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Bella grabbed her purse and her bulging planner off the counter. “I’ll be too busy curling into a ball and rocking from exhaustion.”
She waved at her partner and closed the door behind her. It was a short hike from her store to the barn and she needed the time to build up her poker face. Nothing was different between them. Heck, they didn’t even know each other. Just because they couldn’t seem to stay away from each other when they were in the same room didn’t mean a damn thing.
He was just new and intriguing. Half the nation thought so. More like the world. Logan was a household name, for God’s sake. She was just an oddity he had to deal with. As soon as he had his friends around him, Logan would forget all about her.
She only had two days to get the festival settled and the artists scheduled. They’d all jumped at the chance to play a second show, especially when she’d offered up some money. Now she had a dozen acts to move around from the main stage to the barn and finally to the smaller venue at the edge of town.
Bella heard the drums and guitars as she turned the corner. A crowd of people were crammed into the doorway of the barn. Acoustic guitars floated on the late day breeze, but it was the voice that made her stop dead.
A woman’s voice that dipped and soared with the familiar lyrics of one of Lady Antebellum’s biggest hits. Then the harmonies started and she knew that second voice. Logan’s voice blended in so completely that she’d have sworn they’d sung together for years.
She slipped through the side door with her key and shut it behind her before the crowd could notice. The stage was nearly finished and a lighting setup had been added to the rafters. Logan stood on the edge of the stage behind a keyboard, his eyes shut as he crowded his mic, his lips brushing the end with every word.
Then the woman’s voice pulled her attention. Angel blond hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back as she walked to him. Graceful and curvy in all the right ways, she demanded attention. Not because she was showing off, but because she was ethereal both in voice and stature. She wore a simple white tank over ancient jeans frayed at the knees and ankles with five inch silver stilettos that should have seemed out of place and yet suited her down to the ground.
She slowly wandered to Logan, the song soaring into its climax. He opened his eyes and their gazes met. Lyrics about needing someone desperately filled the empty barn. Then a heartbeat-like guitar folded around them as Logan’s piano echoed the painful loneliness of the song.
The woman rushed around the keyboard and hugged Logan. “I didn’t think that song would work. I’ve never done a country song in my life.”
“You sure didn’t sound country with your sweet voice. But that’s the beauty of Lady Antebellum. Their style works for country, rock, pop, and you’re gorgeous enough to keep the rest of the people riveted.”
Bella’s chest ached. Was he always so quick with the compliments? Why the hell did she care?
She lifted her chin and walked out into the middle of the room.
Logan’s attention swung her way. “I thought you’d forgotten about us, Izzy.”
Ignoring the flutter and throb that warred inside her every time her nickname rolled from his deep baritone, she crossed her arms over her raggedy t-shirt. Damn Nic for being right. Next to the blond goddess on stage, she felt even grubbier.
“Since you’re holding the setlist hostage, you knew I’d show up.”
“Are you always late?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m assuming that’s one of the songs?”
The blond looked between Logan and Bella and a brilliant smile bloomed across her face. “Is this the infamous Isabella?”
Logan came out from behind the keyboard. “At least one of us has manners.”
Bella felt the flush climb her neck. She sounded like a catty bitch. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m Isabella Grace, but Bella’s fine. That’s what everyone calls me.”
“I’m Lindsey York.”
The name clicked from the original list of festival artists. “Brooklyn Dawn, right? I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you.” Bella moved closer to the stage.
“The wild hair and leather, right?” Lindsey laughed. “It’s nice to get out of the stage clothes sometimes. Logan asked me to come in and do some stripped down stuff. You have no idea how excited I am.”
Damn. She had to be nice. “You sounded beautiful.”
A dark-haired man came up beside Lindsey. “She’s got the voice of an angel.” He brushed his shoulder-length hair back. “I’m Cole Deveraux.”
Yes, you are. Bella swallowed. Winchester Falls was going to drown in delicious men for the next few days evidently.
“Wait until you hear the other song.” A rangy guy with sun streaked hair and an enviable tan entered the stage from the side. He was wearing a battered acoustic guitar around his shirtless back, with a seriously low slung pair of board shorts. Had he come straight from the beach?
Then she got a better look at his face. Zeke Stacey, Logan’s lead guitarist in All the King’s Men. She’d heard that Zeke was a walking Jimmy Buffet song, but wow.
Lindsey turned to Logan. “Do you want to do that Marc song?”
