“I know.” The stool toppled over when Lottie stood and stepped away from Hailey. “You did something, and now he doesn’t want to be my dad anymore. This is all your fault.”
The hit came at her like a wrecking ball. Fractures split into fissures in Hailey’s heart, when her brave girl’s lips wobbled. But she couldn’t let Lottie speak to her that way. She wanted to scream that she hadn’t done anything, but maybe she had.
Deep in her soul, she worried that she hadn’t been enough for a man like Derek, and that was why he’d cheated. Her rational brain knew it wasn’t the truth, but the other part of her brain, the one she fought with in the middle of the night, absolutely believed that was true. “I know you’re hurt and confused, but you can’t speak to me that way. I’m still your mother.”
Lottie’s only response was to lift her quivering chin higher, the look on her face leaving little doubt that she wished Hailey wasn’t her mother. Tears pooled at the little girl’s lower lids. “You ruin everything. You ruined being married to Dad, you ruined our family, and you ruined marrying Roger.”
Hailey placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, and she could feel the misery vibrating through Lottie’s small frame. “I’m so sorry you’re sad, Lottie.”
The person she’d die for refused her embrace. Her daughter pulled away and ran from the room. “I hate you,” was her parting shot.
Hailey needed both hands on the counter to steady herself. Fierce heartbreak nearly took her legs out from under her. “Lottie.” It was more a sob than a word. She didn’t know who it was for—her or her daughter. Probably both.
Chapter 7
“I don’t need a keeper.” Beau paced the living room of Hailey’s little house.
“Beau, that’s not what we’re suggesting,” Luanne said. “But after what happened last night, and after hearing your explanation, it’s clear that you’re a little blind to these things. Frankly, everyone but you saw this coming.”
His fingers splayed across his hip bones, every ounce of his self-control going to keep from exploding. “Gee thanks, Luanne. Now you’re saying that I’m a clueless twit who doesn’t know when someone is about to sabotage him.”
One finely plucked black brow hooked up her forehead.
“Shit. Okay. You’re right about last night and Dawn. I never saw that coming.”
Jack sat back in his chair. “Of all the dumbass—”
“Luanne, would you and Jack give me a minute with Beau?” Gavin’s reasonable tone made the hair stand up on Beau’s neck.
“Sure.” Luanne stood and took Jack’s hand. “Come on stud, let’s get some air.”
Jack stood, but he didn’t look happy about it. “I should stay too.”
“I got it.”
Some unspoken conversation passed between the two men. Whatever Jack saw in Gavin’s eye must’ve convinced him Gavin was going to give Beau a proper ass chewing because he followed Luanne outside.
As the two left the room, Beau had the most irrational desire to run after them and beg them not to leave him alone with Gavin.
The rock star stretched his arms across the back of the sofa, then crossed one leg over the other. With his ripped jeans, black tee, and tattoos, he looked like a rock god holding court. He inspected Beau without saying a word. Every second of silence piled another shovelful of dread on Beau’s shoulders. Finally, Gavin cocked his head. “Really?”
“Really, what?” He wasn’t at all sure where the guy was taking this conversation.
“You never saw the thing with Dawn coming?” Gavin picked at the frayed edges of one of the holes in the knee of his jeans. “I don’t mean to be an ass, but you can’t bullshit a bullshitter.”
“That’s—”
The other man’s hand went into the air. “Save it for someone who hasn’t been right where you are. The women are…incredible. They smell good, they’re soft, and more than anything, they’re willing. The variety is never-ending. It’s a fucking rush to have them fighting over you. I know. Been there.”
Beau just stared at the guy. The moment dragged on, while his conscience kicked the shit out of the denial that was his automatic response. Gavin’s words took all the fight out of him, and he dropped into the comfy chair. Elbows on knees, he cradled his head in his hands. “Yeah.” He glanced up at Gavin through his long bangs. “Yeah, it is.”
Gavin’s knowing nod held no judgment. “It’s unreal. You feel like a motherfucking god.” He held up his finger. “I’ll kill you if you tell Scarlett I said any of this. I’m supposed to be cleaning up my language. Aiden repeats every damn thing I say. Preschoolers, man, they’re little magpies. And Scarlett would die if Molly’s first word was fuck.”
Beau chuckled, grateful for the levity. “That’s exactly it.” He smoothed his hair out of his face. “I hate to admit it, but…yeah, that’s it.”
Gavin leaned forward and matched Beau’s position. “Listen, I get it. Jack will never understand. Mostly because he’s a decent guy, and he’d never use a woman just because she said he could. But he’s never been on that stage. Felt what we’ve felt. I’m not saying it’s right, and now more than ever, I see how wrong it is, but I do get it. That’s why you need to listen to me, so you don’t make the same mistakes that I’ve made, or worse.”
Beau nodded. “I’m listening.”
“Good, because this business is a monster. It’ll use you up and never look back.” The rocker twisted the silver ring on his thumb and stared at a spot on the carpet. Beau imagined he was thinking about his bandmate, Johnny Wolfe, who’d died in a drug-related car accident several years before. Gavin’s grey eyes were fierce when they met his. “You have to control it and not the other way around. But right now, you’ve got so much coming at you—the hit record, learning the business, and the attention. Any one of those things can be overwhelming, and you’ve got ’em all at once.” One side of his mouth kicked up, and it appeared the ghosts were gone. “Not bad problems to have, but they’re dangerous. Even when you can handle more, you still need to surround yourself with smart people who don’t put up with your bullshit. People who can keep you grounded and remind you what’s really important.”
“I hear you.”
Gavin slapped Beau’s knee. “Good. Because I don’t want to have to kick your ass.”
Beau barked a laugh. “Bring it, old man.”
Gavin threw his head back and cracked up. “Old man, huh? I’m only a few years older than you. But I guess you’re right, in this business I’m a dinosaur. That’s why you need to listen to me. Now shut up and let us find you someone who can keep an eye out for you when we can’t be around.”
“Fine.”
“We just have to find that person who’s no-nonsense, and who won’t put up with your foolishness.”
“Please, don’t hold back, Gav. Tell me what you really think.”
Gavin got to his feet. “Dude, if you want someone to blow smoke up your ass, then I’m not that guy.”
“That’s fair.” Beau stood too. “I should probably go talk to Jack. He was pretty pissed at me.”
“He’s not pissed at you. He blames himself for not being there, and he’s worried about Luanne and the pregnancy.”
Panic raced through him. “Is she in trouble?”
“Not right now, but because she’s carrying twins, it’s a higher risk situation because she’s such a tiny thing.” Another cautious look around. “And if you ever tell her I said that, they’ll never find your body.”
“I never knew you were so scared of the women in your life, rock star.” Beau laughed and dodged a punch from Gavin.
“You have no idea. Luanne threatened to castrate me when we first met, and she’s never taken it back. And if Scarlett heard me say what I said today, she might not stop her.”
Beau drew a cross over his heart with his finger. “I’ll carry it to my grave.”
Luanne’s condition put a crimp in his plans to see if he could move back in with her and Jack unt
il he could find another place. Besides, he and his cousin probably shouldn’t be in such close quarters until this mess blew over. “So what’s the plan now that my band is either in the hospital or jail?”
“We rebuild. Buddy will be back, but it could take a couple of months, and we’ve got to find a female backup singer who won’t show up naked in your bed.”
“Yeah, about that. Maybe we should keep it to men. I mean surely we can find a guy with a great tenor or a decent falsetto.” Speaking of women, where was the lady of the house? He hoped she and her daughter weren’t burning what clothes he’d brought with him in some ritualistic ceremony.
“We can try, but your voice blends well with a female. And we used Dawn on the album, so, for now, we probably do need a woman.”
“Okay, fine.” Beau sighed.
“Don’t worry about it. Not much has changed. We only had a couple of gigs booked between now and the tour, and they’re easy enough to reschedule. You keep working on those sets.”
“Kind of hard without a band, and it’s not the same as playing in front of a live crowd.”
“Yeah, it’s a different vibe.”
They made their way to the front door where they saw Jack leaning against the car with Luanne’s back against his front, and his big hands over her belly. His lips were at her ears, and she was laughing. This was another reason he couldn’t live with them anymore. They were so in love that it was painful to watch because he knew he’d never be able to have that. Not right now anyway, and maybe not ever.
He’d been raised by a bachelor to be a bachelor and chase a dream with everything he had.
Hailey went in search of Lottie, but she wasn’t in her room. She heard her laughing and followed the sound to the backyard where the girl was rolling on the ground with Beau’s pooch, Walter.
One too many trips to the emergency room with her kid struggling to breathe had her fighting the urge to tell Lottie to take it easy or all the grass and activity would trigger an asthma attack. Instead she pushed through the screen door and sat her inhaler on the back step. “Lottie, here’s your inhaler if you need it.” The breath caught in Hailey’s throat when Lottie sat up with leaves in her hair, dog slobber on her cheek, and the old Lottie sparkling in her eyes.
It’d been a while since she’d heard that kind of joy coming from Lottie. Not since Derek married Ariel and started being a father to her kids. She guessed it was then that Lottie realized Derek wasn’t interested in being her dad anymore. Not that he’d been a great one to start with.
“Okay.”
Hailey guessed that was all she was going to get given how upset Lottie was. She’d give her some space and try to talk to her later.
Lottie flung a stick halfway across the backyard. “Fetch.”
The dog only stared at her with his tongue lolling.
“Fetch, Walter.” Lottie said it louder like Walter wasn’t an English speaker.
Walter yawned and scratched behind his ear.
“Fine. I’ll go get it.” Lottie made her way across the yard on lanky legs. As soon as she got to the stick, Walter swept in and grabbed it up in his mouth, then took off with it. “Walter!” Lottie chased the dog around the backyard, stumbling several times from her uncontrollable laughter.
Hailey choked on her own laughter. She didn’t want to intrude any longer on this moment, so she made her way inside and went in search of her guests.
They were in the front yard. She studied the four of them from the front door. Their body language was less tense than it had been when they arrived. The sun showed off Beau’s golden hair, making it look like the man was on fire. How appropriate. He was almost too beautiful to be real. Her body responded to his brightness like a reckless, horny moth with no regard for her own safety.
Good thing she’d inoculated herself against men like him.
Then why are you staring at him like an idiot?
She forced herself to tear her eyes from him. If she didn’t, she’d go blind or spontaneously combust. How would she explain that to her psyche, after all her I’m immune to men like him talk?
Her phone rang, and she fished it out of her pocket. She glanced at the screen and groaned. It was her bar manager, Newt. If he was calling, then it wasn’t good news. “Hello.”
“Hailey, it’s Newt.”
“Good morning. What’s up?” No need to pussyfoot around.
“Every toilet and sink in the place is backed up. It smells like a brick shithouse in here.”
She glanced at her watch. “Call Marty the plumber and see if he can get out there.”
“I already did. He’s at church and doesn’t work on Sundays. He said he’d be here first thing in the morning.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well, the good news is that we don’t open back up till Tuesday. I hope he can get it cleared by then.”
“Yeah, me too. It’s bad.” Newt wasn’t known for his sunny disposition, but he sounded grimmer than normal.
“Great. Make sure the water’s turned off and get out of there. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
“Will do. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”
She snorted without humor. “No problem. See ya.”
“See ya.”
A dollar-sign-shaped pit stretched through her stomach. She didn’t have room in her budget for a major plumbing problem. Roger had been right about one thing, damn him. Right now, the bar was a money pit. But she knew she could make it great again. She just needed the right draw—something to put Boon’s Saloon back on the map.
In its heyday the place had been the most popular country and western bar in Texas, rivaling even the world-famous Gilly’s in Houston. She looked at the rising country music star in her front yard. The couple of weekends he’d played at Boon’s when he first arrived had been huge. She hadn’t asked him to perform anymore because she couldn’t afford him and lately he’d had gigs at some of the bigger bars in Austin and Houston on the weekends. Plus, she didn’t like taking advantage of their friendship.
But she wasn’t opposed to using a place to live as leverage to get him to play at the bar.
Her lip went between her teeth. He could be the answer to her prayers, and also her worst nightmare.
She couldn’t let him live in the house, for heaven’s sake—she had a kid. But there was the room above the garage. It wouldn’t be comfortable having him so close, but she had a bar to save.
The sound of little girl laughter came from the backyard. Maybe it wouldn’t be terrible. Walter did make Lottie stupid happy.
Ugh, why did everything she did have to be so freakin’ hard? Couldn’t just one thing be easy? No need to camp on the answer to that question. It was always the same. No. Just look at her life for the last almost ten years.
Who knew a teenage pregnancy would’ve had such far-reaching consequences. Not only had her father rejected her and her baby’s daddy blamed her, but for years she’d been persona non grata in Zachsville. Her life had been like a Lifetime Movie. She wouldn’t have made it through that time if not for her mom and Boon’s.
So, yes, she’d do anything to save the bar. Even live on the same property as Beau Callen.
Chapter 8
“We better get going.” Luanne disentangled herself from Jack’s embrace. “We’ll see you back at the house, Beau.”
“Why?” Were they not done raking him over the coals?
“Well, I’m assuming you’re not living here, since Hailey and Lottie aren’t moving in with Roger.”
“Oh. That.” He glanced at Jack, whose face was suspiciously neutral.
Luanne laughed. “Yeah, that.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and peered down the street. “I…I don’t know. Hailey said she’d help me find another place to stay that will take Walter.”
“And she already has.” He turned at the sound of Hailey’s voice.
Jack’s expression immediately brightened. “You have? You work fast.”
“It co
mes with conditions, though.”
“Okay, great.” He had to have space for Walter.
“Don’t you want to know the conditions?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really care what they are. If it’s a place to rent that will let Walter live there, then I’m good.”
Hailey’s cat-like grin gave him a moment of pause. “I’ll tell you anyway. I have a garage apartment. You can live here rent free if you play at Boon’s every weekend until you leave to go on tour.”
“Funny how you didn’t mention the apartment before I had to sleep in the princess bed.” He splayed his fingers across his hip bones. “And if I say no, then I can’t live here? That’s extortion.”
She patted his arm. “Extortion is such an ugly word. I prefer mutually beneficial relationship.”
He sidled closer to her, crowding into her personal space like he knew she hated. “Mutually beneficial usually indicates more pleasurable endeavors.”
Her brows crinkled together. “You probably need to work on that one. It fell flat for me.” She peered at the others in their group. “How about you guys? Thumbs up or thumbs down for that particular come-on line?”
Jack, Gavin, and Luanne all stood with the same expression of amusement and wonder. Then one after the other they pointed their thumbs down.
He huffed a chuckle and stepped back. “Everyone’s a critic.”
“I think performing at Boon’s is a great idea,” Jack said.
Gavin scratched the scruff on his jaw. “We can talk to the house band about backing him up until we find a new bass player and backup singer.”
“Actually, I’ve got a guy in mind for a bass player, but I’ll give the house band drummer a call. I bet he’ll be fine with it. Don’t you think, Hailey?” Jack asked.
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