Love in Hiding

by Diane Holiday

  Bruce’s gaze followed Sarah until she disappeared down the steps. He stabbed a hand through his hair. Goddamn it. He’d hurt her again. The pain in her eyes when he’d pushed her away sliced through him.

  They’d even been having fun playing darts. Something he’d never done with Emily. He rubbed his temple. Sarah was nothing like Emily. He’d hiked with Sarah, but even that had been different. When he’d met Emily, he’d come home from his stint overseas wounded, scarred, and burned out. Her tough get-back-up-on-the-horse attitude was exactly what he’d needed. She’d seen him through a bumpy time and helped him heal. He’d always love her for that.

  But things were different now. He didn’t need his protective armor anymore to get through a day. Sarah had a softness about her that called to him. Brave, caring, graceful, and beautiful. She had it all. And having feelings for Sarah didn’t take anything away from Emily. She’d always be a part of him. But that part was in the past now.

  He flattened his hand on the table and glanced at his fingers. The tan line from his wedding band had long ago faded, but he still had the ring in a drawer. That was what he needed to do with his memories. Keep them tucked away, but make some new ones. With Sarah.

  All week he’d been tortured working around her. It had taken every ounce of his energy to keep up the cold front. With one touch, she melted him faster than ice in a shot of Jack Daniel’s. He couldn’t protect himself from loss anymore. She’d stolen his heart. If he wanted it back, he’d have to share it with her. If it wasn’t too late.

  After being rejected twice, she’d have every right to tell him to shove it. His pulse quickened.

  He pushed away from the table, took a deep breath, and strode to the stairs. No turning back this time. All or nothing.

  When he reached the first level, he surveyed the room. She wasn’t at the bar. Maybe she’d found Maddie and Scott. His gaze stopped on Sarah, out on the dance floor, in the arms of a man. The guy rubbed up and down her sides as she smiled up at him. He pulled her closer, and she rested her head against his chest.

  Bruce fisted his hands, and hot blood raged through his body as something snapped inside. Spots appeared before his eyes. Another man holding and stroking Sarah. Like hell. Breath ready to burst from his lungs, he pushed through the crowd until he reached them.

  He tapped the guy’s shoulder hard. “Take your hands off her. She’s with me.”

  The man stood eye-to-eye with Bruce. He tightened his arm around Sarah. “You know this guy?”

  She blinked and looked at Bruce but kept leaning against the man, as if for support. “Yes. And what I do is none of his business.”

  The guy shrugged and kept Sarah in his embrace. “You heard the lady. She’s with me. Take a hike.”

  Sarah snorted. “That’s how this all started.”

  “Time’s up.” Bruce gripped the man’s arm and brought his face close. He narrowed his eyes and squeezed hard on a pressure point. In a lethal go-ahead-and-make-my-day tone, he said, “Let go of her right now.”

  The guy winced, and his eyes widened. “What the fuck?” He drew his arm away from Sarah and backed off. “I don’t need this.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” Sarah poked Bruce’s chest. She teetered and waved her hand. “What was that about?”

  She was drunk all right. And spitting mad. With a right to be. He’d lost his mind at the sight of her with another man. He reached for her arm. “Come on, let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”

  “No. I came here to dance, and I intend to.” She jerked away and gazed around the bar. “Now where did Anthony go?”

  He had to get her outside. “You’ve had too much to drink. I’m trying to help.”

  “I didn’t ask for your help. I don’t need a big bully following me around scaring away my dates.” She glared up at him. “And what do you care anyway? You don’t want me, so why do you give a damn if anyone else does?”

  Shit. She couldn’t possibly think he didn’t want her, but she was too drunk to reason with. “Look, let’s discuss this later. You need some air.”

  “No. I don’t. I need to dance. I’m not leaving, so go away.” She wobbled.

  Damn it. Stubborn woman. “Fine. Then I’ll dance with you.”

  He pulled her into his arms, but she stiffened.

  “You don’t want to. I’ll find someone else.” She tried to worm out of his grasp, but he held her tighter and waited until she looked into his eyes.

  “I do want to dance with you.” He rubbed her back and guided her into his embrace, moving with the music.

  She shivered and melted into his arms. “I hate you right now.”

  “You should.” He sighed. At least she’d stopped fighting him.

  “I don’t feel so great,” she said in small voice.

  “I know. Let’s go.” He steered her through the crowd to the front door and out.

  She sucked in a breath of air and leaned against him. “Hey. Guess what?”

  “What?” He guided her toward his truck. The best thing for her would be to get her home to sleep it off.

  “I don’t want to kiss you.” She hiccupped. “I feel like shit, but at least I don’t want to kiss you.”

  “Okay.”

  She stopped walking and attempted to cross her arms, but with only one free, it ended up slung across her waist. “No. You don’t get it. I always want to kiss you. All the time.” She shook her head and pouted. “But you don’t want to kiss me. And I have to work. I don’t think I could kiss you all day at work.”

  Holy shit. She was really ripped.

  Before he could say anything, she added, “But I still want to.”

  “Let’s keep moving.” He tried to drag her along, but she stood firm.

  “And ya know what else?” She faltered, and he tightened his grip on her waist. “I don’t wanna kiss just anyone. Nope. Only you.” She poked a finger again at his chest. “I didn’t even wanna kiss Anthony, and he was pretty hot and a good dancer.” She squinted. “I thought I wanted to kiss Mark, but that’s cuz I’d never kissed you. And he didn’t ever wanna kiss me either. Unless we had sex, and that wasn’t even very good.” She frowned. “But he was a jerk. Do you know how long we dated?”

  “It’s none of my—”

  “Two years. Then the stalker came and poof.” She snapped her fingers, or at least tried. “Done with me. Too hard. I wasn’t worth it.”

  Bruce shook his head. Asshole. She deserved better. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

  “I tried to kiss you tonight, you know.”

  A hammer drove a spike in his heart. He’d hurt her.

  “But you didn’t want me to. So I give up.” She waved her one free hand in the air. “I have to leave. It’s too hard to be around you.”

  Sarah leaned against the side of his truck. He pulled her from it to face him. “You promised you wouldn’t run.”

  She sighed. “You don’t want me cuz I can’t be normal, and you think I’m paranoid. So I’m outta here.”

  “No. Damn it, Sarah.” He had to make her realize none of that was true.

  She pressed her stomach and took a couple of steps to the woods at the edge of the parking lot. “I’m gonna throw up.”

  Bruce held the hair from her wig back as she vomited. At least some of the liquor would be out of her. She dry-heaved and shook.

  “Let me help you to the truck.” He slung an arm around her and hoisted her into the passenger seat. From behind the bench, he grabbed a tissue and a bottle of water. “Here, you can rinse your mouth out.”

  She did, spitting the water out on the ground. He shut the door, went around to the driver’s side, and climbed in. She looked over at him, her eyelids heavy.

  “You held my hair back.” A sad smile formed on her face. “No guy does that. Yup. I gotta leave.”

  “No, Sarah.” His gut bottomed out. He put a hand on her cheek. “You’re dead wrong about everything. I want you more than anything in my life.”


  The truth hit him hard. He stroked her face, and her eyes started to close again. This conversation would have to wait until morning.

  He tugged out his phone and dialed Scott’s number. On the fourth ring, Scott answered. The bar noise all but drowned out his voice.

  “Scott, can you hear me?” Bruce asked.

  “Hold on,” Scott said.

  He must have stepped outside because the background noise faded.

  “Where are you? Maddie and I have been looking for you guys.”

  Bruce glanced at Sarah, now asleep. “Sarah’s not feeling too well. I want to take her home. Can you make sure Maddie gets back to the farm safely?”

  “No problem. We were ready to leave anyway. I’ll follow her. It’s on my way home. See you there.”

  “Thanks, bro.”

  Bruce fastened Sarah’s seat belt. Gorgeous even in that ridiculous curly wig. She thought he didn’t want her. Might have left without telling him. He’d fucked up so badly. Tomorrow they’d have a talk, and God willing, she’d give him another chance.

  Chapter 28

  Bruce pulled up to the farmhouse. Sarah was asleep with her head against the window of the passenger door. He grabbed her purse and shook it. A smart man never reached into one of those booby traps. Guaranteed to pull out a tampon. A jingle came from the front pocket, and he fished out the keys. He unlocked the house and came back to the passenger side of the truck. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty, time to get to bed.”

  Sarah opened her eyes and blinked. “Where are we?”

  “Back at the suite. Let me help you.”

  She put her hands on his shoulders and slid down. “Mmm, you’re warm.”

  “Let’s get you inside.” He tried to lead her, but she clung to him and didn’t move her feet. “Never mind. We’ll do it this way.” He picked her up, and she buried her head in his chest.

  “You smell so good. I might want to kiss you again. But you—”

  “Maybe tomorrow, if you still want to.” They were not going through the whole kissing conversation again. He smiled despite the situation.

  When he unlocked the door, the dog ran over and whined.

  “Hey, guy. Gimme some room here.”

  Bruce carried Sarah into the bedroom. The scent of cologne hung in the air. Probably Maddie’s, although not very feminine.

  Fluffy ran up to him and whined again, blocking his way to the bathroom.

  “What’s wrong with you?” He glanced around but didn’t see any messes on the floor. Maybe the dog had been lonely or was jealous because Bruce was holding Sarah and not petting him like usual.

  He took Sarah into the bathroom and set her on her feet, keeping an arm around her for support. “Do you want to clean up or just go to bed?”

  She squinted under the lights. “There’s two of me.”

  Someone was going to hurt in the morning.

  She gave the wig a hard tug and it came off, scattering a bunch of pins. Her hand shook as she reached for the mouthwash on the counter.

  “Here.” He poured a bit into the lid and handed it to her. She managed to get some in her mouth, swished it around, and then spit into the sink.

  “Okay. Night, night.” She stumbled to the bed and flopped down on top of the covers.

  Good enough. He opened the window to let air into the stuffy room and then went upstairs to make sure she’d locked the door to the main house. When he came back to the bedroom, he gazed at her, now curled into the fetal position. His shoulders dropped. He’d hurt her so many times. Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed her cheek.

  She murmured something and shifted.

  He closed the window and twisted the lock.

  An engine hummed and gravel crunched up the drive. Scott and Maddie must be returning. Bruce went outside and held a hand up to shield his eyes from the headlights.

  Maddie jumped from the truck and sprinted to him. “What’s going on? Is Sarah all right?”

  “Yes, but she had too much to drink.”

  Scott got out of his car and came to stand beside Maddie. “You guys need help with anything?”

  “No. Everything’s under control now, thanks,” Bruce said.

  “This is all my fault. I made her go out. She doesn’t drink much. I just wanted her to have some fun. Damn it.” Maddie stamped her heel in the dirt. “I knew if she was with you, it would be fine. I mean, she’s obviously…”

  Bruce raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “Never mind.” She gazed at him with fierce eyes. “Sarah wasn’t drunk when I left her. What happened?”

  The woman had missed her calling as an interrogator. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “She went downstairs, and when I caught up to her, that’s how she was.”

  “What do you mean when you caught up to her? Why did she leave you?”

  Shit. He’d had enough for one night. “Look, it’s late. She’s safe, and that’s all that matters. Tell Sarah I’ll be over tomorrow morning.”

  Maddie placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.” She gave him a soft squeeze. “Thanks for taking care of her. I’m mad at myself, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I got so scared when we couldn’t find her. I thought the stalker—”

  “It’s okay. I promise no one will get to her here. Make sure you lock up.”

  “I will.” Maddie waved to Scott. “Thanks for following me back.”

  He gave her a warm smile and nodded. “Anytime.”

  She hurried into the house.

  “Stalker?” Scott raised an eyebrow.

  Bruce frowned. “It’s a long story. I’ll explain tomorrow. I’m sorry. I owe you for tonight.”

  Scott shook his head. “Like hell, I owe you. Maddie gave me her number. She’s something.”

  Sarah opened one eye as sunlight poured through the crack in the curtains. She half raised, then put a hand to her head and sank back down. Throbbing pain. Not good. The night came back in bits. Cosmos. Dancing with a strange man. Throwing up.

  Ugh. No.

  She covered her face with her hands. Bruce had been with her. He must be so disgusted. Nothing worse than being around a puking drunk.

  As if things weren’t bad enough before, now he would avoid her like roadkill. She tried to sit up, slower this time. Better. His scent clung to the blouse she still wore. Well, they had danced together at least for a little while.

  She shuffled to the bathroom, splashed water on her face, and brushed her teeth. Hairpins littered the floor and counter around the wig next to the sink. She shook her head. Not a clue what had happened. She plodded to the kitchen to find Maddie brewing coffee and toasting a bagel.

  “I heard you get up. Thought you might like something in your stomach.”

  Sarah smiled. “Thanks. I need carbs.”

  Maddie took a step closer and brushed a strand of Sarah’s hair back. “I’m sorry. I take the blame for this.”

  “Not your fault. You didn’t force the cosmos down my throat.”

  “But I should have stayed with you. I thought you and Bruce would, you know, be better off if I left you alone.”

  “You don’t get it, Maddie. We’re done. I tried to kiss him, and he shoved me away. Can’t get much clearer than that.”

  Maddie poured two cups of coffee and handed Sarah a mug. “You’re wrong about him.”

  “How so?” Sarah pulled the bagel out of the toaster.

  “He’s crazy over you. He drove you home, tucked you in bed. No guy does that if he’s not interested.”

  Sarah wrinkled her nose and glanced up. Another piece of the night slipped into her memory of him holding her up in the bathroom. “You don’t know Bruce. He thinks he’s responsible for everyone.”

  Maddie shook her head but didn’t argue further. “How do you feel?”

  “Like shit.” Sarah took a sip of coffee and picked up a glass from the drying mat. “I should drink some water.” She filled the cup. “Thanks for cleaning up. I meant to wash these before we left.”
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  “Huh?” Maddie cocked her head.

  “The dishes. Thanks for cleaning them.”

  “I didn’t.”

  Sarah choked on her water. “What do you mean? If you didn’t, who did?”

  “Dunno. Maybe you did before we left. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I don’t remember doing that.” Sarah’s stomach balled.

  Maddie rubbed Sarah’s arm. “Sweetie, I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t remember about last night.”

  “Yeah. I guess.” Sarah glanced at the empty cup on the drying towel, and took a deep breath. Maybe Bruce had cleaned up.

  Maddie said, “Want to go get a warm shower? You might feel better.”

  “Okay.” Sarah took a step toward the bathroom, breakfast in hand.

  “Wouldn’t hurt to put on a touch of makeup so you don’t look like death when Bruce shows up.”

  Sarah spun around. “What?”

  “He said to tell you he’d be by this morning.” Maddie stuffed a piece of bagel in her mouth.

  “Why?” Nerves fluttered in Sarah’s stomach.

  Maddie pointed to her full cheeks and shrugged.

  Sarah shook her head and made her way to the shower. Damn Maddie. She knew more than she was telling.

  At the sound of Bruce’s truck, Sarah’s heart jumped. Apparently, that organ hadn’t gotten the memo last night. She rinsed with mouthwash and swiped on some lipstick.

  When she trudged back to the family room, Maddie sat in front of her laptop.

  “Give him a chance,” she said.

  “What?”

  Maddie smiled her annoying know-it-all smile. “He’s hot. He cares about you. Don’t miss out.” She stood. “Think I’ll take a walk. Come on, Fluffy.”

  The dog leaped up and chased his tail.

  Maddie laughed. “Leave a towel on the doorknob if—”

  “That’s not funny.” Sarah scowled and crossed her arms. Bruce sure as hell wasn’t coming for any action after last night. But at the same time, he was the one who’d insisted they play darts, and she hadn’t asked him to bring her home. She’d tried to get away from him, so it really wasn’t her fault.