Dances Under the Harvest Moon (Heartache, TN 3) Read online

“Absolutely,” Heather said. “She’s told me before that music is therapeutic for her, so that makes it easy. We can play for a while.”

  While the two of them discussed music as therapy—something his sister had studied for her support group—Zach worked his way over to Sam. The man stood with his back to the wall so he could see all the windows and the entrance.

  “Have you told her yet?” Sam asked, folding his arms across his chest.

  “I was just about to when Ellie started banging on the door.” Zach didn’t need to ask Sam what he was talking about—his whole purpose in seeking out Heather had been to tell her that he’d tracked the missing money from the town coffers. Now he remembered!

  “You were just about to.” Sam didn’t smile. But since his usual demeanor tended toward fierceness, Zach could tell he was amused.

  No doubt they all needed a break from the real-world problems they’d been tracking.

  “I hadn’t seen her for a whole week. We had other things to discuss. Not that I owe you an explanation.”

  “You have a habit of delaying my press conferences,” Sam observed. “And I would like to show the town that I can do something right.”

  Now it was Zach’s turn to be amused.

  “I had no idea you cared what anyone thought.”

  “That’s me. Full of surprises.” Sam returned to his usual scowl. “I’m sleeping at your house as long as she’s in town. You know that, right?”

  The “she” in that statement was obvious. But then, he and Sam went back so long they didn’t require a lot of words. His friend had been Ellie’s—Gabriella’s, he reminded himself—self-appointed protector for a long time.

  “Of course.” Zach nodded. “How’s that going to go over with Isabel?” He knew Sam had his eye on the waitress at the Owl’s Roost, along with half the rest of the men in town under fifty.

  Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. But you’ve got the best security in town. I’m having one of my guys follow us when I bring her home. Make sure you text me before you come in so I don’t, you know.”

  “Shoot me?”

  “Better to be safe.” Sam grinned for real this time. “Gabriella?” he called. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Already?” She looked at Heather. “We were having a great talk.”

  “I think your brother wants to talk to her more.” Sam headed for the door. “’Night, Heather.”

  Gabriella stood with a sigh, although she leaned back to squeeze Heather’s shoulder. “Don’t forget what I said.”

  Heather rose. “Of course. So good to see you again.”

  They hugged in the way women who hardly knew each other would. But even as he thought as much, he couldn’t deny a warmth in his chest to sense an accord between two of the people he cared most about in the world. He’d always admired the closeness of Heather’s family, even if she thought it was too much sometimes.

  The room quieted in a hurry after Sam and Gabriella left.

  “I should probably get back, too.” Heather drifted closer to him, peering at him through her lashes. “Bethany and Nina will wonder where I’ve gone.”

  “They didn’t look terribly concerned about you when I walked up.” He remembered the way her sisters-in-law had scattered to the breeze. “Do you want to text them and tell them I’ll take you home?”

  “I’d really like that.” She paused a few inches away from him and he couldn’t resist folding her in his arms.

  Taking a taste of her neck.

  “I should grab my phone, though,” she murmured in his ear. “As incredible as that feels.”

  “Right.” He edged away. “Plus, I need to get you out of the Merchants Building. As charming as it might have been in a pinch.”

  Laughing, Heather keyed in something on her phone.

  “There. All yours.” She slid the device into her bag and closed the gap between them again.

  And as much as he wanted to take her home and bring her to bed, he needed to tell her about the investigation.

  “We found the missing money.”

  She stopped midstride. “Is it bad news?” Her voice wobbled. “I’ve never thought my father would do something like that.”

  He held her hands. Squeezed.

  “Your father was a good man.” He knew that now more than ever. “It turns out he did take the money, Heather. But he put it back eventually. He just didn’t do a good job with the bookkeeping, so it made it tough to track it down.”

  “He took it?” She half fell, half sat on the futon, their voices echoing in the mostly empty concrete-block structure.

  “He borrowed it.” Zach had worked on a press release at home so he would get the words right when they met with the media tomorrow. “He used it for an experimental drug for your mom’s bipolar disorder. Well, experimental back then. I looked it up and it’s widely prescribed now to augment more traditional therapy. He imported a very expensive antipsychotic drug from overseas.”

  Heather covered her eyes.

  “Heather?”

  “How are you going to tell that to the papers?” She dragged her hand down her face, tears glinting in her eyes. “People hear ‘antipsychotic’ and think my mother is...psychotic.”

  “Intelligent people won’t. But you can review the press release I’m writing and we can use the wording that your family prefers.”

  “You’d let me do that?”

  “Of course. Sam won’t care. The money is found. It went back into the recreation department fund when your father restocked the softball league with all new bats, helmets and catchers’ equipment.”

  “I remember when he bought all that stuff.” She sniffled. “I can’t believe he took money from the town.”

  “Borrowed. His business was successful, but he needed cash for the purchase and pulled out whatever he could liquidate quickly.”

  “It was wrong and he would have been the first to say it was wrong. But still, I’m touched he would take such a risk on medicine for my mom.” She raked her hair out of her eyes, blinking away tears. “He avoided home so much. I know her illness was hard on him. It makes me glad to think he really was trying to help her in his own way.”

  “Family first.” Zach pulled her closer. Kissed the top of her head, allowing his cheek to rest on all that silky hair. “He really did live it.”

  “I guess he did.”

  * * *

  HEATHER SAVORED THE feel of Zach’s kiss. The weight of his arm around her. The thoughtful way he treated her—whether it was being careful of her compromised health or inviting her to weigh in on a press release about the Finley family.

  It was more than the residual endorphins of phenomenal lovemaking that caused her heart to swell with emotion. She cared about him. Maybe even loved him.

  Maybe?

  That was her reflexive “protect yourself” side talking. There was no maybe about it. Leaning against his shoulder, the warmth of him under her cheek and all around her as they sat on a truly crummy futon in a spectacularly utilitarian building, Heather couldn’t deny what she felt for Zach.

  “I want to be there for the press conference tomorrow.” She straightened, needing to be face-to-face with him for the admission that he deserved.

  She’d been playing it safe for too long—in life and love both. But that was going to change. Had already started to change when she committed to the audition in Charlotte.

  “I think it will be good to see your father’s legacy restored as much as possible.” He took her hands in his. “Also, you can field any questions from the media and put an end to the whole conversation about the money.”

  “Right.” She needed to share this news with her brothers as soon as possible. Would her mother be touched to know her husband had risked his legacy as the town’s longest-serving may
or to buy her medicine that he hoped would make her well? Heather hoped so. “Once that’s behind me, I’ll be free to leave Heartache with plenty of time to make it to Charlotte for the audition.”

  “That’s good for your dreams and career ambitions,” he said carefully.

  She took a deep breath. And gambled everything. Her pride and her heart.

  “I would love it if you’d make the trip with me.” A part of her was so nervous that she wanted to close her eyes, cross her fingers and hope for the best.

  But she wasn’t a teenager in love for the first time. She was a twenty-eight-year-old woman and the outcome of this talk meant the world to her.

  “You’re inviting me to go to Charlotte with you?” he clarified, his face giving away nothing. “Tomorrow?”

  She caught the note of surprise in his voice. Outside the building, kids ran past laughing. Funny to think they were having such a light-hearted moment a wall away from them when she’d just staked her heart on Zach’s answer.

  “There was a time you offered to drive me,” she teased, but soon realized this was no joking matter. “But seriously, I’d drive. And you could watch that sunrise in the mountains with me.” She remembered he’d liked that idea when she’d told him about it the first time. “I know it’s spur-of-the-moment, but I want you to know I’m serious about this. About us. And I want you to be a part of my future.”

  Even as she trotted out the words, she sensed she’d gone about it wrong. But then, maybe she was crippled by the fact she’d never been a spontaneous person. When the moment arose for her to finally live in the moment, she didn’t know how.

  Something about Zach’s expression told her she was making a muck of this.

  “You’re serious.” Again, he repeated her words, making her think he had a hard time believing them.

  “Very.” She lifted her chin, defensiveness creeping in.

  Zach rose from the futon, pacing a few feet away before turning back to face her. The shuttered look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. Her offer wasn’t enough.

  “My sister just arrived in town. She’s here to help me catch a stalker.” He nodded. “That’s also serious. I’ve put a lot of time into compiling evidence against her attacker, and I’ve worked hard with Sam to compare Megan’s case to Gabriella’s.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself, preparing for the no that was coming. She’d thought it would make him happy to know she wanted to be with him. It made her happy to think of him going with her.

  “Heather, I’m the mayor of this town. And while we laugh about that because in some ways it’s not some high-paying bigwig job, given this is such a tiny place, but I take my responsibility to this town very seriously.”

  Guilt pinched at her already sensitive emotions. “I didn’t think about how involved you are in Megan’s bullying case.”

  “It’s more than that.” He returned to the futon, but didn’t sit next to her. He dropped down to sit on the heavy coffee table in front of her so they were eye to eye. “I’m building a life here. I care about a lot of people here. And I didn’t work hard to find out what happened to that missing money just because the former mayor is your dad. I wanted to know because his legacy means something to me.”

  “Zach, you don’t have to explain.”

  “But I want to tell you because it’s important to me. Even before I knew you, the Finleys were a family for me when I didn’t have one. Family first. I bought into that whole idea when I was a teenager and my dad was the most crooked SOB you can imagine. Your dad inspired me to work my ass off to make my own family with a community. To reach out and care about people around me without waiting to see if they’d help me first.”

  She remembered how hard he’d worked when his dad was sent to prison. How Zach had practically lived at the local nursing home, helping local residents.

  “I’m surprised you’d try to give the mayor’s job to me then.” She blinked, not wanting to feel tears in her eyes. Had she been too selfish to see what was right in front of her? That Zach needed to stay in Heartache as badly as she needed to leave?

  “Maybe I thought a Finley would always do a better job than I could.” He shrugged. “I sure as hell wouldn’t be handing it over to Tiffany McCord or half the rest of the town council.”

  “You do a great job, Zach. My dad would be happy with the way you’ve run things, and it’s clear the town’s pleased with you, too.”

  “If I had my sister’s stalker behind bars, maybe it would be easier to walk away. But I can’t turn my back on that and the town, too, no matter how much I care about you and want you to be happy.”

  The words echoed hollowly in the mostly empty room, bouncing off the floor and bare walls to rattle around inside her. He wanted her to be happy. Just not enough to come with her.

  Not enough to walk away from what mattered most to him.

  “I understand.” Her words sounded stilted.

  “Do you?” He cupped her chin and lifted her face to look in her eyes. “Because if you’re serious about being together, like you said you are, we can figure something out. Leaving Heartache tomorrow doesn’t mean you’re gone forever.”

  “I can’t think past the audition.” And she certainly wasn’t ready to think about giving up after the audition and moving back to Heartache for good. She stood abruptly, needing to move. Unable to feel the weight of his rejection on her shoulders. She was supposed to sing her heart out for total strangers in less than forty-eight hours’ time. “I mean, I am serious that I care about you and want to be with you. I just want to get through this audition.”

  “That’s understandable.” His hazel eyes followed her as she stalked the room like a caged animal. “We’re both under a lot of pressure. I hate that I can’t be there for you. You should have someone rooting for you in Charlotte.”

  “I have a friend who might go with me.” She said it mostly so he wouldn’t worry about her. She hadn’t heard much from Sylvia lately, but her former student had told her she’d love to go to Charlotte and cheer her on. “Maybe I’ll stop in Nashville tomorrow to pick her up. But you definitely don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  Bad enough he’d seen her when her illness had all but incapacitated her. She didn’t want to be another responsibility on the list of people he took care of: the nursing home residents, Megan, his sister, the whole town of Heartache...

  She paused by the door, needing to leave and half hoping he would try to stop her. But he didn’t move. She had gambled with her heart and it hadn’t paid off. That’s what a gamble meant—the reward was not guaranteed.

  And all the rationalization in the world didn’t make the ache in her chest hurt less.

  “It’s not a weakness to need someone, Heather.” Finally, he rose to join her at the door, making her realize she was already fumbling with the knob.

  “Sometimes it feels like it.” She stepped outside. The sun had lowered on the horizon. The fairgrounds were full of more booths but fewer people than when she’d walked the property earlier.

  “Will you still come home with me now?” he asked, sliding an arm around her waist and holding her against him for a long moment while she breathed in his scent. Memorized the feel of him. “I want to hold you tonight. Especially if I won’t see you again for a while.”

  She swallowed hard. Tempted beyond reason.

  “If I spend the night with you, I might not have the heart to leave after the press conference tomorrow.” She brushed a kiss along his cheek and forced herself to pull away. “And I would never want to look back and feel like I gave up my dream for love.”

  Even as she said it, she remembered what Nina had told her about modifying a dream to fit a new circumstance. About dreaming new dreams. Together.

  But Zach’s rejection hurt. And maybe she wasn’t ready to give
up her dream yet.

  Zach locked up behind her and she tried to pretend her heart wasn’t breaking. To distract herself, she opened her messaging program and shot a note to Sylvia.

  How’d you like to go to Charlotte tomorrow for my American Voice audition?

  She’d barely hit Send when she received a reply.

  I can’t wait! Pick me up at noon? Sylvia included a link to a doughnut place on an interstate exit just outside town for the pickup. It would save her driving all the way into Nashville.

  Small consolation, considering what she really wanted. For Zach Chance to return her feelings, make love to her all night long and sit beside her on the way to her audition.

  So far, her experience with taking big risks was not a happy one. But she’d be damned if she’d look back at her life and have regrets. She’d put her heart on the line for once. Now all she had to do was figure out how to recover from that trauma. She was pretty sure her new doctor wouldn’t have a medicine for that.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “I’M SO BORED, I’m going to lose my mind.” Megan spoke into the speakerphone on her cell since she was using her hands to wage battle against mutant zombies online.

  But she was grateful that Bailey had called her after the days of boredom with nothing but school and work and police interviews. It was like being grounded at home by the cops instead of her father, although the end result was just as mind-numbing.

  She had a new cell phone—a superplain model like the kind drug dealers used when they didn’t want anyone to track their calls. The police had recommended it, and no one had the number but her father and Bailey. Her old phone was held captive by the sheriff’s department for evidence purposes as they were trying to build a harassment case against J.D.

  “I have news that might interest you.” Bailey sounded tense. Upset.

  “What’s wrong?” She muted the sound on the television, but continued playing her game. Like music, it helped relax her, and she’d taken the blisters on her fingers to a whole new level this week.

  Playing guitar wasn’t an option for a few days.