Samuel added, “A few months later, she lost her parents and she quit school to take care of her brother and sisters. Works that place pretty much alone during the school year.” He looked over Mindy’s shoulder, “You found the one of the talent show. Brooke won it the minute she opened her mouth. Her last rodeo, Jackson played the drums, Molly played guitar, while Brooke had her fiddle. Little Becca played tambourine. Fucking adorable, all those pretty kids on stage together.”
“She threw up right before she was so nervous then went out there like friggin’ Faith Hill.” Mindy glanced in the back of the yearbook. “Here’s the dedication the school did for her folks. It was so sad. She had to carry Becca at the funeral, poor baby was only four. Not a dry eye watching the four of them. They been strugglin’ ever since.”
Everyone they asked knew the Brooke Kincaid story and most of the guys knew about the picture. No one thought less of her and they hadn’t heard a nasty word against her. Well, as long as they didn’t count Brad’s new girlfriend. Not even close to Brooke in beauty or personality, she was a spiteful little thing with nothing good to say.
Travis had gotten to town a couple of hours earlier and was following them in his truck. When Logan glanced off to the right and saw Brooke on horseback, he nearly drove into the ditch. He came to a careful stop and said sincerely, “Decklan. Man, I don’t know if I’m strong enough. Look at her go.”
She was riding hard across her pasture, bent low over her horse in jeans and a tank top, cowboy hat on her head and her hair streaming out behind her. Top speed and she held to the saddle like she was tied to the horse. They watched her leap a fence and keep going, cutting around hay bales and water troughs.
Leaping another fence into the main yard of her house, her siblings stood there clapping. Reaching down, she grabbed the littlest one’s hand and pulled her up behind her then was off again with the little girl laughing, holding Brooke around the waist.
Logan was in the middle of the road right before the turn to her house and Travis finally honked behind him. Coming out of his daze, he looked at Decklan who appeared just as miserable. “Logan, we gotta be so careful.”
Nodding, Logan pulled onto the dirt drive and they got out as Brooke jumped back inside the yard and carefully lowered her sister before sliding off the horse to the ground.
There was amusement in her voice as she greeted them, “Hey, guys. I didn’t know y’all were coming today.” She glanced at her appearance with a grimace. “I’m gross and we all smell like hay and horses.” Taking off her hat, she ran her fingers through her hair and used her hands to get some of the dust off her clothes.
Decklan grinned, “I think you forget we grew up just like you, Brooke. Hauling hay and working cattle, raising Tyson chickens. Don’t you worry, honey.” Turning to her younger brother, he held out his hand, “You must be Jackson. Decklan Bradshaw.” All three of her younger siblings had their mouths open and robotically shook the twin’s hands. “We hear y’all play, too?” They nodded their heads but didn’t say a word and the brothers had to laugh.
“Jackson, Molly, Becca. Please close your mouths and conduct yourselves. Goodness. Y’all wash up and I’ll put Buttercup away. Lunch in thirty, c’mon, hustle.” Brooke led her horse to the barn with the three men following. “So, I hear y’all been asking questions about me around town.” Logan and Decklan looked at her guiltily and she smiled. “No worries, I’m real used to small town life. Believe me.”
As she unbuckled her saddle and pulled it over the horse’s back, she met their eyes, “So how many times have y’all seen the motel picture and heard the beat-down story?” At the horrified expressions on the Bradshaw’s faces, she smiled, “I’m not surprised, promise. I’m glad you know because it will likely make the rounds if I tour with you. One of those sons o’ bitches will make sure the media gets it. Better you know now. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll tell you Brad was my only boyfriend so though my skeleton is a whopper, there aren’t any others.”
Logan and Decklan were blown away that she’d only had one boyfriend. Just one?
Travis said, “I tell you what, Brooke, you are one pleasant surprise after another.” Looking at the other two males, he asked, “What picture?” Brooke took her phone out and flipped through it before tossing it to him. He glanced down and his eyes got wide as he did a double-take. “Dear lord, Brooke.”
Her shrug let them know she’d probably heard all kinds of comments about the photo, “I keep it on my phone. Better to take away the forbidden aspect of it. Trust me it makes it much less fucking embarrassing.”
“There is nothin’ about this picture you should be embarrassed about. Not one thing, honey,” Travis told her firmly.
“Amen,” Logan and Decklan said at the same time.
Brooke laughed with a blush and racked her saddle, stripping the blanket off before starting to brush the filly down. She seemed to enjoy the soothing rhythm of brushing down her horse, taking her time, and doing a thorough job. Walking her to the stable, she filled her feed and gave her sugar cubes and carrots while talking soothingly. “You are such a good girl, always so reliable. Yes, I just love you, pretty baby. I’ll let you wander the pasture later, Buttercup but I have stuff to do right now. You ran good, rest for a little while, honey.”
She washed up to her elbows before turning to the men, “Y’all hungry? I made tons of food last night and didn’t realize how overboard I’d gone until I put the leftovers away. I insist. Come on up to the house.” Passing them, she led the way and entered the kitchen through a side door.
Motioning for them to sit at the huge farmer’s table, she brought them heated plates of steak fingers with gravy, steak fries, potato salad, turnip greens, and peach cobbler. By the time she had the food down, her brother and sisters had filed down with clean faces. They took seats and Brooke told the men with a smile, “I’m not old enough to buy alcohol yet so I can’t offer you a beer but I have sweet tea, Koolaid, and bottled water.” Bringing them each what they wanted, she excused herself with a warning to her siblings to behave or else.
The moment Brooke was out of earshot, Becca said shyly, “Y’all are so pretty. Prettier than on TV even.” Her voice was filled with breathless awe.
Logan and Decklan smiled, “Thank you very much. So are you, sweetheart.”
“Taller, too,” Molly added with a dreamy expression. “You’re taller than Brooke and she was taller than Mama.”
Jackson couldn’t care less about their looks and asked them seriously, “Are you really going to bring Brooke into the band?” They nodded. “She needs it. Not the money. She busts her ass, uh, sorry girls, to make sure we have enough. But she’d always thought she’d be a songwriter, doing what she loved. She does real good, made a lot of sacrifices for us. But nobody loves bringing in the hay, I don’t care who you are. You’d a thought she won the lottery when she came back from Dallas. She hired help which is why she was able to relax a little bit today.”
Becca announced happily while bouncing in her chair, “She’s gonna play band with us today! I play the tamb’rine. But Molly and Jackson are teachin’ me guitar. Brooke used to but she don’t have time no more. Wanna play with us?”
As Jackson started to explain big country stars don’t play band with a bunch of kids, he was shocked when Decklan interrupted. “I’d love to hear y’all. Why don’t we clean this up for your sister and jam until she comes back?”
The three kids raced to put food away and clear surfaces, Becca running adorably ahead into the den down the hall with her pigtails flying. Following with big grins, they were amazed at the contents of the room. “Good lord, your family is really focused on music.” The room was filled with used instruments of all kinds. There was even a tuba.
The young man said softly, “Our parents both played. Daddy got this land from his folks but he always wanted to be a musician. All this stuff was either theirs or stuff they picked up at yard sales or whatever.” Jackson sat down at the drums a
nd the men watched as Molly picked up the mandolin and Becca held her tambourine to her chest. “Y’all know The World by Brad Paisley?” The brothers nodded as they strapped on electric guitars leaning against the wall. Jackson’s smile was brilliant, “Cool, that’s the girls’ favorite.”
Decklan led out and Logan came in on bass. As they watched, Jackson came in on drums and the little girls chimed in with perfect rhythm. Decklan sang and Logan backed him up on the chorus. They made a point of singing to the girls who blushed madly.
About halfway through, the fiddle came in and they looked up to see Brooke coming down the stairs in jeans and bare feet, her wet hair braided loosely down her back and her fiddle in her hands. She came all the way in the room and sat on one of her legs on a stool while she played. When they started singing to her, she could see how women fell so easily under their spell.
As it finished, Jackson said, “Hell yes. No one is ever going to believe this.” Travis was thinking the same thing, watching the prettiest and most talented roomful of people he’d seen in a long while.
Becca whispered, “It was like having Mama and Daddy back, Brooke. I liked that a whole lot.” Brooke smoothed her hair back and nodded. “Do the Devil song, Brooke.”
Counting, she waited for the first three drum beats from Jackson and launched into The Devil Went Down to Georgia while everyone else sang it. She focused on her fiddle and tore it up. The band of demons sounded great with Logan and Decklan playing. They were focused on Brooke, her hair working free of the braid as she played.
At the end, everyone was clapping like fools. She bowed and gave them a wink. “I’ve won shows with that one. Y’all sounded amazing even on our old guitars.” Looking at the kids, she said, “I need y’all to give me a little bit of quiet so I can talk, alright?”
Becca and Molly asked, “Can we do Disney songs later?” She told them yes and they scattered, Jackson high-fiving then low-fiving her as he passed.
“Those kids are amazing Brooke, so damn talented.” Travis had dollar signs in his eyes and didn’t apologize for it, “I think you’re going to love what we have to show you.”
Brooke led the way back to the kitchen in her bare feet. She was surprised it was clean and put on coffee while they sat watching her. When it was brewing, she joined them at the table.
To Logan and Decklan she said, “Thanks for playing with them. That probably made their year.”
“Totally selfish of us, I promise. To play with kids so talented they can hold their own doing Charlie Daniels or Brad Paisley? Hell that made my year. Don’t kid yourself; we’re not too old to enjoy something like that.” Logan looked happy and Decklan grinned.
“Thanks, we used to have more time to practice. Becca fell behind, poor baby. She should have guitar and piano by now but I just run out of hours in the day.” Folding her hands in front of her, her blue-green eyes were wide, “Hit me with solutions. Having time to play with them again is worth whatever I have to do.”
Chapter Four
Travis internally cheered and saw Logan and Decklan rake their green eyes over her as subtly as possible. “We ordered you a tour bus. We’ll have it in a few weeks.” Brooke gasped. “Cool, right? The label outfitted it with everythin’ you could possibly need and it has extra beds for the kids. The tour doesn’t start until they’re out of school so you can bring them with you, Brooke. We checked with the school and you’ll be back the week before their first day.” He watched as Brooke released a breath she’d been holding and gave her an encouraging smile.
“You now have an assistant who used to be a nanny so she’s gonna keep ‘em on track for you. You’ll be meetin’ Jeanette soon, too. The boys hired one of the hands from their parents’ place, Randy Harrods, to keep your horses stabled while you’re gone. He’ll also come by and keep an eye on the house for you. Sell all the cattle, honey. Sell the hay and stop plantin’ it. Before you think you’re puttin’ all your eggs in one basket, you’re gonna make more over the tour to cover ten years of expenses on this place, Brooke.” Her lips parted slightly and she tilted her head. “Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?”
Logan took up the conversation, “Until the tour, you can record with us on the weekends so the kids don’t miss school, Brooke. Come down on Fridays and stay until Sunday night. Jeanette will entertain the kids for you. We’ve met her and she’s great.”
“You’re fast, Brooke,” Decklan said, “We won’t have to do fifteen retakes for each song. Which means it’ll be done quick. We’re going to go back over the six tracks we’ve already done and have your voice added to them. We have to get the new album finished in the next month so it can drop a few weeks before the tour.”
Travis said, “We’re bringin’ a photographer out to get shots of the three of you together. If you’re good with everythin’ we’ve laid out, he’ll be here in a day or two. We need some country shots, some formals, a few casuals, and so on to use for tour promotion and the website. I’d like a copy of that motel pic you showed me. I think we can get that photo-shopped and release it before it has a negative feelin’ attached to it in the media. Nip it in the bud.”
With a flourish, he spun the contract around to her and she felt her heart slamming into her ribs, “Your attorney’s name is on the top of this page. Lawrence Bagley works on your behalf and reviewed everythin’ but wants you to call his cell phone before you sign a damn thing.”
In a daze, she took out her phone and dialed the attorney’s number. “Hi, this is Brooke Kincaid. Hi, yes, thank you. Nice to meet you too sir. Yes. Uh huh, Mr. Cash just went over everything. No sir. Not at all, in fact I think it’s too much for, you know singing and playing a fiddle, sir.” She listened for a moment before smiling at Travis who couldn’t help but smile back.
“No sir, I won’t say that out loud in front of Mr. Cash. Right. Game face, sir. Understood. May I ask you a question? Yes, I need to put a will and guardianship stuff in place for my brother and sisters. Get some life insurance. Can you help me do that? Yes sir. If anything happens to me I need to be sure they’re taken care of. Thank you, sir. It looks like there are several copies here. Yes, I’m sure Mr. Cash will give me one.”
Flipping through the pages to the back, she saw her own attorney had signed off that he’d reviewed it. “Excellent, thank you, I will. Have a real nice weekend, Mr. Bagley. Okay, Lawrence then. Goodbye.”
Hanging up, she held her hand out for a pen and tried not to let her hands shake. Travis gave it to her with a sense of watching history about to unfold. She signed each page on each copy and he realized the Bradshaw boys were practically holding their breath until she finished.
Turning the original back to her new manager, she said, “Seems too easy somehow. Good things should be harder to come by, I think.”
Travis chuckled, “Tell me that after eight hundred miles and two shows in one weekend.” He reached into his pocket and removed a check. When Brooke took it and glanced down, she went utterly still.
“I…I…that is, what in the world? This is too much. I haven’t earned this money.” Her mind was working like a pinball game, bouncing between discomfort at holding a check for six figures and sheer joy at the life she was about to provide her family. “I have no idea what to say. Oh my god.” There was true danger of hyperventilation.
Travis held out his hand and she put hers in it. “Listen to me, honey. You’re already earnin’ that check and you’ll bust your butt in the studio and while on tour. I already know that. This is an advance to help you until your regular pay and royalties start comin’ in. The label wants you taken care of. Things are gonna be easier now, I give you my guarantee, Brooke. Anything you need, day or night, you call my phone. You can’t get me, you call the boys. Almost forgot…” he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a Blackberry, “here’s your new phone. Our three numbers, Jeanette’s, and Bagley’s are already in there. Use it for whatever you need.”
Turning it over in her hand, she whispered, “Um, how do y
ou, you know, make a call? I think you could launch missiles from this thing. Dear lord.”
The brothers watched her lean in as Travis showed her the basics, thinking she was so down to earth it was like a first snowfall or a pasture after a spring rain. Pure and good…incredible. She sat on her knees on the chair, cute ass in the air, her arms crossed under her breasts which pressed them even higher. More tendrils had come loose from her braid and curled around her face. Decklan turned to Logan as his brother was turning to him. Sharing a long look, they both sighed.
Travis said, “Okay, I’m goin’. I’m gonna get the photographer up here quick as I can. Pretty girl, I’ll see you at the studio this weekend. You’ll get to meet Jeanette and start interviewin’ for a makeup artist who will tour with you.” He stood and leaned over to kiss the top of Brooke’s head.
“My daughters are your age and not one of them look or act like you. How does that happen?” She blushed and he smoothed her hair, pointing a finger at the brothers, “I’ll get a call in a bit from y’all?” They nodded. “This is gonna be a great thing for everybody. Send me that pic when you get a chance, Brooke, I’ll have this all fixed for you in no time.”
Then he was gone and Brooke listened as his truck started and drove away. Turning her head, she stared at the brothers for a long moment before saying, “So, how did you get roped into this anyway?” They raised their brows in the same way at the same time and it caused a flutter in her blood. “Y’all are so successful on your own, you do not need me. I don’t get it. Why would you agree to adding some unknown teenager with baggage to your band?”
Logan leaned forward on his arms, “Oh believe me, Brooke, this is gonna be just as good for us as you. We’ve been on the scene for a few years now. Things get stale. We get good-time songs, bachelor songs, drinking songs from writers all over the world. No one sees us as singers who can handle love songs, forever-type songs. Your presence is gonna change a lot of perceptions about us.”
Yes to Everything Page 3
