by Sable Hunter
“I think I understand.” Pepper silently pointed to a bench they could share just off the path. “I’ve performed in several plays and I would always worry about our performance lacking a certain spark. One of my drama teachers assured me I would feel differently after a live performance, and she was right. An audience makes all the difference.”
“What roles have you played?” he asked as he held her hand in both of his, caressing her fingers.
She shook her head and felt her cheeks grow warm. “Cinderella, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical.”
He leaned into her and stole a kiss from her neck. “Awww, I wish I could see you act. I’d be your biggest fan.”
“I’m your biggest fan,” she confessed to him.
“Good.” He took a deep, satisfied breath and looked up at the stars. “To answer your previous question, though, the one thing I enjoyed most last week was a trip to a children’s hospital.”
“I bet seeing you made them happy.”
“Yea, I guess. Although, it could’ve been all those toys I handed out.”
“You bought them toys?” she asked in amazement.
“Of course, I couldn’t go empty handed, could I?”
She turned to face him, hugging Judah close. “You’re so sweet. I’m so glad I met you.”
They shared another kiss, but the sound of more voices brought their rendezvous to a close. “I guess we’d better go back, beautiful. I promised Jimmy I’d sing a bit.”
“Wonderful, I’m glad my family will get the chance to see you perform.” She let him pull her to her feet. “I want them to like you.”
“Hey, I’m a likeable fellow. Let your family know that there’ll always be tickets for them at any concert of ours they want to attend.”
“Thank you, Judah. You’re very generous.”
“Glad to do it.” He didn’t tell her that the McCoy brothers weren’t going to be happy about any man dating their baby sister, much less a rock musician. Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to give her up. They were just going to have to learn to like him. “The only person I really care about liking me is you.”
As they made their way back to the villa, she held onto his arm. “Oh, that’s not true. You need your fans. And speaking of…” Pepper’s eyes widened when she saw the crowd awaiting Judah’s return. “Gracious, I didn’t know Jimmy invited half the women in Austin.”
“Judah! Judah! Judah!”
Before either of them had a chance to react, they were separated by the excited crowd and Judah was swept away to the stage.
Without a band, acoustic instruments, or a light show, one might think Judah’s impact would be lessened. Not so, the ballads he sung were compelling, his voice was amazing, and the focus was all on him. The audience loved it. This time, Pepper hung back, experiencing mixed feelings. Her emotions vacillated between joy at his reception and…jealousy.
“Why aren’t you up there squealing and jumping around?”
Pepper didn’t let Ryder’s teasing worry her. She gave her sister a serene smile. “He knows how much I enjoy his music.”
“Oh, does he?” Facing Pepper, Ryder used the tip of one finger to raise her younger sister’s face. “What’s going on between the two of you?”
Pepper didn’t know what came over her, but she found that she didn’t want to say anything more. This was too important, too private, too special to share – even with her sister. “He’s been very kind to me. He offered us all tickets to any of his concerts at any time.”
“Well, that’s generous of him.” Ryder didn’t budge, she looked deep into Pepper’s eyes. “I’ve seen how you look at him. What’s up, really?”
“We’re friends.” A true statement. And she didn’t say ‘just friends’, which was patently untrue. Oh, she knew they weren’t an official couple, yet. Or lovers. Pepper blushed furiously at her own thoughts. She wanted to make love with Judah, she could scarcely think of anything else.
“Hmmm, I’m not sure if I believe you. Did you know he was going to be here tonight?”
She looked guilty and Ryder picked up on it right away. “You did!”
Pepper refused to comment, she just gave her sister an exasperated look and moved closer to where Judah was singing. She didn’t have to go far until she caught his eye, and once she did, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the sexy rock star was singing to one person and one person only.
When the last chord was struck and the last note sung, he came to her. Pepper ignored the looks she received from her disapproving brothers and threw caution to the wind. For the rest of the evening, she stayed by Judah’s side. He was a total gentleman and treated her family with complete respect. By the end of the night, Pepper was even more enchanted than before.
When the time came for them to say goodbye, he took her to one side for a tender kiss. “You’ve got me under your spell, Pepper McCoy.” Judah pressed his forehead to hers. “We’ll talk every day. Okay?”
“Please, yes.” She swallowed, near tears. “When will I see you again?”
Cradling her close, Judah closed his eyes and relished how she made him feel. “I’m playing in Dallas next month. I’d love to have you there with me.”
Pepper clung to him, her heart beating in time with his. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
CHAPTER THREE
A week or so later…
“These all belong to you.” Ryder carried the basket of clean clothes into Pepper’s room. “Why did you wash every pair of underwear you own at the same time?”
“I knocked a whole glass of cola off the top of the dresser and into the open drawer,” Pepper confessed sheepishly. “You know I’m a klutz.”
Ryder flopped down on the bed beside the basket. “No, you’re stressed like me. I feel like I’ve been put through a wringer.”
“You’ve been through a lot in a short amount of time, we all have.” Pepper sat down on the floor next to the dresser, tucking her feet up under her. “I can’t believe they think Philip could have anything to do with that man’s death.”
“He was found on Highland’s property, Pepper, right next to the mine Philip has been excavating.” Ryder hugged a pillow tightly. “They think our brother and this man were involved with the same woman, they’re calling it a crime of passion.”
“She might’ve had a crush on Philip, but I don’t believe he ever dated her. The only grand passion in our brother’s life has been archaeology.” Pepper fingered the fringe on the edge of the rug she was sitting on. “They’re only questioning him, I’m sure they’ll rule him out as a suspect soon.”
“We’ve got to believe that, I couldn’t bear for him even to be accused of a crime he didn’t commit.” Ryder rolled over on her stomach. “Everything happened all at once. The chili cook-off is usually such a tame affair. This year we had police crashing the party to accuse our brother of murder and a crazy psycho putting a bomb under the Dukes’ Lamborghini.”
Pepper went to her knees at the side of the bed to give her sister a hug. “You saved their lives, Ryder. If you hadn’t put two and two together after seeing that strange man in the parking lot and overhearing those people talking about the threats they’d received, those two gorgeous men wouldn’t be alive today.”
“And can you believe Tennessee is dating someone we’ve never met?” Ryder raised up and pummeled the pillow, seeking a more comfortable position. “He goes to Big Bend on a rescue mission and falls head over heels for a stranger.”
“He’s not the only one who’s found someone,” Pepper whispered, very happy for her sister. “The Duke brothers sure have taken an interest in you.”
“Shhh.” Ryder put her finger to her lips. “You know that can never work. Being with two men is a fantasy, it could never work in our world.” She hit the bed with a balled-up fist. “What am I going to do, Pepper? I’ve never met anyone like them. They swept me off my feet.”
Pepper gave her a reassuring smil
e. “You’ve always been greedy, I should’ve guessed you’d want two men. If one’s good, two’s better, right?”
Pulling the pillow over her head, Ryder squealed, “I know it’s wrong, there’s no way our conservative cowboy brothers will ever approve. God, I can’t even tell my daddy, I’m afraid it would give him another stroke.”
“You’ve got to do whatever it takes to make yourself happy. Ultimately, that’s what the whole family wants for you.”
“Can you imagine if I told Heath I was dating brothers? He’d die of a heart attack!”
“I know, Heath needs someone of his own.”
“And what about you, Pepper? How are you and Judah doing? When are you going to see him again?”
“We talk every day, either phone or texting. His tour is going great, he wants me to come to Dallas this weekend.” Pepper looked down, guiltily. “I hate to go with this trouble hanging over Philip’s head.”
“Oh, you need to, Philip wouldn’t want you to put your life on hold,” Ryder urged her sister. “This is the first time you’ve ever been interested in a man.”
“And what a man…” Pepper muttered under her breath. “I just can’t believe he wants to see me.”
Ryder chunked a pillow at Pepper. “Are you kidding? You’re beautiful! What man wouldn’t want you?”
* * *
“Nice bus, James. I guess you could say we’re in high cotton.” Zion plopped down in the seat next to Judah. “Have you talked to Pepper today?”
“Yea, she’s coming to the concert in Dallas. I’m hoping she’ll spend the night.”
“Have you asked her?” Zion popped the top on a can of soda.
“No, I haven’t. I guess it depends on if she comes alone, or if some of her family come with her.” Judah held a folded newspaper in his hands. Lately, working a crossword puzzle was one of the few things that kept his thoughts from spiraling out of control.
“You have it bad, friend. At every concert, there’s a herd of groupies lined up just to touch your hand or whatever body part they can reach. Most of those women would give their eyeteeth to have sex with you. Yet, you’re holding out for the quintessential southern belle.”
Judah cut him an amused glance. “The anticipation will only make it better.” He swatted Zion’s boot clad foot, which was propped on the seat ahead of them. “Pepper’s a lady, she’s still an innocent and more than worth waiting for.”
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. They’d played Atlanta the night before and were scheduled to put on a benefit concert in New Orleans the following night. Right now, they were passing through Birmingham, Alabama, on their way to Tuscaloosa. Eddie and Eric sat at a table in the front, playing the newest X-box game and their new manager, Reese Jerome, was asleep in the back.
Zion fidgeted in his seat. Finally, he cleared his throat. “What did the doctor say, Judah?”
Judah started not to answer. He was a firm believer in the much-maligned theory that if you ignore a problem, it would go away. “They still don’t know anything. They’ve ruled out almost everything. Apparently, the problem I have isn’t epilepsy, a brain tumor, encephalitis, a metabolic disturbance, or an autoimmune condition.” As he rattled off the medical conditions, he got amused at himself.
“And that’s good, right?”
Judah snorted. “Yea, except there’s still something wrong. You and I both know that. I’m still seeing and hearing shit.”
“You’re okay though, you function, you perform. Maybe…”
Judah drove his fist into the seat next to him. “I’m getting worse, not better. I see Pepper all the time, Zion.” His voice broke. “She seems so real. When I go to touch her, she fades away. And I hear voices, sometimes I think it’s my muse and sometimes I think they’re my own personal demons.”
“Have you taken anything?” Zion asked with concern.
“I smoked a joint or two in college, nothing since.” Judah didn’t get angry at his friend’s question, it was a legitimate one. “I’ve never done acid or heroin, or anything like that.”
“I didn’t really think you had, I would’ve known.”
“I just keep hoping it will go away, Zion.”
“I know you do, Judah. I know you do.”
“My doctor wants me to take some psychological and cognitive tests, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Zion placed a steadying hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Judah, you’re an incredible talent and if there’s something that can be done to make you feel better, I think you should do it.”
Judah nodded in agreement, but he couldn’t help but feel he was headed through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole.
* * *
Pepper grinned, she could scarcely believe she’d managed to get away from Highlands by herself. She was thrilled to see Judah, but she couldn’t be happy for the many reasons everyone’s attention was elsewhere. The worst development was how things with Philip had gone from bad to worse.
Philip had been arrested for the murder of Dalton Smith.
Heath, Jaxson, and Philip were visiting the family’s Canyon of the Eagles resort, welcoming a group of lawyers who’d come for a conference, when the police had shown up to arrest Philip for murder. The truly strange and fortuitous thing, was that the whole incident with the cops was witnessed by one of the premier lawyers in the state, Zane Saucier.
Witnessed wasn’t quite the right word, for Zane was blind, but what he lacked in the sense of sight, he made up for in acute hearing. He and his assistant had been strolling by when the arrest was made and overheard Philip being read his rights. Not only had he stepped forward to offer his services in Philip’s defense, but he’d come to them with information that rocked the foundation of the family. After learning Heath and Jaxson’s last name, and recognizing a certain timbre in their voices, Zane inquired of Heath if they were related to another set of McCoys Zane knew well.
To everyone’s surprise, there was a silver lining in the midst of the turmoil. Two close branches of the same family were being reunited. Neither set of cousins had even known of the other’s existence. Heath and the Highland McCoys were introduced to Aron and the Tebow McCoys. Their fathers were brothers, Christian and Sebastian McCoy. Twins. Separated at birth after their parents went through a bitter divorce. Their parents, Isaac and Sarah McCoy, had agreed to each take one of the twins and to never contact the other again. Why this horrible decision was made, no one knew for sure. If Zane hadn’t approached Heath and Jaxson about Philip’s need for legal representation, this amazing connection might never have come to light.
On top of Philip’s legal troubles and discovering new family members, Jaxson was stomped by a bull after an eight-second ride at the National Finals rodeo, so he was hobbling around on crutches until his broken leg healed. Tennessee had shocked everyone by marrying the woman he met while performing a rescue at Big Bend National Park. The marriage hadn’t survived much beyond the honeymoon. He was heartbroken. In fact, every family member seemed to have issues. Ryder was still torn between her heart and her head when it came to the Duke brothers and Pepper…well, here she was in Dallas, anxious to be reunited with a man who’d come to mean the world to her in a very short time.
When the skyline of Big D came into view, butterflies launched an all-out assault on her stomach. Every time Judah performed, his fame seemed to grow and her amazement in their relationship increased. As soon as she turned off on the exit to the arena where Judah was performing, she gave him a call as promised.
“Pepper! God, I’m glad to hear from you. How close are you?”
She smiled when she heard the joy in his voice. “I’m about to pull into the parking garage.”
He gave her directions to a reserved area. “I’ll meet you, wait for me in the car until I get there.” She followed his directions and in a few minutes, he came sprinting up to her car.
“Hey, baby!”
As soon as she was on her feet, he enveloped her i
n his arms and Pepper felt like she’d come home. “I missed you so much.”
“I couldn’t wait for you to get here. Can you spend the night?”
Pepper shivered at the thought. “Yea, if you want me to.”
“Yes!” He picked her up and twirled her around. “I wish I could just skip the concert and spend all of the time with you.”
“Oh, I’m afraid we’d have a revolt on our hands if you didn’t sing.” Framing his face, she crashed her lips to his. Kissing him was both a necessity and a luxury, like a drink of cold water in the desert. There was only the slightest hesitation before Judah reacted, devouring her mouth with a growl. Between kisses, he muttered words of desire, praise, thankfulness, and promise. She drank him up like the bare earth soaks up life-giving rain. His arms banded her as he covered her face in whisker-burn kisses. This was one of the sweetest moments of her life.
“Come on, let’s get this over with so we can be alone.”
Pepper laughed, holding his hand as they ran for the VIP elevator.
This time, Judah placed her in a special spot just off stage. She had a perfect view and he stayed with her until the moment he went on stage. Pepper was incredulous at his rapport with the crowd. Truly, Judah James was a star. Tonight, a new song was added to their line-up and when Judah announced it, he looked straight at Pepper. “This song is for my special girl, My Vision of Love.” She sat on the edge of her seat, hanging on his every word. Her heart jumped for joy and her whole body responded to his magnetism.
The only tiny blemish on the evening was the singer who preceded Shiloh and that was Ivana Paul. After her performance, she lingered. Every time Pepper glanced at her, she was either staring at Judah like she wanted to eat him up with a spoon or she was glaring at Pepper with daggers in her eyes.
