“Honey, you okay?”

“I’m fine. You just startled me, that’s all.”

“I know. You haven’t been this jumpy in years.”

He was trying to keep her calm, but standing on that same stage with darkness enveloping, it brought back too many memories.

“Do you need a ride home?” John asked.

“I have my Jeep.”

“Is Christian home?”

Clara shrugged. “I don’t know.” She sucked in a breath. “I’ll be okay. I’m fine.” She pushed her shoulders back. “I can lock up. You can go.”

John shook his head. “Give me your guitar. I’ll put it away and you two go out the front. I’ll wait until you’re out.”

She wasn’t going to argue. Clara handed him the instrument and started off the stage.

Warner watched her walking away from him. He exchanged glances with John, who gave him a simple nod and then headed back stage.

He picked up his case and hurried after her.

She was walking at an ungodly pace, but he finally caught up with her when she crossed through the front door. But the last thing he expected was to have her turn into his arms and sob against his chest.

“Hey,” he said as softly as he could, but he’d been nearly bowled over by her falling into him. “It’s okay.”

She sobbed into his shirt. This was a first. He’d never had a woman do this. Usually he’d been the cause of their tears, not the comfort.

Warner ran his hand over her hair and waited for her to either cry out all her tears or give up. He wasn’t sure which had happened but it took about five more minutes.

When Clara raised her head and began wiping at the tears that lingered on her cheeks, she shook her head “I’m so sorry. That was so unnecessary. You didn’t need to see that side of me.”

“I’m not sure what I saw.” He gripped his hand around the handle of his guitar case a little firmer. “Did you just get startled?”

Clara looked at the ground and then back up at him. “I had a bad experience in there when the lights went off. That just took me off guard.”

He could feel the heat rise under his skin, as if his blood were beginning to boil. He reached out for her. “Did someone hurt you?”

She was gathering her thoughts and biting her lip. Warner knew he’d felt heart break a million times in his life, but standing there waiting for her to tell him that someone hurt her—it was killing him.

“I just want to go home.”

He wanted to shake the story out of her. How could someone have had that kind of reaction to something and then not want to talk about it?

Maybe she just didn’t want to talk to him.

“You’re really in no shape to drive. Let me give you a ride.”

She took a breath, and he was sure she was going to argue, instead she clasped his hand. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

The drive was quiet and Clara fought within herself to gain composure. There was no reason for her to have gotten that worked up over something as silly as John turning off the lights. But she couldn’t help it. There were just some events in your life that formed you into who you would become. The night she stood on that stage and the lights went out when she was thirteen would haunt her forever.

“Can I come in?” Warner asked and she snapped up her head. He’d parked in front of her house and she hadn’t even noticed.

The lights were on upstairs which meant Christian was home. She’d be okay, but when she turned her head and saw Warner looking at her the tears started again.

“Are you sure you want to come in and sit with an emotional baby?”

“Baby? Something set you off like this and you think I think you’re a baby? Something tells me I’m a much bigger baby than you are.”

That made her chuckle. “I think I would like you to come in.”

Warner gave her a nod and jumped out of the truck. Clara wiped away her newly fallen tears and opened her truck door. Warner was right there with his hand out to help her down.

She easily slid into his arms as she climbed out of the truck.

He held her and she cried again. This was stupid, she thought. These emotions hadn’t surfaced in years.

Warner didn’t say a word. He held her tightly, right there on the sidewalk until she could compose herself.

“You ready to go inside?”

Clara nodded and hand in hand they started up the front steps. The moment she was in the house Christian, sounding like a team of horses, ran down the stairs and stopped abruptly when he saw Warner.

“Hey,” he said, as if to cover up the grin still plastered on his face.

Clara felt a smile form as she batted back the last of her tears. He’d been coming down for gossip and hadn’t expected her to have brought Warner into the house.

When Christian looked at her his smiled faded and he moved to her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She felt Warner step back as Christian moved in.

“I just had a startle at the theater. John turned off the lights while we were practicing on stage…” another sob broke free.

Warner let go of her hand as Christian pulled her to him. “It’s over, sweetheart. Long, long, over.”

“I know. This is stupid.”

Christian smoothed his hand over her hair as she rested her cheek against his chest.

“It’s not stupid. That was a part of you and you have every right to be frightened. And all of this is fresh in your head because of Darcy being around and its okay.”

“This isn’t Darcy’s fault,” she argued.

“No, but it’s in our heads.” He gave her a squeeze. “Listen, go up and take a hot shower. I’ll make you some tea and a sandwich.” He pushed her back so he could look at her. “It was over that night. He’ll never hurt another Keller, ever.”

She gave him a nod.

“I’ll let you be. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Warner stood, now closer to the door.

Clara turned. “You don’t have to go. Please stay.” She reached her hand to him and he grasped it.

“Are you sure? You seem to be in very good hands.”

Clara moved from her brother to this man who in less than a week had become more important to her than anyone else. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head to his chest. “Stay. I’ll be back down soon.” She kissed him on the cheek and headed upstairs.