Cinnamon’s Courageous Heart: Sweethearts of Country Music, Book 5

by Summers, Ryan Jo

  Returning home, she parked next to Silas’s big truck. The dog had moved to the shade of a nearby tree and wagged his tail in welcome. Silas had put a big blue water dish out for his pet. An orange extension cord was plugged into a porch socket and she followed the whirring noise, curious. Finding him, she stopped, a giggle threatening to bubble up and escape.

  Silas swung a shop-vac hose around like a dance partner as he swept up piles of dirt and dust. The jagged pieces of broken drywall Nick had left hanging off her exposed walls were gone, leaving clean lumber. Studs, Silas had called them. Some sections of studs were gone altogether, leaving gaps like missing teeth between rooms. He finished and turned to switch the vacuum off. He spotted her and smiled.

  “How was town?”

  She lifted a shoulder and buried her giggle. He was really cute when he was caught dancing with a vacuum. “Busy. Seems to grow more every year.” She didn’t actually live in Nashville. Her nearest town was a little municipality called Bristol Cove, which delivered her mail and housed all the local businesses she usually needed. Nashville, in all her glittery, dream-making, heart-breaking, and glorious fame, sat thirty minutes east of her place.

  “Do you live here in Bristol Cove?” She didn’t remember his address from the paperwork.

  He shook his head. “Just the other side, in Dellwood.”

  They were practically neighbors, relatively speaking, as the proverbial crow flew. She excused herself and took solace in her music room. She opened her notebook, picked up her banjo and began picking some chords for the new song she was working on. She stopped occasionally to write a line or two, scratch it out, and re-write something else. She envied Taylor and Rissa how they could write lyrics almost perfect the first time. She wasn’t as talented. She tapped out a countdown and plucked out a new melody.

  “Tell me about your band.”

  The soft request startled her. She jerked her head up and saw Silas standing in the doorway, his foot propped against the wall, and a questioning look on his face. How long had he been standing there?

  She rested her arms on the banjo and brushed her hair out of the way. “What do you want to know? Do you mean me personally or why there’s a bunch of women in a country band?”

  He shrugged. “Both. Either. Who’s in this Lipstick Outlaws?”

  She warmed to the subject, startled at how much she loved the girls and her part in their story. “There’s six of us. Val, our manager, had a dream of creating an all-female country rock band. Last year I auditioned as a banjo and fiddle player and songwriter. I was so scared.” She smiled, embarrassed now at the memory. “There were a lot of girls trying out for my position, but I got it almost immediately. Just one song.” She held up her index finger. “And we’ve done pretty well in the last year. We’ve accomplished some fantastic things, saw some great stuff, and learned a lot. And we’ve become sisters through it all.”

  Silas nodded. “You spoke of Rissa before. Is that your boss?”

  She laughed. “Hardly. She’s a gypsy just like the rest of us. Rissa was picked by Val as the first member of the band when her son heard her sing at a wedding. There’s Rissa, Katie Lyn, C.C., Mac, Taylor, and me. And we have a bus driver and road crew and security, but we’re the main six. We write our songs, play the instruments and do the interviews.” She explained who played what instrument, who wrote songs, and that Katie Lyn was the lead vocalist. She mentioned some of the highlights they’d accomplished.

  “Sounds impressive. I congratulate you all.” He pushed off the wall. “Well, I’ll get back to work and let you get back to . . .”

  “Practicing. I’m working on a sticky song and basically just strumming right now. Serious musicians have music rooms in their houses, where they can have awesome acoustics and set up their instruments and really jam or strum or whatever they need to do. But I haven’t figured out where to do that here yet. For now, the spare bedroom works.”

  He tilted his head to one side. “How about that brick room? The one you’re using for storage.”

  She tilted her head to the side, matching him like two hound puppies. “That’s not a bad idea. The acoustics would be good in there. And there’s tons of room.” She let out a sigh. “Maybe someday later. I haven’t the time to clean it out and find somewhere to store the stuff already in there. Plus, the renovations wouldn’t fit into my budget now.”

  4

  Silas drove home from Cinnamon’s house, humming along to Tom Petty. He ruffled Gunner’s ears. “She’s a pretty lady, isn’t she, old boy?”

  She was interesting, that was for sure. Her house was almost a dream come true for him to work on. He was so tired of the overpriced dollhouses, and the ever-popular arts and crafts style. He grinned, thinking of her brother’s interest in HGTV. People watch it, see shiplap or other hot trends and suddenly it was all he did. Yes, it paid the bills, but the same stuff over and over had a tendency to get monotonous.

  Cinnamon’s house was a diamond in the rough that he could truly work with, get to know, develop a relationship with, albeit mostly one-sided. But old houses like hers were honest, and he had lots of respect for that. Their builders were honest, too. Creating a one-of-a-kind work of artistry back when craftsmanship was something to be proud of, not just another thing to mass produce.

  And she was a fan of the same baseball team he always rooted for.

  “You know, Gunner, she makes the cutest grocery lists.” He couldn’t help but notice her grocery list on the counter while he was working today. He barely glanced at first, then did a double take, then broke into laughter. Good thing she wasn’t home at the time.

  Instead of just writing the item down like everyone else did on their lists, she drew pictures. Quick little pen sketches. Apparently, she needed bread, toothpaste, milk, paper towels, and cereal from down at the local Piggly Wiggly store.

  His curiosity piqued by someone who drew pictures for a grocery list, he wandered over to her bookshelf and ran a fingertip along the carefully arranged spines. He turned his head to one side as he read the titles aloud. ‘Music City’, ‘Country Music: The Masters’, ‘Finding her Voice: Women of Country Music’, ‘Encyclopedia of Country Music’, ‘Blues Banjo: Lessons, Licks, Riffs, Songs & More’, ‘How to Play the Five String Banjo’, ‘Cash’, ‘The Grand Tour’.

  On and on her literary choices went. Many were tied to music and some were stories he remembered his sisters reading. ‘Little Women’ and ‘Lassie’ among them. He smiled at the memories as he fingered the worn books.

  He needed to get some drop cloths over this stuff to protect it.

  * * *

  “Cinnamon. Hey, you in there, girl?”

  Snapping sounds grabbed Cinnamon’s attention and brought her back from visions of Silas. She blinked and Mac’s cheshire grin came into focus.

  “Where’d you go?” Mac asked, her eyes dancing in merriment.

  Heat filled Cinnamon as she ducked her head and peeked at the bandmates around her. They were working on filming a video for their big hit, When Karma comes Calling for You and were currently on break, waiting while the film crew made some adjustments to the set. She didn’t fully understand the director’s vision for the video, but it sounded pretty cool. It reminded her of Scrooge. They were each dressed in designer linens and their faces were made up to look like ghouls. They took turns showing up in their ghostly outfits to haunt one handsome male model. Katie Lyn sang the song while they each sang backup. As the video progressed, they all had a chance to call on this model with a woman who uncannily resembled them, in a new location, and somehow give him a healthy dose of karma. Basically, they were ruining his life little by little, to the power of six women. Most were saying it was a powerful video as it was a powerful song, if not eerie or ominous.

  “Something on your mind, Cin?” Taylor asked as she twisted her blonde hair around her finger.

  “No, just thinking about the upcoming tour.”

  She didn’t know what made her glance ov
er at Katie Lyn but when their eyes met, she flushed and knew Katie Lyn suspected something else. Her concerned, focused stare made Cinnamon feel like a teenager caught doing something wrong in school again. She fought the urge to squirm. Instead, she blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs.

  “How long are we supposed to sit here in our sheets?”

  “Relax,” purred C.C. as she filed her nails. “They said they needed to change out that restaurant scene and set up a living room scene. That might take a minute or two.” She blew the dust off her fingertips. “Besides, you just don’t like them ‘cause you can’t show off your belly button in them.”

  Cinnamon stuck her tongue out at C.C., who ignored her, an amused grin playing on her lips. Katie Lyn went back to her cell phone but continued to peek over at Cinnamon. Mac and Rissa also messed with their cell phones, apparently satisfied she was okay. The truth be known, she was far from okay. Silas Black had infiltrated her mind like a character from a spy novel. She wasn’t sure how to eradicate him or even if she wanted to. He awakened emotions that felt good, but her life now was already devoted to the girls right here.

  “Alright, ladies, we’re ready!” The director, a thin man about eight feet tall said as he entered the room. He clapped his hands and shot them all a beaming smile. “We’re ready for the next scene. Now, who has the living room?”

  “Me. I do.” Mac waved her hand as she jumped up and wrapped her sheet tightly around herself like a toga. “I’m ready. Let’s go haunt this bad boy.”

  Cinnamon had to smile at Mac’s enthusiasm. Personally, she wondered what her bedroom scene would be like. Katie Lyn made her way to Cinnamon’s elbow as they filed out of the room.

  “Anything we need to talk about, girlfriend?” she whispered, her fruit-flavored gum scenting the air strongly.

  She shook her head. “I’m fine. Daydreaming.”

  “Okay. I just want to make sure you’re a hundred percent. For this video, the tour, for us, and for yourself.”

  Tears pricked Cinnamon’s eyes. Katie Lyn was the best friend a girl could ask for. She reached out to squeeze Katie’s hand before they returned to the set, the cameras, and the lights. Val met them there, her gaze sweeping over each one in turn.

  At the next break, as the crew changed the living room scene over to a bar scene, where Rissa was the karma ghost. Katie Lyn nudged Cinnamon’s arm. She steered her to a quiet corner table and placed two coffees from the buffet down.

  Cinnamon took hers and inhaled. “They actually have pumpkin spice now? In January?”

  “It’s probably imitation,” Katie Lyn shrugged. “Enjoy.”

  She would. “Thanks.” She took a long drink. Yep, imitation, but still good. And probably still about a thousand calories. “What do your mom and Madison think about this new tour?”

  “Mom’s excited. She likes the traveling. Madison is even more excited. That girl is all gypsy.” Katie Lyn laughed. “You wouldn’t believe how much stuff she wants to bring along. We keep trying to explain space is limited. If she had her way, we’d need a second trailer to tow behind the instrument and equipment trailer.”

  Cinnamon smiled. “Well, she’s only just turned four. That was a great party you did for her. But I think this longer tour will be a good learning experience for her.”

  “And for us.”

  Very true.

  Katie Lyn set her coffee aside and rested her elbows on the table, her blue eyes intent and serious. Cinnamon braced herself with another pumpkin spice swallow as Katie began. “Tell me more about this contractor you hired? You trust him to run loose in your house while you’re gone?”

  Cinnamon gave a slow nod. “I trust him in the professional sense. Will he rob me blind? No, I don’t get that vibe from him. Will he take care of my stuff? Yeah, I think he will.” She let out a sigh and set her paper cup aside. “Silas is super good looking and he seems like a really nice guy, aside from his contracting resume. I keep looking for what’s wrong and haven’t found it yet.”

  Katie Lyn reached over, resting her hand on Cinnamon’s arm. “Cin, don’t look so hard that you make something up. He’s just a hired contractor, right?” Cinnamon nodded. “Then leave it at that. For now.”

  She caught the drawl in Katie’s voice and the glint in her eye. Sometimes she just loved Katie like a sister.

  “All right, ladies, we’re ready. Who has the bar scene?”

  Rissa rose from the couch where she’d been playing some game on her phone. “I do.”

  Cinnamon drove home hours later. The filming part of the video was done—finally—but they still had to meet for a little while the next day to finish up some vocals. For her acting part, she’d had the bedroom scene. The model, after being beleaguered by all five other girls, had his latest love interest in the bedroom. This model favored Cinnamon, as the other five had favored C.C., Rissa, Taylor, Mac, and Katie Lyn.

  The music to their song began as the camera panned to the couple in the sheets. As the scene progressed, Cinnamon entered the stage in her sheet and ghostly makeup, and Katie Lyn began singing. Cinnamon sang the refrain, almost like she was serenading the couple. Cinnamon spread her arms wide and the song reached its zenith. As the song concluded, and slowly faded to a soulful fiddle, the girlfriend slapped the guy and stormed off. Karma properly served. Cinnamon disappeared off stage, her job done, leaving the man to his fate.

  Genius actually. Now that it was all filmed, she liked it. Once the music portion was done tomorrow, she couldn’t wait to see it live. The advertising team was talking about releasing a teaser first, before the official video was released. Like a trailer to a hotly anticipated movie. Just enough, but not too much.

  She pulled in her driveway and Silas’s truck was still parked where it was before. Nearly eight p.m. and he was still here? Surprised, and a little impressed, she passed the ever-patiently waiting dog and walked through the front door.

  He was kneeling on the floor, measuring and writing down numbers on a pad of paper. She watched him for a moment, just enjoying the sight of him lost in his work. He added a few rough sketches next to some notes.

  “Don’t they have computers to do all that?”

  Silas jerked up, blinking. Then a blush filled in around his beard-roughened cheeks. “Probably,” he agreed, getting to his feet. He dusted himself off and adjusted his ball cap. “But I like the old-fashioned way. It’s hard to beat a good measuring tape, paper, and pencil.”

  “I guess.” Cinnamon stuck her hands in her back pockets. “Working kind of late?”

  Silas checked the time on his watch. “Wow. How’d it get that late? And Gunner never once reminded me it was his dinner time.”

  “That is one patient dog.”

  “Gunner’s the best. I won the lottery the day I adopted that mutt.”

  That’s how she felt about Jasper. She’d dropped in at a local adoption event one day, not really intending on adopting. She was just looking. Then she spotted this black and white wisp of fluffy fur, and he reached through the bars of his cage and snagged her sleeve. As she began disengaging his claw, he reached through with his other paw and rested it over her hand. His amber eyes just melted her heart and there was no way she was leaving without that baby.

  Silas looked around. “Well, it’s late. I’m famished. How about I take you out to dinner?”

  She blinked and rocked back on her heels. “Like . . . as in a—”

  “As in a send-off for your big day tomorrow. Do you like pizza? Or hot chicken?”

  She noticed how quickly he finished her statement. “Both actually. Bristol Cove has a nice pizza place down on Main Street. It’s close by.”

  “Rounders. Yep, I know of it.” Silas bobbed his head. “Let me feed Gunner first, and I’ll be ready.”

  She met his dark brown eyes, shining with hopefulness. Something caved deep inside her belly, and it wasn’t hunger. “All right. I’ll meet you outside. I need to feed Galoot, too.” She paused at the doorway and looked back to
where he was carefully putting his things away in a corner. “Silas? Thank you.”

  He sent her a wink, sending her heart beating like a drum. She walked out to the barn, thinking how quickly the lines between hired contractor and dinner date just blurred.

  5

  She insisted on driving separately, stating they’d be going opposite directions afterward, so it only made sense to each take their own vehicle. Silas couldn’t argue. They reached Rounders and found it nearly deserted. The dinner crowd was long gone, and the after-movie groups had recently left.

  Cinnamon guided him to a table and picked up the menu. Silas studied one, too. “Hmm. We could split a pizza, or we could do wings, or they even have gyros and subs. I’d no idea they had such variety.”

  Cinnamon stifled a yawn. “Pizza is good with me.”

  She laughed when his choice of toppings was close to hers, until he added anchovies. “Anchovies. Really? Who actually puts anchovies on anything they eat?” She made a face, her tongue sticking out.

  Silas tried to look insulted but couldn’t pull it off. “We can agree double cheese, pepperoni, peppers, onions, pineapple, and ham were all good toppings. Anchovies just round it out a little. Some protein to go with all that . . . other stuff.” He flexed his arm, showing off some muscles Popeye would envy.

  “I’ll get my protein from a shake if I need to, long before I’ll eat an anchovy.”

  The waitress took their order, adding anchovies on only half. They ordered sodas and sat back. Cinnamon covered her mouth as another yawn claimed her.