by Jennie Marts
Mack winced. “That had to be rough.”
“It was. I found out later I was performing on the same night the local high school football team was playing for the state championship. And it was the first time they’d made the playoffs in a decade. Everyone in town was at the game. It ended about the time my set finished.”
“Did they win?”
Chase laughed. “Yeah, they did. By one field goal. Too bad I wasn’t playing at the local diner. That place was packed. I would’ve done better bussing tables in the diner that night than I did playing guitar.”
Mack grinned. He liked this guy. Chase was down-to-earth, and Mack was impressed that he hadn’t let his quick rise to fame go to his head. He was dressed simply in jeans and a black t-shirt. He wore a black Stetson on his head, scuffed cowboy boots on his feet, and an easygoing smile on his face.
Chase had shown up that morning around nine, just like he’d said he would. Mack had been in the shop working on fixing a hinge, and Chase had been fascinated by the blacksmithing process, asking questions and studying the various tools. He’d seemed eager to tackle something, so Mack had shown him how to make a hook, one of the common projects he demonstrated in his classes. Chase had a ball heating the iron and then pounding and twisting it into shape.
He’d seemed genuinely pleased with his work and excited to take the hook with him, claiming he was going to put it up inside the front door of his house and use it to hang his hat on.
The two men had bonded over the smithing, then Mack had given him a tour of the property and introduced him to Molly. She’d made a batch of her famous mac and cheese turkey sliders and fixed up a pitcher of lemonade, and the three of them had sat on the front porch and gone over the plans for the concert. Loretta and Hank had conveniently shown up around the time Molly was pouring Chase a second cup of lemonade. Mack was pretty sure Molly had texted them.
But the country singer took it all in stride and seemed pleased to meet them. He’d been laid-back, content to drink lemonade and listen to the older folks share stories about the ranch.
After that, Mack assumed Chase had gone back to spend the afternoon in his hotel. The guy probably needed a nap. The poor guy had to be worn out after listening to his grandparents and Molly talk his ear off for an hour. But he’d been a good sport. Impressively so. No wonder he’d been so successful.
Mack had given even more props to that success hours later, as he’d watched car after car drive onto the ranch property. More people than he could count had spilled from those cars and filled the field with blankets and lawn chairs and coolers of food. As the crowds increased, all eager to hear just a few songs from Chase, he’d had a moment of sheer terror, afraid that the country star wouldn’t show back up. His panicked mind imagined this whole thing had been an elaborate setup to make him look like an idiot.
Then he realized he was an idiot, because nobody cared that much about him to go to all that trouble just to make him seem a fool. Besides, he could do that all on his own, thank you very much.
His cheeks burned when he thought about the video he’d posted for Jocelyn. That’s the last time he’d ask his dog for advice about women. Although, posting the video had seemed like such a good idea at the time.
But he hadn’t heard a word from her all day—not a text, a note, a call, not even a like or a comment on the painstakingly crafted post.
Plenty of other people had liked and commented. He couldn’t believe how much attention the dang post had created. He’d held his breath the last time he’d checked it, praying as he scrolled through the comments. But there was nothing, not a single reaction, from the one person he’d written it for.
He tried to ignore the ache in his chest. He’d wanted an answer. Now he’d gotten one. Jocelyn wasn’t interested. Or maybe it was simply that she wanted something else more than she wanted him. That once again, he wasn’t enough to make someone stay.
He had to stop. He had a concert to run. Thinking about Jocelyn was taking too much of his energy. And he needed all he had to get through this night.
Jocelyn is in the past. Leave her there.
The band finished their last song and began to thank the audience for coming out to hear them. That was Mack’s cue. Good thing, too. Enough of this feeling sorry for himself. He had work to do. The ranch was his responsibility, and he was going to darn well do everything he could to save it.
He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and turned toward the stairs. This was it. Go time.
A firm hand clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to get an encouraging nod from Chase. “You got this, Mack.”
It wasn’t Peyton Manning, but it did the trick.
Mack gave the country star a thumbs-up, then scrambled up the steps and strode across the makeshift stage to take the mic. He held his arm out toward the band. “Let’s give it up one more time for the Harmony Creek Crooners.” He waited for the applause to die down again. “I can’t thank you all enough for showing up tonight to support Harmony Ranch. This means everything to us.”
He looked out over the sea of faces, shocked at the size of the audience. It seemed to have doubled since the last band had taken the stage. Hundreds of blankets covered the grass, and every vendor had a line of people. He’d been so busy worrying about how he was going to introduce Chase that he hadn’t been paying attention to the crowd. But he now saw a steady stream of headlights backed up for miles along the county road that led to the ranch. So many cars were still waiting to get onto the property.
The concert was a huge success. He couldn’t believe it. Even though he knew most of them had shown up to see the real star, he felt like a hero for being the one who gave them all the chance. He’d made this night happen. He and Jocelyn.
He only wished she were here to see what they’d done.
Speaking of which, he’d better get to introducing the man they’d all shown up to see. He gripped the mic tighter as he raised his voice. “And now it is my pleasure to introduce a guy who really needs no introduction. You’ve heard him on the radio, you’ve seen him on TV, and now here he is tonight on the stage at Harmony Ranch. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…” He held his arm out. “Mr. Chase Dalton.”
Applause and cheers erupted from the crowd as Chase bounded to the front of the stage, his guitar strapped around his shoulder. A huge smile creased his face as he took a quick bow, then held up his hands to settle the crowd. “Thank you so much. I’m honored to be able to play here tonight. Harmony Creek Ranch is such an amazing place. I remember visiting here as a kid. It always felt like stepping back in time to a place rich in history where things were simple, and family and hard work mattered. Molly Stone and Mack and their crew of volunteers have done an incredible job keeping that history alive for visitors like you and me. I’d love to see all of us help contribute to preserving the place that has done so much for all of us.”
Mack was shocked to see Chase reach into his back pocket and pull out his wallet. He’d told the singer that he had volunteers ready to walk through the crowd with baskets, and had planned to ask for donations after Chase had sung. But he sure had never imagined the star himself would help with that task. Or give a donation. He had already done so much by just showing up and bringing in this crowd.
Chase held up his wallet. “I hope you’re all opening your wallets to give tonight to help rescue this historic ranch. Mack’s got volunteers ready to collect your donations. They’re in period dress and carrying red baskets.” He pointed to a teenage girl standing in front of the stage. She wore a yellow Victorian dress and a small blue hat, and she held a red basket. “Just like this one. Come on up here, darlin’.”
The girl shrank back as she pointed to her chest. “Me?” she mouthed, her voice drowned out by the roar of the crowd. She glanced from Chase to Mack.
Mack sure as heck wasn’t going to look a gift country singer in the mouth. He nodded to t
he girl—her name was Katy, and she’d been volunteering at the ranch since she was in middle school—as he hurried forward to help her up the stairs at the edge of the stage.
Katy stared at Mack, frozen in place as he held his hand out to her. She shook her head. “I can’t. That’s Chase Dalton.”
Mack gave her an encouraging smile. “I know. And this is your chance to meet him. He just called you onto the stage, so get up there, girl. You’re going to be the envy of every other kid in your class.”
She took Mack’s hand. He could feel it shaking, and he squeezed it as he helped her up the steps. She kept his hand gripped tightly in hers as she followed him the few steps across the stage.
“This is Katy,” Mack told Chase when they reached him.
“Hey, Katy. Thanks for helping me out.” The country singer smiled down at her, and the girl’s cheeks and neck went a rosy pink as she smiled shyly back. Then she dropped Mack’s hand like it was on fire as Chase put his arm around her.
The country singer turned back to the audience. “This here’s Katy, and she and the other volunteers are going to be making their way through the crowds.” He pulled a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and pushed it through the hole in the lid of Katy’s basket. “I’m making the first contribution, and I just know you all are going to fill those baskets with money. If you don’t have cash, you can still help by making a donation online.” He shared the website and the instructions on how to give.
Katy beamed up at him as if he’d just invented electricity. She held the basket in the air, and the crowd went crazy.
Mack couldn’t believe it. The members of the crowd were digging in their pockets and bags and holding out cash in their hands, waving it around for the volunteers to collect.
Chase gave Katy’s shoulder a squeeze. “You better get down there and start collecting.”
“Yes, sir.” She scrambled from the stage, not bothering with Mack’s help this time, and disappeared into the crowd.
“I’m so proud to be here to witness this outpouring of love. I knew this was the kind of community that helped each other out. And speaking of love, I don’t know how many of you saw the post this guy put up on Facebook of him and his lady dancing to one of my songs…” He jerked a thumb toward Mack.
The crowd went wild again, whooping and hollering as they cut off Chase’s next words. Which was fine with Mack. Heat was creeping up his back, and he took a few steps back, hoping to shrink off the stage. His high of seeing all the donations crashed to the ground in a burning explosion, and shame took its place. He wanted to forget about that post, and planned to delete it the second this concert was over.
“This guy has been great to me today. He introduced me to the wonderful folks who run the ranch, and even let me make something in his blacksmith shop. He told me he and his girl heard me years ago at the Harmony County Fair when I was just getting my start in music, and that ‘My Heart Is Your Home’ is their song. So I want to dedicate this song to them.” He waved Mack over and swung his arm around his shoulder. “Can you believe this tough guy is such a romantic? Come on, Mack. Get your girl up here, and I’ll do this one just for her.”
Groan. This guy. He was trying to do something nice, but he had no idea what he was doing. Joss wasn’t here. She was gone.
“What’s her name? Jocelyn?” Chase asked.
Mack nodded. He’d told Chase earlier that Jocelyn was the one he’d been with all those years ago and that she had helped him put together this concert, so it was reasonable that he’d assume she would be there.
“Jocelyn, get up here,” Chase called into the crowd.
A sick feeling churned in Mack’s gut as he looked over the audience, knowing she wasn’t in it. Shame burned his cheeks as the crowd went quiet, looking around to try to see her. The awkward silence seemed to last for hours.
“I’m here.” Her voice called from the back of the field.
Chapter Twenty-Two
No way. It had to be his imagination. Or some woman who saw how humiliated he was and was taking pity on him. Mack craned his neck to see who was yelling when he heard it again.
“I’m here!”
Shouts went up from the audience. “She’s here! She’s here!” The crowd split apart to let a woman through. She was waving her arm at Mack as she tried to push through the people and skirt around the blankets.
His heart swelled in his chest. It was her. It was really Jocelyn. He couldn’t believe it. He stood frozen in place, his only movement his eyes, as he blinked as if she were a mirage that might disappear. Then his body took flight as he raced across the stage, flew down the steps and pushed his way into the crowd.
He couldn’t see her, couldn’t see around the hordes of people who had gathered at the front of the stage when Chase had come out. “Jocelyn!”
“Mack!”
He heard her voice and the mass of people stepped back to let her through. Her eyes lit when she saw him, and she launched herself toward him and into his arms. He grabbed her, pulling her to him and burying his face in her neck. His hands were shaking as he clutched her back, holding her tightly against him. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he said into her throat, inhaling the scent of her.
She held him just as firmly, handfuls of his shirt gripped in her fists.
He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to pick her up and take her back to his cottage where they could talk. And be alone. Instead of with hundreds of people who were all watching them. How was this his life?
“Let’s get those two up on the stage,” Chase called out.
Mack grimaced. Would this ever end? Now that Jocelyn was here, was back, he couldn’t care less about the concert. But he knew the ranch was depending on this night. And if they could pull off the money they needed, Jocelyn wouldn’t feel as much pressure to take the bonus. He slid his hand down and took hers. Holding it securely, he nodded to the stage. “You okay?”
She nodded, then followed him back through the crowd and up the steps. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he told her again as they stepped onto the stage.
She leaned in. “I can’t believe Chase Dalton is here. How in the world did you pull this off?”
“I didn’t. He called me.”
Her eyes went round, but they didn’t have time to say anything more as they approached Chase and Mack introduced her.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so excited to meet you,” she told him. The crowd roared as she let go of Mack’s hand and threw her arms around the neck of the country singer. Then she pulled away, smoothing his shirt back in place before she pressed her fingers to her cheeks. “Sorry. I’m just so happy you’re here. Wow. That hug—I practically tackled you. Was that too much?”
Chase grinned. “Nah. It was just right.”
She took a step back to stand next to Mack. Her shoulder pressed against his as Chase addressed the audience. A rush of heat swirled through his chest as his knuckles brushed hers, then he felt her pinky finger twist around his. It was enough. That small connection. Enough to tell him she still cared.
Chase was sharing the origin of the song and telling a story about how he came up with it, but Mack couldn’t hear a word he was saying over the rush in his ears. He peered down at Jocelyn, still amazed that she’d shown up. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, tipping her face to his. “You asked me to come.”
“I know. But I didn’t think you’d really do it. What about your job?”
“I quit.”
He jerked back. “You quit? Just like that?”
She smiled and turned her hand around to entwine his fingers with hers. “Yep. Just like that.”
“But you were so excited about the coffee shop account. And you love that job.”
She squeezed his hand and looked deeply into his eyes, her expression earnest and sincere. “But
I love you more.”
He swallowed. She’d quit her job and come back to the ranch? For him? “Are you sure?”
She nodded, a smile curving her lips. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. There will always be another job. But there will never be another you. Another us. This is right where I should be, and I’m staying. In Colorado, at Harmony Ranch, and with you. If you still want me.”
He pulled her into a hug. “I’ve never stopped wanting you. I gave you my heart when I was ten years old, and it’s always belonged to you.”
“So this song is for Mack and Jocelyn,” Chase said, turning to grin at them. “You guys are just the kind of people I write these songs for. And it looks to me like your hearts have found their homes in each other.” He strummed the first chords on the guitar, and the crowd went wild.
Mack smiled down at Jocelyn as he took her in his arms. “Can I have this dance?”
She cuddled against his chest and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yes. This dance. And every dance. For the rest of our lives.”
Mack hugged her as they started to sway. “That sounds like just long enough to me.”
The song ended, and Jocelyn and Mack thanked Chase and waved to the crowd as they yielded the stage to the country star. She held Mack’s hand in a tight grip as he led her down the back steps of the stage.
They’d barely made it to the grass when Mack turned around, hauled her against his chest and kissed her. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the second I heard your voice calling from the crowd,” he told her as he finally let her go.
Breathless, she peered up at him, unable to keep the smile from taking over her face. “What took you so long?”