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Kaylyn adjusted the mike stand to her height.
Off to her left, Patrick O’Leary was taking questions from the audience. The Q&A would last for another couple of minutes, and then Wolfe Mayhem was scheduled to play.
Godric came up and handed her a bottle of water. “Good to see you on your feet, love.”
“It feels good, too. Thanks.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Chance standing next to the stage with Annie by his side. How could she make him understand? His reaction to her confession that she also had feelings for Jaris had been painful to witness.
Godric strapped on his bass. “Still hurts?”
He’s talking about my leg and not my heart. “A little, but not too bad.” She took a sip of water. “I appreciate this.”
Big Jim pulled a stool close to her. “Just in case you need to sit. It won’t hurt a thing if you do.”
“You guys are treating me like a princess.” She laughed. “I kind of like it.”
“You’ve got the best pipes I’ve ever heard.” Hank gave her the set list. “Whether you sit or stand…it won’t make any difference in how wonderful you’ll sing tonight.”
She smiled. “Thanks. That’s very thoughtful of all of you. Where’s Mitchell?”
“Where do you think?” Godric grinned. “He’s with Phoebe, the love of his and his two brothers’ lives. The passion between those four is something else, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Phoebe is a very lucky woman.”
Glancing over the heads of the audience to the northeast corner of the park at The Red Dragon statue, one of the four dragon statues that surrounded the green space, she stared directly into the eyes of the beast. The Red Dragon, though most locals called it The Passion Dragon, had the image of a heart embedded on its chest.
She nodded. Passion? That’s what has gotten me into trouble these past couple of days…and nights. You bad dragon.
There was no sign of Jaris. He likely was still at the sheriff’s office checking on Mr. Bayless. Both Jaris and Chance were quite protective of her and suspicious of strangers. Bayless’s offer, if valid, would sure make things easier for her. With Doc’s orders that she couldn’t help train dogs for a while longer and with her four dogs missing, she really needed Bayless to be legit. She had four clients who were coming in the next few days to start their weeklong training with their new companions.
Mitchell walked up onstage. “I heard about your unexpected visitor today, Kaylyn.”
“Jason told you? What else did your brother tell you?”
“He hasn’t told me anything. I heard about it from our fiancée.”
“Ah.” Kaylyn was so glad that Phoebe had finally returned to the loving arms of the three Wolfe brothers. Those four belonged together. “Seems like everyone in town is keeping an eye on Bayless. I know we’re all on edge because of Lunceford, but Mr. Bayless might actually be a good guy who just wants to help me.”
“Maybe.” Mitchell took a seat behind his drums. He pointed at the back of the stage with one of his sticks, where Jaris was coming up the stairs with Sugar. “I bet we’re about to find out about Bayless’s credentials.”
Jaris walked over to her. “How are you doing, Kaylyn?”
“I’ll be better when our dogs are found.” She needed to talk to him, but here and now was not the place. Later. She wasn’t going to let anything stop her tonight. “What did you find out about Bayless? Can we take him up on his offer?”
“For now. Yes.” Jaris’s tone was clear. He still didn’t trust the man.
“That’s great news. Did you call Lyle and let him know?”
“I did. The sheriff is going to take Bayless and his dogs up to the Boys Ranch tonight. Emmett is going to put Bayless up in a RV at the ranch for the time being.”
“I’m so happy we won’t have to disappoint our four clients.”
“We’ll see. I still want Lyle to check out his dogs, and Chance and I to run them through your tests.”
“I agree.” She wanted to make sure the new dogs were up to her standards. “You better go stand with Chance. The band’s part of the show is about to start.”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed, sending a spark up her arm. “You’re going to blow them away, Kaylyn.”
“I’ll do my best.” She felt her heart skip a couple of beats as Jaris stepped back to where Chance was standing.
