Fallen Idol (Love and Music in Texas Book 4)

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

  "So that's why you didn't come home... here, whatever. Does Amy know?"

  "No. Just Mom and Dad, and only because they tried to come see me and I wouldn't see them."

  "Why? Shouldn't you have had family there when you needed it most?"

  "Yeah. But I was ashamed. When you're in the spotlight like I was, it's not as easy to let anyone in when you're at your worst. I hurt people, David."

  "But you said you don't remember doing it. Maybe you didn't," he protested, hugging her.

  She'd like to think so. "I may never know. It's something I have to live with."

  "Now I'm really glad you're here. Oh, and I won't mind if you and Matt dated, then got married. I need a brother so that we're even."

  Kyra gaped at him. "Where in the world did you get that idea? I'm not dating Matt!"

  "Andrew thinks you are."

  Was that it? Andrew trying to get them together to complete a family to fill the empty void in his heart? And of course, a mother figure.

  "Don't worry, I'm not mad that you were kissing in the no girls zone. You're the exception in that tree house. Andrew says he won't even take Daisy up there."

  Kyra laughed. "You guys and your rules!"

  The front door burst in, and Amy frantically rushed in. "I just got word from the hospital. Mom's awake!"

  Everything else forgotten, Kyra and David scrambled to follow their sister out the door and head to the hospital. Everyone was nervous when they arrived. Even Amy, who hadn't snapped once at Kyra, bit her fingernails and glanced around the hallway nervously.

  "She's in a state of panic, unsure of what's going on, and still in a lot of pain," the doctor informed them. "But she remembers who she is, what the date is, and the events that happened. Although she's trying to tell us something, the words aren't coming out easily. That seems to frustrate her. She's very agitated. I think right now, we can only allow one person in at a time, in order to not overwhelm her. You can't stay long, but I think if she sees her whole family is okay, she'll calm down and rest so we can proceed from here."

  Kyra stood in the middle of the hallway in a blur. Lights in the distance flickered. The voices around her seemed to fade. She shook her head and brought herself back to reality.

  Mom was awake. The recovery would still take weeks, but she was awake. It wasn't too late to hug her, to talk to her, to do the things she wished she would have done more of before.

  "Why don't you go first?" Amy said to David.

  Kyra agreed. Good call. And to make things go smooth, if Amy wanted to be next, she wouldn't object. Right now wasn't the time to fight with her sister. In fact, she didn't plan on bringing up anything else at the moment. David hugged them both before the doctor led him to the room.

  Amy plopped down on a chair, staring at the wall in silence. Kyra followed suit. At least her sister didn't immediately jump up and run off, but she didn't make a move to say anything either. Progress. If she could keep her sister near her without a fuss, she'd take it. Sneaking a glance at her, Kyra held back the urge to say something. Amy clasped her hands together, then unclasped them again and cracked her knuckles. Kyra cringed at the sound.

  It seemed like an eternity, but David finally came out of the room. His face was masked in an unreadable expression. "She's... she looks different, but Mom smiled at me when I walked in."

  Kyra stood and hugged her trembling brother.

  "Do you mind... is it okay if I go next?" Amy's eyes were full of tears when she looked at Kyra for approval.

  "Sure." She wanted to see her mother so bad, but what was the rush? Her sister could have the next go round. It wasn't the end of the world.

  "Thanks," Amy whispered before heading into the room.

  Seconds crawled by. Kyra paced the hallway. When it came time for her turn, what would she say? She hadn't seen Mom in years, at least not in person. They'd Skyped, sent letters, called, but not since just after the accident did she get to hug her mother. Did she know how much Kyra appreciated all the sacrifices the family made for her music career? Did they all hate her for throwing it away when she couldn't manage to get near a crowd? Did they blame her for all hell breaking loose?

  Now she was overthinking. Way too much.

  "Kyra?"

  David's concerned voice brought her back to reality.

  "Mom's gonna be okay. You don't have to worry." Her brother jumped up from his seat and gave her a comforting hug.

  "I know. I'm just thinking."

  Amy opened the door and nodded at Kyra. Her expression was grim, and her lips were set in a thin line. Her eyes held a vacant, hollow sadness. "Your turn," she said, brushing past her.

  Kyra inhaled sharply, then forced her legs to cooperate and walked into the room. The doctor nodded politely.

  "My baby," Mom whispered.

  "I'm so happy you're awake, Mama. I was so scared!" Kyra exclaimed, then realized she should lower her voice.

  "Don't be scared."

  Kyra sat at the edge of the bed and held her mother's hand. It was cold and clammy, but her mother's relieved smile was so damn good to see.

  "I want to hear your new music," Mama requested.

  Kyra laughed. "You will soon. They're already playing my new one on the radio. But that's not why we're here right now. You need to get better."

  "You're here. My family is together. I'm-" She let out a series of coughs. "Better. But Kyra, be careful."

  The warning caught her off guard. "Of?"

  "There's been." More coughing. "Trouble." Mom's level of agitation spiked.

  "What?" Kyra squeaked. "What do you mean?" Did her mother know the fire might have been intentional?

  "You need to go. I think she's had enough for the moment." The doctor's concerned, but firm voice from behind Kyra was one of warning.

  "Mama, you rest. I love you." And I'll heed your warning. Kyra kissed the tips of her fingers and gently placed them on her mother's cheek before leaving the room with much hesitation.

  *****

  By the end of the day, Matt was tired of people. Every time someone came in for something, they'd asked about Kyra. Were they dating? Was she a hot kisser? Why did he want to date her when he hated musicians? What did Andrew think of all that? It got tiresome after an hour, and he'd had to deal with it all day long. Now that the workday was over, he closed up shop and headed out from the bay. Kyra's car sat untouched in the corner, and he thought about her. What kind of questions and comments did she endure today?

  He wanted to call her, but did that seem too pushy? That kiss last night really messed with his head, and he wasn't sure where to go from here. The woman intimated him, and he didn't like it. He'd never had this feeling before. Kyra managed to get his whole world in a twist. It was odd. He never expected to like her, let alone want to kiss her.

  Just as he finished washing up, Matt's phone rang. It was Andrew calling. "Hey, what's up?"

  "Did you hear the good news?"

  "That I'm the new beau to famous Kyra Sanders? Or is it that I'm her muse and the reason she's making a comeback? Or-"

  "No, Dad! Seriously! Although that's funny. Anyway, Mrs. Sanders woke up today!"

  "That is good news!" Matt breathed a deep sigh of relief. Well at least one thing was going right for Kyra and her family this week.

  "Yeah. David just called me. They're home now, but everyone got to see her for a little while."

  "Good. I'm so happy to hear this." Maybe he'd drop by and say hi to Kyra and tell her how glad he was about the news.

  And then maybe kiss her again.

  Okay, whoa. Hold that thought.

  What the hell had gotten into him?

  "Are you listening?"

  Huh? "Yeah," Matt lied, holding back a laugh. If only his son knew what he was thinking about right now.

  "So are you on your way?"

  "I will be soon." All he had to do was lock up. Tomorrow he was his day off, and he was more than ready for it.

  "Okay. So, can I?"
>
  "Can you what?" Whoops. Now he'd been caught.

  "I thought you said you were listening!" Andrew protested.

  "All right, so maybe I wasn't," Matt admitted.

  "Blaine and Randy said that they'd come pick me up, and I invited David. We'd spend the night tonight and then do some stuff at the studio tomorrow."

  "I'm fine with that. Are you sure it's a good idea for David, though? Doesn't he want to see his mom and dad?"

  "Well yeah, but they can only see their mom for a limited time right now because she gets agitated easily. I don't know what all of it means, but that's what David told me. It would take his mind off things, and Kyra already said it was fine with her."

  Everyone kept making plans while he wasn't around. Matt wasn't sure how much he liked that, but hey, at least his son was staying out of trouble this time around. "All right. Just thought I'd ask."

  "You and Kyra can hang out. You'll be by yourself, and so will she."

  There it went again. The subtle hints. "What about Amy?"

  "She's spending the night with her best friend."

  The girl couldn't avoid her sister forever. Matt felt bad for Kyra. She was caught blindsided by Amy's coldness, and nothing she did seemed to fix it.

  "So come pick me up. Randy can pick us up from David's house."

  "Yes sir," Matt teased. "I'm on my way. How did it go today with nosy people asking about Kyra and I?"

  "Not too bad. I avoided the house line, and the doorbell rang a few times, but I was careful who I answered to."

  "Maybe this will blow over soon and they'll leave us, and Kyra, alone." One could only hope, anyway. The spotlight of the media was not the place to be.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Randy and Blaine had come by for the boys that evening, and they all got to talking. When they finally left, Kyra turned to Matt and flashed him a wicked smile. "What are your plans for the evening, knight in shining armor? Plan on saving anyone tonight?"

  He cocked his head to the side, then laughed. "Those are only on occasion. It's not every day I'm the muse to someone famous." Matt winked.

  She groaned. "Welcome to the life of the rich and famous."

  "Could be worse. They'll lay low soon, I'm sure." Matt approached her. "You still have that look in your eyes. You're afraid of something." How did he do that? Barely knew her, but somehow Matt saw what she tried to keep hidden.

  Running a hand through her hair, Kyra thought about her mother's warning. "I still haven't heard back from the investigators about the fire, but it's looking more and more like something was done on purpose. My mom tried to warn me today. She's still weak, and they didn't let us talk to her long, but she knows something. To think that someone is targeting my family, it pisses me off, scares me, and hurts at the same time. I know I made mistakes, but why does someone have to go after the people I love because of it? Why not just do something to me and get it over with?" She curled her fists at her side.

  "Do you ever talk with the others involved in that accident?"

  "Nope. None of them will see me. I tried. Years ago, I tried. I wanted to understand." She shook her head. She'd seen her best friend Taryn in the wheelchair. She'd been so angry. She'd found everything she could to throw at Kyra and yelled. Screamed. Called her hateful names.

  The family of Taryn's boyfriend who'd died made themselves clear. Kyra was not to come anywhere near the property, the gravesite, or any other family member. They'd been outraged when she was only hit with probation and community service. Could they be behind it? The mother was older, and the father a decent man. The brother she didn't know that well.

  "You ever think about trying again?" Matt asked, his words cutting into her thoughts.

  "All the time." But it scared her. She didn't know the whole story, and everything had been one hell of a blur back then.

  "So, why don't you?"

  "The short version? My manager won't let me make any more statements about it. He suggests to leave the past where it is."

  "Even with these new threats?"

  "Especially with them." They wanted her to be focused, yes, but they also wanted her to be safe. Mark said they'd take care of it. "Can we drop this? My head is spinning from conflicting feelings."

  "Sure. Sorry. I worry about you and your family." He brushed her cheek gently with the tips of his fingers. "I can't quit thinking about you."

  "Is that a good or a bad thing?" Butterflies danced in her belly. She couldn't stop thinking about Matt, either.

  "I'm not sure," he admitted. "But I'm willing to find out."

  "How do you propose we do that?" Kyra challenged playfully.

  "We could play a little more truth. That opened up a bunch of feelings last night."

  Did it ever! "What, you think more delving into the depths of my past will lead to more than a kiss?" Hell, she should have shut up. Would he take it as the joke she'd intended it to be?

  "Nope. I just want to be known as your knight in shining armor." He took her hands in his, flashing one of his gorgeous dimpled smiles her way. "I didn't expect to be drawn to you. Kyra Sanders the person, not the famous singer, has me intrigued."

  "Really? You know, that makes me think of something. You know so much about me, some of which I've personally told you, but I don't even know your last name." She pulled one of her hands from his and jabbed him playfully in the chest.

  He raised a brow. "Wow. My bad. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Matt Greer, thirty-four years old, from a small town in Texas."

  "Matt Greer. Is that short for Matthew?"

  "Maybe." He drew out the word.

  "I gotta admit something." She turned her head slightly. "You look good for a mid-thirties man with a fourteen year old son. What do you say to that, Matthew?"

  He grimaced. "I say I must be in trouble, because you used my full first name. Reminds me of growing up with my parents, being so formal."

  "You weren't close with your parents?"

  Matt groaned and shook his head. "Nope. They provided for me, but they never gave me a lot of love or support. Like I said, I spent a lot of time with the Hughes. Randy was more like a brother than a cousin."

  Kyra couldn't even imagine. Her parents had been great! Given the gift of music at an early age, they'd done everything they could to get her where she wanted to be. Loving and supportive, her parents had gone above and beyond.

  "What are you thinking?" Matt inquired, tipping her chin upward with one finger.

  "How different our lives are," she said with full honesty.

  "You mean other than you're a country star who's been all around the world, and I'm just the owner of a car repair shop?" He didn't say it with anger, but it was obvious Matt still struggled with what he felt about things.

  "Just the owner of a car repair shop?" Kyra huffed. This kind of irritated her. Without realizing it, Matt was doing that whole judgmental thing again. At least, it felt that way to her. "You're more than that. You're a father, a friend, and a good member of your community. I sing songs, Matt. I make people feel, I entertain, but I don't have what you do. I'm nearly twenty-seven years old, and I missed out on my childhood. My baby brother barely knows me, and my sister can't stand me. My family is in danger because of my fame. You don't strike me as the kind of person who normally acts like this, but don't sell yourself short because you think you're 'just' something."

  Well that was a mouthful.

  Matt gaped at her. "You're not even twenty-seven yet?"

  Of all the things she said, Matt was stuck on that one? Kyra laughed. Softly at first, then they turned into full blown gut clenching laughs.

  "Was it something I said?" he asked, sounding so serious.

  She messed up his hair. "Of all the things to reply to, it's my age you thought about. Matt, you really need to get out more."

  He gave her a lopsided grin. "Okay, so I was a bit dumbfounded. You've accomplished so much. I thought you were older. I should have guessed you were still so young. As for get
ting out more, probably. What do you say we go do that now, or have you had enough of people?"

  "If you can find something to do in a small town on Saturday night where the nosy ones won't find us, I'm game." Bring on a night with Matt. She longed to know him better, and if they stuck around here bantering back and forth, Kyra was sure they'd do things she didn't think they should be doing.

  Like kissing.

  And she wanted to. No doubt. But it wasn't a good idea.

  *****

  "Add paintball to the list of great things Kyra Sanders can accomplish," Matt grumbled in a joking manner a few hours later. He figured it was something she'd stay unrecognized at, and blow off a little steam in the process. What he hadn't anticipated was how damn good she was. He had a few sore spots to prove it, especially his backside.

  They'd had a blast. It killed the tension.

  "Is this something you do often?" She leaned back in the seat with a grin. Damn her. She was smirking, wasn't she?

  "Andrew and I go sometimes. It's been a while." And now, where to?

  "Texas has some exciting night life outside of bars and clubs!"

  "Yeah. We've got a few great things. Are you as sore as I am?"

  "I will never admit defeat," she teased. "I've worked up an appetite, though."

  Matt nodded, forming a plan. "I've got just the idea." He drove away, whistling.

  Twenty minutes later, with two bags full of take-out and two root beer floats, Matt headed towards the cottage his parents owned in a remote location just outside of town. He wasn't ready to head back home yet, and the cottage had a perfect view of the night sky. The clouds were nowhere in sight, and the moon and stars were twinkling perfectly. The scene reminded him of a country song. There were so many songs about fun at night.

  And now he was comparing tonight to a song. Great. Kyra really did have an effect on him. He stifled a laugh.

  "Where are we off to? And what's so funny?" She pulled her messy hair back in a bun.

  "I've got a place with peace and quiet, and it has a great view of the stars," he replied.