Silent Hearts (Hamilton Stables 3)

by Melissa West

  But first, they had to survive the festival.

  With a quick glance outside to check the weather, Nick went to work seasoning the fish and placing it in Ziploc bags to marinate, then put everything into the fridge. He took out a beer and decided that early or not, he needed a little liquid courage. They’d gone on the weekend getaway to the Keys and they had flaunted their relationship a bit at the market, but that wasn’t the same thing as holding hands in the middle of the Square and announcing to all of Triple Run that they were officially together. A couple. Exclusivity and all.

  Nick wanted to protect Becca from all the extra gossip that surrounded the Hamiltons, but the problem was it had already begun. The town had separated into two sides—first there were those who felt their relationship could be disastrous for the emotional state of the town. Becca was well loved at the diner and that was the best place to get a full breakfast. Where would the trustees meet if Becca and Nick broke up?

  Then there were those in town who found the whole thing romantic, the Cinderella story, the best-friends-to-lovers story, all of it right there. A Lifetime Movie played out right before them. They’d watched Nick and Becca grow up wrapped around each other, laughing and joking and getting into as much trouble as possible. And now they were kissing.

  It had a Kodak moment thing to it, and nobody liked postcard moments as much as the people of Triple Run.

  Nick glanced at the wall clock over his sofa, and a swirl of nervousness curled through his stomach. Wow, was he really nervous to see Becca? Becca who he’d been around several times a week since he was eight years old? Becca who’d seen him covered in chicken pox and still come over despite warnings from her parents to stay away?

  Somehow that Becca and the one he wanted in his arms, in his bed, weren’t the same in his mind.

  This Becca was all woman, beautiful and sexy and funny and kind. He couldn’t get enough of her. He never wanted this to end.

  Suddenly that realization sent another flurry of uneasiness through him, but he pushed it away. They weren’t making statements or promises of anything at all. They were having fun while getting to know each other in a new way.

  Still, he cared about her, and a large part of him wanted to be the man for her. He wanted to take care of her, he wanted to be the man she would seek when she was afraid, the one she would seek when she was excited—the person by her side for the rest of her life.

  Damn, when did that happen?

  Without realizing it, he was envisioning their future.

  He started down his hall, pausing at the third to last door and pressing his palm to the wood. A memory hit him of Britt decorating the space, a giant smile on her face, pages and pages of printouts around her because she could never quite get her stories the way she wanted them. She was the sort of person who was always a breath away from laughter, and Nick knew he was attracted to her as much because she brought out the good in him as anything else. Which maybe was shitty, but there it was. Still, he’d loved her. He would have married her. And they would have been happy.

  Even if a part of his heart had always and would always belong to someone else.

  Nick pushed away from Britt’s office and into his room, continuing on to his dresser, where he pulled open the top drawer and moved aside his socks, until he found the tiny thing he was looking for—a valentine.

  He could still remember when Becca gave it to him. They were ten, and he was petrified that he would be the only kid in class not to get a valentine. It ended up being a ridiculous fear because the teacher made every student send valentines to the entire class.

  Still, he and Becca were out on the old tire swing behind his house, and he’d asked if she thought she’d get one, and she said yes, that Mike Campbell had a crush on her. All he could do was nod, and that was when she glanced up, caught the look on his face, and said she thought he’d for sure get one, too.

  He’d found a heart valentine on his nightstand the next morning, unsure exactly how Becca had managed to get it into his room. It was a handmade, cutout heart with Nick’s name on it, nothing overly fancy, but he remembered being grateful for it. For her.

  Glancing at it now, Nick knew it couldn’t have meant anything at all to Becca. She likely didn’t remember giving it to him. But it had marked a change for Nick. That day, staring at the little heart, Becca’s name written on the back, he’d realized he was no longer worried about getting a valentine from anyone else. Her heart was enough.

  Now he was all too eager to get to her so he could pull her into his arms and thank her for something she’d never realized she’d done.

  Becca had always accepted him for the person he was, and now, years later, Nick realized how precious that was—and how unlikely it would be for him to meet someone else who made him as happy as Becca made him.

  And why should he try?

  Ten minutes later, he pulled into Becca’s house to pick her up for the festival. She immediately walked outside, wearing jeans and a light sweater and a smile that went straight to his heart.

  “Hey, you.”

  “Hey, you back.” Becca reached up to hug Nick, but he’d missed her too much to settle for a hug. Instead, his lips met hers, soft, enjoying the feel of them and the way her body fit perfectly against him. He felt like an idiot for not realizing it before.

  Becca pouted as he pulled away. “Are you sure you want to go? We could stay and do this instead.”

  Nick chuckled as he kissed her cheek. “Tempting. But I’m afraid they’ll just track us down if we don’t show.” He took her hand to lead her to his car. “Plus they’d notice, then talk, and there’s enough of that already.”

  The air was cooler, a light breeze floating around, the smell of freshly mown grass hitting their noses as they walked. It was peaceful, perfect.

  “I did something,” Becca said suddenly.

  “Oh?” Nick opened her car door, closed her inside, then went around to get into the driver’s seat. “What did you do?”

  “I applied to a college. All right, several colleges.”

  He turned to look at her then, shocked and excited. “Wow. Nursing?”

  “Yeah. Stupid, right? I mean, I’m so far past the typical college age. And I’m not sure if my brain can handle the coursework now. It’s probably harder, right? And faster-paced? With high expectations? Even if I get in, I’m going to stick out like crazy.”

  “You can’t worry about that. It’s your life, not theirs. Who cares what they think?”

  “Easy for you to say.” She fiddled with her seat belt and Nick reached across to steady her hands.

  “Something tells me college isn’t the only thing on your mind. What’s up?” Nick watched Becca for her reaction, worry creeping up. She never held back like this, at least not with him.

  “Bec, tell me.”

  “We’re heading to the festival, where they all think I’m not good enough for you, and maybe they’re right.”

  Nick pulled back. “Good enough? Wait—is that why you applied to colleges? Please tell me you’re not doing this to prove something to the town. Because trust me, you’re a thousand times better than me, and anyone who truly knows you knows that. I’m the lucky one here.”

  Her face lit up and she reached for his hand. “You’re adorable when you’re sweet.”

  “I try. But what’s with the sudden interest in college?”

  She stared out her window. “That one’s all me, though I’d be lying if I didn’t say the rest mattered to me, too. I want to measure up.”

  At that, Nick tugged her hand so she would face him again. “Are you kidding? To me, there’s no measuring up. You’ve long since surpassed any benchmark I could ever reach. I’m the one who isn’t good enough for you. I mean, look at me, I’d be a mess without you.”

  She smirked. “Well, that’s true.”

  “You can’t worry about what they think, Bec. They’ll be fine. Don’t you remember the gossip surrounding Trip and Emery? But they’ve accepted
them now.”

  “Emery won the Derby and they have kids together.”

  “She’s still from Crestler’s Key.”

  Becca nodded. “I know, but the town won’t be so forgiving of me. And it isn’t their fault they feel that way. They like me; it isn’t meant as an insult. It’s just that you’re royalty here—all the Hamiltons are— and I’m the help. It’s just a little unsettling now that we’re . . . whatever we are.”

  Nick leaned over the armrest and pressed his lips to hers, gently reassuring her. “We are everything . . . to me. And I don’t care about the expectation thing. My parents are long since gone, and even if they weren’t, you know they wouldn’t have a problem with us. They loved you. Honestly, your parents would be more likely to have a problem with me.”

  “That’s because you set fire to Mama’s roses.”

  “Hey, I was twelve and it was supposed to make them grow faster.”

  “Fire? You know how plant life works, right?”

  Nick laughed. “Yeah, I was an idiot. All the more reason that you’re the catch here, not me.” Then he pulled her into another kiss, this one deeper, a hint of her mint bursting across his tongue. “And I have no intention of letting you go.” When she finally offered him a genuine smile, he pulled out of her carport and set off toward town. “Now tell me more about the college thing.”

  “I applied to five and retook the SAT.”

  “In state?” Nick hoped his voice didn’t hold the worry he felt. What would happen to them if Becca went to school in California or something, leaving him here? He would never ask her not to go, never even admit that he’d thought about it. This was big for her, and she’d already given up her dreams once. He could never ask her to do that again, especially not for him.

  “Some are. Others aren’t.”

  He nodded once. “Right, wow. I didn’t even know you retook the SAT.”

  At that, Becca shook her head at the memory, cringing. “That was horrible. Completely horrible. Me in a room full of seventeen-year-olds. But I scored pretty well, I think. I had my scores and then my transcripts from Duke transferred, and I don’t know. I still might not have a chance, but I had to try.”

  They parked in one of the trustee spots by Triple Run Town Hall, and Nick peered over at her again, careful to keep the worry from his expression and voice. “I’m so proud of you, you know that? First diving, then this? What else are you going to surprise me with?”

  She winked playfully. “You’ll have to wait until tonight for that answer.”

  “And what if I can’t wait?” He’d leaned over to kiss her again when a knock on his window had him slowly pulling back and turning toward the offender.

  “Nick?” Mayor Phillips called. “We need you.” He waved to Becca. “Hello, Becca. Good to see you.”

  “You, too, Mayor,” Becca said as she opened her car door, and then they walked around to talk to the mayor.

  “What do you need, Mayor?”

  “It seems some of the farm’s visitors have stopped by the festival. We thought it would be nice if you, Alex, and Trip would do a photo op in front of the banner.”

  Nick’s gaze traveled over to the large festival banner, “brought to you by Hamilton Stables” below it, and Trip and Alex already there. He hadn’t spoken to them since he’d talked to William, partly because he still wasn’t sure what to do but also because he didn’t know if he should tell them. They were his brothers and they deserved to know the full story about the investor trying to buy Industries. He needed to tell them.

  “Um, all right, but I’ll need to talk to my brothers for a second first.” He reached for Becca’s hand, and she laced her fingers through his, only to have the mayor clear his throat. Maybe Becca was right and the town was being ridiculous about this thing. He wondered which side the mayor fell on and hoped that he would support Nick and Becca together, setting the tone for the rest of Triple Run.

  It was a perfect fall day, in the low sixties, not a sign of rain. The festival featured craft stations, face painting and balloon animals for the kids, and a raffle for a fifty-inch flat screen TV. They’d run the festival for ten years now, and for the last five the streets of Triple Run had been packed, overrun with people from in town and out, there to shop for handmade goods and enjoy the food. And with a full tour schedule set to visit Hamilton Stables that day, it made sense those people would visit the festival as well.

  “Hey, brother,” Alex said with a grin as they approached. “Sign anything lately?”

  Nick stared at his brother. “Actually, can we talk about that for a second? Privately?”

  Alex eyed Trip, who motioned toward Town Hall. “It’s open. We can talk in there.”

  “You okay?” Nick asked Becca.

  “For sure. Take your time. I’ll wait here.”

  He kissed her cheek, then followed after his brothers, his thoughts turned inward as he tried to think through what he would say without having them think this was all a ploy to change their minds.

  Then he remembered the biography. He hadn’t read it, but he knew Trip would have.

  Once they were inside, Nick turned toward them. “I met with William Compton two weeks ago and he told me something I think you should know.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us you were meeting with him?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were working with him in the first place?”

  Trip sighed. “Point taken. What did he say?”

  Swallowing hard, Nick plunged forward. “Do you remember that biography about Granddad?”

  “Sure.”

  “Biography?” Alex asked.

  “Was there mention of an affair?”

  Trip’s gaze leveled on him. “What’s this about, Nick?”

  “William said he was Dad’s half brother, that Dad knew, and that Dad asked him to buy the business if it were ever in trouble. Said they made an agreement, that Dad had agreed to buy his as well.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “As a heart attack. And while I think it sounds far-fetched, I believed him. He had nothing to gain by lying.”

  “Only a multimillion dollar company.”

  “Which he could have gotten without telling us anything.”

  Trip stared at the floor in deep thought before finally glancing back up. “I don’t think this changes anything. I’m not sure if I believe his story just yet, but I liked the man. I would feel comfortable trusting him with the business and our employees.”

  Nick ran a hand over his face. “If I’m honest, I liked him, too.”

  “So you’re agreeing to sign,” Alex said tentatively.

  “No.”

  Both brothers glanced up. “Why the hell not?” Trip asked. “You said yourself you liked William. And if he’s family, then that makes it an even better move.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe? This has gone too far. You’re forcing us into a corner, where we’ll have no choice but to make this decision with or without you.”

  “It’s my decision.”

  “No,” Trip said, starting for the door. “It’s our decision and we’re done waiting.”

  He disappeared outside, Alex on his heels like always, and once again, Nick felt like the outsider, watching his family while he was busy trying to find a place within it.

  “Nick, we need you for the picture,” Mayor Phillips said from the doorway.

  “Right.”

  “Y’all get together,” the photographer from the Tribune said as they stood in front of the banner, all three Hamilton brothers scowling. “We’ll take some photos and send them on to Racing World as well.”

  The brothers stood beside one another, Trip, Nick, then Alex, and Nick couldn’t help thinking that he was surrounded by pressure—on both sides. How Trip had convinced Alex to follow him so thoroughly was beyond Nick, but he wasn’t so easily swayed.

  “All right, can you act a little more ... friendly? And maybe smile?” Emery asked from nearby, a stroller and
two kids with her. Kate stood right beside her with a kid entourage of her own.

  “Fine,” the brothers all grumbled, and it saddened Nick to realize that five years ago they would have been joking around, laughing, looking like a family. How had they allowed their differences to get between them? Business to get between them?

  Though he didn’t agree with Trip on the rush to sell Industries, he was still his brother, and they needed to find a way to separate the two.

  Nick draped an arm around each of his brothers. “Remember that year Charlotte insisted festival was spelled festavil and had the banner reprinted and hung without anyone’s approval?”

  The brothers all laughed, and the photographer started snapping away.

  “Or that time Patty’s caught on fire?” Alex added, and they laughed still harder.

  Suddenly the ridiculousness between them seemed just that—ridiculous. Couldn’t they compromise? Couldn’t they find a way to agree on something here, or a middle ground? But the problem was there were only two options—sell or keep Industries. There was no halfway, no gray area, and they were on opposite sides of the debate.

  “Now let’s do the whole family.” Mayor Phillips motioned to the girls, Becca now standing with them. The mayor’s eyes fell on her and he frowned. “Sorry, Becca, I think it’d be best if it were just the Hamiltons. Emery, Kate, and the kids with the brothers.”

  Becca’s face fell for a second before she corrected herself, and Nick opened his mouth to say that Becca had been in their family longer than any of the others, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out. He stared at her, across from them, and fear rippled through him.

  “Becca, get in here,” Emery said.

  “Don’t you think it would be best if the Hamilton family portrait was only Hamiltons?” the mayor asked, and several of the trustees standing nearby agreed.

  Nick remained silent, a sick feeling working through him.

  Becca focused on him and he looked away. “Of course. I’m going to go look around. See y’all in a bit.” She turned around and disappeared into the crowd, and Nick felt like the biggest jerk imaginable. He was here with Becca; she was a longtime part of the Hamiltons. Her last name being different from the rest of them shouldn’t change a thing. So why couldn’t he bring himself to say any of those things?