Fast Track (20 page)

When Avery shot
her daughter a quizzical look, Anna knew it was time to get her
head back in the game or risk her mother’s version of twenty
questions. “So, Megan,” Anna said, smiling at their dinner guest,
“my mother tells me you’re from L.A. How are you adjusting to life
in Music City?”

Megan smiled.
“It’s a lovely city, but it’s different from what I’m used to,
that’s for sure.”

In spite of her
polished façade, Megan seemed friendly and genuine, or at least
that was Anna’s first impression of her. Only time would tell the
real story behind that bright white smile. “Do you think you’ll
like it here?”

Megan shot a
quick glance at Avery. “Um, I don’t know. I signed a one year
contract with the network. Beyond that, I can’t see sticking
around.”

“Really?” Anna
smiled her thanks when her father passed her the sweet potatoes.
“Why’s that?”

Megan looked
down at her plate. “I came here hoping to reconnect with my father.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”

“Oh, I’m so
sorry,” Anna said and wished she wasn’t sitting too far away to
offer physical comfort. Once the professional veneer fell away,
Megan obviously needed a friend. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“You didn’t,”
Megan said, tracing a track through her vegetables with her fork.
“I don’t mind talking about it. My mother passed away last year,
and I’ve never really known my father. I came here hoping to
rectify that, but it turns out there’s no room in his life for an
illegitimate child he never wanted.”

“How do you
know he doesn’t want a relationship with you?” Anna was the eternal
optimist. She had a hard time imagining a parent disowning their
own child.

Nick rolled his
eyes at Megan’s story. “Would you like a tissue?” He held up a
paper napkin. He tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his smile when
Megan reached for it.

“That won’t be
necessary.” She scrunched it in her fist as she treated him to a
fake smile.

Anna had been
the last to arrive, and she suspected she’d missed something
because the animosity between her brother and their guest was
palpable.

“I’m sorry,
Anna,” Megan said, offering her a genuine smile. “You asked me how
I knew my father doesn’t want a relationship with me. He told me so
himself. I don’t know why I should be surprised.” She brushed her
long dark hair off her shoulder. “He knew where I was all those
years, and he never sought me out. I guess I thought if we lived in
the same city, things would be different. Obviously, I was
wrong.”

“It’s not too
late to go back to L.A. if you don’t like it here,” Nick said,
reaching for his beer.

“Actually, it
is,” Avery said, giving her son a pointed look. “Megan has a
contract with the network, like she said, for a year. And you’re a
woman of your word, aren’t you, Megan?” Avery squeezed her client’s
hand.

“Yes, ma’am.”
Megan sat taller, pressing her back into the upholstered seat. Her
new agent’s opinion was obviously important to her. “So,” Megan
said, turning her attention back to Anna, “your parents tell me
you’re seeing Justin Hunt. That must be exciting.”

Anna laughed.
“If by exciting you mean terrifying, yes, it is.”

“I understand,”
Megan said, winking. “I was engaged to a race car driver myself. It
was thrilling, in more ways than one, but my heart was in my throat
every time I watched him suit up.”

“Just one
driver?” Nick asked, settling his arm on the back of Megan’s chair.
“I’m surprised. So, what is your type? Actors, producers, athletes,
models-”

“Nick!” Avery
glared at him. “Watch your manners. Megan is a guest in our home,
and you’ll do well to remember that!”

“Your mother’s
right, Nick,” Ty chimed in. “I’m not too old to kick your butt if
you forget how to talk to a lady in my presence.”

Nick chuckled,
but Anna knew her brother had been properly chastised.

“Speaking of
Justin,” Ty said, “why don’t we head into the family room and watch
his race?” He checked his watch. “It should start in about ten
minutes.”

“Sounds good to
me,” Nick said, scraping his chair across the hardwood floor in his
haste to leave the table.

Their
housekeeper entered to clear the plates and offer dessert and
coffee in the family room. Everyone gratefully accepted before she
bowed out of the room, her hands filled with stacked plates.

Anna couldn’t
help but notice her brother’s eyes fall to the back pockets of
Megan’s designer jeans after he gestured for Megan to precede him
into the family room. She couldn’t blame the poor guy. Megan had a
body centerfolds would envy.

“Behave
yourself,” Anna whispered, elbowing him in the ribs. “You heard
what Mama and Daddy said about minding your manners. If you’re not
careful, you’re going to get a slap upside the head.”

Nick chuckled.
“Don’t worry about me, sis. I’ll save my tauntin’ for when she and
I are alone.”

“Why do you
have it in for her?”

“Come on, look
at her,” Nick said quietly as he turned his back to the woman in
question. “She’s too perfect. It’s like everything she says is
scripted. Her jeans are designer, her heels are too high to be
comfortable, and it looks like her makeup was applied with an
airbrush. That may be the way they do things in L.A., but she’s on
a ranch now, and she needs to get used to our way.”

“Just go easy
on her,” Anna said, poking Nick in the stomach. “She seems like a
sweet girl, and I get the feeling she could really use a
friend.”

“Did she tug at
your heartstrings with that ‘poor me’ routine? She failed to leave
out the part about her old man bein’ Manny Moore. He kept her and
her mama in the lap of luxury her whole life. She’s gone to private
schools, driven fancy sports cars; hell, why do you think she’s so
stuck up?”

“I don’t think
she’s stuck up.” Anna’s eyes drifted to Megan. “You can’t judge her
because her father’s a famous country singer, Nick. So is ours. She
had all the same opportunities we had. Except we had our father in
our lives, and she didn’t. As far as I’m concerned, we’re a hell of
a lot better off.”

“Whatever,”
Nick said, sticking his hands into the pockets of his faded blue
jeans. “I’m just sayin’ she’s not a poor victim.”

“I don’t think
she ever tried to portray herself that way,” Anna said with a
frown. “I was asking her about her life, and she just filled in the
blanks for me. Why are you being such an ass?”

“I just don’t
like the idea of Mama takin’ this girl in. Based on her background,
I think it’s pretty safe to assume that she’s an opportunist, and I
don’t want to see her take advantage of our parents’ generosity. If
you ask me, she came here to try to bilk more money out of her old
man.”

“That’s a
terrible thing to say,” Anna whispered, glaring up at Nick. “You
don’t know her reasons for coming here, and you have no right
assuming the worst.”

“What if I told
you she had to leave her last job because she was caught in bed
with the married producer?”

Anna gasped,
covering her mouth when Megan spared her a glance. “Are you
serious? How do you know that?”

“I did a little
diggin’ when Mama told me Megan’d be movin’ in with them for a
while. You can’t be too careful. Dad’s a celebrity. That makes him
a target for all kinds of crazies.”

Anna couldn’t
argue with her brother’s reasoning, but the thought of digging into
Megan’s past still made her uncomfortable. Everyone had a right to
privacy, and even Anna had a few secrets she would rather keep
buried. “You don’t know the whole story. Reporters love to
sensationalize-”

“Come on over
here, you two,” Ty said, beckoning his children. “The race is about
to start.”

Anna forced
herself to take a deep breath as she took the seat beside Megan on
the sofa. Avery curled up on the loveseat, and Ty and Nick claimed
the armchairs, stretching their long legs out on the ottomans.

Megan smiled at
her. “It doesn’t matter how many times you watch these things. When
someone you care about is behind the wheel, every time is the first
time and possibly the last.”

Anna knew she
must have looked horrified because Megan reached out to squeeze her
hand.

“God, I’m
sorry, Anna. That was a really insensitive thing to say. Don’t
worry about Justin. He’s one of the best. I’m sure he’ll be
fine.”

“You follow
racin’?” Nick asked, sneering at Megan.

“I was engaged
to Brock Logan. He got me interested in the sport.”

“Is that so?”
Nick laced his hands over his flat stomach. “What happened? Justin
nudged him out of the running for the Cup and you lost
interest?”

“Nick…” Ty
glared at his son.

“Fine,” Nick
said, raising his hands. “I’ll just watch the race and keep my
mouth shut.”

“We can only
hope,” Anna muttered, smiling sweetly at her brother when he shot
her a look.

“I missed out
on growing up with my brother,” Megan said. “It’s nice to see
siblings as close as you two.”

“I feel another
sad story comin’ on,” Nick said. He winked at their housekeeper
when she walked in with a tray containing coffee and homemade
cookies. “You mind bringin’ in the tissue, Hazel? I have a feelin’
there won’t be a dry eye in the house soon.”

“What is wrong
with you today?” Anna asked, unable to believe her brother’s
attitude. He was usually so polite and respectful, which was why
the ladies at Jimmy’s started lining up to dance with him as soon
as he arrived.

“It’s okay,
Anna,” Megan said, reaching for her arm. “I handle guys like him
all day long. It comes with the territory.”

“Guys like me?”
Nick asked, raising an eyebrow when he looked at Megan. “What’s
that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve
probably got a mad on because your last girlfriend dumped you or
cheated on you, and you’re determined to make the whole female race
pay for her mistake.” She grinned at Nick’s look of shock. “Don’t
worry, I can take it. I wore my big girl panties today,
cowboy.”

“Why you
little…” Nick said, planting his cowboy boots on the floor as he
leaned forward in the deep seat. “Where the hell do you get
off-”

“Hush,” Anna
said, raising her hand. “The race is about to start. I don’t wanna
miss it because of your big mouth.”

Looking like a
sulking six-year-old, Nick sat back, arms crossed, and glared at
the big screen in front of him.

“Oh, there he
is,” Anna said.

She didn’t
realize her fists were clenched until Megan patted her knee in a
silent show of support. Forcing herself to relax, Anna took a few
deep breaths. After last night, knowing how Justin felt about her,
admitting how she felt about him, waking up in his strong arms… She
couldn’t imagine her life without him, and that terrified her. It
should take years, not months, to develop the kind of connection
they had.

“He looks
great,” Megan said, nudging Anna with her knee. “You’re a lucky
girl.”

“You know him?”
Anna asked, shooting a quick sidelong glance in her direction. The
race was getting underway, and she was afraid to tear her eyes away
from the screen for too long.

“We met a few
times when I was dating Brock. He seems like a sweet guy.”

“He is.”

“How did you
guys meet?” Megan asked, reaching for a cup of the coffee Hazel had
left on the coffee table.

“We met at my
parents’ house in St. Thomas. It’s a semi-private island. Justin
owns the other house.” Anna watched, transfixed, as the drivers
made their way around the track. Justin was sandwiched in by three
cars, riding the wall. “I was there for the summer; so was he.
Well, we were there for part of the summer.” Anna reached for a
coffee cup before she realized caffeine was probably the last thing
she needed. “He decided it was time to get back to work, so he left
early.”

“I bet you were
sorry to see him go.” Megan laughed. “I know if I were trapped on
an island with a sexy guy like that, I’d pull out all the stops to
convince him to stay.”

“I’ll just bet
you would,” Nick muttered.

Anna set her
mug down and leaned forward as the race picked up momentum. Drivers
accelerated, maneuvering for position as they made the sharp turns.
She didn’t know a lot about racing, but she knew Justin must be
getting frustrated with his position. It seemed all of the drivers
around him were conspiring to contain him so they could have a shot
at victory.

Burying her
head in her hands, Anna said, “I don’t think I can watch.”

“Oh no!” Avery
screamed.

“Shit,” Ty and
Nick whispered in unison.

Anna looked up
at the screen to see her worst nightmare unfolding. Justin’s car
was rolling. He was being hit from all directions, tires and metal
flying through the air, and multiple cars were forced into the
wall, including Justin’s. She could barely see his car through the
smoke, but she knew there wasn’t much left of it.

“Oh my God,”
she whispered. She heard the announcers’ excited voices speculating
about the cause of the crash, but none of it made sense to her. The
only thing she could think about was losing the man she loved.

Damn him for
being so reckless. Why couldn’t he have stayed on that island with
her where he would have been safe? Why did he have to go back to
the sport that had claimed the life of his friend only a few months
before?
Why didn’t he love her enough to put their future before
a hunk of metal?
Anna shook her head, silently condemning
herself for thinking that way.

“It’s gonna be
okay, sis,” Nick said, leaning forward. “These crashes happen all
the time. It’s part of the sport.”

Anna stared at
her brother in disbelief. She’d just watched her boyfriend get into
a high-speed, multi-vehicle car crash, and she was supposed to be
okay with that?