Chapter 4
Caspian
It’s just a short walk to the water. My family’s acreage edges right up to the riverfront, with trees on either side of the property masking neighboring homes.
My grandparents bought this place in retirement as a way for the family to experience the Hill Country, which is so different from West Texas.
We’re all from Midland, which is on the vast plain with a dry, desert climate.
It’s sunny and hot most of the time, and the people are friendly.
Same for the Hill Country, but it’s more humid than Midland, which took some getting used to.
Living amongst the trees and hills make up for it.
They named the place Camp Stillwater because it sits on the banks of the Blue Canyon River.
Although it’s deep in many places, it’s more shallow in Cobalt County.
I tried to get my ex-wife, Jade, to swim and float with us, but she never did.
She just sat inside my grandparents’ house, playing on her phone the entire time we visited them, and then later insisted I didn’t pay enough attention to her. She eventually quit coming.
I knew we didn’t have much in common, but I thought love would fix it. Turns out, love is a verb, and Jade didn’t know how to act it out.
On clear nights like tonight, the moonlight and stars reflect off the water, illuminating the few homes on the opposite bank.
Alex stops in two steps, though, leaning down and slowly unzipping one of her thigh-high boots.
It’s like the boots were made for her, letting just enough thigh skin peek out.
She bends over, her short skirt barely skimming her round ass, and I can’t help but emit a low groan at the image.
She tosses a look over her shoulder and slows down, taking her sweet time, revealing a sexy as hell thigh-high sheer stocking topped by a lace band.
Keep it up, pretty thing, and I won’t be able to stay away.
I scrub a hand over my chin as she rolls the stocking toward her ankle, her smooth thighs thick and enticing. Fuck. Me.
“Alex.”
She looks back at me, biting her full bottom lip. “Yes?” She’s still bent over, her hands sliding the stocking off her foot.
“I need you to stop.”
“I’m taking them off because my heels will sink into the ground.” She balances on the grass with one cute bare foot. “Also can’t walk in my stockings now, can I?”
I crouch down beside Alex, eye-level to where she’s bent over, my voice low. “I need you to stop unzipping your boots like that.”
She blinks innocently, and our eyes lock just like the first time I saw her.
I hum so low it’s practically a growl. “I’m attracted to you Alex. Plain and simple. And I want nothing more than to take you to bed. So if you keep removing your boots like a wanton temptress, I’m going to offer to help you.”
She swallows and removes her boot and stocking quickly before standing back up. “Mixing work with pleasure is probably a bad idea.” She swirls her long hair into a knot that somehow secures itself. “It’s not something I do.”
Smart woman. I can fix a stuck valve, manage 500 head of cattle, but reading what a woman needs? Failed that test once already.
She starts toward the water and turns around to walk backwards. “But for the record, I wouldn’t have minded the offer.”
Innocent my ass.
The blue sky’s clear as glass, and the sun’s working overtime as I step out of my work UTV. I snag my hat off the seat, placing it on my head to keep the sun off my neck. It’s not even ten yet, but the morning’s been busy and hot.
At dawn, I herded cattle with Eli and some other wranglers’ cattle from the east pasture to avoid them wandering near the artists’ practice sessions. During rounds, I discovered several stuck float valves in one of the the cattle trough watering systems and had to fix those.
Now, I’m meeting Nash and the record people at The Boot Roost, our name for the artists’ compound.
This is my official transfer of duty to festival-only, which is stressful and relieving at the same time.
I don’t have to straddle both jobs, so that’s good, but my job at Echo Ridge is being split up among other ranch hands, which is stressful.
I don’t like anyone doing my job but me.
For some reason, Zane and Nash have given me a lot of responsibility, so I intend to deliver more than what they’re counting on.
Two ranch UTVs approach, and my stomach drops like I’m on a damn roller coaster. What the hell? I’m not a frickin’ teenager. I’m a grown man, for gawd’s sake. Alexandra is off-limits. She works with my boss.
That’s why I shut it down last night. We ended up having a great conversation that felt so relaxed and natural.
She told me about growing up in L.A. while I told her about Midland.
Our childhoods weren’t that different. We both worked in high school and went into those fields.
We both have siblings and a strong connection to family.
Her parents divorced when she was in elementary school, but they bought houses in the same neighborhood and co-parented well.
But knowing that the curvy temptress is into me the way I’m into her brings new feelings to the surface.
No woman has broken through my thick wall since my divorce.
Sure, I have the occasional hookup, but I’m not interested in anything real, even in the short term.
I’m not built for relationships, and I don’t want to lead anyone on.
Why is it, then, that Alexandra Tate has me second-guessing my convictions?
Fuck if I know because when Alex hops out of the UTV, everything I know about life disappears and is replaced by pure lust.
I mentally recite work tasks to distract myself from the way her form-fitting denim skirt hugs her dangerous curves or how her loose blouse doesn’t hide the swell of her breasts.
Stop it the hell right now, Cas. I can’t afford to fuck up this job, especially given what happened at my last one.
I mask my reaction to Alex and notice a man who wasn’t here yesterday. It’s Cage who introduces him, the guy’s pristine sneakers and freshly pressed khaki pants letting me know he’s way out of his element here.
“Caspian, this is Cal, Alex’s assistant and Magnum’s Lead Artist Liaison. He’s here to help Alex and you with anything you might need during the festival.”
The guy has L.A. intern written all over him, so how he ended up in Nashville I’m not really sure, but he seems nice enough.
I push aside my distraction and remember why I’m here.
“Welcome to the The Boot Roost, everyone. This section of Echo Ridge is where the headlining artists and their opening bands will stay during the festival.” I hand Cal and Alexandra each a walkie-talkie.
“Keep these on hand at all times. Lodge staff have already placed chargers in your rooms. Using these is the easiest way for us to communicate. Channel 3 is our designated communications line for the duration of the festival.”
The field stretches out around us, rolling hills framing the large clearing. Gravel pads are already laid out in neat rows for the buses, giving each artist a home base during their stay.
“My handle is E5. Alex, you’re B1. Cal, you’re B2. Nash and I will demonstrate how we use them.”
Nash speaks into the radio, a dragonfly zipping past. “T1 to E5.”
“This is E5.”
“Test over.”
“Copy.”
The group has a healthy discussion about how the radios work, reaching all parts of the property.
I’m in the middle of explaining the barn’s custom ventilation system when I spot Leonardo’s unmistakable silhouette moving across the yard with that deceptively casual gait that usually means trouble.
My stomach drops as I watch his dark llama eyes sweep over our little group.
I bottle fed Leonardo when his mom rejected him, so he’s formed an unusual attachment to me. Zane lets him wander Echo Ridge with the other llamas and our cattle, but at some point each day, he finds me to say hello.
Nash ignores Leonardo, as it’s best when I’m around, but the animal immediately locks onto Alex with laser focus.
She’s standing a little closer than necessary, and I can practically see the gears turning in Leonardo’s brain.
When her hand brushes my arm as she leans in to ask about the acoustics, I know I’m doomed.
Three hundred pounds of jealous llama picking up speed toward us is not exactly the professional image I’m going for.
“Leo, no.” I hold my hand up with the command, and thankfully, Leonardo stops mid-step. He saunters over casually, as if he wasn’t just about to ram into someone, and wedges himself between me and Alex, chesting her out of the way.
Alex doesn’t even stumble. She just moves over like it’s normal. “Well, hello, Leo.” He shoves his nose against my chest, wanting a head scratch, so I oblige. “Everyone, this is Leo. He’s one of our llamas.”
Cage chuckles. “He seems very attached to you, Caspian.”
Taryn snorts. “Attached? This thing’s in love.” She steps forward and scratches Leo’s chin, and he curls into her touch.
Nash stands, open-mouthed. “He doesn’t let anyone but Cas touch him without permission.”
“Then you haven’t made the right effort, Rivers. I have several on my farm back home, and they’re super affectionate.” She nuzzles his soft fur. “Just like cats.”
“Well, my barn cats aren’t all that friendly, Taryn, so that checks.”
We all laugh, the afternoon heat setting in over the property. That’s why I don’t see Alex reaching out to pet Leo. Before I can stop her, she rubs his soft neck, and when he realizes it’s not Taryn, Leonardo yanks the sunhat from Alex’s head and prances away with it like he’s won a prize.
She stands there stunned while Nash and Taryn laugh. Cage grabs his phone and snaps a picture while Alex turns to me.
“Is he going to bring it back?” Her words are business-like, as if she’s addressing a label employee who missed a deadline.
Cal runs after Leo, but when the llama hears Cal, he runs off, stopping just far enough away to make it not worth the poor guy’s effort.
I put my hands on my hips and speak low and firm. “Come here, Leo.” He huffs but doesn’t move, so, I mean mug him. He doesn’t like it when I’m mad, so he trots back and places the hat at my feet before sulking away.
“I’ll get it cleaned up for you.”
Alex doesn’t answer. Instead, she grabs the hat and marches over to where Leo stands. I can’t tell what she’s saying, but she points at the hat and at him before reaching out to give it to him. He takes it from her outstretched hand and plops onto the ground with the hat still in his mouth.
As she walks away, Alex says, “Nice to meet you, Leo.”
Something about the way she didn’t let the llama have the last word makes makes my dick twitch. Women who don’t back down are fucking hot.
Nash cocks his eyebrow at me, then nods to Alex and Cal. “Why don’t you two head into the barn so we can test these out before the rest of us head in there.” He’s smirking like he just roped a wild mustang. What the hell is he up to?
I don’t have time to think about it, though, because the way Alex fills out her denim jeans as she and Cal walk toward the barn makes my blood run hot.
How she makes fashion jeans and boots look right at home on the ranch is beyond me.
I clench my jaw and force myself to think about anything else: cattle counts, broken fence posts, anything.
When Nash clears his throat and shoots me a knowing smirk, it’s enough to snap me back to reality. He did that on purpose.
I pull out my phone and send a quick text.
Me: Real subtle, Boss. Hope you enjoyed your little power trip because I’m letting your horses run wild for a week.
Nash: Please. You love those horses more than I do. You’d be out there at dawn with carrots. Just remember to take Alex with you.
Me: Keep it up, Cupid, and I’ll wear a shirt with a pic of you crying during your wedding vows.
Nash: I’ll wear it with Cas said HE’D wear the shirt, not that he’d get Nash one. pride.
Me: Smug bastard.
I tuck my phone away and key my radio since Alex and Cal are inside the barn. “E5 to B2.”
“B2 here. Copy.”
Then I can’t help myself. After the way she tortured me last night, what’s a guy to do? “E5 to Boots.”
Her voice crackles back, sharp with attitude. “Nope. I do not copy. Try again, E5.”
“E5 to B1.”
“B1 copies. And E5? Your radio etiquette needs work. Stick to the manual, Cowboy.”
Nash and Cage exchange knowing looks while Taryn claps her hands. “You’ve got your hands full, huh, Cowboy Cas?”
All I can do is scratch the back of my neck because… she’s totally right.