Wildflowers (JACT 2.5)

by Jennifer L. Allen

  I nudge him and start walking to the checkout. “I’m hungry since we missed lunch. Let’s get going so we can eat before the rodeo.”

  “That’s not something I ever thought I’d hear,” I hear him mutter under his breath, and I suppress a giggle. He’s from North Carolina, and I know from growing up with my father and brothers that they have rodeos there, but I guess not where he comes from.

  “Y’all are such a cute couple!” the older lady at the checkout says as she rings us up.

  “Thank you,” I say, not bothering to correct her. I see Joey grin in my peripheral vision. “Oh! Can you take our picture?” I ask her.

  “Of course, honey. Just let me finish ringing you up.”

  I smile, and thank her. I catch Joey with an amused look on his face. “What’s up with you?”

  “Nothing at all, Sweetness.”

  My cheeks redden. Whenever he says that, all I can think of is him wanting to know if I taste as sweet as cotton candy. Oh, Lord, do I want him to find out. Once the clerk completes our sale, I rush out to the car and quickly return with my hat and my camera. There is a beautiful quilt hung like a tapestry just inside the shop, and I want to get our picture taken in front of it.

  The lady comes over, and I make quick work of showing her how to use my Nikon, then Joey and I pose in front of the quilt. The store is empty, so we spend a good ten minutes taking various posed and goofy shots. The sales lady is a great sport, and Joey’s a total ham for the camera.

  “Thank you so much for doing that,” I tell her as she hands me my camera.

  “It was no bother at all. I remember what it was like when I was your age and in love.” I shoot a nervous glance at Joey, and he smirks as he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side. “My Luther and I will celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary this Christmas.”

  “Congratulations,” Joey and I say together. We look at each other and smile.

  “Good luck to the two of you,” she says as she wanders off to help the customer who just walked in.

  Chapter Ten

  Joey

  We head back over to the Stockyards and have an early dinner at a steakhouse right off the main strip. Aside from my time with the band, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Evie is so cheerful and charismatic. She grabs life by the horns—Texas pun intended. I just want to spend all my time with her and feed off her energy.

  “So tell me more about you,” Evie states after we place our orders.

  “What do you want to know?” I ask, nervous about the direction this conversation may go.

  “Well, I want to know everything, but I take it you need baby steps. So tell me whatever you want to tell me tonight.”

  I smile at her, appreciating how she gets me. We just met, and she already gets me…yep, I’m hopeless. “I’m nineteen. I was born and raised in North Carolina. The guys in the band—Alex, Trevor, and Chase—are like my brothers. Alex is my best friend, Trevor is his brother, and Chase is Trevor’s best friend. We’re all really close, like family.”

  “How is it being on the road with them?” she asks, taking a sip of her Coke.

  My smile widens, and I feel myself start to loosen up. Now this is stuff I can talk about. “It’s great. We never dreamed we’d get to tour like this. We were happy playing local shows. This was a great surprise. It’s been a lot of fun.”

  “What part of North Carolina are you from?”

  “Charlotte.”

  “Did you leave anyone behind in Charlotte?” she smirks. I know what she’s really asking, but I can’t help but think of Ally, lying in a hospital bed somewhere—alone. She must sense my change in mood, because she quietly asks, “Who is she?”

  I sigh. “It’s not what you think.”

  “What do I think?” she leans back in the booth, looking into my eyes, and waits for my response.

  “Ally is Alex and Trevor’s sister. She’s like a sister to me—to the band.” This is harder to talk about than I thought it would be. Most people we come across either already know about Ally or don’t care enough about us to ask. But Evie is different. I have a feeling this girl is going to know everything before too long.

  “She wanted to come on tour?” Evie asks, leaning forward in her seat again.

  I laugh. “That would be an understatement. If Ally was able to, she’d be driving the damn bus.”

  Evie laughs with me. “So what happened?”

  I look down at the table, where my hands have been slowly ripping apart a coaster. “There was an accident a few months ago—a car accident. Ally and her parents were in the car.” I hear Evie’s gasp, but I don’t stop. “Mr. and Mrs. Monroe died, and Ally…Ally’s in a coma.”

  “Oh, my gosh,” she reaches over and puts her hand over mine, stopping my coaster destruction. “I’m so sorry, Joey. It must have been terrible for y’all to leave her like that. Poor Alex and Trevor.”

  I look down at her small hand on mine. A tingling sensation is radiating from the point of contact, straight up my arm. I swear it’s going directly to my heart. I don’t really talk to people…connect with them…outside of the band, so why is it that the first person I show an interest in, is having this kind of impact on me?

  “It was tough for all of us, especially them, but we knew that Ally wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. If she woke up and found out that we’d stayed behind for her, she would have been pissed.”

  Evie laughs. “My kind of girl.”

  “You two would have been fast friends.” And that’s the truth. They both have a take-no-prisoner’s attitude. Hell, I’d love to see the two of them double-team Alex. They would definitely beat him at his own game—at any game.

  “Tell me about her,” she says, still holding my hand in hers.

  So I do. I tell Evie all about Ally. I tell her about Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and how they’d been like parents to me and to Chase as well. She doesn’t ask about my family, but I know she’s curious since I haven’t mentioned them. She just listens as I talk about the friend—the sister—we all left behind, and the parents that weren’t really mine but that I miss as though they were.

  “So what about you?” I ask her as we walk to the rodeo complex after dinner.

  “Not much to tell,” she shrugs. “Born and raised in a small town called Ewe Creek. My family has a farm. I have four older brothers—Jason, Brian, John, and Brad. They all have homes on the ranch. I’ve never been out of Texas, but I want to travel the world…or at least the country. I’m so envious of you,” she laughs.

  “Envious of me? Why?” I can promise her that there’s nothing to be envious of in my life.

  “You’re living your dream. Traveling the country, playing your music.”

  She’s got a point…I definitely am living my dream. “What’s your dream?”

  “Photography, of course. I want to take pictures of anything and everything.” She has a dreamy look in her eyes, but it’s tinged with sadness. I suddenly wish I could make all her dreams come true.

  “Well, I haven’t seen any of your pictures, but I imagine you’re very talented. It’s only a matter of time before your dream comes true.”

  She smiles sweetly but waves off the compliment. “That’s awfully nice of you to say.”

  “But?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “The hell it’s not. Look at me. Look at JACT. We were doing a normal gig at a restaurant near the airport, for crying out loud, when Infrared’s tour manager wandered in. Anything can happen,” I look at her pointedly.

  “Alright, drummer boy. I’ll take your word for it.”

  I grab her hand, and she stops walking. “I’m serious, Evie. It’ll happen for you one day.”

  She smiles wide at me. “Thanks, Joey. That means a lot.”

  I smile back. “You’re welcome.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Joey

  What the actual fuck have I gotten myself into?

  I’m seated on m
etal bleachers inside a small, indoor arena. It smells like shit, and it looks like there might even be shit in the ring below us—bull shit.

  Why am I here again?

  Evie puts her hand on my knee and squeezes. “You’re gonna love this!” she says, excitedly bouncing in her seat.

  Oh yeah…that’s why. Because she’s gorgeous, sexy, smart, and funny, and all I’ve wanted to do, from the moment I first saw her, is spend more time with her. I want to spend all the time with her.

  Why? No clue. It’s probably cliché, but there’s just something about that girl with the pink tipped hair.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a rodeo. This isn’t like what you’d see on TV, but it’s pretty close.”

  “Are there clowns?” I ask, genuinely curious if rodeo clowns are a real thing.

  “Yep, there sure are.” She lifts her hand and points towards the other side of the arena, where—sure enough—two guys wearing ridiculous clothes with painted faces lean against the fence talking.

  I laugh. “Unbelievable.” The most unbelievable part of it is that they’re standing right near the shit, and it doesn’t seem to faze them.

  “They have one of the most important jobs,” she tells me, taking on a serious tone.

  “Oh, yeah?” I say, hoping she’ll tell me about it. I love listening to her talk.

  “After the cowboy jumps off or gets bucked off the bull, it’s the rodeo clown’s job to distract the bull so the cowboy can make a clean escape. They’re also called bullfighters and barrelmen, depending on the event and arena. Sometimes they entertain the crowd between sets. Again, it depends on where you are and what the event is. Larger events have different people serving different roles, but a small event like this just has a couple guys doing it all.”

  Interesting. You’d think they were just a couple of jackasses given the way they looked, but their job is actually pretty crucial. It’s a safety and protection role, not so much a jokester role. I have a feeling that by the end of this event, I’ll have a newfound appreciation for rodeo clowns.

  A few minutes later, Evie has filled me in on all sorts of rodeo lingo, and the first bull and rider are released from the chute. The cowboy hangs on as the seconds tick off in slow motion on the timer mounted to the arena wall. The rider lasts 6.2 seconds, less than the goal of eight. He’s bucked off, and, sure enough, one clown distracts the bull while the cowboy hightails it out of the ring, and the other clown holds the gate open for the bull to exit.

  This goes on for the next thirty minutes, different riders and different bulls. It’s definitely not my cup of tea, but it is mildly amusing. What is entertaining to me is Evie’s interest in the sport. She’s barely contained in her seat, jumping up, yelling, and cheering as one rider has an eight second ride.

  At first sight, I’d thought she was a city girl with her tight jeans and tank top. But she looks just as comfortable in her cowgirl boots. She’s an enigma…one I hope to figure out.

  ***

  “So what’s next on the agenda?” I ask, twining my hand with Evie’s as we make our way out of the venue.

  She looks down at our joined hands, and I see a light blush spread across her cheeks. “Dessert?”

  “That’d be great. I can always eat,” I say, patting my belly with my free hand.

  She smiles, and her green eyes sparkle. I love it when she smiles—it lights up her entire face. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  “You’re staring at me,” she says, playfully pushing my arm.

  “I can’t help it,” I say, lifting her hand to my lips and pressing a quick kiss on it. “You’re breathtaking.”

  Her blush deepens, and she looks down. “Stop it.”

  “Stop what? Telling the truth?”

  It isn’t until someone bumps into us from behind that I realize we’ve stopped walking. I tug on her hand and pull her to the side, out of the way of the other people exiting the arena.

  She looks up at me again, a different expression on her face now, this one more adoring. “You’re something else, Joey Adams.”

  “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “I’m trying to figure that out.”

  I gaze into her eyes and something passes between us. What it is? I don’t know. But it’s something big, and it’s something real. In just a few days, I’ll leave Texas, and with it, Evie. I don’t like the way that makes me feel…like something is tearing away at my insides. Evie is looking at me just as intently. Like she’s trying to figure me out as much as I’m trying to figure her out. Like she wants me as much as I want her and not just physically.

  “Evie…I—”

  Chapter Twelve

  Evie

  Joey’s cell phone rings, breaking our moment and stopping him from saying whatever he’d been about to say.

  “Sorry,” he says, pulling his phone out of his pocket and looking at the screen. “I gotta take this.”

  He takes the call and steps aside, away from the din of the passersby. I hear him give curt, one word answers to whomever he’s talking to. Hmm, I wonder what that’s about.

  I have no idea what he was getting ready to say to me, but I have a feeling it would have been meaningful. The way he was looking into my eyes…it was like he was as lost in me as I was in him. I sigh; why I couldn’t have met a nice Texas boy to fall in lust with—or whatever the heck this is—is beyond me. Just my luck that the first guy in a long time to get under my skin has to be passing through town…living the kind of life I dream about.

  Joey hangs up the phone and apologizes again.

  “It’s not a big deal,” I assure him. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it was just Alex. We have a radio interview in the morning, and Trevor wanted to make sure I wasn’t out too late.”

  “He really doesn’t like me, huh?” I ask, searching his face for the truth.

  He shakes his head. “No, it’s all good now. Alex told them you and Tommy are only friends. They’re still a little concerned, since he’s like a brother to you. But they don’t dislike you. Not at all.”

  I laugh. “Tommy is like a brother, but he’s like the cool older brother, not the overprotective one. That’s Jason and Brian’s role. Tommy wouldn’t care if we’re hanging out.” When I was growing up, Tommy had been the one who was always telling my brothers to lighten up and let me hang out with them, despite the age gap and the fact that I’m a girl. When I started dating, Tommy had gotten my brothers to back off my dates, so I could have a good time.

  “Want to test that theory?” Joey asks.

  “How so?”

  “They’re all hanging out together at the restaurant in the hotel.”

  “Tommy’s at the hotel?” I’d thought he’d be with his parents.

  “Yeah…Infrared has a radio interview in the morning, too; he wanted to stay with the band so they could go together in the morning. Just joined them a little while ago.”

  That makes more sense than getting up an hour and a half earlier and driving to the city, I suppose. I’m not even going to think about driving home this late at night. Worst case scenario, I’m sure Tommy will find me some space at the hotel.

  “Yeah,” I agree. “Let’s go hang out.”

  Joey takes my hand again, and my entire body tingles from his touch. He glances at me briefly; I think he feels it, too.

  We get into my Beetle and begin the hour drive back to the Dallas hotel where the bands are staying, making small talk along the way. I’m excited to get to spend more time with Joey—and with Tommy. I know some of the other guys in Tommy’s band from way back, so it’ll be nice to spend some time with them, too. And, of course, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to win over the rest of JACT. Once they see I’m not a threat to their relationship with Infrared, Joey and I will be free to do whatever we’d like while he’s here in Texas.

  I shiver at the thought…

  As I pull up the hotel, Joey directs m
e to the valet. I give him a look. I mean, what kind of valet would park my beat up VW?

  “Woman, why must you be so difficult? Just do it.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “Woman?”

  “Beautiful woman?”

  I shake my head.

  “Please?” he pouts, his bottom lip jutting out, and I just can’t refuse. There’s just something about a guy’s pout…

  “Fine, but when he laughs in our face, it’s on you.”

  “He’s not going to laugh,” Joey assures me. And he’s right. The valet doesn’t even bat an eye, and Joey gives the guy his room number for the charge.

  “I’ll pay you back,” I tell him as he ushers me inside the hotel, his hand splayed across my lower back. I love the feel of it there, and I want to feel it all over my body.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he says.

  We enter the hotel restaurant, and it’s easy to find the bands—they’re the rowdy group in the back corner. Tommy spots me and gets up, enveloping me in a big hug. He lets me go and gives Joey one of those bro hugs—half handshake, half hug.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “Not much.”

  “Joey had his first rodeo experience,” I tell Tommy.

  “I see that,” he says, looking at Joey from head to toe, trying not to laugh. Joey had ditched his hat in the car, but he’s still sporting his Wranglers and boots.

  “What the hell are you wearing?” Alex asks, sauntering over to where we’re standing.

  “Clothes,” Joey responds. “Evie picked them out,” he says with pride as he puts an arm around my shoulder.

  My eyes widen at his move, as do Alex’s. Alex quickly looks from me and Joey to Tommy, waiting for a reaction. When Tommy doesn’t give one, Alex smiles and nods. “Sweet. Will you dress me up tomorrow, Evie?”

  “No,” Joey answers for me. “She’s busy tomorrow.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Sorry, Alex.”

  Alex scowls. “Whatever. I’ll find my own hot Texan to dress me up.”