by SJ McCoy
Carter smiled. He didn’t really want his office to be the setting for social chit-chat.
“We haven’t decided on a lot, yet,” said James. “But we are thinking we’re going to build. We stopped at Summer’s place on the way up here. That would have been ideal, but we can build something just like it when we find the right spot.”
Carter didn’t like that they’d been out to Summer’s place. She couldn’t have had much notice. And he disliked the thought of them traipsing around her home, invading her space. “Well, give me a call when you know what you’re thinking.”
“We will. We’re going to stay another week,” said Carly. “We’re hoping to find something and get the ball rolling before we have to leave.”
“My mommy’s coming, too,” said Ruby who had been surprisingly quiet up till this point.
Shane perked up at that. He looked at Carly. “Do you think she might be interested in interviewing for a job while she’s here?”
“I don’t know. I mean she is looking for something, but I’m not sure she’d want to move up here.”
“What did you have in mind?” asked James.
“Managing the lodge,” Shane replied. “We’re getting close to the busy season, and we’re going to be expanding, too. From what I hear, she’s experienced.”
Carly nodded. “She is. I guess you can talk to her when she arrives. That additional room we booked is for her.”
“Great,” said Shane. “I’ll look forward to meeting her.”
Carter started to fiddle with his phone. He wanted them to leave now. He wanted to call Summer and check that she was okay after having her space invaded.
Shane caught his eye and understood. “Well, I need to get on my way. Are you guys headed back to the ranch? I can give you a ride if you like.”
Beau shook his head. “We’re heading up Deep Creek to look at a couple of lots up there. We should probably get going, too.”
Carter walked them all to the door and tipped his hat as they left. He should be pleased at the prospect of a new-build job coming up, but he was more concerned with getting rid of them and calling Summer.
Once they’d gone he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and dialed her number.
She answered on the second ring. “Hi.” Even with just that one syllable, he could tell her voice was bad.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so. Why, what’s up?”
“Beau was just here with those people. He said they’d been to your place. I wanted to check you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t a problem. They didn’t stay long.”
“Only because I ran them off,” called Cassidy.
Carter smiled to himself. He was grateful Cassidy was with her; she was as protective of Summer as he was. “Tell her I said thanks.”
Summer laughed. “I will. I feel as though I have two bodyguards protecting me.”
“You do,” he said. “What are you two doing today?”
“We’re on our way to the ranch. We’re going to ride.”
He smiled. He loved the idea that she would go out there to ride without him—just because she wanted to. “Well, be careful and have fun.”
“We will. What time do you think you’ll be home?”
“I should be done here around five today, but I was thinking I might hit the gym.”
“You should, you don’t get in there as much as you’d like, and that’s my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, it’s my choice. Even if I go I’ll be back by six thirty.”
“Great, I’ll see you when you get there; but don’t rush, will you?”
“I can’t promise that. I need a workout, but I need to see you.” He had to wonder though, even aside from her voice being bad, she didn’t sound quite right. “Is everything okay?”
“I hope so. I talked to Autumn. Things aren’t looking good.”
His heart rate quickened at that. “Why, what’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you about it tonight. We just arrived at the ranch.”
“Okay. I love you, see you later.”
“Love you, too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Summer closed her laptop and stared out the window. She’d enjoyed riding out with Cassidy, but she hadn’t been able to relax completely. She’d been too worried about her sister. Since she’d come home she’d spent most of her time emailing with her, trying to figure out what was going on and what they could do about it.
From what Autumn had said in her email it was almost as though Ashley was blackmailing her! Summer’s first thought with all of this was that they just needed to talk to Clay. He’d clear it all up. He’d specifically told Summer that if the day ever came when they both knew she wasn’t coming back, that it’d all be okay. Ashley seemed to disagree though. She’d told Autumn that she’d better not go running to Clay to back her up. Ashley ran PR for him, and according to her, she got the final say. It sounded as though she wanted Summer back, and she wanted Autumn back working with her. It seemed that the real problem was that Ashley had hired some of her old cronies from her previous label and they hadn’t been doing a great job. Now that Autumn was treading on their toes, Ashley didn’t like it—didn’t like having her own people look bad in comparison.
Summer shook her head. She knew Clay wouldn’t see it that way. He wanted the best people for the job, no matter what the job. She’d toured with him in the past and knew that was the case. He didn’t care about egos or rule books or industry standards; he just cared that he had the right person to do the best job in every position. She wanted to call him and tell him what Ashley was up to, but she didn’t dare. Ashley had threatened Autumn that she’d make sure her name was as good as mud if she went over her head and talked to Clay.
So it seemed that Autumn was stuck in a lose-lose situation. Ashley was blocking her from working with other artists and blocking her from doing anything about it. She was being backed into a corner where the only artist she’d be able work with was Summer herself. Except Summer didn’t want to work anymore.
She sighed again. Just when she’d thought she could walk away from her career without it affecting her sister. She didn’t know what to do to make it right. All she could think of was to call Clay, but she just didn’t dare do it.
She smiled when she heard Carter running up the front steps. She might have had a few surprise visitors today, but she didn’t doubt this was him. He wasn’t exactly light-footed, and it was six-thirty, exactly when he’d said he’d be home. She was glad he’d managed to fit in a trip to the gym. She smiled at the memory of meeting Melanie at his house. She knew she didn’t have anything to worry about there. Melanie might have been interested in him, but she’d backed right off when she met Summer. And she didn’t think for a minute that Carter was interested in Melanie. He made it very clear, at every opportunity that he was in love with Summer.
The front door opened and he came striding in. He took her breath away whenever she laid eyes on him. He was so big, so muscular, and such a sweetheart!
He came and leaned in the doorway and smiled at her. “How are you feeling? How’s your voice?”
She nodded. “It’s okay.” It was obvious that it wasn’t though.
He came to her and leaned down on the desk to kiss her. “It doesn’t sound it.”
She shrugged. “There’s not a lot I can do about it.”
“Except rest it. I don’t suppose you managed to do that today, either.”
She shrugged again. Between talking to Autumn, having Carly and James over, and then spending the afternoon with Cassidy, she hadn’t really.
He surprised her when he scooped her up out of her chair and carried her through to the living room with a smile.
She reached her arms up around his neck and smiled back. She loved the way he picked her up and carried her around like this.
“Well, tonight you rest. You’re going to sit right here on the sofa and I’m going to take care of d
inner.”
She raised an eyebrow at him in surprise.
He gave her a sheepish grin. “It won’t be exactly gourmet, but hopefully I’ll get extra points for sentimentality. I got us frozen pizza and ice cream on the way back from the gym.”
She kissed him on the lips. “Lots of extra points,” she croaked.
He frowned and put her down on the sofa. “Do you think it’s stress that makes it worse?”
She thought about it. Sometimes it seemed as though it was stress that caused it, but she’d started croaking again before any of today’s stress had started. She shook her head.
He didn’t look convinced. “How about I go get the pizza started and you write down what’s going on with Autumn for me?”
“Okay.” She did want to talk to him about it. Mostly she wanted him to know that she might have to go back to Nashville, for a little while at least. She needed him to understand why, and that it wasn’t because she wanted to. She’d made up her mind she wanted to be here, wanted to be with him, and she wanted to be sure he really understood that. The way her voice felt she wasn’t going to be able to say it all, so she’d probably better start writing.
He went to fetch her purse from the counter and handed it to her. “I’m guessing your pad is in there, though how you’ll ever find it in there is beyond me.”
She made a face at him and opened her purse to start rummaging inside it.
He grinned. “Don’t fall in. If you’re not out of there in twenty minutes I’m sending a search party after you.”
She laughed. Why did everyone have to tease her about her purse? She liked to carry what she needed with her. That was all. She pulled her pad out and set it on the coffee table. This was going to be a long note.
When she’d finished she read it back through. She seemed to have covered everything. She wondered if Carter would be able to see anything that she couldn’t. She was pretty sure he’d think like she did. That she needed to talk to Clay and straighten things out. But the catch there was that Ashley would know and she would make Autumn’s life hell over it. Ashley wasn’t an easy person to deal with. Summer had been glad that Autumn ran things for her; their situation was a little different than most of the other artists. But if she wasn’t part of the deal anymore, Autumn would be at Ashley’s mercy. She had a special say in Summer’s case, but she wouldn’t have with any other artists she worked with.
Carter came back in and sat down beside her. “The pizza won’t be long, and I opened a bottle of cab to let it breathe.
Summer smiled. Carter would just as soon have a beer as a glass of wine, but he’d learned what she liked and tried to give it to her when he could.
“Thanks.” She reached up and kissed his cheek.
“You’re welcome.” He reached for the pad then looked up to check with her. “Can I?”
She nodded, then waited while he read.
He had a frown on his face by the time he finished. “This Ashley sounds like a piece of work. What’s her deal?”
Summer shrugged. “Power? Control? Not being shown up that the people she brought on board aren’t that great. Clay likes to have the best people, no matter if they’re singing or sweeping the floor. He always wants the best people doing the best job. That’s what his label is all about.”
Carter pursed his lips. “Can’t you just talk to him?”
“I want to. But I don’t know what it would mean for Autumn.”
“I don’t get that. What could Ashley do? If Clay says you’re fine to leave and Autumn’s good to work with other singers, what could Ashley do about it?”
Summer sighed. “Make Autumn’s life miserable. She’s done it before, to one of the execs that worked there before she arrived. She spread all kinds of lies. Ruined his name. He left town in the end. No one wanted to work with him, and he hadn’t done a thing wrong. Just crossed Ashley. I can’t let that happen to Autumn.” Her voice was barely a whisper by the time she’d finished.
Carter nodded slowly. “You’re right. There’s no way you can let your sister suffer.”
He had an odd look on his face. Summer didn’t like it, not one bit. “What are you thinking?”
He shook his head. “That the pizza needs to come out and you need to quit talking.”
She watched him make his way into the kitchen. His whole demeanor had changed, but she didn’t get why.
He came back with two glasses of wine and she smiled up at him. “Did I do something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No, darlin’. But I think I might have.”
What on earth did that mean? He was gone before she could ask, but returned with the pizza and two plates. He set everything down on the coffee table and served her a slice.
“Carter, what is it?”
He shook his head. “I’m just worried about your sister, that’s all.”
Now, Summer thought she understood—and it worried her. Family was everything to him and she knew he wouldn’t want Autumn to suffer in any way.
She put a hand on his arm. “It’ll all work out. It’ll be okay. I might have to go back, but it won’t be for long.”
He nodded sadly. “It’ll all work out for the best.”
She didn’t like the way he said that. “What do you mean?”
He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “What I say. Now will you give your voice a rest and eat? I slaved over that for you.”
She gave him a smile as weak as his joke. She had a nasty feeling he was shutting down on her.
~ ~ ~
Carter lay awake and stared out at the moon. Summer slept peacefully beside him. She was so beautiful with her long blonde hair spread around her on the pillow. Her little arm stretched across his waist. He wanted to touch her, stroke her hair, but he didn’t dare; he didn’t want to wake her.
They’d had a quiet evening, eating ice cream and watching movies. They hadn’t talked much, but that was mostly because he wanted her to rest her voice. It didn’t sound good at all. He hadn’t wanted to talk himself, because he didn’t know what to say. He hated the thought of Autumn getting screwed over because of him. Well, he knew it wasn’t exactly his fault. It wasn’t really because of him. It was because Summer wanted to be with him. He sighed and shifted a little, careful not to disturb her.
He couldn’t see any solutions though. If this Ashley woman was determined to keep Autumn down, he didn’t know what they could do about it. From what Summer had explained, the only avenue for Autumn to continue working was to manage Summer. If Summer wasn’t there, then Autumn had nothing left to do. But if Summer couldn’t sing anyway? He didn’t know. What he did know was that Summer would be miserable if Autumn was out of a job. Could she work with a different label? He didn’t know the answer to that. He had a feeling that this Ashley wouldn’t make life easy for her no matter what she did. Unless she brought Summer back and stayed away from other artists. He had to wonder why she wanted Summer back so badly. He understood that she wouldn’t want to lose one of her biggest names, but if Summer couldn’t sing, she couldn’t sing. His head was going around in circles. He didn’t understand most of it. What did he know about the music industry anyway? One thing he did understand was the bond between siblings. He would never do a thing that might hurt any of his brothers. He couldn’t let Summer hurt her sister just so she could be with him. He couldn’t lie here any longer. He carefully moved Summer’s arm and slid out of bed.
He got a drink of water and went to check on Hero. She was curled up in the bed Summer had bought for her, her kittens nestled into her side. He had to smile. They lived like royalty since they’d moved down here. Hero blinked at him and purred. He scratched her ear and sat down beside the bed.
He didn’t know what to do, but he felt like he had to do something. He sighed. He did know one solution that would work, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If he were to go to Nashville with Summer, then everything would be okay. Except, he wouldn’t be okay. He wouldn’t be able to leave t
he valley, his work, his life, his family. He wouldn’t survive and he knew it. If he moved there to be with her, he’d be miserable. Just like she’d be miserable if she stayed here with him and it cost her sister her career. He loved her too much to do that to her. He knew what he had to do now.
He had to let her go.
His shoulders slumped. Who had he been kidding anyway? He was a lucky bastard to have spent so much time with her. He must have been crazy to have been thinking about forever with her—thinking about asking her to marry him. He’d gotten carried away. He knew better. He’d be grateful for what they’d shared—it was more than he ever could have hoped for—but he had to let her go. She might not see it now, but she’d thank him for it someday. They were from different worlds and he should have remembered that from the start. Hero looked up at him as he sat there in the darkness and one big fat tear rolled down his cheek.
Chapter Twenty
Carter had already left when Summer woke up. That was strange. Even when he had to get off to work really early, he always spooned her before he got out of her bed, kissed her neck, told her how he much he loved her.
She got up, slipped her robe on and went into the kitchen. He was gone. She peered out the window. Yep. His truck was gone. She was worried. He’d gone really quiet after they’d talked about Autumn last night. She hadn’t missed his reaction when she’d said she’d have to go back to Nashville. Did he think she’d leave? He was crazy if he did! She wouldn’t survive without him. He’d become so much a part of her in the short time they’d been together. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. She didn’t want to. He was everything.
She went back to the kitchen and unplugged her phone that had been charging on the counter. She hit the speed dial and waited. It rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up. Instead it went to voicemail.
“Carter, please call me back? I can’t believe you left without saying good-bye.” Her voice sounded terrible. “Call me. I love you.”
She hung up and went to get a glass of water. She stood in the kitchen wringing her hands together. She might be overreacting to the fact that he’d left for work without saying good-bye, but it felt so much worse than that. He’d left when something was troubling him, and he hadn’t wanted to talk to her. The last time he’d felt that he’d caused problems between her and Autumn, he’d taken off—and hadn’t come back! At least not until she’d left. Surely he wasn’t doing that now? He wouldn’t just leave without talking to her—would he?
