“Okay, do you have a hotel room?”
“Yeah.”
Carrie turned to her friends while Sam saluted Nathan letting him know he was gone. When he turned back around, he heard, “I thought you had plans tomorrow with Beau.”
“I do. Please let Sarah know I’ll be home by seven to get ready.”
Red flashed in Sam’s eyes before he took Carrie’s hand and walked toward the elevator. “Who’s Beau?”
Carrie narrowed her eyes. “We don’t get to ask questions, Sam, remember?”
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SAM AND CARRIE? LOOK FOR THEIR STORY, UNCHARTERED TERRITORY, COMING 2019.
Playlist
Hurricane by Luke Combs
Toxic by Brittany Spears
Good Girl by Carrie Underwood
Alone With You by Jake Owen
Church Bells by Carrie Underwood
Dirty Laundry by Carrie Underwood
I Love Beach Music by The Embers
Rainy Day Bells by The Globetrotters
Backfield In Motion by Mel and Tim
Like There’s No Yesterday by Mark Wills
Sweetest Sin by Jessica Simpson
T-Shirt by Thomas Rhett
Wanted by Hunter Hayes
I’m Still a Guy by Brad Paisley
Shameless by Garth Brooks
When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge
Feels Like The First Time by Foreigner
INTERESTED IN OTHER BOOKS BY SAVANNAH MARIS?
CHECK OUT THE PROLOGUE OF CROSSROADS of the HEART
Prologue
Tamryn
Three Weeks Earlier
“Ladies and gentlemen please prepare as we make our descent into Lihue Airport.”
I take a deep breath and immediately close my eyes as I grab the hand next to me. I hate takeoffs and landings. With each drop, my hand squeezes tighter until I hear a whimper coming from beside me.
“Tam-ryn,” the strained voice squeaks.
I loosen my grip. “Oh no, Maggie, I’m so sorry.”
Maggie massages the hand I was squeezing with her other one. “Girl, we’ve got to find you something to take when you fly. Thank God I’m right- handed, or your makeup might look like shit.”
I take an exaggerated breath. “I know. I just hate flying without Noah.” A sad smile tilts my lips. “Speaking of flying, how long is the doctor allowing you to continue?” I ask as I look at her baby bump.
She smiles. “This is my last assignment where flying is involved.”
“Thank you for flying United Airlines. Enjoy your stay on the island of Kaua’i,” a female voice comes over the speakers.
I turn on my phone as we stand and remove our carry-on bags from the overhead compartments then move toward the exit. Our entire crew is in first class, and the attendants know exactly who we are. I, for one, am grateful they just smile and wish us well.
As usual, the Captain is at the door while we disembark.
“Nice landing,” I say with a grateful smile.
He tips his hat to me as I move onto the gangplank. As soon as I’m inside the airport and out of other people’s way, I call Noah. It’s six in the evening here but midnight in Atlanta. He always waits up for me to check in when I’m on an assignment.
As his phone rings, I hear static, but just when I’m about to hang up, his scratchy voice comes through the receiver. “Tam-?”
“Noah, can you hear me?”
“N-t c-mp----ly.”
“I’ll try from the hotel later.”
“L…you.”
Thankfully the drive to the hotel is short, and I’m able to get checked in quickly so I can try to call Noah again. “All circuits are busy. Please try your call again later.”
Shit.
I quickly send him a text, so he’ll know we really need to talk:
I’ve got something I need to tell you.
I set the phone on my bed with the arrow still spinning while I take a shower, hoping it’ll go through by the time I wash off the travel grime.
The room phone is ringing as I step out of the bathroom.
“Hello?”
Maggie’s tired voice is on the other end. “They want to get a few pictures in the setting sun. Be on the beach in twenty minutes for hair and makeup.”
I’ve worked with this group several times, so I should have known the photographer wouldn’t want to waste any time. I don’t care for the lighting guy, but I like Maggie, the makeup artist.
I put on some lounging clothes because I know I’ll be changing once I’m on the beach. I didn’t want to take this assignment because I need time with Noah. I miss him. But Harold, my agent, has talked me into it.
Harold has been my agent since I started modeling, and he’s like a protective brother. He’s helped me maneuver the pitfalls of this job and knows which assignments are good for me. He understands how important my marriage is to me even though he and Noah don’t see eye to eye after my last contract negotiation.
NOAH
I check my phone first thing when I wake up, but there’s nothing from Tamryn yet. A heavy sigh leaves me because I hate that we didn’t have a good connection when she called earlier. I loathe her taking long assignments, and this one is three weeks long. I miss her already, and she hasn’t even been gone a day. It’s the middle of the night there, but maybe the connection will be better.
“N- -h?”
I can hardly hear her. “Tams, baby, can you hear me?
“B-d c - - ect- -n.”
“Text?”
“Tr- - d.”
“Fuck.”
“Try l-t-r.”
I decide to try email once I get to the office. It isn’t the same as hearing Tamryn’s voice, but something is better than nothing.
Unbridled Passion: A Riverton Crossing Novel Page 23