Wild Card: Boys of Fall

by Mari Carr

  Ruby was up and out of the booth in record time. “I’ll see y’all later,” she threw over her shoulder as she followed the tall cowboy to the floor.

  “Ruby’s sweet on Rodney?” Glen asked.

  Lorelie nodded. “They dated back in high school, but he moved to Phoenix for a job after graduation and she married Earl on the rebound. He moved back a few weeks ago. We think he found out Ruby was single again and decided he wasn’t going to miss his chance at scooping her up.”

  “Who’s ‘we’?”

  “Me and Sadie and Charlene and the rest of the girls.”

  “Y’all are a pretty tight-knit group, aren’t you?”

  Lorelie smiled. “Hell yeah. They’re my best friends. I love them.”

  “Trying to figure out if I should be grateful or upset that you keep trying to sabotage all these hookups Wade and his friends are putting together for me.”

  Lorelie feigned innocence, but he wasn’t fooled for a minute. “I don’t have a clue what you mean.”

  “Wade wasn’t expecting Buck at the dinner party. And he wasn’t expecting you to be here tonight.”

  “He wouldn’t have invited you out if he’d known I was coming.”

  Glen realized that was true. “I’m going to have to give him a word. Tell him to back off on setting me up.”

  “Thought you wanted to meet a pretty Quinn girl and have some fun?”

  “Sadie’s been telling tales, I see. I already met the prettiest woman in Quinn.” As he spoke, Glen scooted closer to her. He was pleased when she moved toward him at the same time.

  The music changed, a faster tune. Neither Wade nor Rodney were finished dancing with their girls. Then Glen recognized the song and groaned.

  Lorelie didn’t miss the sound. “Big Trent Maxwell fan, huh?”

  He lifted one shoulder, hoping to appear casual. The last thing he wanted to talk about tonight was the asshole. Part of him was afraid Lorelie would start waxing poetic over the idiot’s sexy eyes and chiseled jaw and dimples and whatever the fuck else women saw in the jerkoff, and Wade’s fantasies of her would be ruined forever.

  “He strikes me as too pretty to be a country singer,” she said. “More the type to be in one of those cheesy boy bands. And what’s up with his voice?” She pointed one finger in the air, cueing him to listen to the song. “Seems like the studio takes a lot of liberties. Always covering up his actual singing with that fancy stuff.”

  “That’s because he can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”

  Her eyes widened and she laughed. “Seriously? That makes sense then. I guess. How does someone who can’t sing make it so big?”

  Glen had never talked to anyone—with the exception of Wade, who’d been in the business and knew how it worked—about Trent’s lack of talent. In fact, it was highly unprofessional for him to continue this conversation.

  Of course, punching his lead singer hadn’t exactly put him in contention for Employee of the Month.

  Glen decided fuck it. Might feel good to get some of this pent-up Trent aggression off his chest. And Lorelie didn’t strike him as the type to sell his story to a tabloid. Something told him she’d be a good listener. Maybe even a sympathetic one. He wasn’t one to want pity, but he wouldn’t mind a little petting if it was Lorelie doing the stroking.

  “He’s got the right look and he can shake his ass with the best of them onstage. The studio can fake the rest.”

  “On the recordings, sure. But how can they fake it during concerts?”

  Glen blew out a frustrated sigh. “Depends on the venue. Sometimes he lip-syncs, sometimes they turn his mic down low and mine up high. I drown him out.”

  “No way.” She didn’t say anything for a few minutes, but he could see the wheels turning. When she finally did speak, she surprised him. Something very few people were capable of nowadays. He’d grown too jaded for shock.

  “You must hate that.”

  She hit the nail on the head. Despite his fascination for her, her words were surprising, considering neither of them knew each other very well.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, wondering if she’d interpreted it the way he thought.

  “You strike me as a serious musician, Glen. You don’t half-ass it and you don’t fake it. Why would you work for someone who does?”

  Now it was his turn to go quiet. Mainly because he didn’t have a fucking clue why. Well, actually, he knew all the reasons he’d been telling himself lately. But he was almost embarrassed to say them out loud. They painted him in a shallow, mercenary light.

  “He’s one of the biggest names out there right now.”

  Lorelie didn’t respond to that, didn’t seem to consider that an answer.

  “I’m at the height of my career in terms of earnings and name recognition. The studio is paying me a hell of a lot of money for my guitar playing and my singing.”

  And my babysitting.

  He didn’t add that part.

  “I’ve heard both. You’re obviously the true talent in the band. So why is he the star?”

  Wade had asked him the same thing. And his answer was going to be the same. No matter how screwed up he was, the only thing Glen had ever known, had ever accepted about himself, was that he did not crave the limelight. In fact, he hated it.

  “There’s too much bullshit attached to being the one front and center, Lori. When they put that spotlight on you, it stops being about the music. All the studio cares about is image and dollar signs. Rugged, aging cowboys aren’t the rage anymore. No one’s racing out to sign the Merle Haggards or the Willie Nelsons these days. Right now, it’s all about fitting that sex-symbol, six-pack, make-the-girls-melt mold. That ain’t me.”

  She narrowed her eyes, looking confused. “You’re kidding, right? You’re about a million times hotter than Trent Maxwell. And a gazillion times more talented. I’ve never bought a Trent Maxwell song. I’d buy every one of yours.”

  Right then and there, Glen decided he wanted to write Lorelie Carr a song.

  He wasn’t much of a songwriter. It wasn’t that he’d never tried. He had. Wade had even recorded one of his songs once and included it on an album. It hadn’t gotten a ton of airplay, but they’d pulled it out every now and then at a concert and the true fans had sung along.

  Lorelie’s support of him, her belief in his talent, went a long way toward soothing some edges that had gotten rougher ever since he’d signed on to play with Trent.

  He glanced around the room and caught more than a few pairs of eyes on him. While Wade only had eyes for his wife as they danced, the same didn’t hold true for Oakley and Joel, who were helping Sadie man the bar tonight. Or Carter, who was sitting at the end of the counter with a pretty woman Wade assumed was his girlfriend. Or Tucker and Jackson, who were drinking with another guy Glen didn’t know.

  “How many of those former football players are in here?” he asked.

  Lorelie scanned the room and he could see her doing a mental count. “I see five. The usual suspects.”

  “The guy with Tucker and Jackson?”

  Lorelie shook her head. “No. Nolan didn’t play on the team. He wrote for the school newspaper. Actually, he’s in town right now working on a book about my dad.”

  “And what do you think they’d do if I kissed you right now?”

  A seductive smile appeared. “I don’t have a clue, but the suspense is killing me. Should we give it a try?”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she turned to face him. “Lori.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t give a shit about those guys. I’m kissing you because I can’t stop myself.”

  She reached up to touch his cheek. It was rough from a day’s worth of growth. He was suddenly sorry he hadn’t taken a second to shave again.

  They both moved forward and met in the middle. He liked that. Liked that she wanted this as much as he did. His lips touched hers softly at first. She tasted sweet and smelled like sunshine. He didn’t have a
clue what sunshine actually smelled like, but she was it. Fresh air and heat and a mountain lake—all rolled into one.

  Her hand remained on his face, the touch as potent as the kiss. He tilted his head slightly, pressing her mouth open with his. Her tongue was there, stroking his, driving them out of the “sweet” range and straight into “sin city” in seconds. He tightened his grip on her shoulders with one arm while his other hand cupped her cheek. Her skin was as silky soft as her hair. The woman was the epitome of sensual perfection.

  After a minute or two, Lorelie broke away.

  He scowled.

  “Gotta breathe,” she said, placing one, then two more quick kisses on his lips.

  It took Glen a few minutes to catch his bearings, to recall he was in a crowded bar with loud music and laughter, surrounded by Lorelie’s friends. All those things had faded away when he’d kissed her, leaving only the two of them in a silent world where nothing else existed. He wanted to go back there.

  “Lori,” Glen whispered. His head was spinning, everything except her face was blurry, gray.

  “I…” she started, licking her lips. “That….”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

  She blinked rapidly as if trying to regain her own focus. “I’m a little rusty.”

  He chuckled. “God help me when you get your sea legs back then, because that kiss rocked my world.”

  She smiled and flushed slightly at his compliment. “It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed a guy. I don’t remember it ever feeling so…overwhelming.”

  “That’s a good word for it. You keep talking about your lack of dates and as always, I find it hard to believe there’s not a row of guys from here to the next state waiting to ask you out. No matter how deep the defensive line of football players around you.”

  He meant his words as a joke, but Lorelie sobered. “Sort of lost track of myself after my dad’s heart attack. It’s taking me a little time to bounce back.”

  Glen recalled his first impression of Lorelie back in October. “Caged bird,” he murmured.

  She frowned. “What?”

  “First time we met, I thought you looked like a caged bird.”

  Lorelie considered his description. “That’s not too far from the truth. Let’s just say my dancing shoes are dusty from lack of use. I was there the night my dad had his heart attack. To say it scared me shitless is an understatement. For months, I never strayed far from home because I was afraid it would happen again and I wouldn’t be there to save him.”

  “Where’s your mom?” It was a personal question, but the more he learned about Lorelie, the more he wanted to know.

  “Died when I was born. Dad raised me on his own. He’s all I have.”

  His chest tightened as he thought about the stress Lorelie had been under since last June. Wade had called him shortly after finding out about Coach’s heart attack. Told him he was going back home. At the time, Glen thought Wade was a fool for leaving Nashville and he’d banked on his friend coming back. Even though they hadn’t toured together for a couple years prior to that, the two of them had found plenty of opportunities to meet for drinks at the bar and talk shop. Then Wade reconnected with Charlene in Quinn and stayed gone. Glen had missed him.

  “He’s doing better though, right?” Glen asked, recalling the conversation about Coach’s doctor’s appointment.

  “Oh yeah. He’s on the mend. Has been for a while.”

  “But you’re still worried.”

  She nodded. “That’s not going to go away. Ever. I know that. I just need to find a way to deal with it.”

  “Sounds to me like you need to let go. Have some fun.”

  Lorelie gave him the sexiest grin he’d ever had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of. “My friends suggested I get laid. But your idea sounds okay too.”

  He cleared a throat that had suddenly gone tight. “I think you should listen to your friends. They know you better than I do.”

  Lorelie laughed loudly. “Wanna help me shake off some of this rust?”

  As far as invitations went, Glen was pretty sure that was the hottest offer he’d ever received. Lorelie twisted toward him again and he answered with a kiss rather than words.

  Any tentativeness or hesitance was gone. There was no denying they both felt the attraction. And they were both diving off the cliff.

  He lifted Lorelie’s legs, tugging them over his thighs, running one hand over her hip. She was wearing tight jeans that fit her like a second skin. She was long, lean and the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. As they kissed, he imagined lowering her to the booth and—

  A loud knock on the table distracted them and had Lorelie jumping slightly.

  As they broke apart, they looked over at the three new bottles of beer Carter had placed on the table. With a very heavy hand.

  “Okay, darlin’,” Carter said, looking directly at Lorelie. “I might be off duty, but that doesn’t mean I won’t arrest you two for public indecency if you don’t knock it off.”

  Lorelie narrowed her eyes, undaunted. “Listen, Carter—”

  “No,” Carter interrupted. “You listen. You’re lucky you got me instead of one of the other guys.” He turned his attention to Glen. “I’m the peaceful one.”

  Glen chuckled. He’d spent the better part of the day in a boat with Carter, and he really liked the guy. He actually liked all of Lorelie’s protectors. “I appreciate you taking the lead then. Don’t suppose we could call a truce, could we?”

  Carter dropped down next to Lorelie in the booth and took a swig of one of the beers. Glen picked up another, lifting it in a quick toast of thanks. Lorelie remained quiet, her scowl growing darker by the minute.

  “What do you have in mind?” Carter asked.

  “While I appreciate the introductions to all the single ladies around here, I’m afraid I’m not interested in Ruby or Stacy—or whoever else y’all might have waiting in the wings.”

  Carter glanced from Glen to Lorelie. “Yeah. I can see that.”

  “Carter—” Lorelie started again, her tone still fairly hostile.

  Glen placed his hand on her knee under the table to stop her. If Carter saw the action, he didn’t let on.

  “I’m hoping to spend more of my time in Quinn with Lorelie. I appreciate that you guys feel protective of her. And I understand why.” Glen gave Lorelie a smile. “She’s something special.”

  Lorelie rolled her eyes, but her face reflected pure delight. “You trying to sweeten Carter up or me?”

  “You wanna go out with me one night next week, Lori?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  Carter frowned. “Thought you were heading to Vegas.”

  “Haven’t fixed my truck yet.”

  Carter remained undaunted. “I’m struggling to find a truce in any of this.”

  “I’m here for a few days more. Probably a week. I’d like to spend that time with Lorelie instead of trying to play nice with all these women you and Wade keep lobbing my way. She’s an intelligent woman who has agreed to go out with me. If you’re really her friend, you’ll trust her to make her own decisions.”

  “Yeah,” Lorelie threw out hotly. “You will.”

  Carter sighed. “Old habits die hard, Lorelie. Coach asked us—”

  “To keep an eye on me in high school. Dear God, Carter! You guys gotta let this go.”

  Carter smiled. “It’s easier for me. I’ve been back in Quinn over five years now. So I’ve watched you date more than your fair share of yahoos. Wade, Tucker and Jackson are still trying to figure out what’s changed and what’s the same around here. And let’s face it—Joel and Oakley consider you their kid sister. That will never change. You’re gonna have to sort them out on your own time.”

  She glanced toward the bar, where Oakley and Joel both stood. When they saw her looking, they quickly pretended to be busy pouring drinks. “Oh, I will.”

  Glen was glad he wasn’t Joel and Oakley. Given th
e current level of Lorelie’s annoyance, both men were in for it later.

  “Do I fall into that ‘yahoo’ category?” Glen asked.

  Carter considered the question for just a moment, and then shook his head. “No. I don’t think you do.”

  “So it’s settled. I’m taking this pretty woman out for dinner,” Glen said. “And all the intimidating looks in the world aren’t going to change that.”

  Carter sighed. “Not much of a truce. Sounds more like an ultimatum.”

  Lorelie leaned closer to Glen, her shoulder brushing his. “We’re just having fun, Carter. Is that such a bad thing?”

  “Fun, huh? Is that what y’all are calling that show?”

  Lorelie giggled. “I thought it was fun.”

  Carter reached over and tugged on Lorelie’s hair. “Do me a favor, darlin’. Try to have that fun somewhere a lot more private. You’re getting all the rednecks in here worked up.”

  “Deal.” Now that peace appeared to have been made, Lorelie reached for the beer Carter had brought to the table. Tipping it back, she chugged nearly half of it in one long gulp. “Feel like making out in the backseat of my car?” she asked Glen.

  Carter groaned, but Glen laughed. “I could probably be persuaded.”

  “Great,” Carter muttered. “Second y’all leave here, it’ll be my ass that’s grass for not stopping you. Don’t suppose I could convince you to leave separately? Or maybe sneak out the back?”

  Lorelie shook her head as Glen stood and reached for her hand, helping her out of the booth. “Nope. I’m not about to pussyfoot around, pretending for a bunch of busybody boys who should all be more worried about keeping their own women satisfied and less worried about who I’m sleeping with. Or not sleeping with.”

  “Which side of that line am I falling on?” Glen teased.

  “That remains to be seen.”

  “Damn. About time.” Carter chuckled, the sound prompting Lorelie to turn around and look at her friend. Carter answered the unspoken question in her quizzical expression. “It’s nice to have you back, Lorelie.”