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She’d had some trouble in the past with overzealous fans leaving messages for her online that crossed the line from supportive and appreciative of her songs and singing to becoming way too personal and possessive. One guy had even made some threats about what he’d like to do to her, thinking she’d be open to his sleazy suggestions.
No. Not even a little bit.
Rick showing up without an invitation or any indication from her that she wanted to see him didn’t just cross a line, it scared her a little.
“So you saw me play last week and you thought you’d just fly from Nashville to Wyoming and show up here—and what?” She really was confused andcaught off guard by all this. It wasn’t even eight in the morning and he’d come looking for her.
“You said we could write together sometime.” He’d asked if she’d write with him. At first, she’d told him she wasn’t planning on staying in town long. She’d flown in on the twenty-eighth, after she celebrated Christmas with her family, then flown home on January third because she was needed at the bar.
The second time he asked, she’d said maybe next time she was in town, if she had the time. Faith often set up writing sessions with other writers and singers working on projects. Lyric usually flew in for a few days every other month or so.
That still didn’t appease Rick. He asked a third time. Annoyed, she’d simply said, “Sure, we’ll do that soon.” She never intended to follow through with it.
So she put her foot down. “I’m not available right now. I have a job, responsibilities, a schedule. If you want to set up a writing session, you should have contacted me online instead of coming all the way here.”
Rick stared down at her. “I need you, Lyric. You’re my only hope of turning the bits and pieces of ideas I have into something worth singing. I know, with your help, I’ll hit it big. We’ll do it together. We’ll be the next big Nashville power couple.”
That was taking things too far.
She took a step back from him and the intensity he gave off that it was meant to happen. “Rick, I appreciate that you think—”
“I know we’ll be great together.” He took a step closer.
She didn’t like being cut off.
He reached for her, and she stepped back again.
He frowned. “Give me a chance to prove it to you.”
“It’s not about that,” she snapped. “You can’t just show up here and expect me to drop everything and write you a song.”
“I don’t.” He eased off, though it seemed to take effort. “I just wanted to come by and see you, to let you know I’m here. You’re busy right now. I get that.”
She relaxed. A little.
He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number.”
She really didn’t want to do that. “You give me yours, and I’ll call you when I have some free time.”Never.
His head tilted to the side. “Or you could come by my cabin later.”
Her heart tripped over itself as a shot of adrenaline raced through her. “What?”
“When I looked up the address of this place, I saw that you rent out cabins.”
In the dead of winter, January especially, they rarely had guests. Mostly people came to hunt, fish, and hike in the spring, summer, and fall. Jax ran the business with a couple of guys who helped him with the trail rides and taking people out on daylong fishing trips. Their mom hosted campfire cookouts. The rentals supplemented the ranch’s income when times were lean, cattle prices dropped, and feed and water prices skyrocketed.
“It’s perfect.” Rick practically beamed with excitement. “You’ll be here. I’ll be here. We’ll be together.”
That last part sounded a bit too intimate and made her very uncomfortable.
She wanted to tell Rick she didn’t live on the ranch full-time. Yes, she still had her room, but she mostly stayed in town because she was the first one in to work to prep and cook all the food.
“The website said I couldn’t get into the cabin until two today. Any chance you can speed that up?”
Give in on one favor, he’d ask for a dozen more. “Uh, no. I’m not in charge of that.” First, she needed to talk to her parents about him. “My mom takes care of the cabins. I know she’ll want to make sure it’s clean and stocked for your stay. And I need to get to work. I’ve got a lot of horses to groom and exercise before I head to work at the bar.”
“Okay. Well, you know where to find me. Plus, you’ll have my number.” He notched his chin toward her.
