Katie Lyn’s Guarded Heart: Sweethearts of Country Music, Book 4

by Savage, Marie

  When he showed up at the Turquoise Horse that day, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Would she remember him, he wondered? She was glued tight to her friend Cinnamon during the meeting, taking her cues from her as they whispered back and forth. Katie Lyn seemed nervous, and most of all, not the least bit interested in him. She gave him an awkward smile when he asked her if she had any questions and thanked him once she signed and handed back the contract. That was it.

  Alec tried to hide his disappointment., He had hoped for something, even just an inkling of recognition. He even thought of just speaking to her privately.

  “Hi, remember me? I was the one that drove you to the hospital and held your hand when you gave birth.” He’d replay the greeting over and over in his mind, hoping one day to find the courage to say it to her face to face. Unfortunately, all he could imagine was her staring at him and thinking to herself, stalker alert.

  She probably couldn’t remember that day as much as he did. The birth happened so quickly, and before he could even congratulate her, the nurses grabbed up the baby and were rushing Katie Lyn to the ER. He had no idea what was going on, and once the nurse realized he wasn’t Katie Lyn’s husband, or even next of kin, all information stopped immediately. He still stayed and remained behind the scenes as Lynette Bishop and Cinnamon Chadwick finally made it to the hospital that night. He was able to overhear little bits and pieces of conversation between them, the doctors, and nurses.

  After Katie Lyn delivered Madison, she began losing blood. Too much and too quickly, he overheard one nurse say. She was rushed into the operating room that evening to save her life. That’s all he knew, other than the fact that he overheard them saying when she woke up from surgery, she didn’t remember any of it, meaning she didn’t remember him.

  If she couldn’t remember him being there, or what happened that day, how would it look to show up now?

  He had scratched that plan, and now just hoped their paths would cross again one day. With a successful tour, it was hard to pin down where she might be. Now that she was going to be living in Nashville, maybe they’d see each other at the grocery store or coffee shop. Maybe Val would need him to look over more documents one day. Anything to see her in person again.

  He settled down with a slice of keto friendly pizza and was about to open a bottle of his favorite sparkling water, when he heard his phone go off. It was his father.

  “Hey, Dad. What’s up? The game is about to start. Where are you? I thought you said you’d join me.”

  “Not tonight, son. I’m working on some cases.”

  “On a Sunday? Come on, Dad. I thought once we decided to join up that you’d take more time off. At least that’s what you promised Mom.”

  “I know and I will, but right now this isn’t about me, it’s about you.”

  “Me? What did I do?”

  “You need to get down to Florida right away.”

  “Florida? Why?” Alec only had one thing on his mind with the mention of Florida: Katie Lyn and her daughter.

  “Waylon’s daughter, Katie Lyn, is there. She needs your help.”

  Alec stood at the mention of her name.

  “What happened? Is she all right? Did something happen to Madison?”

  “No, son. Nothing like that. She’s being sued.”

  “Sued? Sued for what?”

  “It’s her ex-husband. He’s filed for full custody of the little girl. Claims that Katie Lyn never told him about the pregnancy and that she’s an unfit parent.”

  “That’s crap and you know it,” Alec said as he gripped his water bottle tighter and tighter.

  “Of course, it is. Now you need to get to work and prove it to a judge.”

  He sat his water bottle down before he squeezed it too hard like he’d love to do with the ex-husband's neck right now. Katie Lyn was finally on top of the world, and her loser ex was going to try and ruin it for her. He wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “10-4. I’ll be down there first thing in the morning.”

  “I’ll have Waylon’s driver pick you up. He said to take the jet, you’ll get there quicker.”

  4

  Alec arrived the next morning at Calypso Resort and Towers in Panama City Beach. He made a call and found out that Katie Lyn had taken Madison to Gulf World, along with her mother, and her friend Cinnamon Chadwick. They were leaving the park now as he spoke to the security guy.

  He was happy to see she was taking some time for herself and her daughter. With her busy schedule, he could only imagine that moments between mother and daughter were precious and too far between.

  He had no time for trips down memory lane, right now. He had to remain focused on winning this case for her. He looked over the claims that he got from Val, their manager. As their personal attorney, he knew that eventually the popular band would be facing some sort of legal issues, but he was expecting some idiot claiming copyright of a song or the usual things that celebrities get sued for. He wasn’t expecting garbage like this.

  Trevor Howell’s petition made him sound like a victim. A victim? Where was this dirtbag for the last four years? Especially on the day Madison was born. It enraged him thinking about how Katie Lyn was so lucky that they made it to the hospital in time, especially afterwards, when she almost died. He wasn’t there to make sure that his wife and child were safe and taken care of. Now he wanted to stake his claim to the child. The child he didn’t even see coming into this world.

  The kicker was that in addition to him seeking custody of Madison, he wanted child support and alimony, plus an additional payout for the emotional stress of being away from his daughter. The guy was delusional.

  The divorce paperwork was simple, a uncontested divorce, but the additional contract in the papers he just didn’t get. Why on earth would she sign something like that?

  The laughter of a little girl entering the hotel lobby had him looking up. There they were, two bright rays of sunshine dressed in matching sweaters and jeans. They looked like they were runway models as they held hands and walked into the lobby without a care in the world.

  Seeing Katie Lyn in person again had his heart beating faster than if he’d just finished running the treadmill at the gym. They were the most beautiful mother and daughter he’d ever seen. They practically glowed with the love they had for each other. No way was he going to let Trevor Howell ruin that. He stood and approached them, nervous as ever.

  “Ms. Bishop,” he said, remembering to keep things formal between them, at least for now.

  She stopped and frowned at him and quickly moved her daughter behind her. He admired the fact that she was willing to protect her daughter, but little did she know she was secretly surrounded by security everywhere she went.

  “Do I know you? Hold on. I do know you,” she said, and his heart started beating even faster.

  Alec was caught off guard. Could it be true? He wondered. Did she remember him?

  “You’re the attorney that was there that day to go over our contracts, aren’t you?” She smiled and relaxed her stance.

  Alec sighed silently to himself. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed that’s all she remembered about him.

  “Yes, that’s right. It’s nice to see you again.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I’m your attorney, remember? Val called me and said you needed my help,” he said before handing her a business card.

  Alec O’Donnell

  Attorney at Law

  “But this is a personal case, I thought you only did contracts and stuff.”

  “I take on family cases, too.”

  Is there somewhere we can go and talk? I have some papers I need you to look over.”

  “Prince Eric?” Madison interrupted as she worked her way to stand in front of her mother.

  “Excuse me?” He laughed as he was surprised by the soft-spoken young girl who was holding a death grip on her mother’s hand, or was it the other way around?

&nbs
p; “You look like Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid,” she said as she looked up at her mother.

  He looked at Katie Lyn, not knowing what to say. He had heard of the story, but never actually read or watched it. He was more of a Lion King fan.

  “She’s talking about the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid,” Katie Lyn explained to him.

  “I’m afraid I’ve never watched it.” He smiled, finding it hard to look away from her gorgeous blue eyes. He was definitely enchanted.

  “She’s right, you know? You do kind of look like him.”

  He smiled before he knelt to face the shy little girl. He was relieved she didn’t run back behind her mama and allowed him to speak to her. Her eyes were still bright and wide as they were the day she was born. He remembered staring at them when he got to hold her, if only very briefly.

  “I’m sorry, my name’s not Prince Eric, it’s Alec. How are you, Madison?”

  “I’m great. We went to Gulf World today. We were supposed to go yesterday, but it was raining. We saw the dolphins and fish.”

  “You did? That must have been very cool.”

  “It was. Mommy even bought me a dolphin of my very own. See?” She held up the stuffed animal for him.

  “That’s awesome. What’s her name?”

  Madison immediately started laughing at him.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s a boy, silly.”

  “Madison Lynn, where are your manners? You don’t call Mr. O’Donnell silly,” Katie Lyn scolded her.

  Alec looked up and smiled, letting her know that he took no offense, before turning his attention back to the young girl.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. O’Donnell,” she said as she frowned and stared down at her feet.

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry I called Mr. Dolphin here a girl. What’s his name?” he asked.

  “His name is Flipper. At least that’s what my nana calls him.”

  “Katie Lyn is everything okay?”

  Alec immediately stood as a woman approached him. She looked very much like Katie Lyn, only older. She had to be Katie Lyn’s mom, although he hadn’t seen her in years and then only from a distance. Waylon Bishop must have been crazy for letting this beautiful woman go. It was easy to see where Katie Lyn got her looks. The two could pass for sisters, rather than mother or daughter.

  “Mama, this is Mr. O’Donnell. He’s my attorney. Mr. O’Donnell, this is my mother, Lynette Bishop.”

  “Your attorney?” Lynette looked at her daughter.

  “Val hired him.”

  “Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. O’Donnell.”

  “Please, both of you just call me Alec. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bishop.”

  “Please, it’s Lynette.” She smiled and shook his hand.

  “Mama, would you mind taking Madison up to the room. She should have a nap before dinner. Mr. . . .” she paused and looked at him. “I’m sorry, Alec needs to go over some paperwork with me.”

  Alec watched as Katie Lyn and her mom exchanged looks. Like they had some secret mother daughter ESP going on.

  “Are you sure I shouldn’t stay?”

  “It’s okay. I’ll call Cin. You go along with Madison. If she doesn’t get her nap soon, she’ll be grouchy.”

  “Okay. But remember, we have dinner reservations with the girls at seven.”

  “I won’t forget.” Katie Lyn nodded to her.

  “Bye, Mr. Alec,” Madison said as she waved at him before taking her grandmother’s hand and walking towards the elevators.

  “Bye, Madison.” He waved before turning his focus back to Katie Lyn. He was caught off guard once again when she was smiling at him.

  “I was hoping maybe we could talk over dinner, but I guess you already have plans.”

  “Yes, with the girls in the band. We like to get together and just relax and have fun. We’ve been incredibly busy lately. Could you excuse me for a second please?”

  “Of course.”

  Alec watched as she stepped away and got out her cell phone. Was she checking him out with Val? And who was Cin? Was it the red-haired banjo player, Cinnamon Chadwick she was calling? Maybe she was afraid to be alone with him. Maybe she did recognize him after all.

  * * *

  Katie Lyn was floored by the good-looking attorney Val had hired. She remembered him from the day she signed the contract, mainly because she had lied to him about reading them over. Cinnamon had secretly told her everything she needed to know about the contract and told her it was okay to sign. What would take a normal person just a few minutes to look over, would have taken Katie Lyn hours. With her dyslexia, words on paper were hard for her. She remembered the teasing she received as a child when she wasn’t able to keep up with her reading like children the same age. That’s why she loved movies. There, she could hear and see the wonderful stories she wished she could read like everyone else. She still prayed Madison didn’t inherit her disability.

  But it wasn’t just her disability that caused her to be nervous around the attorney. She was attracted to him. She was attracted to him that day she first met him in Nashville to go over the contracts. Val and the other girls teased her about it, because of how she was shy and flirty with him.

  She couldn’t help it. He looked like he stepped off a Hollywood movie and right into the hotel lobby to save her from demons, dragons or in her case, ex-husbands. It was the first time since Trevor left her that she allowed herself to be attracted to a man. There was just something about him, something familiar and she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  But she had no time to think about that now; she needed her best friend.

  She couldn’t stand to embarrass herself with the fact she couldn’t read. Or that it took so long to read anything. She was getting better, but she still struggled, especially when she was nervous, and he made her nervous. Very nervous.

  “What’s up?”

  “Hey, Cin. Where are you?”

  “I’m in my room jotting down a few notes of a song that keeps playing in my head. Why are you whispering? Is everything okay?”

  “I need you to come to the lobby right now. I need your help.”

  “I’ll be right down. Do I need to call for backup or something? Trevor’s not down there, is he?”

  “No, just listen, I can’t talk too loud. Val sent our lawyer to me and he’s here right now. He wants to go over the paperwork with me.”

  “Our lawyer? Oh, you mean Mr. McDreamy?”

  “Yes. Would you please hurry?”

  “This is going to be good. I’ll be down there in just a sec.”

  Katie Lyn hung up and went back to the attorney. He was watching her and smiling. She wished he wouldn’t smile at her like that.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked. His voice was a little deeper, making her even more nervous.

  “Yeah. Everything is fine.”

  “So, who’s Cin?” he asked.

  “Oh, she’s the banjo player in the group. It’s Cinnamon Chadwick, but I just call her Cin.”

  “Oh, okay. Did she know your ex-husband?”

  “Yes, and like me, she’s not a fan of Trevor, and she can back my side of the story.”

  “That’s good. We may need a statement from her.”

  “Yes, I’m sure she’d be happy to do that. I just want her with us for, you know, support. It’s not that I don’t trust you or anything, because I do. I mean you’re my attorney and you’re here to help me, right? I mean, why else would you be here?”

  His smile dropped and he was looking at her like she had two heads.

  “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

  “Just a little.” He nodded.

  “Sorry. I’m just nervous. I ramble when I’m nervous.”

  “Don’t be nervous. It’s going to be okay. You can trust me. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Madison stays with you.”

  When he said her name again, it occurred to her How did he know her name? Immediately her guard w
ent up.

  “Earlier, you called my daughter by her name. How did you know her name? And how did you know my mom’s name, too?”

  She swore she saw the tan complexion just wash away from his face, and then she noticed the folder in his hand.

  “Oh my gosh. What am I thinking? I’m so sorry. Of course, you’d know that. It’s in the court documents,” she said pointing to the folder.

  “Yes, it is. It’s okay to ask me questions. I’m here to help.”

  “This whole thing couldn’t have come at a worse time. We’re still touring and I’m buying a house and the holidays are coming soon. My life is crazy right now and I’m rambling again, aren’t I?” she said as she stopped, noting his sweet and somehow understanding smile.

  “I’ll do my best to get this settled quickly for you. I promise,” he added.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.” She tried to relax, but couldn’t wait for Cin to get here, before she continued to make a fool out of herself.

  As if the angels above heard her prayers for help, the elevator made its distinctive chime. When the doors opened, there stood her friend Cinnamon in her cut-off jeans and midriff T-shirt. She had hoped maybe her friend would have dressed a little more conservative, but Cinnamon is Cinnamon, and what you see is what you get. Katie Lyn wouldn’t change that for the world.

  “Hey, KL, what’s shaking?”

  “Cinnamon, you remember Mr. O’Donnell. He’s here to help me with the custody case.”

  “Nice to see you again, Miss Chadwick.”

  “Just call me Cinnamon. So, you’re a family lawyer, too?”

  “Why don’t we find somewhere more private to speak,” Alec suggested.

  “I think right here is okay. Don’t you, Cin?” Katie Lyn pointed to the lounge area of the hotel.

  Cinnamon shrugged and nodded

  “Well, I was just thinking if we could go somewhere more private, less chance of the paparazzi hearing something. You never know who’s snooping around. You have to be careful about that. The bar area might be better.”

  “He has a point, KL.”

  “I don’t drink,” Katie Lyn said.