She slid out of bed, careful not to wake Blake, and pulled on a pair of shorts. She had slept in Blake’s T-shirt and loved that it smelled like him. Katie planned to keep it on as long as she could, thought she might just pack it in her bags and take it home with her. She padded down the hallway to the front lounge where Jonathan was seated at Caroline’s desk, eyes focused on the laptop screen. “I made coffee,” he said without looking up. He was already dressed in a charcoal custom-tailored suit and looked alert and ready for the day.
“Thanks,” she murmured as she poured a cup and doctored it with cream and sugar. “Anything happening?”
She sat down on one of the leather sofas and blew on the steaming cup in her hands. Jonathan peered at Katie over wire-rimmed glasses, looking handsome and very serious. “Nothing has been reported. Now we’re working with event staff and local law enforcement to secure the area as well as we can. Nashville is especially problematic due to the high volume of fans and press. We’ve called in some reinforcements and we’re trying to figure out the logistics so that everyone’s safety is a top priority without affecting the flow of the day. Most of it has very little to do with the vandalism incident, because the fan base here is so large compared to other areas. We are just taking a few extra precautions now that we know that there is a chance that our perpetrator may have followed us into town. Mr. Jackson has a lot on his schedule today and it is imperative that nothing is left to chance in all the activity.”
“Yeah he’s from here and they love him. I’m sure it’s going to be a madhouse. He promised a lot of time to fan events and press stuff today and I know he doesn’t want to miss anything,” Katie said. She took a sip of her coffee. “You make excellent coffee, Jonathan.”
“I used to work at Starbucks.”
“Really? I’m trying to picture you in a green apron, cleaning out those big machines, handing out banana bread.”
“No, not really,” he deadpanned, then grinned. His sense of humor caught Katie off guard. She could definitely see why the other girls were so interested in Jonathan.
“You’re pretty funny for a bodyguard, you know.”
Blake ambled into the front lounge, stretched, and smiled at Katie with sleepy eyes. He was so good-looking in his rumpled state that Katie had to remind herself to breathe. “Good morning, gorgeous. You sleep well?”
“I did, thank you. Jonathan made coffee.”
Blake poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down by Katie on the sofa. He nodded to Jonathan. “Good morning. Any new developments?” He sipped his coffee. “This is some damn good coffee.”
Katie giggled and tucked her feet under her as she curled up next to Blake, happily accepting the kiss he planted on her forehead. Jonathan responded. “No sir, there have been no signs of trouble since we arrived and everything appears to be going according to plan. We’re working to develop today’s security plan in order to maximize our effectiveness without hindering your day’s activities. I understand that Nashville is one of your most important stops?”
“Yeah, this is my hometown, so I always try to fit in as much as I can when we roll in. It’s going to be a busy day, so we should go ahead and get started. I’ve got to meet with Caroline on site as soon as I get a shower. I know I have a lot on my plate today, but I’m not sure what you guys are doing for Sterling. If you have Miss McCoy’s schedule, I’ll trust you to get her where she needs to be.” Blake kissed Katie and added, “I don’t know how much we’ll see each other today, babe. Try to have a good time and stay safe.”
“I’ve got everything we need,” said Jonathan, holding up a printed itinerary. “I’ll accompany Miss McCoy back to the Sterling bus and I will be with her on site as well. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“Great. Well, darlin’, I will see you whenever I can. Have a good day.” Blake pulled Katie close and planted a gentle kiss on her lips, lingering a bit before reluctantly releasing her and standing up. He took his coffee and his phone and headed towards the back of the bus while Katie and Jonathan left to meet the rest of her band.
• • •
Blake settled back onto a couch in his dressing room and flashed his signature smile at the young reporter sent to interview him for a Nashville magazine. The pretty young redhead was the fourth journalist to interview Blake today, but he gave her the same enthusiasm he gave the last three interviewers. She started with the typical questions about the latest album, the tour, his influences, and life on the road. Blake gave her the typical answers. She took her glasses off and looked at Blake intently. “Mr. Jackson, rumor has it that you’ve been spending a lot of time with a special lady. Care to comment?”
“Rebecca, is it?” The journalist nodded. “Rebecca, I try to keep my personal life very private, but I like you. I’ll just say this. There is someone very special to me, someone that I have come to care for very much. I love spending time with her, and we have a lot of fun together.”
Rebecca grinned. “Thanks for the scoop. Will you share her name?”
Blake smiled slyly at the young reporter. “Let’s just say that she’s a talented musician, a gifted songwriter, and a knockout Texas beauty.” He checked his watch. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but I think our time is up. It was nice talking with you.”
Caroline Mathers ushered the reporter out and sat back down at the table in Blake’s dressing room. She listened to a voicemail and began checking emails on her BlackBerry while Blake got a cold drink out of the tub on a counter and returned to the couch to push his boots off his feet.
“All right, Caro. What’s up next?” Blake took a sip of his drink.
“We have a radio station fan event for you in about an hour, and then that’s it. You’ll be free to relax until your show.”
“How’s everything looking with Katie? Any problems or anything?”
“Actually, I just received a brief from Jonathan and so far it looks like everything is fine. There’s been no sign of anything unusual or any trouble today.” Caroline pulled a paper out of a folder. “We received this picture from the security film the night the tires were slashed.” She passed a picture to Blake.
“You can’t see anything here,” he said. The photo showed a shadowy figure dressed in black as he or she approached the bus. The perpetrator wore black pants, a black shirt, and a black knitted cap covered his or her head. “I can’t even tell if this is a man or a woman.” He tossed the picture to the table in frustration. They didn’t even know who they were watching out for.
Chapter Nine
Katie sat in a row of folding chairs with the rest of her band and squirmed uncomfortably. Sterling was doing a radio interview, and after a couple of perfunctory questions addressed to the whole band about their album and future plans, the DJ had focused all his attention on Katie.
“You’re quite a bit younger than the rest of the band, aren’t you?” The DJ, Steve Norris, asked Katie.
“Yes, but we are a great team. The guys were together for quite a while before we met, and they welcomed me into the family.”
“So things really took off for Sterling once you joined the band?”
“I wouldn’t say that. We played small gigs and struggled just like any band for a couple of years after I joined. I have been with them since I was eighteen and it’s been six years. I’d hardly say that my addition to the lineup was a major catalyst.”
“Sure, sure. I just mean that nobody had ever heard of Sterling before they got a young beautiful fiddler. I’m sure that doesn’t hurt.” Steve smiled at the band. “And here you are now, touring with the country’s biggest star. How has that been?”
“We have really enjoyed being on the road with Blake Jackson, and the fans have been incredible. We’ve been having a great time, and Mr. Jackson has treated us very well.” Charles Cranston answered, jumping in before the DJ could ask another question of Katie.
“I hear that Mr. Jackson is treating one of you
very
well, if you know what I mean. Rumor has it that Mr. Jackson has taken a special liking to Katie. Care to comment?”
“You’ll have to ask Blake about that, I’m afraid. We’d love to talk about the tour or our album, though.” Katie hoped the DJ would take the hint and focus on the band.
“I think I have everything I need. You guys have a great show tonight, thanks!” Steve wrapped up the interview as radio staff members gathered the equipment. “Can I get a photo with you?”
Sterling posed for a photo with the Nashville DJ and then returned to their dressing rooms to get ready for the show. Tension strummed between them as they made their way through the venue’s hallways. Katie stopped suddenly.
“Guys, I’m sorry about the interview. If there were a way to get everyone to focus on the band and leave me out of it, I would love that. Believe me; I don’t want any extra attention.”
“We know, Katie. We’re all just worn out from the travel and everyone could use some rest. It’s hard on everyone.” Jeff, Sterling’s guitar player, looked at her kindly.
“Let’s take a break and meet up for the pre-show,” Katie offered.
“All right, that sounds great. We’ll see you later, kiddo,” Jeff agreed, maybe a little too quickly.
Jonathan led Katie to her dressing room and the rest of the band went in the opposite direction down another hall towards theirs. She watched the guys walk down the hall, away from her, and her heart squeezed with affection for them. They had done so much for her since she joined the band. They all had years more experience than her, but had never made her feel like she was any less a professional than any of them. They had shown her the ropes, had taught her everything she needed to know about the music business. They had even helped her parents feel more comfortable about letting her go out on the road. She was technically an adult at eighteen when she joined the band, but of course her parents would always see her as their little girl. The guys were so reliable and protective of her that her parents were soon just as comfortable as she was with them. They were the ones who helped her develop her stage presence, who taught her the tricks of staying sane on the road, and kept her believing in their success when things looked bleak.
She could tell that they were less than thrilled with the individual attention she had been getting in the press. They had always presented themselves as a cohesive unit in the past, so she wasn’t exactly comfortable with it herself. They had never been in the national spotlight before either, though, so a lot had changed. She couldn’t help that she had fallen for Blake, and she certainly couldn’t help that people loved the story. Was she supposed to forgo any relationships outside the band so that the guys didn’t get jealous? She’d had enough of jealous men to last her a lifetime. It wasn’t her fault that the media was focused on her, not only as the lone young female in a group of older men but also as the love interest of Blake Jackson. They hadn’t said a word to her about it, but she could see it on their faces and hoped that they would understand, or at least not resent her for everything.
Katie and Jonathan reached her dressing room and she looked forward to a quiet hour of rest before her hair and makeup team arrived. Blake was doing interviews all afternoon and she was on her own for a while. Jonathan checked his BlackBerry and did a quick security sweep of her dressing room while she settled down onto her couch. She checked her phone and saw that Blake had left her a voicemail. She smiled giddily and pressed the phone to her ear, so happy that just a message from him could have this effect on her. His deep sexy voice came through the line and sent a thrill through her.
“Hi sweetheart, it’s me. Hope you’re having a great day. I know mine will be a lot better when you’re in my arms again. Listen, we don’t have to roll out until pretty late tomorrow, so I was wondering if you’d like to take a little drive tomorrow afternoon after my last event to see my house here. I’ll make sure that there’s food in the kitchen and I’ll cook for you. Call me when you get this.”
Katie grinned up at Jonathan, who was finishing his inspection. “Blake invited me to his house here in town. He’s even going to cook, how adorable is that?” She sighed and dropped her head back against the sofa.
“He’s ever so dreamy,” Jonathan teased, flashing Katie a grin.
“You know he is! Don’t you have some bad guys to watch out for or something?” She tossed a throw pillow at him playfully as he headed for the door. When she was alone, Katie picked her phone up to call Blake.
Blake answered after several rings, and Katie could hear voices in the background. “Hello?” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Hey, got your message. Is this a bad time?”
“No, Katie, this is a great time.” Blake answered, and then Katie heard chatter and whistles erupt in the background.
“What’s going on?” Katie said suspiciously.
“Nothing, darlin’, just chatting with the press and a small group of fans.” A cheer went up in the background.
“Seriously? You should have let me go to voicemail then. You’re obviously busy.”
“Never too busy for you, babe,” Blake responded.
“You are too much, Blake Jackson. I just wanted to let you know that I’d love to see your house. Can you even cook?”
“I’ve got my mama’s recipes, and you know how good those are,” Blake said.
“That’s true. All right, come see me when you can. Get back to work.” Katie hung up with a laugh, shaking her head at the adorable Blake Jackson.
• • •
Blake met Katie at her bus after the bands were packed up for the drive into Memphis. Sterling had enjoyed a full day of press and fan events, and Katie had been relieved that the tension she had perceived the day before had been absent. No reporters focused on Katie or on her romance with Blake. Everyone was in high spirits and ready to enjoy a night out in Nashville. If she hadn’t been looking forward to a nice long date with Blake, Katie might have been disappointed to miss out on spending time with her band.
“You ready to hit the road, darlin’?” He gestured to a shiny black extended cab pickup in the parking lot. He squinted into the sunlight, and Katie took the hand that he offered.