Sara's Song (5 page)

Micki had been adamant that she’d seen Sara in the same dress she was wearing this evening a few years ago at the Grammy’s—which she’d attended with her then-husband, Kirk Bronson.

As Clay slow-danced Sara around the dance floor, he held her tight, wanting to remember every second of the time he’d spent with her. He’d heard people talk about love at first sight. He’d never thought it possible, but here he was with this newfound thought of not being quite enough for Sara, and it was killing him.

He didn’t think she harbored any leftover feelings for Kirk though. At least she didn’t seem like it. She’d convinced Clay that she was quite over her ex. And he believed her. But the kind of lifestyle Kirk had provided was a lot to live up to, and something Clay could never deliver.

“You know,” he whispered against her ear. “This is about the best that I could ever do for you.” He sucked in a breath and continued on with his bid for approval. “A quiet, simple life here in Fireside. My sister’ll throw a party like this every once in a while, and we’ll be invited.” Clay was overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy, a totally foreign concept to him. “Micki’s parties will be about the most glamorous thing I’ll ever be able to deliver.”

“This is all I’ve ever wanted,” she said so softly he barely heard her.

CHAPTER 7

T
he next morning, Clay had been quiet the entire drive over to drop Sara off at her place. For some reason, he’d clammed up at the party and she wanted to know why.

“I had fun last night,” she said, hoping to get him talking again.

“During or after the party?” He looked at her and grinned.

“Both,” she said with a grin. “But especially afterwards.”

Rolling into the parking lot of her apartment complex, he shifted into neutral and reached for her, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m working the next three nights.”

“You want to come over for dinner on Thursday?”

He hesitated, then smiled. “I’d like that.” He leaned toward her and laid a kiss on her that devoured her mouth. “If we’re slow, I’ll call you.”

Sara pushed herself to open the car door and step out. She hurried to her door and glanced over her shoulder as she inserted the key into the lock. Clay’s red Corvette was pulling out onto the street. She thought she saw him waving behind the tinted window just before he floored it and zipped out of site.

Hours later, just before Sara sat down to eat dinner, her phone rang. “Hello,” she said into the receiver.

“Hey...it’s me.” Clay’s voice flowed across the wire.

“Hey...” Sara smiled to herself and sat down at the dining table. “How’re things at the fire and rescue?”

“Lonely.”

“Lonely? Aren’t there a ton of guys there with you?”

“They’re boring.”

Sara laughed.

“I’ve been thinking...” Clay said.

“About...?”

“I don’t think I can wait until Thursday to see you.”

“No...?” Her breath caught in her throat. Clay was sounding like himself again, before whatever had happened at the party last night had turned him off.

“Let’s have dinner tomorrow evening before I go to work,” he suggested.

Your place or mine?”

He was silent for a moment, then said, “My place.” He delivered a devilish chuckle. “That way, you can spend the night and wait for me when I get home Tuesday morning.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said. “But I have to go to work Tuesday.”

“You can be a little late,” he said. “Harvey won’t mind.”

“You’re a bad influence,” she said behind a chuckle. “You know that, don’t you?”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” he said enticingly.

“Tempting.” The timer on the stove went off. “My dinner’s ready to come out of the oven.”

“Go eat. I’ll talk to you later.”

An hour later, Sara had finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. She’d spent so much time with Clay this past week that she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself now that he was at work.

She strolled into the living room and picked up the television guide she’d pulled out of the Sunday paper and left on the coffee table for reference. She checked it to see if there was anything on this evening.

A firm knock at the door tore into her thoughts.

Sara tossed the guide back onto the coffee table and went for the door. She tried to guess who it might be, but had no luck. Clay was at work.

Peering through the peephole, she said, “What the...?” Stepping back, she yanked open the door. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Sara...” Kirk sighed and relief tipped the corners of his mouth. “I was beginning to think I’d never find you.” He reached for her. She stepped back, away from him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked again, more forceful this time.

“Looking for you.”

Sara motioned him inside. “Did anybody see you? Recognize you?” That’d be disastrous. If anyone recognized Kirk, it would only a matter of time before Sara’s true identity came out. Once that happened, her quiet and solitude, as well as her budding relationship with Clay, was shot to hell.

“What’s with you, Sara?” Kirk smiled, but his voice was shaky. “Since when have you ever cared what people think?”

Sara slammed the door. “Since the Press won’t leave me alone.” She stomped back toward the living room.

“Forget about the Press, Sara.” Kirk dropped to her side on the couch. “Come back to England with me.” He reached for her hands.

“Are you nuts?” She yanked her hands back. “What makes you think I’d do something stupid like that?”

“We never should’ve divorced, Sara.”

Sara nodded. “Uh huh. I see what this is about.” She poked an accusatory finger at Kirk’s chest. “Roxanne dumped you.” She let out an exasperated sigh and pushed herself up from the couch. “Come on.” She waggled her hand at him. He took it and smiled, rising to stand beside her. “I am so not in the mood for this.” She led him to the door, opened it and glared at him.

“Sara...” He shook his head. “We made a huge mistake.”

“Boy, did we ever.” She nodded and pushed him outside. “We never should’ve gotten married in the first place,” she added, before slamming the door on him.

It was an epiphany that had smacked her right in the face. Marrying Kirk Bronson was something that never should’ve happened.

CHAPTER 8

L
ast night Sara had shown Kirk to the door with no regrets. There was no place for him in her life now. There was only room for Fireside and Clay, and not necessarily in that order. She was going to tell Clay tonight, exactly who she was and what it’d mean if the Press found out she was here.

As she drove herself to Clay’s house after work, she practiced her speech. “Clay, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Yes, that was a good start.

“Remember that ex-husband I was telling you about?” Sara coached herself. “Why, yes, Sara. Why do you keep bringing him up? Is this thing between you two not over?” Sara let out an exaggerated sigh. “God...Clay would never be that insecure.”

Definitely not. Clay was far too full of himself to be threatened by another man.

But what about a rock star? Could he feel threatened by a rock star?

Sara was just going to have to make sure that he wasn’t.

She pulled into Clay’s driveway, and parked next to the Fire and Rescue truck he drove. Sara got out of the car and went to the front door. It opened before she could knock. Clay pulled her inside, into his arms and planted a slow, smoldering kiss on her. “I thought you’d never get here,” he said, closing the door.

“We have to talk,” she said, trying to project her seriousness onto him.

“On an empty stomach?” he chuckled.

“Look, I just need to tell you some things, and then, if you still want to, we can eat.”

“Okay.” He tugged her into the living room and guided her down onto the couch. “Tell me what it is that you think is so important.”

He was indulging her as if she were in a fragile state of mind, but she didn’t care. She was going to tell him her secret before somebody else did. “It’s who I was back in England.” She shook her head. “No matter what we do, it’s always going to be a dark cloud hanging over us.”

“I don’t care who you were in England,” he said. “I only care about who you are now.”

“Yeah, well...” She rolled her eyes. “You might feel differently when you learn the truth.”

“I know the truth.” He gave her a long, searching look. “Now the only way this could turn out to be a problem is if you’re still in love with him.”

“I’m not,” she said emphatically. “I realized that last night.” She lowered her gaze right along with her tone. “When he showed up at my door.”

“What?” Clay shouted with a growl of caged fury. “He was here? What happened?”

“Nothing. I tossed him out.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t change the fact that if he can find me, so can the Press.” She gave a helpless shrug. “Once they do, they’ll make your life and everybody else’s in town a living hell.”

“We have our ways of dealing with unwanted visitors here in Fireside.” He laughed devilishly.

“Is it legal?” she asked, half-serious.

A smile tipped the corners of Clay’s mouth, then he pulled her to him and kissed her.

“You do make a good case for your argument,” she said, finally feeling like she could relax a little.

“So you were married to that idiot Kirk Bronson?” he said, and it wasn’t really a question.

“Idiot, huh?” She laughed. “You know him pretty well.”

“Not really.” Clay shrugged. “But I do know this…only an idiot would let you get away.”

“It’s just as well.” Sara shook her head. “He can’t compare to you.”

“His loss is my gain,” Clay said. “But you might want to contact him one last time.”

“Why’s that?”

“To give him fair warning,” Clay said. “Next time he shows up here in Fireside, he’ll answer to me.”

EPILOGUE

Six Months Later
....

M
ost mornings Sara and Clay dropped into Ruby’s diner first thing in the morning. While she was usually going to work, he could be coming or going, as he sometimes worked the night shift.

They always sat at the counter. And today, Clay watched her as she slid off the stool and headed for the restroom.

Jewel stepped up to Clay and poured coffee into his cup. “Times are kind of boring around here, Clay. When are you gonna give us something to look forward to?”

“What do you mean?” He chuckled as if her inquiry made him nervous.

“You know what I mean.” She tossed him a chastising look and turned away.

“Doesn’t Micki bring you enough gossip from Sacramento?” he asked, pointing out that his sister, who had recently been elected to the state legislature, should be the talk of the town. Not him.

Jewel turned back around and leaned on the counter. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“Keep it down, will you?” Clay winked at Jewel. “You’ll ruin my surprise.”

She gave him a rough glare. “Don’t mess around and lose that girl, Clay.”

The bell jingled over the door at the front of the café, claiming Clay and Jewel’s attention. Clay didn’t recognize the guy walking in, and he doubted Jewel did either.

The stranger was wearing a dress shirt and slacks. He glanced around the diner and stepped toward the counter, handing Jewel a picture. “I’m looking for this woman.”

Jewel looked at the picture then passed it off to Clay. Sara. Jewel said, “Can’t say that I know her. Who is she?”

“Her name’s Sara Bronson.”

“Never heard of her,” Jewel said.

“She might be going by the name Sara Robbins,” the stranger said.

Jewel shook her head and gazed around the diner. “Anybody here know a Sara Bronson or Sara Robbins?”

Everyone shook their heads. The guy pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Jewel. “If you see her…”

Jewel looked at the card, then stuck it in her apron pocket. The guy dipped his chin and backed away, heading for the door. “Damn reporters,” Jewel said under her breath as he left the diner.

Sara returned from the restroom, checking her watch as she sat back down on the stool next to Clay. “I should be going soon. I don’t want to be late for work.”

“You can’t go yet,” Jewel said.

“Why not?” Sara glanced at Jewel, then Clay.

“There was a reporter in here just now, looking for you,” Clay said like it was no big deal.

“What…?” Sara asked weakly. “How do you know he was looking for me?”

“Sara Bronson.” He shrugged. “Also known as Sara Robbins.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jewel said. “We told him we’ve never heard of you.”

The entire diner corroborated Jewel’s story with nodding heads and a few
yeahs
.

Sara gazed around the diner, awed, amazed and appreciative for what the people of Fireside were willing to do to protect her.

Clay leaned toward her and whispered, “I told you that we take care of our own here.”

“You guys are
adopting
me, a Brit?” She laughed.

“Nah…” Jewel shrugged. “We’re letting you in by marriage.”

“Marriage?” Sara got this confused look on her face.

“Thanks a lot, Jewel.” Clay grumbled. “I told you not to ruin my surprise.”

“Well if you’d just go ahead and ask her to marry you…” Jewel gestured elaborately at Sara, giving Clay a look that said she was growing tired of waiting on him.

Clay turned to Sara and shrugged. “Come outside with me?” he asked, offering his hand.

S
ara studied Clay for a moment. Was this his idea or Jewel’s? Maybe he was just trying to make a break for it. As his lover, she should help him. She took the hand he offered and followed him outside to his Fire and Rescue truck. He opened the passenger door and nudged her inside. She sat with her feet dangling off the side of the seat.

“Well, like I’ve already told you…” He raked his hand across his forehead anxiously. Was he nervous? “A simple life here in Fireside is about the best I can ever do for you.”

She nodded, feeling a sudden elation curling the corners of her mouth.

“I have no grand gestures up my sleeve. Just a simple declaration.” He dropped down on one knee and fished the little jewelry box from his pocket. “Sara Robbins, I’ll love you forever.” He opened the box. “Marry me and make me the luckiest man on Earth.”