Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3) Read online

  “He most certainly will not,” Rachel joked back. “Want to hold Faith?” Devin stepped up and took little Chance, who settled into his dad’s arms like he had always been there.

  Before he could answer, Emily stepped up, holding Faith. “Meet Faith Elise Putnam.”

  She laid the baby carefully in Ellis’ arms, and he sat down carefully in the rocking chair, closing his eyes briefly. She was so tiny and helpless. Her mouth opened and closed and her eyes squinted tightly before she drifted back to sleep in his arms.

  “They’re beautiful,” Ellis smiled at Rachel. “She does look like you, Rachel.”

  “Doesn’t she?” Rachel beamed. “We got one of each. Chance looks just like his daddy.”

  As if on cue, both babies started squirming and crying, their mouths rooting for their mom. “Well, time to clear the room for a bit,” the nurse arrived. “These babies need to eat, and Mom needs her rest. Why don’t you guys go visit our cafeteria and gift shop and come back in a few hours?”

  The group said their goodbyes to Rachel and Devin as the nurse helped settle both babies for their feeding. Ellis clapped Devin on the shoulder. “I’ll see you next week. Don’t let those babies grow too much in that time.”

  “Good luck with Sam,” Devin answered, wiggling his eyebrows. Ellis rolled his eyes.

  “It’s a job, Dev. Nothing more.”

  “So you say, you dirty dog. You haven’t met her yet though, have you?”

  Ellis shook his head. “I saw her online. You may not have any faith in me, but I can keep it in my pants.”

  “You looked her up online? Oh, this is going be better than I thought…”

  Ellis looked back at his friend, his head peering out of the almost closed door. “Shut up, Dev. Just shut up.” The last thing he heard was laughter echoing down the hallway as Devin shut the door.

  Ellis parked his car behind the arena, as he was instructed. He left his overnight bag in the backseat. He would be following them to the beach house they had rented after the rehearsal today.

  Walking to the back door, he rapped on it three times. His stomach felt like a lead brick was sitting in it. Stop being ridiculous, he told himself. Why did you do this to yourself? All for extra money?

  After a few moments, the door opened and a muscular guy in a tight black shirt answered it. Ellis stepped back so he could see him better. He was an older guy, probably early fifties, but was in amazing shape. He had to be Sam’s head of security.

  “Brian?” Ellis said, and Brian nodded. “Ellis Warner.”

  Brian smiled, holding out his hand. “Hey, Ellis. Great to meet you. Come on in. You check everything out here?” Ellis shook his hand, firm grip matching firm grip.

  He looked around again before following him in the door. “Yes. I didn’t see anyone out here.”

  “Follow me,” Brian said, making sure the door was deadlocked behind him. “Sam is in her dressing room right now getting ready for rehearsal. She’ll rehearse for a few hours, then she will want to go to the beach house for a little while to relax before the show tonight. I’ll introduce you to all the guys while we’re here, then we’ll discuss the itinerary, and I’ll brief you on the stalker when we go to the house.”

  “Sounds good,” Ellis liked Brian right away. “How long have you known Sam?”

  Brian stopped at a door. “Her dad and I are friends. I’ve known her since she was a little kid. This has always been her dream. It’s nice to be part of it now.”

  He followed Brian into the room, noticing many guys milling around. When they saw him, they stopped. “This is Luke and Jason, Sam’s band. They’ve been friends of hers forever. Guys, this is Ellis, Sam’s new security.”

  Luke and Jason exchanged a look that Ellis couldn’t quite decipher, then looked back at him. “Nice to meet you,” Luke stepped forward, and Ellis shook his hand. Jason followed.

  “I’m glad you’re here to help protect Sam,” Jason said. “She’s very special to us, and it makes us worried to see this person getting to her like they have.”

  “It stops now,” Ellis said confidently. “Brian and I are going to make sure of it.” He didn’t want to alienate Brian by making it sound like he was going to do better than him, but he knew he would. He was younger, more agile, and probably up on the tricks of these idiots more so than Brian was.

  “We have to get out on the stage and make sure our equipment is set up,” Luke said, moving past the two men. “Sam will be out soon and will have our heads if it isn’t right.”

  Ellis lifted an eyebrow at Brian. He laughed. “That’s totally not true. Sam is the opposite of a diva. She’s the kindest person you will ever meet.”

  He wanted to groan. Why couldn’t she be a bitch?

  “Brian!” a voice boomed down the hallway.

  “That’s Samuel,” Brian announced. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Sam’s parents.” A nervous twinge took over in Ellis’ stomach. Her parents? Oh my.

  Just as Brian opened the door, Samuel Kerrigan appeared in the doorway, a woman standing slightly behind him. He knew right away that was Sam’s mom, because she looked just like her, only older. A beautiful woman in her early fifties, she was dressed to the nine’s in a designer suit and heels, not a hair out of place. She looked like the epitome of a southern woman.

  “Samuel, Ella, this is Ellis Warner, Sam’s temporary security while we’re here. Ellis, Sam’s parents, Samuel and Ella.”

  Samuel smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. Reaching out his hand, he shook it strongly. “Of course. I recognize you by your picture. You sure are a handsome guy! You remember that you’re here to guard my Samantha, and that’s it.”

  “Samuel!” Ella laughed, placing her feminine hand in his strong one. “Ignore him. That’s his little princess, and he’s like a big ol’ papa bear about her. I’m sure Ellis is a professional, dear. It’s great to meet you, Ellis. Thank you so much for agreeing to help Sam while she’s here. I know it has already made her feel so much safer, knowing you and Brian have her back.”

  Ellis nodded, smiling at her parents. He could sense that they were very involved in everything she did, so he knew that he would have to tread carefully, especially with her dad. “Brian and I will take care of everything,” he reassured. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Brian took Ellis to meet the rest of the security team, the roadies, and the manager of the arena. They scoped out the perimeter, noting the entrances and the places that might be vulnerable to anyone trying to get to Sam. Ellis questioned Brian on all the roadies, and how much he knew about each one of them, while they were touring the arena. Brian told him that they had all been background checked, but at this point, everyone was a suspect. Ellis made a mental note to talk to each one of them individually later on after the show.

  “Where do they stay while you’re here?” Ellis questioned as he and Brian stood at the top of the arena in the box seats. The guys were on the stage, tinkering around with their instruments. The light technicians were adjusting the lights, and the roadies milled around, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. The only thing missing was Sam.

  “On the other bus. Sam’s bus is just for her and her family. One of us may stay on the bus if she feels she needs it, but otherwise, we travel in caravan style. Since we’ll be here for a few days before moving on to our other Florida stops, we rented a few beach houses where her shoot is going to be.”

  “Sam will be out soon,” Brian said, turning to walk away. “Come on, I’ll introduce you before she goes out to rehearse. Have you ever seen her sing before?” He sounded like a proud papa.

  Ellis felt like this could be a trick question. Should he admit that he looked her up online? “No,” he lied. “I don’t keep up much on country music, admittedly.”

  Brian laughed. “Understood. It’s not my cup of tea either, but wait until you hear this girl. She’s beyond amazing, Ellis. She deserves all the success she has gotten, because she’s just that go
od.”

  As they walked the rest of the way back to the stage, they fell into a comfortable silence. If Ellis was honest with himself, he was running scenario after scenario through his head of what he would say and do when he met this woman. Meeting women never intimidated him because he knew that even if they were interested in him, chances were, he wasn’t in them. This time, however, he thought maybe he was in over his head.

  Before he knew it, Brian was stopped at a black door with a star on the front that someone had put Sam’s signature logo on. Ellis stared at the curly letters, Sam Kerrigan, with a heart over the ‘i’ and a cowboy hat over the ‘S’. He knocked once. “Sam? It’s Brian. I have someone here I want you to meet. You about ready?”

  “Hey, Brian! I’m almost ready! Give me 30 seconds.” The southern drawl of her voice sent electric shocks down Ellis’ spine, and he wished he could roll his eyes at himself. What in the world had gotten into him?

  The next thing he knew, the door swung open, and standing in front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The video he had watched of her, as captivating as it was, didn’t hold a candle to seeing her two feet away from him. Her eyes connected briefly to Brian’s, but then she turned her gaze to him, and he swore he felt like he was on fire. Molten lava ran through his veins. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Her dark hair was up in a neat ponytail, leaving her smooth neck exposed. She wore a pair of tight white jeans, a loose sweater, and cowboy boots, of course. She had makeup on, but not like when she was performing. Her dark eyes were rimmed in eyeliner, her lips in a shiny lip gloss, and her face looked fresh and clean. He felt completely speechless, and idiotic.

  “This is Ellis,” Brian broke the silence. “Your new security. Ellis, this is Samantha, known as Sam to everyone but her parents.”

  Ellis knew he should hold out his hand to clasp hers. But he was having a hard time making his brain cells fire. Well, he should say the correct brain cells. Sam locked her gaze with Ellis’ again, and she smiled, almost successfully knocking the breath out of him. Nothing should be that captivating. She searched his eyes, and he swore that not only could she read every thought that he was having, but she could look right into his soul.

  Sam looked at Ellis, knowing that the picture she was shown on her dad’s phone didn’t compare to seeing him standing here. He was delectable, wearing a pair of faded jeans, a plaid shirt that couldn’t hide his ripped muscles, and a pair of dark brown work boots. His dark hair was styled to look messy, and he had a bit of stubble on that chiseled, handsome face. But when she looked into his eyes, she felt her heart start pounding so loud she was sure he could hear it. She had never seen eyes quite like his before. They were only what she could call sea green colored, slightly blue, and the way he looked at her made her want to check to see if she was dressed. His gaze was hot and intense, melting her right to her core.

  Get yourself together, she chastised herself. So he’s hot. You knew he was. Be professional.

  “Ellis,” she said softly, reaching her hand out. “It’s great to meet you.”

  He looked at her hand, then back into her eyes. She knew Brian was there, but for the life of her couldn’t make her eyes look at him. “Sam,” he said finally, his voice causing a trembling earthquake in her stomach. Never had her name sounded so sexy. She watched as he reached his hand out to hers, and noted that his hand was easily almost twice the size of hers. When his hand touched hers, she had to bite down on her lip to keep from gasping. She felt like the stupidest girl on the planet, but she swore he just electrocuted her. Her eyes fixated on their joined hands until he started pulling back, and then she looked back up at him. He smiled, showcasing yet another perfect feature of his—his amazing teeth. She found herself wishing she could touch his full lips with her thumb, just to see if they felt as soft as they looked.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” he finally said, sticking his hand in his pocket. “I guess Brian and I are going to go watch you rehearse now, then head back with you to the house to go over everything.”

  Sam blinked, her mind still reeling. “O-okay. See you guys out there.”

  She walked away, trying without much success at calming her racing heart. Had he felt what she had? He had definitely looked at her in interest, but was he looking at her the way she was looking at him? She knew that many people were interested in being part of her life now that she was gaining fame, but she had the feeling that Ellis could care less about that. She made it her goal to get to know what made him tick, and as quickly as possible.

  Sam yawned as the car pulled up to the beach house they had rented. They left the tour bus at the arena, not wanting to cause any more attention to her than necessary. She had already had fans waiting outside the arena, and they had to use multiple cars to throw them off so they wouldn’t follow her. Sometimes her life just amazed her. There were people that wanted to follow her to her house to see her.

  Thinking about that made her remember the stalker that had been freaking her out over the last couple of weeks. At first, she had thought that it was harmless too, just an overzealous fan. But when the things started appearing in her dressing room, and no one had brought them, she got very worried. On top of that, the letters and cards that had been coming were getting just a little too personal for her taste.

  That’s why Ellis is here, she thought to herself. They are going to figure out who it is. Brian and Dad have it under control. She knew Ellis was in the other car, which was now behind her. Brian drove her car, and her parents were with her. She was going to have to spend a solid week not only being around Ellis, but sharing the same house as him.

  What was wrong with her? She had never been like that about anyone. Even when she met Gage, she hadn’t felt like she couldn’t speak around him. Thinking of him made her stomach constrict. It might’ve been years since it happened, but she would never forget it. As much as she tried not to let that continue to affect her relationship with her parents, it did. She had been in love with him, and he with her. She knew that she probably wouldn’t be where she is right now if they hadn’t forced her hand, but she would’ve been happy with where she was.

  She rested her hand on her flat stomach and closed her eyes. She hardly ever allowed herself to go there, but for some reason the past few days it had been front and center in her mind. She resolved to find Gage and to at least find out that he had moved on, he was happy. That would make her feel better, wouldn’t it?

  Brian opened the door for her and her mother, and Sam stepped out, automatically turning her face towards the warm Florida sunshine. She could hear the waves breaking on the shore, and she had an overwhelming urge to go running into the water. She knew her life was no longer that carefree, however, so instead she followed Brian and her parents up the shell driveway to the front door.

  She grinned as she saw the view through the house. It was breathtaking. She could stay here forever.

  “Nice place,” she heard from behind her, and she froze. Even though she knew he was there, hearing the rumble of his voice made her heart rate accelerate.

  “Sure is,” she smiled, turning to look back at Ellis. Her parents had continued walking through the house, and Brian was out getting things from the car. They were alone. “I never got to thank you for taking the job, wanting to help keep this nutcase away from me.”

  Ellis smiled, and she swore she audibly sighed. She really had to stop it, or she was going to embarrass herself. “It’s no problem, Sam. I want to help Brian, and work with the authorities to help nab this bastard. I’ve seen this many times, of course never with a celebrity. Usually it’s harmless, just a bit of a freak, but when you are in the public light, you can never be too careful.”

  “Want a drink? There has to be something in here,” Sam indicated the kitchen area, then turned and started walking, hearing Ellis behind her.

  “Just water is fine for me,” he answered.

  Sam stopped in her tracks, causing Ellis to bump into her from behi
nd. “I’m sorry,” he said, following her gaze. There were a dozen red roses on the kitchen counter, with a card sticking out from the top.

  Sam clutched the counter for support, her breathing shallow. Who would send her flowers? Her parents were here, Lacey wouldn’t… it had to be him. Or her. Whoever it was.

  “Sam? Are you okay?”

  “T-the flowers,” she stuttered. “No one would send me those.”

  “No boyfriend, friend, anyone?” Ellis’ voice sounded concerned now, and he moved over to them.

  “No. They’re just like the ones I got…” her voice broke, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Not again.

  Ellis looked all around the flowers as she watched, unable to move. “Brian!” he bellowed, and she flinched at the loudness of his voice. “Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Within seconds, Brian appeared, and Sam pointed at the flowers on the counter. Brian swore under his breath and went to stand next to Ellis.

  “Who was allowed in here?” The hard edge to Ellis’ voice made her start shaking.

  Brian cursed under his breath, then gently took the card off the top of the flowers, using a washcloth from the counter so he didn’t touch it. Sam closed her eyes, feeling her body swaying. They got in here. Someone had been here.

  “Hey,” Sam heard, then felt a touch to her elbow. She opened her eyes, tears filling them. “It’s going to be okay, Sam. We’re going to figure this out.”

  Brian didn’t read the card out loud, but he didn’t have to. She knew it was another psychotic note about how much they loved her, wanted to be with her, and that they were soul mates. “Stay with her,” he demanded to Ellis, walking outside with his cell phone on his ear.

  “What’s going on?” her parents appeared, then noticed the flowers.

  “Honey,” her mom wrapped her arms around her, and Sam let the dam of tears that had been threatening fall.

  “Why is this happening to me? All I want to do is sing, mom,” Sam cried, realizing she was sobbing like a toddler in front of Ellis. “How did they get in here? It’s like we just can’t stop them, no matter how much security we have.”