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I’m not sure if that’s the truth. I’ve spent the last year calling and texting Opal. I even looked her up on social media. Thankfully, she didn’t have much of an online presence. If she had, I’m pretty sure I’d have lost my mind. Either way, she didn’t return any message I sent, and she didn’t seem too happy to see me today. Maybe I’m the only one that felt anything that night we met.

“Why don’t you go after your girl? Talk to her before she gets married.” I scrub my left hand over my beard as Sawyer shoots me a‘been there, done that’kind of grin.

“If it were that easy, right? My Evie is stuck. She’sbeenstuck. I don’t know what I’d have to do to break her free at this point,” he laughs, “outside of a proper kidnapping.”

I grin. “Hmm… I hadn’t thought about that. I could see it as an option, though I hope it doesn’t get that far with Opal.”

“Me too.” He powers down his tattoo gun and pulls off his gloves, tossing them into the trash one at a time. “I’m sure you two will have a great time tonight. There’s plenty of sun, theweather’s been good, and you have fame and fortune to lure her in with.”

I laugh. “Hasn’t worked so far.”

“Really? The guitar and the money aren’t doin’ nothin’ at all?”

“Not for Opal. I think she was trying to avoid me at the ranch. Has been for months now. I mean, she had to know I was in one of the cabins. There’s been press and fans everywhere.”

He nods slowly as he squirts warm, soapy water over the fresh ink. “That’s gotta be the life, man. What’s it like up on stage, all those people screaming your name?”

This is the spot where I’m not sure who to be. People expect a specific answer. They want to hear how amazing it is to be the absolute center of attention. They want to hear how high it gets me, how wild it is to be the icon of millions of screaming fans. I get it. I remember wanting to hear stories of singers, too. When I first started, I would listen to old interviews with George Narrows. He’d go on and on about the details of being on stage. He’d tell folks about adrenaline, euphoria, the emotional release of sharing parts of yourself with the world. I think it made folks feel like they were on the journey with him. I need to get better at that aspect of showmanship.

“Honestly?” I pinch my lips together and nod. “It’s incredible. Don’t get me wrong, I love my fans and when I’m up on that stage, I’m doing what I love.”

“But…”

“But… there’s this part of me that stares out into that crowd and wonders what my life would’ve been like had I settled down, had a family, a little house out in the woods.”

“No one’s saying that part is over. That’s what tonight is about, right? Where you takin’ her?” He cuts a clear bandage and presses it onto my skin, smoothing the clear bubbles as he goes.

“I got a picnic planned down at the old mining camp. It’s a little off the beaten path, so I’m hoping we can get some privacy.”

“How bad is it? I saw the ranch was crowded with photographers and women when I stopped by for breakfast the other day. That’s gotta be hard.”

The masses of people are a side effect of fame I’m not used to yet. Not sure I ever will be. I was never that social to begin with. “It’s the name of the game. If I’m careful, I can usually sneak away. Though, there’s been times that didn’t go as planned. Last month I went out to the lake for some fishing, ended up leaving ten minutes after I got there because some jackass followed and wouldn’t leave.”

Sawyer readjusts the cap he’s wearing. “Damn. Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen up at camp. It’s one of the lesser-known spots on the mountain, so you should be good. Be careful, though. There was a family of bears down by the stream a few weeks ago, so keep an eye out.”

“I’ll take a hungry grizzly over paparazzi most days,” I laugh and stand from the chair, staring down at the fresh ink on my forearm. It’s only a small piece, but Sawyer is insanely talented. If I had any space left, I’d have him draw up a larger tattoo for me.

I drag in a deep breath and stare at him. “I really think you should go after your girl. She doesn’t have a ring on her finger yet.”

Nodding, he takes the cash I hand him. “I’ll use this to plan the kidnapping. Good luck tonight.”

We both laugh, though I’m not sure if we’re both kidding. Love does strange things to a person. I never thought I’d be obsessing over a woman I met for one night a year ago, yet here I am… desperate to get one afternoon with her. Desperate to make her mine.

Chapter Three

Opal

I stare at myself in the mirror, studying the way my hair falls on my shoulders. It’s so much longer than it was when I was with Buck last. Hell, everything about me is different. My hair is longer, I’m an executive chef, I’ve gained at least forty pounds, and I’m currently housing a shelter’s worth of stray animals, including two horses and a fleet of one-legged chickens. The farmer that had them was going to put them down, but they’ve been thriving really well here. It’s crazy how animals can adapt to survive. These chickens hop around like one leg was all they were ever going to have.

Why can’t I be that adaptable? Why can’t I move past the hurt and the pain?I mean, compared to having one leg, the hurt Edwin caused me is nothing,right?

The night I met Buck, Edwin and I had just had what was probably our fourth end-of-the-relationship fight of the year, and I was convinced we were done. In those moments when someone tells you they wish they’d never met you and they were seeing someone else on the side, you should probably remember it a week later. So, when Buck walked up to me, it was a strong, brief breath of fresh air as I sat on top of the landfill that was my life. I wanted to believe… but I couldn’t. Even after that night, all the calls and texts would never change that. It’s why I kept going back to Edwin. He met the standards I’d set for myself.

Once I finally found it in me to break free, I threw myself into my work at the ranch. Buck’s messages would keep coming, but that was the old me. The weak me. I spent night after night telling myself that, scared to confirm it by texting him back. But when I saw him in person again, I had the same feeling. That light, refreshing breath that permeated every part of my soul.

A solid knock hits my door twice, and my heart skips with some kind of feeling I don’t fully recognize. I’m sure it’s my body trying to tell me how supremely excited I should be that a rich, global superstar is paying me any attention, but I can’t let myself go there. I need to stay composed. I need to protect myself, which means not getting sucked in to whatever Mr. tall, dark, rich, and handsome has to say.

Pinching my lips together, I twist the nob and open the door, inadvertently squeezing my thighs when I see Buck standing there. He has always been attractive, but now, he’s even easier on the eyes. I wonder if it’s all that Nashville magic.

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