Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) (2 page)

“Have
it your way.”

The
pain was excruciating. Before it became much worse, he cried uncle.

“What
the hell is wrong with you?” One of the men helped him up. “You lost. Fair and
square.”

“I
was holding back,” he insisted, trying unsuccessfully to save face. “Fighting a
woman is bogus. Goddamn cunt.”

“Arlington.”
The shout came from the back of the room. “Pack your gear and clear out.”

“But—”

“You’re
fired. Get your gear and clear out. If you’re still here in thirty minutes, I’ll
throw your sorry ass through the gate.”

“Alex.”

“Not
now, Sable. Get cleaned up and meet me in my office.”

Sable
Ford followed her boss into the hall.

“I’ve
been called worse. I don’t want to be the reason a man loses his job.”

“I
didn’t fire him because of that. Though, it isn’t a word I like my crew to use.
He’s out on his ass because he tried to blindside you.”

“I
handled it.”

Alex
paused at the base of the steps. The nearby elevator didn’t get a lot of use,
especially by management. Men who spent so much time behind a desk needed to
stretch their legs every chance they got.

“You
could have broken Arlington’s foot, and nobody would have blamed you. The fact
that you didn’t is why you’re still working for me, and he isn’t.” Alex’s blue
eyes met hers. He was ex-Army. So was she. They no longer wore the uniform, but
some things went deeper. When your commanding officer gave an order, you didn’t
argue. “Anything else?”

“No,
sir.”

“Shower.”
Alex pushed her toward the locker room. “No hurry.”

Sable
was the only female bodyguard working for H&W Security. It meant she was in
high demand. It also meant dealing with men like Rod Arlington. During training
drills, and on the job. It wasn’t very different from what she experienced in
the Army.

A
band of brothers sounded good, but even in the twenty-first century, some
things never changed. Brothers meant men. They tolerated women. Barely. From
the lowest grunt to the brassiest of the brass. Sable, and women like her, had
to put up with a lot to forge a career.

Words
were nothing. Abuse against women, physical and sexual, was the military’s
dirty little secret. Now and then it popped to the surface, only to be washed
away with promises of reform. Promises that, for the most part, were not kept.

Sable
joined the Army straight out of high school filled with ideals and ambitions.
Six years later, stuck in a bad situation for which she could see no solution,
she turned in her dog tags.

Quitter.

Sable
tried to shake the thought from her head. She’d been trying for almost two
years. Sometimes, when one walks away from the family business, the backlash
was harsh. Her father hadn’t wanted reasons. He wanted a daughter who fulfilled
her commitment to her country and her fellow soldiers.

The
papers she kept in a safe deposit box were stamped honorably discharged. In her
father’s opinion, they should have read AWOL.

The
water that poured over her short, dark hair didn’t wash away her somber
thoughts. It never did. Most of the time, she kept her nasty little demons at
bay. When they slipped under her guard, she rode out the melancholy and moved on.
She couldn’t change her father’s attitude. All she could do was live her life.

Shutting
off the shower, Sable grabbed a towel and headed for her locker. It was a damn
big room for one person. H&W needed to hire more women. She knew plenty who
could do the job. Old friends. And new ones she had met since leaving the
service.

Alex
wanted a meeting. She would add her thoughts to his agenda.

Pam
Stoddard sat behind her desk. She served as executive assistant to three men.
Now and then she made noise that she needed help, but the truth was, Pam didn’t
want anyone else invading her territory.

“Are
Jack and Drew out of the office?”

The
founders of H&W Security kept strange hours. However, self-made
billionaires could do pretty much anything they wanted.

“They
were in earlier. It’s double-date night. They are taking their wives out for
dinner and dancing.”

“Sounds
nice.”

“My
husband is going to hear about it.” Pam winked. “My not so subtle hint about
our anniversary next month. Go on in. Alex is free.”

Sable
liked that her bosses were married. She knew their wives and considered them
friends. Family. It made her strained relationship with her father a little
easier. She took the seat opposite her boss/friend/family and jumped right in.

“You
need to hire more women.”

There
she said it.

“I
agree.” Alex sat back, his steeped fingers tapping his chin. “Any suggestions?”

Sable
had a list of ten names tucked in her pocket. Just for fun, she threw in a
ringer.

“Dani.”

Alex
frowned, his complexion turning slightly white.

“My
wife? Really?” Suddenly, his tan disappeared altogether. “Have you mentioned
this to her?”

“No.”
Sable hid her smile. “On second thought, never mind.”

“She
would be damn good.” Alex might not like the idea, but his first instinct was to
defend the woman he loved. “Are you suggesting she couldn’t handle it?”

“Dani
would be perfect. Kickass to the extreme. You’d be the problem.”

“Me?”

“Be
honest,” Sable shook her head. “Can you see yourself sending her out on a job?
South America? Japan? Those were my last locations.”

“Fine.
I’ll admit I want my wife close to home. And out of danger.”

“Which
is why she is not on my list.” Sable handed Alex the paper. “Besides, you guys
are thinking about starting a family. That would be difficult with her in
another country.”

“She
told you that?” Alex didn’t wait for an answer he already knew. “Why do women
need to share every bit of information?”

“You
haven’t told Jack and Drew?”

Sable
grinned when Alex shrugged.

“Not
that long ago, nobody knew my business. Now, everybody does.”

“And?”

“It’s
strange. Disconcerting and more than a little unsettling.” Alex grinned. “And I
wouldn’t go back for anything.”

Sable
looked around the luxurious office with a spectacular view of Harper Falls. She
hadn’t known Alex when they were in the Army. However, experience told her this
was eons away from his life in the field.

“No
restless feet?”

“No.”
Alex’s expression was the one of a man truly content with his life. “If I do
feel a pull? If I get to wondering what is over the horizon? I tell Dani. She
understands better than anyone.”

“What
happens then?”

“She
takes my hand, and we go exploring together. A week. Two at the most, and we’re
happy to come home.”

“Must
be nice,” she said wistfully.

Sable’s
gaze traveled out the window, over the town and the river, to the horizon. The
unknown. She liked Harper Falls. Loved her friends and her job. However, when
Alex spoke of the connection he and Dani shared, she knew it wasn’t likely she
would find that here. Or playing bodyguard for the rich and famous.

“Is
there a problem?”

Alex
prided himself on reading people. On a good day, it was hard to get a bead on
Sable. She seemed laid back. Happy. Lighthearted. And he supposed she was.
However, as with many ex-soldiers, there was more than she showed on the
surface. Sable had watched people die—strangers and friends. No one came back
from that unchanged.

Alex
had no doubt that Sable had her shit together. Still, even she had her demons—ones
she hadn’t shared with him, or her friends.

“I’ve
been feeling restless lately,” Sable answered, using Alex’s words. It described
her feelings as well as any.

“If
you ever need to talk.”

“Your
door is always open.” Sable had heard it a hundred times. She doubted she would
ever take him up on the offer, but it was good to know she had the option.

“I
have a job for you.” Alex picked up a file and handed it to her.

“I
figured.”

“Wyatt
Landis called this morning.”

“Is
there a problem? Jade?”

Sable’s
stint as Jade Marlow’s bodyguard hadn’t been long. But a bond developed. They
kept in touch, speaking at least once a week. Two days ago everything had been
fine. But the world was a crazy, unpredictable place. Change, when it happened,
could be sudden—and dangerous.

“Relax.
Jade is fine. It’s another member of the family that needs your services.”

“Really?”
Sable ran the Landis family through her head, eliminating each as she went.
Caleb and Callie. Unlikely. Wyatt? Probably not. If Jade was all right, so was
Garrett. Nate went through his drama and came out the other side happy, healthy,
and in love.

That
left— Uh, oh.

“Colton
needs a bodyguard for the duration of his next movie shoot.”

“Why
me?”

Under
her breath, Sable added,
God, why the hell does it have to me?
Of all
the Landis family, why did she get stuck with the egocentric pretty boy. The
one whose kiss she still thought about from time to time. Nope. Not a good
idea.

“Colt
isn’t thrilled with having a bodyguard. The backers insist, so he’s insisting
the girlfriend angle.”

“Of
course he is.”

Sable
had played that part before. No one looked hard at the eye candy hanging off a
man’s arm. The goal wasn’t for her to blend into the woodwork so much as
decorate it. No one would suspect a tall brunette with perfectly manicured
fingernails of carrying a concealed weapon. Or that she could take out men
twice her size without breaking a sweat.

She
liked those jobs. For all her tough ass ways, deep down, Sable was a girly
girl. High heels and designer labels suited her just fine. No one needed to
know that she had acquired her Louis Vuitton luggage on eBay, or the few good
pieces of clothing in her closet she supplemented with bargain basement finds.

Sable
wore the items as if she were born to money. Except with a greater
appreciation.

“This
is why you need more women around here. I’ve worked for the Landis family. Won’t
my return generate questions? The wrong kind of questions.”

“I
checked. No one gleaned on to who you were. There were hundreds of stories
about Jade, her father, and the Landis family, but not a single mention of you.”

“I
don’t know whether to be relieved or insulted.”

Alex
smiled. “For now, go with relieved. If someone remembers you, the family knows
what to say, You and Jade—old friends. Romance bloomed between you and Colt,
etc.”

“Mmm.”

“You’ve
met?”

“Oh,
yes.”

“Ah.”

“Ah?
What does that mean?”

“Colton
Landis has a reputation. Did he hit on you?”

Sable
nodded.

“You
turned him down?”

“Naturally.”
After she kissed him.

“Will
it be a problem if the inevitable happens and he hits on you again? Repeatedly?”

“I’ve
dealt with the situation before.”

Alex
waited for her to finish the thought.

“Fine.
He’s a bit more attractive than the average client.”
That was putting it
mildly
. “I’m a professional, Alex.”

“You’re
also human.”

“Meaning?”

“Don’t
beat yourself up if you slip.”

“Alex!”

Sable
was shocked. Rule number one. The thing he drilled into the head of every
person who worked for H&W Security. Stay detached, and don’t cross any
lines.

“Are
you encouraging me to sleep with Colton Landis?”

“No.
Of course not.”

“Good.”

She
planned on keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground. No kisses. No
nothing. Having her boss’s okay to
slip
, as he put it, was the last
thing she wanted.

Like
setting a kid loose in a candy store with no supervision. Things were bound to
end badly.

“You
can turn down the job, Sable.” Alex handed her the file. “Look it over. If you
decide to go, you leave in a week. If not, no problem. They can find someone
else.”

Sable
lay in her bed, going over the particulars of Colton Landis and his recent
problems.

A
delusional man convinced the movie star was having an affair with his wife,
attacked Colton. The man breached security, easily getting past the pitiful red
rope that blocked the public from the celebrities.

According
to the report, Colton’s quick reflexes prevented anything more than a flesh
wound to his upper arm. He tackled the attacker; the EMTs patched Colton up,
and amazingly, the premiere continued. With the movie’s star in his seat.

Not
surprisingly, the backers of Colton’s next movie insisted on better security. A
bodyguard wasn’t foolproof, but it was an extra layer of protection. No one
wanted their star out of commission and unable to finish the film.

Sable
set the open file aside. She had known before she read a word that she was
taking the job. Professional pride. She had never turned down an assignment;
she wouldn’t start now.

So
what if she felt a jolt of anticipation—an excitement missing from her life
lately. It had nothing to do with Colt. Well, maybe a little. She was only
human.

Sable
picked up his picture. Dark hair and killer blue eyes. A face that the camera,
and millions of women, loved. Too good looking. And too aware of it. She could
personally attest to his charm and sex appeal. The combination overwhelmed a
person, making her forget herself and her job.

Last
time, she had the luxury of walking away. It wouldn’t be as easy this time.
Colton Landis’s girlfriend? What was she getting herself into?

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA. Rodeo Drive. Movie stars. Swimming
pools.

Hillbillies.

Sable
smiled. Never underestimate the influence of television and reruns. They were
her friends during her early childhood. Was it any wonder her brain referenced
the Clampetts rather than something more recent?

Sable
relaxed against the soft, leather seats, lulled by the smooth-riding limousine
and watched mansion after mansion pass by the tinted window. Quite an upgrade
from her life in the military. Luxurious cars. Fancy homes. Bone china and
sterling silver place settings.

As
with her former life, all of this was temporary. Tonight she would sleep underneath
bedding that cost more than she used to make in a month. However, as with the
government-issue sheets she used in a tent in Afghanistan, they didn’t belong
to her.

Sable
couldn’t complain about the upgrade. She wouldn’t wake up with sand in her eyes
and her mouth. Still, it would be a nice change to be an owner instead of a
renter.

Roots.
The older she became, the more she longed for them.

Moving
from Army base to Army base hadn’t been easy. She and her mother followed her
father. North Carolina. Japan. Germany. One year she attended three different
schools.

That
was unusual. However, the life of an Army brat was unpredictable. She learned
early not to become attached. Friends, when she made them, didn’t last.

Television
had been her entertainment, her companion, and more often than not, her
babysitter. The life had been difficult for Sable. It had been brutal for her
mother.

Iris
Freed married Mathias Ford expecting non-stop excitement. Living in a foreign
country sounded exotic to a girl from Treetop, Tennessee. She pictured parties
and shopping and—well, she didn’t know. But it had to be better than the
crushingly boring life she had lived during her first nineteen years.

Reality
crashed in on her fast. There were no parties. Shopping meant the PX. Mat
claimed the base was in Italy, but for all she knew, they were still in Tennessee.
Military housing looked awfully like the shack in which she grew up. The men
and women sounded the same. Acted the same.

Iris
spent her days cleaning, cooking, and waiting for her husband. To her horror,
she was stuck in the same routine, the same life from which she had run. She
wasn’t a glamorous jet-setter. She was the one thing she swore she would never
become. She was her mother.

Iris
didn’t have the tools to leave. No work experience. No education. She found
herself ruled by fear of the unknown. She couldn’t go back to Tennessee. After
bragging up her new life, she would never live down ending up where she
started.

The
most logical move was to find another man to take care of her. One not in
uniform. Iris was pretty. Soft blue eyes and a young, curvy body. How hard
could it be? She caught Mat when every girl in eastern Tennessee wanted him. If
she put her mind it, she could attract someone better. Richer.

Two
things worked against Iris. Mat received orders, sending them to Guam. And she
discovered she was pregnant. It was a bad combination for a woman planning to
start a new life. Iris was stuck. Ten more years. A child to lug from base to
base. A few affairs that her husband chose to ignore.

The
day she turned thirty, Iris looked in the mirror. She wasn’t young. Nor was she
old. The pretty on her face had worn off long ago. The prematurely deep lines
around her mouth told the tale. Years of discontent. She was tired. Too tired
to keep fighting a losing battle. Nothing would ever change. She was stuck.

Iris
stopped thinking about leaving. Instead, settled in, resigned to live the rest
of her life with a man she tolerated and a daughter she never wanted.
Television had been Sable’s early companion. It became her mother’s last
refuge.

Sable
sometimes wondered how different her choices might have been if her mother had taken
the slightest interest in her. Instead, she grew up guided by a stern, yet
undeniably loving, military man.

Never,
no matter their disagreements, did Sable doubt that her father loved her. It
made their current estrangement all the more difficult. She tried, every day
for a year, to make him listen. To explain why she walked away from his world.
Every day, her efforts were met with silence.

Sable
continued to reach out. Not every day. Sometimes once a week. Or once a month.
All she could do was hope that one day, he would answer.

Closing
her eyes, Sable adjusted her earphones, letting the music on her playlist wash
away her troubled thoughts.

At
the same time her mother embraced television as her method of virtual escapism,
Sable turned to music. It filled her soul like nothing else. When she ran. Or
lifted weights. Or sought a few minutes of peace in a crazy, war-torn country.
Sable found solace in the melodies and words.

Moving
to Harper Falls came with a huge bonus. She met, then became friends with Rose
O’Brian. When she stopped to think about it, it never failed to amaze Sable.
Long before they met, Rose’s songs filled Sable’s iPod. They helped her through
some bleak moments when she found consolation in nothing else.

Life
had a way of handing her unexpected pleasures. Calling Rose friend was one of
them.

The
car slowed, taking a right, stopping at the tall, wrought-iron gate. Sable didn’t
remove her earphones. The driver knew the routine. Through the intercom, he
spoke to a faceless voice, dutifully presenting his face for the camera. Less
than thirty seconds later, the gate opened.

The
surface of the driveway was smooth, not a bump or pothole in sight. Lined with
trees and flowers of every color, it reflected the lady of the house. Bright
and welcoming.

Exactly
how Sable would describe Callie Flynn.

It
wasn’t Sable’s first visit. Last year, while protecting Jade Marlowe, she had
the pleasure of meeting the superstar and her equally famous husband, Caleb
Landis.

At
this point, after working for H&W for over a year, Sable didn’t experience
the nerves she felt the first few times she met someone rich and famous. She
had quickly found out that the old saying was true—they put their pants on one
leg at a time—just like everyone else. True, their pants were more expensive,
but that didn’t make the person special. They were average people living above-average
lives.

Callie
Flynn
was
different. No matter the setting or the clothes, the legendary
beauty could never be called average. Sable expected movie star. She found the
most down to Earth person she had ever met. Callie had a light soul. A fact reflected
in every thing, and person, who surrounded her. She didn’t have a pretentious
bone in her body.

The
first time they met, Callie ignored Sable’s outstretched hand, drawing her into
a warm hug. Lemons and an elusive fragrance. Sable later found out it was a
perfume made especially for Callie. It suited her perfectly.

They
hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but Sable knew, without a doubt, that
Callie was exactly the person she appeared to be.

This
job was filled with all kinds of potential pitfalls, beginning and ending with
Colton Landis. However, knowing she would get to spend time with his mother
almost made up for the trouble she knew was ahead.

Before
the car came to a full stop, the front door opened. Callie Flynn, her famous
screen goddess face free of makeup and beaming, rushed out. Dressed in jeans
and a t-shirt the exact color of her famous gray eyes, the dark-haired woman
with bare feet was not how the world would picture Callie at home.

To
her family and friends, this was the real Callie Flynn. The woman they knew and
loved.

“Welcome
back.”

Sable
breathed deeply. Lemons and Callie. The other woman’s embrace was warm, lasting
longer than the normal greeting between acquaintances. Returning the hug, Sable
reveled in it, wondering if this was what it felt like to know a mother’s love.

A
prickling of tears made Sable blink. Whoa. Put on the breaks. There was no way
she would use Callie as a balm for her mother issues. It was foolish. Not to
mention dangerous.

Callie
welcomed her into her home. As an employee and, perhaps, as a friend. Expecting
more would be looking for trouble.

“I
had hoped the next time we saw you, it would be strictly social.” Callie linked
her arm with Sable’s, guiding her into the house. “Oh, well. The reason you’ve
come is unpleasant. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy having you with us.”

Before
Sable could comment, a booming voice filled the room.

“There
she is.”

Caleb
Landis lifted Sable off the floor, his strong arms holding her close. He set
her down, a grin lighting his handsome face. Tall and fit, no one would guess
he was in his sixties. He looked and acted twenty years younger.

“Ever
think about changing careers?”

“Caleb,”
Callie warned with an indulgent laugh.

“What?”
Caleb slipped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. When Callie was around, he
had to touch her. It was as natural as breathing and just as necessary. “Sable
has a face the camera would love.”

“Really?”

The
last thing she wanted was to be an actor. However, Sable was only human. The idea
that a man of Caleb Landis’ stature and experience thought she could be a star
gave her ego a nice boost.

“Don’t
encourage him.” Callie’s gray eyes darkened with speculation. “Unless you’re
interested. You have a very expressive face, Sable.”

“I
do?”

That
was news. Sable worked hard on her poker face. In her Army days, she bluffed
her way through quite a few card games, winning more often than not.
Expressive? Really. Her Army buddies would find that as surprising as she did.

“Absolutely.
Are
you interested?”

“God
no.” Not wanting to sound ungrateful, Sable added, “I’m flattered. However, it
isn’t for me.”

“I
didn’t think so,” Callie smiled. “Think of it as an option. It’s nice to have
them.”

Sable
thought of her mother. Stuck for most of her life with no idea how to get out.
Callie was right. Life was better with options.

“Come
along. Everyone is out on the terrace.”

“Everyone?”

“This
is one of those rare, wonderful times when all my boys are in town. When it
occurs, I like to have them near as often as possible.”

Sable
trailed behind the couple. Light poured into the room from more windows than
she could count. Bright, cheery colors added to the feeling of perpetual spring.
Flower arrangements. The scent of roses.

Unlike
the places where Sable grew up, it wasn’t merely a place to sleep and eat. It
was a home.

“Sable.”

Laughing,
Sable watched as a beautiful redhead rushed across the lawn. Unlike the first
time they met, Jade Marlowe radiated happiness. It looked good on her.

“How
are you?”

“Great.”
Once more, Sable found herself returning an enthusiastic hug. “I don’t have to
ask. You’re glowing.” Sable lowered her voice. “A great sex life does wonders
for the complexion.”

“You
won’t make me blush,” Jade insisted though a telltale trace of color bloomed on
her cheeks.

“And
love,” Sable added.

Jade’s
gaze shifted over Sable’s shoulder, the emerald color deepening. “Yes. Love
makes all the difference.”

Garrett
Landis, sensing his lady’s interest, winked. He and his brother Nate stood on
the lawn with a tall, slender blonde. From the look on Nate’s face, Sable
deduced she had to be Paige Thornton. Love was definitely in the air.

“Wyatt.
Pour Sable something to drink.”

Callie
patted her oldest son’s arm before taking a seat next to Caleb.

“Tea
or lemonade.” Wyatt gestured toward the table. Two blue pitchers with matching
glasses and plates of cookies and sandwiches covered the surface.

“Lemonade,
please. I remember it from the last time I was here. I’ve craved it ever since.”

Colt
exited the house, a glass of lemonade in one hand. Well-worn jeans emphasized
his long legs and a t-shirt proclaiming his love for Pat Benatar. His dark hair
mussed. Natural or artful? Sable decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
He too was barefoot. To her chagrin, Sable decided even his toes were sexy.

“Taste
and beauty. You’re a woman after my own heart.”

“Oh,
brother,” Sable groaned at Colton’s corny line. She thought she had mumbled
them under her breath, but Wyatt’s laugh told her he heard her comment.

“Finally,
a woman not instantly swayed by the famous Colton Landis. Forget his heart, you
can have mine.”

“I
don’t know about your sons, Callie. They seem awfully free and easy with their
vital organs.”

“Watch
it, boys. Sable can give as good as she gets. Sit. Tell us what you’ve been up
to.”

“There
isn’t much to tell.” Avoiding the seat next to Colt, Sable walked to the
nearest empty chair—all the way across the patio.

“Come
on,” Jade urged. “You don’t have to name names. Tell us about your last job.
Where did you go?”

“The
Ukraine. Come on,” Sable looked around. “Wouldn’t you rather talk about
something else?”

“Was
there a handsome man involved?” Callie asked.

“Yes.”

“Then
spill.”

Sable
spent the next hour recounting her last adventure. She hadn’t lied. The job was
as routine as they came. She played babysitter to the three-year-old son of a
high-powered businessman. His business took him to the Ukraine to conduct some
sensitive negotiations, involving what, Sable didn’t know.

Rather
than miss his son’s birthday, he brought his family along. It was up to Sable
to make sure no one kidnapped the boy. It wasn’t as ridiculous as it sounded.
Things like that happened all the time. However, the closest Sable came to
anything dangerous was some suspicious-looking borscht. She skipped the oddly
colored soup and returned to the United States.