by June Faver
“I know who you are.” She leaned in to accept the bills, favoring him with a flash of dimples and a display of cleavage before she walked away with a swishy, hip-rolling gait.
Will grinned as he watched her make her way to the DJ booth. “See, you’re out with the man tonight.”
Ty chuckled. “Looks like it. How did you get to be so famous?”
Will rolled his eyes. “Everybody wants to be a star. The good news is, I’m the guy who’s going to make you a star.”
“Good to know.”
Will’s assessment of his own importance was apparently accurate. As the night wore on, quite a few people came to shake his hand. An array of hot-looking females dropped by to give him a hug and a kiss. Although Will looked more like a teddy bear than a celebrity, it seemed there were many people who viewed him as someone with clout.
A man came over to the table with two women on his arms. Will introduced the man as the club owner, along with his wife and daughter. Will invited them to sit down, and they crowded in, sliding onto the curved seat beside Ty. The owner’s wife sat next to Ty, her thigh pressed against his and her breast rubbing against his arm. He attempted to give her more room, but every time he scooted over, she did too.
The club owner raised his hand, signaling to the DJ and the light technician. A baby spotlight flooded the table with bright light.
Momentarily blinded, Ty couldn’t see anything beyond their table, but the owner waved to the crowd, and so did Will. The disc jockey’s smooth voice introduced them both, and then he introduced Tyler Garrett as an up-and-coming country star.
To Ty’s amazement, people were applauding. Will nudged him, and Ty raised his hand in acknowledgment. The applause grew louder. The DJ introduced one of the songs Ty had recorded earlier, and the sound of Ty’s own voice was heard through the sound system. His throat grew tight as he realized he had really taken the first step to making his dreams a reality.
* * *
Leah cleared the table and ran a sink full of sudsy water. She began to wash the dishes, placing the rinsed plates in the draining rack. There was something satisfying about seeing the clean dishes. It made her feel as though she had accomplished something.
This was the same way she felt about getting Breck’s filing system in order. It was something else that gave her a sense of accomplishment. She was doing her job.
She dried her hands and joined Gran in the living room. Gran was reading her Bible, and Gracie was sitting on the floor in front of the television, Eddie on one side and Lucky on the other. Lucky’s long face was leaning against Gracie’s legs. Whenever Gracie spoke, Lucky’s tail flailed the floor.
This is nice. Just the way a family should be. As the word family formed in her brain, she pictured Ty’s face and smiled.
She checked the phone he’d given her. No messages or texts. She wondered if he would call tonight. She sure hoped he would, because she was missing him like crazy. Maybe I should call him. No, that’s way too pushy. I’ll wait for him to call.
“Gran, I need to talk to you about the Carters.”
Gran slammed the Bible closed. “Why?” she snapped. “What did you hear about them?”
Leah swallowed. “I sort of met the two Carter boys today…unofficially. They chased me in their truck.”
A blaze of color appeared high on Gran’s cheeks. “Those bastards!”
Gracie looked around sharply.
Gran apologized and then lowered her voice. “What happened?”
Leah shook her head. “I’m not sure what would have happened, but my boss drove up and stopped them from bothering me. He called the sheriff after we got to the office, and the sheriff said he would talk to them.”
Gran frowned so hard her brows almost met in the middle. “That entire Carter clan is the scum of the earth. You stay far away from them. Do you understand?”
Leah nodded. “I plan to.”
“Did they know who you are?” Gran persisted. “I mean, do they know you’re my granddaughter?”
“I don’t think so. We weren’t exactly introduced.”
Gran sat with her lips pursed, clutching the Bible to her bosom.
Chapter 9
Ty couldn’t believe he was standing on the stage in this huge nightclub. He had a mic and was singing to his own recorded voice. Somehow, it felt like he was lip-syncing, but Will and the club owner were nodding and grinning at him. Most patrons in the club were watching him and nodding or swaying in time to the beat. Some remained on the dance floor, moving to his melody.
It wasn’t the first time he had sung onstage, but he felt naked without his guitar, and the overpowering strains from the sound system throbbed throughout his entire body.
He felt his cell vibrate, and while still singing, he reached for it. Leah! He pushed the talk button, holding the phone close to the mic as though he was singing just for her ears. He recalled her delight when he had first sung to her. He wished she were here with him. Somehow, it would be easier with her by his side.
The song ended, and there was a round of applause. He bowed and started to leave the stage, but Will made a “go on” gesture, furiously winding his hand in the air. He heard the beginning of another song he had recorded earlier that day. “Hang on, Leah,” he shouted into the phone and began singing the next ballad. He hoped she would understand what was going on. Holding on to her this way felt like a lifeline to the real world.
At the end of the song, he raised his hand to acknowledge the applause but determinedly stepped down from the stage. Glancing around, he made a break for a hallway to the rear, where he spied the restroom signs. He paused by the fire exit just past the restrooms.
“Are you still there?” he said, covering his other ear so he could hear her.
“Yes,” she said. “You were wonderful.”
Ty grinned, acknowledging that her approval had somehow achieved monumental importance. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“Where are you? It’s so loud.”
He heaved a sigh. “I’m in a club here in Dallas. My friend got them to play some of the songs we recorded today.”
“Oh, Ty. I’m so very proud of you.” He heard her catch her breath. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to…to…” She broke off.
“No, no,” he assured her. “You can interrupt me anytime. I wish you were here.”
“It’s Tyler!” a female voice trilled from behind him.
He turned to find several young women crowding around him. They were all talking at once and taking pictures with their phones.
“Here, Tyler,” one shouted. “Take a picture with me.” She ducked under his arm, and her friend snapped the photo as she hugged him around his torso.
“Hang on,” he said into his phone. “Maybe I better let you go. Things are getting complicated around here…”
* * *
“Yes…goodbye,” Leah said to the dead air. She swallowed hard. “Tyler…”
She had been unable to resist any longer and, when she hadn’t heard from Ty, had gone to sit on a wicker rocking chair on the front porch to place the call.
Ty was in a nightclub where women were crushing on him. An ache in her chest caused her to feel even more alone. And jealous. She acknowledged that feeling right up front.
She couldn’t be angry with him. This was what he had always wanted. The fame that came with his future celebrity would bring with it a ton of female admirers. They would be the ones to download his songs and request them on the radio.
Leah leaned back in the rocker and rested her bare feet on the rickety porch railing. She heaved a deep sigh and gazed up at the moon. She felt as though she were the only human being in the entire universe right now. Her eyes were attuned to the darkness, and she could see small movements. Something tiny, maybe a mouse, ran along in the tall grass growing up next to the barbed wire
fence. Tree frogs croaked rhythmically, and crickets chirped in counterpoint. A whisper of breeze caused tree branches to stir.
Her earlier fear of the Carters had dissolved into apathy. She wasn’t feeling important enough to bother with. If she hadn’t called Ty tonight, she would never have known he was in a club, being mobbed by his adoring female fans.
She huffed out a derisive snort. How could they resist?
A single tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away and chided herself for being an idiot. I’m not some starstruck fool. I’m a grown woman, and I fell in love with a real man. A man who is kind and loving and sexy as hell. She hiccupped and wiped at another tear.
“Oh, Ty. Please let it be me.”
* * *
The next day, Leah woke up with a different mind-set. She decided not to live her life waiting for any man, even one as wonderful as Tyler Garrett. No matter how much she loved him, she couldn’t control the future, so she would focus on what she could control.
It was Saturday, and she had a purse full of cash…well, not full, but enough to make her feel rich by comparison with her previous state. She would have to make sure Gracie was outfitted for school and see what she could do to help Gran.
After breakfast, she made a quick survey of their pantry and determined that, although Ty had provided a good store of foodstuffs, there were a few things she could restock.
Gracie was taking her duties as dog-sitter very seriously. She had taken over Eddie’s care as well, feeding both dogs and taking them out for a run together.
Leah washed dishes and got dressed for their outing. She loaded Gran and Gracie into her car and set out for Langston.
Gran was almost as excited as Gracie, chattering about the local school and what seedlings she hoped to find at the feed store.
Gracie was quiet, but when questioned, she said she hoped they could find some new shoes she could run in. That was most important to her.
Leah assured her they would find good shoes, hoping they could find something Gracie would love and she could afford. At the far end of town, she pulled into the Walmart parking lot. It appeared everyone in the surrounding area had had the same idea, because there seemed to be a million cars parked outside. She let Gran and Gracie out near the entrance and went to park the car. When she got back to them, Gran had commandeered a shopping cart and appeared eager to shop. She announced her intentions of exploring the garden center and set off in the direction of the big overhead sign.
Leah took Gracie to the girls’ department, and they made a thorough investigation of the available wares.
“We need to get you five good outfits to start with,” Leah said. “Maybe some things you can mix and match.”
Gracie reached out a hand to stroke a powder-blue cardigan folded on a table. She looked wistful, but since they had not been able to afford much in the way of new things and a lot of Leah’s shopping had been at thrift stores, this was a brand-new experience for both of them.
“Do you like that sweater?” Leah asked. At Gracie’s nod, she sorted around and found it in a size she thought would last Gracie through the winter. She unbuttoned it and held it open for Gracie. “Here, slip your arms into this.”
Gracie complied, smiling as Leah tugged the sleeve down over her cast. Then she looked around nervously, coloring when she saw another girl watching her.
“I think that looks great on you. Let’s put it in the cart.” Leah folded it across her purse in the top section of the cart. She glanced at the pretty, dark-haired girl, who appeared to be about Gracie’s age, and smiled at her, but the girl turned away. Must be as shy as Gracie.
She looked for jeans in Gracie’s size and put some in the cart, along with several shirts and pullover sweaters. Then she went to paw through a rack of dresses. She held various ones up to Gracie, noting which appeared to please her. They headed for the dressing rooms and crammed into a small cubicle so Gracie could try them on.
“Which dress do you like best, Gracie?” she asked. “You’ll need one for church.”
“Church?” Gracie asked, looking puzzled. “Are we going to church?”
Leah felt a stab of conscience. “Yes, we can go to church now. I don’t have to work on Sundays anymore.”
They chose a pretty patterned dress with a white collar. It would look good with the blue cardigan too, so Leah added it to the stash in the cart. She would have one more paycheck before school started, so she helped Gracie choose three outfits as well as the dress for them to purchase. When they emerged from the dressing room, the woman who was with the other little girl was coming out of another cubicle. The woman was a pretty Hispanic woman with a wide smile.
“I saw you at the restaurant with Big Jim Garrett,” she said.
Leah nodded, her stomach grabbing at the memory. “Yes. I was there.”
The woman held out her hand. “I’m Milita Rios. My father owns the restaurant.”
Leah clasped her hand and slipped her other arm around Gracie. “This is my daughter, Gracie. She’s going to be in the third grade this year.”
“That’s great. She’ll be in the same class with my niece, Tina.” She indicated the young girl standing nearby. “Tina, be sure and help Gracie get to know everyone.”
Tina smiled shyly and raised a hand in greeting.
Leah hoped this encounter would blossom into a friendship. Lord knows Gracie hasn’t had much in the way of friends at school.
The two girls moved off and began to chat in low tones.
Leah felt as though a weight had been lifted off her heart. “Thanks so much. It’s hard to be the new one in school.”
“We’ll have to get them together to play before school starts. Just bring Gracie by the restaurant, and the girls can hang out. Poor Tina has been reading or drawing in a corner while I work.”
Leah wondered where the girl’s parents were but didn’t feel comfortable in asking.
“My brother is a widower,” Milita supplied as if reading her mind. “And he had to take a job out of state, so I’m keeping Tina for him. At least he can have peace of mind that my dad and I will care for her, and she can stay in the same school.”
Leah nodded. “I’m sure that’s for the best.”
When they left the dressing room area, Leah added a package of underwear and socks to the cart, and then they set off to find Gran.
“I think she said she was going to the garden center,” Gracie supplied, pulling the cart by the front toward that sign.
When Leah pushed the cart out into the garden area, she didn’t see Gran at first. There were fruit trees and lots of houseplants arranged in row after row. Leah turned down one aisle and saw Gran at the other end. She appeared to be upset.
When they neared, she heard Gran’s voice raised in anger. “You get away from me! Let go of my cart!”
Leah thrust Gracie behind her and barreled the cart down the aisle. “What’s going on here?” Her heart nearly stopped when she reached the end and saw the two Carter brothers with smarmy grins on their faces. One held onto the front of Gran’s cart and wouldn’t let her pass. When they spied Leah, their grins widened.
“Look who it is, Dean. That pretty little thing from the park.”
Ray gave a hard shove to the cart Gran was trying to wrest away from him, and she fell back onto the concrete.
“Stay here,” Leah instructed Gracie and rushed to help Gran. She had a cut on her elbow and appeared to be quite shaken. “Gran, are you all right?”
The one named Ray cocked his brow at Leah. “You related to this old hag? Well, ain’t that nice to know?”
She assisted her grandmother to her feet and glowered at the two brothers, who stood snickering at her. “You get away from us, or I’ll call the security guard.”
The brothers laughed even more. They mimicked her words and hooted. “Now that we know where
you live, we’ll have to come pay a visit,” the other brother, Dean, said.
A burst of anger exploded in Leah’s chest. She jerked Gran’s metal shopping cart toward her and then rammed it back into them. The one named Dean fell down, landing on his side and halfway into a raised area with various evergreens and concrete blocks marking the border. He cursed and scrambled to rise. He stood glowering at her while rubbing his hand against his hip.
“Stay away from us,” she ordered, “or I’ll tell Mr. Ryan. He had me make a report to the sheriff.”
More jeers, but they moved away, glaring at her and also eyeing Gracie. The tall, gaunt one made a lunge at Gracie, and when she jumped and screamed, he laughed derisively.
Gran stood, holding her elbow, her mouth pinched up tight. “Those are the meanest snakes in the grass in all creation. I wish I had my shotgun, and I would have blasted them to kingdom come.”
Leah gathered Gracie tight against her and tried to soothe Gran’s feelings. She ushered them inside and went to the front desk, where she told the person behind the counter her grandmother had been attacked by two men. The woman summoned the security guard, and when Leah told him it was the Carter brothers, he rolled his eyes. He offered to call the sheriff’s office for her, but Gran was anxious to leave. She appeared to be exhausted after the ordeal, so Leah waited while the lady behind the counter offered a first-aid box to tend to Gran’s elbow. Leah cleaned it as best she could with hydrogen peroxide and covered it with a big gauze bandage.
Gran looked better by that time, so they checked out and left the store.
“Mommy, who were those bad men?” Gracie asked. “They scared me.”
“No one you need to be concerned with,” Leah interjected. “We’re all fine now.” She got her family settled in the car and drove away, checking for the Carter brothers in their old blue truck. Damn! Why did we have to run into those monsters? She drove to the Dairy Queen and bought a round of chili dogs and milkshakes. It felt good to be able to provide even a little treat for her family.
When they were back in the car, Gran asked to be taken to the feed store. She still wanted to see if there were any seedlings of fall vegetables in stock. When they had all trooped inside, Gran drew her aside.
