Page 7 of Lawbreaker

“So my music teacher keeps saying,” Odalie said.

“You’ve sung onstage in young artists’ venues, you used to sing every Sunday in church—what’s the difference?” her friend asked.

“Because this is going onstage and singing for professional people. I’m scared to death.”

“Tanner has this great book. It’s written by a former navy SEAL...”

“About how to do commando raids?” was the surprised reply.

“No. About how to use fear, instead of giving in to it. It’s not about how to kill people. It’s how to keep them from killing you in combat, if you get in a desperate situation. And I read it myself. It’s full of useful tips.”

“As if I’ll ever be in a desperate situation,” Odalie laughed.

“Well, it is a bit far-fetched. But it’s still good information, even if it’s never used for a life-and-death thing.”

“Okay. Send me a link and I’ll get a digital copy,” Odalie agreed.

“I’ll do that. You’ll be surprised at how interesting it is.”

Odalie sighed. “I guess I have been in one desperate situation, when I ran over Maddie.” She grimaced.

Stasia remembered the other woman’s agony after that tragic occurrence, when Odalie’s now-friend Maddie Lane Brannt had run into the road chasing her pet rooster and Odalie had accidentally hit her while driving Cort Brannt’s Jaguar. “You didn’t mean to, though,” Stasia pointed out. “And you stayed with her all through rehabilitation, paid all her medical bills and even got her a fantastic job making little fairy statues for collectors—including one for Tony’s art gallery. She’s incredibly rich now, even though the Brannts have that fabulous ranch, Skylance, right next to ours. She became rich when she married Cort Brannt.” She sighed. “He was a dish. Not a patch on Tanner, however.”

“Tanner really is gorgeous, even if he is my big brother,” Odalie had to agree. “And you’re forgetting that we shared the agony of thinking Tanner was dead when that James man tried to have him killed overseas.”

“It was a horror of a situation. For all of us.”

“That book on controlling fear would have come in very handy back then.”

“Oh, would it!” Stasia sighed. “Well, let’s get you packed for the weekend. My bags are ready,” she teased, indicating them by the door in the living room, where Ben had left them.

“Let’s see, I have a pair of jeans with no knees, and a black dress that covers me up from top to bottom...” Odalie began.

Stasia just looked at her.

She sighed. “Okay. I’ll pack some couture things and I’ll try very hard not to throw anything at your former boss.”

“Current boss,” Stasia teased. “I still work for him part-time, as long as I’m able. After the baby comes, I’ll be making fewer trips to New York.”

“I’ll be making more to Texas,” Odalie replied, beaming. “I’ll be an aunt for the first time. I can’t wait!”

“Neither can we. It’s like my own personal fairy tale, with even the happy ending!”

“I hope I’ll have one of those,” Odalie said, “but with the Met at the end, not a man.”

“Don’t you want to get married and have kids?” Stasia asked seriously.

Odalie looked worried. “Well, I do and I don’t.” She glanced at her friend. “I’ve worked so hard at training to sing opera that everything else has taken a back seat to it. I loved having Cort Brannt serenading me and bringing me flowers, but I never really felt anything physical for him. He was just a friend. I felt bad that he had feelings for me that I couldn’t return, but it just wasn’t there.”

“Like me with your poor younger brother, John,” Stasia said sadly. “I’ve never felt worse than when I saw his face after Tanner came home wounded and I was taking care of him.” She looked up. “John is a wonderful man. But I never felt that way about him. It’s sad when it turns out like that.”

“John is a survivor,” Odalie said gently. “He’s an Everett. He’ll get through it and one day he’ll find a woman who can love him back.” She hesitated. “Of course, she’ll need to love the smell of cow chips and the sight of cattle most all day, and conventions and auctions...”

They both laughed.

“If she loves him, she won’t mind,” Odalie added. “And maybe she’ll even like cattle!”

Ben came to pick them up at three on the dot. He carried the suitcases out to the trunk of Tony’s beautifully polished black stretch limo, and paused to open the back door to let the women get inside.

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