Guarding His Heart Read online

  Georgie took a shuddering breath as pain sliced through her. The woman he was holding had her hands on either side of his face and he was smiling down at her, his face alight. It was the same way he’d looked at Georgie only hours ago. As she watched, he lowered his head and the woman lifted her face to his as she slid her arms around him. Georgie turned and ran, unable to watch for a second longer. It felt as though the breath had left her chest and her heart was surrounded by ice. She pushed her way through a crowd of people coming through the door, not caring as she forced her way through. A roaring sound filled her ears and she jumped into the truck and tried to turn the key, but her hands were shaking too much. Georgie took a deep breath and wiped away the tears that were filling her eyes, making it impossible to see clearly. Taking a deep breath, she forced her hand to stop shaking long enough to start the truck.

  She drove into the traffic not knowing where she was going, trying to force away the feeling that she was going to throw up.

  It had happened again, but this time her heart was in tatters. She had never experienced the heart-wrenching grief that consumed her. It was a physical pain, and she didn’t know how to make it go away.

  …

  Georgie had managed to get a couple of hours’ sleep. Now Thelma and Mitzi comforted her with shoulder pats and hugs as she’d sat at their kitchen table drinking coffee. After going back to Ana’s house and packing up as quickly as she could, Georgie had called in at Uncle Renzo’s house and dropped off Mutt and Sooky, but she needed a female shoulder—or two—to cry on. Ana’s work truck was now parked in the garage next to the DeSoto and Aldo was picking her up shortly and taking her to San Francisco in his taxi.

  For no fare, of course. Even the thought of his kindness brought a fresh wave of tears to Georgie’s eyes and started Thelma and Mitzi fussing over her again. Her gaze fell on a pile of magazines on the table and before Mitzi could move it away, she spotted Liam’s face on the front cover.

  “I should have known what I was letting myself in for, right?” She sniffed and pushed the magazine away. At least the woman in the photo with him wasn’t the one she’d seen in the hotel. Of course not; he was famous. Someone that famous would have a woman in every city. Georgie knew she was being unfair, but she’d seen him with her own eyes. The enormity of what she’d seen, and more importantly, of how gullible she’d been to trust him, settled like a chill in her body. The terrible picture of Liam about to kiss that woman would not leave her mind.

  Mitzi wrung her hands as she stared at Georgie, her eyes filling with tears. “I can’t believe it, Georgie. I saw the way Liam looked at you.”

  Georgie shook her head. “I saw him with my own eyes.” Her phone beeped, and she picked it up and read the message.

  Will see you at the airport. Love Sienna and Jack xxx

  Georgie’s eyes filled again. Of course Thelma and Mitzi had rung Sienna when she’d turned up yesterday afternoon looking for somewhere to spend the night. She’d spent an hour crying on the phone to Sienna. The whole world probably knew by now what a gullible fool she was.

  A gullible, unlovable fool. With no chance of ever being part of a couple. She just didn’t have it in her. No wonder Liam hadn’t wanted to come to Hawaii with her.

  Thelma passed Georgie the box of tissues as she sniffed again.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Liam was late getting back to Half Moon Bay. He’d tried to call Georgie to tell her he’d been delayed because the car wasn’t ready, and then the traffic had been heavy due to an accident on the freeway, but she hadn’t picked up. It was dark by the time he pulled into the old garage at his house where the pink DeSoto had resided for many years. He looked down the hill but the cottage was dark. Georgie must have gone visiting again. Liam was looking forward to becoming a part of this community and a part of her life. He’d invited Sarah and Mike down tomorrow. He couldn’t wait for them to meet Georgie and see his new place.

  “You look amazing.” When Sarah had finally stopped hugging him, she’d stepped back and looked him up and down with a smile. “In fact, you look too good, Liam. Where has the suffering writer look gone?” Later, when he told her he’d met someone, Sarah had smiled.

  The meeting with Larissa, the new editor, had gone well. They’d all laughed when he realized he’d forgotten his manuscript.

  “Damn. I’ve left my notes and my flash drive in Georgie’s car.” Luckily, Larissa had been happy with the chapters he’d emailed earlier, and when they’d finished discussing business, Sarah had called up to their room and Mike had come back down and joined them for a quick drink.

  Liam waited up for Georgie till almost midnight before he went to bed. She must have decided to stay down at the cottage rather than disturb him. It would be the first night in a week they had been apart, and he went to bed disappointed that she hadn’t called.

  …

  He slept soundly and headed down the hill to the cottage first thing. He wanted to make sure Georgie would be around to meet Mike and Sarah after lunch.

  The gate to the road was padlocked and Liam frowned as he stared at the house. There was no sign of the old work truck or Mutt, and the house blinds were all drawn. Liam strode across the lawn and ran up the steps. The house was locked up, but he still knocked on the door as an uneasy feeling overtook him. The place looked as though it had been packed up for the winter. Georgie had never closed the blinds or locked the gate the whole time he’d lived up the hill.

  He hurried back up the hill, pleased he’d grabbed the keys to his new car before he’d headed out. Liam jumped in and drove into town, keeping an eye out for the old truck, but there was no sign of it at the hardware store or parked in the main street. Frowning, he turned onto the road that led down to Thelma and Mitzi’s cottage. Maybe Georgie had gone to visit and stayed there for the night?

  As soon as he turned into the driveway he knew something was not right. The two elderly ladies were sitting on their front porch. Mitzi was dabbing at her eyes with a lace-edged handkerchief. Thelma rose slowly to her feet, her arms folded. There was not a welcoming smile to be seen.

  “Liam.” Thelma nodded and Mitzi blew her nose.

  “Why are you here?” Thelma gestured for her sister to sit back down as Mitzi rose shakily to her feet.

  “I’m looking for Georgie. Have you seen her?”

  “Why?”

  “There’s somebody I want her to meet.”

  “Hmm. Is there?” Thelma’s voice was cold and Liam scratched his head.

  “So do you know where she is?”

  Mitzi grabbed Thelma’s arm and her voice was soft. “Tell him, Thel.”

  “She’s at the airport. The poor darling was so upset, she decided to leave early.”

  “Upset?” Liam looked from one to the other. “Why was she upset? What happened?”

  “See, I told you.” Mitzi stood up this time and walked across to the step to stand beside Liam. “I knew it couldn’t be true. I tried to tell her that.”

  Thelma’s voice was low and she frowned at her sister. “So why were you in a clinch with a woman you’d never met when Georgie went back to the hotel to give you your manuscript?”

  Suddenly it was blindingly obvious what had happened. Liam swore and Mitzi gasped.

  Of all the things to happen.

  …

  Liam drove through town and as far as the lookout. He parked the car and stared out over the bay, his thoughts swirling through his head. Georgie’s seeing him hugging Sarah had set off a chain of events that may have saved him from making a terrible mistake—the same one he’d made before. Vanessa had been needy, and he’d sworn he would never get caught by a needy woman again. He’d thought he’d fallen for Georgie, and she’d fought him every step of the way, but like the softhearted romantic he was, he hadn’t listened. Now Liam forced himself to step back and think about what he had really wanted when he came here to Half Moon Bay. What he’d wanted and where he’d ended up.

  Where he want
ed to be.

  Find the muse. Write my books. Okay, that was done and he was happy.

  Have my privacy. Be a recluse like Uncle Joe had been. He hadn’t had that. A red-haired carpenter had breached his privacy as soon as he’d arrived. And she’d introduced him to the community and to her family. And I loved every minute of it.

  Never travel again. The horror that had filled him when he had been in Nepal and heard of Vanessa’s death had firmed his resolve to settle and never travel overseas again. Liam knew that fear was irrational, but it had been real to him. He’d burned his passport.

  Spend my days alone writing. Liam thought of the nights Georgie had spent in his bed, how she’d shown him the sights of San Francisco. The joy on her face as she’d chased the dog on the beach, the little wrinkle on her forehead when she was measuring his bookshelves. The feeling that filled him when he held her in his arms.

  Liam didn’t want to be alone. Knowing he’d hurt Georgie, even if unintentionally, was worse than any of his other fears.

  Never have anyone need him again. Georgie was vulnerable, and he knew she’d been hurt even though she hadn’t told him.

  Liam opened the car door and climbed out of the car. He stood looking out to the bay as he came to a decision.

  He hadn’t been able to give Vanessa what she’d wanted, and he knew now it was because he’d never loved her. When he’d arrived in Half Moon Bay he’d been closed down, and what he’d believed had been right for him had been turned around by a green-eyed, red-haired woman who had bewitched him.

  He loved Georgie Sacchi and he was not going to let her go.

  No matter what it took.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Georgie walked toward the coffee shop at San Francisco International Airport where she’d arranged to meet Sienna and Jack. Her head was bowed and she lugged her carry-on bag over her shoulder, not watching where she was going. She barreled straight into the tall man standing in front of her.

  “Sorry,” she muttered and stepped to the side to go around him. When he moved to block her way, Georgie looked up and she gasped. Blue eyes stared down at her and his lips lifted in a smile. She almost smiled back before reality hit her.

  Liam? Here?

  “What the hell are you doing here?” She looked around, desperate to get away from him before she made a fool of herself.

  Liam took her arm and she tried to shake it off. “Let me through, please.” She tried to keep her voice cold and not look at him. As she looked down she saw the bag on the floor next to him. Lifting her head, she frowned at him. “Where are you going?”

  “Hawaii.” A tender smile curved his lips “If you’ll let me come with you.”

  “What?” she said stupidly. “Why would you want to come with me? You said you’ve had enough adventures.”

  “Because I love you?” He took the bag off her shoulder as he looked down at her. “And because I can sit next to you on the plane and tell you that over and over again.” Georgie stiffened as his arms went around her. “After I explain what you saw at the hotel.”

  “What did you say?” As much as she tried to fight it, a little burst of joy bubbled in her chest as Liam leaned his cheek against hers.

  “I said I love you. And I’m not letting you go anywhere without me. I’ll travel the world with you. Wherever you want to go.”

  Georgie stepped out of his hold and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Liam hadn’t shaved, and his hair was loose around his collar. She looked at him, really looked at him. Not only had his face lost the gauntness that it had held the first time she’d seen him on the beach, his eyes held an expression that hadn’t been there, either. It was the way he was looking at her. All the feelings that clamored inside Georgie were mirrored in Liam’s face.

  “The woman I was hugging at the Fairmont was my agent, Sarah. I hadn’t seen her since Vanessa’s funeral. If you’d waited a minute longer, you would have seen her husband, Mike, come over and thump me on the back while I was hugging her.” He looked down at her and raised his hand to cup her cheek. “Mike and Sarah are my best friends, and they were coming down to the bay today to meet you. I told them I’d fallen in love with a green-eyed woman who bewitched me.” A grin crossed his face. “You’ll have to tell me where we’re going after Hawaii so I can organize for them to meet us.”

  “How about Machu Picchu?” Georgie spun around as Sienna’s voice came from behind. “I hope you’ve got that on your tickets. We have a date there for our birthday in a few months.”

  “Tickets?” She looked at Liam, who pulled a travel wallet out of his shirt pocket.

  “Do you know how hard it is to buy a round-the-world ticket with only a couple of hours to get to the airport?” Liam’s grin got wider and he pulled her back to him. “And organize Thelma and Mitzi to look after the house for a few months? And get a new passport sent to Hawaii? Just as well you weren’t leaving the States for the first leg of our trip.”

  Georgie’s heart started beating again. The ice was melting and warmth filled her veins as she looked around. Sienna and Jack both had smiles on their faces, and Liam was still looking down at her intently.

  Oh my God. Georgie hugged the feeling to her before she spoke. Liam loved her? Liam was going to come on her trip with her. And the whole trip? Not just Hawaii? With her? Unlovable Georgie?

  This man who was holding her like he’d never let her go? This man loved her. Happiness flooded through Georgie and she put her hands on either side of Liam’s unshaven cheeks.

  “I jumped to conclusions, didn’t I?” Georgie let the love flow through her.

  “You need to—”

  “Ssh. My turn.” Georgie trailed her hand across the stubble on Liam’s chin and put one finger against his lips. “I haven’t told you that I love you yet. That’s pretty important for you to know, if you’re coming with me.”

  The last thing Georgie saw before she closed her eyes for Liam to kiss her was Sienna wiping her eyes. “Now we’ve made Sienna cry. And she never cries.”

  Epilogue

  The mist hung low over the lush green mountains and a gentle rain had brushed their faces as the small group walked barefoot on the damp grass. Soft music surrounded them and the guests smiled as the bridal party appeared over the hill. Thelma and Mitzi dabbed at their eyes with lace handkerchiefs, but their emotion soon turned to gentle laughter as Faith dropped her mother’s hand and sat on the wet grass and began to tip out the rose petals in the basket she’d been carrying.

  “Faith, come on. You can play later.” Ana smiled apologetically at Georgie as she picked her little daughter up from the grass and settled her on her hip. “Sorry, the joys of two-year-old flower girls.”

  Georgie leaned down and kissed the soft cheek of the little girl as Sienna waited for them to catch up. “She’s fine; nothing is going to spoil this day.”

  Sienna smiled at her cousin. “And you’ve done it, sis. Your childhood dream. First married out of the three of us…and before your thirtieth birthday. One day to go…you just made it,” she said drily.

  Georgie stood beside Sienna as Ana followed them with Faith. “Only just, sis. It doesn’t seem like almost a year since our last birthday, does it? And Ana’s next.” Ana and Blake had set the date for their own wedding.

  The gathering was small. The guests sat in two rows of silk-covered chairs on a grassed terrace, where petals were strewn on the ground in heart shapes. The area was protected from the breeze by a polished dry stone wall. Joe and Magda sat behind Thelma and Mitzi; Sarah and Mike were beside Uncle Renzo and Aunt Lucia.

  “Well, you two got to Machu Picchu like you planned, but I bet you never thought it would be for your wedding,” Ana said.

  Georgie smiled at her two best friends and her heart filled. Everyone she loved was here to see her take her wedding vows with Liam. She looked ahead, past the chairs to where he stood waiting with Jack, Blake, and the celebrant, in front of a small altar. A magnificent vista of mist-covered mo
untains formed a dramatic backdrop behind Liam, who stood tall and proud. He held her eyes with his, his white silk shirt billowing in the gentle breeze over his loose white trousers.

  The music swelled and Georgie stepped ahead. The others could catch up; Liam was waiting for her. She smiled as he took her hand and spoke softly. “Hello, my beautiful Georgie.”

  Later that night in the hotel at the base of the mountain, Georgie rested her head on Liam’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh as his lips brushed her cheek softly and they moved slowly together on the dance floor.

  “You didn’t tell me all the news, Mrs. Wyndham,” he said softly.

  “What news?” She opened her eyes and looked up at this man she loved with all of her heart.

  “Look.” He nodded in the direction of Sienna and Jack. Jack’s hand was resting on the almost-unnoticeable bump on Sienna’s tummy, and Georgie smiled.

  “She didn’t want to take away from our day. She’s telling everyone tomorrow.”

  “I think it’s too late.” Liam smiled as Thelma and Mitzi threw their arms around Sienna. “They don’t miss a trick, do they?”

  “I adore them. It was so good that they all came to our wedding.” Georgie had missed her family and friends as she’d toured the world with Liam, but the six months they had traveled together had been an experience she would always cherish.

  “I’ve got the tickets for our honeymoon destination in our room.” His sexy smile spread across his face, and the inevitable warmth turned Georgie’s bones deliciously loose.

  “Maybe you should take me to the suite and show me?” Georgie lifted her hands to his cheeks and rested her lips against her husband’s. “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a house on the hill at Half Moon Bay waiting for us.” He grinned down at her. “And there are some bookshelves to be finished. Don’t know where we can find a good tradesperson, do you?”