A Guarded Love Page 11

  “Here we are.” Landon waved his hand with the flourish of a game show emcee.

  Kristin stared at the opening in the mountain. “Is this a cave?”

  “It’s an abandoned silver mine.”

  “On your property?” She’d never seen a mine before.

  Landon grinned. “Yep. I didn’t pay attention to this when I started building my house, but now I want to learn the history of it. Once I get it checked for safety reasons, I want to go inside.”

  “That would be an adventure. How long have you lived here?” Kristin kept her focus on the mine's entrance.

  “Only about a year.”

  Kristin moved closer to the entrance and peered inside. Landon came up behind her and placed his arms around her waist. She leaned her body against him. They stood like that for a few minutes.

  “I like being with you,” Landon whispered in her ear.

  “I like being with you, too.” Kristin felt safe, secure, and happy.

  Landon kissed the back of her head and led her by hand to a secluded area surrounded by pine trees. They both sat on large boulders and enjoyed the scenery. They talked about the possible history of the abandoned mine and ate their lunches near the bank of a stream.

  “We should probably head back. Rob will be here to take you to your apartment.”

  “Will you be going with us?” Kristin asked.

  “No. I have a meeting with my publicist.” Taking her hand, he led her back down the path and to his house.

  Not only was Kristin enjoying being with Landon and being out in nature, she didn’t want to go back to her apartment. She knew Rob would have everything taken care of and secured, but she still didn’t want to go. There were too many fresh, bad memories.

  Landon kissed her on the cheek. “I had fun this morning.”

  “Me too.” Kristin placed a hand on his cheek.

  “I see Rob. Are you ready to leave?”

  “Yeah, but I wish you were going with me.”

  “Me too.”

  Landon walked her over to the car, and held the door open for her. She slid in the backseat. Rob and Landon talked briefly. Rob wasn’t one for small talk.

  During the silent ride, she thought about Landon. He stuck by her side, regardless of her predicament. That touched her deeply.

  When they arrived at her apartment, she felt jumpy. Looking down at her hands she became aware that she was rubbing them quickly up and down her pant leg. Her palms were so wet. Her home used to be her safe place, but not anymore. Rob came around and opened the door. There was a man in the front of her apartment. She assumed it was security. Rob followed her into the apartment. It felt so different knowing that Sam had that terrifying package delivered there. Once inside, she grabbed her dress, shoes, and make-up. one final glance to make sure she didn’t leave anything she needed, she raced back to the protection of the vehicle.

  Not wanting another quiet trip back to Landon’s, she asked Rob to play one of Landon’s CDs. It was about time to learn more about country music. The twang of the steel guitar was different, but he used it sparingly. At first, it grated on her nerves but as she listened, she got used to it. It seemed to blend in with the rest of the instruments, making an interesting sound and not an annoying noise. Once she got past the music, she focused on the words; they spoke to her heart. It was like listening to a story. Landon seemed to be a storyteller, and Kristin could tell that he put thought into each word. One of the songs was about home. It captured the feeling of being home with someone you love. Another song was about loss. It was a haunting song, but it spoke to her. There was a catchy tune about family which surprised her. She tried to remember another time someone sang a song about family, but she couldn’t think of one. Of course, the rest were love songs. By listening to the lyrics, she felt like she knew Landon better and she couldn’t wait to see him.

  The trip went surprisingly fast. Rob and Kristin found Landon in the kitchen with his laptop. Rob went over the security details for tomorrow night’s concert. Kristin listened, feeling all the precautions were for nothing. It was going to be a small intimate gathering at a county club. She couldn’t foresee a problem, but was grateful for the extra care.

  “You have all the details worked out. I’m impressed.” Landon stood.

  Rob headed to the main door. “I feel good about the plan. I think we got everything covered. If there’s anything else, let me know.”

  Kristin joined them. “Thank you for taking me to my apartment.”

  Rob held the door handle and turned to face Kristin. “Not a problem.”

  When Rob left, Landon reached for Kristin’s hand. “I missed you.”

  Kristin smiled, thrilled that she was missed. “I missed you.”

  Landon led her back to the kitchen table. “Have a seat. I want to show you something.” He turned the computer to face her. “While you were gone, I spoke with my manager about you performing at one of my concerts. Here’s a list of my concert dates. Which one works with your schedule?”

  Kristin angled the computer to get a better look and pulled out her phone to compare schedules. “I think the concert in June would work, but it’s in North Carolina. I don’t know how I’d get there.”

  Landon reached over and picked up her hand to kiss it. “I’ll fly you there.”

  Kristin’s mouth dropped open. She quickly closed it. “Really?”

  “Yes. I have a private plane.”

  “That’s exciting! Okay, June it is.” Kristin couldn’t help but smile and she felt elated. Then reality hit. “When the paparazzi learn that I’m the girl in the picture, will they make life hard for me again?”

  Landon’s brow furrowed and he took a deep breath. “We’re going to have to learn to deal with them. It’s not going to go away. I found the best way is to ignore them.”

  “What if your fans hate me? They seem to think you belong to them.”

  “My fans will have to accept the fact that you will be performing with me. I love my fans, but I’m not stopping my life for them. I’m grateful they buy my songs, but I can’t have them dictating my life.”

  “You’re right. They have been dictating my life and I wasn’t ready for their onslaught. I didn’t handle it well.” Kristin looked out the window.

  “Actually, I’m impressed by how well you’ve been managing this situation.”

  Kristin looked at her hands. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s try one concert and see how it goes.”

  “I can do that.” Kristin smiled as she anticipated being with Landon and playing music with him. Dreams didn’t always turn out as planned. Sometimes they turned out better.

  Chapter 20

  Landon couldn’t stop staring at Kristin when she entered the family room. He was undone as he looked at her simple classic black dress that accentuated her long tan legs. Kristin wore her hair up and pulled away and he loved that it showed so much of her face. She was absolutely gorgeous. “Do you have everything you need for the concert?”

  “I put my music in my purse. Let me get that.”

  When she came back into the room, Landon met her at the door. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a hug. He whispered in her ear. “You look stunning.”

  Kristin hugged him back. Then she pulled away and looked him over from head to toe. “You look very handsome. I don’t think I’ve seen you in a suit before.”

  “Thanks. I didn’t want to look like a cowboy tonight. Are you ready to go?”

  Opening her purse, she held up her phone. “I needed to make sure that I had this.”

  Rob was prompt as usual. “Are you two ready?”

  Landon helped Kristin into the back seat of the car. He reached over and held her hand. It felt natural. Bringing it up to his lips, he gave her fingers a soft kiss. Kristin smiled at him. Landon watched Kristin as she looked at the scenery. It seemed like she enjoyed it. He liked her company and he wanted more. Knowing that she had trust issues made him more determined to prove that he�
��d always be there for her. “Are you nervous?”

  She turned to look at him. “A little bit.”

  “I usually listen to music before I get on stage.”

  “Does that help?”

  “It does for me. You want to try it?”

  “Sure. What kind of music do you listen to?”

  “Anything, rock, rap, classical, pop. It doesn’t matter as long as it takes me to another place.”

  “What CDs do you have?”

  “Hey, Rob. What CDs do we have up front?”

  Turning toward the backseat, Rob replied, “Only your music.”

  “Oh. We can find something on the radio. What genre do you want?”

  Kristin smiled slightly. “I already listened to some of your CDs yesterday.”

  “You did?” He hoped he didn’t look as surprised as he felt.

  “Yes. I have a new respect for your music. I especially love the lyrics. So, yes, I want to listen to your music.”

  Landon tried not to beam, but he could feel it surfacing. She liked his music. That was important to him. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her passionately, but he reminded himself that he needed to go slow. It was more important to show her that he was in it for the long-term, and he knew that would take some time. Kristin looked very relaxed listening to the music. When Rob announced that they had arrived, her eyes clouded over.

  “What’s wrong?” Landon turned to carefully study her face.

  “I always get nervous before I go on stage, but then I channel it into my performance.” Kristin rubbed the back of her neck. “I wish my mom and sister could be here.”

  “Hopefully, they can come next time. I’m looking forward to meeting them.” Landon reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “They want to meet you too. I think my little sister has a crush on you.”

  Amused, Landon opened the door and slid out. After quickly walking to the other side, he helped her out of the car. “You’re the only one I care about. Let’s get you in there.”

  Rob met them and interrupted. “Mike will be your bodyguard tonight. He’ll be with you the entire evening.”

  “How many security guards do we have?” asked Landon.

  “We will have a total of five men. One will be in the parking lot. One is stationed at the front door and reception area. I will be in the banquet room. Mike will be with Kristin and we have a floater who will be covering the exit to the golf course.”

  Kristin’s brow furrowed. “Okay, thank you for your help.”

  Rob nodded.

  Landon put his arm around her shoulder. “Everything’s going to be all right,” he whispered in her ear.

  As they approached the building, Landon noticed a man waiting by the front door. He looked like a statue until Landon approached him and he introduced himself as Mike. Landon briefly looked at Kristin. Her eyes changed when she looked at Mike. They looked guarded. He hoped having security wouldn’t put a damper on the rest of the evening. Being followed by a bodyguard sounded exciting, but it wasn’t. Mike opened the door and followed them into the club.

  The Country Club was very elegant with exquisite views overlooking a golf course in El Dorado Hills, thirty minutes from Sacramento. The club manager met them at the entrance. Looking at his name tag, Landon noticed his name was Jay. Landon and Kristin followed him down a long hall. Even the hallway was eye-catching. Fine art was displayed on the walls, in display cases, and on tables. The floor had an oriental carpet. They arrived at the banquet room where Kristin would be performing. It looked like it would be an intimate concert with the guests sitting at round tables. He hoped Kristin would be okay with that. She seemed to like the vaulted windows as she meandered over to admire them. The windows were so tall, it almost gave the illusion of being outside in nature. It made the room light and airy. Landon walked over to check out the view. It was beautiful. He could see much of the golf course and the city beyond. Jay guided Kristin around the stage and showed her the layout where she would enter. After the brief tour, Jay took them to Kristin’s dressing room.

  Jay held the door open for them. “We will be letting the guests in shortly. Hopefully, you’ll be comfortable here until it’s time for you to perform.”

  “I didn’t expect a dressing room.” Kristin looked around the first room. It had one black leather couch and two sling chairs. There was a counter with a mirror. She opened the door that led to her own private bathroom. It had four stalls. She looked surprised. Closing the door, she went to get her purse.

  Landon walked over to her. “This dressing room is great. It will give you a quiet place to prepare before you go on.”

  Kristin chuckled. “That will be nice. I always work myself up before I perform.”

  “Nerves can actually be good. You mentioned that you use it as a technique when you’re on stage. I think that’s a great idea.” Landon reached for her hands and gave them a squeeze.

  “I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for coming tonight.” The sparkle of her beautiful eyes grew in brightness.

  “Thanks for letting me.” Landon pulled her close. He looked down and gave her a soft, quick kiss. Even though it was quick, it was still knee-weakening. “Let’s see how many people are here.” With that, he left. He noticed that Kristin was touching her lips. Maybe she felt the euphoria he was feeling.

  Landon opened a couple of doors until he found the banquet room. The entire room was filled, and some people were standing in the back. Jay was getting chairs for those guests. It appeared that the marketing campaign the country club tried had worked. He headed back to the dressing room. Kristin will be thrilled. When he entered the room, Kristin was applying lip gloss and checking her face. Their eyes met in the mirror. She turned around to face him.

  “Are there any guests?” Kristin asked.

  “Actually, it’s jam-packed. I’m glad the manager reserved a seat for me, or there may not have been enough room.”

  Kristin bit her lip and drew her brow closer. “Really?”

  “Yep.” Landon nodded and smiled.

  She stood there shaking her head. “All the seats are taken?”

  “Yes. This is what you wanted, right?”

  “Of course. I’m just surprised. No one knows who I am.” She furrowed her brow.

  “They will after tonight.” Landon grinned and winked.

  There was a knock on the door indicating that there were five minutes left before the concert would start.

  Landon reached for her hands. He wanted to kiss her, but he learned from Ava not to mess up a girl’s make-up. “Okay, I’d better get my seat. You’re going to be terrific. Break a leg.” With a squeeze goodbye, he left. He was looking forward to hearing her play, but more importantly, he wanted to spend more time with her. If things went well tonight, he wanted to figure out a way to make her a part of his regular concert tour.

  Chapter 21

  Kristin felt her stomach drop as Landon left. As she watched him walk away, she realized that she wanted to put an effort into this relationship. She felt so much more confident when he was around, and she wanted to spend time with him to get to know him at a deeper level.

  The pressure of the last few days—coupled with this performance—was getting to be too much. She walked to the restroom connected to the dressing room and thought about running her hands under cold water, but once she saw the window at the back of the room, she decided fresh air would make the difference. Leaning out and looking at the beautiful green grass of the golf course and feeling the breeze on her face, she felt much better. Mike knocked on the door to tell her it was time to head to the stage. Kristin’s lips pressed together and her shoulders slumped. She didn’t like that Mike would be by her side the entire night. It wasn’t his fault. He was doing his job, but she felt like her freedom was being taken away. He met her at the door and then followed her to the side of the stage as Jay welcomed the audience.

  Mike leaned close, his whisper a stern command. “I will be here whe
n you’re finished to walk you back to the dressing room.”

  Kristin nodded. She wished she felt comfort from him instead of intimidation.

  Jay beckoned her with a wave of his hand to join him on stage. He continued introducing her. The lights were so bright. It was hard to see the back of the room, but it appeared that Landon was right. Kristin could hear many people clapping as she took her place on the piano bench. She could clearly see the first few rows and many guests looked like twenty-year-old girls. A brief feeling of panic set in as she started to think about the crowd.

  Kristin softly touched the keys. It wasn’t like she had a lot of concert experience, but she had learned from the few that she had performed that once she started playing, a calm feeling would wash over her. The music flowed through her fingers. Before she knew it, the first song was completed. After the applause died down, she started the second song. She felt joy. After that song was finished, she felt so much energy that she practically popped off the piano bench.

  One of her goals was to make her concerts intimate. Kristin wanted the crowd to feel like they were her friends. Many people from previous concerts wanted to know the origins of her songs, so she included that in tonight’s show, filling the listeners in on the background. She even threw in a joke or two. The audience responded with courteous laughter and she liked that.

  Of the twelve songs she would be playing, three of them were her own compositions. The others were classical songs with a couple of pop songs thrown in. Every few songs, she would stand to address the audience. After her last song, the audience gave her a standing ovation. It meant so much to Kristin that they seemed to love her music.

  She glanced at the girls at the front tables, the only ones who had stayed seated. They had their arms folded and scowls on their faces. These girls didn’t seem to like anything about the concert. Landon was sitting on the right side of the banquet room. If his smile was any indication, he was pleased with the concert. The girls, on the other hand, almost looked angry. Kristin quickly glanced to see Mike. One of the waiters was whispering something in his ear. Kristin turned back to the audience for one final wave then she left the stage. Jay was the first one to meet her.