by Piper Stone
Tom’s face went red and he looked apoplectic. “What the devil are you doing here?” he snarled at her.
Madison shrank back, her face white, her body trembling.
Drake stepped in front of her. “I asked Michael to make the arrangements,” he replied, not in the least intimidated by Tom. “And while I may not have any proof that you stole Madison’s song, Give Me a Cowboy Any Day, I did want to give Madison a chance to show Ms Parks some of her other work. I’m sure Ms Parks is capable of making up her own mind who the work belongs to.”
Priss stood up. “These are some serious allegations,” she said with a frown.
Madison finally found her voice. “Like Drake said, I can’t prove my ex husband stole my song and sold it illegally, but I do have other work if you are interested. I always wanted to sing my songs myself, but if I can’t, then selling them to someone who can do them justice is the next best thing.”
Priss stared at both of them, consideringly. “I wasn’t expecting to have a sales meeting from a backstage guest pass,” she mused.
“Make them leave, Priss,” said Tom with a nasty smile. “That bitch couldn’t carry a tune if she had it in a bucket. That song was mine.”
It was all Madison could do to keep from flying at Tom with her fists punching. In fact, if Drake hadn’t held her back, she probably would have.
Priss stared at Tom in distaste. “That’s a harsh thing to say about your ex wife, Tom.” She turned back to Madison and gestured to the guitar sitting beside her, offering it. “Show me what you’ve got, honey.” Then she sat down to listen while Tom swore under his breath.
Madison stared at Priss, then looked up at Drake. Her body was trembling with all sorts of emotions.
Then Drake leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Karma, baby, it’s karma time. Go for it.”
She smiled back with misty eyes. This man believed in her and she could do this. She picked up the guitar.
Chapter 4
When the last notes of A Forever Man faded, Priss starting clapping, looking thunderstruck. “My God, that’s amazing. I love that song and you are a natural. Do you have any others I can look at or hear?”
Madison took her life’s work out of her bag and handed it to the artist.
As Priss Parks went through the notebook and neared the end, she began to frown. Once she turned the last page, her frown turned to anger.
“Is... is something wrong?” ventured Madison.
“You’re damn right something’s wrong,” she replied. She waved to Drake. “Tell my man outside the door to come in and escort Mr. Johnson from the premises.” She turned to Tom. “My lawyer will be in touch with you.”
“Just so you know, that’s my notebook,” blustered Tom, his face covered in a light sheen of sweat. “The bitch stole it from me. It’s one of the reasons I divorced her.”
Madison couldn’t help the scream that left her lips when Tom hit the floor with a bloody nose and a dislocated jaw. Drake drew his fist back and shook it out and then allowed the other man to take Tom off, whining as he went. She couldn’t help feeling a great sense of satisfaction and vindication.
Priss Parks laughed after Tom was escorted out. “Well, that was more interesting than most of my guest passes.” Then she leaned forward. “You know, you have all the proof you need right here that Tom stole your song. The dates you have on these pages, the same handwriting for all this material, it proves you starting writing Give Me a Cowboy Any Day long before you were involved with Tom. There is plenty here to take him to court if you want to sue.”
Madison looked doubtful. “I... I’m not sure what I want to do about that just yet.”
“Well, if you don’t, honey, I will. In fact I will be sueing anyway, whether you do or not. The man sold me a pirated song and I have a reputation to protect. I can’t have my fans thinking I’m unscrupulous.” She handed Madison her book back with a twinkle in her green eyes. “Of course you can always use it as a bargaining chip when he tries to sue John Wayne here for busting his chops.”
“It would still be worth every penny if I lost,” replied Drake with a satisfied drawl. “And if he comes anywhere near me or mine, I’ll do it again.”
“That’s one of the many reasons I like cowboys,” said Priss with a chuckle. “Very protective brand of men.”
“This one’s a forever kind of man,” added Madison shyly, her eyes shining up at Drake.
“Ah, I wondered if this might be the man you wrote it for. I noticed it was one of your first songs. How did you manage to leave him and get mixed up with the likes of Johnson?” Her eyes were bright and curious as she smiled at them both.
“It’s a long story,” chorused Drake and Madison together.
Priss nodded. “One I’d like to hear at some point. But for now, this has been a long day. I want you to be thinking about what you’d like to do, Madison. You have the potential to go on the road and sing your own songs, or just sell the material outright. You are very talented and have a lot of options. Also, I’ve been looking for a new act to travel with me on tour next year if you’re interested. And we can go from there, the possibilities are endless. But I want to make sure I get my dibbs in on you before some talent scout comes along and scoops you up. I’d be happy to take you on as a protege and help you learn the business. You need to cut an album as well. Michael will be in touch and set up some meetings so we can discuss things – if you’re interested.”
She flashed Madison a beaming smile and Madison was floored. “Y-you’re interested in me?”
“Damn straight, honey!”
Madison was very quiet as they made their way out of the concert venue and back to Drake’s truck, but she had his hand in a death grip. When he looked down, her eyes were shining like polished stones in the lights of the parking lot and he couldn’t be sure if was sheer happiness or if she was going to cry. Either way she seemed very tense.
He was rather floored himself after Priss’s last words. This would change everything and the dynamics in their relationship were already shaky. But Drake was determined to do everything in his power to make Madison happy, and if this was what she wanted, then so be it. He’d stopped counting wrongs a while back now.
Once he had Madison buckled in, he went around and climbed in his side, only to find out that she had taken off her seatbelt and was throwing herself into his arms. And she was crying her eyes out, which made him uncomfortable. He thought she’d be happy. “Whoa, honey, what’s wrong?” His long arms folded around her and he scooped her up into his lap. “Shush now, baby. You’re not supposed to cry like this unless I just spanked you.” He grunted when her fist hit his chest. “Hey, cut that out now.”
“Why are you so good to me?” wailed Madison, lifting her head, her eyes swimming with tears. “I’ve been so horrible to you and yet you’ve forgiven me and now you’ve given me everything I ever wanted.” She threw her arms around him and started kissing everywhere she could reach on his face.
“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted,” he replied huskily. “It’s only right to return the favor.” He grabbed her face between his hands and started kissing her back, little kisses everywhere, her forehead, her eyelids, the tears on her cheeks, and finally her mouth. He lingered there, tasting the sweetness.
“I don’t deserve you,” she sobbed.
“Probably not,” he agreed, and grunted when her fist found his chest again. “But you’re stuck with me anyway.”
She finally threw caution to the winds. “Oh, Drake, I love you so much!”
Once his fingers unbuttoned her coat and his hands made their way beneath her sweater, her undershirt, and her bra, he sighed with pleasure. “You feel so good, baby.” His fingers played with the peaks of her breasts, making them grow hard and tight and he wanted to taste them with his tongue. He groaned. “You have way too many clothes on and I’m too old to be necking in the front seat of my truck. Let’s go home.”
“You’re old all right,” she da
red to tease as he withdrew. “A whole twenty-three years old.”
“Is that a challenge, little girl?
“What? No. I don’t want to freeze my butt off trying to contort into an impossible position in the cab of this truck, it’s twenty-eight degrees outside!”
“If it weren’t for the concert police checking the parking lot, I might just try to change your mind,” he declared, tweaking her nose. “As it is, we better get moving.” He buckled her into the middle seat belt so he could keep her close to his side while they headed back to Bingham.
“Thank you for tonight, Drake. I just can’t believe it. You worked it all out so that Tom got his just desserts too. You’re a miracle worker.” Madison nuggled in close, still wiping stray tears with the back of her hand.
“You deserve your chance at fame and fortune, Madison,” he replied sincerely. “Priss is right, you are very talented and you’ve worked hard on your songs. Tom had no right to steal that from you.”
“How do you know Michael?” she asked curiously.
“We went through a couple of years of college together and he owed me a favor. It was karma.” He laughed. “It was sheer luck that Priss Parks is the one who bought your song from Tom. It might have been a little more difficult had it been someone else.” He glanced down at her, loving the happiness shining in those big brown eyes. He’d always loved those eyes. Now he just had to be patient and wait to see if she was going to leave him behind. He fingered the ring on her finger. There was no distance too great to keep him from following her this time.
It was Christmas Eve. Madison and her father were getting ready to close up shop for the holidays, when Sharon Delaney burst into the store carrying Christa and waving a manilla envelope. “Madison, I think it’s here,” she enthused, shoving the envelope into her daughter’s hands. “See, it has a Nashville return address. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Madison took Christa who was holding her little arms out and reaching for her. “You didn’t have to bring that all the way down here, Mom,” she said with a laugh.
“Nonsense,” she replied, her eyes alight with excitement. “Aren’t you going to open it?”
She hesitated. “What I’d like to do, if you don’t mind watching Christa for awhile longer, is to go to Drake’s house and open it with him.”
Sharon looked disappointed, but she sighed and held out her arms for her granddaughter.
“Of course we’ll watch Christa,” replied her father quietly. “It’s understandable that you’ll want to discuss it with Drake.”
“Will you come by later for dinner like we planned?” asked Sharon anxiously. “It is our Christmas Eve tradition you know.”
“Of course, Mom. We’ll be there later, you can count on it.”
The driveway leading to Drake’s house was defrosting in the sunshine of the wintry afternoon and Christa made a mental note to talk to Drake about putting in asphalt. The mud sucked at her tires as she glanced at the envelope on the seat, thinking her mom had been more excited about it than she was. It’s not that she wasn’t excited, she was. She just didn’t intend to let her feet leave the ground this time. Her impetuous nature was what had gotten her in trouble the last time she’d thought she had the ticket to her dreams, and she was determined that wasn’t going to happen this time.
She was reaching for her key when the door suddenly opened and Drake swung it wide to let her in. “This is a surprise,” he said, his eyes narrowing at the envelope she was hugging. “I thought you were working at the store and then meeting me for dinner at your parents’ house.”
He took her coat and then she slipped off her boots. “I was, but Dad decided to close early. That was no surprise to me, he usually does. But this came today and Mom wanted me to have it as fast as possible, so she brought it to the shop. She was disappointed when I told her I wasn’t opening it yet.” She grinned up at him, noting the wary look in his eyes.
“So… you came all the way out here to open it?”
“Yup,” she stated baldly, padding in her bare feet to the sofa in the living room and curling up in front of the fire. She patted the sofa beside her when he started to sit across from her, and waited for him to sit down. Ever since the concert they were closer, but she sensed Drake was holding something back. She studied his eyes, really looking closely at his handsome face with the five o’clock shadow along his jawline. Her heart was so full she wasn’t sure where to start.
He shot her a sexy smile when she didn’t say anything. “See something you like, baby?”
She nodded and licked her lips, loving the way his eyes glued themselves to her mouth. “Do I ever,” she gloated, pulling off the soft pink sweater she wore and dropping it to the floor. She intended to show this man just how much she loved him, before she opened that envelope. This had been too long coming and she was tired of waiting for him to make the first move.
She sat up straighter, unhooked the front opening on her bra and let it fall away to the floor as well. Proudly she sat before him, the peaks on her breasts hardening under his hot gaze. She cupped her hands beneath the swells of her breasts and lifted. “Do you see something you like?” Her eyelashes fluttered in a seductive gesture, her lips curving into a sexy smile.
“Do I ever,” he exulted fiercely as he leaned forward to taste the rosy peaks with his tongue.
Madison gasped with pleasure as he cupped one breast in his hand to suckle the hardening bud and took his other hand to the snap on her jeans. She grabbed the hem of his sweatshirt and tugged, wanting to feel the warmth of his bare skin against hers.
“Slow down, baby, what about the envelope?” He took both her hands in his, forcing her to be still. “Don’t you want to open it first? It’s all you ever wanted. Remember?” His hazel eyes were tender as he lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them one at a time.
Madison shivered with pleasure. “My priorities have changed, cowboy,” she whispered. “I want to start our life together the way I mean to go on. You come first. And once we are in a good place with each other and happy, then we open the envelope.”
“You really mean that?” he asked slowly, his eyes lighting up.
Madison nodded. “Whatever is in there waiting for me, isn’t waiting just for me. It’s waiting for us. From now on we make all the decisions affecting our lives together.”
Drake groaned and pulled her into his lap. “I just want you to know that I’m not going to keep you from your dreams, Madison. You’ve always wanted a singing career and I don’t care where you go to do it, I’ll follow you. I’m not letting you go alone and I won’t tie you down. I promise I’ll always be here for you, no matter what you decide.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Lord save me from a hard headed cowboy.” She popped the heel of her hand against his forehead.
“Watch it, little girl,” he growled. “You’re going to end up over my knee getting your little butt painted Christmas red in a minute.”
“So do it,” she challenged. “I’m not afraid of you anymore, Drake Lanyard. I love you. Don’t you realize what all my songs are about?” She grabbed his face between her hands. “They are about you! Give Me a Cowboy Any Day! A Forever Man! Under a Summer Moon. If you would read through all my songs, you’d realize they were all written with you in mind, even the broken-hearted love songs.”
She stared fiercely into his eyes, her chest heaving. “Yes, I want to be a singer, but not if it costs me you. I’ve grown up and it’s not all about me anymore. It’s about us – and Christa – and any future babies we have. So when we open that envelope, I expect you to be honest with me about the offers inside. Don’t sacrifice everything you want in life just to make me happy. Because if you aren’t happy, then I won’t be either.”
Drake’s voice was husky, but in his eyes, the invisible wall that had been there fell away and Madison could feel it crashing down. “I told you all I ever wanted was you, Madison. But you’re right, that’s not completely true. I want it to be about us, to
o, about our family, but not at the risk of losing you.”
“So you’re saying you’re willing to let me be a little prima donna and a spoiled brat just so I’ll let you stay in my life?”
“Hell, no,” he retorted. “When you say it that way it makes me sound like a lovesick milksop.” He stood her up and unsnapped her jeans, then whisked those and her panties straight to her ankles. Then he pulled her across his long thighs, with her giggling the whole time, and began to slap her butt cheeks vigorously until she’d completely kicked off the jeans and panties.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she shrieked between giggles.
He turned her over then and sat her up, his eyes gleaming. “Just how did you mean it then?”
“I just meant that I need you,” she murmured shyly. “All the success in the world won’t mean anything without you.”
“I love you, Madison Delaney, soon to be Madison Lanyard.”
“You don’t want to wait anymore?”
“I never did,” he growled. “I thought you did.”
Madison laughed. “That was when I thought you did.”
“Enough of this,” he demanded, laying her back and shucking off his jeans. “It’s time we got to know each other so we can become an old married couple that can read each other’s minds.”
“I love you,” Drake Lanyard,” she purred, delighting in the feel of his body stretched out against hers.
In the background Madison could hear the flames crackling in the fireplace and Bing Crosby crooning I’ll Be Home for Christmas from the CD in Drake’s laptop.
Her lips curved in a satisfied smile.
She was home for Christmas this year – and every Christmas to come.
The End
Brandy Golden