Brides on the Run (Books 1-4): Small-Town Romance Series

by Jami Albright

  “Thank you. You look nice too.”

  A soft smile, that was kind of adorable, spread across his not-too-handsome features. “Thank you.”

  She liked his face and had grown to care for him. Was she in love? No. But then again, neither was Roger. In that logical and unemotional way of his, he’d explained that he was fonder of her than he had been of any other woman he’d ever known, and it just made sense for them to get married.

  It was as good a reason as any.

  Roger wasn’t originally from Zachsville, and he didn’t care about old grievances. Lottie liked him, he liked Lottie, and more than anything, Hailey trusted him with her kid. And since her ex-husband Derek was the worst father in the world, she knew Lottie needed a good male role model in her life. Also, Hailey wanted a partner.

  Roger was precisely the kind of man she needed after the tumultuous, drama-filled reality of her first marriage. A kind, dependable, not too dull, not too exciting, perfectly ordinary man who didn’t meddle in her affairs.

  The last was the most important. Her dying mother had made her promise to keep Boon’s open and bring it back to its former glory. It was a promise made in love and heartbreak, and Hailey intended to keep it. Anyone who wasn’t on board with that plan could move along. Thus, the rift between her and her dad. He wanted to sell the place that held all her memories of her mother.

  Disloyal didn’t even begin to describe him…on so many levels.

  Carol smiled and gave Hailey a quick hug. “You look lovely, Hailey.”

  “Thank you, Carol.”

  It seemed wrong to have this woman in the place that had meant so much to her mother, even though Hailey didn’t blame Carol for her father’s disloyalty—her mother had died before the two of them began seeing each other.

  The stab of loss at the thought of her late mom nearly took her legs out from under her. She missed the only person who’d supported her when everyone, including her dad, had turned their back on her.

  She’d learned pretty quickly that an unplanned teenage pregnancy was where her father’s unconditional love ended and his contempt began. Their relationship never recovered, and had only continued to devolve over the years, until their father–daughter bond hung by a single frayed thread.

  “I can’t believe you planned a wedding in a bar.” The disappointed tone her father used was all too familiar.

  She ignored him and glanced around for Beau Callen. Zachsville’s newest celebrity was on stage, packing up his guitar. He and his band had been renting Boon’s in the afternoons to rehearse the sets for his upcoming tour.

  “Lottie, go find Charlie and ask her to fix your bobby pins.” She slipped her hand into her pocket and retrieved Lottie’s asthma inhaler. “And give this to her, just in case you need it tonight.”

  “Yes!” Lottie punched the air, grabbed the inhaler, then took off toward the beer garden.

  Carol chuckled. “What was that about?”

  “She’s spending the night with, Hank, Charlie, and Phoebe tonight, and as you can see, she’s fired up.”

  “Has her asthma been bothering her?”

  Damn it, why did Carol have to be so nice? “No, but after her last big attack, we don’t go anywhere without it.” She turned to Roger and softened her voice. “Excuse me a minute. I need to take care of something.”

  “Sure.”

  Wishing she had on her sunglasses, she approached the man who shined brighter than July fireworks in a dark Texas sky.

  Beau’s golden hair stuck out from under the baseball cap that he wore backward. His square jaw set off a face so heartbreakingly stunning that he had most of the women and some of the men in Blister County fighting for the pleasure of letting him do all kinds of dirty things to them. That, along with his you know you want me smirk, had prompted the media to dub him The Heartbreaker after the success of his first single.

  It was good then that she was no longer affected by men who sparkled and shined so bright that they caused a woman to lose all of her good sense.

  Because she wasn’t. She absolutely wasn’t.

  She’d taken that ride before and had the kid, ruined reputation, and scars on her heart to prove it.

  The fact was, under different circumstances, and at a different, more stupid time in her life, Beau would’ve rung all her bells. But she’d sworn off men like her ex-husband and the country music singer putting away his guitar.

  Beau grabbed his heart and stumbled back a few steps when he saw her. “Good Lord, Hailey Odom. You’re beautiful enough to give a man a heart attack.”

  Ding.

  See? Who needed that kind of flattery? Not her. That was why she ignored the bloom of pleasure that unfurled in her chest.

  Ding. Ding.

  He didn’t mean it. This was what their friendship consisted of—him teasing her, and her giving him shit for being such a ladies’ man. Besides, she’d seen him speak to many, many women just like that in the few short months he’d been in town. “Uh-huh, save it for your groupies.”

  He pulled his t-shirt away from his body and looked at his chest.

  She crossed her arms and popped a hip. “What are you doing?”

  “You wound me, Ms. Odom. I’m checking to make sure I’m not bleeding.”

  Her lips clamped together in an effort not to smile. The last thing he needed was encouragement. “Mmm-hmm, I can tell you’re really broken up about it.” She tossed a set of keys to him. “Here you go, so you can get into my house.”

  He caught them in one hand. “Thanks. We’re about to head out to play two shows in Houston. I’ll move in when I get back in a couple of days. Thanks for letting me rent the furniture too.”

  She shrugged. “I’m glad you are. Roger and I have been so busy that most of our stuff is still at the house, so not having to move any furniture except for Lottie’s princess bed is a blessing. We’ll have everything out by the time you return.”

  “No problem.” He took off his ball cap and scratched the back of his head. “So, no honeymoon?”

  Her fingers went to her mother’s wedding ring that she wore on a chain around her neck. “Not right now. Roger’s in the middle of a big project that’s going to take him out of town, and I have the bar, so…”

  “I get it.” He replaced his cap and picked up his guitar case. “I really do appreciate you leasing me the house, Hailey. I had no idea I’d have so much trouble finding a place that would take Walter and me. You were my last resort.”

  “You’ve promised me Walter is house-trained. You better be right.”

  He made his way down the steps at the side of the stage. “That dog’s cleaner than most people. He won’t ruin the floors, and if he did, you have my security deposit.”

  “That money’s going toward eradicating any communicable diseases you might spread around my house.” She made a cross with her fingers and held it out toward him. “Safety first.”

  His big and boisterous laugh filled the room. “You are something else, Hailey Odom.” Two steps, and he was in her personal space. He bent and placed his mouth at her ear. “Dump Roger and run away with me.”

  Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

  It would’ve been better if there hadn’t been a vein of nervousness in her laughter. And she could definitely do without the tingly fizz like champagne bubbles exploding low in her belly.

  She took an unsteady step away from him. “No way. I don’t want to have to fight you for the mirror in the mornings, pretty boy.” Damn her vocal cords that refused to get on the he doesn’t affect me train.

  “I do like to look at myself.” He chuckled.

  She snorted a laugh. “Oh, I know.” Thank God, he’d turned down the mojo so that she could think. “Congratulations by the way. I hear that song of yours every time I turn on the radio.”

  The smirk was gone and a full-on, wide-mouth smile that transformed his face from handsome to blindingly gorgeous stretched across his lips. He was indeed The Heartbreaker. A lesser woman would�
��ve crumbled into a sloppy, gooey pile of lust.

  Not her.

  No siree, Bob.

  Not. At. All.

  His free hand went into the front pocket of his jeans. “Thanks. It’s unbelievable how well it’s doing.”

  “No, it isn’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s a great song, and as much as it pains me to say it, you’re an amazing singer.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “That was pretty sour, huh? Do you need to rinse your mouth?”

  “Ha-ha. Just say thank you.”

  He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you. And in all seriousness, you do look beautiful, Hailey. I wish you and Roger lots of happiness.”

  The sincerity in his green eyes threw her. In the short time she’d known him, she’d never seen him be anything but a bullshitter. “Thank you.” The whisper of sound hung between them.

  The moments that followed were charged with something other than flirtation and mere attraction. It was thick and rich and had the ability to swallow her whole.

  His brows sliced down over his confused eyes like he wasn’t exactly sure how he’d ended up in this moment with her. The rise and fall of his chest matched hers.

  This was wrong, so very wrong.

  They needed a way out.

  She didn’t think she could turn away on her own.

  “Beau, you comin’?” Rick, his bass player, asked. They both sucked in a huge breath and whatever voodoo they’d been caught in vanished.

  Dawn, Rick’s girlfriend and their backup singer, flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, I want to have time to get beautiful.”

  Beau winked. “You don’t need time for that, darlin’. You’re already pretty as a picture now. Rick’s a lucky man.”

  The prettiest pink flush colored Dawn’s face. She giggled and practically skipped out the back door.

  With a few words and a wink he’d reduced a grown woman to a tittering school girl. Thank God for perfectly ordinary Roger.

  Beau jingled the house keys. “Welp, I better get a move on. I’ve got places to be and orgies to plan.”

  “You’re so weird.”

  He snorted. “I’m not the one getting married in a bar.”

  Her finger went into the air. “I’m getting married in the beer garden. There’s a difference.”

  “Oh, sorry, you’re getting married in a beer garden. That’s so much better.” He adjusted his ball cap. “Why?”

  “This was my mother’s place before breast cancer took her. It’s where she spent most of her time, and where I feel the closest to her.” She gestured to the entrance on the other side of the pool tables. “She always wanted a beer garden, so I built her one. Since she can’t come to the wedding, I thought I’d bring the wedding to her.” Would he think she was as stupid as her father did?

  The smirk slid from his face and he nodded. “I get it. And I’m sure she’d love what you’ve built. It’s a nice way to honor her.”

  “Thank you.” She brushed a stray curl from her forehead. “Then there’s the nonprofit that benefits breast cancer survivors I’m going to start with some of my inheritance.” The rightness of it all lifted her chin and straightened her spine.

  “Wow.” His brow creased, and he cocked his head to the side. “Did I know about this?”

  She shook her head. “Probably not. I just decided to do it a few weeks ago.”

  He gave her another of those genuine smiles that she felt to her toes. “That’s amazing, Hailey. Good luck with that, and let me know if you need a band to play a benefit concert.” He shrugged. “I know a guy.”

  A snort of laughter shot up her throat. “Oh, I plan to.”

  There was another awkward moment where they just stood and stared at each other. What the hell? Finally, she took a step out of the gravitational pull of his brilliant smile. “Well, I better go find my groom and get this show on the road. If the key sticks in the lock, jiggle it, and it’ll work.”

  “Got it. Thanks.” The guitar case swung in his hand. “There’s Jack and Luanne. I’m going to say hello, then get out of your way. See ya.”

  “See ya.” She didn’t watch him walk away.

  Men like him were her past.

  Roger was her future.

  Beau scrubbed his hand over his face. What the hell had just happened between him and Hailey? The woman was incredible, smart, strong and didn’t take one ounce of his bullshit. He liked her more than he should, considering she was about to get married.

  The seed of jealousy stuck underneath his sternum like a deer tick on a hound dog had to be ignored. A woman like her and that kind of relationship weren’t for him.

  His career was the most important thing right now, and that was all that mattered.

  He made his way to his managers, Jack Avery and his wife Luanne. Together with Gavin Bain, they owned Honey Child Records, the record label he was signed to. “Luanne, darlin’, you do take my breath away.” He bent and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Please, I’m as big as a house.” She rubbed her rounded belly. “I have your cousin to thank for that.” The loving gaze she gave Jack took all the bite out of the statement. “I’m glad we caught you before you left.” Her smile nearly took up her whole face.

  He glanced to Jack then back to Luanne. “What’s up?”

  Jack pulled a printout from his jacket pocket, his smile almost as big as Luanne’s. “This is up.”

  Beau reviewed the page, and with every bit of information that hit his brain, his heart rate jacked higher and higher. “You’re kiddin’ me!”

  Luanne laughed and wrapped him in a hug. “Nope. A Long Time Without You just hit number one!”

  The words rolled around his head, and he grabbed them, held them, until they made sense. His first single was the number one song in the country. He wished his grandfather was here to see this.

  Luanne released him, and Jack took his hand, then wrapped him in a bro hug. “Congratulations, man.”

  Beau slapped him on the back. “Thanks. Thank you so much.” He stepped out of the embrace and reread the paper.

  “This is a good thing, Beau,” Luanne said. “With this momentum, we can make things happen. Co-writing opportunities, opening gigs for some of the big names in country music…”

  Jack slung his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, I imagine by the time you get back from Houston we’ll already have some offers.”

  “Ya think?” His emotions sizzled like a bullet in a bonfire. This. This was all that he cared about, and all he’d ever wanted.

  “Absolutely,” Luanne said. “You’re the flavor of the hour. We’re going to capitalize on that and strike while the iron’s hot.”

  Jack kissed his wife’s head. “That’s right. We’re going to drop the next single in a couple of weeks.”

  Beau gave a whoop and picked Luanne up and swung her around.

  “Put her down,” Jack reprimanded. “She’s pregnant.”

  Beau smirked. “I know.” She looked more pregnant than she had even this morning. He guessed that was normal for someone carrying twins, especially someone as small as Luanne.

  “I’m fine, Jack,” she said. “I’m pregnant, not sick. Besides, you’re the one who knocked me up with your super sperm.”

  An arrogant grin slipped over his cousin’s face. “I did, didn’t I.” Jack kissed Luanne’s temple. “I’m going to walk The Heartbreaker to the bus. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay. Break a leg tonight, Beau,” she said.

  He and Jack watched her walk away. “You’re a lucky man, Jack. You know that, right?”

  “Yes, I do.” Jack slapped him on the back. “Let’s get you on the bus.” He slipped on his sunglasses and they headed outside.

  Beau turned his ball cap around to shield his eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun off the sleek Entertainer Coach bus parked in Boon’s parking lot. “Be sure to tell Gavin thanks again for letting us use his tour bus.”

  “I w
ill. Listen, I’m sorry I can’t go with you, but despite what Luanne says, she’s still pretty sick. I feel I should be here. You understand, right?”

  “Yeah, man. We’ve got Al. He’ll make sure everything runs smoothly. Besides, it’s two nights.” Beau leaned his shoulder against the side of the bus. “We’ll be fine.”

  Jack nodded. “Good. Al’s a good road manager, but he doesn’t know everything, so if you run into trouble give me a call.”

  “You got it—”

  “Beau,” Dawn sang from the door of the bus. “You comin’?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”

  Her bottom lip poked out in a pout. “Well hurry up, slowpoke.”

  He handed her his guitar case. “Can you take this?”

  “Sure. Let me know if you need anything else.” She winked and disappeared into the coach.

  “You need to be careful with that one,” Jack warned. “She could be trouble.”

  Beau shrugged. “I can handle it. She’s mostly harmless, and Rick keeps her on a pretty tight leash.”

  “You can handle it, huh?”

  Beau laughed. “Trust me, man. I got this.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.” And he did. This was all too important to let anything screw it up for him.

  Jack stuck out his hand. “Alright. Kill it tonight.”

  “That’s the plan, Jack. That is the plan.”

  Chapter 2

  Where was Lottie? Hailey glanced around and found her sitting in her Uncle Hank’s lap, playing with his and Charlie’s new baby.

  She darted a glance toward her dad and Roger. They were alone and seemed to be in an intense conversation. Interesting. Her fiancé rarely had intense discussions with anyone, unless it was about his favorite video game or some new code he was writing, neither of which interested her father. She should save him.

  Her father’s irritated voice hit her ears before she made it to them. “I don’t know why she insists on hanging onto this place.”

  Oh, good Lord. Couldn’t he give it a rest for one day? She definitely needed to rescue Roger. He didn’t care about the bar. She didn’t get involved in Roger’s business, and he didn’t get into hers.