Chapter Thirty
His deal had cost his kin their mates,
Even after he was gone,
And you still hear their lonesome fates,
In all their lonesome songs.
Lyrics from the folk song “Crossroads Coyote”
After Bill was hustled off towards the stage by the frantic PA, Clementine ducked into the ladies’ room to fix her hair. Her blonde curls were never easy to tame and now they were in chaotic disarray. Bill’s dominant hands had pulled them free of the ponytail she’d fashioned. She didn’t regret their slightly-Bad encounter. It had been incredible! But she wasn’t thrilled with advertising their passion through her tousled hairstyle. She had a professional image to maintain.
Clem got the mess back under control and then hurried into the hallway. “Luke?” She’d left him standing outside the restroom door.
“I’m getting us food.” His voice called from down the hall. “I’m starving and I found vending machines. What do you want? They got a bunch of different chocolate and candy. And something called ‘Gala-Rinds’.” He paused. “Hang on, is that like sugar on pork rinds?” He gave a dismissive scoff, not even waiting for her to answer. “Never mind. I bet they have salt. You’re not getting those.”
Clementine rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. Wonderful. Bill had recruited his sibling to steal all her snacks. The two of them weren’t used to having a woman in their lives. She got that. It made sense that they’d want to safeguard her. But they’d wrap her up in cotton balls, if she let them. …So she wasn’t going to let them. They’d have to learn that she made her own choices.
Shaking her head in exasperation, Clem headed Luke’s way. She was opening her mouth to call back to him and explain that Bill was completely overreacting about the salt thing. Before she got the words out, though, she heard someone whistling.
For a fraction of a second, she thought it was Bill. Something about the noise reminded her of her husband. But she also knew it wasn’t him. Everything Bill did was art. Even casual music, like whistling, had an overlay of magic and beauty. This sound was pleasant enough. She heard a smidgeon of potential in the notes. It was nothing like the shockwaves of talent she experienced around Bill or Luke, though.
This guy’s skill was above-average, but dull. It didn’t hold her interest, at all.
The tune the man was whistling was Crossroad Coyote . That did hold her interest. In fact, Clem had been dwelling on the damn song, wondering if there was a way to uncurse the coyotes.
Now, her mind flashed to the confusing lyrics, where the crossroads woman explained how coyotes could reclaim their True Loves.
“When cy’otes sing, our lesson imparts,
But our curse won’t bid adieu,
‘Til a partner gives one her whole heart,
And loves that cowboy so true.”
“All doors that keep the cowboy safe,
Must fall before his bride.
He must need that darling waif,
And choose no more to hide.”
And suddenly the confusing lyrics made sense. They came together in her head, filled with purpose and meaning. She understood exactly how to lift the coyote’s curse.
Bill was a coyote and Clem was his partner.
She loved him with her whole heart.
Bill had opened up all the doors between them.
He’d said he needed her.
He was no longer hiding his talent.
It was like a freaking checklist of how to reTrue Love coyote kind! The only missing piece was Bill singing. If he did that, the entire curse would be…
The whistling abruptly stopped and Luke gave a sudden shout of alarm. “What the fuck?!” Something crashed, like he’d just been shoved backwards into one of the vending machines.
Clementine surged forward, instinctively racing towards the boy. Nobody hurt Luke. Not ever again.
“You’re going to help me get on this show.” A male voice snarled. The same voice that had been whistling. “It’s my turn in the spotlight. I’m gonna take his place on stage, before anyone even knows what happened.”
“The hell you are.” Luke snapped back.
“It’s gonna be me up there!” The man roared. “You get in line with that or I’ll find someone else to help me. Maybe that big-titted blonde, you boys are so fond of.”
Clem’s eyes narrowed at the random sexualization. It was so difficult to be a muse in the music business. You had to fight assholes at every turn. Sometimes physically.
She rounded the corner and paused outside the vending machine room, tilting her head to peer around the doorframe. A man who looked like an older, russet-haired version of Luke was looming over the boy.
“You go near Clem and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” Luke vowed in a deadly calm tone.
Clementine’s heart melted. He was such a sweetie-pie. Overprotective and grouchy, but she wouldn’t change him a bit. Luke didn’t have to worry about defending her, though. He was just a kid. It was her job to look after him.
“You better remind yourself of what happens when you disobey me, Luke.” The man hissed. “I’m getting real sick of your attitude. I thought some time spent in the dark would’ve cleared your head.”
As quietly as she could, Clem reached down to pull off her size nine cowgirl boots. Instantly, she dropped down two inches in height.
“Fucking try to lock me up.” Luke invited with a reckless, evil, “fuck you” grin. “I started shifting. The fight’ll be fair this time. …Or maybe not, since I’m pretty sure I’m bigger than your geriatric ass. We’ll see who winds up on top.”
“You’re threatening me? After all I’ve done for you? Your own mother didn’t want you, boy. You think anyone else in this world will take you in?”
“I think they already have . I slept on the sheriff’s couch last night. Don’t know where the hell I’m sleeping tonight, but I know it’ll be under the same roof as my brother and his wife.”
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable, especially with her. Women always leave coyotes. How many times have you seen it happen to me?”
“Women leave you, because you deserve to be left.” Luke diagnosed contemptuously.
“Bill’s stolen-mate is gonna hightail it, the second she gets a chance. You mark my words.”
“Clem decided on Bill, because she loves him. She was never stolen.”
Finally, someone else got that!
The older man shook his head, as if bitterly disappointed by Luke’s faith in Clementine. “Until some better fella comes along and she decides to love him, instead. Then, she’ll go on her merry way, forgetting about you both.”
“No.” Luke sounded very sure. “She’s not leaving me and she’s not leaving Bill. She dotes on us.”
“You choose that little bitch, if it makes you feel special. But, I’m getting on this show, if I have to go right through you.” He stabbed a finger in Luke’s face. “You know that I mean it.”
Luke braced himself, anticipating a violent, bloody battle.
Clem marched into the vending machine room.
Luke’s face paled. He straightened, preparing to fling himself in front of her.
The older guy turned. “Why, hello there.” He smiled, but there was no light in his icy blue eyes. The beautiful color was exactly like Bill’s, only nothing like it at all. “You’re just the girl I was looking for.”
Clem smiled. “I’ve been looking for you, too.”
Then, she hit him as hard as she could.
Using just her fist, she wouldn’t have done much damage. He was bigger than her. But one of the high-quality boots Bill gave her was in her hand. The heavy stacked heel and the sharp metal spur slammed into the guy’s face like a bludgeon.
There was a shocked, pained cry, as the man went down. Blood poured from his broken nose and the cuts on his skin.
The element of surprise was a powerful thing, and Clem took advantage of it. Her opponent collapsed to the floor, gripping his wounded face, and Clem immediately hit him again. And again. And again. She pounded the son of a bitch right into the floor. He didn’t get a chance to fight back or shift into a coyote. Blunt-force trauma to the skull had him unconscious within seconds.
High-quality footwear was definitely worth the price.
Luke stood there, his eyes huge. “Holy shit!”
Clem glanced up at him, blowing a stray curl from in front of her eyes. Her hair was wrecked again. Great. “Please tell me this really is your father and I just didn’t attack some totally innocent man.”
“Oh, that’s Pa, alright. What’s left of him, anyhow.” Luke beamed, visibly proud of her assault. She’d never seen the kid so all-fired happy. “You beat his ass!”
“Well, he threatened my family.” She looked him over. “Did he harm you? If he did, I’ll hit him again.”
Luke’s expression softened. “No, he didn’t hurt me. You kept me real safe. Just like you said you would.”
She stepped back from Hop, pulling her boots back on. Thankfully, the dark leather hid the blood. “Do I really dote on you and Bill?”
“You gave me three pillows, two glasses of warm milk, and a stuffed panda bear toy, when you tucked me in last night.”
Yeah, okay… That was probably going overboard. “Mr. Pandy died in the fire, so you don’t have to sleep with him anymore.”
“Well, I still got the rabbit and those two unicorn dolls you bought to take his place.” Luke deadpanned, but his eyes grew slightly concerned. “How about you? Are you okay?” He headed over to stand next to her. “Do you feel stressed out? You should lie down, if you’re gonna faint.”
“I’m not going to faint.” Her stress level was shockingly low. Dealing with Hop was nothing compared to what she went through with Johnny. None of the betrayal and fear. This abusive asshole was nothing at all. “Your father isn’t very interesting. I could tell from his whistling. He’s not worth getting upset over.”
“I think the same.” Luke slung an arm around her. He wasn’t worried about touching her anymore. He seemed to think that his scent belonged on her.
It did.
She rested her head against her little brother’s shoulder. “Do me a favor and call Hank, okay? We’ll get your dad locked up in prison for the next decade or two.”
“Oh, I’ll handle everything.” Luke assured her, but there was a predatory sort of glint in his eye that made her wonder if Hopalong Kassidy would live to see the inside of a jail cell.
Clementine planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t want you killing your father, Luke.” She said sternly.
“Understood.”
“You’d carry that on your conscience forever.”
“It’s real cute how you think I got one.”
“Of course you have a conscience! You’re a sensitive person. An artist. The repercussions of violence could be very upsetting for you.”
“I hear ya.”
Clem hesitated. “I feel like you’re saying things to make it sound like you’re agreeing with me, when you’re not actually agreeing with me.”
Luke smiled blandly.
Clem’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t do anything without Bill.” She ordered.
“You really think Bill’s gonna be a stabilizing influence on my lawless tendencies?”
“I think I don’t want you getting charged with murder. If I can’t rein you two in, at least he’ll know how to hide a body.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Luke finally nodded. “You gotta point there. I’ll just tie Pa up, for now.” He began stripping the vending machines of their electrical cords to use them as rope.
Good enough.
“I have to go watch my husband. I promised him I’d be in the wings.” She swiped a hand down her gingham skirt, hoping it wasn’t too wrinkled from sex and fighting. “Besides, I think he’s about to break the coyote curse and discover I’m his True Love. I should be there for that. It’ll mean a lot to him. He’s very romantic.”
Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “Bill’s gonna break the coyote curse? How?”
“By singing, of course.”
“But he’s not singing. He’s playing guitar.”
“He’s singing.” Clementine headed for the stage. “He just maybe doesn’t know it, yet.”
Bill had promised her that he’d give this performance his all. His all meant singing. She knew that, even if it was probably not what he’d anticipated when he’d said it. A promise was a promise, though. He’d realize what he’d done soon enough. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too traumatic for him.
There were only a few people in the wings when she arrived. Bill didn’t have the best slot of the show, so no one was anticipating much. She stood as close as she could get to the stage, focusing on the bright lights on the set and trying to ignore the darkness all around her.
Bill was standing in front of the microphone, at center stage.
“Alright now!” Ranger O’Rourke was saying to the audience, from his usual spot on one of the balconies. “We got a newcomer here tonight. Showed up at the last minute. I ain’t never heard him play, as a matter of fact.” He paused theatrically. “Hey… you can play, right?” He looked Bill’s way.
The audience laughed at Ranger’s antics.
Bill didn’t crack a smile. “Little late to be asking that now , innit?”
The audience laughed harder.
Even from a distance, Clem could see Ranger perk up. Most guests were too nervous to respond to his improvised remarks. Bill’s calm demeanor must have seemed like a gift to him. He suddenly had a chance to perform a little himself.
“Well, I enjoy taking a chance on folks, every now and then.” Ranger drawled, extending the bit and expecting Bill to keep up. “Especially, when they’ve got themselves a real nice guitar. Look at what you’re holding there! I wouldn’t mind having a fine instrument like that myself. Where’d you get it, son?”
“Took it from your dressing room.” Bill told him truthfully.
Clementine couldn’t tell if Ranger’s surprise was genuine or fake.
“It is real nice, though.” Bill agreed, casual and unrepentant.
The audience howled, completely won over.
Clem smiled. Bill didn’t have to do much. Like everyone who was born a star, the spotlight made him seem bigger than life. When he was on stage, even very simple things sparkled.
Ranger seemed energized by the crowd’s excited response to their silly exchange. He’d been in the business for decades. He knew when someone had ka-pow!
“So you’re on my show, with me never hearing you play and with no guitar?” He clarified with mock indignation. “Well, all I can say is: You’d better put on the best damn performance Home on the Range has ever seen.” He sat down in his seat with an artificial huff.
Bill absently strummed his stolen instrument, his eyes cutting towards the wings. Trying to spot Clementine. He cleared his throat, like he felt stage fright for the very first time in his career.
Clem sent waves of reassurance through their shared connection. Letting him know she was there and she loved him. As a muse, it was her job to offer unconditional support.
As a manager, it was her job to obsess over anything she might have missed.
She hoped that the smoke from the fire hadn’t affected his vocal cords. Coyotes healed fast, though. The bruises on Bill and Luke had already mostly faded.
She hoped that the sound would be okay, given that Bill was switching his act at the last second. The stage was enchanted, though. Everything should automatically adjust.
She hoped that the curse really lifted or Bill would be so disappointed. “Crossroad’s Coyote” said it would, though. And she knew Bill was destined to be hers. She knew it.
She just had to stay positive about this performance and it would all be okay.
Probably.
“My best, best friend gave me pieces of a ballad.” Bill said mildly, his shoulders relaxing as he felt her presence. “Her pa started it and she asked me to finish it. Said it would be good practice. So, this is what I wrote. For her.”
He launched into the first notes of My Own True Love.
His fingers danced over the guitar strings. Cameras rolled and the spotlight shone, but suddenly his nerves were gone. His lips curved a bit, truly enjoying himself. He was in his natural element, now. Doing what he was born to do. Playing his own music. Freeing his emotions and being an artist.
She was so proud of him!
Then he leaned into the microphone …and all thoughts were wiped from Clem’s mind.
Bill sang and the entire studio went deathly quiet. His voice was rough and smooth, beguiling and honest, powerful and intimate. It was everything, all at once, surrounding you in a cocoon of sex and dreams and magic. It was like hearing music for the very first time.
Clementine’s breath stuttered out of her lungs. This wasn’t a ballad. This was an orgy for your ears. She’d known he was a once-in-a-generation artist. But she’d had no idea how incredibly, sinfully hot the man would be, when he finally embraced his full potential.
Holy moly .
She was going to have to keep other women off of him with a cattle prod.
The lyrics he’d written poured out of him. Unpracticed and raw. When he recorded this song (and they were so recording this song) it would have bigger instrumentals. Fancier production. But this acoustic version captured the desperate edge of the man who sang them. His yearning for his True Love. Pleading for her return. Calling her to his side.
Needing her.
Clem took an unconscious step forward onto the very edge of the stage. The audience couldn’t see her, but Bill could. His small smile grew bigger, feeling even more confident with her standing so close. The song got faster. Swelling with emotion and promises. All of them sung right to her.
Clem wouldn’t have it any other way. The cameramen were probably wondering why he was looking off-stage, but she was too spellbound to care.
Bill had not written an easy song to sing. It was big and flashy, with complicated vocals. His talent made it seem simple, though. Natural. Like anyone could distill truth and beauty into poetic lyrics, and then perform the song for the first time on live international television.
Up in his box, Ranger O’Rourke slowly stood up, a shocked expression on his face. Home on the Range was indeed witnessing its greatest performance. Pecos Bill and a borrowed guitar brought the whole studio to a standstill.
When Bill reached the final verse, the lyrics turned hopeful. Maybe True Love wasn’t just a foolish dream. Maybe the woman wasn’t lost and beyond his reach. Maybe he would one day find her. Bill might’ve once winced at the idea of putting his emotions out there, but now he sang with all of them on display. No one could look away.
Bill’s voice soared to reach the highest notes of the finale. There was an audible gasp from the audience, as he freaking nailed it and let the song end like a graceful dream.
It was the birth of a superstar. Everybody knew it.
Deafening, thunderous, endless applause erupted. Clem clapped along with the others, tears in her eyes. Whoever was following Bill’s act was out of luck, because there would be no topping it. Maybe ever. People were on their feet, screaming his name.
Bill gave a polite nod of his head to the adoring masses, but his eyes quickly went back to Clementine. His brows rose, asking what she thought.
She beamed at him and blew a kiss.
He laid a hand over his heart in appreciation, giving a little bow. “I love…” He stopped short, his whole expression shifting.
Clem understood why.
The True Love bond had just snapped into place.
Good folks always felt it after they’d slept with their True Love and she’d slept with Bill. Repeatedly. There was no mistaking the knot that yanked tight between them. It was strong. Warm. Right .
Even though Clementine hadn’t dreamed of finding her True Love, she found herself thrilled with the connection. It made her feel completely justified in chasing down her cowboy. She’d known they were a perfect match!
Bill’s reaction wasn’t so sanguine. His jaw went taut, his eyes glowing bright. With the audience still cheering, he stalked off stage and headed right for Clem.
She could feel the wild tumult of his emotions. Artists were so easily overset. “Honey, I know you’re probably surprised. But don’t let yourself become all het up…”
He cut her off, his face filled with desperate, frantic hope. “Is it real? Tell me it’s real. How did you do it?”
“It’s real. And it wasn’t just me. It was you, too. It was us . If you consider the lyrics of Crossroads Coyote , the curse could be lifted when…”
Bill interrupted again. “You lifted the curse?” His incredible voice vibrated with awe. “It’s gone?”
“ We lifted the curse. I felt it happen.”
“So did I. I just don’t understand… How can…?” He swallowed, trying to rearrange his thoughts. “Coyotes can have True Loves?”
“Seems so. And I’m yours, Pecos Bill.” She wrinkled her nose. “But are we even surprised? Who else would it be?”
Bill’s legs buckled. He sagged to the wooden floor, kneeling before her. “My own True Love.” He breathed reverently. His arms went around her waist, and he gripped her tight. “You’re really mine.”
“I was already yours. Your wife. Your muse. Your manager. Your best, best friend. True Love doesn’t really change anything.”
“It does .” He insisted, his face buried against her. “It means I didn’t steal you. It means you’ve always belonged to me.”
“Of course I do. Just like you belong to me.”
“I’ve belonged to you from the beginning. But this proves…” He stopped, dragging in a ragged breath. “It proves you weren’t wrong to pick me, as your husband.”
“That’s never been a worry for me. Not for a second. We were made for each other, True Loves or not.”
He lifted his face to look up at her, his eyes damp.
She smiled. “Clementine and Bill.”
“Clementine and Bill.” He vaulted to his feet, sweeping her up in his arms. “For all of ever-after.”
Clem laughed, hanging onto his shoulders while he spun her around. “I hate to ruin this lovely moment, but Ranger’s calling you back for an encore.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
“You might as well enjoy the limelight. After you’re finished becoming famous, we have to go help deal with your father. I just beat him unconscious in the snack room. It’s sure to be a mess.”
Bill pulled back to look at her face. “You serious?”
“Oh yes. He had no idea what hit him. Literally.” She shrugged. “I’m fine. Luke’s fine. Hop’s passed out by the vending machines.”
“Huh.” That meant Bill was impressed.
“I had big brothers.” She reminded him modestly.
“Huh.” Now, Bill was amused. “What weapon did you use?”
“My new boot.”
“Huh.” The sound was smug. “Well, see, darlin’?” He kissed her lavishly. “I told you boots were good protection.”