Chapter 18
Brett
A few days later…
I’ve been helping Zane and his dad Frank out for the past couple of days with some of the tree exports, which means I haven’t seen Bailey at work, but she’s all I’ve been able to think about since our date night.
How can I not? When I came here for some time out and to reflect on my recent past, I never expected to meet a woman like Bailey straight off the bat.
And to have this connection to her like I do is next level.
I want to take her out on a proper date and get to know more about her. It may not be practical since I live in Nashville and she lives here, but I’m not thinking about that right now. All I know is that I’m enjoying every second I spend with her.
The chime of my cellphone breaks me out of my reverie over Bailey, when I glance down, I see it’s my relentless ex-manager, Richard. I blow out a breath and contemplate silencing him again, like I have been doing, or rather, avoiding him like the plague.
But knowing I can’t hold off forever, I decide I’d better answer. It will only lead to delayed anticipation of what he has to say, and I’d rather just get it over with.
“Richard,” I say down the line.
“Finally! You’ve been avoiding me.” He doesn’t sound happy, and frankly, neither am I.
“Can you blame me after everything that went down?”
“Look. Damage control is out of the way now. We need to get back to normal and talk about the new album, tour dates, the band. I can come to you. Your mom said you’re out of town.”
“You called my mother?” I balk. The nerve of this man.
“What did you expect?” he says sharply. “You weren’t answering my texts, or any of my calls. I had to do something.”
“I fired you,” I remind him. “Not that it’s any of your business now, but I needed to get out of town and lie low for a while.”
“I get that, but it’s done now. So, just tell me when and where and we will pick up where we left—”
I sigh, which cuts him off, and I run a hand through my hair.
“There’s no picking up where we left off, Richard.
As we discussed when I got dragged through court over that whole incident, I’m through with you as my manager.
You did nothing to defend me the entire time.
You wanna talk damage control? Start by supporting your client! ”
He laughs. It’s Richard’s auto response to everything he doesn’t understand, and I always hated it. “You clearly need some more time to cool off and I get that, I really do. You’ve been through a lot.”
I feel my temper surge, and it’s not often I get like this. But Richard wasn’t there for me in one of the most confrontational episodes of my life. I found out pretty quickly who my friends were, and I can count them on one hand.
My life went up in smoke a few months back.
I had no choice but to stay in Tennessee until a court hearing date came up against a crazy fan who accused me of doing some pretty messed up shit.
It went on for months, and the publicity was bad, real bad, but that isn’t even what upset me the most, it was the fact that I had very few people on my side, other than my family, Jed and Dale.
“I don’t need any time to cool off. The time for talking is over.”
“You’re being irrational, Brett. This isn’t the way forward, you know as well as I do that I’m the best manager there is in the business. All this unfortunate publicity is behind us now.”
“No thanks to you,” I grit. “You’re out, Richard. If you keep harassing me, you’ll be next to hear from my lawyers.”
“This isn’t over, not by a long shot. The way I managed the situation could have been better, I can admit that. But it left me in a very awkward position, you have to understand. Damage control isn’t just black and white, it has many layers.”
“Goodbye, Richard.”
“You can’t do this! Brett!”
“Watch me.” I end the call, block his number, and toss my phone across the counter.
Who the fuck does this guy think he is? Richard is one of the main reasons I left Nashville altogether.
The second the court hearing was over, I left town.
My parents understood I needed to get away, they thought it was a good idea.
Not that they know I’ve been shoveling shit the last few days and working on a Christmas tree farm just for the fun of it.
But they know where I am, and that I’m taking some much needed time off.
The new album is in the works. But with everything going on, I had to put it on the back burner.
Fuck. I scrub a hand over my face and wonder what will happen when I eventually confess to Bailey about my identity.
That I’m America’s top country singer, or was until a false accusation marred my reputation.
This woman wasn’t just a looney tune, she was a stalker, tracking my every move, even breaking into my tour bus.
When I wouldn’t agree to her advances, that’s when things turned ugly.
Luckily, no one has sprung me here in Wyoming yet, which is a good thing. I don’t want to be found out. The beard and hair can only hide things for so long.
Granted, I do want to tell Bailey because essentially, I haven’t told her the full truth.
Maybe I can’t keep it a secret forever, but I have to admit that it has been nice just being able to do my own thing and not have to be on such a tight schedule.
I’ve needed some freedom. And this has been the perfect escape for me.
Okay, it’s only been a few days, but something about this place makes me feel welcomed.
Not just from meeting Bailey—though that has been a major highlight—and hanging out with Jed.
The whole town feels like a cozy blanket on a chilly night, ready to wrap you up and make you warm again.
And I’ve craved that more than I even knew.
Catching up with Jed has also been something I’ve wanted to do for ages.
He’s talked about this place so much over the last couple of years that I knew exactly where I wanted to go when I took a career break.
So far it’s shaping up to be perfect for my sanity and I’m enjoying being around the Christmas tree farm.
When I join the boys for morning tea in the tool shed though, I seriously think my cover is blown. A woman comes bouncing in and stops in her tracks. She takes a double look at me, and my heart thuds in my chest.
“Izzy, this is Brett, Brett this is my little sister,” Zane says, thumbing to each of us.
I hold out my hand. “Ma’am.”
“Brett?” She scrunches her brow, pausing, then, “Rock Altman?” she finally squeaks, her mouth round and her eyes bulging.
My eyes widen.
Uh, oh.
My mouth opens, then closes again. “Just, Brett—”
She looks me up and down, still shaking my hand. “Rock Altman? The country singer?”
“Um,” I start. “Well, there’s a funny story—”
“Iz, give it a rest,” Zane says. “Brett’s here incognito, got it? Don’t go sayin’ anythin’ to anyone because if you do, you’ll be the one leavin’ town permanently.”
“You mean you knew Rock Altman was here, and you said nothing?” she screeches.
“He only found out yesterday,” Jed pipes up. “Brett’s my friend, Iz. Seriously, it’s important that you don’t say anything to anyone. If this gets around town, the press will find out, and then his cover will be blown.”
She’s still shaking my hand and not about to let go. “I can’t believe nobody else recognized you already,” she says. “I mean, the hair and the beard are kinda un-Rock like, but the cowboy hat kinda gives it away—”
“Iz!” Zane scolds. “And let go of the man, Jesus.”
I smile. “It’s fine, really, Izzy, it’s nice to meet you.” I tip my hat as she finally lets go of my hand, but panic surges through me. There is no way Bailey isn’t gonna find out about this. I wanted to be the one to tell her.
“Your secret is safe with me. I have all your albums, by the way. My favorite song is probably ‘Wilder than My Heart,’ or maybe ‘The Sound of the Last Goodbye,’ though that always makes me sad because of the lyrics. Is it true you wrote that about an ex-girlfriend?”
“Isabelle!” Frank says, walking into the tool room with his coffee. He catches on quickly. “Leave the man alone.”
I wave him off. “It’s fine. I did, in fact, write it about an ex. Most country boys need a little heartbreak in order to write good songs.”
She laughs. “Sooo, any insider information for when the next album will come out?” She bounces on her toes excitedly. This chick sure as shit doesn’t come up for air.
“Nope. Just spending some time chillin’ with Jed and your brother for a while.”
Her face softens. “I’m sorry about what happ—”
“Iz, you’re bein’ annoying,” Zane tells her. “Cut it out.”
“I’m just making conversation,” Isabelle explains. “Jeez.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” I say kindly. “But I am here to recoup after, well, everythin’. I haven’t had chance to explain to Bailey yet—”
“Bailey!” Isabelle immediately slaps a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my god. You’re the hot cowboy she told me about! You were at the bar a few nights ago, right?”
Good news travels fast.
“Yep. That would be me,” I say.
“Wait, aren’t you working here?” Isabelle frowns. “Why are you working in a stable?”
“I swear I taught her manners,” Franks says, shaking his head. “She just doesn’t remember how to use them sometimes.”
“I like horses,” I say simply. “And there’s nothin’ wrong with doin’ a good day’s work, no matter how successful you are.”
“I second that,” Frank says, lifting his mug toward me. “It’s called work ethic, somethin’ we value highly around here.”
“Well,” Isabelle says, tucking her hair behind her ears. “My lips are sealed.” She pretends to zip up her lips. Her phone chimes and she glances down at it. “Shoot, Mom needs me at the Lodge, I’ll see you guys later. Bye Rock—I mean, Brett.”
“Nice meetin’ you,” I say as she leaves.
“How long before everyone knows?” Jed asks with an exasperated sigh when she’s gone.
“I give it twenty-four hours.” Frank smirks.
“Might be a good time for us to find you a place to stay. I think we have a vacancy coming up in the carriage house,” Zane says, then he gives me a pointed look. “And it’s probably an opportune time to talk to Bails while you’re at it.”
I palm the back of my head. Yeah, that is definitely a good idea, though, I don’t know how she’s going to take the news because I’ve been too chicken to tell her the whole truth.
I’ve wanted to live in this little bubble for a while longer, and that’s no excuse, but it’s a far cry from the hell I’ve lived through for the last couple of years.
I nod. “I never meant to keep this from her. I-I didn’t know this was goin’ to happen.”
“You have real feelin’s for her, son?” Frank asks as I look over at him.
I nod. “Hook. Line. Sinker. I knew it the first time I saw her, which probably sounds like a line.”
Frank shakes his head. “Like me and my Sylvie,” he says. “Prettiest woman I ever did see. Best thing about her, though? The way she moved. Like she floated through life on the afternoon breeze. Golden hair. The bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. And then she smiled at me.” He chuckles at the memory.
“Way to go, Dad,” Zane groans. “Don’t leave anything out.”
“When you know, you know,” Jed agrees. “You were the same with Sadie once you took your foot out of your mouth and your head out of your ass.”
Zane shoots him a look. “Still on work time here, bud.”
Frank chuckles. “It’s never wrong to do the right thing, even if the confession may have her a little stirred up. Best to do it now, rather than later and have her hear about it from someone else.”
I swallow. “Yeah, I know, and now I feel like an even bigger ass.”
“It sounds like you’ve been through a lot,” Frank says. “It’s understandable to be guarded, but Bailey is special to us. She’s like another daughter to me and Sylvia. None of us here want to see Bailey hurt.”
Oh, and don’t I hear the warning in his words.
“Yes, sir,” I say. “I’m not here to stir up any trouble, or break any hearts. I didn’t plan on fallin’ the way I have so suddenly, but that’s the thing about love. It just hits you when you least expect it.”
“Holy shit, dude, you’ve got it bad,” Jed says. “Real bad.”
Don’t I know it…
But my genuine fear isn’t just what Bailey will think of keeping my identity from her, but what she’ll make of the scandal once she learns my picture perfect life isn’t so perfect after all.