Southern Comfort (6 page)

"You ready?" Katie asked rather than saying hello.

"Not quite. I – I had a little problem."

"Now don't you start. I know that dress is a little sexier than you originally wanted but it looks fantastic on you and—"

"My room was trashed. All of my stuff was destroyed."

"What?"

"When I got back to my room it'd been trashed. My laptop and Kindle are gone and all my clothes have been cut up."

"Do. Not. Move. I'm on my way."

Analise couldn't help but smile. One thing about Katie was that she was there for a friend through thick and thin.  She  no more had time to get her purse and phone before there was a tap at the door.

Katie threw her arms around Analise. "Are you okay?  Oh honey, this is awful. Just awful. Did you call the manager? What about the police?"

Analise thought she'd been doing well until that moment. All at once she felt tears gather and she clung to Katie for a moment. She fought to get herself composed and then pulled back.

"Yes. He's already been here. Now don't fret, okay?  It's just stuff. It can all be replaced. And so what if I don't dress up for the dinner? I have jeans and stuff in the RV. After the police come I'll just take my case and go down to get what I need for tonight and tomorrow." That sounded like a strong, independent woman. She was amazed she'd pulled it off and that her nose hadn't grown several inches. Inside she was a quivering bunch of nerves.

"Screw the event. That lunatic could be out there, lurking in the hotel. My god, someone sliced up your clothing. You can’t stay in this room Analise. You’re moving in with me."

That was the most welcome offer Katie could have made. Analise knew she’d never sleep a wink in that room.

"Sure I can."

"No. No. We're not going."

"Katie, you've been looking forward to this for-"

"I said we're not going. We’ll get you moved into my room as soon as the police leave. Where are they by the way?”

“They’ll be here any time.”

“Well good. Honey, this thing feels like a threat. And that doesn’t make any sense. Why would someone – oh my god. Rick!  Analise do you think he set this up?  He was really mad about you taking that money. What if—“

“No. He wouldn’t do something like this.”

“You sure?  That recording you sent me sounded pretty bad. You even said your attorney listened to it and said it was threatening. And if you really think he’s in bed with some bad people then—“

“Katie, no." Analise couldn’t let her mind go there. Rick might be upset with her, but he’d never arrange for something like this.

“Well, someone has a grudge against you for something. You don’t have any psycho fans, do you?

“Not that I know of.”

Just then a knock sounded at the door. Analise and Katie looked at one another and then Analise called out. “Yes?”

“San Antonio police.”

She looked through the peephole on the door. There were two uniformed officers standing outside the door, one male and one female. She opened it and stepped back. “Thank you for coming.”

They walked in and noticed Katie. Analise quickly introduced Katie and launched into an explanation on what had happened. She expected them to write it down, have her sign a form and be done with it.

She did not expect them to call in a crime tech unit to dust for fingerprints and gather evidence. The seriousness they displayed made her nervousness grow into full-blown fear. By the time the crime techs and left, she was close to the end of her rope. They’d taken her belongings with them as evidence, leaving her only with the clothes on her back, her purse and her phone.

“Thank you so much." Analise said to the two officers. “And I hate to ask but would you consider going with me to the parking lot?  My RV is there and I need to get some clothes.”

“It’s probably be smart for us the check your vehicle." The female officer said.

“I’ll go with you," Katie volunteered.

Analise gave her a grateful smile and accompanied by the officers went to the parking lot. The officers checked around the vehicle and tested the doors. All were locked. Still, they entered before Analise and checked the interior.

“Doesn’t appear to have been tampered with." The male officer announced. “Would you like for us to wait and escort you back into the hotel.”

Analise wanted to say yes, but she was trying not to let this thing turn her into a sniveling coward. “No. Thank you. We’ll be fine.”

The promised to let her know if the investigation turned up anything, gave her a copy of the report and left. “Okay, so what do you need?" Katie asked.

Analise turned her attention to gathering clothing, found a couple of pairs of jeans, clean underwear and blouses. “This will do.”

“Okay, then. Let’s head back and check your room once more for anything the police didn’t take and then get you settled into my room.”

“Thanks, Katie. I owe you.”

“No you don’t. Oh by the way, you remember Alice Sheraton?”

“The redhead who writes romantic suspense?”

“Yes. She said the book signing tomorrow was going to be pretty good.”

“Oh?" Analise stepped outside and waited for Katie to exit.

“Yeah, the convention ran ads in the local papers and on the radio. They’re expecting a pretty big crowd and there’s close to eighty reads already registered for the convention.”

“Is that good?" Analise made sure the door was locked.

“Hell yeah." Katie fell into step with her as Analise headed for the hotel.

“Well that’s good. But the signing?  How many books do I need?  I only have twenty. I do have some postcards with QR codes for the ebook. You think that will be okay?”

“Better to run out than have a butt-load unsold sitting on your table."

"Good point." Analise stopped walking. “Should I go ahead and get the books and stuff out of the RV?”

“No, we can scoot down here in the morning.”

“You sure?  I don’t want you to feel you have to—“

“Hush. I mean it. You’re my friend and after what happened.”

That’s when the reality of it hit, really hit. Analise felt her whole body tremble and fought not to burst into tears. She tried to get herself under control but tears started to stream down her face. She felt Katie’s hand on her arm and stopped.

Katie put her arms around Analise and hugged her. “The police will figure it out honey. You’re safe now. They didn’t touch your RV so maybe it was just random, you know?”

Analise latched onto Katie’s statement like a lifeline. She was right. Why in the world would someone break into her room like that?  Things like this probably happen all the time. Just a random act. It wasn’t personal. If it had been the attacker would have broken into her RV.

In the grander scheme of things, this was just a bump in the road. She could afford to buy a new laptop and Kindle, and maybe the hotel would even help on that. But whatever the case, it would be okay.

She wasn't about to let anything spoil her escape, and her new start on life.

"Earth to Analise."

It was then she realized that not only had they made it to the hotel and Katie had been chatting away and she hadn't heard a word. "Oh, sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Katie pointed to the door.

“Sorry.”

“No worries hon." Katie opened the door and held it for Analise.

They made it to the elevator and up to the fourth floor without encountering anyone they knew, and Analise was grateful for that. She was in no mood to be sociable at the moment. When they reached her room, her hand trembled trying to insert the key card. She dropped it and Katie knelt to pick it up.

“Here, let me get this." She unlocked and opened the door, stepping in ahead of Analise.

The room was empty, but still Analise felt uncomfortable. She made a quick survey of the room. There was a pair of shoes in the closet, her cosmetics bag and toiletries in the bathroom and her shampoo and conditioner in the shower.

She and Katie gathered up everything and headed for Katie’s room. Analise breathed a little easier once they were safely in the room with the door locked.

“Just put your bathroom stuff on the vanity and I’ll put your clothes in one of the drawers.”

“I hope the police return my luggage." Analise commented over her shoulder as she headed for the bathroom.

“They will honey.”

Analise glanced at the clock between the two queen beds as she returned to the bedroom. “Katie you better start getting ready.”

“Oh, I’m not going.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No. I’m staying here with you. Will find a place that delivers and have a pajama party.”

“No. Seriously. No. You have that pretty dress you bought just for the event. I want you to go. I’ll stay here. Take some notes or something. There’s bound to be –" She looked around the room. “Yes, there’s a pad and pen right there.”

“Analise, I’m not leaving you alone.”

“I really want you to go.  I – I need some time to myself. Please?”

“Well.  If you’re sure.”

“I am. Thank you so much for letting me stay with you.”

“Are you sure you want to be by yourself?”

“I am. I’m – I just feel tired.”

“Okay sugar, if that’s what you want.”

“It is, now go get gussied up.”

Katie smiled. “All righty.”

As Katie headed for the bathroom, Analise took a seat at the small table in front of the window. Katie’s room was on the front of the hotel. Directly across the street was the Alamo. Analise watched the people who were visiting the historic landmark. The first time she saw it, the day she arrived, she was surprised how small it was. History made it seem so huge. Or maybe it was fiction based on history that did that.

Writers had a way of romanticizing places they wrote about. Her thoughts turned to the book she was working on. She picked up the pen from the table and slid the notepad in front of her to jot down a line. Maybe she should set it in this area. The break-in sparked ideas. San Antonio might have a seedy underbelly that would work well as a backdrop.

Maybe the book would be more of a romantic suspense. Her hero could own a ranch in the county – she'd have to research what county this was.

She picked up her phone, accessed the browser and ran a search.
Bejar County
. She jotted on the note pad. Wonder how that was pronounced. Another Google search provided the answer.
Bear.
She added that to her notes.

Maybe on special occasions he'd drive into San Antonio. Have dinner at a place like this. Maybe he’d witness something happening. A woman getting attacked. Or finding a woman unconscious in the parking lot.

As she thought about it, her hero appeared in her mind as Nate Bridges. Analise smiled. Back in New York, she'd never told any of the women she knew about her fan crush.

She doubted any of them had watched his westerns. He was a popular actor in several other roles, and while she liked them, it was his portrayal of the western hero that really revved her engine.

Katie agreed that Nate was fine with a capital F. Too bad it was a fantasy. There were no more real down-to-earth guys left, which is why Analise had blended the fantasy man with Riley’s personality and cooked up the perfect hero.

Well, perfect to her. And completely unattainable. That thought gave her pause. Was that what she wanted?  Had she been trying to make Riley into some make-believe romantic hero because she was unhappy with her life?

She hoped not. As nice a fantasy as it would be, she had no hopes that when she actually met him that sparks would fly, angels would sing and love would explode between them. That was something she'd be able to use in her romance writing, but not something that could happen in real life.

In real life, she was just a woman without a clue about what she really wanted and how she was going to figure that out.

Chapter Six

It took less time than Riley anticipated to get the pig into the pit. But with him and Deputy Tom Greene there to help, Billy and Cody's job had been easier. Riley stood outside, staring up at the sky, watching the sun fade into the horizon. Cody and Billy had gone inside the bar to get beer and Tom was checking in with the station.

Riley kept checking his phone for messages. Nothing. He'd been expecting Analise to roll in early that afternoon but she hadn't shown up, nor had she texted. He was starting to get a little concerned. In his experience, she was the type of person who did what she said she'd do. If she said she would text at a certain time, he could set his watch by it.

He'd been a little surprised when she said she was going to arrive before the end of September and hoped that wasn't a problem. Her friend, Katie, was currently staying with her sister due to some vandalism at her home while Analise was visiting and Analise didn't have anywhere else to go in the state.

Riley had assured her it would be fine. There was a pig roasting every week at Billy's and you couldn't tell much difference between a regular Saturday night at the bar and the festival weekend since it was always the same people who came to both.

Tom walked over as Riley’s fingers hovered over the keypad. "There's been an accident at the town limits. An RV. I need to—"

"An RV?" Riley was a bit surprised at the way his gut clenched. Analise was driving an RV. "Is it serious?"

"Don't know. Helen over at the station just gave me the call."

"Mind if I ride with you?  I'm expecting a friend to come into town."

"A friend who drives an RV?"

"Yep."

"Well sure, come on."

"Let me tell Billy." Riley called Billy and as soon as Billy answered, Riley filled him in. He climbed into the cruiser with Tom and they headed to the opposite end of town. That took all of three minutes.

Sure enough an RV was stopped right in the road. "Is that…" Tom leaned closer to the windshield, peering at the vehicle.

"An engine?" Riley was as surprised as Tom because it sure as heck looked like the whole engine block was sitting on the pavement beneath the vehicle.

"Well you don't see that every day." Tom stopped and got out of the cruiser.

Riley followed suit and it was then he noticed the woman standing beside the driver's door of the RV. She wasn't a tall woman, maybe a bit taller than Cody  but with a knock-out build and dark brown hair a little bit longer than shoulder length.

It had to be Analise. He and Tom approached the vehicle and she turned toward them.

*****

Analise felt like the bottom had dropped out of more than her RV. What in the world was she going to do now?  Could it be repaired?  She had to be able to get it to a campground so she'd have somewhere to stay, but if the engine wasn't in the darn thing nothing inside would work.

She was royally screwed and mad. There had been too many mishaps lately. After the convention, on the way to Katie's house the RV had started making groaning noises. Once she got to Katie's she'd gotten on Katie's computer and looked up repair places. She took it to one and they said they couldn't find anything wrong.

Then Katie’s house was vandalized. Someone threw a brick through the glass of the front door. That had really freaked Katie out. It didn’t do Analise’s nerves much good either since she’d been dealing with trying to get the RV checked at the time.

What she’d paid that mechanic was obviously three hundred dollars wasted. She felt like cursing, but instead was running a Google search on tow trucks and mechanics.

She heard the car pull up p and after a moment she stopped what she was doing, turned and glanced at the men who were approaching. The one in the lead was medium height with a lean wiry build, curly blond hair and wore a badge on his shirt.

The other was tall and lanky, wearing faded jeans, boots and a cowboy hat. And was Nate Bridges!. She stared speechlessly as the men approached.

"Analise?" Nate Bridges asked.

"Uh, yes?"

"It's me. Riley."

Analise's mind went into a whirl that had her reaching for the side of the RV. She felt like a top being spun. Everything was swirling around her and Nate Bridges was reaching for her. She couldn't focus, couldn't think.

*****

"Oh hell," Riley caught her as she fell and lifted her into his arms. She hung there, limp.

"Maybe you better run her over to Doc's." Tom suggested.

"Billy's is closer. Call Doc and have him meet us there."

"Will do."

Riley started in the direction of Billy's house, which was less than a block away. Hannah was just getting out of her car when he strode into the yard. "Oh my god!  Riley, what happened?"

"Woman passed out. Can I use your sofa?"

"Of course!" Hannah hurried up the front steps to open the door, yelling for her mother. "Mama!  Call Doc. Someone's hurt."

Stella ran into the front room as Riley was easing Analise onto the sofa. "What happened?"

"Her vehicle broke down in town. Tom and I went to check it out and when we walked up she fainted."

"Let me get a cool cloth. Be right back." Stella hurried off.

"I'll get water and call Doc." Hannah hurried off as well.

Riley didn't quite know what to do, so he sat on the edge of the sofa beside Analise. She was prettier in person than in the photo she'd sent with her and the voodoo doll. He knew she was in her early 40's but she looked younger.

As he watched her, her eyes fluttered and opened. The moment her gaze landed on him her eyes flew open wide and she gasped. "Oh my God."

"Are you okay?  Do you hurt anywhere?"

"Here honey." Stella hurried in with a cool cloth and placed it on Analise's forehead. "Now you just lie still ‘til the doctor gets here. You want some water?"

"No. Thank you."

"Okay. I'll be on the porch watching for the doctor. Riley you yell if she needs anything, hear?"

"Yes ma'am." He turned his gaze from Stella to Analise. "You okay, Annie?"

Analise couldn't form any more words. Her brain simply wasn't prepared to see Nate Bridges sitting there looking at her. This had to be a dream. Oh god, what if she had been in an accident and was hallucinating as her body was shutting down. Was she dying?  That made her break out in shivers and a sweat at the same time.

"Analise, are you okay?  Can you talk?"

She managed to shake her head back and forth in quick jerks. Nate reached to take her hand. "Squeeze my hand if you understand."

Squeeze my hand?  For the love of God, she could barely breathe. Nate Bridges was holding her hand.

"Listen to me. It's Riley. You're in Cotton Creek and your rig broke down. You fainted. But you're safe. I just need you to squeeze my hand if you understand what I'm saying."

Blood must have returned to her brain, or her neurons had started firing again because she had least had the where-with-all to follow his instructions. She squeezed his hand and was rewarded with a smile that literally took her breath away.

But it couldn't be real. Her friend Riley was a rancher in a small town, a man who had cattle and played in a little hometown band and made furniture. The man sitting beside her, holding her hand was a movie star.

The longer she lay there staring at him, the more questions her mind conjured up. Why was he playing this game with her?  Where was she and why was he pretending to be her friend, Riley? Finally curiosity overpowered shock and she opened her mouth. "Who
are
you?"

"Riley. Analise it's me, Riley Morgan."

"No." She pulled her hand away from his and pushed into a sitting position. "No, you're not Riley. You're …. You're …"

"Riley."

"No!" She pushed him out of the way so she could stand. "My friend Riley isn't … isn't …"

"Isn't what?" He stood to face her, forcing her to tilt her head back to look up and meet his eyes.

"Isn't you!"

"Well, if I'm not me then who am I?" God help her it
was
Nate Bridges. She’d listened to that voice a thousand times.

"You know who you are. You're him."

"Him who?"

"Nate Bridges!"

Riley physically stepped back at that. He didn't know whether to turn tail and run, lie to her face or fess up and tell the truth. For a few moments they just stared at one another. Her with her fists clenched by her sides, face flushed and her chest rising and falling rapidly – and him feeling like the last tin can standing on the wall at target practice.

Finally he blew out his breath, swept off his hat and ran his hand back through his hair. "I'm not Nate Bridges, Analise. At least not anymore. And my real name
is
Riley Morgan. I haven't been Nate Bridges in a long time."

He could tell that she wasn't buying it by the way she shook her head and held her hands up in front of her like she was warding off an attacker. "No. Oh no. This can't be happening. You can't be Riley."

"Well sure I can, Annie." He gave her a smile. "The same Riley who told you how to stain your treasure box, and what calving season is and –"

"Oh. My. God." She took a step back. "You're him. I mean it is you. But you're him, too."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

Analise didn't know why but all of a sudden she was furious. Maybe it was precipitated by embarrassment. She had just gushed, after all, like a star-struck teenager. And God only knew that if the energy of the fantasies she'd had about Nate Bridges were turned to fuel, she could power a damn nuclear submarine.

And then there was the fact that he hadn't bothered to tell her that he was a freaking movie star.

"Well you could've been honest about it."

"Pardon?"

"About who you really are?  I mean here for over a year I thought I was talking with some rancher from Bumfuck, Texas. Some guy who for whatever reason didn't have a family and was all alone, but knew a lot about ranching and making furniture and who was polite and kind and made me laugh and someone who-"

"Hold on there, Turbo, you might want to take a breath."

As much as she hated it, that sounded exactly like her friend Riley. She threw up her hands and made a loud roaring sound. "Do
not
be cute with me, Riley Morgan. I mean it. I thought you were just a regular guy, someone who was my friend and someone I'd come to care about."

"Well, I appreciate that, Annie, and I thought we were friends too."

"But not good enough friends to tell me the truth about who you are?  Seriously. You invited me here. Surely you had to have known I would recognize you?  For Christ's sakes, you're Nate Fucking Bridges!"

His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, and for the life of her she couldn't help but see Nate Bridges as he'd appear on film, that look he'd get right before he ripped into someone. It both excited and terrified her. Without being aware of it, she took two steps back and bumped into the couch.

Riley’s saw the fear on her face and it smothered the irritation gnawing at him. In a way she was right. He had deliberately kept that part of his life secret from her. But in his own defense, she was just a woman he chatted with online so what did he really owe her? That thought boosted his resolve not to feel  guilty, but the fear on her face and the way she moved away from him cut right through his indignation.

"I'm sorry, Annie. You're right. I am Nate. At least that's my stage name. But I left that life behind almost a decade ago and now I'm just Riley. I didn't set out to deceive you, but honestly, I didn't know you. We're internet friends and you – well you could have been anyone for all I knew."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, a move he'd seen more than once in his life and one that spelled trouble. When a woman did that, it was a pretty sure bet she wasn't letting whatever you were saying get in.

"Well, maybe so." Her words surprised him. "But … but God in heaven, it's sure not what I expected when I came here to meet my
internet
buddy."

Riley chuckled. "I guess not."

"So what now?"

"Pardon?"

"What now?  I mean, I don't even know what to say to you. You might be plain old Riley to yourself but when I look at you I see Nate Bridges."

"And I can't be both?" Hell fire. Was his past going to screw up their friendship?

"Well … well yes, of course. I mean you are, but it's different for me. I came here expecting to meet a middle-aged man with a kind heart, a good sense of humor and probably  sporting a Texas- sized beer belly and not much hair."

That gave Riley a chuckle. "So you're saying I'm a disappointment?"

"Oh screw you, Riley. You know that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that it's hard to be normal around a heart-throb movie star."

He shouldn’t have let the heart-throb bit pump his ego but it did a bit. It’d been a while since a woman saw him in that light. "But I'm not anymore."