Page 50 of Country Music Cowboy
Travis’s gaze locked with hers. “You good?”
She nodded. “Good.”
“Tired?” he asked, that grin of his making her insides give and ache. “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
That look had her spiraling. And his words? All of a sudden, she could hear the rasp of his breath against her ear. Feel the grip of his hands holding her hips. Taste the salt on his skin.Maybe I do need protection—from myself.
She tore her gaze from his. “I’m a little tired. But I shouldn’t have any problems sleeping from now on.” She started flipping through the pages he had brought with him.Because we agreed it was a one-night deal.
Travis’s knee pressed against hers, warm and solid. “Guess we’ll see about that—”
“Hey, Sawyer,” Emmy Lou sing-songed, holding open the studio door. “Look at you two.” She headed toward them. “Getting down to business.”
“What are you working on?” Krystal followed, carrying a guitar case.
“Hope we’re not barging in.” Jace paused inside.
Emmy Lou and Krystal both stopped, their movements almost synchronized. Confused expressions. Inspecting her and Travis. Then looking at Jace incredulously.
“Barging in?” Krystal rolled her eyes. “The tour starts in three weeks. Three. Weeks.” She held up three fingers.
“Are we barging in?” Emmy Lou asked, dragging a stool over to join them.
Loretta shook her head, thankful for the interruption. “And Krystal is right. I’m the interloper here. I don’t want to slow you all down or step on toes.”
Emmy Lou shook her head, her blond curls bouncing. “Nope.” Her attention shifted to the sheet music. “What is this?”
Travis grabbed for the pages before his sister could. “Nothing.”
He didn’t want his sisters to know about his songs?Interesting.
“I love you to the moon and back big brother, but you just guaranteed we will harass the shit out of you until you hand over the pages.” Krystal set down her guitar case and faced her brother.
From the set of Krystal’s jaw, Loretta didn’t doubt it. Still, she felt for Travis. If he didn’t want to share his music, he had his reasons.But he’d shared his music with me.The surge of happiness was unexpected delight.
“I’m afraid she’s right.” Emmy Lou nodded and held out her hand. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”
Loretta was laughing then. They all were. Emmy Lou putting her foot down was a sight to see. Somehow, she managed to threaten her big brother while staying all sweetness and light.
“I wish Brock had been here to see that.” Travis was still laughing as he shook his head. “Then he’d see what he’s getting himself into.”
“He knows.” Emmy Lou smiled. “And he adores me anyway.”
Loretta still hadn’t gotten used to this. Any of it. Not the rapid back and forth between the siblings or the devotion between the sisters and their beaus or the open display of affection among them all. It wasn’t just the ease with which they teased and laughed. It was the security. There was no denying the love among them. Real love. Unconditional and unwavering… She’d begun to think that sort of love was just a myth. Great for songs and poems and movies but no one had ever truly seen it or experienced it firsthand.No one in my world, anyway.
She’d only ever had her father and Johnny and neither of those were healthy relationships.
The older her father got, the less tactful he grew. He used to cajole her, sweet-talk her, do something nice with the end game in mind. When she was little, she’d lie to the principal or CPS so they wouldn’t take her away and he wouldn’t lose his government support. When LoveJoy entered mainstream music, he swooped in to remind her of how he’d always been there for her—supporting her. Now that he was older and unable to work, he needed her to be a good daughter and help him out from time to time. The thing was, she never remembered her father working long-term. He wasn’t a fan of work. He wanted a get-rich scheme, even if the scheme was guilting his daughter into giving him money whenever he wanted it.
Johnny was a different, but the same. He’d moved to Cartwright freshman year of high school. They clicked and, almost immediately, he was spending most of his time at her house. It took a while to figure out why. His stepfather was an addict. An abusive addict. And though she’d tried to help Johnny see that he wasn’t the cause of his stepfather’s behavior, he never quite believed her. He’d been such a beautiful soul, so gentle and vulnerable, that Loretta had felt fiercely protective of him. She was the one who dragged him to Nashville. She was the one who pushed and pushed until LoveJoy started to get noticed. And once they were noticed, his stepfather—like her own father—reached out to Johnny. He and his stepfather’s final conversation had been angry and hostile. So much so that Johnny was certain he’d caused his stepfather to take his life. Johnny was never the same. Johnny’s wounds were too big and all-encompassing for her to ever add to his troubles.
Being here, with the Kings, made her wonder what it would be like to have people that you could unburden your soul to. People who wouldn’t judge—just listen.
“I remember this song,” Emmy Lou said now, snatching one sheet of music. “I loved this one.”
Travis hooked an arm around her neck and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Which is the only reason I sang it—for you. It’s a bad song.”
After spending the morning going over his attempts, Loretta seriously doubted that. He might not want everyone to know it, but he was talented.
