Page 17 of Country Music Cowboy
“Well, then, let’s get you two inside.” His father picked up the pace, steering Emmy Lou and Loretta through the crowd—and farther away from his wife.
Travis followed, doing his best not to stare at Loretta Gram’s back. It was hard. The ribbons lacing up the back of Loretta’s dress fluttered in the mild breeze, drawing his attention. Once he was looking at the ribbons, it wasn’t like he could ignore the rest. That dress, on Loretta, had him caught. A fly in a spider’s web. He’d try to look away but got tangled up in the sway of her hips or the way she smoothed her curls over her shoulder to expose the column of her neck.
A year ago, he’d have gone out of his way to wine her, dine her, and wear her out in bed—regardless of the tension between them. Hell, a little tension and fire made sex more fun. And while there was a part of him that was tempted by the dining and bed part, her accusations were like barbs sunk deep. Until he cleared the air between them, he couldn’t get them out.
“Guess we can all be thankful your singing partner got overheated just in time to dodge a bullet.” Krystal squeezed his arm when they reached the lobby.
“You think she did it on purpose?” Jace asked, tilting his head so Krystal could adjust his collar. “Better?”
Krystal nodded, her gaze locking on Jace’s mouth. “You look good enough to eat.”
“No,” Travis interrupted them. “I don’t think she did it on purpose. Why would she care?”
But seconds later, Loretta was peering over her shoulder. Not at him, but beyond him—searching, a deep V between her brows. As covertly as possible, he turned to see who or what she was looking at. The answer was there, in a bright red dress and blond hair piled high. His mother. He turned back just in time to see Loretta asking for help to find her seat. Of course, his daddy volunteered.
She’d known exactly what she was doing.She’d spared his father public humiliation and, likely, heartbreak too. It was decent. More than decent.Dammit all.Travis ran his fingers through his hair, then slipped his hand into his pocket—worrying the guitar pick between his fingers.Afterhe’d set her straight about his recovery andafterhe’d accepted her apology for jumping to conclusions, he’d thank her.
He’d thank her, they’d sing their song, they’d go their separate ways, and Travis wouldn’t have to deal with Loretta Gram or her beautiful, angry eyes ever again.
Chapter 4
“I don’t know if I can go out there in this.” Loretta’s reflection stared back at her, her eyes wide with terror.
“You look amazing,” Bree said.
“Not to be rude but you have to say that, don’t you? Since you’re the one that put me together like this?” Loretta shook her head. “How do I look?” she asked Gina.
Gina looked her over with same intensity she used while sweeping a room. “Nice.”
Nice?Loretta sank into the director’s chair, ready to cover her face with her hands—
“Don’t! No touching,” the makeup assistant called out. “You don’t want to smudge anything.”
“Right.” Loretta sat back. Not only had she changed dresses, they’d added some sparkle stuff to her cheeks and given her way dramatic smoky eyes. And tape—so much tape. She suspected removing the double-sided tape from her nipples would require substantial time in a steamy shower, but that was a small price to pay for her peace of mind. There was no way—no way—she’d have a wardrobe malfunction tonight.
The makeup assistant pointed at the television screen. “Country Song of the Year is up.” Jace Black and relative newcomer, Becca Sinclair, were walking across the stage to the microphone. “LoveJoy is up for ‘Rain Down,’ right?” The makeup assistant started packing up her brushes. “It better win. I think it’s y’all’s best song ever.”
I love “Rain Down”too. But it wasn’t considered a serious contender for the award. “I’m pretty sure Three Kings has it. ‘Blue’ was a huge hit.” It helped that Emmy Lou had written the song for her then soon-to-be fiancé. “It’s a good song.”
“It is.” The makeup assistant nodded. “But ‘Rain Down’ is better.” She pointed at the screen again. “Isn’t your performance next? Shouldn’t you get out there? And you don’t just look nice. You look beautiful. Own it.”
Loretta peeled her fingers from the arms of her chair, forced herself up, and marched to the door.I can do this.Gina held it open. “Thanks,” Loretta mumbled, then hurried from the door. It wasn’t about the dress or the makeup or the audience—it was about honoring Johnny in front of their peers.
Own it.If owning it meant avoiding eye contact and heading straight to the wings of the stage without interruption, then she was totally owning it. Her and Travis’s performance was immediately after this award so, win or not, she was ready.
Onstage, Becca Sinclair looked exactly how Loretta felt—ready to bolt. But Jace and his easygoing smile gave the younger singer the encouragement she needed to finish their scripted banter prior to announcing the winner. They went back and forth, reading the nominees and pausing long enough for a sample of each song to be played. When Becca tore open the envelope, Loretta glanced into the audience. There, in the front row, sat Emmy Lou and Krystal King, their guys on either side of them, holding hands and looking excited.
“And the winner of Country Song of the Year is…” Becca waited for Jace to tear open the envelope. “‘Rain Down’ by LoveJoy.”
Jace nodded, clapping hard, the envelope held in one hand.
But Loretta couldn’t move. She couldn’t.
“Loretta?” It was Travis.
Where had he come from? Why was he here?Do something. Say something. Move.
“They’re calling you.” He nodded toward the stage.
