Wasted

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Taylor

O ne Month Later…

Rolling my eyes, I slid the long-neck bottle of beer across the bar.

"Ms. Coleman," Mr. Robinson snapped, chasing me from one end of the bar to the other side as I moved to serve customers.

"I'll open a tab." I smiled at Gus, a weather-beaten farmer with calloused hands and a face creased by years in the sun. He nursed his usual beer, condensation beading on the bottle like the sweat on his brow.

I pointedly ignored the well-dressed older man who visited every other night, his crisp suit and shiny loafers as out of place here as a swan in a chicken coop as I strolled to the opposite end, attempting to escape him.

"What can I get ya, Marcus?" I smiled at another one of my regulars.

"Ms. Coleman." The well-dressed man raised his voice. His tone carried a mixture of irritation, urgency, and a hint of anger. "I am not the enemy."

I stopped, spinning to face him. Mr. Robinson was an older gentleman who was uptight and looked like he had too much stress in his life. He was tall and overweight, had white hair, was clean-shaven, and always wore a gray suit with a solid red tie. He was persistent, but he wasn't the enemy. He was only the man trying to get me to sell my family's land to some investment company that was going to develop it, and I would die before I did that. "I don't know how to say it so you'll understand, Mr. Robinson. We've been doing this same dance for over six months now. I'm not selling my land to you."

"You are only months away from losing the place, and then you'll get nothing. Let me help you."

I leaned forward over the bar. "Selling my parent's land to developers is not helping me."

"It would take a miracle to get caught up at this point, Ms. Coleman. Sell the property, and you'll get some money from the deal. If you wait, you'll get nothing and still lose your land."

I would rather have nothing.

I plastered on a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Well, unfortunately for you, I still believe in miracles, Mr. Robinson." The words tasted bitter on my tongue. I'd stopped believing in miracles a long time ago, but I would never say that out loud because I needed one right now. I turned away quickly, busying myself with wiping down the already clean bar, anything to avoid meeting his eyes and betraying the desperation I was trying so hard to hide. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a full bar tonight and need to get back to work."

Blowing out a heavy sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "Call me if you change your mind." He slapped his hand flat on the dark mahogany bar, leaving behind his card when he raised it.

Picking up the card, I nodded, then sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the business card. Mr. Jason Robinson, Real Estate Attorney. Exhaling, I pulled open the drawer under the register and dropped the card inside on top of the other 200 cards he'd left. "See you in two days," I muttered as he walked away.

Pulling the towel off my shoulder, I dropped it to the bar. My gaze followed the well-dressed man, wondering how I ended up here again.

"Rough night?" a deep voice mumbled, pulling me back to reality. My gaze shifted to the dark-haired man. I'd been so distracted by Mr. Robinson that I hadn't seen him sit down. That wasn't like me.

I forced a smile. "You could say that." I pulled out a drink napkin, setting it in front of him. "What can I get you?"

"Taylor Coleman?"

"Fuck." My eyes closed as I hung my head. This was a small town, and everyone knew everyone. So, any time a stranger showed up and knew my name, it was always someone looking to see if I was ready to sell. My gaze lifted, meeting his. "If you are here to talk me into selling my parent's land, you're wasting your time too."

"I'll take a bourbon, and I'm not interested in your land, but I could be that miracle you're looking for."

He'd been eavesdropping.

I reached for the bottle of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight, its amber liquid catching the glow of the neon Budweiser sign behind me. The smoky aroma of whiskey mingled with the scent of stale beer and peanuts as I set a heavy-bottomed glass on the mahogany bar. "Anyone ever told you it's rude to put your nose in other people's business?" I tipped the half-full bottle and filled the glass with the dark liquid.

"Sure," he said, his gaze following my movements. "But I can help."

Rolling my eyes, I huffed out a humorless laugh. "Oh yeah, you got a couple of million dollars you're handing out?"

"Maybe I should introduce myself..."

"No need," I cut him off. "I'm not sleeping with you or anyone else for money."

He frowned. "What? No." He shook his head. "My name is Wyatt Hayes, and I'm Cole Montgomery's manager."

Cole Montgomery.

As Cole's name left Wyatt's lips, my chest tightened, and I fumbled the glass I was holding, nearly dropping it. My breath caught in my throat, and I gripped the edge of the bar to steady myself, hoping no one noticed the tremor in my hands.

"Well," I shuffled backward, "then you're definitely looking for the wrong person. His sister is Bailey, but she hasn't made it to work yet."

"I know Bailey, and I'm not here to see her. I'm here to see you."

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "And why is that, Mr. Hayes?"

"Well, I need your help, and you need my money. So, I thought we might be able to help each other out and work out a deal."

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." My gaze shifted to a man at the opposite end of the bar holding up his empty beer bottle. I nodded before my eyes moved back to Wyatt.

"Cole's out of control. He's out all night drinking and sleeping around. It's gotten so bad that he's showing up wasted to shows and costing us a fortune in cancellations. If he doesn't stop, he's going to get himself into a mess I can't get him out of. He won't listen to anyone, and I thought he might listen to you."

Cole was always front-page news. I had seen and read the stories about him and his wild nights and the rumors about him drinking so much last month that he'd ended up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning after wrapping his truck around a pole. Then there was the video evidence of him throwing a chair through the window of a bar in downtown Nashville, sucker punching a man because he pissed him off, and pissing from the second-floor VIP lounge. That was all in one night.

"And why would you think that?"

"I heard you were the only person he might listen to."

I choked out a laugh. "Uh, no, trust me, I'm the last person he would listen to."

Cole Montgomery was my first love. My only love, and at one point in time, I was his, but that time had passed. Cole hated me now, and I couldn't blame him. He thought I'd betrayed him, and I guess in some ways I did, but I did what I thought I had to do at the time. What I thought was best for everyone.

"Couldn't hurt to try."

"Oh," My lips formed the shape of an O as I huffed out a humorless laugh, "yes, it could."

"Hey, Tay." My jaw clenched at the sound of her sweet, southern twang. "It's been a while."

Sucking in a deep breath, I forced a smile. "Hey, Kylie." Kylie Morgan was this small town's sweetheart and homecoming queen all four years of high school. She was even more beautiful now. Kylie was tall and thin with blonde hair and big brown eyes. I'd never disliked her, and she'd never given me a second thought until everything went down two years ago. I hadn't seen Kylie since the day she'd left Bridgewater with Cole.

She was also the mother of Cole's daughter—the woman he ran to after me. Or maybe they ran to each other. She'd had her heart broken the same day I'd broken his. It didn't matter now. That was a long time ago. "What are you doing here?"

"Wyatt thought he might need some help convincing you, so he asked me to come."

Mr. Hayes shoved out of the bar stool. "I'll let you two catch up."

We both watched as Mr. Hayes found a table in the back of the bar.

"Kylie, you know how things ended between us. He won't want my help," I said once he was out of earshot.

"We're desperate, Taylor." She slid into the stool. "And honestly, if anyone can reach him, it's you."

"No." I shook my head. "He loves River. He'll do it for her." River Montgomery was Kylie and Cole's daughter.

"I'm taking River away from him," she said, her tone laced with sadness. "I'm moving back here with her. He's too unpredictable right now, and I don't want her to see him like this."

"I get it, but you're the one he proposed to..."

"With your ring," her voice rose sharply. "He never wanted to marry me, Taylor. He wanted to marry you, and everything he's done since the day he left this town has been to rub in your face what you walked away from."

I knew he was going to ask me to marry him, and I knew he had the ring already. I found it one day when I was looking for something in his room, but Cole was so talented, and he had big dreams. My dad was sick, and we were losing the ranch. Cole was packed and ready to leave for Nashville, and I couldn't abandon my dad. I knew he wouldn't follow his dreams if he knew I wasn't going with him. He'd want to stay, and I couldn't let him do that. I had to make him leave without me.

"Why do you think he's acting like this?"

"Me?" I scowled, shaking my head and touching my finger to my chest. She nodded. "Oh, give me a break, Ky. It's been two years. He's moved on."

"Has he?" She shrugged. "Because I don't think he has."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes briefly. I didn't believe I had anything to do with Cole's behavior, but if there was even the smallest chance, I did. I should probably try to fix it. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Don't you think it's time to come clean with him?"

My lips parted, and my eyes widened. What did Kylie know about the truth? She rarely came back to this town except occasionally to bring River to see her grandparents, and I'd never told a soul. Well, except Bailey, Cole's baby sister, but that was in a moment of weakness after Cole released his newest single, Heartless, that was clearly written for me. Hearing that song, plus the loss of my dad and caring for Cole’s very ill brother, took its toll on me. She was the only person I had to lean on, but I doubted she would be the one to tell Kylie. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kylie."

Her gaze softened before dropping to her fidgeting hand resting on the bar. "You know it was me he loved." Her voice was so soft I had to strain to hear her. We weren't talking about Cole anymore. We were talking about Caleb Montgomery, Cole's older deceased brother, Kylie's first love, and my husband.

She reached behind her, pulled out a grey envelope with the Montgomery family logo on it, and slid it across the bar. Swallowing hard, my gaze flashed up, meeting hers. "I guess you recognize this?" I nodded. It was the same envelope Caleb left with his attorney to be distributed after his death. "He came clean before he died, Taylor. He tried to come clean to Cole, too, but Cole refused to talk to him."

"You never told Cole?"

She shook her head. "I didn't agree with what you two did or the decisions you made, but I understood it. Well," she smirked, "After I got over being really angry. I respect that you both thought you were doing what was best for the people you loved. I think Cole deserves to hear the truth from you."

"You don't hate me?"

She smiled softly. "No." She shook her head. "I did for a long time, and I'm still mad he took my choices away, but for some weird reason, I understand why he did it." She flattened her palms on the bar. "So, what do you say? Will you come to Nashville?"

"I can't leave town. Who will take care of the bar and the ranch?"

"I will," Bailey said. I glanced over my shoulder to see the short, dark-haired woman strolling up. "What's up, Ky?"

"You knew they were coming, didn't you?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah." Bailey smiled.

Shaking my head, I glared at her. "This was a setup."

"Look," Bailey sighed, "if you won't do it for Cole or me, then do it for River. She would be devastated if she couldn't see her daddy anymore."

I shook my head firmly. "I'm sorry, but I can't help. There's too much history there."

Kylie leaned in, her voice soft. "Taylor, please. Think about River. She needs her father."

I clenched my jaw, torn between my resolve and the image of Cole's daughter growing up without him. I let out a heavy sigh, and my shoulders sank with defeat. "I'll... I'll give it a try. But I'm not making any promises, and I'm sure as hell not sure you'll get the results you want."

"Come on." Kylie smiled, waving me around the bar. "Let's go see what Wyatt's willing to offer."

I tugged at the strings around my back, untied my apron, and tossed it to Bailey. "Looks like it's your show tonight." Bailey wasn't just Cole's little sister and my sister-in-law; she was my only friend. Caring for my dying husband and father, running Caleb's bar, and maintaining my parent's ranch didn't leave much time for a social life, and even now, a year after their deaths, that was still my excuse.

I rounded the bar and followed Kylie to the high top in the back of the bar, where Mr. Hayes was sipping his bourbon, watching the Bucs spank the Panthers. Wyatt Hayes was a middle-aged man with dark hair and brown eyes. He was attractive but also looked like he carried way too much stress on his shoulders. Kylie slid into the seat next to him, and I grabbed the spot across from him.

"Okay," I said. "You've got my attention. How can I help?"

His smile widened. "Cole has six shows left in this tour." He leaned forward on his arms, which were flat on the table. "If you can get him to each show on time and sober, I will make sure you don't lose your parent's property."

"And what if I get there, and he sends me home?"

"He's not hiring you. I am."

"What if he doesn't want to listen to me? What if I make things worse?"

"I think you're underestimating the power you have over him, Taylor," Kylie said.

I groaned as I remembered the last thing Cole said to me. "I don't ever want to see you again, Taylor." I'd hurt him, and I'd done it on purpose because I knew if I didn't, he wouldn't leave. His amazing talent would die in this small town. He'd get a job working at a ranch or in the bar. He'd never be what he was destined to be. All because I was too selfish to let him go, and now, he was going to lose it all, and everything I did would be for nothing. I couldn't let him throw it all away.

"I guess we'll see how this goes," I said. "When do we leave?"

"How quickly can you pack?"

For the second time in my life, I was taking a deal I really didn't feel right taking, but just like last time, it was to help Cole.