Unbreak My Heart (43 page)
Authors: Teresa Hill
There he was, Zach McRae in the flesh.
For a moment it was as if Julie Morrison's life were a movie playing on the big screen and someone had just hit the pause button.
No, as if they'd sent the tape in reverse, and in an instant she was seven years old again, scared, lost, and trying to hide in a quiet corner of his parents' house, wishing she never had to go home.
Zack turned, saw Julie, and walked right up to her, shoulders wide and squared, but too familiar smile on his face—as if he'd last seen her yesterday, not more than eight years ago—and said, "Hello, Julie."
"Zach," she managed to say. "What are you doing here?"
What she really wanted to say was,
Please don't say another word. Please don't ruin everything.
"Business." He was still smiling. "And you? Is this where you disappeared to? Memphis?"
She laughed. What else was there to do? A part of her was surprised, maybe even hurt, that he'd recognized her so easily. She thought she'd come so far from that girl she used to be. Especially standing in the lobby of one of the finest restaurants in Memphis, a discrete—and yet she hoped stylish—designer dress wrapped around her body. Steve's ring, a tasteful family heirloom passed down through generations, on the third finger of her left hand.
And yet, at the same time, she realized there was a part of her that was immeasurably pleased that he'd known her right away, even after all this time.
"You disappeared?" Steve asked as his arm tightened around her, bringing her back to the present.
She realized they were all looking at her, Zach and Steve, as well as Steve's parents. Both in their sixties, tastefully gray and discreetly looking of old Southern money, they'd never been happy at the prospect of welcoming her into their family.
Calm down
, Julie told herself. She had to do was stay calm.
And get rid of him.
Stay right here in this carefully constructed world. It was hers now. No one could take it away. No one could make her go back to what she used to be.
Steve's mother cleared her throat and gave Julie a pointed look.
"I'm so sorry," Julie said. "I was just surprised.... Steve, this is Zach McRae, an old friend of mine. Zack this is my fiancé, Steve Land, and his parents, Barbara and Joe land."
As they all shook hands, Julie couldn't help but notice that Zach, all grown up, was just as straight and tall and solid as she'd ever imagined he'd be. He had dark hair, thick and clipped short and neat, even darker eyes, a strong determined jaw, a beautiful smile.
And a decidedly kind heart. She remembered that well.
"Old friends, you say?" Steve asked him.
"Yes," Zach said, not taking his eyes off her. "And neighbors."
"Oh?" Steve's mother sounded interested all of a sudden. "You're from St. Louis, too?"
"St. Louis?" Zach asked, blank faced.
And just like that, Julie felt the treacherous ground she was standing on shift this way and that.
She jumped in, begging him with her eyes for him to just let it be. "He used to be. It's been ages since we've seen each other."
She smiled up at Steve in the end. He wasn't going anywhere. He wanted to marry her, after all. Then she turned to Zack and uttered a bold-faced lie. "And your family moved to.... Where was it, Zack? Ohio?"
He took a breath, his jaw tightening. She could just imagine what was running through his head.
Just like old times, Julie?
Years ago, he wouldn't have hesitated to call her on a lie. She held her breath, waiting....
God.
"Yes." He finally nodded, not taking his eyes off her. "I'm surprised you remember."
All the lies
, he meant.
He wondered how she ever remembered all the lies.
She hung her head, realizing he had the power to shame her, even now.
"And you two knew each other because...?" Steve asked.
"Julie and my little sister, Grace, were inseparable for years when they were younger," Zach explained. "I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. In fact..."
He slipped a hand into the inside front pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small case. Taking a business card out of it, he scribbled something on the back, then gave it to her.
"Did that, Julie. Give her a call."
His look said,
Or else.
What? He tracked her down? Not that it would be difficult. She never bothered to change her name. At the time she'd been tempted, she hadn't had the money, and when she had it, she realize she had left anyone behind who cared enough to come looking for her.
She took the card, promising to call. The hostess, sleek and elegant in a slim, black, flowing skirt and a crisp white blouse, joined them, nodding respectfully to Steve's father. "Your table's ready, Mr. Land."
As they started to make their way toward their table, Zach caught her by the arm, drawing her back from the rest of the group, and whispering to her, "Got rid of the family again, Julie?"
She'd spent most of her high school years claiming to be an orphan or the sole child of the father who was off building a bridge in South America and hadn't been home in years.
"Wouldn't you, if they were yours?" She asked.
"No, I wouldn't."
"Of course not," she admitted as they wove their way through tables and chairs. "You've probably never lied about anything in your life. Or done anything wrong."
"I never claimed to be perfect, Julie," he said, still too close.
"No," she said, the years falling away and bitterness she'd hoped to never give in to again, rearing up. "You just have a perfect life."
He caught her by the arm again, stopping her right there in the middle of the restaurant. "You know that's not true."
Yes, she supposed she did. It was something she'd forgotten so many times over the years, because he certainly seemed like a man who had everything. But that wasn't the case. She hadn't believed the story the first time she heard it whispered about the neighborhood. About Zack and his two sisters found abandoned in a motel on the edge of town at Christmas one year.
It hadn't seemed possible. His adoptive family seemed as close to perfect as any she'd ever known. But she asked Grace, who confirmed the whole story.
Zach talked about it once, telling Julie he knew what it was like to be alone and scared. He told her because he knew she felt the same way, and he knew how bad it was, something she'd never wanted anyone to know.
And here he was, seeing through her all over again.
In the center of the restaurant, they stood staring at each other, his hand still on her arm. He was so big and broad-shouldered now. There was heat coming off his body, the smell of warm, clean male skin, something subtle and enticing that emanated from his freshly shaved jaw. She shook her head, dismissing that momentary flash of awareness, and stepped back.
"Zach, please..."
He didn't let go, but his voice changed, going deep and so familiar it hurt. "Why don't you just tell me what's wrong, Julie."
As if that were all she had to do—pour out her troubles to him, and he'd fix everything. He might be able to. Things that seemed impossible to her were no problem in his capable hands. But the world just worked for Zach McRae, other than that little blip in the first five years of his life.
"Come on, Julie. It's me."
Maybe she should just tell him. Just so he'd know she was okay. Because even after all this time, he probably still cared. He knew her better than almost anyone ever would, and he still cared.
But he was her old life, and this was her new one. Here she had been thinking she was home free from the moment Steve's ring had gone onto her finger. But she wondered now if there'd ever come a point where she felt safe and secure. That's all she ever wanted in her whole life. It meant everything to her. And she'd lie if she had to.
Lie to get it, and lie to keep it.
Bed of Lies
The McRae's Series
Book Three
by
Teresa Hill
~
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Bed of Lies
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Meet the Author
Teresa Hill lives in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a patient, very understanding husband, an incredibly logical son and a highly creative daughter. Sharing their home are two giant, lazy cats who walk across her laptop keyboard when they think she’s written enough for the day and two beautiful, lazy dogs, usually at her side or under her feet.
Born in Central Kentucky, growing up in a town where the public library was housed in an old church, she came to believe books were sacred things and that being a writer would be the best profession in the world.
A three-time Rita nominee and USA Today bestselling author, she has written thirty books of romance and women’s fiction, with more than 2 million copies in print, for NAL/Onyx, Silhouette, Harlequin and Steeple Hill.
You can contact Teresa through her website
www.teresahill.net
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