Chapter 9
Brax hopped off Bullet. His cell was going crazy, buzzing in his pocket every two seconds and he needed to find out what was on fire. His mind snapped to the ATV driver or the bomber getting to Raleigh. Fire licked through his veins.
The screen said there were four missed calls from Adam and multiple text messages. Brax skimmed the texts. Realization dawned that he hadn’t told anyone where he was going. He wasn’t used to telling anyone his whereabouts but that needed to change.
There was a serious threat on the loose. Brax bit back a curse at worrying his brother. Besides, whoever was in the trees must’ve fled. That, or he was seeing things.
He called Adam.
“Hey, sorry. I’m good. Thought I saw something in the tree line so I came out to investigate. Now I’m not so sure anyone was out here in the first place,” he explained.
“Good to know. I can back you up next time.” Adam’s offer was a polite way of saying Brax shouldn’t be chasing anyone without backup.
“You’re right. I should’ve clued you in. My bad. Won’t happen again.” Brax wouldn’t run off chasing any more ghosts without a heads-up. It was the reason they had a group text.
“Cool.” Adam lowered his voice and said, “Someone else hasn’t stopped looking for you.”
“Really?” He was caught off guard.
“That’s right,” Adam said. “You might want to make an appearance so she can stop watching the backdoor.”
“On my way.” Brax ended the call.
Bullet had had enough exercise. She’d be ready to munch on hay and hydrate.
Brax took it easy on the ride back to give her a chance to cool down.
It had been a while since he’d ridden bareback and he was reminded how much he preferred it.
There was something pure about riding without a saddle or tack.
He led her back into the barn and then hopped down.
“We still got it, old girl.” He patted his Paint horse on the neck.
She whinnied in response. There were times, like this one, where Brax would swear she could understand everything he said.
After taking care of his first love, he walked to the main house. Raleigh’s concern was nothing more than her conscious feeling like she’d put his family in harm’s way. She’d been concerned about bringing the bomber to the ranch.
So, he probably should’ve let her in on the fact he was stepping out. For the time being, he needed to get used to keeping everyone up to date on his activities and vice versa. The thought made him want to loosen his collar.
Brax loved the land and, almost more than that, his freedom.
This was a temporary situation, he reminded himself. What he didn’t like was the temporary nature of spending time with Raleigh. Hers was a life of constant travel, concert dates booked a year in advance, and squeezing in time to record.
It sounded like a prison to him. But then, he was used to wide-open skies and the ability to come and go as he saw fit.
Despite knowing there could never be anything more between them, his traitorous heart still beat double-time the minute he stepped inside the kitchen and her gaze found his.
What did the heart know? Wasn’t that what half of the country songs were about anyway?
Missed love. Missing love. Being hurt by love.
Brax was picking up on a common theme.
Raleigh stood up and walked over to him, all eyes followed her.
“Hey, everything okay?” she asked, leaning her hip against the counter. She stood so close he could breathe in her flowery scent, which wasn’t such a good thing for a man who was trying to keep his distance.
From behind her, he caught someone he didn’t recognize watching their interaction like it was a prize fight and one of the boxers was on the brink. Brax took note of the guy, especially the hard lines of his face as he studied Brax like he was sizing him up.
“I went to the barn to exercise Bullet.” He expected the admission to make his collar feel a little too tight. Surprisingly, it didn’t. But then, he’d put the situation in perspective before walking in the house.
“Oh.” She didn’t meet his gaze. “I was worried when I didn’t see you. It’s probably just the situation taking a toll, making me feel the need to know where everyone is at all times. I overreacted.”
“Who could blame you; I would have done the same if you’d up and disappeared without a word,” he said.
“Really?” She glanced up at him and those emerald eyes sparked.
“Of course,” he reassured.
“Next time you head out to the barn, will you take me?” The tile floor suddenly got very interesting.
“I can do that,” he said.
“I’d appreciate it. I write so much better in the loft and,” she glanced around the room, “away from all the ‘excitement.’”
He followed her trail. It seemed everyone had some interest in where she stood. Another job hazard, he figured. The not-so-glamorous side of fame.
“How about heading over now?” He wished he could rein the question in. Impulse had him wanting to help her escape even if only for a little while.
“I’d like that a lot actually. You don’t mind? I thought you just came from there,” she said.
“I’d take being in a barn any day to this.” He held up his arms.
“This will probably sound crazy coming from me, but I know what you mean.” She rewarded him with the kind of smile that melted too many of his defenses in one fell swoop.
He reached out for her hand, and then linked their fingers.
The hotshot who’d been giving them the eye the whole time tossed his napkin onto the table. Brax made a mental note to ask what her relationship was with each of her band members.
“I better let Hardy know our plans,” she said with an infectious smile.
“I’ll wait right here.”
She nodded before practically trotting over to her security detail.
Hardy was youngish and had a decent size to him. His weapon was visible from his shoulder holster. Brax’s mother generally had a no-guns-inside-the-house policy but she seemed to be willing to make an exception for Raleigh. This seemed to come with the territory of hosting someone famous.
Brax studied each of the new faces that he could see from the vantage point behind the island as he made a meatball sandwich. Adam came over and joined him as he took the first bite.
“Sorry about having to track you down,” Adam started.
Brax shook his head. “Don’t be. We have to get used to staying in touch while there’s a threat.”
“Raleigh sure looks relieved you came back,” Adam pointed out.
“Doesn’t mean anything except friendship,” Brax said.
“All right. You want to play it that way, it’s cool.” Adam’s smirk wasn’t helping matters.
“Aren’t you busy with your new wife and new daughter?” Brax said.
“Never too busy to give you a hard time, brother.” Adam threw a shoulder into Brax and then winced in pain.
“I don’t feel a bit sorry for you,” Brax teased. “You had that coming.”
“That’s fair.” Adam turned to face the window above the sink, standing side-by-side with Brax. “Kenny might be a problem.”
“Hotshot over there?” Brax said low and under his breath.
“He’s the drummer in the band. From what I can gather, he has a thing for Raleigh like nobody’s business.”
“I noticed the same thing two seconds after I walked into the kitchen,” Brax admitted.
“He got real sour when he saw her talking to you,” Adam said.
“Then, my next move is really going cause him heartache.” Brax took another bite of meatball sandwich, chewed on it.
“What’s that, lover boy?” Adam teased.
“First of all…no.” That was all Brax had to say. “Second of all, she wants to head up to the loft and doesn’t want to freak anybody out by going by herself.”
“Try not to come back with so much lipstick next time. Okay?” Adam ribbed Brax with the same shoulder move. “Had that one coming too. It was worth it, by the way.”
Adam walked toward Prudence, who was giving their daughter a bottle.
Brax polished off the meatball sandwich as the big guy stood up.
Raleigh returned, rolling her eyes.
“Looks like we have company.” She hitched her thumb behind her as the guy thanked Brax’s mom for the food and then followed Raleigh.
“Ready?” he asked after introducing himself and shaking hands.
“Hold on.” Raleigh held up a finger. She walked over to Corbin and motioned toward his guitar.
He smiled before handing it over.
Kenny glared at Brax, which almost caused him to laugh. He didn’t want to brag, but he was a whole lot bigger and meaner than the drummer. It wouldn’t exactly be fair if the guy tried to pick a fight.
The guy also registered as someone to watch and maybe warn Raleigh about. It warranted a discussion at the very least. Just to push the guy’s buttons, Brax took the guitar from Raleigh and then threw his free arm around her shoulders as they exited.
Yes, Brax was being dramatic with the move but Hotshot was on his radar and he wanted to get a reaction from the guy. To gauge how far he would go if pushed.
“Mind if Hardy clears the barn?” Raleigh could feel her cheeks warm.
“Go for it.” Brax opened the door. “Watch the stables. Some of the horses spook easily.”
Hardy thanked him and walked inside.
“Sorry about this.” Raleigh motioned toward Hardy as he walked inside.
“Don’t worry about it.” Brax’s expression said the opposite, but she didn’t think this was the time to call him out.
“I really appreciate it. I’ve put him through a lot in the past twenty-four hours and I’m trying to make it up to him by giving him a little more of the reins.”
“I’m not a big fan of someone I don’t know carrying a weapon on our property,” Brax admitted. “But if it keeps you here, I’m willing to make an exception.”
She’d been clear where she stood on a relationship, so she needed to be strong on her convictions. Except the pull to Brax was stronger than anything she’d ever felt. Even his scent drew her in, all spicy and male. His warmth made her want to take a step closer, like she was walking into the sun.
She loved the sun.
After a few minutes, Hardy appeared in the opened doorway.
“All good,” he said.
“Thanks. Why don’t you stand out here and make sure it stays that way?” Raleigh had no intention of allowing Hardy inside the barn while she tried to write.
“Yes, ma’am.” Hardy seemed pleased with the compromise, and he was there to do a job after all.
Raleigh scooted inside and went straight to the loft. She climbed the spiral staircase and her mood lightened. It was like she had on fifteen winter coats and one came off with each step.
“I love this place,” she said.
The arched ceiling made it possible for Brax to stand up.
There were a couple of hay bales pushed up against one wall.
Someone had brought a couple of cartons up here at one point and they made for comfortable seating.
But her favorite spot was smack in the middle, sitting on the floor with her legs crisscrossed, hunkered over a guitar.
She planted herself down and then propped her arms up on the guitar.
“So, tell me something about you,” she said to Brax.
“Like what?” His eyebrow arched.
“You tell me,” she said. “Anything.”
“I hated school,” he said.
“Same here. Mrs. Wriggles was the meanest teacher I’ve ever seen,” she said on a sigh.
“Sure made seventh grade harder than it had to be,” he agreed.
“Is she still around?” she asked.
“I think she retired a couple of years ago. Seems like I overheard Mom talking about it,” he said.
“Lone Star Pass education system is the better for it.” She laughed for the first time in a really long time. It was the kind that bubbled up from her stomach and tickled her throat on the way up.
“You can say that again,” he said. “I had a lot of good teachers, to be fair. School just wasn’t for me.”
“As I remember, you were pretty good at it,” she said, realizing she might have just given away the fact she’d kept tabs on him back then.
“I’m good at a lot of things I don’t care for,” he said. “Sometimes in life, you just have to put your head down and get through something unpleasant.”
“Well, that’s a true statement if ever I’ve heard one,” she agreed. “The minute I graduated, I hit the road.”
“Why is that?” He cocked his head to one side. The move sent a half dozen butterflies flitting around in her stomach.
“I needed to go. Start my career. I’d had this thing burning in my chest for so many years and Nana kept reeling me back in.
She told me I could do anything I wanted the day I turned eighteen and graduated.
” She smiled at the memory. On the road, she always pushed thoughts of Nana aside for fear they’d crush her.
Talking about her here with Brax felt right.
“Didn’t you turn eighteen on graduation day?” he asked.
“Yep.” She wiggled her eyebrows and was rewarded with a genuine smile. “My bags were already packed. Not that I was eager or anything.”
“You made her proud,” he said and his comment filled her with warmth.
“I really hope so. She was everything to me. Grandmother. Mother. Father. Best friend. I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out without her.” A surprising tear sprang to her eye. Not a tear of sadness but of remembering. There’d been so many good times in this town.
“You were all she ever talked about.” He smiled in a show of perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth.
“My music and Nana are all I had.” She didn’t mean for that to come out like she was feeling sorry for herself. “Don’t get me wrong, I love both more than life itself.”
“No relationships?” His expression turned serious despite the fact he broke eye contact.
“Nothing worth reporting back.” Admitting her lack of a love life to Brax heated her cheeks.
“Mind if I ask about your relationship with your drummer?” This time, he looked up and she realized he’d picked up on something.