by Tess Oliver
chapter 28
Summer
We’d said our goodbyes to Seth and he’d headed to the terminal. I was sad to see him go, and even though Gage acted like he wasn’t, he hugged him pretty hard before he walked away. It had been one hell of an afternoon, but the most amazing part was after the accident. Gage and Seth had climbed back into the truck and started right back to their usual brotherly banter as if all they’d done was stop off to tie their shoes. They’d saved the lives of four people and done it in a way that could only have been rivaled by Superman, and they’d acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“Sorry about not having time to look for a new coat,” Gage said as we neared my house.
“Yes, well if you and Seth hadn’t been out there dawdling and pulling passengers from a burning car, we would have had time.” I smiled over at him. “And then you and Seth went on with your day as if you pull people from burning wreckages every day.”
“Not every day. Maybe every other day.” He smiled. “What did you expect us to do, afterward?”
“I don’t know— talk about it, congratulate each other on a job well done, boast about it on Facebook. I mean, I have friends who talk about the extra tasty mango they bought at the grocery store, it seems your story would be a touch more interesting.”
He smiled. “I’m just glad we were there.”
“Yeah, me too. And I know the kids in that car were exceptionally glad.” I turned the station and leaned back. “I can’t wait to get these stitches out,” I said. “I need to be back on the floor serving. The Rambling Rustler’s singer is back in town, so I won’t be performing with them anymore.”
He glanced over. “I don’t think your clientele will be too happy about that. Rose is popular, but you are a whole other level of popular. Speaking of me dating Miss Popular, do you have to get back to work right away?”
I shot him a suspicious glance. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“You, me and a lot of naked skin.” He faced me. “After all, it’s been a harrowing day.”
“Oh, so now you bring up your heroic feat. That’s almost blackmail.”
“Call it what you want. Besides, I got called up on a job. It’s high enough in the mountains that we’ll be camping near the site. I leave day after tomorrow and won’t be around for a week, so…”
“So, I need to get my fill. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Something like that.”
I undid my seatbelt and leaned over to him. I kissed his neck and pressed my hand against the fly of his jeans. “I don’t want you to go,” I said. It had started as a tease, but quickly I realized that what I’d said was true. I hated the thought of him being away, and I hated even more that he had such a dangerous job. I sat back against the seat. “You know how I said that I was selling half the business to pay my mom some money?”
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you buy half?”
He stared straight ahead. “I don’t know, Hollywood. You know what they say— business and pleasure don’t mix, and I sure as hell ain’t giving up the pleasure part.”
“Agreed. You’re right. They don’t mix.”
Gage glanced up in his rearview, and his gaze lingered there longer than a normal traffic check. He turned off the road toward my house and his eyes looked up again.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“A car turned in behind us. Are you expecting visitors?”
“I don’t know many people here.” I twisted around. It was a small silver compact car but I couldn’t get a view of the two faces. “Maybe they’re lost.”
“That’s possible,” Gage said. He parked the truck in front of the house, and we climbed out. Gage walked over to stand next to me, and it dawned on me how safe I felt when he was near. The small car wobbled and pitched side to side as it struggled along the uneven path. It parked and the doors opened.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself. “Logan, Clark, what the hell are you two doing here?”
Logan walked up to us and cast a long hard look at Gage first. Then his arrogant expression fell on me, and I wondered what the hell I’d ever seen in him. Clark was more hesitant, quite possibly because of the giant man standing next to me with his massive arms crossed over his even more massive chest. Clark had always been smarter than Logan.
“Gage, this is Logan, the guitarist from my band and Clark, my agent.” I figured a quick introduction was about as hospitable as I was going to get. I didn’t want to even invite them in, but Clark was wearing one of his ‘buy one get one free’ suits, and he looked cold.
Clark nodded a silent greeting.
“Who is this, your bodyguard?” Logan sneered.
“No, this is the man who is showing me what good sex feels like.”
Logan flinched at my harsh words but recovered quickly. “Babe, we need to talk.” I felt Gage tense next to me.
“You didn’t seriously just call me babe. And I can’t think of anything that I want to discuss with you.”
Clark stepped forward. “Summer, we have a substantial offer from Lemon Records. Please, let’s just talk about it.” He was the one person who I didn’t mind talking to, and I’d felt bad for abandoning him. We were his most promising clients, and he was sure we would hit the big time together. We’d come pretty damn close, only the big time just didn’t seem that great to me anymore. But I owed Clark the courtesy of listening, especially after he’d flown all the way to Montana. Logan, on the other hand, I could easily have left out on the porch like a shoe that stepped in dog shit.
“Both of you head up to the house,” I said. “I’ll be right there, but I have to get back to the restaurant. So you’ll only have fifteen minutes.”
Clark, obviously dreaming of the warm interior of a house, hurried toward the porch. Logan lingered like an idiot. He always did have a false sense of just how tough he was, but I had to hand it to him, Gage was the type of guy who would have sent a smarter man skittering toward the shelter of the house.
Gage took hold of my arm and turned me toward him. He leaned down and kissed me long enough that Logan grunted in disgust before following Clark’s lead. Once we were alone, Gage pulled his mouth from mine. His expression was serious and a little distant. “I guess I’ll see you later.” There was a coolness in his tone that I hated to hear.
“They won’t be telling me anything that interests me,” I assured him, but even I knew that wasn’t necessarily true. I’d moved up here with hardly any thought as to what life in Montana would be like or how many headaches came with running a business. And after seeing a horrible accident caused by just a patch of ice, Gage’s earlier warning about the harsh winter had really struck home. The people I’d met here and the man standing in front of me were the only reasons I had for sticking this out.
Gage climbed into his truck and didn’t look at me once before turning around and driving off. I stared at the truck as it climbed the path, and that’s when I saw his pale blue gaze as he stared at me through the reflection in his mirror.
I trudged back to the porch, bummed that I had to deal with this. I’d ignored everyone’s phone calls, but I knew eventually I would have to face them. So I might as well get it over with.
“Come inside, Clark,” I walked past both of them to the door. “I’ll make you some hot coffee.”
“What about me?” Logan asked. “Can I go inside?” He sounded snarky and obnoxious, and I wondered if there’d ever been anything I liked about the guy other than his looks and his ability to play guitar.
“If you must.” I opened the door. I heard Logan snicker behind me as he stepped inside.
“You must be fucking kidding?”
I spun around and faced him.
“You left California for this termite hole?”
Clark stepped between us. “Logan, we’re here to talk business, so why don’t you shut the hell up.”
“Great idea, Clark.” I led them into the kitchen, and put on som
e coffee. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Rita. “Are you coming soon, boss?”
“Yep, what’s up?”
“The new guy is having car problems. He’ll be late.”
“Be there in a few.” I looked at Clark. I’d decided to pretend that Logan was just a cold shadow in the room. “I’ve got to get to the restaurant. Let’s hear what you have to say.” I pointed at Logan. “Not you, only Clark.”
Logan sat back and pulled his mouth tight. Something told me that he’d gladly throw a mug at me again, or worse.
Clark sat forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Lemon is offering a million and a half to sign. It’s a four year contract, but the advance is just to start.” His face lit up. “It’s a great offer, Summer.”
“The band stays intact and we get to use our songs?”
“The band will be included, but the studio will probably add some other instruments and a few backup singers. They’ll use their own songwriters.”
I looked at him. “So, really they’re just signing our physical beings, people to hold up the instruments and the microphone.”
“Told you she’d say that,” Logan said.
“Shut up, Logan,” Clark and I said simultaneously.
I sat down across from Clark.
“Maybe you could just find a different singer,” I suggested, thinking the whole deal sounded sketchy. “Especially if they’re just going to stick in a bunch of backup singers.”
Clark looked at me. “Come on, Summer, you’re the reason behind the offer in the first place. They love your voice, and they want to capitalize on that.”
“By drowning me out with other singers and more instruments. And they don’t even like our songs. They could just manufacture a star out of someone walking on the street, it seems.”
“And I believe they have,” Clark said. “Look, Summer, this is a good offer. It could make all of us comfortable for a long time.” His mouth tightened, and the salesman gloves were coming out. “I’ve put my ass on the line for this band, Summer. I’ve been holding up my part by finding you an offer that most bands would kill for. If I lose this then the agency is going to let me go. You asked me to find you a great recording deal, and I did.”
Everything he said was true, and of everyone, he was the one I truly felt bad for. I hadn’t taken into consideration how this might ruin his career too.
“With the exception of the money, nothing about this contract sounds tempting. But make a time to meet with Lemon Records, and I’ll fly out for it. Only I’ve got some terms.”
“Fuck you,” Logan said. “Fuck your terms. You’re going to blow it for all of us.”
I ignored him and got up. The coffee pot was finished brewing. “I’ll have to give you a cup to take with you, Clark. I’ve got to get to the restaurant.”
Clark nodded. “I’d appreciate it. It’s fucking cold out there.”
I glared at Logan. “As Clark just said, I’m the reason behind the offer.” I turned back to Clark. “No more than two backup singers and I get to help choose them. Two of our original songs on the album. And they can add a keyboard, but that’s it.”
I poured Clark a cup but didn’t offer one to Logan. Logan was another part of this whole plan that sucked. I would have to work with him, and I didn’t relish that.”
I walked them to the door.
“I’ll let you know when the meeting is set,” Clark said.
I shut the door and looked around my tiny house. It was my house, and I’d already grown fond of it. But there were so many reasons to go back to California. There were reasons to stay here too, and one especially big reason had me completely torn.
chapter 29
Gage
Rebel snorted in relief as I slowed him to a walk. We were both in a lather by the time we reached the back side of the property. The horse had given me plenty of attitude in the pen, and I was having an attitude problem myself. I’d decided a good long ride was just what we both needed. I was sure I’d taken care of Rebel’s attitude, but mine was still not in check.
I’d left Summer with her ex-boyfriend and her agent, who, from the looks of it, was close to freezing his west coast balls off. They wouldn’t have flown out here for nothing. As I’d climbed back into my truck, I’d realized that I’d allowed myself the freedom to fall for Summer and now it was coming back to bite me in the ass. A voice like hers deserved big money, fame and spotlights. What girl would choose this life over the one her talent could bring her? And what asshole would stand in her way? I badly wanted to though. I badly wanted to grab hold of her and tell her to stay, just ignore all the glittering draw of Hollywood and stay.
I walked Rebel around the barn a few times to cool him off before putting him away. The sun was nearly down. A glacial wind was blowing from the north, and it brought with it the first kiss of an ugly winter. The accident this morning had to have given Summer a scare. It showed just how dangerous driving could be on these roads, and today’s thin patches of ice were nothing compared to the way things would be mid January. It was probably better losing her now, so early in the relationship, rather than four or five months in after I’d committed my heart and soul to her. My phone buzzed.
I pulled it out of my coat pocket. It was Summer. I contemplated being a coward and not answering it. I wasn’t ready to face the inevitable yet. There was nothing I hated worse than being a fucking coward. “Hello.”
The clamor of the restaurant clanged through the phone.
“Hi. I’m sorry we didn’t get to fool around before I had to go back to work.”
“It seemed you had more important things to do.”
“Gage, I really need to talk to you. Are you coming in tonight?”
I sat in silence for a second. “I don’t know. I’ve got a lot of shit to do around here before I leave for work.”
“Oh,” she said with the same disappointment I was feeling. “I really wanted to see you, but I understand.” This time her voice wavered, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I was being a fucking coward after all. I didn’t want to see her. I didn’t want to hear the words ‘I’m leaving’ coming from those unbelievable lips. “I’ve got to go,” she said weakly.
“Me too.” We hung up, and I stared down at the phone in my hand. Who the fuck was I kidding? My heart and soul were already hers.
***
The bitter wind had brought in a layer of black clouds, blotting out any moonlight and casting a gloomy shadow over the ranch that fit my mood perfectly. A shower hadn’t helped cool me off. I combed back my wet hair, pulled on a pair of jeans and walked to the kitchen with streams of water still dripping down my naked back. It felt good on the burn marks that striped my skin. At the time of the accident, I hadn’t even noticed that the flames were scorching me.
It was past eleven o’clock, and I hadn’t eaten since lunch, but the only thing that sounded right was a beer. Headlights swung around in the yard, and I glanced outside. It was Summer’s car. I’d spent a good part of the last five hours convincing myself that this was no big deal. I’d had some great sex with a girl who was far more unforgettable than most, and that was all there was to it. But seeing her pathetic little car brought back memories of the first night I’d met her, and all my determination to get over this easily vanished.
I went to the door. She huddled into her coat. Her big brown eyes peered up at me from over the scarf she’d pulled up to cover her chin and nose. “Can I come in?” The question was muffled by the fabric. I ushered her inside.
She walked past me and then turned around. A gasp came from behind the scarf. She pushed it off her face and lifted her fingers to my back. “You’re burned. We should put something on it.”
“No, it’s not that bad.” I turned around and faced her. Looking at her was far more painful than the burns.
“I needed to see you,” she said.
“You’re going back to California.” The words bolted out of my mouth, but I was saying them for myself
and not for her. I needed to hear it out loud.
“Yes, no, well, yes but just to talk about a possible contract.” She stepped forward and reached for me, but I stepped around her and headed back to the kitchen. I was shoring myself up to lose her for good, and her touch was definitely not going to help.
She followed me to the kitchen. I yanked out a chair, sat down and opened my beer.
Summer looked down at me. Her bottom lip trembled.
“No. You don’t get to come in here and look sad and heartbroken,” I finally said. “I’m the one on the fucked end of the stick, sweetheart. So don’t look at me like that.”
She turned to leave but then stopped. “Then why the fuck don’t you just tell me not to go. And I’m really pissed that I’m crying right now, so ignore the fucking tears.” She walked to the counter and reached for a paper towel. “Fucking goddamn tears.” She wiped them clumsily away and then took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “Just tell me not to go.”
I leaned forward and took a swallow of beer. “And have you wake up in my arms a few months from now and look at me as the person who stopped you from following your dream?”
“Yes,” she sobbed. “Being in your arms is about as close to fucking heaven as I’ve ever been. Who needs dreams when they have heaven? Come with me,” she suggested hastily. “Come to California with me. We could get a place—”
My expression stopped her from continuing. “Summer, I was a mess when my dad shipped me off to my grandfather. I was blaming myself for my mom’s death, and my dad sent me away as if I was a defective item he was returning to the store. Montana, the ranch, the horses, they saved me. I need them. I need to be here.”
She used her scarf this time to wipe her face. “Can I see you before you leave for work?” she asked. She looked tiny inside her winter coat, and I wanted badly to jump right across the table and pull her into my arms.
