Page 18 of The Bodyguard
Because of my fame, he had suffered.
In that moment I knew I was over it.
“Another stunt. Something to rattle you. You don’t even know if it was the same guy. Could be some fan who thought it would make it on to the show.”
I hadn’t allowed it. I didn’t want to give any more attention than this person was already getting with the various Hollywood “news” shows reporting that I was the apparent victim of a stalker. Thank God Ronnie and Bea both hated those types of shows.
No, just like Hank’s death and funeral, and returning to The King’s Land, there were some parts of my life I wasn’t willing to share.
“I’m sorry, Sam. Sorry Darleen. I get why this is important to you both, it’s just not important to me anymore, and I have to believe people would start to notice that and stop watching.”
I got up even as they continued to protest, but I was done listening.
I felt good. I felt strong. Confident in my decision.
I also felt like I needed pedicure… but that was typical for me.
* * *
SABRINA
Dallas—Katy Trail
As the song ended I started to slow my pace until finally I was walking. I took the buds out of my ears and let my breath return to normal.
The hiking trail that ran through the middle of Dallas next to an old rail line was pretty empty at this time of morning on a workday. Still, there were a handful of tourists who had maps of the trail in their hands. Some mothers taking their kids out in strollers. An older gentleman walking his mutt.
It had been the perfect place to escape to after brunch with the girls.
Ronnie and Bea were worried about me, I knew. So much that Bea had driven all the way from Austin just to meet up with us. But I wasn’t about to tell them the things the stalker had done so far. Bea would most likely think I was making it up or exaggerating. Ronnie would only double down on the worry, and she had enough on her plate with Clayton.
Instead, I’d asked about the wedding plans she’d made so far and she’d looked at me like I had two heads. I had given her a brief outline of what she needed to be doing now to hit a June wedding, and I swear, all the color had run out of her face.
All in all I continued to play my part as the Twinkie sister. Someone who didn’t take anything too seriously.
Although Bea had been shocked I was leaving the TV show. I thought about how she’d reacted.
“But you loved being the Cowboy Princess,”Bea said.
“Of course I did,”I lied. “But now Ronnie is going to marry Clayton, which means we’re not about to lose everything, so I don’t reallyneedit anymore. The show was getting too stifling. I think I want to travel.”
“Youhopeyou don’t need it anymore,”Bea said ominously.“Nothing is official yet.”
“Dylan’s not coming back,”Ronnie insisted. “And Clayton promised me he would take care of us. All of us.”
“You don’t know that he’s not coming back,”Bea said. “Worse, you don’t know how Dylan would treat us if hedidcome back. What were we to him but one summer?”
“That makes me sad,”I said.“If that’s all we were to him.”
Bea snorted.“Whatever. So you’re going back to Dusty Creek? That’s your idea of traveling?”
I shook off the memory. Bea was one of the few people in my life who’d always understood there was a contradiction between what I said and what I did.
Still, I was glad I had come back to Dallas first to let them know I was going back to The King’s Land and that I was officially done with the show. I also had to tell all my “friends” in the area that they would no longer be my B-list backups.
Jackie and Rachel were cool. They had great taste and they looked good with me when we shopped and even better as a distraction for guys who would try to pick me up only to leave with one of them.
We’d had fun, but I didn’t think I would miss hanging out with either of them. They were trust fund babies who, like me, were always looking for a distraction.
