Can't Fight the Feeling

by Sandy James

  “Well, well, well,” Ethan said when she took the stool next to his. “Aren’t you full of surprises tonight, Ms. Wolf?”

  “I suppose I am,” she replied. Then she shifted her gaze to Brad. “Randy told me you wanted to talk to me.”

  After setting the beer he’d just poured on one of the empty trays, Brad nodded. His blue eyes found Savannah’s.

  The color was so vivid that she could only compare them to the ocean surrounding Saint Bart’s that she’d seen so very long ago. The intensity of his stare almost made her glance away.

  “You were really great up there,” he said.

  Her face heated as her smile returned. Here was the validation she needed from a man who had once upon a time been a successful songwriter. One day she’d find the nerve to ask why he’d stopped composing and now owned a bar.

  “Quite a performance,” Ethan said with a pat on the back.

  She’d met Ethan at her interview. He’d hired her on the spot when he’d found out she was a single mother. His compassion had amazed her. Most people who came from money couldn’t seem to realize exactly how hard it was for other people to earn it. He’d been around the restaurant from time to time to see how things were going for her and the other waitresses, and he always had a kind word for their hard work.

  Ethan’s hand dropped away. “Funny thing about seeing you onstage…”

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s that?”

  “Brad didn’t even recognize you.”

  Russ barked out a laugh as the scowl Brad leveled at Ethan was hot enough to set the place on fire.

  “What?” Ethan’s grin could only be described as cheeky. “You didn’t, did you?”

  Brad held his tongue.

  It wasn’t as though she was surprised. Ethan had interviewed and hired her. Russ had been in charge of most of her shifts. And the head waitress, Cheyanne, had trained her. The only times she’d seen Brad were on busy weekend nights. There had to be at least twenty-five servers working on Fridays and Saturdays. She was only one among many who wore the same red T-shirts with the Words & Music logo and black shorts. Since Brad requested that the waitresses keep their hair in neat ponytails, they tended to look like Stepford servers.

  Plus, she’d only added the blue highlights to her hair three days ago. From his perspective, Savannah was nothing more than another short, skinny blond waitress. As manager of the place, he’d probably seen hundreds.

  She tried to put him at ease. Not because he was her boss but because he looked so awfully uncomfortable at Ethan’s teasing. “So you didn’t recognize me?”

  Brad shook his head.

  “No wonder. For pity’s sake, you must have to supervise more than a hundred people a day to make this place run as well as it does.”

  His frown eased and then morphed into a crooked smile. “Did you really just say ‘for pity’s sake’?”

  Savannah folded her arms under her breasts, not quite sure of his motives. Sure, it sounded like he was teasing. But he was, after all, the man who signed her paycheck. “I did.”

  “Who says that?” Since his voice held a bantering lilt, she eased her stance.

  “My mom. My grandma. Pretty much everyone.”

  “Not anyone I’ve ever known,” he announced.

  If he was open to joking, she could give as good as she got. “At least I recognized you.”

  “Touché.” With a flourish of his hand, he gave her a corny bow. “I admit it. I didn’t recognize you.”

  “Seriously, though,” she continued, “I don’t know how you do it, but this restaurant is the best organized one I’ve ever worked for.” Not an idle compliment. She really did enjoy her shifts, although not enough to give up her dream and become a lifelong waitress. But for now, it paid the bills.

  “Thanks,” he said in an aw shucks manner. He pushed a wayward lock of his tawny hair away from his eyes. The man was in desperate need of a proper haircut since his hair was neither short nor long. Just somewhere in between, which gave it an unkempt look.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Brad waved to the stage manager, who came to join them. As Randy made his way through the crowd, Brad whispered something to Ethan and then to Russ. Both nodded as smiles broke out on their faces. Then he said something quietly to Randy. His grin was every bit as broad.

  Finally turning back to Savannah, Brad put his hand on her shoulder. “Looks like your waitressing here is moot now anyway.”

  Savannah cocked her head. “It is?”

  “Yep, it is.”

  Since all the men were still smiling, she felt as though she’d missed some joke. There was clearly something they knew that she didn’t. “And exactly why is it moot, Brad?” she asked.

  “Because you’re going to be our new opening act,” he replied.

  About the Author

  Sandy lives in a quiet suburb of Indianapolis and is a high school psychology teacher. She owns a small stable of harness racehorses and enjoys spending time at Hoosier Park racetrack. She has been an Amazon #1 bestseller multiple times and has won numerous awards, including two HOLT Medallions.

  Learn more at:

  sandyjames.com

  Twitter @sandyjamesbooks

  Facebook.com/sandyjamesbooks

  Acknowledgments

  This book was very special to me because of the topic of Alzheimer’s disease. My father suffered from Alzheimer’s, and I’ll never be able to thank my sister, Susan, enough for all she did in the last years of Dad’s life. She is an amazing sister, a fantastic nurse, and someone I am blessed to share my life with.

  My critique partners can never receive enough praise for the great job they do for me. Thanks, Cheryl Brooks, Nan Reinhardt, and Leanna Kay. Love you ladies to the moon and back.

  My agent, Danielle Egan-Miller, and her assistant, Clancey D’Isa, do so much to keep my writing moving forward. Thanks, ladies!

  The last three years of my life have been, to put it politely, hell. If not for the love and support of the faculty and students at Greenwood High School, I would have struggled to make it through the days. Thanks to all of you for the kind words, the nice messages, and the daily pats on the back.

  Also by Sandy James

  Nashville Dreams series

  Can’t Walk Away

  Can’t Let Her Go

  The Ladies Who Lunch series

  The Bottom Line

  Signed, Sealed, Delivered

  Sealing the Deal

  Fringe Benefits

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  In Nashville the stars shine a little brighter, songs sound a little sweeter, and love lasts a lifetime.

  Young, rich, and better looking than a man has a right to be, successful songwriter Brad “Hitman” Maxwell was once Nashville’s biggest celebrity. Then a heartbreaking loss and a shocking betrayal caused his light to go out. Now, instead of pouring his soul into song, he pours beers at Words & Music. His bar is the perfect escape—a place to forget his past—until the night she takes the stage…

  Savannah Wolf used to dream of becoming Nashville’s hottest star. Now, as a young single mom, she dreams of a steady income and being home to tuck her daughter into bed. So when Brad Maxwell offers her the gig of a lifetime—playing as the headliner at Words & Music—Savannah discovers the best of both worlds. And she refuses to ruin this opportunity by falling for her sexy boss. Except that Brad suddenly starts writing music again…music inspired by her.

  In Nashville the music is louder, the dreams are bigger, and love can bring a cowboy to his knees.

  Ethan Walker is Nashville royalty. Born to the King and Queen of Country Music, he’s spent his life trying to escape the spotlight of his parents’ fame, even walking away from his own promising singing career. He’s the kind of cowboy who prefers flannel to flashbulbs, hay fields to hit records, and the solitude of his
horse farm to the nightlife along Music Row. The last thing he wants is attention, especially when it comes from country’s latest star…

  Chelsea Harris’s meteoric rise up the charts and string of celebrity boyfriends mean that wherever she goes, the paparazzi follow. A duet with Nashville’s favorite son is exactly what her new charity album needs, but when she approaches Ethan, he turns her down flat. To win the camera-shy cowboy over, Chelsea will have to approach him on his terms. Trouble is, the more time she spends on his farm, the more Ethan wants to keep her there.

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