Southern Hearts (Southern Love Series) (15 page)

She dismissed Farrah with a wave of her hand.

Farrah leaned forward and kissed the older woman on her
cheek.

"Come back and visit me anytime, for free,"
Elspeth called out as Farrah left the small store.

"I will." Farrah waved goodbye.

"Austin, did you hear me?" Andrew spoke louder to
catch Austin's attention.

"Honestly, I think the interview with the magazine
went great if that's what you're trying to ask." Austin knew that the best
way for the public and his fans to get over what most people would call a
cheating scandal was to address the situation head-on instead of sweeping it
under the rug.

"Did you have to tell that reporter that you're going
to marry Farrah Rue?"

"I'm an honest guy, Andrew. What did you want me to
do, lie?" Austin paused. "I'm giving Farrah her space. We talked once
since this ordeal."

"
I felt compelled to tell my side of the story. I
take full responsibility for my actions.
"

"Andrew, you don't have to read what I said in the
interview; I know exactly what I said."

"Did you have to tell them that you didn't regret
falling in love with Farrah?"

Austin couldn't help but laugh. "If you look three
sentences below that, you will see that I said that Farrah is my soul mate and
it's hard for me to picture my life without her."

Andrew paced the dressing room as Austin prepared to take
the stage.

"I think the interview was brilliant," Vanessa,
the makeup artist, said.

"Thanks, sugar."

"Vanessa, you're not helping the situation."

"Come on, the man told the world he found his soul
mate. He admitted that he made the mistake of pursuing a relationship with
Farrah before he ended the relationship with Rebecca. But he is thankful that
Farrah came into his life before he made the mistake of marrying the wrong
woman and being unhappy for the rest of his life."

"What about your female fan base? They're not going to
like the fact that you cheated on your fiancée, who is portraying herself a
heartbroken woman," Andrew said.

"I don't care anymore. They can love me or hate
me."

Austin got up from the makeup chair, grabbed his cowboy hat
and his guitar, and walked out of the dressing room with an annoyed Andrew
behind him. He was done trying to make people like him; he was going to spend his
life with the woman he loved and their child. Nobody was going to write his
life story for him and dictate what they thought was right. When he did the
interview with the magazine reporter, he expressed his love for Farrah, but he
also told them he respected Rebecca and hoped that she found her soul mate. As
far as apologies to his fans, that would just have to do.

And tonight would be a special night in the Mercedes-Benz
Superdome.

Austin stepped onstage and immediately connected with the
jam-packed crowd. They cheered as he sang songs from his first album.
Forty-five minutes in, the lighting behind him grew softer, and the large video
backdrop above displayed an image of a romantic farm trail in autumn.

"Now I hope y'all like this song," he spoke
softly into the microphone. "It's dedicated to the woman I love."

"Girl, I need to hear your voice

"I need you in my life

"Do you know you're my light in my life?

"I feel so empty without you

"I can't go down this journey without you

"This can't be us

"I got the bottle of Jack to nurse away the
pain."

Austin peered into the crowd and saw the audience lift up
their cell phones and sway from side to side as he belted out the new song. He
hadn't been sure how it would go over with the crowd—it was a crossover between
country and R&B—but when he strummed the last chord, the amphitheater
erupted in applause.

***

Farrah lay in bed thinking about the past couple of days.
For some odd reason, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Her
father had given her the answer that she always been seeking deep down in her
heart.

Farrah knew there were two sides to a story. Her mother's
side would always be silent. She remembered watching Claude's body language as
he spoke about her mother. Farrah could tell that Claude was still in love with
her.

Claude DeCuir married only once, a marriage that ended in
divorce after two years, and he never had any children besides Farrah. Farrah
knew she didn't want to be like her father and mother, two people who were in love
with each other but allowed society to keep them apart. If she stayed away from
Austin because she listened to other people and their judgment, then she would
be destined to years of heartache just like her parents.

Picking up her cellphone, she dialed Austin's; it
immediately went to voicemail. Her hand went to the necklace that held the
charm but also a key to a ranch in Tennessee. The key was given to her as a new
start.

Farrah had a choice to make. Could she choose love and
happiness with Austin at the ranch in Tennessee?

***

Southern Hearts Ranch was unbelievably breathtaking. The
hundred-and-fifty-acre farm consisted of four residences. Trees lined the
gravel road to the main house. Farrah could barely contain her excitement as
she approached the magnificent estate. She could see Snowflake grazing in the pastures.
Austin had thought of everything regarding the property, which was fenced and
gated with an automatic security system. The gates opened as Farrah came
closer. She stood beside her rental car and gawked at the large three-story
Antebellum- style mansion with its high windows and tall, white columns. The
house emitted a charming historic ambience.

Farrah was in the midst of taking her luggage out of the
car when she heard someone walking up behind her. Turning around, she came
face-to-face with a heavy Spanish woman wearing business attire, a black button
blazer and black slacks.

"Hello," Farrah said.

"Hi, Farrah. We have been told to expect you. I'm
Regina, the house manager."

"It's nice to meet you," she said.

"Señor McBride talked about you. He wanted to make
sure everything was in order for your arrival. He didn't know when you would
show up, but every day, he made sure everything was running smoothly on the ranch."

Farrah smiled. "I figured it was time to come
home."

"Let me show you around the ranch. A woman in your
condition shouldn't be handling such heavy luggage. I will send a ranch hand to
get it."

"Thanks."

Farrah followed Regina around the sprawling green pastures
for miles on a golf cart; she was in awe of the hills tumbling into lakes and
the lush forestry. The green pastures seemed to go on forever on the giant
country estate.

Farrah was amazed at how peaceful and superb country living
was. The ranch was equipped with a salt water pool, a hot tub, and a
fourteen-stall barn that housed Snowflake and two other horses. There was even
an indoor riding arena. Each corner of the estate had a large pond stocked with
fish. Rustic, dusty roads crisscrossed and looped the extensive ranch. Open
fields, fenced livestock pastures, the rolling hills and meadow—they all seemed
like they went on forever.

The main house was what she would describe as a southern
brick mansion. She instantly fell in love with the high ceilings and the
stunning hardwood floors. Giant floor-to-ceiling windows provided an epic view
of the meadows outside. The rooms were all painted in elegant, natural shades.
She admired them as she padded across the dark and shiny wood floors.

A black and white photo of her riding Snowflake made her
stop dead in her tracks.

"Mr. McBride brought your items from storage and had
them placed upstairs in the loft area. He said he wanted you to feel at
home."

Farrah could barely speak. She nodded her head as she
continued to survey the house. The décor was rustic but chic. Her favorite
place in the house was probably the kitchen. It was so huge that Farrah felt like
it was bigger than her whole apartment. Industrial pot racks holding iron pans
hung from the ceiling. Moving her hand across the side-by-side stainless steel
ranges, she turned her attention to the Sub-Zero refrigerator, which she found
was fully stocked.

"Do you stay here on the ranch?" Farrah asked
Regina.

She was kind of feeling a little nervous about staying in a
house with seventeen rooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, and even a nanny's
corner with its own separate entrance and kitchen.

"I live off the ranch," Regina replied and
paused. "Hank Jackson and his wife moved to the ranch a few weeks ago. He
will be managing ranch business."

"I know Hank," Farrah said with amusement.

She was happy that Austin had thought of putting someone on
the ranch that she knew.

"I've already informed Hank that you have
arrived," Regina said.

Farrah wasn't used to having someone taking care of her.
"You can leave for the evening."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked.

"I'm sure. I need to get adjusted, and I have to make a
few phone calls."

"If you need anything, my number is programmed into
the phone, and also the two housekeepers will arrive in the morning,"
Regina said as she walked out of the room.

Farrah found the master bathroom and ran a hot bubble bath
in the huge white marble tub. The hot water helped ease her nerves and jitters
about calling Austin. Picking up the phone, she dialed his number.

***

Austin recognized the number calling his phone. He had
programmed it into his contacts.

"Hello."

He was scared. Depending on who answered, his hopes might
be dashed any second.

"I'm home," Farrah said.

Austin couldn't believe his ears. They had spoken a handful
of times, but every time he asked Farrah if she was coming home, she would
reply that she wasn't ready to go back to Texas. Going to Tennessee must have
meant something to her.

"How long are you going to stay?"

"You need to come home so we can talk about our
future."

Farrah's soft voice was music to his ears.

Austin didn't care that she didn't give him a definite
answer about how long she was going to be home. All he cared about at that
moment was that Farrah had reached out to him. "Are you okay, and the
baby?"

He stood up and started to pack, haphazardly throwing
clothes into a suitcase.

"Everything is fine."

"I'm in Wisconsin finishing up the last leg of the
Country
Nights
Tour. I'm having the jet fueled up as we speak," he said,
trying to contain his excitement.

"I'll be waiting for you."

Austin smiled and hung up the phone.

***

Austin entered the house using his house key. The mansion
had been renovated and decorated with Farrah in mind. He took every detail from
her apartment and the fact that she loved the old barn house's rustic décor to incorporate
a comfortable and cozy atmosphere he knew she would fall in love with. He knew
since the first day he met Farrah that he wanted to make her happy. But he also
realized that Farrah was a simple woman who didn't need the expensive things in
life. He laughed as he put his bags down near the stairs; his Farrah would have
been happy with a simple apartment. When Austin bought this house for Farrah,
it served as a symbol of hope for their future. He'd purchased the Nashville
ranch the night he saw Farrah riding Snowflake. He had things figured out until
Rebecca lied and schemed with a fake pregnancy to keep him and Farrah apart.

For the past few months, he'd put Farrah through so much.
Shit, Rebecca had even put together an online lynch mob that attacked Farrah
through social media. Shane told him about the threatening letters and the
vandalism at Farrah's apartment and restaurant.

Austin stood in the doorway of the upstairs master bedroom.
Farrah slept peacefully in the middle of the California king bed. He hadn't
seen Farrah in two months; his arms ached to hold her.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he smiled when his eyes
traveled to her small belly.

"Austin?" Farrah said sleepily as she turned to
look at him.

"Yeah, baby." He stroked the side of her face.
"Go back to sleep. I'm going to shower. I'll sleep in the master bedroom
downstairs."

"No." Farrah sat up in bed. "You can sleep
in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Farrah lay back on the pillow and closed
her eyes.

"Okay." Austin kissed Farrah on the forehead
before disappearing into the bathroom.

***

When morning arrived, he was alone in the bed. He heard a
horrible gurgling sound coming from the bathroom. Jumping up from the bed, he
rushed to the bathroom, where he saw Farrah kneeling in front of the toilet.

"Are you okay?" He kneeled beside her, pulling
her hair back from her face.

"Morning sickness."

Helping her stand up, he closed the lid to the toilet and
made her sit down.

Farrah couldn't help but smile as Austin went to get a cold
washcloth and her tooth brush.

"How long will you be sick? Maybe I should take you to
the doctor." Austin reached for the cordless phone in the bathroom.

"No." Farrah laughed as she brushed her teeth.
"You have a lot to learn, Mr. McBride."

"I want to learn everything, Farrah. I want to be
there for you every step of the way. And most importantly, I want you to be my
wife."

Austin's heart pounded against his ribcage as Farrah went
still in front of him.

"Austin." Farrah made a face that he couldn't
read. "I love you, but I don't think I'm ready for marriage right now."

"So, what are we doing, Farrah?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said softly and paused to
look at him. "I want us to be a family, Austin, but I would be lying if I
said that I wasn't afraid. See, I put hope and trust in you. I laid in bed next
to you and listened to every word that came out of your mouth."