Southern Hearts (Southern Love Series) (11 page)

Austin heard movement from behind him. It was Farrah,
wearing one of Shane's Texas Ranger t-shirts. "Why are you here?" she
asked.

"I wanted to see how you were feeling." He took a
step towards her, but she stepped back.

"I'm okay."

She turned to go back in the room, but he grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I don't want to hear your apology. It's okay, because
you know that I love you. My love for you hurts, Austin. You meant so much to
me. I would have done any and everything for you because you meant that much to
me," she said as she fought to keep her composure.

"Farrah, I don't want to see you cry," he said as
he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You gained my trust, my body—you even gained my heart,
and then you stomped all over it like it didn't mean shit to you." She
shook her head.

"I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. Do you know I
would take a bullet for you?" He tried to pull her to him.

"Stop!" she screamed. "I made a mistake with
you, and I promise to God I won't make that same mistake with you again."

"Do you mean that?"

He was hurt, but what did he expect her to say?

"Yes," she cried. "I want you to
leave."

Her cries were cutting him deeply. Austin pulled her into
his arms; he could smell her sweet perfume. "I can't let you go, Farrah. I
tried, but I can't."

Farrah held onto Austin. "It's killing me, but we have
to let go," she said and moved out of his arms. "Get married and
bring your child into the world."

Farrah kissed Austin on the lips, a soft, tender kiss,
before leaving him standing there. He watched her disappear into the room.

"Three years or maybe five days from now," Shane
told him, "you're going to realize you made the biggest mistake of your
life. Farrah will not be waiting around for you. It's going to be too late
then, because she will never forget the hurt and pain you put her
through."

"I like how people think the decision I'm making right
now is the easy one, but it's not," Austin said. "When Farrah told me
about her soul mate, well… I knew the first day I met her that she was the one
for me."

"You are standing there telling me that you're going
to let your soul mate go?" Shane asked.

"I have to let my future play out with Rebecca,"
Austin said.

"Just stay away from Farrah," Shane pleaded.
"I love this woman like a sister. And she reminds me of Sarah," he
added softly.

Shane's wife, Sarah McBride, had been killed one year ago
by a drunk driver on her way home from culinary school. She had had the same
ambitions as Farrah. Shane was the responding officer; he didn't recognize
Sarah until it was too late.

Running his hands through his hair, Austin walked to
Farrah's bedroom and stepped inside. He knew this was decision time for him.

***

Farrah sat on the bed, muffling her sobs with a pillow.
Love was terrible. You never knew what you were going to experience. One minute
it could be comforting, and the next moment it could be scary and painful.
Farrah didn't feel okay; getting up, she rushed to the bathroom.

She stood in front of the mirror. Austin stood in the
doorway looking at her. She brushed her teeth and refused to look at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he handed her a
towel. "Stress and not eating will make you sick," she said.
"Farrah—" he started to say.

Farrah raised her hand up to stop him. "I've heard
enough. Honestly, Austin, I don't care anymore. Just stay away from me, and
I'll do the same for you. Actually, I'm thinking about leaving Dallas."

"I can't fight anymore. No matter who I'm with, I will
always love you. I want you to be happy."

Farrah walked past him to the bedroom. "This is not
new to me, Austin. I know what pain feels like, and I'm pretty sure this won't
be my last time experiencing this hurt."

"Farrah, take the money," he said.

"No." She didn't want anything from him.

"I already put money into your business account; not
to mention I opened an account with your name," he said.

"Is this a pay off? Newsflash, Austin, I'm not going
to tell anyone. Plus, I think the whole world knows already." She laughed
hysterically.

Austin snatched Farrah up and pulled her roughly against
him. "I don't give a damn what you think, I'm giving you money because I
love you and I want you to be taken care of."

"Go home to your pregnant fiancée," Farrah said,
moving away from him.

Austin put a set of keys on the nightstand before he took
one last look at her and left. "Goodbye," she said softly once the
door had closed.

Two Weeks Later

Farrah looked around the empty restaurant. Southern Rose
Eatery was her hope and dream. She had named it after her mother, Rose Rue, and
she always dreamt that one day she would pass it down to her future kids, but
that didn't seem like it was going to happen. In a few days, she was closing
down the restaurant. Since her affair with Austin was publicized, her
restaurant was barely scratching the surface with customers. With the countless
break-ins and vandalizing, she decided that the best option was to close until
further notice.

Farrah unfolded the letter and placed it with the other
threatening letters she had been receiving. She had over thirty letters from
Austin's fans threatening to kill her. But this last letter had her rattled.

The door of the restaurant closed.

"Shane?" Farrah called out. When no one said
anything, she grabbed the knife off the chopping block as she tried to remember
if she had locked the front door.

"It's me," he yelled out, stepping into the kitchen.
"Are you done packing?"

"I have a few more boxes." Farrah placed the
knife back on the counter.

"Well, Hank and the guys will be here in thirty
minutes."

The whole ordeal was making her sick, so Farrah's plan was
to take a month long trip to Aruba to get her mind off all her troubles.

"This box is trash." Farrah tossed the box with
the letters into the garbage can. "Did you lock the door back?"

"Yeah." Shane watched Farrah; he noticed that she
was visibly shaken. "Farrah, what changed since I left?"

"Nothing."

"Okay," he said reluctantly.

Farrah could see Shane was reading her and knew it was only
a matter of time before he found out the truth.

She sighed. "There was a letter."

She went to the trash and dug out the box. Shane took it
from her.

You should have stayed with your own kind

Bitch I'm going to burn you alive in your restaurant

"Farrah, there's thirty-something letters in this box.
How could you keep this to yourself?"

"Shane, I just want to get the hell out of
Texas."

"Farrah, these are terroristic threats. It's a
crime." Shane unclipped his phone and called for a deputy to come to the
restaurant.

"It's just an angry person ranting," Farrah said,
trying to convince herself more so than Shane.

A loud shattering of glass sent Shane running to the front
of the restaurant; the window was smashed. Farrah caught a glimpse of a man
standing there on the other side; he was holding a bottle with a burning rag
sticking out of it. Shane knocked Farrah down as something exploded near them.
The building instantly filled with thick, black smoke, and Farrah began to
cough and choke.

"Stay low, Farrah." Shane crawled to the back of
the building where the emergency exit was located.

Farrah couldn't see anything; she was blinded by the smoke
that stung her eyes as she crawled for safety behind Shane. Farrah could feel
the heat from the fire; she turned back for a second to see the orange and red
flames. The fire crackled and popped around them as it consumed everything in
the room. Making it to the emergency exit, she watched as Shane tried with all
his might to get the door to open.

"Something's blocking it," he said. "Head to
the bathroom window." Farrah felt weak and couldn't breathe.

Shane must have sensed her distress; he came up beside her
and nearly pulled her into the bathroom. Turning on the water, Shane grabbed
some paper towels and wet them. He put one over his mouth and handed one to
her.

"Come on, baby," he said.

Farrah screamed as the wall started to bubble up. The
flames were getting closer; if they didn't get out soon, they would surely die
in the restaurant.

Farrah lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was in the
back of an ambulance with Shane. His face was black from the smoke.

"You're okay," he said before her world went dark
again.

***

Austin was awakened by the shrill sound of his phone ringing.
Rolling over, he finally answered after the third ring. He was still tired from
performing his last concert of the season in Florida. All he wanted to do was
get some sleep.

"Hello." Austin said.

"Shit, man, there was a fire at the restaurant!"

Austin could barely understand Hank. "Catch your
breath!"

"Fire at Southern Rose, Shane and Farrah are on their
way to the hospital."

"Which hospital?" Austin bellowed, jumping out of
bed. "Are they okay?"

"Everything is gone," Hank shouted.

Austin could hear the sirens in the background. "What
about Farrah?"

"We aren't her family, man," Hank said.
"They will only disclose her condition to family members."

Austin hung up and called to have to his jet ready within
an hour.

After two hours, he walked through Baylor Medical Hospital,
searching for Farrah's room. He found Shane in Farrah's room holding her hand.
Austin walked into the room, but his eyes stayed on Farrah and Shane holding
hands.

"Are you okay?" Austin asked.

"Austin!"

Austin registered shock on Farrah's beautiful face.

Just for a second, he saw something between Farrah and
Shane. "Am I interrupting something?" he looked back and forth
between the two of them.

"No."

Farrah looked at Shane.

"No," he finally said.

"What happened?" Austin sat on the bed and
cradled Farrah's hand in his.

"Someone burned the restaurant down."

"Not just anyone." Shane grumbled. "One of
your loyal, crazy-ass fans burned the restaurant down with us in it."

"Austin, we need to get going," Samuel said when
he poked his head inside the room.

"Two minutes." Austin looked at Shane. "Can
I talk to her privately?"

***

A second ticked off before Shane left the two former lovers
alone. "Are you sure you're okay?" Austin asked as he pulled her to
him.

"I'm sure," Farrah mumbled, slowly wrapping her
arms around Austin.

"What's going on between you and Shane?" he
asked.

"Nothing. He saved my life. If he wasn't there with me
tonight, I wouldn't be alive right now."

Farrah inhaled Austin's masculine scent knowing this would
be the last time she would ever see him.

"Do you still have that key I left you at
Shane's?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I bought you a ranch in Tennessee. You will find
Snowflake there," he said with a smile.

She shook her head no. "I can't accept that."

"Farrah, baby, look at me," he said softly. She
looked up into his soft grey eyes.

"I knew you were my soul mate when I first laid eyes
on you. I made the purchase a few weeks ago. I thought we could start our
beginning there," he said.

"I can't take a house from you," she said,
wishing that she had the key to give back to him.

"It's your home; the deed is already drawn up,"
he replied with a smile.

"I'm stuck with the memories we shared together. I
made the choice to fall for you." Farrah stroked the side of Austin's
face. "I wish we could go back."

Their lips met in a slow, sensual kiss.

"I love you," he said as he rested his forehead
against hers.

"I love you, too." Farrah kissed Austin again
before he stood up. "Goodbye."

"Bye," he said and left the room.

***

Farrah lay in bed and touched her swollen lips. When she
saw Austin standing in the doorway, she wanted him to tell her that he'd
changed his mind and was coming back to her. Laying her head back on the
pillow, she closed her eyes and exhaled. Farrah let go of the past and looked
forward to her future.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Shane asked from the
doorway.

Farrah opened her eyes to see Shane standing at the end of
her bed.

"He's having a baby with Rebecca. I'm a grown woman,
Shane; I can raise my son or daughter on my own."

"My cousin has the right to know," he said.

"Not right now. I promise to tell him, but not right
now." She pleaded for him to understand where she was coming from.

"Has he ever lied to you?" Shane asked, sitting
down in the chair by the bed.

"No," she said as she bit down on her bottom lip.
"I can tell him on my own terms." Farrah closed her eyes.

For the past couple of hours, her life had been like hell.
Someone had tried to kill her by burning her restaurant down with her inside.
Now she found out she was six weeks pregnant. She knew exactly when it
happened, the time at the ranch in the bathroom.

"Farrah, I will be there every step of the way. I'm
going to the islands with you to help you settle in."

"I can't let you take time off from work for me,"
she said, shaking her head. The last thing she needed was to escape only to be
around another McBride.

"I have a lot of time. When my Sarah died, I didn't
take time off from work. I have a lot of time on the books. I will spend a week
or two with you," he said, ignoring her.

"Fine," Farrah agreed when she saw that Shane
wasn't going to back off. "What about the fire? Do they know who burned my
restaurant down?"

"Not a clue," Shane said. "But I don't want
you worrying your pretty little head."

"How am I not supposed to worry?" she said, looking
at him. "I just cashed in my savings, not to mention my livelihood is burnt
down to the ground, and I'm having a baby."

"I will help you if needed," Shane said, looking
at her.

"I don't want anyone to help," she mumbled.

"Everyone needs help," Shane muttered.

"Whatever," Farrah said and closed her eyes.

***

"Last Thing I Remember Is Her Kissing Me
Goodbye."

Austin's smooth country was playing, a song about a woman
he loved but had to let go. "That's good, man," Diggy, the engineer,
said when Austin stepped out of the booth.

"Thanks, man." Austin sat in the chair thinking
about Farrah. He wondered where she was and if she was okay.

"Do you love her?" Diggy asked.

Austin knew that Diggy wasn't talking about Rebecca.
"Yeah."

"Then go after her. Fuck everyone who says that being
with her could be bad for your career." Diggy smiled.

Austin watched as Diggy adjusted the sound on the boards.

"I say give them something to talk about right now. I
think that after they listen to your new album, they will understand the love
you have for this woman," Diggy said as he played back the song Austin had
just recorded.

Austin laughed. "My momma used to say that."

"Go bring Farrah home. Everyone saw how happy she
makes you," Diggy continued. "If you don't go get her, you will
always regret not going after her."

Maybe he was right. Farrah was stuck in his system, and she
wasn't going anywhere. Being away from her was killing him. He had to make this
right. She'd already lost so much due to him. Picking up his phone, he called
everyone he paid, from his lawyers to the road manager.

It was time to pick up the woman he loved.

***

Farrah closed her eyes and listened to the waves as they
broke the shoreline. She wiggled her feet in the warm sand as the sun shone
down on her. A tropical breeze blew over her. This was absolute paradise; there
was no ringing cell phone to distract her. She couldn't wait to rebuild
Southern Rose, but she was conflicted on rebuilding in the same location.

"Magnificent." She smiled.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the luminous turquoise sea
before her. Being in Aruba was good for her and the baby. Since their arrival,
Shane had been watching her like a hawk, making sure she rested and ate
properly.

She was happy he had come to Aruba with her; it was nice
having someone around to talk to. One thing she most appreciated about Shane
was that he didn't mention Austin or the fact that she should tell him about the
baby.

Farrah looked up when a shadow leaned over her. "Hey,
Shane."

"I come bearing food." He smiled and put the
basket down on the blanket next to her.

"I'm not really hungry."

Farrah laughed when Shane gave her a
yeah right
expression

"I brought fruit salad, fritters, and jerk
chicken." Shane laid the food out on the blanket.

"Mmm," Farrah moaned when she bit into the
juiciest, sweetest strawberry she'd ever had.

"Good?" Shane laughed.

"You have no idea."

"Farrah, I want you to know that if you decide not to
tell my cousin you're carrying his baby, then I'm willing to tell him for
you," Shane said softly.

Farrah touched Shane's hand. "I'm going to tell him in
a few days," she said.

"Good." He kissed her cheek.

Farrah ate two helpings of the jerk chicken, sipping on her
virgin piña colada. "Have you heard from him?"

"Actually, he called me this morning; he said he
needed to speak to you," Shane said as he put his sunglasses on.

"You didn't tell him where we are?" Farrah
stuttered. She wasn't ready to see Austin yet.

"Nothing," Shane said simply as he bit into a
piece of melon. "Do you want to do more sightseeing today?"

"Maybe later." Farrah lay back on the blanket and
stared up at the blue sky. "Did they catch the person responsible for burning
down my restaurant?"

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure the culprit will get
caught," Shane said as he lay on the blanket next to her.

"Tell me about Sarah."

Farrah reached for Shane's hand when she heard him sigh.

"High school sweethearts. We fell in love our
sophomore year when she spilled her juice on me." Farrah could see that
Shane was trying to keep his composure.