Shifter Mountain

by Annora Soule

  Jordan laughed.

  "You're a celebrity. You're famous and you live in a mansion. And we're eating ribs at some shack. I just made you take me to CVS to pick up shampoo, for chrissake."

  "What do you think — that I'm narcissistic and can't even wipe my own ass without a gaggle of assistants?"

  "No! Why would you say that?! That's not what I meant."

  "Having money and fame is weird. And you can let it warp you if you're not careful. But I didn't hit big until two years ago when I hit 30, so it's kind of a blessing that I was already a grown man — I already knew who I was as a person — before I landed on the goldmine."

  They finished up lunch and headed back to the mansion to get ready for the evening. Jordan dressed casual in ripped jeans, a plaid shirt and leather jacket, waiting until he got to the Opry to actually don his cowboy hat.

  Kay wore a knee-length denim skirt and red peasant blouse. She had picked up some pointers from Gina, who had given her some fresh makeup before she left Scopes, so Kay felt like she was moderately able to mimic a little bit of the magic Gina had used to highlight her best features. She wanted to pull her long hair up into a French twist, although it wasn't easy with her shoulder injury, so she ended up asking the maid to help. Then she donned a pair of silver hoop earrings, also given to her by Gina.

  She also had packed her best pair of heels — heels she had worn only once in her life.

  The Opryland parking lot was mobbed when they arrived there around 6 p.m. Jordan pulled the Jag to a less populated spot, and they went in a back door.

  Kay had never been to the Opry before. The Grand Ole Opry was America's longest running radio music show, and it had made Country and Western Music famous.

  "There's some brouhaha right now because some of the newer members aren't actually paying their dues," Jordan told her as he showed her around backstage.

  "Members?"

  "Not everyone who performs is a member. You have to actually be invited. Why a member would stiff the Opry is beyond me, but apparently some of the other celebs are doing it."

  "Jordan Lawless! Who's this pretty young thing?"

  "Reynold, meet Kay," Jordan said. "Reynold's the Opry's host, so you'll see a lot of him tonight.

  Reynold had been a famous star at his peak in the 80s. He still had a bit of a mullet, mostly grey.

  "Who else is on tonight?"

  "Kathy Mattea, for one. John Conlee also."

  "John Conlee — man an oldie but a goodie. The voice on that man, though, there's no replicating it."

  "God's gift," Reynold said. To Kay he explained: "It's not enough to just have a good singing voice to make it. You've got to have a voice that is truly recognizable on the radio. Someone listening needs to know it's you within about the first 5 seconds. Like our man, Jordan here."

  Reynold slapped Jordan on the back.

  "Gotta go. Gotta schmooze."

  Kay chuckled as he walked off.

  "You have a front row seat for the show. I'll send you down there in a bit."

  At a distance, Kay saw that Gina was there, doing makeup for someone.

  "Hey — that's Gina. Can I go say hi?"

  "Yeah, sure, don't stray far, though. There's other folks you should meet."

  Gina looked up and recognized Kay immediately as she approached.

  "Hey, girl! You're here! You actually got off the mountain? Give me a sec."

  Gina finished up her current makeup job, and then took a break to chat.

  "Are you here with Jordan?"

  "Yeah."

  Gina paused.

  "And your husband?"

  "Gone."

  "I see. Gone for the moment or gone for good?"

  "Gone for good, I'm pretty sure."

  "Well, time for a fresh start then?"

  "Seems about right."

  "I'm glad to hear it. You look fantastic by the way. Have you see the cut version of the video yet? How's it look?"

  "Not yet. They're still working on it."

  "Well, you enjoy yourself tonight."

  Chapter 14

  The show started about an hour later, with every guest star singing only a couple of songs. The Opry was packed, and Marty ruled the stage as the host. The announcer interrupted every so often to read a commercial announcement, reminding everyone that this was indeed live radio.

  When Jordan came on about 20 minutes in, the crowd hooted and hollered. Kay was right within sight, and despite the stage lights, he could see exactly where she was. He tipped his hat to her, and then proceeded to wow the audience with his latest Top 10 hit, Waiting for You. Then he slowed it down and sang a slower love song.

  And that was it. Just two songs, just like everyone else. It was fun, it was casual.

  Kay got up and met him back behind stage. He was waiting for her with a couple of cold beers, one for each of them. Kay took the beer, but did not actually take a sip. She still had no idea how she was going to tell Jordan she was still pregnant with Cephas' child.

  During the last set, Kay glanced over at Jordan and noticed that his forehead suddenly was beading sweat.

  "Are you okay?"

  "Huh? Oh yeah, it's just a little hot back here."

  Actually, it was fully air-conditioned where they were, and Jordan was looking a little pale.

  "Jordan, you don't look good."

  Jordan went to say something, but then momentarily lost his balance just standing there.

  "You can't be drunk, you've only had half a beer."

  Jordan tried to speak, but the words came out garbled.

  "Jordan — it's happening — you've been away too long from the mountain."

  Jordan looked at her in fear. She was right.

  "Where are your car keys?"

  Jordan handed them over, and they slipped out of the Opry before the show ended and they got stuck in a crowd. Jordan actually couldn't walk very fast, but Kay held his hand and leaned against him so it looked like they were just a normal couple taking a stroll.

  Just outside the Opry, Kay looked at Jordan with a startle.

  "Oh my God!" she gasped.

  "What?! What's wrong?"

  "You're transparent. Like a ghost!"

  It was true. Kay could see right through him. She reached out and found that strangely, despite his transparency, she could still feel him.

  "You're still solid to the touch, though. This is incredible. But clearly it's not good."

  She got him to the truck, helped him in, and then got into the driver's seat.

  There was no time to grab any of their things.

  "I can't live like this, Kay," Jordan said, as they sped along. "I can't be stuck on Scopes Mountain for the rest of my life."

  "You won't have to be," Kay said. "You did last 24 hours. I bet there's a way to live your life between Nashville and here."

  "I have to tour."

  "When is your next tour?"

  "Not for four months."

  "We'll make it work. We just haven't figured it out yet," Kay assured him, only half believing what she was saying. "And...we need a man like you to be in charge. Life has been really bad up there on Scopes. I mean, look at my own shitty life. The men are crap and the women are beaten down. If you take charge of the skinwalkers, things will get better."

  By the time they reached the base of the mountain, Jordan had passed out. Kay reached over and checked his pulse, which was barely perceptible.

  When the Jag headed around the first hairpin term as they ascended Scopes, Jordan suddenly jerked awake. And physically, he no longer resembled a ghost.

  "Stop the car," he told Kay. "Just pull over anywhere you can."

  Kay pulled over when it was safe, and she could pull off out of the way of any oncoming traffic. She put on the hazard lights.

  Jordan got out of the car and walked over to an outcrop. He climbed up it, took off most of his clothes, and lay down. He didn't know why, but he needed as much of his skin to make contact with the stone as po
ssible.

  Kay kept watch, not sure what Jordan was doing exactly, but trusting that he had things under control again.

  After about 10 minutes of rest, he got up and dressed himself. He walked over slowly, and she handed him the keys to his Jag.

  "We'll need to put an addition on your cabin," Jordan said. "I'll want to build a recording studio up here. And, we can get to work on getting your moonshine stills licensed — that whole operation we could build up here as well. And then, well then there's the ginseng on your property, and —"

  Kay interrupted him.

  "I'm pregnant."

  Jordan froze.

  "What?"

  "I'm still pregnant. I thought I miscarried, but the doctor at the hospital ran a pregnancy test, and it turns out..."

  Kay started tearing up now.

  "..it turns out..."

  She was crying now.

  Jordan wrapped his arms around her.

  "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. But you have to tell me. What do you want? How do you feel about this?"

  Kay calmed down a little.

  "I was wondering more about how you felt."

  "Well, it's not my decision."

  "I meant how you felt about us. I mean, I'm pregnant with another man's child."

  "If you want this child, then I want this child. I'll raise him or her like my own. And if you don't, given what you've been through, then I'll support that decision. But I have to say, if Cephas beat you like that, and this baby hung on — that's one tough kid."

  Kay laughed.

  Jordan looked at her seriously.

  "I plan to marry you, Kay Slacom, either way."

  Kay pulled back and dried her eyes with the back of her hand.

  "Well, then. I guess we're going to be a family."

  "What are the chances Cephas' brothers are going to have a problem with this?"

  "Do we have to tell them?"

  "No we don't, but they will figure out because of the timing that the child belongs to Cephas," Jordan said. "Then again, they have to answer to me now."

  This fact made Kay relax a bit. He was right.

  "C'mon. Let's go home. I could use a glass of your 'shine. I'll have a drink for the both of us."

  He kissed her tenderly, and then they got back in the Jag, driving the rest of the way up Scopes Mountain.

  Kay cracked her window and breathed in the fresh, clean air of the night.

  As Old Man Crowell had said, she thought, Scopes Mountain was alive. Everything on the mountain was alive. Not just the animals and the people and the trees and plants. The stones themselves were alive.

  She looked over at Jordan, his hands lazily cradling the steering wheel as he focused on the road ahead.

  Now Kay and her child had the full protection of the very mountain itself. She could never be hurt again. For the first time in her life, home would actually be safe.

  She also knew that now the mountain needed her as well. Jordan wanted and needed her love and support as he continued to figure out how to be the Man-in-the-Mountain.

  They would grow old together on Scopes Mountain, and whatever challenges came next, Kay felt ready be both protected and a protector at the same time.

  THE END

  I hope you enjoyed SHIFTER MOUNTAIN. For updates on my next book, sign up for my author's newsletter at http://mad.ly/signups/102501/join – also I enjoy hearing from readers, so feel free to email me directly at annora.soule@yahoo.com.