Page 4 of Going Down Hard
“You got family here? Can’t place the accent but it sure isn’t from around here. Don’t reckon I’ve seen anything as pretty as you in a while either.” He scratched his whiskered chin with dirt-crusted fingers. “Can’t place who you might belong to though.”
Belong to? “Ah, no, I…um…” She needed to blend in. Didn’t want anyone to know who she was or why she was here, and the more questions this stranger asked, the tighter her insides coiled. She kept her voice soft, her tone even. “I’m just passing through.”
“Well now, that’s a shame. The annual festival is a sight to see and lots of out-of-towners come in for a looky-loo.”
Sophie gazed over at the square again. It did look inviting and she did need somewhere to stay. Somewhere she could hide until she figured out how the guy following her managed to turn up every place she went. She’d flown halfway around the world, for heaven’s sake, and he’d still found her. This tiny town seemed as good as any other to stop in, even if only for one night.
She was so damn tired, the thought of stopping filled her with relief, making her dizzy.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” the old man asked.
“No, I…” She pulled her gaze from the square and returned it to his blue eyes. “Actually, is there a hotel I could check into?”
“A hotel?” He laughed, the sound deep and rattly in his chest as his large frame shook. “We don’t got no fancy hotel but we do have the Rise and Shine. It’s a bed-and-breakfast over on Fuchsia. They usually have a room but with the festival, you might be plumb outta luck.”
At this point she’d take anything. A chair in a closet sounded good. “Fuchsia? Where’s that from here?”
“You got a car?”
Sophie indicated her red sports car, drawing another crackly laugh from the old guy.
“That there’s no car. Not unless you’re talking toy cars like the ones my great grandsons push around in the dirt.” He shook his head and grinned at her. “You need to drive that itty-bitty thing down Main thataway then hang a right the first chance you get, the next cross street is Fuchsia, take another right. You’ll see the Rise and Shine on the left up a little ways. It’s right behind the grocery store there,” he tipped his head towards the building across the street from where they stood, “but with the festival, the roads are blocked this way and you have to go around.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Sophie wasn’t quite sure she understood his directions. She wasn’t the best when it came to navigating. Or determining left from right when she was driving on thecorrectside of the road. Put her on the other side and, well…that was how she’d ended up in Sapphire Falls, Nebraska, instead of Friend, Nebraska.
Not that she had any particular reason to go to Friend. She only needed somewhere she could stay off the grid so she could shake the man who’d followed her all the way to LA from Australia, and Friend had sounded…well, friendly—safe.
She shuddered when she recalled arriving home to find a plated meal with heating instructions in her fridge, her bed scattered with rose petals and a black negligée draped across her pillow, a handwritten note beside it.
“You sure you’re okay? I can take you over there if you want.”
Sophie snapped out of the distressing memories and forced a smile. “Oh, no. That won’t be necessary. I’ve got it.” She tried to instill as much confidence into her voice and smile as she could. But after spotting the strange man who’d been watching her for weeks in the hotel lobby in LA this morning, she was just about out of confidence.
How had he found her?
When she’d left her house and taken a taxi to Sydney airport, she’d checked several times to be certain no one followed her. She hadn’t seen him once—except in her nightmares—since she’d left home. Until this morning.
Thrown into a mad panic when faced with those ice-cold eyes again, she’d raced back to her room, grabbed her bags, checked out of the hotel and once more headed for the airport.
The woman behind the airline counter had given her a strange look when Sophie had demanded a ticket on the next plane out of LA no matter where it was going. Omaha, Nebraska, had been the destination. And Sophie had been careful to give every person who boarded the plane before her a good long look. She hadn’t recognized any of them as the man who appeared to be following her everywhere.
She had no idea who he was, only that whenever she spotted him—and she’d spotted him a lot recently—her skin crawled, a chill dropped over her and she had to fight the urge to run and hide.
“Well now, if you get stuck, just holler at the nearest person. They’ll help you out. Folks around here are a friendly bunch. No one’s a stranger for long in these parts.”
That’s what Sophie was afraid of. She needed to keep a low profile. She already stood out like a sore thumb with her sporty little car and her outfit. Everyone here wore jeans or jean shorts, t-shirts and cowboy boots. Some of the boots were scuffed, some shiny new. Her four-inch wedge heels weren’t small town at all. And the pretty little floral dress she’d picked up at LAX didn’t help. It definitely screamed city not country.
At least she hadn’t hit the charts here with much success yet. If she were back home she wouldn’t be able to stand on a public street without being recognized. Here she stood a good chance of going unnoticed completely except for the fact she wasn’t a local.
She dug deep and forced another smile. “Thanks for your help.” Giving him a little wave, she briskly walked to her car, unlocked the door and climbed inside.
All she wanted to do was lay her head on the steering wheel and cry, but no doubt her Good Samaritan would come over and offer to help again. Digging deep for the bravado she used every time she stepped out on stage in front of thousands of people, she turned the car on and pulled out into traffic. Not that one car could be considered traffic.
Driving until she reached the first right, she turned and drove until she found Fuchsia. Turning left, she drove a bit before pulling over and putting the car in park. She gave in to one of her urges, leaned forward and put her forehead against the wheel. She had a decision to make.
Continue up the road to the Rise & Shine and hope they had a room? Or fight the fatigue pulling at her, do a U-turn, get back on the highway and leave.
