Hidden

Chapter 1

She paced back and forth, heels clicking on the marble in an ominous cadence. She stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the river. It was too dark to see the water that lazily swirled below, but the soft “whooshing” sound was comforting. It reminded her of childhood days spent by the river, usually with her guitar in hand, the tall grass rustling around her only audience. She gazed out into the darkness and let the memories embrace her

"Jameson, pack a bag. You need to go to Wyoming tonight. We can't wait any longer.”

"How can I go back, Doug?" she turned from the window. "I burned my bridges there.”

"You don't have any other choice, James." Doug had been her manager since she was a teenager, and really the only father figure she had ever had in her life. When did he start getting so gray around his temples?  And when did those lines deepen around his eyes? The stress of the past year hadn't just affected her.

She released a sigh so deep she had to hold herself steady on the edge of the desk. “Ok. I’ll go pack.”

“There’s a car waiting outside. Pack light, and keep in mind you’re going to the ranch.”

Another sigh escaped her lips as she walked away towards her bedroom. So much had happened in the past few weeks she could barely process it, let alone think about going back to the ranch.

Jameson pulled a designer suitcase from her closet and began absently pulling clothes out of drawers and off of hangers and tossing them in. She hardly owned any ranch-appropriate clothing, but she would have to make do. Her thoughts drifted back to Wyoming … and Hunter.

When Jameson was 2 a drunk driver swerved into the wrong lane and in an instant, her mother was gone. Her father did his best to raise her but was overcome with the grief of losing his wife and found comfort at the bottom of a bottle. Life had been tough for her until she turned 14. That’s when her father had taken a position on a new ranch that was owned by two brothers, Henry and Ted Stewart. They were good, honest men who had given her father a second chance. Her life was stable for the first time since her mother died. And then there was Hunter.

Ted’s son was two years older than Jameson. He was tall, broad, and serious about taking over the ranch someday.  Jameson often thought about the day she was out riding the fence line when her horse spooked and threw her. She hit the ground so hard it knocked the wind out of her, but as her eyes fluttered back open she looked into Hunter’s light blue eyes that were filled with concern. And that’s the moment she felt her heart slip away. It belonged to him and she was never getting it back.

“Jamie?” He was the only person who ever called her that. “Jamie, are you ok?”

She sat up slowly and ran her hand over her hair, embarrassed. “I’m ok,” she said quietly.

“You scared me,” she had never heard such a softness in his voice. He pulled her into an embrace and she melted into his arms.

They were inseparable after that. He was her first kiss, her first love, her first everything. And then she left him.

When Jameson was 16 she and Hunter were walking home from school down the dusty gravel road. They held hands while Asher, Henry’s son, and Hunter’s best friend, made gagging noises behind them. The sunshine bounced off of Jameson’s blond hair, and she felt the warmth soak into her like pure happiness.

The trio turned when they heard a siren roaring up behind them. “Is that an ambulance?” Asher shielded his eyes with his hands. First, one ambulance raced passed them, then a fire truck. Finally, a police car followed and slowed beside them.

“Get in,” it was Chief Reynolds, the aging lawman that oversaw the county.

“What’s going on?” Hunter demanded as he guided Jameson to the back of the car.

“It’s Chet - there’s been an accident.”

Jameson’s blood ran cold at the mention of her father’s name. They rushed to the ranch where they discovered that Chet had fallen into a grain bin. Every man on the ranch worked frantically to free him, but it was too late. Jameson was an orphan.

At the funeral, Hunter held her hand and let her cry on his shoulder. She craved his strength and stability, never realizing it would be their last day together. 

As they walked away from the graveside a man approached them. “Jameson? My name is Doug Walker. I was a friend of your father’s. Can we talk?”

Jameson listened, stunned, as Doug explained to her that he was an old friend of Chet’s and they had kept in touch over the years. Doug had a career in the music industry managing some big names and Chet had shared some recordings of his daughter’s musical talents. 

“Chet saved my life when we were kids. He was like a brother to me,” Doug explained. “Not only do I owe it to him to make sure that his daughter is taken care of, but you are also talented enough to take care of yourself.”

He signed as her manager that day and made arrangements for her to fly back to Nashville with him for some auditions. 

“It’s just for a week or two,” she assured Hunter as he loaded her bag into the back of a taxi.

“Knock ‘em dead, Babe,” he smiled as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. 

Tears streamed down her face as she waved to him through the billowing dust the taxi stirred up on the gravel road. Somewhere deep down she knew it was going to be a lot more than a few weeks.

Jameson found success, and quickly. Within weeks she was recording an album, within months she was on tour, and by her 17th birthday, she had solidified her place as a rock star. 

At first, she and Hunter talked on the phone every night. Then she got too busy to talk every day, and suddenly weeks went by. She tried to call him one more time but got no answer. She knew she had done him wrong, but the whirlwind of her life made it easy to forget. 

10 years had passed since that fateful day. Jameson had headlined countless tours, platinum records lined her walls, she had more money than she could spend in a lifetime, but sometimes that success came at a great cost.

It started one morning a few months ago when she walked onto her back patio to let her dog out. She felt a sense of unease that only heightened when the labradoodle took off for the trees at the back of the property, barking up a storm. Jameson ran after him, “Gus, get back here!”

She ran after the dog, bathrobe flapping out behind her. She finally caught up to him at the tree line where he barked and snarled. She stared into the trees but couldn’t see anything. A sense of unease settled over her as she grabbed Gus’ collar and pulled him back towards the house.

The unease increased dramatically the next morning when she found an envelope shoved under her door with a photograph of her running after Gus.  She immediately called Doug who came over and didn’t leave until a small army of security was in place.

“Don’t panic James,” he told her. “This isn’t unusual, it has happened to other clients of mine. I know how to handle it, and I will make sure you are safe.”

She trusted Doug with her life, but when photographs kept appearing on her doorstep every morning, her concern quickly turned into panic. The final straw was when a photo showed up from inside the house. It was of Jameson sitting at the table in her kitchen sipping on a cup of coffee. The photo was either snapped from directly outside the window or even in the house. The security team had been vetted extensively, but now even they were suspect. She wasn’t safe in her own home.

She hadn’t even thought about Wyoming in years. She wondered who Doug had spoken to when setting up arrangements for her to hide out at the ranch. Did Hunter know she was coming back?

She hadn’t let her mind wander to Hunter in a long time. Had he moved on? What if he was married? Or even had kids? She didn’t know what would be worse, facing a stalker or watching the only man she ever loved be happy with someone else.

“Ready, James?” Doug’s head peeked into her closet and he gestured towards the door. 

She forced a smile, “As ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”

——-

Hunter Stewart was a simple man. He lived in a small cabin generally reserved for ranch hands, even though he was half owner of the Broken S Ranch. Once upon a time, he wanted more out of life, but he had learned quickly that expectations equal disappointment.

He had been dealt the ultimate heartbreak at an early age. It had taught him to put up walls and protect his heart. There wasn’t much left to break. When it came to his family - like his best friend and his children, his heart was full. Being Uncle Hunter fulfilled him in a way he never thought possible. He never entertained the possibility of being a father himself, Because that meant a relationship, and those always ended in pain.

He went through his usual morning routine, groggily making coffee, hopping in the shower, and then getting out the door in time to watch the sunrise as he walked over to the main house. His best friend and co-owner of the ranch lived there with his wife and two kids and they served up breakfast for the ranch hands every morning. Hunter and Asher tried to treat their employees like family, and they had been repaid with a group of hard-working men who were helping the friends make record profits. Life was good.

Hunter opened the sliding glass door on the back deck of the main house and let himself in.

“Hey, Uncle Hunter!” A small voice boomed from the blond little boy sitting at the kitchen island, a bite of pancake midair on his fork.

“Hey, Jackson! Did you leave any pancakes for me?” He ruffled the boy’s hair as he walked past. 

“Hey Hunter,” said the very-pregnant woman in front of the stove. “Blueberry pancakes, you’re favorite!”

Hunter raised an eyebrow as he walked over and kissed her on the cheek, “What are you up to, Jenny? It’s not even my birthday.”

Her tone changed to serious, “You’re going to have to talk to Ash about that.”

As if one cue, Asher walked in from the other room with a blond, piggy-tailed toddler on his shoulders.

“Hey, buddy!” He greeted Hunter and handed him the small girl.

“Unca Hunty,” she cooed as she put her arms around his neck.

“Hi darlin’,” he placed a kiss on her head before turning back to his friend. “So what’s up Ash.”

The look Asher exchanged with his wife gave away the fact that there was indeed something up.

“Oh, you know, just going to finish up that fence line on the Western border today and bring some hay in from the pasture.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes, “You know what I’m talking about.”

Asher cleared his throat and smiled nervously, “Ok, you got me. There is something we need to talk about.”

Hunter sat down beside Jackson as Jenny placed a plate of food in front of him. “I’ll take Evie so you can eat. And talk.”

“Ok Hunter, I’m going to be straight with you,” Asher started but was interrupted by a commotion of barking dogs outside.

“Oh shoot,” Jenny breathed. “She’s already here.”

“Who’s already here?” Hunter stood up and followed his friends out the door to see a black car pull up. The door opened and then there she was. The love of his life who disappeared without even having the courtesy to break up with him. He was pinned to the spot and felt like all the air went out of his lungs. He felt Asher’s hand grab his shoulder.

“There’s a good explanation for this Hunter. I’m sorry I blindsided you, but trust me, you’ll understand once you hear the whole story.”

Hunter was still standing motionless, with his mouth even hanging open, when she made her way to the deck. 

“Hey Jameson,” Jenny moved forward to embrace her. “So glad you made it safe. The boys can take care of your bags, come on in and have some coffee.”

Jameson warmly returned the hug, and then gave one to Asher as well. She moved to Hunter without hesitation but didn’t reach to touch him. “Hi Hunter,” she said quietly. “It’s been a long time.”

Hunter felt Asher smack him on the back in an attempt to bring him back to reality, “Um, yeah.” That was all he managed to mumble.

At this point, a couple of the ranch hands had emerged to take her bags as Doug oversaw the operation.

“I’m afraid I am going to have to turn right around and leave,” Doug told the group. “I still have a lot of details to attend to, and I want to throw any potential ‘problems’ off the scent. I’ll be in touch, Asher.”

Doug gave Jameson a long hug before getting back in the car. Hunter saw a tear slide down her cheek as she watched the sleek, black car turn and disappear down the driveway.

Jenny directed Jameson into the house and Hunter and Asher followed wordlessly. Hunter’s dumbfounded shock was slowly subsiding, and he was starting to feel anger bubbling up. Why was she here? How could his best friends drop this bomb on him?

He could scarcely process that Jameson was here. In the same room. So close he could almost touch her. She looked so different than the last time he saw her, yet so much was still the same. Her light gray eyes still sparkled when she talked, but her blond hair was much longer and streaked with black and pink. He wrinkled his nose at that observation. She was still slender but had filled out into a woman. 

"Hunter, why don't you go ahead and sit down so Ash and Jameson can fill you in," Jenny patted Hunter's arm and directed him back to his seat. He numbly complied.

Jameson nervously cleared her throat, "First of all, thank you to all of you for allowing me to come back and stay for a while. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Don't be silly girl, you're family," Jenny waved her hand.

Jameson smiled, "Well, I know this is an imposition. Especially for you, Hunter."

He gulped when she turned her gaze on him, but he had sat, dumbfounded for long enough. "I want to know exactly why you're here and how you have the balls to even speak to me." He stood and paced towards the door. He was practically vibrating with emotions now. 

He almost felt a twinge of guilt when Jameson's face fell. "Listen, Hunter, I know I did you wrong. I know I probably have no right to ask you to be ok. with this. But please hear me out before you. make a decision." She went on to explain the stalker situation from the very beginning. Hunter softened when he saw Jameson choking back tears as she relived the violation of her home and privacy.

"So what makes you think you're going to be safe here?" he asked.

"She isn't," Asher interrupted. "You're taking her up to the cabin."

At this news, both Hunter and Jameson perked up. "What?" they said in unison.

Asher could barely keep the amused smile from his face. "Doug believes he has thrown them off the scent, but we need to be sure. I don't want Jameson in any danger, and I especially don't want my family in any danger. Even if they traced her to the ranch, there's no way they would ever find the cabin."

"Why does it have to be me?" Hunter asked. "Any of the boys would be happy to do it."

"Nope," Asher shook his head. "First of all, no one knows this ranch like you do. If things get hairy, you'll need that knowledge. Plus, as much as I trust our guys, it still has to be you. We can't have any margin for error. I know you'll keep her safe no matter what."

Hunter sighed deeply and looked over at Jameson. Her eyes still threatened to spill over with tears. He never wanted to see her again, but he certainly couldn't stand by and watch someone else hurt her. 

"Ok," he breathed. "I'll do it."