Ben’s heart had always been in music. He liked nothing better than to sit out on the porch swing quietly playing a tune he’d written or a favourite he’d heard on the radio. Although only next door, the girls were always sleeping over at one another’s houses, and they would lie in their beds as the warm Kansas wind gently sucked the curtains in and out, listening to the quiet strums of Ben’s guitar and the whispered lyrics as he unintentionally soothed them to sleep.
Ellie thought about Ben. Tall, kind, gorgeous and now married to a model he’d met at a charity function their band had performed at. She hadn’t seen him for years. His devotion to music had paid off and he was now the lead guitarist in a successful country band. They’d already had two number ones in the US country chart and their current song was climbing both the country and the regular charts after being used in a huge box office success, which had brought them even more fans.
In the past Ben had told her that he knew he was lucky he’d been allowed to tread his own path and would be ever thankful to his family for that. Just the thought of sitting behind a desk all day had sent shivers down his spine. In turn, his family, and Ellie, were overjoyed for him. All he’d ever wanted was to play music and now that dream was reality.
*
Having checked her phone again for the hundredth time, Sandy’s dark eyes scanned the travellers as she squeezed Todd’s hand in nervous anticipation.
‘Honey, you’re going to break my hand.’
Sandy turned and smiled as she lessened the grip on her fiancé. As soon as she’d told him about Ellie coming to visit, and the main reason behind it, he’d volunteered to drive her to the airport, saying that it would let them catch up without having to worry about concentrating on driving. She was glad now that he had, as nerves and excitement and concern all bubbled within her while she continued to watch the gates for the first sign of her friend.
What Todd hadn’t mentioned was that it was his concern for the woman he loved that compelled him to rearrange his day at the last minute in order to drive her to and from the airport.
Todd’s family had been friends with the Danvers for years but it was only a couple of years ago that his and Sandy’s friendship had deepened into something more. Every time he thought about that, he kicked himself for not seeing what an incredible woman she was sooner and at the thought of all the time he’d wasted not being with her. One night, after a couple too many beers, he’d confided this to his brother-in-law. Ben was, and had always been, as much of a brother to him as if they’d had the same blood running through their veins. Ben had just smiled, squeezed his shoulder and told him that sometimes people had to go through the things they did in order to appreciate the right thing – or person – when it was the right time.
Todd had met Ellie very briefly a couple of times when they were kids but not properly since he and Sandy had been dating. He’d seen her on Skype but if he was around when they called, he was usually shooed lovingly out of the room so that, as Sandy said, she could talk about him. But he knew how close the two women were and, if the information Zak had given Sandy was accurate, his fiancée was likely in for more of a shock than she thought when she saw her friend. She’d told him she was prepared but he didn’t know if she was prepared enough. If he was right, the shock of seeing a woman as close as a sister bruised and battered was going to impact her harder than she thought. For Todd, offering to drive was a no brainer.
Beside him, Sandy was still scanning the crowds, jittering back and forth.
‘There she is! Oh!’ She squinted a little. ‘She cut her hair.’
Todd followed Sandy’s frowning gaze to see a slim woman, about Sandy’s height, with a red, chin-length bob under a baseball cap. Her eyes were hidden behind rose-tinted aviator-style sunglasses.
‘Ellie!’ Sandy called, rushing to the end of the barrier and pulling her friend into a big hug.
Ellie stiffened involuntarily and eased away a little. Sandy pulled back. From a distance, Todd watched the concern on his fiancée’s face. He had a feeling that was only going to increase once those sunglasses were removed.
‘Ribs,’ Ellie explained, an awkward smile on her face.
‘Jeez. I’m so sorry, honey. You OK?’ Sandy took her friend’s free hand, closing both of her own around it.
‘Yep. Fine. Fine.’
‘I almost didn’t recognise you. You didn’t tell me you cut your hair.’
Ellie withdrew her hand and tugged at the hat, a shadow passing across her face. ‘I hate it.’
‘OK, so then we don’t talk about it. Let’s go home.’
Ellie nodded. Sandy had used the right phrase. It did always feel like coming home when she came back to Kansas. Seeing her friend at last, in addition to the emotional and physical rollercoaster she’d just come off, had made her throat tight. For a moment, she didn’t trust herself to speak.
‘Oh!’ Sandy remembered her manners. ‘Obviously this is Todd.’
Todd smiled and held out his hand. ‘It’s really great to meet you properly at last. Although obviously I wish it were under different circumstances.’
Ellie gave a smile, although to Todd it looked a little stiff and he guessed the make-up she wore hid more damage. ‘Yes. Me too.’
He touched her arm very gently and briefly, silently adding to his fiancée’s reassurance that she was safe now. ‘Let me get that,’ he said, reaching for the handle of the luggage trolley. Sandy took Ellie’s arm and tucked it through her own as they walked to the car. As Todd busied himself loading the case into the trunk, the women got in the cab and made themselves comfortable.
‘Can I see?’ Sandy asked quietly.
Ellie paused then lowered her head. Slowly she removed the cap and carefully removed the glasses.
Behind them, Todd shut the cover of the pick-up. Hesitantly, Ellie looked back at Sandy.
‘Oh, Ellie,’ Sandy cried softly, tears welling in her eyes. Immediately, she pulled her friend to her once again, this time remembering the delicate ribs.
‘All set?’ Todd asked brightly as he got in, looking up from the ignition when he got no reply. Sandy was wiping her eyes on a tissue, and her friend’s head was bent towards her, but Todd could now see the damage she’d been hiding. His mouth set in an angry line. Settling his breath, concentrating on driving rather than anger, he turned the engine over and pulled out. As he turned the corner, his peripheral vision caught Ellie’s bruises again. He just couldn’t understand guys that did that to women. Women they claimed to love! To Todd, those guys were the lowest of the low. There was no excuse to hit a woman. Ever. It really was that simple. Thankfully, Sandy had told him that at least this guy had now been arrested and Ellie was finished with him. For good. Glancing across again, Todd really hoped that was true.
The two women sat quietly in the car on the way to the Danvers’ family home, their hands gripped in an unspoken gesture of friendship and support. There was so much to say but when she’d removed the sunglasses, the exhaustion in Ellie’s eyes was clear for anyone to see.
After a few miles, Sandy brightened.
‘Hey, want some music on? I have Ben’s latest album on my phone.’
‘That’d
