Neither will I.
“Very clever,” I murmur. Let her think she’s got the upper hand.
“I told you. You just didn’t believe in me enough.”
Wrong. I knew her professional limitations. They cost me millions. “Then we’re even. You didn’t believe in me enough, either. You sold me short.”
“I proceeded cautiously. After all, most child stars fail at going adult.”
“I’m not most.” Clandestinely, I align my elbow with her stomach, situated directly behind me, then give a vicious shove.
Instantly, she doubles over with an “Oomph!”
I don’t dare wait for a better opportunity or for Rand to return. Heart roaring, I spin around and shove her onto her butt. She’s not any bigger than me, but I’m stronger. I have surprise on my side. And I’m absolutely determined to come out of this in one piece.
But when I bend to swipe the gun from her, she raises it again and points it in my face. “You stupid fucking bitch. I’ve never killed anyone, but I’ll enjoy wasting you.”
Oh, god. It’s over. As I stare down the barrel of her gun, I know I’ve failed.
Then I hear a gunshot. I flinch, waiting to fall, to die, for my senses to shut down forever. Instead, something warm splatters me—blood?—as Dorinda jerks back. Then she flops to the grass like a ragdoll, unmoving.
“Sophie! Are you okay?”
Rand! I turn and find him rushing up the hill, straight toward me, his aim still pinned on Dorinda.
“I-I’m fine.” I think. My voice trembles, but I’m in one piece.
I’m alive—thanks to him.
At Dorinda’s side, he kicks the weapon from her hand and bends to check her pulse. A moment later, he lets out a relieved breath. “She’s dead.”
With a cry, I launch myself into Rand’s arms. “I wouldn’t have made it without you. Thank you.”
He shakes his head, then pulls me even closer. “You kept her talking and held her off until I could get a clean shot. Thank God.”
I hear his heart hammering against the side of my face. Every muscle in his body is taut. Then he dips his head to take my lips in a fevered kiss. “I don’t know what you think should happen between us next, but you’ll have to get a restraining order and a crowbar to pry me away from you.”
“I don’t want either. I just want you. Always.”
“Good. I want to spend my life with you, Sophie. Wherever that takes us, we’ll do it together.”
“We should start by getting married.” It’s unconventional as far as proposals go, but why not?
“You took the words out of my mouth.” He smiles as he presses a kiss to my forehead, then gives me a solemn stare. “But first we need to call the police and sort through the red tape.”
He’s right. “I’ll need to call David, too. He can do damage control with the press.”
“You up to that?”
If that’s what it takes to spend my life with Rand? “Yeah.”
And while I’ve got David on the phone, I’ll also tell him that I’m downshifting my career to enjoy some life with the handsome hunk of bodyguard who turned out to be the man of my dreams. And I can’t wait to get started on my forever with him.
New Year’s Eve
Bartonville, Texas
“You ready, honey?” Rand cups my arm and drops a soft kiss onto my shoulder.
I can’t believe it’s been almost six months since we met. To say we’ve been inseparable is an understatement.
After the police descended on the cottage in Granbury that horrible night, they thankfully agreed that Rand shot Dorinda in my defense, ending one nightmare. But the press became another, printing every detail of our Fourth of July they could dig up—our escape from the parade, a photo of me wearing Rand’s shirt as we crossed the street hand-in-hand, him kissing me in the buggy. Instantly, rumors of our romance began to buzz. Poor Rand couldn’t get a moment’s peace after that.
I turn to him solemnly. “More than ready. What about you? Are you sure? I’ve made your life hell since we met.”
“No, the press has made my life hell. You’ve been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
His words melt my heart. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m thrilled we’ve made it work, despite the challenges.”
“Me, too.” He kisses me softly.
God, I love his man. We’ve had to learn to communicate and compromise. Rand has had to swallow his pride more than once. But he’s been supportive and understanding, no matter what.
The first month of his employment in Bartonville was hell with press and my fans stalking him in and around the police headquarters. He had to sell the house he’d bought before he ever moved in. I know that annoyed him, just like I know it chafed to take refuge in a house behind a gate and a guard. The five million for its purchase came mostly from my bank account. Rand wanted to object…but we both agreed that safety had to come before pride.