A Cowboy's Song

by Megan Ryder

  Piper, Hailey, and Tara were puttering around, gathering centerpieces and flower arrangements that hadn’t been foisted on guests and putting them in one spot so the tables and chairs could be broken down easier tomorrow. West and Chase were already moving some of the barrels and smaller stuff out of the way, but everyone looked damned tired.

  Piper must have seen something in his expression—frustration, annoyance, who knows what—because she came right over and hugged him, then ran her fingers across his brow. “You okay?”

  He smiled, though he knew it was fake. “Fine. Can we leave this until tomorrow? We don’t need to worry about it now.”

  Tara nodded. “The rental agency is coming around ten for their tables and chairs. Someone needs to be here to direct them on what to take. And it’s all ready. Otherwise, we can take everything down whenever.”

  She was almost swaying on her feet she was so tired. West swept her up in his arms. “I’ve been waiting to do this all day.” He nuzzled her neck and headed for the door. “See you all tomorrow. Maybe.”

  Hailey, too, was already marching for the door. “I don’t have a kid tonight. Nobody bother us. On pain of death.”

  Chase grinned and followed, almost tripping on his boots.

  Ty looked down at Piper. “Well, milady. That leaves us. I suppose we could spend some time cleaning up.”

  “Hell no. I was promised that bridesmaids get sex as part of the deal. Pay up, buddy.”

  He arched his brow. “Oh really? Who made this promise? And that better have only been after we got together.”

  She cocked her head and planted a hand firmly on her hip. “Well, Gene is really not my type and I think Cam is already taken.”

  He rocked back on his heels and considered her. “I think Cam and Emma are way more complicated than that.”

  She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Look, do you want to, or should I find someone else?”

  “And they say guys aren’t romantic.”

  She turned and started to stomp away. He laughed and grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and running for the door as she squealed and laughed. He tossed her in the passenger side of his pickup and slammed the door. “How’s that for romance? I’m kidnapping you.”

  “It’s only kidnapping if I don’t want to go. So, get this show on the road, Evans!”

  He only shook his head and raced to the driver’s side.

  *

  Piper wrapped Ty’s tuxedo jacket around her bare shoulders in the truck cab as he raced through the night to their cabin. Honestly, she hadn’t expected to have to work so hard for sex tonight. The dress was going to crank him up and get him ready, especially the way they’d danced all night and flirted outrageously. She had found him incredibly sexy before in jeans and boots, but Ty in a tuxedo and boots? Damn, that should be registered as a lethal weapon. She wanted to show her appreciation, and she thought he felt the same, especially the way he reacted to her dress before they sang. But something had happened when he had gone outside with the band, something that put shadows in his eyes.

  She had expected to fight some demons today, his past rearing its head about the song and family, especially poignant if he allowed himself to truly think about everything. But Ty didn’t seem to be thinking too hard about anything except the moment and Tara and West. So, what had put the clouds in his eyes? What had triggered his brooding side after all was said and done?

  They pulled up to his cabin, and she stared out the window, surprised. They had spent every night at her cabin. Was he finally going to let her into his domain? He came around to her side, opening the door. Before she could get down, he took her waist and lifted her out of the cab, a gesture she appreciated since it was pretty high up, and in the mermaid skirt, she would probably fall flat on her face scrambling down. But, instead of letting her walk, he held her close, his gaze trapping hers, eyes deep and fathomless, full of mystery and heat. She twined her arms around his neck to ensure she didn’t fall, and held her breath, not wanting to spoil the moment.

  After a pause, he said, “I don’t suppose you could wrap your legs around my waist?”

  “Not unless I hike this dress, and I don’t think it could go that high, honestly.”

  “Then we improvise.”

  She half expected him to set her down or toss her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. Instead, he shifted her so he was cradling her in his arms. He kicked the door shut and headed for the cabin, taking the steps quickly to the door. Since no one had ever heard of robbery out here in Montana apparently, he didn’t have to fumble for a key. He opened the door, letting Dundee streak out, barking wildly at this new game.

  “You know, I’m not the bride, and I think only the bride and groom do the threshold thing, right?”

  “Bridesmaid is close enough, and your feet are killing you.”

  “How did you…?”

  “You were limping a little when you were cleaning up the barn. I figured the boots were bothering you, especially after all that dancing.” He ducked and entered the cabin sideways with a little swoop and shut the door with his foot.

  She twisted and said, “You can’t leave poor Dundee outside. What about the coyotes?”

  “He’ll head for the barn and the calves. He’ll be fine.” He set her down and pulled off the tuxedo jacket, tossing it on the couch in the living area. “You should be thinking about yourself right now.”

  She should be checking out his living quarters, seeing how Ty kept his cabin. How a guy lived told a woman a lot about the kind of guy he was. Her brother was messy, kind of a slob, always waiting for her or her mom to clean it up. Which was why he now had a cleaning service. It was also his excuse for never bringing women to his house. She thought it was laziness about the house and commitment issues about the women. On the rare occasions he picked it, it was all tossed in a closet, and God help you if you opened the door, because you’d be smothered by the avalanche of crap that poured out.

  Her ex’s place had been OCD neat, with everything lined up and in its own place. Although interestingly enough, he had as many hair and body products as she did, which should have told her something. Of course, she found out later, it wasn’t because he was a clean-freak and obsessive about order, but, in fact, he wanted to be absolutely sure he wasn’t leaving anything around for his other women to find. The perfect cover-up. Honestly, with Ty, she was just hoping for something in between, and with fewer hair products.

  But Ty remained standing in front of her, blocking her view of his cabin. He brushed one of the curls that had taken Marlene from Hair4U a half hour and half a can of ancient ozone-killing hairspray to artfully design so it framed her face perfectly. He wrapped it around his finger and tugged, letting it slide through his finger slowly until it bounced back into place.

  “I’ve been dying to do that all night.”

  “I’ve been wanting to cut the damned thing. It keeps getting in my eyes,” she confessed quietly, and he burst out laughing. She smiled. “I guess I’m not much for fashion.”

  He ghosted his hands over her updo and the flowers woven into it, and tried to push his fingers in, only to be blocked by the helmet-head Marlene had created with her industrial-strength hairspray that must have been created in the fifties. “Damn, what the hell happened to your hair? Shellac?”

  “That’s not far off. This is your grandmother’s hairspray. Nothing’s going to budge this style. Not even wild and crazy sex.”

  He got a glint in his eye. “Challenge accepted.”

  He swept her off her feet for the third time that night and proved that yes, the third time always was a charm, wild and crazy sex could shatter helmet-head, and bridesmaids always got the best sex. Always.

  She loved being wrong.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next several days were very busy at the ranch. Piper decided to stay on, help out where she could, and try to turn her hand at writing some music. The muse was still flirting with her, dancing in and
out of her brain, taunting her with melodies and words, yet just frustratingly out of reach. She also wasn’t quite ready to give up on what was developing with Ty, not yet, and she sensed if she left Montana, she might regret it for the rest of her life. He wasn’t ready to move on from the ranch and, with West on his honeymoon, Ty had stepped into West’s shoes as his backup.

  She gave up her cabin, finally admitting to everyone that she and Ty were an item, not that they didn’t already know that. This also allowed them to get her cabin ready for guests who were coming in another week or so. And she spent time helping Hailey get things ready for the inaugural season, especially since Ty was busy working long days with the cattle. This way, she didn’t feel like she was taking a free vacation. She also posted some pictures on Instagram and tagged the ranch, hoping to gain some publicity for her friend.

  Ty had seemed a bit distant all week, even as he held her close every night and made love to her. But they hadn’t played any music, nor had he made any indications about going to The Rock to sing. He had even ducked Zane’s call about the weekend. Was it the song, the singing, or the past it was dredging up? But when she asked, he avoided the question and kissed her senseless. And she let him.

  She’d finally fulfilled her promise to Emma though, heading over to the high school to talk with the kids about a career in music. She was nervous, unsure what to say or how to deal with kids. She had rarely ever interacted with them in such close quarters and had no idea what to expect. But Emma made it easy, and Piper ended up spending a couple of hours, answering questions, listening to them play, offering suggestions on some of their music. She even borrowed a guitar and played with them, having an impromptu jam session the kids were thrilled with. When the session ended, they left reluctantly, thanking her and smiling from ear to ear.

  Emma hugged her. “You have no idea what that meant to them. These are kids who don’t always feel like they belong somewhere. You gave them something today.”

  “Don’t you have a music program for them?”

  “Sure, but it’s more for band, like trumpets, saxophone, you know. It doesn’t tend to have guitars and stuff like these kids want to play. And we’re a small town. No music teachers unless they can drive to Missoula. So, they’re all self-taught.”

  Later, Piper was lying in bed with Ty. He sighed. “I know how they feel. When I came here, there was nothing for me. I had my guitar and, once I started to play again, it was so hard to relearn everything. I was lucky I’d had teachers before I came. Douglas wanted to get me a teacher, like he did for Chase and bull riding, but it was a long drive.”

  She was quiet for a long time, her head pillowed on his shoulder, listening to him breathe. She stroked his chest, thankful again for her advantages. When she asked for a new guitar, one showed up. If she needed to learn new chords or struggled with a song, a teacher was available. She had never experienced the gap these kids had, never had to wonder how she would ever learn.

  “What are you thinking, Piper?” His voice was amused, and he toyed with the strands of her hair that strayed across his chest.

  “About how lucky I am. I guess I never really thought about how many people didn’t have access to music like I did.”

  “It’s not just in small towns like this. Foster kids in general may not have access. Foster parents often can’t afford to send their kids to music lessons or buy guitars or singing teachers. It’s a luxury many kids will never have.”

  “That makes me so sad.”

  He pulled her close. “Me too.”

  *

  Piper was curled up in Ty’s porch swing, wrapped in a blanket, her guitar in her lap, trying to capture her muse. Well, really she was just thinking about her next steps. Her phone rang and she sighed. The last person she wanted to talk to.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “I thought you were coming home after the wedding. So, where are you? We’re all here in Brentwood, but are you here? No.”

  Piper winced. It was rare to hear her mom pissed off, but not sticking to plan would totally do it. She pushed on the floor with her foot, rocking the swing a little. “I decided to stay a bit longer, help out, and do a little more writing. I emailed you.”

  “You email your employees. You do not email your mother. It’s rude. I raised you better than that.”

  Piper restrained herself from saying they didn’t have email back then, and honestly, Mee-maw did most of the raising since her parents had been on the road for much of her growing years, or she was in boarding school. That would have been more rude than the email. And her mother didn’t deserve that. She loved her children, and Piper loved her mom. But sometimes, she resented the music lifestyle. So, she did what she always did.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. But I’ve been busy.”

  “Good, you’ve been writing then. Can you send us anything to get started with arrangements?”

  Piper sighed, her head thudding back on the wood of the swing. “Mom, I just got off tour. Can’t this wait?”

  “Honey, you need something to follow up this tour, quickly.” There was a pause, then her tone changed. “What about this song, this duet with that cowboy?”

  Piper froze, her body going cold. “What do you mean? What duet?”

  “It’s all over YouTube, honey. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about it. And Darren is livid that you played for a bunch of strangers instead of keeping it quiet. Although, I think it might be some marketing genius. Generate some buzz and get people talking about you, then whet their appetite for a new album. Pretty smart, in fact. Who is this cowboy?”

  Piper bit her lower lip, pulling up YouTube on her phone. Why had she decided to go dark this week of all weeks? She’d been posting on Instagram but not really checking in on her other sites, leaving it for her assistant to handle while she relaxed. She never even saw that she was trending.

  Piper Raines and mysterious cowboy sing new song.

  Could this be a comeback for Piper Raines?

  Romance for Piper Raines and new leading man?

  And there it was, she and Ty singing at the wedding. Audio and visual. Dammit.

  Who the hell had recorded their song? Ty was going to flip out, and Tara and West wouldn’t be much happier, knowing someone had violated their wedding in that way. There had to be a way to find out who posted the video and get them to take it down. Not that it would matter, judging by the number of hits, now well into the six digits and climbing.

  “Mom, that should never have been leaked. This was a private ceremony.”

  “Doesn’t matter. The song is great. Darren thinks this could be the key to your comeback.”

  Oh great. She needed a comeback now. Not that she had ever really been on top, not at her level. She was only in the middle at best, hadn’t really broken out yet.

  And it was attractive to think this could break her out.

  “It’s not my song. It’s Ty’s. I only helped him with it.”

  “Do you think you could get him to come to Nashville, record that song with you? Maybe do a few shows, smaller venues to generate some buzz? It could go a long way. And he would see some return on it, royalties. Darren thinks he could have a music future too. Why didn’t you mention him when you talked about that other band? He’s very talented, this Ty Evans.”

  “Because he’s not interested in a music career.”

  “You’re kidding. He’d rather shovel manure and chase cows? I don’t understand that, dear. Talk to him. Maybe he’ll do it for you. He clearly cares about you, judging by the way he looks at you.”

  Piper flushed as she got to the end of the video where she and Ty embraced and kissed. “Well, that didn’t need to go on the internet. They could have at least edited it. I’ll talk to him, but I doubt he’ll be interested.”

  “If you can’t convince him, maybe Darren can. He’s on his way up there, should be there today, I think. He decided to fly in and check out this guy, along with that other band, and see what you’ve been up to. Can you
find him a place to stay, maybe at that guest ranch? We didn’t find anything close by for a hotel except some little weird place. I don’t remember the name.”

  Piper’s whole body grew cold. Darren. In Montana. Great. That was the absolute last thing she needed. Vacation blown. Now, how was she going to break the news to Ty?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ty and Chase rode in from the pastures. They had finally been able to take the remaining heavies who had given birth to rejoin the herd and turn them all loose to fatten on the range. It had been a long week, one West apologized for missing, but the brothers handled it fine with their hands. There was always something to be done, and West deserved his time away, having pulled many crappy duties in his time. But now, all Ty wanted was a shower, a cold beer, something to eat—and not on horseback.

  As they drew closer to the barn, a figure waited. Piper. Dundee broke away and raced for her, as in love with her as Ty feared he was becoming. Chase gave Ty a look and laughed. “You are so gone for her. Have you talked about next steps?”

  Ty grunted. “Not yet. This is the worst kind of long distance. Not only is she in Nashville, but she’s on the road a lot.”

  “Maybe you should go check it out, see what Nashville is like. Try your hand at the music business for a while.”

  Ty shifted in his saddle and stared at his brother. “Anxious to get rid of me?”

  “Not right now. But hey, we’ve all had our chances. Maybe you should think about it. That song was pretty good. You’ve always wanted to do something with your music. You could do what I did if it makes you feel any better.” Ty raised a brow and Chase shrugged. “Send some of your earnings home. That way you could feel like you’re helping when you’re not here.”

  “Singers like me are a dime a dozen down there. Believe me. I’m nothing special.”