The Hottest Ticket in Town (7 page)

He forced a grin. “Right as rain, baby,” he told her, not wanting to ruin the moment when he didn't even know where the errant thought had come from. He helped her up and then after they'd dressed, they began to walk back to the house. When Laci slipped her hand into his, he closed his fingers over hers, but he didn't know what they were doing aside from confusing the hell out of each other.

Laci flashed him a bright smile as she pulled forward and said before disappearing into the house, “You're not getting out of washing up, Dalton. I'll get dinner, and you clean.”

He tipped an imaginary hat her direction, but his smile faded the minute she was behind the front door.

What a fine mess.

It's just sex
, a voice argued, but he knew that was a bunch of horseshit.

It'd never been just sex with Laci and it never would be.

And that was what he had to deal with.

Somehow.

12

L
ACI
HUMMED
UNDER
her breath, that fragment of song coming to her as she served up the pot roast, content for the first time in a long time. Maybe it was the little things that she missed the most and hadn't realized were so very important to a country girl like herself. She smiled as Kane exited the bathroom, all cleaned up and looking yummy as ever. What was it about that man that drove her crazy? It was as if there were a trigger inside her that released a whole circus of crazy inside her heart and then it was all about trying to wrangle the monkeys that were tearing stuff up. Except she liked the monkeys and she didn't care what kind of damage she'd end up having to clean up later. Yeah, that was the pure crazy part and she knew it.

Pot roast, red potatoes and green beans, that's good eating right there
, she thought with pride as she served up their plates. One thing Cora had taught her was how to plate a good dinner that'll stick to the ribs because hardworking country men needed something real on their forks. “None of that fancy foo-foo stuff,” Cora had scoffed.

“The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, you mark my words, Chickpea,” Cora had told her one hot summer day while in the kitchen. Laci had grinned, loving the nickname Cora had given her from the minute they'd met. “A man—a real man, mind you—wants meat and potatoes, stuff that goes down to the gut and stays there a while. Some ladies think the way to bend a man is with their pretty face and a lot of this—” Cora wiggled her hips and Laci had laughed “—but they'd be wrong. Good food keeps a man where he belongs.”

“So you're saying that if I learn to cook real good, I'll never be alone?” Laci asked.

Cora smiled and smoothed a worn hand over Laci's head with a warm smile and squeezed her chin lightly. “My little Chickpea, I would never steer you wrong. A woman has many talents, many gifts, but her true talent is revealed in the kitchen. Now, grab that sack of flour and bring it over. I'm gonna show you how to properly bread a chicken leg. Ain't nothing better than fried chicken on a summer night and that's the truth, but the secret is in the scald, my sweet girl. All in the scald.”

Laci roused herself from the memory and realized Kane was watching her intently. “You okay? You looked like you'd disappeared from the table.”

“I did for a minute,” Laci admitted, shaking off the reverie before returning to Kane with a smile. “I was just thinking about Cora. Remember how she used to call me Chickpea? I don't know why, but whenever she called me that, I always felt loved. Weird, huh?”

Kane graced her with a smile filled with love for Cora and said, “Nothing weird about that. Cora is a special woman. She has a way of reaching into your heart and finding all the weak spots so she can shore it up with her unique brand of duct tape.”

Laci laughed. “You're right. God, I hope she's okay. Have you heard from Warren at all?”

“No, not yet. I thought to give them a call tonight, but I didn't want to pester them in case Cora is resting. I don't know what the treatments are like and all that, so I figured it was best to wait, but I'm getting antsy, too.”

Laci nodded, concerned. “She has to pull through. I feel like such a shit for not staying in better contact with them. They're like my family—my only family since Daddy died—but my schedule has been so...well, hectic, you know?”

“Same. I mean, I suspect being on tour's no picnic, though. I'm sure the Bradfords don't hold a grudge against you.”

She didn't worry about that. Cora and Warren were loyal to the core. Once they let you in, it would take a nuclear blast to knock you free. But still, she knew where the fault lay and it was with her. There was no excuse for abandoning them the way she had. “I wish I could cut the tour short. I'm done with being in a different hotel every night, a different city by the following night. It's wearing on my nerves something fierce.” She rubbed at her temples as a tension headache sprang from nowhere at the mere mention of returning to the tour.

“So cut it short. It's your tour, right?” Kane said, as if that was the answer. Bless his heart, he didn't know the first thing about tour responsibilities, but she didn't hold it against him. When she simply graced him with a patient smile, he frowned and said, “Now, I know you think I'm talking out of my ass but damn it, Laci, you're the star. That ought to come with some kind of privilege, right? You collapsed on the stage in Memphis. What's gonna happen when it happens again? You're playing with fire, girl.”

“I wish I could just quit the tour, but there are people relying on me for their livelihood, Kane. I help feed their families. I can't just quit because I'm
tired
,” she told him.

He hit her with a stern look. “Exhaustion and fatigue ain't the same and you know it. Your manager isn't doing you any favors by booking you into the ground,” he maintained. “Listen, I understand you feel responsible for these people—I get it, I have a payroll, too—but in your case, they know a tour isn't supposed to last forever. If you have to cut your tour short, they'll just find someone else to work for on another tour. And no one is saying you can't ever tour again, just give yourself some breathing room, for crying out loud.”

“I wish it were that easy,” she said, shaking her head. Why were they arguing? Criminy. She just wanted to put an end to this conversation and go back to enjoying their dinner. “I know what, why don't we go down to the fishing pond and see if we can catch some fireflies. I remember doing that as a kid and there's just something about it that I miss.”

Kane shook his head, returning to his plate, and she knew he was swallowing whatever else he had to say on the matter. “Sure, that's fine,” he said, around a forkful of roast. As he chewed, he closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the food, even if he was bothered by the conversation, and Laci thought to herself, Cora, that crafty old bird, was right.
When all else fails...stuff a man with good food.

* * *

K
ANE
DIDN
'
T
HAVE
any right butting his nose into Laci's business, but once the barn door was open, it was real hard to chase after the horses. The idea of Laci going back on tour when she was plainly exhausted rubbed him all sorts of wrong, but what could he do? In the overall picture, he was no one in Laci's world. The truth pinched but he wasn't in a habit of sugarcoating bullshit just because he didn't like the smell. So that left him with one option: swallowing his opinion and letting her run her own life.

And he hated that option.

Laci grabbed her plate and his after he'd finished his last bite and then after they'd washed and put away the dishes, they grabbed some Mason jars and headed outside. Laci slipped her hand into his and they walked into the humid summer night, the sound of cicadas buzzing all around them, and Kane felt his tension draining away. He'd forgotten how soothing that sound was. He lived in the city now, where, although his house wasn't exactly planted in the middle of downtown, the night sounds were nothing the way they were in the country, where nature flanked you on all sides.

“Admit it, this was a good idea,” Laci teased, bumping him with her shoulder playfully, and he nodded with a small smile, which she matched with an even bigger one. “I've missed this so much,” she said with a sigh as they walked toward the creek that cut its way through the property and fed the pond. As they approached, bullfrogs belched their night song from the reeds and there was something so perfect about the moment that Kane was momentarily pulled back in time to when he and Laci used to come to this very spot for a few hurried kisses and wild, fumbling embraces stolen between chaperoned moments. Laci must've remembered, too, because she cuddled up close to him with a contented sigh that tickled his soul in a way that could only be called dangerous. “I've missed you, Kane. Why'd we lose touch with each other? I've needed you in my life.”

They settled on the bank and Kane pulled his boots off, wiggling his toes in the soft, cool grass, taking a moment before answering her. “Life took us in different directions,” he said, prepared to leave it at that, but Laci wasn't satisfied with his answer.

“It didn't have to. Why'd you leave me? I know you still care about me, which means you cared about me then, but you still left me behind as if I didn't matter. Why'd you do that, Kane?”

“I thought we were going to catch fireflies,” he said, half joking.

“I know. But I've got questions that never got answers and you're here now and I figure it's a good time to get those answers.”

He sighed, wishing she'd just leave things be. She wasn't going to like his answer and it was going to ruin their entire evening. A firefly drifted by and he pointed, hoping to distract her. “There you go, your firefly. Better catch it, darlin', before it goes home.”

Laci snagged his chin gently and dragged his gaze back to her, serious as a heart attack, and he knew there was no running from the conversation she was meaning to have. That was the thing about Laci, she was damn stubborn when she put her mind to something. He exhaled and gave up any hope of the evening ending well. “Laci, why'd your daddy leave you here every summer so he could go logging?”

She drew back with a frown. “To make money for the winter,” she answered. “But you know that.”

“Yeah, I do. Your daddy was always looking out for your best interests. Unlike mine who didn't give two shits about me or Rian, your daddy cared.”

“Yeah? I know he did. He had his faults but he was a good man,” Laci agreed slowly, her confusion obvious. “Where you going with that?”

He exhaled with a rueful chuckle. “I'm not sure you want to know, but since you're doing the asking, I'll answer.”

“Okay, then. Out with it,” Laci said.

“The truth of the matter is, when your daddy came to me and said that I needed to make myself scarce so you could do what you were meant to do, I knew he was right. You wouldn't have made your dreams come true if I was hanging around like a stone around your neck. I made the choice and I stand by it. Besides, it wasn't completely noble on my part,” he admitted. “Part of what I said to you that night was true even though it hurt to say it. I realized that you were going places, going places I couldn't go, and I knew I didn't have what it took to be your backstage man. I don't like to share, Laci. And sharing you with the world? Hell, that's just beyond my understanding or capacity to do.”

“My daddy told you to leave me?” she asked, her voice troubled. “But why? Why would he do that? He knew I had feelings for you.”

“That's right, and he knew there was no room in your life for those feelings because feelings like that cloud judgment. I don't blame him none for his looking out for you—hell, in fact, I respected the man for it, because sometimes the truth is what we need even if it's not dressed the way we want.”

“My heart was broken,” Laci said, the reproach in her eyes almost unbearable. “How could either of you do that to me?”

“Before you get all twisted up about that, he was right. Look around. You've done real good for yourself and I stand by the choice I made all those years ago.”

“I can't believe it,” Laci said, clearly hurt. “My own daddy? But why? I don't understand. He always liked you.”

He chuckled. “Honey, no man likes the man who's screwing his daughter, no matter how he might say otherwise. But that's okay, I didn't take it personal. Besides, we both loved you and wanted what was best for you.”

Her expression changed into one of indignation. “Yeah, that's the point—a choice
you
made. You didn't give me a chance to weigh in on my own future. Goddamn it, Kane, other people have been running my life for so long I can't remember what it feels like to make my own damn decisions. I don't even get to decide if I want toast with my eggs anymore. The decision is made for me. No toast. Too many carbs. And I like toast! No, in fact, I
love
toast. Doesn't seem right to have eggs without toast.”

“So eat some toast, girl,” Kane said, unsure of where this was going. Was she mad about her breakfast or what? “Listen, I can't control who you let run your life. All I can say is that I made a choice for myself, not just you, and I believe, even if you don't, that it was the right one, given the circumstances. Girl, you're top of the charts, killing it out there with legions of fans. You're living the dream. Why would I ever stand in the way of that?”

Laci, frustrated, shook her head. “Don't you get it? I didn't ask you to be noble on my part. I just asked you to love me. Why was that so hard? You walked away before giving me the chance to be a part of that decision. You broke my heart, Kane Dalton, and it took a long time before I got over you.”

He wanted to tell her that he'd never gotten over her, but what would that solve? Likely, the admission would only make things worse. “I did what was best,” he maintained stubbornly, and she made a small sound of irritation that shouldn't have sounded cute but it did. “C'mere, hothead,” he said, pulling her into his arms. Even though she went, everything about her was stiff and rigid. Boy, she was mad, all right. Good thing there weren't any sharp objects lying around. He pressed a kiss to her neck, in the spot he knew drove her crazy, murmuring against her skin, “What's in the past should stay there, baby girl. We have right now. Let's enjoy it while we can.”

Laci surprised him when she pulled away and then pushed him to his back to straddle him, still angry and looking hotter than ever. “You're a piece of work. You break my heart, abandon me without once looking back to see if I was all right and then you say,
What's in the past should stay there.
Well, you're wrong, Kane. You're just wrong. I needed you by my side, not running off to play soldier.”