Leather Pants

  “Yes,” he replied. “And from what you said last night, I think you love me, too.”

  Was that true? She didn’t know. Her head was too busy doing cartwheels. “I have no idea what I said.”

  “You said I made your insides flutter and that you couldn’t stop thinking about me from the moment we met.”

  “That doesn’t mean I wanted to marry you.”

  “It doesn’t mean it was a mistake, either.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Because her gut told her that everything just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated. “I need to talk to my lawyer. And I need some water.” What was in those drinks last night?

  “I’ll be right back.” Colt stood and disappeared into the bathroom.

  She dialed Melissa, her longtime friend and lawyer.

  “Sarah!” Melissa answered on the first ring. “I was getting ready to call you! Congratulations on the news!”

  Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. “Thanks,” she groaned. “It’s why I’m calling. I need you to talk me through what this means.”

  “It means the charges will be dropped. All of them!” Melissa sounded ecstatic. “You’ll get your bench back, your name will be cleared, and best of all you won’t go to jail.”

  Huh? “Are you fucking with me?”

  “I would never joke about something like this, Sarah. It’s over.”

  “All because I married Colt Young? I don’t get it.” Why would that exonerate her?

  “What do you mean ‘married Colt Young’?” Melissa had a very worried tone in her voice.

  Sarah’s already shredded stomach did a nervous flip. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the full confession Wright gave, caught on tape, and sent to the judicial committee overseeing your trial. The news just broke two minutes ago. It was released on CNN.”

  “What?” Sarah felt the room closing in on her. “How’s that possible?”

  “Some woman got a full confession out of him. Do you know who it was?”

  What in the world? Eyes tearing, Sarah covered her mouth, unable to believe it. It was a miracle. A goddamned miracle.

  Colt appeared with a glass of water in his hand. “What happened? What’s she saying?”

  “But, Sarah,” Melisa continued, “what did you mean that you married Colt Young?”

  “It’s a long story, but it doesn’t matter now.”

  “Sarah.” Melissa did not sound happy. “When did you get married?”

  “Last night?” Sarah said, feeling like a huge, painful bomb was about to explode, but her tequila-saturated brain simply hadn’t pulled all of the pieces together yet.

  “Where, Sarah? Where the hell did you get married?” Melissa asked.

  “Uh…I…I…” Oh fuck. Oh fuck. She looked up at Colt. “Colt, where are we?”

  “Vegas.”

  Sarah’s phone slid from her hand. She couldn’t speak or breathe or move. No. No, no, no…

  “Sarah, what’s going on?” Colt leaned down and gave her a little shake. “Sarah?”

  She could hardly find the words. “The charges are going to be dropped,” she whispered.

  Colt smiled from ear to ear. “Seriously?”

  “Uh-huh.” She nodded absentmindedly.

  “Fuck yeah! This is great news.” He embraced her, but she didn’t hug back. He quickly backed off. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked into his hazel eyes and wanted to scratch them out. “I’m still out on bail, Colt.”

  “Okay. So?”

  “So you took me to Vegas, Colt! You took me to fucking Vegas!”

  He frowned, not following.

  “I’ve violated a court order not to leave the state.” She bit back her rage. “With your PR move, everyone will know. And there will be a warrant out for my arrest before the end of the day.”

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Three weeks later

  Standing inside the courthouse, a few steps from the doors leading outside, Sarah and her attorney, Melissa, stared at the mob of reporters waiting to pounce just on the other side of the glass.

  “Well, this is it.” Sarah turned to Melissa, who had short red hair and wore a dark blue suit. “Thank you, Mel.” She gave her a heartfelt hug and pulled away to make a silly pouty face. “Are you sure you won’t come to the party?”

  “I wish I could,” said Mel, “but I have another trial to prepare for. But you go celebrate with your friends. And absolutely no tequila.”

  Sarah smiled. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” Mel had made sure the plea bargain session had run smoothly and that Sarah took the full blame for leaving the state.

  Mel shook her head. “Are you kidding, Sarah? You’ve meant so much to so many people over the years. There’s never been a lawyer like you and there will never be a judge like you again.” Mel’s eyes teared up.

  “Don’t. Don’t feel bad. I have way too much to be grateful for—like not going to prison or having to wear an orange jumpsuit.” Sarah gave Mel’s hand a squeeze. “It’s okay. I promise.”

  After things settled down, Sarah would start to explore other job options, like being an attorney again.

  Mel sniffled. “We should’ve fought this, Sarah. We should’ve pushed to get your bench back.”

  No. There’d only been one way to do that and it would’ve involved convincing the judicial committee that she’d left the state under duress, meaning Colt abducted her. And even if she was pissed as hell over what Colt had done—so stupid not to talk to me first! I mean, seriously!—he’d gone through enough. A bad accident, having his brother try to kill him, memory loss, Colt’s list went on and on. The last thing he needed was to have kidnapping charges brought against him.

  No. This had been painless. No trial. No more drama. She took her punishment and walked.

  “The only thing I need, Mel, is an annulment and to put the past behind me.” She hadn’t spoken to Colt since Vegas and wouldn’t answer his calls. He also had no clue where she’d moved. A good thing because she was too angry to even look at him. At first, she told herself it was because he’d done the whole marriage thing without talking to her first and that he’d manipulated her into it. But after a few days, she began to realize it was so much more than that. She had real feelings for Colt, and he claimed to have feelings for her, too. But if his version of love made it okay to do something so…so…goddamned reckless, how could she ever trust him? The man she spent the rest of her life with had to be honest and trustworthy. He would never pull a stunt like that in the name of taking care of her as if she were some ignorant, helpless child. Anyway, good intentions or not, it hurt. And now she’d lost her bench because of it.

  Mel leaned in and spoke softly. “You can’t annul the marriage, Sarah. Not for a few years. Otherwise you might look like you were trying to defraud the court.”

  Sarah groaned and rubbed her face. “Of course. I’m stuck with him.” She let out a breath and shook it off. Be grateful. Be grateful. Things could’ve ended up way worse. “Thank you anyway, Mel.”

  “Have fun tonight.” Mel gave Sarah one last hug and headed out. As the doors opened, the mob-like sound of screaming reporters poured inside. Mel had already prepared a statement for Sarah. She needed to tread carefully—all eyes were watching.

  Sarah lifted her chin and made her way outside. The news crews engulfed her like hungry sharks and shoved microphones in her face. “How do you feel about today’s verdict, Sarah?” “When did you start seeing Colt Young?” “Is it true that you’re brokering an international space alien treaty?”

  Huh? Sarah frowned at the reporter with ET Gazette written on his microphone and held out her hands, ready to say that she had made a mistake and agreed with the court’s decision. They had no choice considering her error.

  As she began to speak, a pair of mirrored sunglasses off in the distance near the parking lot caught the sun and caught her eye. Mr. Cowboy Hat. One of Colt’s famous disguis
es.

  He slipped his glasses down his nose, and their eyes met over an ocean of greedy reporters. She couldn’t hide the instant hurt. She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to hear he was sorry. She wanted to get on with her life.

  Sarah tamped down her emotions, delivered her statement, and headed for her car. Maybe in a few months, she’d be calm enough to talk to Colt like a rational adult and make arrangements for a divorce. In a few years.

  She would assure him that she wouldn’t go after his money. She would even offer to sign a prenup. Or was it a post-nup? Anyway, she’d make it easy for him if he stayed away.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Standing on her wraparound porch decorated with dazzling white lights, Ms. Luci wrung her hands as the first of a thousand-plus guests began arriving for her annual grand wedding fiesta. Tonight would not be easy, but she’d made up her mind. This would be the last time, the end of a forty-year tradition. After tomorrow, she would close the doors of the Happy Pants Café forever.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” said Sebastian, her long-time friend and right hand who helped run the ranch with his son, Juan. Sebastian would get ownership of the ranch—he’d earned it. And given his age, same as hers, he needed a place to retire quietly and live out the rest of his life. What better place than the ranch he’d called home his entire life?

  Luci patted the sides of her bun, checking for loose strands. “I am certain, Sebastian. It’s time for me to retire, and I have yet to find anyone to take over the business.” She would never hand it over to just anyone. And then, of course, there were the cookies and their very special ingredients—a secret that could never get into the wrong hands. So this was it. After the fiasco with Joseph Wright, she simply couldn’t find the energy to keep going.

  “Are you sure your children don’t want to take over?” Sebastian asked, putting on his red cowboy hat to match his red boots. The man liked his bright colors. He always had. Even before he’d been kicked in the head by her horse, Miss Happy Pants. It was one of the reasons she’d never considered handing the café over to him. Besides, he was happier playing with his pet pigs.

  “They have their lives and families,” Luci replied. “They have their careers, too. Why would I take that away when it’s my biggest joy to see them all settled?” They’d only be doing it for her, and that wouldn’t do.

  “Do not worry, my friend.” Luci gave Sebastian’s arm a squeeze. “You will be taken care of. Now let us go and greet our guests.”

  Three hours behind his road crew, Colt arrived to Ms. Luci’s ranch in his limo and tried not to pay attention to the nerves in his stomach. This would be his first official public appearance in more than a year and a half. Thankfully, it would be a small crowd—about a thousand guests—perfect for getting back in the saddle. Yeah, but we both know you’re performing for only one person tonight.

  Ms. Luci had called several weeks ago, begging for forgiveness. She’d explained how Sarah had been chosen as Luci’s special “project.”

  “But why did you think I was the one for her?” he’d asked.

  “I was already keeping an eye on Sarah—or shall I say, having my friends keep an eye on her. I often find that the right man or woman is already close, but my ‘projects’ always need a little help to open themselves up. When I saw that footage of Sarah looking at you the first time you walked into her court, I knew. You were the one. A woman only looks at a man like that if she’s truly open to loving him. The heart knows. It’s simply a question of getting the brain to follow.”

  Luci went on to explain that from that moment on, she’d started making calls to see who knew Colt and might be able to get him to come to her fiesta, but then fate intervened. Colt got into hot water again while in San Francisco, where he often visited for business or to see his brother. Luci took the opportunity to call in a favor from an old friend and ensure Colt and Sarah were in the same room again.

  “Love usually does the rest. I just didn’t know that Joseph Wright would do that to Sarah. I am so sorry, Colt.”

  He wasn’t angry, but he was amazed. Luci, who behaved like a secret love spy, knew people all over the world. Her loyal clients, as she called them, would do almost anything for her and gladly helped with her “projects.”

  “I can forgive you,” he’d said. “But I want two things: A, I still owe you some work, and B, I need your help to get Sarah back.”

  Luci happily agreed to have him play at her party and to make sure Sarah showed up.

  The rest is up to me, he thought. But would it be enough? He understood why Sarah felt betrayed, and in hindsight, it had been a very foolish thing to do. But she needed to understand that the thought of losing her after everything they’d been through was too much. And deep in his heart, though she’d paid for his mistake with her career, he wondered if all this wasn’t fate.

  Colt glanced at his watch. The party started hours ago, and it was almost time to go on. After the mass wedding. Before the cake.

  Sarah would be there, helping the newlyweds complete their paperwork. Five hundred couples were wed tonight, and Colt would be providing the wedding reception entertainment.

  He blew out a breath as the valet opened the limo door. It was now or never. You got this.

  But never, not once since he’d become famous had he gone on stage as himself. Not a rock star. Not pretending to be the image that had made him so famous. Just…Colt.

  “Congratulations, you two!” Sarah popped from her fold-out chair and hugged the nice Japanese couple who’d just had their marriage licenses signed by the reverend and witnesses. “We’ll file this Monday morning at the county clerk’s office and overnight your copy. Have fun!” The couple kissed and practically skipped out of the paperwork tent.

  So adorable. It really was something coming to Luci’s parties. People from all over the world showed up to thank Luci for changing their lives with her famous cookies or for introducing them to their special someone. Some had been married in past years and came to help. It was a huge undertaking and a labor of love to throw a legally binding mass wedding.

  Sarah checked off the couple’s name from her list and called the next two lovebirds in line.

  Luci appeared out of nowhere in her Mexican dress with bright yellow and green flowers. Sarah’s little black dress with white beaded trim wasn’t nearly as festive. She really had to start being more adventurous.

  “Sarah honey, you’ve been working for hours. Please, go take a break and get something to eat.” Luci patted her back.

  “No, I’m fine. Really.” Keeping busy kept her from thinking about this morning’s painful hearing.

  “Please, my dear. I insist. I can do the paperwork for a little while.” Luci practically pushed her out of the tent. “Go celebrate with your friends.” Taylor, Bennett, baby Colt, Jack, Maria, Franco, and Holly were at the party, too. Some to help Luci, but also to celebrate the end of a very painful episode of Sarah’s life.

  “Okay. Okay. I’m going.” Sarah laughed. Luci was quite the character.

  Sarah made her way to the beverage tent, where they served champagne by the truckload, carried out by waiters circulating through the crowd.

  She plucked a glass from a passing tray and started looking for her friends. Last she’d seen, Taylor had gone inside the house to find a quiet place to feed the baby. Bennett was talking to his mother and some friends about his big charity project in Bali. Holly, Jack, Maria, and Franco were probably dancing.

  Sarah sipped her champagne and sighed. So many happy couples. This wouldn’t be the sort of wedding she’d envision appealing to her, but it did. Maybe in a few years, after her heart healed and she divorced Colt, she would find the right guy and marry here.

  A tapping on the microphone, where the reverend had been standing to perform the ceremony earlier, caught her attention. The flowers had been taken away and replaced with drums, amplifiers, and microphone stands.

  “Hello, everyone,” said Juan,
wearing a tux. “I hope you’re all having a very special evening.” The crowd cheered wildly. “Excellent! Well, it’s just getting started because, as you know, our fiesta goes until you drop or the sun comes up.” More cheering. “And for tonight’s reception festivities, we have a very special guest. This guy beat the hell out of me a couple months ago—” the crowd booed with laughter “—but since then we’ve become good friends. He’s the kind of person who surprises you with his big heart. So please give a round of applause to Colt. Just Colt.”

  Sarah frowned as Colton Young took the stage with his band. He wore his long hair neatly back and also sported a tux. His beautiful face had been freshly shaved and he looked like one of those groom models from the wedding magazines, his tall, well-constructed body filling out a suit like no other man could.

  Her moment of admiration evaporated quickly. Wait. Why is he even here? Luci knew she didn’t want to see him.

  Colt placed his guitar strap over his shoulder and raised the mic stand. “Good evening, everyone. Congratulations on your recent nuptials. It’s a pleasure to be here tonight and being part of such a special event.” The crowd applauded, and when it died down, Colt continued, “Some of you might’ve heard that I recently married a certain special lady.” Wild applause. Colt stuck out his hands, urging everyone to let him speak. “But what you don’t know is why she is so special.”

  What is he doing? Sarah thought, not at all happy. Did he think that dragging the public into this would change anything?

  Rock stars!

  Colt went on to tell everyone about his accident and losing his ability to play music. He told them how his brother had betrayed him and almost had the two of them killed. An eerie silence fell over the crowd, who hung on every word. They were probably shocked as hell and so would the world once this hit the news tomorrow.

  He continued, “But the funny thing about all of that wasn’t what I lost, it was what I gained. I met Sarah, and she changed my life. She made me realize that I had been living a lie, playing a role to sell records. But that man you know isn’t me. I don’t have a different girlfriend every week. I don’t do drugs or like to party—I never have. I love to garden and hike. I love to cook.”