A Guarded Love Read online

  Reluctantly, he plodded his way back to the waiting room. He needed to stay as close to Kristin as possible. He sat apart from the others. He needed the quiet time to think. Unfortunately, that time was interrupted by the commotion of the others in the waiting room.

  Landon watched Julie sit down in her usual chair. He noticed the quiet strength and loving attention that she gave to Taylor, who was falling apart. This family of three seemed to be close. What did Julie think of him? Did she blame Landon for what happened today? He blamed himself.

  Landon knelt in front of Julie. “How are you holding up?”

  Julie’s lip quivered. “I’m so grateful she’s alive.”

  “Me too.” Landon’s phone vibrated. He looked at the caller ID; it was Rob. “Excuse me, this is Rob. What’s going on?” The sternness in his voice surprised him.

  “I’m here at the hospital. Can I come up to give you a report?”

  “Yes. We’re on the fifth floor in the surgical waiting room.” Landon looked at Julie as he put his phone away. “Rob, who is the head of my security team, is coming up to talk with us.”

  “I hope he has some answers.” Julie said.

  Landon nodded.

  Rob was met by the group when he arrived. They were anxious for news. Rob kept his attention and discussion with Landon.

  Landon got right to the point. “How did Sam get into the country club?”

  “We had an eye-witness that saw Sam pay an employee to wear his uniform and work his shift.”

  Landon crossed his arms. “Why would someone let him do that?”

  “Sam said he wanted to surprise his girlfriend with a proposal. I think he paid a lot of money. The guy couldn’t turn it down.”

  “Why didn’t Mike meet Kristin after the concert?”

  “Mike reported that an employee came and told him that a person named Sam was in the building.”

  “How did this employee know about Sam?”

  “Apparently, Sam paid him as well, to distract Mike. Mike radioed for help. He knew that Kristin was still on stage and was supposed to wait for him. Also, I was in the audience and could cover her while he looked down the hall. The hall was secure. When Mike got back, Kristin was talking with some women. He had a visual on her while he waited for back-up. Mike watched her walk into her dressing room. He stood outside her door while he updated the other member of security.”

  “You had mentioned that someone opened the bathroom window right before the show. Do you know who that was?” Landon felt a headache coming on.

  “We’re wondering if it was an inside job. We think Sam might have paid someone who worked the showroom.”

  Julie approached Rob. “Do you have the name of the employee who gave up his clothes?”

  “Yes.”

  Landon felt his stomach knot up. “What happened to Sam? They were working on him when Kristin was taken by ambulance.”

  “He’s dead.” Rob’s statement was matter of fact.

  Julie gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Taylor put an arm around her waist.

  Rob looked at Julie. “There were several gunshots. One of them hit him in the chest.”

  “I guess I didn’t pay attention to Sam. I was too focused on Kristin.” Landon felt comfort that Kristin wouldn’t be bothered by Sam. He knew should feel guilty about that, but right now he didn’t.

  “Once we find out who opened the window, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks for all your hard work.” Landon shook Rob’s hand.

  Landon felt the anger boiling in his chest. Who could have opened that window? Carefully and slowly, he made his way back to his chair. He really didn’t want to interact with anyone. Landon knew that he needed to stop the fury inside himself. The only way to dispel it was to think of a future with Kristin. He pulled out his phone and looked at the pictures he took at the concert. She was so full of life—high spirited and energetic—and now she was hooked up to tubes. Landon decided that he never wanted to let her out of his sight.

  Chapter 23

  Landon was stiff and sore from sleeping in the waiting room chair. The thought of not being available if Kristin needed him kept him motivated, even if he was uncomfortable and couldn’t sleep. Julie, Taylor, and Lexi weren’t leaving either, but Landon got a hotel room nearby for Grandpa Scott and Grandma Suzie. Landon stood and had a good stretch. Taylor and Lexi were still asleep on couches, but Julie was looking out the window with her arms crossed. His heart went out to her. She looked sad, lonely, and miserable.

  Landon met her. “How are you?”

  Julie tried to smile. “I’m hanging in there.”

  “It’s difficult.” Landon tried to smile. “Any updates?”

  “Not yet. I think the doctors should be doing rounds. Hopefully, we’ll get some good news. “

  “I’m ready for some.”

  Julie let out a sigh. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  Landon’s mouth felt dry. It was hard to swallow. “Sure.”

  “What are your feelings toward my daughter?”

  Landon knew this was coming. “At first, I felt like it was my responsibility to protect her but as we started to get to know each other, I found myself attracted to her. I let her know that I was interested in getting to know her better.”

  Julie nodded.

  “I asked her to play at one of my upcoming concerts.”

  Julie looked Landon in the eyes. “You did?”

  “Yes. She seemed excited about it.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “How do you feel about me dating your daughter?” Landon held his breath.

  Julie rubbed the back of her neck. “When I first heard she was staying at your home, I was worried. I’ve seen the tabloids that say you’re a player. Other than that, I didn’t know anything about you. In her twenty-four years, she hasn’t had the best experience with men. Her dad is a no-show and now she almost lost her life to somebody that she once put her trust in.”

  Landon could see that Julie was doing the best she could being a single mom. Coming from a place of concern, it seemed that she had their best interests in mind. He hoped that one day she’d be able to see he was different.

  “I have to say that I’m impressed with you,” Julie said. “You’ve stayed here the entire time. I can tell that you care for my daughter.”

  “I do.”

  A nurse interrupted their conversation as she beelined straight to Julie. Landon couldn’t tell if the nurse seemed nervous or happy to share her news.

  “Mrs. Reynolds, your daughter is awake.”

  “Can I see her?”

  “Yes, but only for ten minutes. You can go through the double doors.”

  Julie turned to Landon. “Do you want to go with me?”

  “I’ll let you have some time alone.”

  “We can split the time. I’ll be back in five minutes.” She patted his shoulder and left.

  Landon was surprised to see the nurse still standing there. He smiled at her. She strolled closer to him. She held out her phone. “I didn’t realize this was the girl from my newsfeed.”

  He took her phone and stared at a picture of Kristin on the bathroom floor covered in blood. Landon was next to her and the EMT was working on her. Landon couldn’t believe it. Who could have taken this picture? Inside, Landon exploded. He could hear the frustration that crept into his tone. “I appreciate you showing me this. Are there anymore pictures?”

  Taking her phone back, she started scrolling. “Yeah, here’s one of you leaning over Kristin before they put her in the ambulance.”

  Landon took her phone. Seeing Kristin injured brought back horrible memories. He hoped it wasn’t a fan who did this; it had to have been an employee of the country club. Taking pictures of an injured Kristin was not acceptable. The public didn’t need to see those pictures. He’d have to do some interference before Kristin’s family saw them. The nurse kept staring at him. Landon was aware that she was enjoying his full attent
ion. “I’m glad you showed these pictures to me.” He handed back the phone.

  “If you want to give me your number, I can let you know what else I can find.” She leaned toward Landon.

  Landon didn’t want her flirting with him. “Thanks, but I have a security team who can fill me in.”

  Lexi started stirring on the couch. “Is everything okay?”

  The nurse left reluctantly. Landon joined Lexi on the couch, pulled out his phone, and showed her the pictures.

  “Oh, man! I don’t like seeing those.” Lexi covered her eyes with her hand.

  “I know. I want to talk to Julie and Taylor before they see them.”

  “See what?” Taylor popped up from the other couch.

  “I’ll tell you when your mom gets back. She’s visiting Kristin.”

  After the five minutes, Julie joined them. “It’s your turn, Landon.”

  Taylor walked over to her mom. “Landon has something to show us. I think it’s bad.”

  Julie directed her attention to Landon. “What did you want to tell us?”

  Landon looked at Taylor and Julie. They needed a break from bad news. He didn’t want to show them the pictures. “There are some pictures online of Kristin while she was injured.”

  “I don’t think I can look at those now.” Julie rubbed her upper arms.

  “I want to see them.” Taylor moved toward Landon.

  Lexi joined her. “Please don’t look at them yet.”

  “I want to see them.” Taylor reached for Landon’s phone. He pulled the phone back and glanced at Julie for approval, who nodded her head. Landon hesitated before he handed her the phone. Taylor was silent as she looked them.

  Landon could feel that the muscles in his jaw were tight. He wanted to draw the attention away from the newsfeed. “How’s Kristin this morning?”

  “Apparently, it was a rough night. Kristin woke up in a lot of pain and her blood pressure was high, which is unusual for someone so young. Once they got the pain under control, her blood pressure came down.”

  “Has the doctor been to visit Kristin?”

  “Yes. The neurologist came and looked at her. The doctor said that she has a mild concussion. He wants to put her in occupational therapy for her eyes and some memory therapy.”

  “Will there be permanent brain damage?” Landon wondered out loud.

  “He doesn’t think so.” Julie rubbed the back of her neck.

  Landon closed his eyes and nodded.

  “Why don’t you go see her?” Julie encouraged Landon.

  “Do Taylor or Lexi want to go? I don’t want to take up all the time.”

  “I’ll see her next time.” Lexi smiled.

  “I got to be with her last night. You go ahead.” Taylor was combing her fingers through her bedhead.

  “Okay. Thanks.” Landon was nervous to see Kristin. He stood by the door and took a deep breath. When he opened the door, she wasn’t moving. Gathering courage, he forced his feet to move until he was by her bed. Nothing had changed. The tubes were still in place and she still looked fragile. Landon moved the chair closer to the bed and rested his arms on the bed next to Kristin. It was too hard not seeing her move. He put his chin on top of his arms. The next thing he could feel was a hand playing with his hair. He looked up and saw Kristin’s hand. Landon sat up and leaned in closer to Kristin.

  “Kristin, can you hear me?”

  “Yes.” Kristin’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper, and she kept her eyes closed.

  “I’m so glad you’re doing better.” Landon softly squeezed her hand. “Did your mom tell you what happened and why you’re in the hospital?”

  “Yes. How are you holding up?” Her voice sounded like it hurt.

  “I’m hanging in there. Are you in pain?”

  “I have a bad headache and my stomach hurts.”

  Landon wished he could take her pain away. He went out to speak to a nurse who accompanied him back and gave Kristin an injection for pain. He held her hand as she fell back asleep. That was not exactly what he wanted. He had so much to say to her and he longed to be close to her, but this was her time to heal and he hoped it would be done quickly.

  Chapter 24

  Landon had a surprise for Kristin and her family. Now that she was stabilized, after spending two days in ICU, she would be moved into a suite instead of a regular hospital room. The arrangements were made so that her room was private, and her family didn’t have to worry about a hospital bill. The suite had a sitting area with a large leather sofa and four recliner chairs. It felt warm and inviting. It included a private restroom for the family and then a separate one for Kristin, along with her own bedroom. He hoped the beautiful room would help in her healing.

  Grandma Suzie brought some fresh clothes and personal items for Landon. After freshening up at the hotel, he headed back to the hospital. Everyone was gathered in Kristin’s new room. Together, it was decided that she was not to be alone and they continued to take shifts. When it was Landon’s turn, he noticed that Kristin was very sleepy. The medication knocked her out. Discouraged that he couldn’t talk with her, he wandered to the sitting room, grabbed his guitar and went back to her. Playing music helped him calm down. He found himself in the right headspace and was even able to write a song. Landon wrote lyrics about his hurt and pain and about the love he had for Kristin. Almost magically, the words effortlessly flowed into his head and hands.

  “That was beautiful.” Kristin sounded sleepy.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you. How are you feeling?” Landon set down the guitar and moved closer to her.

  “I’m still in pain, but it’s a little less. What song were you playing?”

  “It’s a new song I wrote.” Landon noticed a grimace on Kristin’s face. “Do you need more pain medication?”

  “No. I’ll be all right. I liked that song.”

  Landon looked pleased. “Thanks. You’re the inspiration.”

  Kristin smiled but kept her eyes closed. “When did you write it?”

  “About an hour ago.”

  “Can I hear it again?”

  “Sure.” Landon started playing the song. It wasn’t like Landon to be nervous to have someone listen, but this was different. He poured his heart into this song and he wanted her to like it. The chorus was important to him because it accurately described his feelings.

  You came into my life when I least expected it

  I’m a better person because of you

  My search is over, you are my world

  When the song was over, Kristin lay there quietly smiling, and her face looked flushed.

  Hoping that smile meant she liked what she heard, he asked, “What did you think?”

  Kristin took her time to answer. “I love it. That song touched me here.” She placed her right hand over her heart.

  “I’m glad.” Landon was pleased.

  “I predict it’s going to be a number one song.”

  “We’ll see.” Landon chuckled. “Kristin I’m so sorry that we didn’t know Sam was in the restroom. Watching you lie on the bathroom floor motionless was agony.”

  “Sam popped up when I least expected him. My mom told me Sam died.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “Numb. It’s hard to believe.”

  “I’m thankful he can’t bother you again. The reason you got hurt is because someone opened the window and Sam climbed in. Rob is looking into it.”

  Kristin opened her eyes and swallowed hard. “I opened it.” Her voice was so soft, Landon almost didn’t hear her.

  “What?”

  “I opened it.”

  “Why?”

  “I was getting too stressed. I needed air.”

  Landon sat there processing this new information. It was a careless mistake that put her life in danger, and he was shocked that she was the person who opened the window. But at the same time, gratitude washed over him and he was glad she survived the assault.

  “Are you upset wit
h me?”

  “No. I’ve had a hard time knowing how hurt you are and wishing there was more I could do. Everything that could be done was being done and by someone else. But I’m not upset with you.” All the anger he felt over the past few days dissipated when he realized that there wasn’t another person trying to hurt her.

  “I hope you know I appreciate all you’ve done for me and my family.”

  “I’m happy to do it.”

  “My sister said there are more pictures of me from the accident. Have you seen them?”

  “Yeah. If you want to see them, I’ll show them to you, but I’d advise against it.”

  “No. I don’t think I’m ready.” Kristin stared at the ceiling. “I’m sorry that I opened the window.”

  Landon reached for her hand. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t protect you.”

  “It had to be scary for you to walk in and witness that.”

  Landon’s throat felt dry and it was hard to swallow. “Seeing your unconscious and bloody body on the floor made my world stop.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.”

  “I didn’t know if you were alive. It was terrifying.” Landon was silent. He thought about how his fame made this situation worse.

  “Will you tell Rob about the window? I don’t want to.”

  “I’ll take care of it. The most important thing you can do is heal and rest.”

  “Yeah. The pain is getting worse.” Kristin took two big breaths.

  “I’m going to get the nurse.” Landon hurried to the door.

  Kristin barely nodded her head and then grimaced.

  Landon got the nurse who administered the pain medication. Watching Kristin sleep, he felt grateful to finally get to share some of the things he’d been thinking about. How he wished she wouldn’t have opened that window. As he thought about that, his stress started building up again, so he grabbed his guitar and quietly started playing. It made him feel better. Then a chorus formed in his mind. It wasn’t the entire song, but it was something he could work with. If he kept writing at this pace, he’d have a new album soon.