Cami’s Georgia Patriots Romance Collection

by Cami Checketts

  Slowly climbing from the vehicle, he felt the stirring of nerves and the crisp air wrapping around him. What would Sariah think of him chasing her down like this? What would her family think? Would they call Hyde, find out he’d already been warned away, and tell him to leave? Mack hated confrontation and never sought out a fight, but Sariah was worth fighting for.

  He strode to the front door. There was a small cement spot that served as the outside entry, but it was flat without any front porch. He was surprised Hyde or Lily hadn’t fixed up the drooping family home with all the money they surely had, but maybe Lily and Sariah’s parents were too prideful to accept help like that. Not seeing a doorbell, he rapped his knuckles on the door and it immediately sprung open. A small boy stared up at him, his dark eyes wide with hero worship. “You’re Mack Quinn.”

  Mack nodded. “Hi.” He stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

  The little guy put his small hand in Mack’s palm and shook it vigorously. He pulled back and leapt into the air, did a little dance, and yelled, “Mack Quinn came to see me! Yes!”

  Mack chuckled. He hoped it wouldn’t break the kid’s heart when he found out Mack was here for his sister.

  “Wait right here,” the kid demanded, holding up both palms. “I’ve got to find your card and have you sign it.” He danced back into the house singing, “Mack Quinn is he-ere!”

  Mack stood in the open doorway, not sure what to do but wait. A tall older, teenage boy appeared, with two smaller teenage girls with him. The entire family was olive-skinned with dark hair and eyes like Sariah and Lily. Possibly Italian heritage. They all gawked at him for a second.

  Mack put out his hand. “Mack Quinn. I’m here to see Sariah.”

  The boy’s eyes widened in understanding. “Caleb Udy.” He shook his hand and tilted his head to his sisters. “Trudy and Mary.”

  “Hi.” Mack shook their hands quickly.

  “Sorry about Josh. He’s obsessed with football.”

  “He’s a cute kid.” Mack loved that Sariah had a large family like him. He’d come from much more affluent circumstances but at least they had family size in common. It could be a point in his favor.

  “How do you know Sariah?” Caleb asked.

  “I saw you talking to her after one of Hyde’s games,” Mary piped in, her tone more accusatory then welcoming.

  “I’ve … seen her at a lot of games, but I officially met her at a party a couple weeks ago,” Mack tried to explain. “Are your parents here?”

  They all shook their heads. “Dad’s at work and Mom’s grocery shopping with our brother, Brandon. It’s early out on Friday so I’m babysitting,” Caleb explained.

  “You don’t need to babysit us.” Trudy rolled her eyes and pushed out one hip. She looked the most like Sariah.

  “Why don’t you just call or text Sariah if you ‘know her’?” Mary made quote fingers with her hands and her dark eyes were full of sass.

  “I’d love to. Will you give me her number?”

  Mary gave him a challenging glare. “Do you know how many guys want her number? I’m not stupid.”

  Mack hid a grimace. Her little sister obviously saw right through him. The whole family seemed to have a lot of fire in them.

  Josh rushed back into the room and plowed through his siblings, triumphantly holding up Mack’s football trading card. “Can you sign it, please, Mr. Quinn, please?”

  The siblings all regarded their little brother with fond looks; it reminded Mack of how his siblings were always so good to him. There was also a protective feeling these Udy siblings had and Mack remembered hearing about the traumatic accident that happened to Josh and Caleb last year. No wonder the siblings wanted to protect him. For Mack, it had been the speech impediment and complete silence for years. It had made his brothers crazy protective of him, getting in lots of fights. Luckily, Navy, the oldest, was in middle school and never saw or heard about the bullying. She would’ve torn somebody apart.

  “Of course.” Mack took the card and the pen Josh thrust at him. He signed his name and handed it back. “I should’ve brought you some hats and sweatshirts.” What had he been thinking? Gifts for the family would’ve come in handy right about now. They obviously didn’t have much financially, and Josh seemed to be the only one who wasn’t suspicious of him.

  Caleb waved a hand at that. “Hyde gives us lots of stuff.”

  Hyde. Oh, yeah. The Hyde that had warned Mack to stay away from Sariah. Hyde wasn’t going to like this at all, but Mack couldn’t dwell on that. He was an adult. Sariah was an adult. He was going to find Sariah and talk to her no matter what obstacles were put in his path.

  “Can you please give me her number?” He directed the question to Caleb, obviously the oldest at home and the one in charge.

  “If some dude, bigger than your house, showed up asking for your sister’s number, would you give it to him?” Caleb asked.

  Mack hated to admit that he wouldn’t.

  “This isn’t just some big dude, this is Mack Quinn,” Josh protested. “Best offensive lineman in the world! He protects the Rocket and makes it possible for Hyde to get perfect passes. You give him whatever he wants.” Josh jutted his chin out and looked so cute Mack had to refrain from picking him up and giving him a quick hug.

  The girls both smiled patiently. Caleb squatted down next to his little brother. “Josh … you know I’d do anything for you, but I’m trying to protect Sariah here.”

  “Why would Sariah need protection from Mack Quinn?”

  “Just because somebody’s a great football player doesn’t mean they’re a good person.”

  Mack’s eyebrows rose. He wanted to start calling character witnesses. He tried very hard to be a good person and these loyal siblings of Sariah’s were going to block him from finding her just like Hyde had. Maybe he was the one in the wrong here, but he yearned for Sariah like he’d never yearned for a person. He wanted to ask his brother Kaleb to write a song about it. Then he could sing it for Sariah and maybe win her over. He was no Kaleb Quinn, but he had a decent voice.

  “You’re a good guy, aren’t you, Mr. Quinn?” Josh demanded.

  “I like to think so.”

  “You’re not going to hurt Sariah, are you?”

  Mack swallowed hard. “I promise you, Josh, that I would never do anything to hurt Sariah. I care for her deeply.”

  The sisters were looking a little less defensive but still wary. Caleb stood and shrugged his shoulders. “Look man, I’m not trying to be a jerk, it’s just Sariah … she’s pretty special to us and she’s been through a lot.”

  “Hyde said something similar,” Mack admitted.

  Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “So, you already asked Hyde for her number and he told you no?”

  Dang, this kid was quick. Mack nodded, not able to lie.

  “I’m sorry.” Caleb picked Josh up and ushered him back from the door. The girls stepped back and Caleb moved to swing the door closed.

  “Please,” Mack begged.

  “She lives with Hyde’s mama, Teresa,” Josh yelled.

  “Josh,” all the other siblings reprimanded.

  “Thank you,” Mack said.

  Caleb firmly shut the door on him. That hadn’t gone too well, but at least he had another lead. He called Griff and luckily his brother answered.

  “What now?” Griff asked.

  “I need an address for Teresa Metcalf’s home. I think it’s near Denver.”

  Griff exhaled loudly. “I’ll text it to you, but no more.”

  “Thanks, bro.”

  Griff hung up.

  Mack hoped he wasn’t making his brother break laws but this information was something he seriously needed to know. No more, echoed in his head. If he didn’t find Sariah at Teresa’s house, what would he do? Start wandering the streets of Denver asking if anyone knew her?

  His phone beeped and he had to wait until he exited the canyon and could pull off the freeway in the first little town. The address was i
n Golden, Colorado. He hoped that wasn’t too far away. When he plugged it in and saw he was already in Golden, he thought maybe things were finally going his way. Bless that little Josh for idolizing him and giving him what he needed and Griff for probably bending rules he shouldn’t bend to find him the information.

  He followed Siri’s voice along quiet city streets, back up a hill closer to the mountainside. The cul-de-sac was affluent, but Hyde’s mom’s house was definitely the nicest and the biggest. He loved the flow of the redbrick two-story and all the windows. The landscaping was amazing with spring flowers straining to peek out. He jumped from his rental and hurried to the door. Teresa had smiled at him at the party at Bucky’s. Even if Sariah wasn’t here, maybe Teresa wouldn’t turn him away.

  He pushed the doorbell and waited impatiently. A few seconds later the door swung open. Two ladies stood staring at him. He recognized the blonde as Teresa but didn’t know the shorter, darker-haired lady.

  “I know you,” Teresa said.

  “Lucky you.” The other lady pumped her eyebrows and looked him over.

  “Mack Quinn.” Mack stuck out his hand. Both the ladies took turns shaking his hand.

  “Teresa,” Hyde’s mom murmured.

  “Auntie Allie,” the dark-haired lady said.

  “We didn’t officially meet but I was with Sariah last week at Bucky’s party … in the gardens.”

  “Lucky Sariah,” Allie said.

  Teresa’s blue eyes lit with understanding but then they narrowed quickly. “Sariah saw you kissing Scarlett Lily.” She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head in an obvious challenge. “What do you have to say for yourself, young man?”

  “Whoa.” Mack held up his hands. “No. I promise I did not kiss Scarlett Lily.” Had Sariah seen him talking with Scarlett? Oh, no. What if it hurt her?

  They both glared imperiously at him, Allie mimicking her friend’s defensive stance.

  “She kissed my jaw,” he explained. “She dated my brother, Griff, and wanted me to give him a message.”

  Their stance softened perceptively.

  “I promise I am not dating Scarlett. I couldn’t think of dating someone else when my head is so full of Sariah.”

  Allie placed a hand on her heart. “Oh, that was sweet.”

  “Is she here?” he asked quickly, maybe too quickly as the women exchanged a wary look.

  “No, she’s not,” Teresa said. “She’s at … school.”

  “Oh.” Of course, she wouldn’t be home in the middle of the day. “Could you give me her number, or if you don’t feel comfortable with that, I could leave my number.” These two were the most receptive of anyone, besides Josh. “I need to talk to her.”

  They exchanged a look then finally Teresa said, “You can give us your number.”

  “Thank you.” Mack hoped he didn’t look like an eager puppy dog. He hurriedly wrote his number on the notepad they gave him, along with a, Please, call me, Mack Quinn, and handed it back. “Please tell her I’m not with Scarlett.”

  “Did you travel from Georgia just to find our girl?” Allie demanded.

  Mack hesitated, not sure how desperate he wanted to look, but he was desperate, for Sariah. Finally, he nodded.

  Allie pursed her lips. “I kind of like him.”

  Mack smiled.

  “We’ll give her your number, and tell her you’ll go to any lengths to talk to her,” Allie said.

  “Thanks.” Mack backed away from the door. He was tempted to camp in the driveway. It was only 12:30. He wondered how long her school went.

  “Bye.”

  Teresa started to close the door but Allie stopped her and said, “If I were you, I’d go get a massage to pass the time.”

  “A massage?”

  Allie nodded and winked. “Massage Therapy Institute of Denver.”

  Mack’s pulse jumped. Sariah was in school to be a massage therapist. That fit what he thought he knew of her and this was a fabulous lead. “Thank you,” he called to Allie.

  “See you soon.” The door closed, but he could hear the two women giggling together. They hadn’t given him Sariah’s number, but this was almost as good. They had his number and he knew where she was going to school. He’d call and get a massage appointment. Sariah would have to talk to him then. A massage from Sariah? His pulse jumped and his entire body warmed as he imagined lying on a massage bed with Sariah’s hands working on his bare back. His mama would be appalled at the visions he started having of him sitting up on the bed and pulling her close, without a shirt on. He shook his head to clear it and focused on finding Sariah.

  Chapter Eight

  Mack asked Siri to navigate him to the Massage Therapy Institute. She informed him they were twenty-five minutes away. He hit go and asked her to call the Massage Therapy Institute as he drove east toward Denver. A woman’s voice answered with a crisp, “Massage Therapy Institute of Denver. How may I help you?”

  “I’d like to schedule a massage with Sariah Udy.”

  “I can schedule a massage for you with one of our students but we don’t schedule for a particular person. I apologize. Would you still like an appointment?”

  Mack gritted his teeth. Apparently, this breakthrough was going to be similar to the others and not an easy route to Sariah. “How late can I schedule a massage appointment?”

  “Our last appointments begin at five p.m., sir.”

  “If I schedule a massage, is there a chance Sariah will be my therapist?”

  “A slim chance, sir, we have dozens of students at the level of performing massages for the public.”

  “But Sariah is one of them.”

  She hesitated then admitted, “Yes, sir, she is.”

  At least he had a chance of his therapist being Sariah. What did he have to lose? He’d get a massage, pass the time until Sariah was done with school. “Please schedule me for a massage.”

  “What time, sir?”

  He glanced at the clock. It was now after one and he was at least thirty minutes from the school. “Do you have an opening at two?”

  “Yes.”

  “That will work.”

  “Your name, sir?”

  “Mack Quinn.”

  “We’ll see you at two p.m.”

  “Thank you.” Mack disconnected. He drove through a Kneaders and ordered several sandwiches and a fruit smoothie. Stuffing the food down as he finished following Siri’s directions to the massage institute, he made sure to chew a bunch of breath mints on the off-chance he found Sariah.

  He parked next to the massage school and a few minutes before two walked through the glass doors and up to the reception area. It was nothing fancy but it was clean and looked professional. Sariah was becoming a massage therapist. How great was that?

  “Hi.” He smiled at the older lady manning the desk. “I called for an appointment at two? Mack Quinn.”

  The lady nodded to him, not smiling. She was dressed in a navy-blue business suit and her hair was in a severe bun. “Yes, please follow me, sir.” Her voice was as crisp as on the phone and her movements were fast and jerky.

  Mack hurried to keep up with her as she led him through the reception area, down a short hallway, and edged open a door to a small therapy room. The tranquil sound of a waterfall and the scent of lavender oozed from the dimly lit room.

  “Please undress completely, cover your lower half with the sheet, and lay face down.”

  Mack’s eyes widened. “Um … I only want an upper body massage.” He had had hundreds of full body massages throughout his football career, they were a necessity for recovery, but the thought of being naked with Sariah in the same room didn’t sit right with him at all.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Fine, undress from the waist up. The attendant will knock before entering.” She whirled and tapped away from him.

  Wow, apparently you didn’t need people skills to be a receptionist at a massage therapy school. Mack closed the door, peeled off his shirt, and laid face down on the be
d. His body covered the entire bed and his feet hung off the end. He figured he didn’t need the sheet with his pants still on.

  Moments later, there was a soft tap on the door. “May I come in?” It was a male voice. Ah, no.

  “Yeah,” Mack grunted.

  The man entered, introduced himself, asked where Mack was feeling tight, etc. Mack responded and tried to relax as the man gave him a deep tissue massage. The guy was good, but Mack just wanted to find Sariah. He finally worked up the nerve to ask, “Do you know Sariah Udy?”

  “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “Is there any way I could speak to her?”

  “I’m sorry. Sariah’s with a client right now.”

  The man continued his kneading of Mack’s back, shoulders, and neck. When he finished, he told Mack to take his time getting up and to drink the water bottle he’d left for him then thanked him for coming.

  Mack thought he responded appropriately, but his mind was searching for Sariah. He sat up quick, saw stars for a second, and chugged the water bottle. Hurrying to put his shirt on, he rushed out the door and down the hallway. Just his luck the same, stern lady was at the reception desk.

  “How was your massage, sir?”

  “It was great.” Mack pulled out his wallet and paid the crazy low rate of thirty dollars for a full-hour massage and left a thirty-dollar tip. “Can I please schedule another one?”

  “Of course.” She tapped on her computer. “What date and time please?”

  “Right now,” Mack said.

  Her sharp gaze darted to him.

  “Three o’clock, please.”

  “You’re still hoping to find Sariah Udy?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Then she tapped on her screen some more and tilted her head. “This way, please.”

  He followed her down the short hallway to a different room. The smells and the waterfall imitation sounds were the same, must be a standard for the school. He shut the door, took off his shirt, and laid down again, praying, Please be Sariah, please be Sariah.