Second String: Book 5 Last Play Romance Series

by Taylor Hart

  All of a sudden, Montana let out the loudest laugh Cam had ever heard. He smacked the side of his leg. “Whoo-wee. Looks like she got in a good one.”

  Cam rolled his eyes, but took the harassment. “Yes, she did.”

  “What’d ya do?”

  “Nothing.”

  Another ripple of laughter came out of Montana. “Man, I may not know much about females, but I do know if you get a smack like that it’s because you’ve done something.”

  Cam sighed, bristling at the fact Crew got so much joy out of this. “I kissed her.”

  “Whoot!” Another shoulder slap. “Yeah, that’ll do it.” He laughed again, and it sounded loud and free and fun. Deep, like it went to the recesses of his heart. A place that Cam had felt cut off from lately.

  Montana nodded toward his house. “Why don’t you come back to my place and meet some of the guys that are coming over? I was just coming to see if you’d be interested, and I can plainly tell you I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  “Other guys?”

  Crew gestured to the barn. “Come on. Let’s go to your stable and get your horse. You can ride over to my place.”

  Cam found himself acquiescing. After all, what else was he going to do? Sit around here all day? Maybe take the horse out for a ride? Well, that could get done now. He’d definitely relive the slap, over and over. Or at least the kiss that had led up to it. He needed something to get his mind off of her. “Let’s go to your house,” Cam agreed.

  * * *

  Cam rode at an easy pace over to the Crew property. He slowed when he noticed the home. It was a mansion, really, stately and surrounded by huge pine trees. There were horse corrals in the back, and this immediately won Cam over. If you had a huge house and land, you had to have horses. “How many horses do you keep?”

  “Oh, I keep six, but I can’t get enough of them.”

  Cam knew exactly how he felt. “Are you just here for the summer?”

  “I’m here all year. I commute to Vegas three nights a week for my show, but I record here.” He pointed to a building next to the mansion house. “There’s my recording studio.”

  They dropped off the horses in the corral and headed up to the house, but Montana didn’t take him inside. “That way.” He pointed on the other side of the deck to steps that went to another outbuilding along a cement path. Cam followed, realizing this must be the studio entrance.

  As they entered through a side door, Cam heard the sound of laughter and voices. Three men sat in a parlor, surrounded by couches, a fireplace, and assorted guitars on stands.

  “Gentlemen.” Montana smiled and gestured to Cam. “I’d like you all to meet my new friend and neighbor, Mr. Cameron Cruz.”

  “Well, you finally got him off the property.” A man stood. Even though he was tall, he was still an inch or two shorter than Cam. He wore a black hat, shiny boots, and a huge belt buckle. He immediately put his hand out. “Hunter James.”

  Cam took his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Montana nudged Cam. “He’s a self-made billionaire. Ex-military. Struck it rich in oil. He’s a good guy. Comes out of Texas, and boy, does he let you know it.”

  Hunter chugged out a laugh. “What can I say, God smiled on me.”

  Montana just laughed. Cam pulled back his hand and thought he recognized the man that stayed seated on the couch.

  Montana playfully smacked Hunter’s back. “Hunter won his property up here in a card game. Have him tell you about it sometime.” He pointed to the guy on the couch. “Sterling—”

  “Pennington,” Cam filled in for him. He grinned and stepped forward, putting out his hand. “I liked your last movie.” It’d been a movie about war heroes, and it took place during World War II—one of Cam’s favorite topics.

  Sterling looked exactly the same as he did in his movies. He grinned and shook Cam’s hand. “I enjoyed your last game. Go Storm.”

  This was the clincher. Cam let out a laugh and knew he liked the company he was in.

  The next guy sitting on the couch stood, and Cam recognized him as an infomercial guy. He was also tall, with hair that was spiky and gelled. He looked like he’d come off of a magazine cover. Suddenly, Cam felt self-conscious about his beard.

  The guy put out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Cam didn’t want to be rude and tell him he didn’t remember his name.

  From beside him, Montana asked, “You’ve heard of Cooper Harrison?”

  Cam shook Harrison’s hand and nodded, instantly recognizing the name. “You’re that positive-thinking guy.”

  Cooper let out a derisive-sounding laugh. “That’s what I’m known for, I guess.”

  “Sit down.” Montana gestured to the couches. As the other men did so, Montana perched on a stool in the center of the room, grabbed a guitar, and gently strummed it. He smiled. “You all are probably wondering why you’re here. You may not have noticed, but we’re all neighbors.” He pointed at Cam. “Obviously, you hadn’t noticed. That’s why I had to try one more time to drag you over. Glad I got you.”

  Hunter cleared his throat. “Geez, when you say it that way, Montana, it makes it feel like we’re not as important.” Cam could tell Hunter was kidding, but he could also see that Hunter wanted to make a point.

  Montana laughed. “Well, that’s not true.” He sighed. “Have you boys ever heard of Benjamin Franklin’s Junto meetings?”

  Though he was surprised at the turn of conversation, Cam nodded. He knew exactly what Montana was talking about. Benjamin Franklin was a personal hero of his dad’s. Often, his dad would talk about the ingenuity of Franklin, how he would solve problems. He’d always been searching for ways to emulate him. Chills washed over him, and he felt tears well in his eyes.

  Montana looked at each of them. “Okay, let me explain. Benjamin Franklin organized a group called Junto for the purpose of improving themselves, their communities, and their country. I have researched each of you and think you could all contribute in a unique way to the group.” He nodded to Hunter. “Hunter James is a risk-taker. He follows his instincts, and usually they’re right.”

  Hunter put up a hand and high-fived Montana. “Dang straight.”

  Montana grinned and turned to Cam. “Cameron Cruz is one of those quarterbacks who takes leadership to the next level. I’ve admired the way he puts his teammates first and plays with heart.”

  Cam blinked and nodded.

  Montana pointed to Sterling. “Sterling doesn’t just make movies that sell; he makes movies that change people. He has a reputation for refusing to be part of movies that put out trashy stories. We need his integrity.”

  Sterling only lifted an eyebrow, then nodded.

  Montana turned to Cooper. “Cooper isn’t just a positive-thinking guy; he’s the guy that breaks down what constitutes the principles of success and then helps individuals develop those principles within themselves. Gentleman, I think we could be successful at helping people out. This would give Cooper a chance to help more people.”

  Cooper flashed a grin. “Sounds like a challenge.”

  Montana sighed. “The other day it hit me: Why don’t five eligible bachelors living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with more money than a small country, hang out and put themselves to good use?”

  No one spoke for a few seconds. “What do you have in mind?” Hunter James finally asked.

  “I don’t have a whole lot in mind right now. I just know that we should take advantage of living in this beautiful place. I have a vision of finding local projects we can fund and help get off the ground. What do you say? We can start right here in Jackson and make a haven from the world.”

  Cam liked that idea. A haven from the world. His thoughts drifted to Kat. He wondered if she needed a haven from the world.

  “I like it,” Sterling said.

  The pit of Cam’s stomach tightened. He’d been sitting around for far too long doing nothing. He needed to get on with living. “I’m in.”
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  Montana grinned. “Good.” He turned back to Hunter and Harrison.

  “Sounds good,” Harrison agreed.

  “I’m in, too.” Hunter nodded, looking thoughtful. He turned to Cam. “Yes, let’s talk about how to save the world … but first, I want to know why Cam’s face here has a handprint on half of it.”

  The other men laughed.

  Montana put his guitar down and nodded at Cam. “Go ahead and tell them.”

  Cam explained what had happened that morning and afternoon with Kat.

  Hunter James let out a whoop. “Please, introduce me to a fine bookish woman that will smack me. How much do you want for her?”

  Cam laughed, but he was unimpressed by Hunter’s brashness. “Don’t count on it.”

  “Oh.” Hunter grinned wider and looked at the other men. “Better yet, let me win her from you in a poker game.”

  The others roared with laughter.

  “I got some cards somewhere.” Montana got up.

  Cam put up a hand. “I couldn’t bet her away if I wanted to; she’s already taken.”

  “You said she had a fake fiancé.” Sterling wagged a finger at him. “Every woman is fair game until she says I do.”

  Shaking his head, Cam laughed. “Oh, so that’s the standard?”

  Sterling flashed his movie-star smile. “Doesn’t she realize that Cameron Cruz doesn’t play backup? Her boyfriend better kick up his game, because you always hit the end zone.”

  Cam smarted from Sterling’s observation … but wasn’t he right? It wasn’t in his nature to play backup.

  Another roaring laugh came out of Montana. “Good point, Sterling. Okay, let’s put down a few ground rules for this group.” He got out a notebook and opened it. “Here are a couple of things Benjamin Franklin’s group started with.” He cleared his throat. “Franklin focused on morals, politics, and philosophy. So …” He looked at each of them. “I want you all to think about how we can focus these discussions on doing good, because we all have fortune on our side already. How can we change the world?”

  Hunter stood. “Let’s take a couple of days to think. But before we think, we should go out to celebrate our new group formation.” Cam saw the mischief in his eyes and knew Hunter James would be fun to hang out with.

  “Can’t,” Sterling and Cooper said at the same time.

  Hunter let out a breath, then turned to Montana and Cam.

  Montana put up his hands. “Nope, I have a recording session tonight.”

  Hunter laser focused in on Cam, who protested, “Oh, no. I don’t want to be recognized.”

  Montana stepped forward, taking off his cowboy hat and putting it on Cam’s head. “With that beard and this hat, you won’t be recognized.”

  Hunter James pulled off his belt buckle. “We’ll even add some Texan pride to the outfit.”

  Chapter 11

  Kat flew around the cottage, confused about the whole altercation with Cam. Had she seriously just hit him? She smoldered, well aware that she had. Simultaneously, she felt guilty about hurting him and happy that she’d finally resisted kissing him. The kicker was that she didn’t know if she should like that about herself or not. She’d always been a pacifist … well, only in theory, apparently.

  Starting in the kitchen, she pumped out her hot hits Pandora stream and filled up bucket after bucket of hot, soapy water. She washed walls, pulled food out from the cupboards, and went completely over the top cleaning. Energy. There was too much energy after Cam left, just from thinking about him, about those kisses.

  … About Steven and how he’d answered his phone like he’d seriously been in the middle of his own kind of cheating relationship. He’d sworn to her there was no one else, that he wanted to get serious.

  Dang. She dropped her hand into the bucket, not caring about the bubbly water splashing on her. She hadn’t been trying to cheat. In fact, she could guarantee there was an innocent way to see the whole kissing two times on the Snake River that morning.

  What had happened? Dissertation stress. Work stress. Mother stress. In that order. Well, her mother could always be first.

  She’d come here to focus. Even more importantly, she felt she needed to do this to reconnect to her grandfather and his memory. His life. His legacy.

  It took her another two hours to finish mopping walls and get the counters, chairs, and everything completely washed down. Next she went for the two bathrooms, which were more dusty than dirty. Finally, she finished vacuuming and straightening up. She didn’t like the place to look like anyone had really lived in it. She was watching the place; it should be clean.

  Her thoughts trickled back to Cam. It drove her crazy: she needed to be working on her dissertation, but she was cleaning. It was like she couldn’t figure out how to put the shaken pieces of herself in order yet. She needed movement and distraction.

  Who was he? Why had she kissed him? And why couldn’t she get him out of her head?

  When Steven finally managed to call back, she blurted, “How come it took you this long to call me?”

  “I was in the middle of my class.”

  “You weren’t in the middle of your class. You were in between classes when I called.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked urgently.

  “Nothing’s going on. I just …” She trailed off, not wanting to bring it up, but unable to stop herself. “I just … Steven, if you’re cheating on me with your old TA, just tell me.”

  For a few moments he didn’t speak. Then he let out a long sigh. “Katherine, we talked about this. Working so closely together last semester, Trina got the wrong idea. But as I’ve told you, I told her there’s nothing between us. Plus, love, I’m here now. I came to be with you this summer, remember?”

  Guilt fell through her. She’d actually been the one to kiss someone else today. “Sorry.”

  “Are you still mad because I won’t buy you a ring?”

  Anger surged into her. “I didn’t say I wanted you to buy me a ring.”

  “You kind of did.”

  She sighed. “Can’t I just want to talk to my boyfriend?” she asked petulantly.

  “Of course you can talk to me. You have no idea how hard the separation has been for me.”

  “How hard has it been for you, Steven?” She didn’t mean for it to sound sarcastic, but at the moment, she was only thinking about how hard it was for her. Steven had never been an overly expressive person. He was into his research and busy—the quintessential professor type.

  He hesitated and sighed. “Sweetheart, listen, I’m going to be there in no time at all.”

  She didn’t respond for a few seconds, but eventually decided to tell him part of what was bugging her. “I spoke to my mother today.”

  He paused. “Are you okay?”

  “She found out about the hospital in London.”

  “Oh, dear, I’m sorry.” Steven was the only one that truly understood her.

  “Ya know, she had the audacity to tell me that I couldn’t live in a fairy tale.”

  He sighed. “You know she just wants control of you.”

  Kat felt so grateful to Steven; he provided moments like this when she needed a sounding board. “I know.”

  “You’ll be okay. You’re strong.”

  “I know.” But it was nice to hear.

  He cleared his throat, and she could hear papers shuffling in the background. He had probably just come from teaching and was likely preparing to grade papers. “How’s the dissertation coming?”

  “Fine.” Suddenly, she didn’t really feel like talking to him anymore.

  “Can I do anything to help?”

  Last night, when she’d tried to go into the qualitative results of the surveys she’d gotten back from some schools, he’d been totally distracted and unhelpful. “Do you have time to help?”

  “Don’t say that, Kat.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Kat …”

  Before she could stop herself, she confessed
. “I kissed him.”

  “Who?”

  Guilt surged. “There was just this guy who—actually, he ended up saving my life.”

  Silence.

  “It just happened.” She didn’t say how many times it’d happened.

  Finally he responded. “What are you saying?”

  “Nothing. It meant nothing. I just had to tell you.” She continued quickly, “My foot got stuck under a rock, and I couldn’t get up for air.” Remembering it made her feel vulnerable. “He saved my life.”

  Another beat of silence.

  “I’m sorry.” It felt weird to be the one apologizing to him, what with all the apologizing he’d done over the past few months.

  “Of course you are.” His tone was quiet, but superior.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I’m glad you told me.”

  “You are?”

  “It means you’re not hiding anything.”

  Her heart was pounding fast. “I’m sorry,” she said again, wanting to make it better, but not knowing how.

  “You’re sure you’re not just doing this because you’re still smarting from finding those texts?”

  “You think I’m lying?”

  “I didn’t say that.” He sighed. “It’s just typical in patients, like yourself, to be looking for ways to ruin the relationship.

  Out of sorts, she felt tears come to her eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to call me a patient anymore.” Old feelings of insecurity instantly came to the surface.

  “Katherine, let’s just forget it.”

  Not what she’d expected.

  “Katherine?”

  “Let’s not worry about it.”

  “Really?”

  “Things like this happen. You told me. We’re adults. Let’s move on.”

  Something didn’t sit right with her. It was like he was conceding a chess move so he could get closer to the bishop. But she sucked in a breath and forced her heart rate to slow.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you didn’t die today, because I have good news. I’ve actually been looking into a program to help you find the funding to make your dream of helping those kids come true.”