by Jill Sanders
By Friday night, he had worked out the song he’d written for Emma, titled “Captivate My Heart.”
He’d gotten word that day that Tessa and Lucas had returned home early, which meant that they would most likely be somewhere in the crowd that night, making him even more nervous.
Emma’s dad had given him the day off, since her parents were busy helping Rick move his stuff to Tyler. Still, before he’d clocked out, he’d mucked the stalls and made sure all the animals were cared for and fed.
He even played with the pigs for a few minutes. He’d never really thought of himself as an animal lover, but there was just something about the little ones he couldn’t turn away from.
Emma had messaged him that she’d meet him over at the bar after she got off work, which was about half an hour after he was due to hit the stage.
He was tempted to play her song before she got there, but he’d promised her he wouldn’t play anything new until after she arrived.
He hadn’t believed that the large bar could be any fuller than the previous weekend, but after stepping in the back door, he realized he’d been wrong. The parking lot had been so full, he’d ended up parking in the grass just outside the backstage doors.
The music was already playing when he walked in and the crowd was already enjoying the dance floor.
He tried to set up quickly without being noticed, but as he plugged in his guitar, the speaker popped slightly, catching the attention of the crowd.
A wave of people rushed the stage, screaming and clapping.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
The music suddenly stopped, and the stage lights came on ten minutes earlier than planned.
He glanced around and figured there wasn’t any reason to delay playing. Plugging in his guitar to the amp, he struck the first chord to shouts of joy.
Normally, he played with a drum track from his drum machine, but since he hadn’t hooked it up yet, he decided at least one song would be good enough until he could hook the rest of his equipment up.
Starting with an old ballad, he had the crowd swaying and singing along to the lyrics. When the last chord rang out, he spoke into the microphone.
He wasn’t a talker, but he was growing more comfortable with the crowds in town and decided to say a few words.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” he asked, sending the crowd into another bout of cheers. Chuckling, he glanced back. “If y’all can hold on a moment, I can finish setting up my drums and equipment.”
“No, sing another song,” someone shouted, causing him to chuckle again.
“I promise ya, darlin’, I won’t take long.” He set his guitar down to cheers.
“Promises,” someone else shouted out.
In less than a minute, he was standing and holding his guitar again to cheers. “If you don’t know by now, my name is Trace, and I’ll be entertaining you tonight.” He started strumming the next song as he talked about how the song had hit the charts the year he’d been born.
When the drum machine hit the first beat, the people on the dance floor started moving. Like ants rushing around a piece of fruit, the crowd circled and the entire place pounded in time to the beat.
He couldn’t help but smile and enjoy himself completely as the crowd grew.
He was six songs into his set when he spotted Emma standing at the side of the stage with a couple. He had to do a double take to realize it was Tessa and Lucas James. The pair of them were holding hands and smiling up at him as if they were the ones starstruck instead of the other way around.
He almost lost his focus but managed to finish the song without messing up too badly.
“Alright,” he said, glancing to Emma. “There are some people here I think everyone knows.” He motioned for the couple to come up on the stage with him. “If you’re nice to them, maybe they’ll join me for a song? Help me welcome home Tessa and Lucas James.”
The room shook with cheers.
“Hi.” He shook Lucas’s hand and then bent down and kissed Tessa’s check. “Sorry to put you on the spot, but Emma hinted…”
Tessa laughed. “We’re game if you are.” She leaned closer. “You’re doing wonderful.”
“Thanks. I know how to play ‘Smooth Dancers.’” The song was one of Lucas’s first big hits.
“Perfect.” Tessa smiled up at her husband, who had plugged in his own guitar.
Trace was slightly surprised when another man walked up on stage and started playing the drum kit that always sat at the back of the stage.
Hearing Lucas and Tessa sing together had his heart aching more than normal. It was strange—until coming to town he hadn’t realized how lonely he’d been. How much he’d needed Emma and her family.
When the song was done, Lucas told the crowd, “We’re going to take a fifteen-minute break.” When the crowd moaned and booed, he held up his hands. “You do want us to cut a record deal with Trace, right?” The crowd exploded in cheers. “Okay then, fifteen minutes and you can have him back.” Lucas laughed and slapped Trace on the shoulder. “Damn, I haven’t seen them this excited in years.”
They set their guitars aside and Lucas introduced him to their drummer, Carl.
“Why don’t we head outside so we can hear each other talk?” Tessa asked.
Emma took his hand as they stepped out.
“We won’t beat around the bush,” Tessa said when the four of them stepped out into the warm night air. “I’m sure you’ve gotten other offers.”
A burst of laughter escaped him, so he coughed to cover it.
“I haven’t had any,” he replied. “Yet.”
Tessa smiled and glanced over at Emma, who replied with a shrug and a smile.
“Okay, so we would love to sign you with Lucky Dog Records,” Tessa continued. “I think you already know that you’ve built up quite a following. We can promise recording will start within a few weeks and by this fall you’ll have a full record on the shelves sitting next to Lucas’s own.”
He swallowed and felt his heart skip.
“We’d like to add you to the tour we’re starting this fall and have you open up for Lucas. You’ll have a busy schedule.” Tessa turned to Emma. “From what Emma has told me, you’re free to travel?”
He nodded and felt Emma squeeze his hand. “I should have enough saved up by then to purchase a van.”
“No need,” Lucas jumped in. “You’ll be riding with us in that.” He motioned across the parking lot where a massive bus sat, Lucas’s face on the side of the thing with his name and logo below.
This was really happening. Trace had to count his heart beats until he felt himself settle.
“We aren’t fancy. If you get a better offer, we’d like to hear about it, but for now”—Lucas held out his hand— “we can shake on it until the contracts are made up.”
He hesitated, unsure why they wanted him. What could he really offer them? Anyone for that matter.
“We’re a small recording label,” Tessa started. “But, after Lucas’s last album…”—she glanced at her husband— “we decided not to deal with money-hungry pigs anymore. We’ll take a small percent off the top, to cover costs. You’ll be recording here, in town. We just opened a studio a few blocks down and planned on recording Lucas’s next album in it.”
“You did?” Emma jumped in, causing Tessa to smile.
“Yes. It was a secret, but I planned on making an announcement online this week.” She shrugged. “We have all the latest equipment, and we’ll be bringing in Frank Stephens—”
“Seriously?” He felt his head spin. “The man’s a legend, as far as producers go.”
“Another reason to sign with us,” Lucas added, his hand still out.
Trace didn’t hesitate any longer.
“Welcome to the family,” Tessa said when she leaned up and hugged him. “Now, get back in there. The crowd is going crazy.”
Sure enough, from inside the doors, the crowd was chanting, “Sign him!”
Before turning around, he reached down, pulled Emma close, and kissed her until he felt her body go lax next to his while both Lucas and Tessa laughed.
“Now I’m ready to go back in.” He took her hand and pulled her in with him.
Strapping on his guitar, he stepped up to the mic and smiled as the audience grew quiet. “Looks like I’ll be recording an album this fall.” Cheers erupted and he waited until they died down. “So, I guess I need to try out some more of my own stuff. Who wants to hear some original songs?” The crowd clapped and cheered. “Okay, this one’s called ‘Captivate My Heart.’” He took a deep breath and started to play, his eyes glued to Emma’s for the first few lines, until she understood he’d written it for her.
Chapter Eighteen
How could Emma have known that she would fall so hard and fast for Trace? She’d meant to help him heal, to pull him out of his obvious darkness. She’d never imagined in a million years that he would become someone so… wonderful in her life.
She listened to his song “Captivate My Heart” and knew almost instantly that it was about her. Especially after he’d sung the line, “There she was, standing in my kitchen, barefoot again.”
She laughed and then, as the song ended, felt tears blurring her vision.
“Girl,” Mal said beside her, “that one was for you.”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded and wiped her eyes dry before Trace glanced back down at her.
The entire room erupted in cheers after the song was over, encouraging Trace into his next song, “Sunset Road.”
She’d heard him practicing it a few times and it was her third favorite song of his behind the one he’d just sung for her and “Lost My Way.”
“He’s got some good material,” Tessa said next to her.
“Shut it down, Tess,” Lucas said, grabbing his wife’s hand. “Let’s dance.” Tess laughed as he pulled her onto the very crowded dance floor.
It was strange, but by the time he’d finished five of his own songs, the crowd was even more excited. So many people had their phones out, recording him while he sang up on stage. He even convinced Lucas to come back on the stage for a few more cover songs.
“Did you see?” Mal rushed up to her near the end of the night. “It’s all over already.” She held up her phone to a screen. The headline read, “Lucky Dog Records signs a deal with the internet sensation Trace Butler.” There was even an image of Trace, Lucas, and Tessa on stage together, taken earlier.
“Wow, news travels fast.” She took a screenshot of the article so she could share it with Trace later. “This is happening so fast.” She sighed and looked up at the stage.
“That’s not all that’s happening fast.” Mal nudged her.
“Yeah,” she agreed under her breath.
“So?” Her friend sat on the barstool and leaned her chin on her hand. “Tell me.”
Emma glanced around and shrugged. “Why not.” She sat down and ordered a Coke and then told her best friend everything. How she’d fallen hard and fast for Trace but was worried that he’d leave soon. That fame might change him, since she knew it did for some people.
“After all, if he cuts this deal and rises to the top, which of course”—she motioned to him singing on stage with Lucas—“he’s going to, what do I do if he doesn’t want to stick around Fairplay? I’m not cut out for anyplace else. I’ve always wanted…”
“Life here,” Mal finished for her.
“Right.” She nodded. Her eyes were glued to Trace as the song ended. He told the crowd he had one more song for the night, sending a wave of boos throughout the place.
Straightening her shoulders, she finished her soda and pushed it aside.
“I’m not someone who can give great advice. Hell, I’ve been stuck on the same guy since birth,” Mal joked. Emma knew that her best friend had had a thing for Emma’s cousin Conner practically since the two were in diapers. “But you should enjoy it, even if it is for a moment.” Mal sighed. “Besides, something tells me it’s too late for either of you to come out of this unscathed.” Mal touched her arm lightly. “Go, he’s looking for you.”
Sure enough, Emma could see that Trace was scanning the crowd as he started his last cover song.
She moved to the edge of the stage, and his smile doubled when they locked eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat, and a small ache grew in her chest.
What was she going to do if things went sideways with him? What if he wanted to leave Fairplay and never return? Would she go with him? Would he want her to?
Mal was right, things had moved quickly. She’d never fallen in love this quickly before, or this deeply.
After the show, Lucas helped Trace pack up all his equipment, talking to him about meeting with him later that week. Emma talked to Tessa while the crowded parking lot emptied.
Emma waved goodbye to the couple as Trace drove them out of the parking lot.
“And to think,” he started as he drove towards the ranch, “if I hadn’t crashed my van that night”—he glanced over at her— “none of this would be possible. I owe so much to that deer.” He reached over and took her hand in his. “And to you.” He brushed his lips across her knuckles.
She felt her stomach flutter as a wave of desire hit her.
“Trace.” She wanted to tell him what she was feeling but was afraid she would scare him away. “I loved my song.”
He was silent for a while, and she was worried she’d made a wrong move.
“I meant it, every word,” he said finally. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath and felt a little light-headed when she finally took a breath. “I know it’s crazy,” he said, stealing glances at her as he pulled into the driveway of the ranch. Passing under the posts holding the metal letters ‘Saddleback Ranch,’ a part of her did a happy dance as it always had. “And I’m probably going crazy, but I feel different here.” He stopped the truck just past the entrance.
The main house sat off in the distance, the front porch light shining like a beacon in the night. The large barn sat off to the side and to the far right, the dim lights from the ranch houses were barely visible.
“I’ve never had a place where I felt…” He shook his head and let out a sigh.
“At home?” she suggested, silently wishing.
He turned slightly to her, his eyes meeting hers in the darkness of the truck’s cab.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It’s kind of scary.”
She tilted her head. “Why?”
He shook his head and looked out over the darkness again. “I learned early on in life that you can’t hold on to anything good. It doesn’t last.” He started driving again.
“This could,” she said, feeling the ache spread.
He pulled to a stop beside her truck. “I know you have to work in the morning,” he said instead of answering her.
At this point, her chest was hurting so bad, she didn’t trust herself to speak. But when he pulled her close and kissed her goodnight, she allowed herself to enjoy the moment.
By the time she let herself into the house, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Making her way to the kitchen, she pulled out a container of ice cream and, taking a spoon with her, made her way up to her room to sulk alone.
The following day, as she let herself into the bookstore, she realized her heart just wasn’t into work. She went through the motions, smiling for everyone as she filled orders and chatting about Trace’s new record deal. But it was as if she was dead inside.
By the time she clocked out and headed to the Rusty Rail to watch Trace play again that night, she had a headache and was feeling so down, she thought about texting him that she was going to go home instead.
When she walked into the crowded bar, she almost turned around and left. But then Mal grabbed her arm and tugged her into the room.
“Thank god you’re here,” she hissed into her ear. “It’s about time. I thought that woman was going to undress him right in front of
the entire crowd.”
Emma’s back stiffened at the thought of some woman hanging on Trace.
“Who?” she asked quickly.
“Who else? Aubrey.” Mal motioned into the room.
Emma’s back teeth clenched. “Where is he?”
“Of course, the man doesn’t do anything to discourage the slut,” Mal continued as if she hadn’t heard her. They were making their way around the crowd, near the bar. It was then that Emma realized Trace was on stage, singing a Willie Nelson cover song. Her eyes narrowed as she stopped Mal from dragging her across the bar.
“Just who is it we’re talking about?” she asked her friend.
“Conner,” Mal answered with a frown. “Who did you think…” Her friend’s eyes ran over her, and she gasped and pulled her towards the bathroom instead of wherever she was dragging her before.
When the bathroom door shut behind them, Mal turned on her. “Tell me everything.”
“What?” She shrugged and walked over to the mirror to freshen up. Then she saw what Mal had seen. Emma’s eyes were red and there were dark circles under them that her makeup hadn’t been able to hide. Her hair was tied in a loose braid, which had only accented the hollow look in her eyes.
Tugging her hair down, she shook it free and tried to make it look halfway decent. Mal was standing behind her, watching her every move with her arms crossed over her chest, blocking the doorway, as if saying, I’m not moving a muscle until you tell me everything.
Pulling her makeup from her purse, she tried to hide the worst of it.
“It’s not going to work,” Mal said. “I’ve seen it, so will everyone else. If they take a good look at you.” Her friend dropped her arms and moved closer to her, touching her shoulder. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Emma gasped and covered her mouth as her eyes stung. “I mean, I think…” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Mal’s arms wrapped around her.
Just then, Aubrey and a few of her friends rushed into the bathroom. Upon seeing the two friends hugging, they burst out laughing.
“I told you,” Aubrey said loud enough to make her point as they disappeared just as quickly as they’d come in.