Page 148 of Hope & Harmony

She sighed with wonder, getting lost in the breathtaking views and the immaculate furnishings. “I’m not sure I’ll know how. This place is incredible.”

Baron came closer and held out the key. “I’m happy to help,” he said, his voice thoughtful. “Really. And I’m looking forward to hearing you sing tonight, too. This town has no idea what’s about to hit it.”

Cora’s fingers brushed his as she took the key in her hand. The gift. A luxury she wasn’t sure she deserved. She looked into Baron’s eyes, compelled to thank him again, but when she saw the look he returned, the words died in her mouth. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to this man. The energy radiating off him now told her he felt it too, even if he wasn’t acting on it.

He exhaled a shaky breath and stepped back. “I’ll let you get settled in, then. I’ll see you tonight.”

The distance between them suddenly felt wrong to Cora. She trusted that Baron wasn’t the type of guy who would push himself onto a woman or coax her into intimacy she didn’t want.And that made her feel even safer in his presence. After all, he’d seemed concerned about her safety from the start. Maybe rightly so. As independent as Cora tried to be, knowing he was looking out for her felt good. Really good. And it made her want to be even closer to him, wrapped in the heat of whatever fire was hiding behind his eyes.

Hours later, after a long soak in the tub and a nap in the rental’s fluffy king bed where she’d slept better than she had in weeks, Cora dressed for her shift at Marty’s. Not knowing the staff’s dress code, she went with black jeans and a tight white top. She tied her hair back into a loose braid and applied a little makeup, something she rarely did these days.

As she walked into town, any nervousness she may have had about waitressing at a place she’d never been faded. She was consumed with thoughts of Baron. He’d be there too. Maybe tonight, unlike this morning, he’d actually make a move. Maybe she’d never see him again after tonight, but that’s how life went sometimes. He’d be a memory, and maybe he’d remember her too.

The night sped by quickly. The event was surprisingly well-attended, and the crowd seemed lively for a Tuesday night. Marty was friendly and helped her out whenever she needed a hand. Bringing drinks to tables wasn’t too complicated, though, and most everyone she waited on was pleasant to talk to. Many asked about her, having identified her as someone new in a sea of locals.

When the emcee called her name, though, her heart sank. Because as the hours ticked by, the one person she really wanted to be there was missing. Baron was nowhere in sight. She shouldn’t care so much. Not after their brief interactions. He’d done enough for her after all—more than enough. She picked up her guitar from beside the little stage and tried to tamp down her disappointment.

He'd probably realized being in her life was a slippery slope. Despite his hard exterior, Baron was a generous soul, and Cora had a hard time saying no when she needed help. Maybe the attraction that hummed between them was a distraction he didn’t need right now. And maybe she didn’t need it either. She needed to focus on her dreams and where life would take her next.

With that thought center in her mind, she took the stage and adjusted the microphone to her height. She’d weighed the different songs she might sing tonight, but she always changed her mind depending on how she felt in the moment. Tonight, with a little sadness in her heart, she picked a song about hope. It was one that was born on the road. It was a little unpolished, like her, but maybe performing it in front of the crowd would make it shine.

She sang about the loneliness of the road that led her far from home, about the silver linings she’d found when she was down on her luck, and the dream that she still held fast to…a dream of sharing her songs with the world. And when the song was done, silence fell inside the little cafe bar. When she looked up, she almost didn’t notice the loud applause and shouts for more, because Baron was standing next to the bar, his body far but still squared to hers, his eyes dark with an emotion she couldn’t quite name.

CHAPTER 4

BARON

Cora was breathtaking in every way. Baron literally struggled to take in his next breaths after hearing her perform. If he didn’t already have a sense of her heart and her sweetness, her performance alone would have brought him to his knees. Her voice seemed to sweep into his soul, carrying him into her song’s story, one that was fraught with heartache and hope.

When Cora walked up to him after playing one more song for the eager crowd, he didn’t think it through. He slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, hovering his lips above hers for a few painful seconds before she lifted on her toes and joined them in a kiss. Inside the brief connection, he found out what he’d been wondering nearly since they’d met—how soft her lips were, what she tasted like, and how right she might feel with her body pressed to his.

When they parted, the air hummed with a promise of more.

The promise was held in her misty eyes and the wild beating of his heart. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But he was moving too fast. He’d invited her into his beach house hours earlier. Now he wanted her under him, wanted his name on her lips…badly. He took a step back, trying to get ahold of himself. To break the spell she had over him, at least for a little while.

He cleared his throat and glanced over the bar where the crowd was beginning to thin. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Cora tapped her fingers on the glossy countertop as if she were deciding. He felt it then, instant regret at having pushed her too far too fast. But when she spoke again, her voice was steady, her words sure.

“Actually…if it’s okay with you, could we go back to my place? I mean…your place. The place I’m staying.” She laughed and put her hands on her cheeks, which were growing darker.

Baron met her smile, and relief flooded him. “Sure. Are you all set here?”

She nodded. “Marty told me I could take off after I played. I can pick up the rest of my tips tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Let me get this for you.”

Baron picked up her guitar, and on the walk back to the beach house, Cora slipped her cool hand in his. She felt small and delicate, and all over again, he worried about the journey before her and all the dangers that might lie ahead.

Once inside, Baron made his way to the gas fireplace in the living room and switched it on.

“This is heaven,” Cora moaned, stretching her fingers out to absorb the heat of it. She glanced up at Baron, a smile playing at her lips. “I wouldn’t mind that drink now, actually.”

The property managers for the house always left a couple of complementary bottles for guests, so Baron knew where to find them. “Red or white?”

“Red would be great.”

“Red it is.”

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