As Lissie finishes, the whole bar erupts, and we twist about to look at her just as her eyes open. She blinks owlishly several times until, with a shake of her head, her cheeks pinken as she realizes where she is. It’s almost as though the music had taken her to some far-off place, and she’s only just coming back to the here and now.
The entire group of ranch hands from Whispering Willows ascends the stage, Sully leading the charge to lift Lissie above their heads. They cheer her loudly, chanting her name over and over as the host returns to the stage.
“I’m goin’ out on a limb here, but I reckon we just witnessed somethin’ real special tonight, folks.”
Sutton appears at our side, shaking his head with a wry grin.
“And there I was, thinking I was doingyoua favor coming here tonight. Second signing forNorth Star Recordsis in the bag.”
He snorts a laugh before sauntering past us in the direction of the indoor bar. My jaw unhinges before my mouth lifts in a broad smile. Ford’s delighted eyes find mine, and we let out a simultaneous whoop of joy. When he scoops me up into his arms, happiness fills me from head to toe as he spins me around before setting me back on the ground to smile into my eyes.
“You knew if you got them here, he’d sign her, didn’t you?” His smile broadens, and I throw my head back in a fit of laughter. “That’s why you pushed so hard to get him here. That’s why you looked so smug when she started singing!”
“That’s part of it, yeah…” His smile dims ever so slightly as he shrugs a shoulder. “I dunno. I’ve missed so much of them growin’ up. I just wanted to…give hersomethin’—”
“Now…to round out our truly spectacular evenin’, we have a special treat in store.”
Everyone present falls silent at the host’s words, and she raises a smug eyebrow as a smile lifts her lips. “Jesse North, y’all.”
FORD
As Jesse reaches the stage, he shucks his boots and socks, depositing them at the side, and I can’t help snorting. I had witnessed his father do the same thing before every gig I attended during my year heading up his security team.
He slips a guitar over his head, padding barefoot to the mic as he strums the opening chords of an original piece that is entirely too reminiscent of his father’s talent.
When his rasping voice fills the air, the entire bar falls under his spell. I hold Emmy closer, palming her cheeks to brush my lips over hers, and she hugs me around my waist, happiness emanating off her lithe body in waves.
I rest my cheek atop Emmy’s head as we sway to the music; it picks up the tempo, and Jesse hits some seriously epic high notes. The crowd dances along with it, some singing back his words as they become more familiar with the tune. The atmosphere has been electric all evening, and right now, it’s palpable.
A hand on my shoulder makes me lift my head from Emmy’s, and I twist about, realizing belatedly that something doesn’t feel quite right. Shock, followed by fury, steamrolls through me when I’m met with a fist to my jaw that sends me careening backward, and I instantly loosen my hold on Emmy so as not to take her down with me.
I land on my ass with a thud, a throbbing pain shooting through my lower jaw, while wondering what the fuck just happened.
“East!”
Emmy’s scream sees more than a handful of heads turning, and I blink several times to dispel the haze in my vision to find my old friend looming over me with a curled lip. He spits violently at my feet, moving to grab Emmy’s arm to pull her away, but as I push myself upright, she tears her limb from his grip.
“What are youdoing,Easton?”
She moves back toward me, but he stops her, both hands descending on her slender shoulders, and the sight of it—of him manhandlingmygirl—ignites a fire in my belly.
Drawing myself up to my full height, I square my shoulders, holding myself together by a thread.
“I’ll ask you kindly to take your handsoffmy Tink.”
My words are a low growl, only audible because Jesse has stopped playing and lowered his guitar to the floor of the stage.
Tension builds all around us as ranch hands from Broken Hart join the stand-off at Easton’s back, and I feel more than see Sully and our crew form a line behind me.
Emmy struggles against her brother’s hold, an incensed frown marring her beautiful features. “Let mego, Easton. Stop this right now.”
But he completely ignores her, his once friendly eyes glaring into mine with a hatred I don’t feel I’ve earned, and I stare him down, refusing to give an inch to this man.
“I told you more than once that you needed todisappear, Holloway. My sister doesn’t need the likes ofyouand your piece of shit family?—”
Sully steps forward, his shoulder aligning with mine as he hisses viciously, “I fuckin’dareyou to continue that sentence, Hart. I’m justitchin’for any excuse to mark up that pretty boy face.”
Easton simply glares at my family's ranch manager, looking Sully up and down, arching a distasteful eyebrow as though he finds him lacking before his gaze shifts back to mine.
