Page 11 of Forever Country (Forever Bluegrass #24)

H olt slid his tuxedo jacket off and wrapped it around Annaleigh’s shaking shoulders. She wasn’t crying, but she looked defeated. Tremors ran through her body without warning or pattern as she stared at the wreckage of her car. Every window had been broken and her tires slashed.

The officer who arrived took their statements very seriously, which at least made Holt think they were taking this situation as seriously as it should be. When his lieutenant arrived and was filled in, he frowned and Holt didn’t like it. “What are you thinking?”

The plain clothes lieutenant who told them his name was Scripps, gestured to the car. “Escalation and I don’t like it.” Lieutenant Scripps turned to Annaleigh. “Do you have someplace safe to stay?”

“I live in an apartment on my parents’ property.”

Scripps frowned again. “Do you live there with Mr. Everett or alone?”

“Alone,” Annaleigh answered, her voice shaking as she realized how vulnerable she was.

“She can stay with me. If she wants to, that is,” Holt told her as he kept his arm around her.

“Miss Astore, I think that would be a very good idea. I’ll call your local police and have them check your property and do several drive-by check-ins over the next couple of weeks. However, I’d feel better if you were with someone while we work to find out who is behind this.”

“I’ll go with Holt,” Annaleigh said, trying to sound braver than she felt.

A crew was hooking her car to a tow truck to take it to the station for their forensics team to go over every inch in hopes of finding evidence of who was behind this.

“I have both of your numbers. I’ll call you with anything we find or if I have follow-up questions.

” Scripps handed each of them his card and took off to talk to some of the officers.

“How do you feel about getting out of Nashville for a couple of days?” Holt asked her as he guided her to his truck.

“What are you talking about?” Annaleigh asked, leaning into him as they walked.

“I have to go home tomorrow. I always sing the national anthem at the opening home game for the Lexington Thoroughbreds. We won’t tell anyone you’re with me.

You can have a couple of days to decompress.

” Holt opened the door for her and helped her climb into his truck.

He closed the door and walked around to his door.

He hoped she’d consider it. What Annaleigh really needed right now was some Keeneston love and support.

He knew he'd never hear the end of it, but he was already going to be bombarded with gossip since the picture of them kissing in the hall was already spreading across the internet. He’d checked his phone a moment ago and already had texts from most of the town wanting to know when he was bringing his new girlfriend home.

Holt slid into the truck and started the engine. He was giving Annaleigh some time to think. She turned to him, her face full of worry. “Won’t I be in the way?”

“No, sweetheart. You’re never in my way.

You’ll love my hometown. It’s small, everyone knows all your business in the nicest way possible, there are horses to ride, and really good food.

Plus, I’m friends with the entire sheriff’s department, several FBI agents, and soldiers.

We’ll have backup and support if we need it. ”

Holt put his hand on her knee as he drove out of Nashville. He wanted nothing more than to whisk her away and keep her safe. She was quiet as he navigated traffic and then placed her hand on his. “I’d really like to get away. I’d love to go with you as long as I’m not causing you any trouble.”

“Then let’s head to your place and pack a bag. You can spend the night with me and we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Annaleigh was no longer trembling. Probably because she was just too exhausted to even move. It was still hot out even at night, but that didn’t stop her from curling up in Holt’s jacket. It smelled of him and made her feel safe.

They didn’t talk as he drove toward their houses. It seemed to take too much effort for her to think of something to say. The state of her car had screamed rage, and no matter what, she couldn’t stop picturing it. If they did that to her car, what would they do to her?

“You should let Maddie know what happened. Or I can call her if you’d like,” Holt said gently, stirring her from her thoughts.

“I guess someone should know where I am. Could you call her? I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Annaleigh pulled up Maddie’s number and handed the phone to Holt before resting her head on the window once again.

She listened to Holt’s deep voice as he spoke to Maddie and it soothed her to hear him talking.

Annaleigh had let others boss her around for too long.

First her parents, then Benton, and now whoever this stalker was.

Someone thought they’d scare her into, what—a relationship?

It was time to stand on her own. It was time to say enough.

It was time to stop making herself small so others could feel big.

To do that, she needed to stop letting it happen.

She needed to stand up for herself and do what was right for herself for once.

And that meant the time for being intimidated by whoever was behind this was over.

She’d shut down for the past two hours. It needed to stop, but she had to be the one to do it.

“We’re here,” Holt said, gently squeezing her leg.

Annaleigh had been so in her own head that she hadn’t realized he was off the phone and was now parked in front of her apartment. Annaleigh took a deep breath and sat up. She was determined not to let this break her. Instead, she was going to use this as motivation to break free.

“I’ll pack a bag. How long will we be in Keeneston?”

Holt opened the door as she did and then held out his hand for her keys. “I’m going up with you. I would plan on three days, but we can stay longer if you want.”

Annaleigh stared at her key. There was being strong and there was being stupid. Going upstairs alone when Holt was offering his protection was not being weak. It was being smart. She handed the key to Holt and followed him up the stairs. “I’ll pack for a week. I’d rather overpack, just in case.”

Annaleigh held her breath as Holt unlocked the door. She was right behind him when he went inside. She flipped on the light and only relaxed after she took in her whole apartment. “I won’t be long.”

Annaleigh packed in ten minutes. She didn’t really know what to take, so she threw as much as possible into two bags. Even now she realized this wasn’t going to be her home much longer. It was time to move out.

“Did you get everything?” Holt asked her, holding out his hands to take her bags.

“Yeah, and then some. I packed all my important documents and all my favorite clothes and shoes. I don’t know, I don’t feel safe leaving them here.”

“That makes sense. Come on. Let’s get home. I’ll even make you pancakes.”

Annaleigh laughed as she locked her door.

Tonight, her whole life changed in more ways than one.

She glanced at her parents’ house. The lights were on.

They were home. But she didn’t feel like saying anything to them.

Then she saw headlights. Holt stepped closer to her as if to block her.

She looked around him and saw Saxton with Anonymous Blonde Number 296 in the front seat of his sports car as he sped by, not bothering to wave to her.

“Pancakes sound perfect.”

Holt’s house still didn’t seem lived in yet.

However, there were little touches here and there that showed someone actually did live there.

The darkness of the night began to recede as Holt showed off his pancake-flipping skills, which made her laugh.

She sat on his island chair with no shoes on and still wearing her formal dress as he cooked in his tuxedo pants and white shirt with its sleeves rolled up showing off some very sexy arms. His bow tie was undone along with the top two buttons of his shirt.

“Here you go. The best pancakes you’ve ever had.”

Annaleigh took a bite and groaned. “I thought you were joking, but these really are the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

She was thankful Holt didn’t talk about the car. He didn’t talk about her parents or the stalker. He told her stories of growing up and about many of the people she’d meet in Keeneston. For a moment, everything felt normal.

But that night when she closed her eyes, it all came rushing back.

“Annaleigh?” Holt whispered as he walked into his bedroom. He’d once again said he was going to sleep on the couch to keep an eye on things. “Are you okay? I heard you tossing and turning from the living room.”

Annaleigh pushed back her sweat-covered hair from her face. “I was doing great until I closed my eyes,” she admitted.

She felt the bed dip as she turned to Holt. He leaned against the headboard and opened his arms. “Would you feel better if I stayed here and held you?”

Annaleigh battled with herself. She wanted to be strong and not let this affect her. “I wanted to handle this myself.”

“It’s okay to ask for help, Annaleigh. That doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong to know when you need support.”

Annaleigh was already crawling over to him. All it took was lying her head in his lap and all the tension drained away. “Please stay.”

“I’m happy to be in bed with you anytime, sweetheart.” His tone was clearly seductive and fear was the last thing Annaleigh was feeling now. “Come on. Let me snuggle you.”

Holt rested one hand on her head and gently stroked her hair while he rested his other hand on her waist. She felt so safe and cared for that it only took minutes for her to fall asleep.