Page 88 of Country Music Cowboy
Something gave in his chest. A fluid pop that injected tiny shards of pain into his bloodstream. Beyond the pain, he felt…hollow. It had been a long time since he lashed out in anger, but instinct kicked in. “I was sort of hoping to get laid tonight.”
She was shooting daggers at him now. “I’m sure you’ll find someone at the meet and greet who’d be happy to accommodate.”
More words were ready, verbal weapons ready to fire. But he swallowed them down and shrugged. “I’ll see you in there.” He cleared his throat. “Afterward, Kings Coach II. Some damage control thing.” He didn’t wait for her answer, and he sure as hell didn’t make the mistake of looking at her again.
At the moment, she didn’t know she’d basically ripped his insides out. He’d rather that wasn’t common knowledge.
He went into automaton mode. Pictures with the fans. Doling out autographs. Being charming. He could do it, all of it, in his sleep. His smile never faltered, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t bleeding out.
The meet and greet was a blur. From the looks Emmy Lou and Krystal kept shooting him, he wasn’t fooling them. But he wasn’t trying to fool them. The only people that mattered were the fans. An hour and thirty-seven photos clustered in front of the Three Kings’ step and repeat later, he was shaking hands and heading for the service exit.
How many times had he given Emmy Lou shit for being naïve? Too many times to remember. Suddenly, he meets Loretta and drinks the Kool-Aid? Was it because she was the first girl he’d slept with since recovery? Because she was inaccessible, he’d looked forward to the challenge? Because the attraction he had for her was…like breathing?
But he couldn’t do that. That’s not who he was anymore. He loved her. He loved her and he’d survive a broken heart.
He sat on the bus, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through the top stories. There was a string of hashtags that made him wince. #LorettaGramIsABitch was the first one. #LorettaGramHasNoSoul, #WhatTheHellLoveJoy, and #NoLoveInLoveJoy #NoTrueLove were also at the top of the list.
The link to the video was there. But Travis couldn’t bring himself to click on it. After all the digging he’d done today, he doubted there’d be any surprises. Somehow, some way, Donnie Gram had managed to turn Loretta into the villain. Considering his current volatile state of mind, Travis wasn’t sure watching the interview was a good idea.
Things got increasingly crowded when his sisters, Jace, Loretta, Brock, and Sawyer were all sitting on the bus. He was so agitated, he gave up his seat on the built-in leather sectional and paced the small space behind it, his guitar pick in his hand.
Loretta, for her part, remained mostly quiet. She stared at her bright red nail polish, her hair pulled over one shoulder—almost hiding. “I’m sorry for this,” she said once they’d put their father on speaker phone.
“I don’t want to hear you say that again.” Their father’s voice was raspy. “It’s a simple matter of he said, she said. When you all come home, we’ll set the record straight. I’ve already had our people contact Molly Harper atGood Morning USA. She’s been good to us—I know she’ll treat us fairly.”
Good.Travis approved of his father’s plan. Molly Harper was to daytime news programs what Emmy Lou was to country music. There was an inherent likability about her that made people trust her. Once that interview released, Donnie Gram’s credibility would be forever tarnished.
He hoped.
It didn’t seem to matter that she’d shredded his heart fifteen minutes ago, Travis was worried about Loretta. He knew how hard it was to love and hate a parent. His mother managed to justify her actions so that they were for a greater good, even if she was the only one who could see thatgreater good. But Donnie Gram was only in it for himself. This was about money, plain and simple. Donnie Gram was willing to exploit his only child for money; there was nothing else Travis needed to know about the man.
But the question was, who paid him? Was itTNMor had his mother stepped in? And who, exactly, was his mother trying to protect this time? What sort of greater good was she aiming for this time? He’d find out soon enough. He’d invited her to lunch the day they got back to Austin. One big happy family.
Travis was done with all the lies and secrets and manipulations. He wanted it all out and in the open. If that helped remove the target his mother had placed on Loretta, then he’d be happy. Not as happy as if Loretta loved him. But happy enough to know he’d given her some small sense of peace.
Chapter 16
Loretta was eating cheesy fries on her bed when the pounding started on her door. She’d turned off her phone and was pretending to sleep but, really, all she wanted was time to herself. The drive to Phoenix had frayed her nerves down to nothing. Not just the riding in the bus with Travis and everyone else. But the video.
The inescapable video.
The edited, grainy, heartless video.
The audio had been so warped that she could barely make out the words let alone recognize the voices. Instead of her father calling her a coldhearted bitch, he was asking her how she could be so coldhearted toward him. They’d also managed to make it sound like he was apologizing that she was ashamed of him and changed the whole sequence around so that it looked like the cop was defending her father against Loretta—not that the cop stepped in to defend her.
It should have been laughable. But it wasn’t.
He was her father. Her father, who was slated for a primetime follow-up live tomorrow night onTNM. Because he hadn’t made things bad enough?
The pounding continued.
“We know you’re awake.” It was Emmy Lou.
“Come on, Loretta,” Krystal added. “We can make Sawyer break down the door. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d owe a hotel property damages.”
Loretta frowned at the door.
“That was when I was drinking,” Travis explained. “But thanks for letting that go.”
