lately that you’re wonderful?”

He looked down at her and almost tripped over his own feet. Her face glowed, and pure, undisguised adoration shone in her eyes. His chest swelled with such pride that he was surprised he didn’t pop open the snaps on his shirt. “Not that I recall.”

“Well, you are. You’re the best looking, most wonderful man on earth.”

He grinned and tugged on an imaginary hat. “Now you’ve done it. I can feel my hat gettin’ tight already.”

“I’ll buy you another one.”

He pushed open the outside door to find Nicki and her friends huddled beside the Blazer, which she had parked right by the curb in a No Parking area. He was relieved that no one from mall security was in sight.

“Did you have to fight them?”

“No. They protested a little, but decided to be nice.”

“Only because Wade convinced them to.” Andi winked at the girls. “You missed quite a show. This guy was really something. Thank you, too. Our get-away might not have gone as smoothly without your help.”

“Anytime,” said one of the girls. “Although I am sorry we missed the man in action.” She shot Wade a flirtatious grin.

He felt Andi’s fingers dig into his side.
She’s jealous,
he thought in amazement. “Aw, it weren’t nuthin’,” he said playfully. He smiled at the girl, careful not to flirt back, and opened the Blazer door for Andi, assisting her inside. He shut the door and turned to the girls, his expression serious. “I appreciate your help. We’re going out to dinner, now, but I expect she’ll call you later tonight, Nicki, and set up a time to get together.”

“Is she staying here in town?”

“Let’s just say she is staying with another friend and let it go at that.” He pulled out all the stops and gave them a smile that had proven in the past to completely distract women from whatever they had on their minds. If their dewy-eyed expressions were any indication, it worked.

Andi was surprised when Wade pulled up in front of a small Italian restaurant. “I had you pegged as a steak and potatoes man.”

“I am, but we eat a lot of that at home, so I usually get something else when I go out. Is this all right? Dawn said you liked Italian food.”

“About the only kind of food I don’t like is anything with curry in it. And I love Italian food.”

He flashed her a smile and hopped out of the Blazer, going around the front to open her door. “I haven’t been here, but I’m told the food is good. You don’t have to dress up, and it’s small enough that we won’t be mobbed.”

“Sounds perfect.”

It was. Although the hostess recognized Andi when they stepped through the door, the young woman didn’t make a fuss. She simply showed them to a booth in the corner, away from both the kitchen and the other diners, and told her how happy she was to see her feeling better. A few minutes later, the owner, a large man with black hair, a handlebar mustache, and an accent that was a hybrid of Italian and Texas twang, came to thank them for choosing his restaurant and to personally take their order.

“I’ll have to take you out more often.” Wade plucked a bread stick from the basket in the middle of the table before leaning back against the well padded vinyl seat. “Basking in your shadow has its benefits.”

“Some men would feel threatened.”

“Because you’re rolling in dough? Or because half the country thinks the sun rises and sets when you tell it to?” he teased.

“Only half?”

“Well, maybe two-thirds. After all, Texas counts for half.” He leaned across the table and laid his hand over hers. “Andi, I’m proud of your success and glad people adore you—the well behaved ones anyway.” He leaned back again, grabbing another bread stick on the way. “Besides, I know you don’t have any control over the sun.” The sunshine in his heart was a different story, but he didn’t plan on mentioning that.

“And I thought I had you fooled.”

They told each other funny stories and laughed and enjoyed the crisp green salad and lasagna, with no worries about time or people or responsibilities. The waitress was attentive but not obtrusive, the lighting was low and romantic, and the muffled voices of the other diners provided a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere. They ate in peace and left in peace.

Wade glanced at her as he drove back through town. She was staring out the window, her expression thoughtful but with a hint of excitement. “You thinking about Nicki?”

She looked at him and smiled. “Yes. I should give her a call before we leave town. It was so strange when I met her today. Somehow I knew she could sing. She had a quality to her voice that suggested it, but there was something more. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“Sounds like the Lord.” He smiled gently at her startled expression. “He’s good at revealing things he wants us to know.”

She met his gaze briefly before leaning her head back against the seat and staring up at the starry sky. “I think you’re right,” she murmured, shaking her head in awe. “Now, I understand what Dawn was talking about. When I first got here, she was telling me how she knows when the Lord wants her to say something or do something for someone. She said often it’s a feeling, but sometimes it’s even clearer, like whispers in her heart.”

She turned toward him, shifting as much as the seatbelt would allow, oblivious to the buckle digging into her hip. “I didn’t hear words exactly, but I knew she could sing as surely as if I had heard her. And I felt a strong urge not only to ask her about it, but to do something.” She frowned. “But I’m not sure what.”

“Listening to her and giving her encouragement is where you have to start. If God wants you to do more, he’ll let you know.”

Excitement raced through her. “Would you mind going over to see her now?”

“Aren’t you tired? You can’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m not.” She glanced at the clock on the dash. It was only seven-thirty. “It’s early. Besides, I won’t ever get to sleep tonight if I don’t follow up on this.” She remembered how she had been after Kyle had first talked to her. “And poor Nicki will be a basket case. Probably worthless by tomorrow.”

“If you agree to leave when I say. I intend to keep your recovery on track whether you do or not.”

“Trying to get rid of me, Jamison?” she asked with a laugh as he stopped at a red light. When he looked at her, the laughter died in her throat.