Zora and Lacey are present, too; Lacey alternating between tears and making doe eyes at Troy when she thinks no one is looking. Zora’s lips haven’t stilled in hours, but I never hear her make a sound. I think she’s praying. The room is eerily silent, despite the number of people in it. All I can hear is the sound of my heart thundering away inside my chest.
When Mom called me with the news that the Saloon had gone up in flames, and Chloe had been found unconscious and seriously injured, I think my heart stopped beating. I froze up completely. Luke stepped in, leaping into action. He called our promoter and told her we had to cancel the last two tour dates due to a family emergency. She wasn’t pleased about it, but he told her we didn’t care. He then called Dell, who arranged a private jet to bring us home fast and told us to keep him updated on Chloe’s condition.
We’ve been sitting here waiting for Chloe to get out of surgery for what feels like forever. They said she has first degree burns on her hands and second degree burns on her feet. Multiple broken bones on the left side of her body. Those are the only details we have so far, though. No one knows exactly what transpired. She was found unconscious on the ground underneath the oak tree next to the Saloon.
I don’t know what happened, but I can’t imagine how scared she must have been there all by herself. I can’t think about it. But I can’t stop thinking about it either. She shouldn’t have been on her own. She should have been with me. That’s where she belongs. As soon as she wakes up, I’m never letting her go again. I don’t care about the issues we have, about her not trusting things. I can be patient, we’ll work it out. She just needs to make it through this.
Hours go by while we wait for news on Chloe’s condition. A few doctors come out and spit a lot of medical jargon at us that scares me more than anything else has so far. She survived the surgeries, though. Along with the burns to her hands and feet, she had to have her left leg surgically repaired, it was broken in three places. Her left wrist was also broken, she has a concussion and a gaping wound in her chest that led to a punctured lung. Apparently, she fell from a height and landed on something that impaled her. We were all horrified as we were informed of each new injury she had to endure.
We’re told that two of us can go in and see her when she regains consciousness. Odetta has stopped her pacing and now I’ve started. I can’t keep still, knowing Chloe’s out of surgery and lying in a bed somewhere all by herself. I want to see her, be able to hold her hand until she wakes up. I need to know she’s alive and I won’t feel like that’s true until I see her with my own eyes.
At some point Bran went out and grabbed coffee and sandwiches for everyone. We’re still waiting for word that she’s woken up when Sheriff Beale comes into the waiting room. He makes a beeline for Odetta, his face grim. “Any news on Chloe?” he asks her.
Odetta turns to him, her face lost. When she speaks, her voice doesn’t have any of her normal sass. “She’s out of surgery, we’re waiting for her to regain consciousness now, so we can see her.”
Mom speaks up from her seat, where she’s acting as a pillow for Daisy, who’s fast asleep. “What brings you here?”
The sheriff looks around at all of us. “A body was found in the wreckage of the Saloon. Looks to be a female in her late thirties or early forties.” He swallows hard, weighing his words before continuing. “Speculation is that it’s Lilly May Morris.” Odetta visibly flinches and I see Luke go stock still in his chair across the room. “Obviously it’ll be a while before we can verify that, but I didn’t know if any of you had any idea where she’s living these days? A phone number we could try, even?”
Nausea swirls in my gut. I can’t imagine how Chloe will take this news if it’s true. Mom shocks me by speaking up again. “I saw her the other night sleeping in the gazebo in the square.”
Odetta nods at her, “I saw her, too. I have an old phone number, but I don’t know if it’s any good now.”
The sheriff nods. “Okay, well I’ll take that. It can’t hurt to try it.” He looks between Luke and me. “Will one of you let her know that the fire’s out? That the fire chief will be in touch when they find what caused it?”
Luke nods as I say, “Of course.” An awkward silence falls over the room. Troy sighs loudly.
After a moment the sheriff nods to us. “Okay, then. Thanks, boys.”
I nod to him as he ducks back out of the waiting room and leaves. I pick up my pacing again, praying silently to whoever might be listening that Chloe wakes soon.
I’m sitting again when Opal Vereen, one of the nurses on staff, finally appears with good news. She’s been working here since she and her son moved to town when I was a kid. Her son Cash enlisted in the service after finishing college, and was deployed. His wife, Johanna, is pregnant and living in my old house now. I can’t help but notice that Opal is looking as exhausted as I feel right now. I send a prayer heavenward that Cash is okay.
Mom and Daisy are both asleep, Odetta is sitting sandwiched between Lacey and Zora, the three of them holding each other up. Troy’s head is resting against the wall behind his chair, he’s fast asleep. Bran has been playing some sort of game on his phone for the last half hour or so in an effort to keep himself awake, I think.
“Are you waiting for word on Chloe Morris?” Opal asks, looking around at all of us camped out in the waiting room.
Luke and I both jump to our feet. “Yes,” I say. “Is she awake?”
Opal nods, looking startled. “She is. According to the doctor, two of you can come and see her for a few moments.”
Without looking to anyone else, Luke and I both step forward to follow her. She smiles. “Follow me.”
Odetta grumbles under her breath before saying, “You kiss her for me and tell her we love her. I suppose I’ll have to wait even though I was here first!”
“Thank you, Odetta.” Luke says, grinning back at her. She waves us on.
We follow Opal down a maze of hallways until she swipes her id card to let us into the ward. Two doors down on the right-hand side she steps aside and motions for us to go ahead. “When she gets tired, it’s time to go, okay?” she says firmly before allowing us to enter. I nod at her and she moves towards the nurse’s station in the middle of the floor.
Chloe looks tiny and fragile in the hospital bed, her dark hair like mahogany silk spread out on the pillow behind her head. Her left leg is immobilized, and, in a cast, her left wrist also encased in a cast. Her hands are wrapped in gauze, her feet, too. Her big green eyes are open and alert, though. And hooked on me.
“Raif?” she croaks, looking like the word causes her pain. “Luke!” Tears spring to her eyes and we’re both across the room in a heartbeat, hovering uncertainly.
Luke leans down and kisses her forehead. “You should save your voice, sweet tart.” His voice is gruff, and I watch as he lovingly smooths her hair away from her forehead and then runs his fingers through the length. “You took a decade off my life, you know?” I can tell he’s trying to joke, but he’s serious.
Chloe reaches out with her good hand as though to pat him somewhere to comfort him and winces, letting her hand drop back to the bed. “Sorry,” she murmurs, her voice raspy from smoke.
“Stop it.” He tells her, letting her hair go and folding his hands in front of him, probably to keep from reaching for her again. I can’t even be jealous because I understand the desire too well.
She looks to me, almost nervously and I smile down at her, unashamed at the tears in my eyes. I lean down and claim her mouth in a kiss, letting her know everything I’m feeling. She kisses me back fiercely. “Hey, darlin’.” I murmur against her lips when I pull back for air.
“What are you guys doing here?” she whispers.
“Hush, love. Luke’s right. Save your voice. Nothing could have kept us away when you were hurt.”
Luke nods. “Dell Xander sends his regards, too.”
Chloe looks shocked that he even remembers her name. “How long can you stay?” she a
sks.
I grin at her. “I don’t know about the other three, but I’m here for the duration, Chloe Jane. I’m your new shadow.”
She smiles wide, the sun coming out after the rain and I feel it in my chest. She might be hurt, but she’s alive. She’s going to heal and be okay. “You’re gonna stay?” she looks to Luke and then back to me. “Are you sure that’s okay?”
He smiles at her. “We don’t have to be in Nashville for another six weeks, sweet tart. I’ll be here, too. Things to wrap up before I move for good.”
Her face falls a little, but she forces her smile back up. “I’m glad you’ll be here for a few weeks, at least. I’ve missed you guys.” She look back at me uncertainly, like she wants to ask me something, but she’s afraid to.
I turn to Luke, “Hey, brother, any chance you could give us a moment alone? Maybe go tell the others they’ll get a turn eventually?”
I grin at him and he nods. “Of course.” He leans down again, places a kiss on Chloe’s cheek. “That is from Odetta. She was not happy that I jacked her spot. I expect she’ll be in here before long whether the nurses allow it or not.”
Chloe smiles happily. “Tell her she’s next,” she tells him.
Luke salutes her and turns to go, his shoulders slumping. I see the desolation mixed with the relief on his face when he does. I turn back to Chloe, focusing all my attention on her. I kiss her mouth again. “I was so scared,” I say against her lips. “I thought I’d lost you. I love you so much.”
She loses her smile for a moment. “I thought you did, too.” She sounds scared and I wish I could hold her. “All I could think was I hadn’t called you. I wanted to. But I was scared, I think.”
“It’s okay. You’re not getting rid of me, Chloe Jane. The hell with everything else, I love you and I want you with me. I should’ve asked you to come with me before, but I didn’t want to ask you to choose between the Saloon and me. It didn’t feel right.”
Her smile blooms again. “You wanted me to come?”
“Of course I wanted you with me.”
“I didn’t know.” She whispers, tears in her bright green eyes. “I thought you were trying to find a way to ditch me but didn’t want to hurt me.”
I frown. “Chloe Jane….”
She swallows hard, lets out a painful sounding breath. “I know. I have to trust us, this. I’m trying, Raif. I swear I am.”
I touch her face, drinking in the sight of her alive and whole for the most part. I know I should ask for details about tonight, I should tell her the sheriff suspects that her mother is dead. But I can’t. Not right now. Right now, I’m looking towards the future. “How would you feel about coming to Nashville with me when I have to go back?”
She smiles wide, stealing my breath. “I thought you’d never ask, cupcake.”
Epilogue
Raif
Two Months Later …
Chloe got her casts off last week and today we are in Nashville. We looked online and picked out a house to rent while we’re down here. She’s been talking nonstop about seeing the Grand Ole Opry so that’s where we are today. I’m having a blast watching her take it all in. I’ve never seen her so excited. I’m loving it.
Things haven’t been so easy for her for the last two months. Her business burned to the ground and will cost a pretty penny to rebuild it. She’s not certain she wants to right now. But I know she feels like she owes it to Merle to bring it back to life and to its former glory. Also, it turned out that Lilly May was the one who set the fire in the Saloon. It’s all purely speculation as to why, but it was a cold night. The sheriff thinks she broke in to get warm. Fire chief says it looked like she built a campfire and probably fell asleep and it caught.
Chloe’s looking at all her options, including going to college online. I’m happy for her, I’ve always thought her not going to college was a waste. As of right now, though, Chloe says she’s on vacation, and I’m okay with that. Her mother’s death hasn’t been easy on her. Even if they weren’t close, Chloe’s still grieving and I’m trying to be there for her any way I can.
There’s a huge crowd here, like usual, and we’re still outside, in front of the giant guitars. We’ve been waiting our turn to take pictures, Chloe not so patiently going up on her tiptoes to see how long the line is ahead of us every few minutes. She’s in a blue sundress and converse sneakers. Her long dark hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail and I don’t think she’s ever looked more adorable. Yet I cringe every time she goes up on her toes, I’m nervous she’ll damage her ankle again. This time when she leans up, I tug her into my arms and kiss the top of her head.
“Could you cut that out? You could hurt yourself,” I gripe at her.
“Oh cupcake, breathe. I’m not made of porcelain.” She giggles.
“Hey, I have reason to worry, Chloe Jane. Half your body was wrapped up in casts just a little over a week ago. I get to be a mother hen without being heckled,” I say, true fear reappearing in my chest at the memories. I hold her tighter into my side.
“I don’t know about that.” She laughs up at me, her face beautiful; open and happy. I lean down and claim her mouth in a kiss. This woman is the center of my universe, the very heart of my being. I would not be me without her and I know that without even a shadow of a doubt.
“I love you, Chloe Jane Morris,” I say, and something about my face must tip her off about what I’m going to do because before I’ve even dropped to my knees in front of her, she has tears in her eyes.
“Raif,” she murmurs, her hand fluttering at her chest as I kneel down before her. “What are you doing?”
I smile up at her, chuckle softly and try to ignore the trembling in my hands. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous. I reach into my back pocket and pull out a black velvet box. “What’s it look like, darlin’?”
She’s trembling now, too. And we’ve garnered the attention of some of the people nearest us. “Are you sure about this?” She looks to be fighting back a smile.
I nod at her. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” I pop open the box, let her see the princess cut diamond with the smaller diamonds and emeralds all around it on the platinum band. She reaches out her trembling hand to me, her eyes like saucers. “Chloe Jane Morris, what do you say? You wanna make an honest man out of me?” She laughs, and I turn serious. “I want you with me for always, Chloe. Will you marry me?”
A few tears slip from her green eyes. “Yes! Yes, I will, of course I will!” She exclaims happily, bouncing up and down, making me nervous again.
I slip the ring on her finger, stand up and swing her up into my arms, spinning her around in a circle, whooping for all I’m worth. “She said yes!”
People all around us are clapping as I set Chloe back on her feet. I stare into her deep green eyes, so happy that I get to call her mine forever now. I take her face in my hands and she meets me halfway for a searing kiss. Everything else fades away as I bask in the feel of her mouth under mine, her hands in my hair, her body pressed against mine. She pulls away and rests her forehead against my collarbone, her hands clutching my shoulders.
I hold her close and marvel at how perfect life can be when you let in the light. And the right people. With Chloe by my side, I know that I can do anything. She’s my happy ending, my everything. I can’t wait to write the rest of our story, together.
The End
Acknowledgments
Tyffani Clark Kemp and Victoria Escobar: you ladies are just everything to me. You are not only my best friends; you’re my cheerleaders, my critics, my sounding boards, and I adore and appreciate you both more than you know.
To my husband, Keith, who was instrumental in titling this book (and its sequels), I love you. Thank you for supporting me and allowing me to follow my dreams.
Abigail Davies, my design goddess, thank you for your gorgeous brain and your unflagging friendship.
Jaime Radalyac, Shelley Bunnell, Anne Gotham, Amanda Alsterberg, Susan Rodrig
uez and Rebecca Walters, my lovely beta readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time away from your families and friends to read Raif and Chloe’s story. I love you girls. This book would never have seen the light of day if not for the love and support of my friends and family.
About the Author
Lissa was first inspired to consider a career in writing when she was in high school. Her English teacher recognized Lissa's gift for storytelling and encouraged her love of writing. She has six nieces and nephews whom she adores and a beloved cat who is her baby. Lissa loves the color purple and chai tea and writes poetry under the pen name Bella Sterling.
Under the name Melissa Simmons, she has written one short story with fellow author, Allana Kephart, for the Dare to Shine Charity Anthology. She wrote another short story under the same name for the Best Thing I Never Had Charity Anthology. As Lissa Lynn Thomas, she has short stories in both the This Soldier's Heart Charity Anthology and the Karma Charity Anthology. Lissa's debut solo novel, Renegade Heart, is due out in winter of 2019. Renegade Heart is the first book in the Renegades series.
www.lissalynnthomas.wordpress.com
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