The Reluctant Beauty (Once Upon A Romance Series)

by Laurie LeClair

  The area was empty. She frowned. “Strange. This is where we planned to meet up.”

  “They’re gone.” The sound of Austin’s voice yanked her to her left. He pushed away from the display counter and walked toward her.

  There it was again. That fluttery feeling in her chest. “I…where…” She stuttered, and then stopped. What was the use, anyway? Staring at him was good enough.

  He smiled, halting within two feet of her. Reaching out, he brushed back a flyaway hair and tucked it behind her ear.

  She shivered at his touch.

  Austin trailed a hand down her cheek. “So soft.” Leaning in, he kissed her lips, gentle and with a tenderness she’d never experienced before. “So sweet,” he whispered, his breath tickling her mouth.

  “You…don’t have to do this. There’s no one around to see. No pretending.” Geez Louise, she sounded lame.

  “When it comes to kissing you, there’s never been a moment I did pretend.” He captured her gaze and held it. “It was all real.”

  She gulped hard. “Me, neither, music man. No pretense here.”

  He stared long and hard. Heat whooshed through her body and pooled somewhere near her solar plexus.

  “For criminy’s sake,” she muttered, breaking the spell.

  Moving away, Austin snatched up his black duffel bag. Pulling out his cell phone, he showed her the screen. “Twenty-seven frantic messages. The band.” He sighed; weariness seemed to surround him now. “I have to put out some fires. And maybe start some more.”

  “No vaca for you?”

  “Not this time, it looks like.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Well, whattaya waiting for? Go. Skeedaddle.” Peg hoped she masked the hurt in her voice.

  Nodding curtly, he brushed past her and headed toward the escalator.

  She watched his broad back as he walked away. They forgot to break up in public.

  He stopped in his tracks.

  Her heart stilled.

  ***

  Austin couldn’t deny the tug that shot through him, or the way his breathing changed when he was around her, or how his heartbeat jumped to his throat whenever she was near.

  She gave him a rush. A rush that only music had given him until now.

  He couldn’t explain it, either. Turning around, he faced her again. Her eyes were wide and questioning. He dropped his bag. It landed with a dull thud.

  Going to her, he swept her up in his arms and kissed her, fully, deeply, and for so long his head spun.

  “Holy all that is good and pure,” Peg whispered, trembling in his arms, when they finally parted.

  “Now, that’s a goodbye kiss,” he said, gently putting her back on her feet. He looked one last time, taking in everything about her. “From the sexiest, sassiest lady I’ve ever met.”

  “Holy hotness, you don’t have to lay on the sugarcoating. Not for me.”

  “Not my style, if you haven’t figured that out yet.”

  He left her speechless.

  Chapter 10

  The band, or if he could call it now, faced him. His best friend from growing up and the new guy—The Kid, he called himself—stared back at him huddled on the seats in the touring bus. They’d snagged it and hightailed it down to him the minute they found out where he was.

  “Come on, guys, we’re on a break. Relax, will you?” Austin asked for what seemed like the tenth time in as many seconds.

  “They quit. Want to sue for the right to keep the band’s name.”

  Something fierce tugged at Austin. “No. That’s not going to happen. We started it, Rodney—you and me. My last name. No way.”

  “They got lawyers up the wahzoo.”

  He sighed. “So we get more lawyers.” Something shifted in him at what he’d said. He wanted to fight: fight for what was his, and fight for what he’d created.

  “They stole ours. And our manager.” Rodney winced. “I…man, Austin, I let the cat out of the bag and told them you’ve been, you know, undecided about keeping the band.” His friend couldn’t look at him in the eye.

  That was like a punch in the gut. Everyone had jumped ship, except these two. “Defectors.” They’d found out. He blew out a hot breath, forgiving his longtime friend for spilling the beans. In all honesty, he couldn’t blame them. But, stealing his band away from him wasn’t cool. Not by a long shot.

  His friend snorted. The Kid had his head in his hands.

  “We strike back.” His mind raced with his contacts over the years. He had numbers for a couple of the hard hitters. He’d never had to use them before, but it seemed like he had no other choice now. “Look, for five minutes, put that aside, all right? No BS, guys. I’m fried right now. That’s why I wanted a break.”

  “Me, too,” his friend said. “You know how many times I got to see my kids last year?” He held up his hand, fingers spread. “Five times. That’s it. They’re in school. I can’t take them on the road with me anymore.”

  “My grandma’s sick,” The Kid said, for the first time looking up at Austin. His red-rimmed eyes said it all.

  “Sorry, Kid.”

  “I was going to spend time with her. Eight weeks until we got back to recording in the studio.”

  Austin looked at his longtime friend and the young guy, knowing this was it. They either came together right now or break everything off and never look back. “We still a band or not?” He held up his hand. “Don’t answer just yet. There’s some things we gotta get straight first. No more grueling one-or two-year tours. We pick our dates, ones that work with us and not against us. We can write more, record finally, and we can do more charity gigs.”

  The cutting down on tours, writing and recording more, and giving back had been a bone of contention among the other guys. They’d been butting heads for a while now. The group fractured. Tempers and tension grew while overseas.

  “Seriously?” The Kid seemed to brighten up. “I miss my grandma and family.” His face flushed.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Austin agreed, knowing he should spend more time with Evelyn, especially now that she wanted a family. In the back of his mind, Peg’s name whispered. But she didn’t want that for herself. Her career came first.

  He shook his head to clear it.

  “Perfect,” his friend said, looking up at the ceiling and saying, “There is a God.” He glanced at Austin. “You up for this, bro?”

  It would be a lot of time and work to get the legal stuff untangled, but it would be worth it in the end. Somewhere inside, he felt the old spark. His passion for music, he guessed, had never really died. It just had been buried under a lot of pressure from the other band members and being forced to tour when he really hadn’t wanted to.

  His mind blasted with one idea after the other. New updated logo. Fresh new look. Branding. Merchandising. Exclusive deal. King’s Department Store would be the perfect partner.

  “I’m in. All in.”

  Now how he was going to do it all, he couldn’t be certain.

  ***

  Dressed in another Rico selection, Peg fidgeted with the hem, trying to tug it down again. “I am going to have a word with my former best friend,” she muttered. The long-sleeved, black form-fitting dress clung to her and inched up even higher whenever she moved.

  This time he’d given her silver, sparkly sandals with a higher heel.

  “Four inches? French fries and fiddlesticks, I can barely stand, never mind walk.”

  Clutching her clipboard, Peg stood in the hotel ballroom and double-checked everything. The room looked stunning in red, lights twinkled, photo booth was a hit, karaoke even bigger hit, and the fresh white flower centerpieces with flags in them were a perfect touch on the draped tablecloths. Thank goodness, everything had come together, thanks to the entire King family.

  The hotel manager waved from across the room. Shooting him a weak smile, she waved back. The man practically undressed her the rest of the way every time he looked at her.

  She snort
ed. “For crying out loud, he barely had two words to say to me until tonight. Must be the dress.”

  “You?” The prim and proper familiar deep male voice came from a few feet away. The maître de with the engineered hairline from the restaurant glared at her.

  “What are you doing here?” She gulped and then realized by his attire and the silver tray he held that he was part of the extra staff the hotel manager hired for the event.

  “You and Austin Rhoades?” He held a hand to his mouth and giggled. He wagged a finger at her. “Not going to happen. No date for you.”

  “You think?” He had to rub it in, didn’t he?

  “Buy some…” He waved a hand in the direction of her chest. “You know. It’ll help.” He winked and strolled off, offering a drink from his tray to a soldier and his date. Turning quickly, he motioned his head to the woman. See, he mouthed. Peg noticed the woman’s cups were overflowing, her neckline arrowed down, way down and touched her navel. There was advertising. And then there was advertising.

  As he waltzed away, Peg wished he’d trip and fall on his face. No such luck.

  The murmur of people in the lobby drifted to her. Blocking out the annoying man, she did a quick assessment of the situation, knowing everything was in place. Peg rushed, as much as she could, on her heels, to the archway to welcome the newcomers.

  Spotting Charlie, Marcus, and Griffin and their families, she called out, “Why, if it isn’t Boss 1, Boss 2, and Boss 3!”

  The gathering crowd laughed. Thank goodness, the stepmother and the colonel just waved and made their way to a group of soldiers nearby. She still didn’t trust the old battle-ax even if her girls were trying to make nice with her.

  “Everything under control, Peg?” Griffin asked, coming to her side.

  “All but this dress,” she said, pulling the hem down. “Where’s Rico? I’m about to strangle him with this thing and see how he likes it.”

  His chuckle surprised her. The gruff man was improving, slowly but surely. “Well, I’ll be, Boss 3, you laughed. Or is it just the dust trying to come out?”

  “Is that supposed to be a joke, Peg?” He frowned.

  “You know what, Boss? King’s needs to start selling sense of humors. You need to be the first in line to buy one.”

  He scowled. “Not funny, Peg.”

  “Yep. That’s what I said, too. You’re not a funny guy, Boss. I’m still working on it, though. Might get somewhere in another decade—maybe.” Peg heard him grunt, and then watched as he walked away to see to his guests.

  “Decade?” her mother’s voice came from somewhere to her right and lower.

  “Ah, Ma,” she said, defeat in her voice.

  Looking down at her mother, dressed in a flowing robin’s egg blue gown and with her blonde hair expertly styled, Peg said the first thing that popped into her mind. “Holy, crap, Ma, you look beautiful. I mean, even more so than usual.” She meant it.

  The blue eyes changed from censor to delight. “Oh, Peg, you’ve always had a way with words, love.” She reached up and patted her daughter’s cheek. “Too bad you were stuck with the giraffe look, though. It should have been your brother, if anyone had to have it. Boys don’t care much about it.” Her mother’s words weren’t harsh or mean. Just true.

  “Yeah, well, that’s how the cookie crumbles,” Peg said.

  “The apple bounces from the tree,” her mother agreed.

  “The ball bounces,” Peg’s father corrected, joining them.

  “And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Peg’s brother and his wife added as they came into the little circle.

  “You know what I mean, dears,” her mother said with a smile in her voice.

  “Shut the front door!” Rico shrieked, rushing to Peg. “O-M-G! You look gorg, girl!” He rubbed his hands down her covered arms and skimped them over her hips. “You’ve got a hot bod!”

  “Holy smokes, Rico! What were you thinking? This dress creeps up more than a thong. I gotta move in this. By the end of the night, this thing is gonna be wrapped around my neck.”

  He smacked her on the arm. “Oh, wouldn’t that be something to see.” Leaning close, he said, “Maybe then you won’t have to advertise for a date anymore.”

  She rolled her eyes and snorted. “They’ll run the opposite way after seeing that.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Austin’s voice came from behind her.

  Peg twirled around. The hem inched higher. Looking at him, all six foot three of his hotness, she gulped hard. Automatically, she tugged the fabric back into place.

  His eyes traveled to where her hand was. He raised his brows. “Nice.”

  Warmth dashed over her cheeks. Somewhere she heard Rico say he’d usher her family to their table and leave the two of them alone. Her family’s murmurs and well wishes lingered. But, it was his holy hotness that kept her riveted to the spot.

  He’d changed. Black boots, black jeans, and a black shirt with rolled up sleeves. But it wasn’t only the clothes that were different.

  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he said, “I can’t seem to stay away from you.”

  Her heart stopped, and then thumped. “Yeah, I’m like a bad dream. Can’t shake me.”

  The room was filling up, the voices mingling and getting noisy. Glassware clinked. She had things to do. But his half-smile tugged at her to stay.

  “Buttercups and buttons, look at the time.” She didn’t even bother to check the small clock attached to her clipboard. “I gotta keep these guys in line, so I’m outta here.” Her feet were frozen to the spot.

  “I’ll help—”

  “No can do. You’ve done enough.” To my heart, too, she realized as an ache shot through her. Holy crap, Batman, she’d just fallen head over heels with Austin Rhoades!

  ***

  Austin watched her rush away, still tugging the hem down on her slinky black dress. He whistled under his breath.

  “You, Rhoades,” Griffin said, coming up to him. “Don’t.”

  He held up his hands. “Busted. All right.”

  “If you weren’t Evelyn’s brother, I’d throw you out.”

  “Well, I’ll have to thank her for that one. Look, Griff, I’m not about to—”

  A crash sounded. The voices stopped.

  Griff left with a parting shot. “Door’s that way.”

  But Austin wasn’t going anywhere. He promised to play a song or two and he would do that. He’d hauled his guitar into the backroom a few minutes ago, ready to strum and sing after dinner was over. Rodney and The Kid would be joining him, too.

  In fact, not only was he staying tonight, he’d decided he had eight weeks coming to him. And Dallas was just as good a place to hang out as any right now.

  The lawyer was flying out tomorrow to meet with the remaining members of the band. Then a plane would take The Kid back to his grandmother. Rodney would ride on the bus back to his home.

  In the meantime, Austin had the urge to write a new song. He hadn’t felt like doing that for the last year and a half.

  Smiling, he made his way to the table Peg’s family sat at now.

  ***

  Peg Newbury had no idea how to stoop in the dress, but she discovered where there’s a will, there’s a way. She been running, bending, kneeling, and fetching for hours now. All that and she’d yanked down on the hem so many times, she had a little rhythm going now. “Rico, your day is coming, bub, just you wait and see.”

  Thankfully, her clipboard had only two unchecked items left on the agenda. Dessert. Entertainment. The Bosses were happy, the soldiers and their families were delighted, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Except her.

  The more she saw couples with their heads close together talking or smooching, she felt the tug of envy.

  “Oh, Mamma Mia,” she muttered. “Not me.” She’d never once had second thoughts on her career. She loved what she did. She loved the people she worked for; the King family was her second family.

  Glancing
at her brother and her sister-in-law, Peg watched as Chip rubbed his wife’s rounded belly. They both jumped and laughed. “Dang, rug rat must have kicked her.” Now Peg wondered what that felt like.

  “Geez Louise. I gotta find Rico! He’ll talk some sense into me.”

  She turned in the opposite direction, marching away, every few steps bending to fix the hem on her dress.

  Near the middle of the tables, Rico stood, entertaining a group at a table of seven. They laughed at something he said. He pressed his hand to his chest and giggled.

  “Rico,” she hissed, trying to get his attention. Nothing. “Mayday! Mayday!”

  He finally turned to her. “Girl, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Peg waved for him to come with her. He shook his head.

  Jamming her hands on her hips, still clutching the clipboard, she faced him. He had to talk her out of this stinky baby thing she suddenly yearned for. “S-O-S, R-I-C-O!”

  His frown deepened. “Don’t you go stealing my thing. I don’t say holy moly or holy whatever more than once a day.”

  The diners around her hushed. It had a ripple effect. The room grew still.

  “For criminy’s sake, Rico. I need your help!” Her voice grew louder and everyone else stopped talking. All eyes were trained on her. Peg stood perfectly still, but allowed her gaze to take in the gawking guests. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Griff rise from his seat at the family table. She gulped hard.

  “You don’t have to make a scene, Peg,” Rico said.

  The pretty teenage girl near Rico’s elbow said, “Hey, aren’t you Austin Rhoades’s girlfriend? It’s all over the Internet. You were caught in the window display.”

  That question sparked an avalanche of murmurs and gossip. She hadn’t realized just how far the rumors had spread. Her cheeks burned. Twisting around, she searched out Austin. He sat with her family, staring at her with raised eyebrows. Her heart fell.

  Her parents looked on, smiling.

  She wanted a break-up, didn’t she? A very public one, too.