Race To The Altar

by Patricia Hagan

  “Can I get you something to drink, sir?”

  He glanced up at the flight attendant. “No, thanks.”

  “Are you sure? We’ll be landing in about a half hour and we’re ready to put all the carts away.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  He settled back down, happy where he was rather than up front where he was supposed to be. It bothered him to be so close to Liz. At the track or when the whole team was out together, it was different. But to be only a few feet away with nothing to do but think about how much he wanted her was unbearable.

  Closing his eyes, he let the seat back, grateful for the solitude.

  Daytona was going to be rough. It was July and scorching hot. Liz wouldn’t be able to stand that kind of heat and would probably hang out in the air-conditioned media room instead of the garage. Though he acted as if he didn’t know she was anywhere around, he was very much aware of her presence…and would miss it.

  But he pacified himself with the knowledge of how things would be cozy otherwise. She’d told the team at breakfast before leaving California that she’d made reservations at an oceanfront hotel. Since it was over the Fourth of July holiday, Gary Staley had told her to make sure each room was a large efficiency so the crew could bring their families if they wanted. They all planned to, which meant nobody would be interested in what he was doing at night.

  And he planned to spend every single one with Liz.

  He had almost dozed off when his eyes flashed open to something covering his face.

  A wool blanket.

  He jerked it off. “What th—?”

  Liz was sliding into the seat next to him. “I seem to recall having fun under a blanket the last time we flew back from California.”

  Laughing, he was about to reach for her when he remembered the crew and sobered. “This is not a good idea, Liz. They’ll be coming back here to make a pit stop before landing, and if they see us together—especially snuggled under a blanket—they’re going to start wondering.”

  “Oh, I know that,” she said, snatching the blanket from him and folding it. “I was only teasing to see what you’d say. I guess I thought you’d missed me enough you’d be willing to take chances.”

  He knew she was still teasing. “I did, but I’m not doing anything stupid, either.”

  She pretended to pout. “I think I’ll see if there are any other single drivers on the circuit.”

  He played along with her. “I think you already know there are. So what are you going to do about it?”

  “Oh, see if I can find one who wouldn’t be ashamed to have people know we’re going together.”

  “Hmm. And I thought you were the one who was so dedicated to your career.”

  She sat up to look at him in surprise. “I certainly am.”

  “But now you’re wanting everyone to know you have a relationship.” He took the blanket from her and slowly unfolded it to spread across their laps.

  “Not really,” she said, her fingers dancing across his thigh beneath the blanket. “I just thought it might be nice to have somebody who thought more of me than his old race car.”

  “It’s not the race car.” He caught her hand and squeezed. “It’s the race. Remember? I told you, Liz. Racing comes first with me.”

  “And the same with my job.”

  “Then why are we having this conversation? We agreed no strings. We share nothing besides a bed.”

  “That’s just it.” She jerked her hand from his and squeezed his leg so hard he jumped. “I can’t get you into mine, and you haven’t invited me to yours. That’s the whole problem here.”

  Grinning, he caught her wrist and held it, because her fingers were tiptoeing upward to a very private place. “So that’s what this is all about. It’s your way of wanting to set something up.”

  “Exactly,” she whispered.

  “Hussy.”

  She laughed softly as his hand slipped beneath her skirt. “So what time can I expect you tonight?”

  “Just as quick as I can get there.”

  He continued to caress her as they sat there gazing at each other. And then he couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted her too badly. “You’d better get back to your seat before somebody notices you’re missing.”

  Liz started to get up, then hesitated to remark, “You know, I hate sneaking around like we’re doing something to be ashamed of.”

  He started to respond, but she did not give him a chance, as she continued. “But I know the reason for it. Gary and Jeff might worry that I would let personal feelings get in the way of my job. I can’t let that happen. My career is too important to me.”

  “And so is mine,” Rick said as he began folding the blanket so he wouldn’t have to look at her. “It would just cause problems we don’t need right now.”

  “I suppose so, and I can’t let that happen in my job again.”

  “You know you never told me much about your past, Liz. Just that a boyfriend caused you to lose your job.”

  “He was my fiancé. He used me to steal my accounts. When my boss found out, I was fired. He said I should have been smarter. Then history repeated itself. I did the same thing again. After that, I swore nothing was ever going to come between me and my job. And it hasn’t…till now.”

  The minute the words were out of her mouth she frantically wished she could take them back. She hadn’t meant to be so candid. It had just slipped out.

  She glanced at Rick from the corner of her eye. He was still concentrating on the blanket. She could not read his expression.

  “What I meant,” she rushed to amend, attempting to smooth things over, “was that till now there hasn’t been anybody to get in the way. Not that you do, of course. I just haven’t been in a relationship of any kind. I swore I wouldn’t, that I’d never get serious about anybody until I was at the top of my career and so secure in it that nothing could hurt it.”

  She was talking too fast, saying too much, because now she’d gone and given him the idea she was serious about him. Oh, why hadn’t she quit while she was ahead? That was much more information than he needed.

  She was about to try to put a spin on it all for damage control when the announcement came over the speakers that the plane was making its approach to the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport.

  “We’d better get back to our seats,” Rick said.

  “Oh, that’s right,” Liz said breezily. “Everybody will wonder where we are.”

  She hurried up the aisle, already trying to think of what she could say and do when Rick came over later to get herself out of the mess she’d gotten herself into with her big mouth. She could not have him thinking she was serious. They had an understanding, and she had blown it, and if she didn’t do something to smooth things over he might back away.

  And what then? The miserable thought needled as she sat down and buckled her seat belt. Even if she found a way to explain away everything she had said, the situation was still the same—Rick wanted nothing serious. And if she allowed herself to feel any differently she was courting heartache.

  “There you are,” Mack said from across the aisle where he sat next to the window. “I was wondering where you’d gotten to.”

  “Long line at the pit stop,” she managed to say lightly.

  “And where’s the driver?”

  “I think he’s in line, too.”

  “No, he’s not,” Rick said cheerfully as he took his seat next to Mack.

  “The boys and I were talking while you were gone,” Mack said. “They’re antsy to get on the road to Daytona. So they want to start work on that new engine tonight since Bobby won’t be in with the hauler till sometime tomorrow afternoon. We’re going straight to the garage from the airport, but if you’re tired, we can get by without you.”

  Rick looked over at Liz. She was talking to Benny and not paying any attention to him and Mack. He wanted more than anything to make love to her that night, but it was like an addiction. He needed a fix but knew it would
only keep him hooked. And some of the things she’d just said really bothered him. Maybe she had an addiction, too, but didn’t realize it. So to keep them both from getting hurt, maybe he should be the one to make the decision to go cold turkey.

  “No, I feel fine,” he finally told Mack. “I’ll ride with you and sleep in the RV tonight.”

  “Good.” Mack settled back for the landing.

  Liz turned just then, saw Rick watching her and smiled.

  He did not smile back.

  He felt too damn guilty over knowing how disappointed she was going to be when he didn’t show and didn’t call. But it was time to ease back on the throttle and cruise, and she’d realize in time it was all for the best.

  Liz was putting on a front that nothing was out of the ordinary as she spoke to Rick about his appearances at Daytona. They were in the paddock area, standing outside the motor home. She had made it a point to approach him there, rather than at the hotel, once more putting everything between them on a strictly business level.

  Since he had not shown up at her apartment the night they arrived from California nor called to say why, she had gone to the garage the next day. She had hoped he would catch her alone and explain, but, as it turned out, he all but ignored her as the team worked feverishly getting ready to leave.

  She had not gone with them, instead flying when she could have gone in the motor home. That would have been too awkward when she wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, whether he ever wanted to see her again or had gone back to wishing she’d just disappear.

  She had said too much on the plane. That’s all it could be. And if she ever got the chance she would tell him she had not meant for him to get the idea she was becoming serious. For that matter, she brooded miserably, she already was, and it was too late for her to do anything about it. Only she had to make him believe otherwise or she’d never be with him again.

  She intended to stay with the account and had dared to hope that somewhere down the road, maybe in a few years, Rick would be so successful in his career that he would not be leery of having that relationship they both denied wanting. Perhaps things might still work out between them. After all, there had certainly been plenty of times when she thought he was starting to care. The way he kissed her and made love to her, surely that was not lust alone. Surely it meant something to him…as it did to her.

  Only now she was beginning to think otherwise.

  And it bothered her deeply.

  “Well, Thursday night will be okay,” Rick said as he looked over the sheet Liz had given him. “You want me to do the Big Boy’s on the north end of the beach at five and then one on the south at eight. I think I can handle that.”

  She noted he was very careful not to make eye contact. He handed the list back and asked if that was all.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “Mr. Staley left a message at the hotel that he may be flying in Friday. If he does, he’ll want you to have dinner with him and his wife.”

  “Make it early, Liz. You know I don’t want to be out the night before a race. It’s a shame this one is run on Saturday, but that’s the way it is.”

  “Thank goodness, it’s in the morning when it’s cooler. Well, I’ll see you at Big Boy’s.” She did not offer to take him in her car as she had been doing whenever he made an appearance. It gave them some intimate moments together, only now she did not dare.

  Neither did she mention riding with him.

  Mack walked by, heading for the RV. “Hey, Liz, Ida made some of her famous potato salad, and I’m going to grill some hot dogs. Want to join us?”

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry right now,” she said, putting her papers back in her briefcase and closing it.

  “Well, remember there’s always food in here. Man, this thing is nice to have around the track.”

  “I’ll tell Mr. Staley again how much you’re all enjoying it.”

  She started to walk away but just then spotted a young woman climbing over the fence into the restricted area for drivers, crew and their families. She had parked her car smack-dab against the fence and then crawled up on the hood to make it easier to hoist herself up.

  Liz didn’t say anything. It wasn’t her job to stop her if the security guards weren’t watching as they were supposed to.

  She saw the woman head straight for Rick. “I’ve got to have your autograph,” she cried. “You don’t know how much I love you, Rick. I’m your number-one fan.”

  “Fine, fine,” Rick said crisply, “but you aren’t supposed to be in here.”

  “I don’t care. I had to see you.”

  Liz looked her up and down. She was wearing shorts cut off high enough to reveal most of her rear. Her nipples were obvious in her clinging tank top, her breasts threatening to pop right out any second.

  She had a picture for him to sign. “I took this of you with my own little camera,” she cooed. “And I want you to sign it to ‘Dearest Marcie, my sexiest fan.’”

  “All right,” Rick said with a long, drawn-out sigh. “But then you’ve got to get out of here.” He scrawled his name and the inscription she asked for.

  “Not till after you show me the inside of your RV.”

  “Sorry,” he said pleasantly. “No can do.”

  He went inside and closed the door. The girl sighed and turned away, but, instead of returning to her car, she began walking toward the entrance to pit road. Liz figured she was going to sneak in that way, but it wasn’t her business so she didn’t say anything.

  Then she saw the dog. He was inside the girl’s car, the windows rolled up, panting and clawing at the window.

  “Excuse me,” Liz called, running after the girl. “Wait a minute.”

  She whirled about, visibly annoyed, no doubt thinking someone was going to stop her. “Yeah, what is it?”

  “You need to do something about your dog quick. He’s dying in that car.”

  “He’s fine. I left a window cracked.”

  “That’s not enough,” Liz argued. “On a day like today, when it’s boiling hot, the temperature inside a car can climb to as high as a hundred and two degrees in just ten minutes and a hundred and twenty in thirty. Maybe even higher. A dog can’t take that heat long. If he doesn’t die, he can suffer irreparable brain damage.”

  The girl put her hands on her hips. “So you’re a vet? You know all about dogs, right? Let me tell you something.” She got right in Liz’s face to warn her. “You can keep your nose out of my business if you know what’s good for you. That’s my dog, and I know how to take care of him.”

  Liz was right back at her. “Obviously, you don’t. And, no, I’m not a vet, but I have worked with the Humane Society, and I know what I’m talking about. Now if you don’t go back to that car immediately and get the air conditioner started, I’m going to—”

  “What?” The girl doubled up a fist. “You’re going to do what?”

  “Call the cops,” Liz said, taking her cell phone from her pocket and furiously waving it at her. If there was one thing she could not abide it was animal cruelty. “There happens to be a law in the state of Florida against leaving a dog locked in a car like that. You can go to jail.”

  The girl took a few steps backward. “I didn’t know that.”

  “People like you shouldn’t even have a dog. Now go do something about the poor thing right now. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Take that dog home and leave him and then come back to the track.”

  “Yeah, okay.” She turned toward her car, mumbling to herself.

  Liz continued on her way.

  Rick turned from the window and slumped into a chair.

  It was Savannah happening all over again with two women about to get in a catfight.

  Liz had chewed the girl out for flirting and even waved her hand as if she was about to hit her. Sure, the girl had gotten right in her face, but he never dreamed Liz would be the type to threaten to hit anybody.

  He was sure he had made the right decision to back off, regardles
s of how much he loved her.

  Because she could not cope with the pressures of his career.

  And he was not about to give it up.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The weeks became a blur of different cities, different states, as the NASCAR schedule moved through the blistering hot summer.

  There were times when Liz had to stop and think where she was. A week after Daytona she had flown to New Hampshire, and from there to Pennsylvania, Indiana, New York, and on to Michigan. She was glad to finally be returning south, to Richmond, Virginia, for the September race there.

  The weather was hot and humid, but she tried to stay busy to keep her mind off Rick, which was not easy.

  In the nearly two months since everything between them had come to a screeching halt—thanks to her big mouth that day on the plane—it was as though they had never been intimate. Rick was polite and friendly, and that was it. He avoided one-on-one situations but did so in a way she could not take offense to. And the times when they were alone together, Liz’s pride kept her completely professional. When it came to broaching anything even slightly personal between them, she refused to go there.

  Likewise, Rick was all business.

  But she dared steal glances at him when he wasn’t looking, always feeling a glow to recall the thrill of being in his arms.

  And the times she caught him watching her made it worse as she dared think he might be experiencing the same emotions.

  She blamed herself for losing him. After all, she had broken the rules by making him fear she might be taking things way too seriously.

  Time and again, Liz tried to think of what she could do, or say, to bring it all out in the open so she could try to explain. But what could she say? She had been told she had a knack for spinning—for twisting negative into positive to an advantage. In this instance, however, it would take an out-and-out lie, and she did not know how to go about resolving anything, anyway. It wasn’t as though she could blurt out and say, By the way, when we were on the plane I might have let it slip that I’ve fallen in love with you, but that’s not so. What I was trying to say was— And that’s when she always drew a blank and couldn’t figure where to go from that point. It would probably be just yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, and she’d wind up making things worse.