Romancing Austin

by Riley Bancroft, Evelyn Berry, Cara Carnes, Jax Garren, Irene Preston, Rebecca Royce, Chandra Ryan

  “Leaving here, walking away from the ones I loved the most was the hardest thing I’d ever done. It took the death of a man we all loved to make us see how much we mourned what we once had.” Caleb stepped away from the mic and removed his shirt.

  My gut clenched when his gaze landed on me. Lips near the microphone, he held the gaze and ran his hand across the dragons on his chest. “The press always asks the meaning behind these two beasts on me. I’ve never told them because I thought it important to share the secret with those who need to know first.”

  An eerie silence settled around me. Flashbulbs flickered from the ground in front of the bleachers. The paparazzi vultures had caught up. Their presence soured the meaning behind whatever the moment was.

  “Seven years ago I made the dumbest decision of my life and chose a career over the only love I’d ever known. The first month I left I found an unknown artist to ink me, to burn images of the person I’d been here and the woman I’d left behind. We’d always had a fascination with dragons and somehow having these two beasts wrapped around one another held me together the first year I was gone.”

  My heart slammed against my chest. They were us? I’d wondered when I’d seen them, even fancied as much when I’d seen him last night. I’d been right.

  Bets squealed beside me, bouncing like a popcorn kernel in a hot pan. She squeezed my hand. “This is so hawt!”

  She wasn’t wrong.

  “Every year on the anniversary of my flight from White Bluffs I hunted him down and inked my regret, my loss for what could’ve been had I stayed.” The red tears.

  “Oh. My. God.” I held my breath when his gaze returned to me.

  “I’ve got something more to say, but first…I’ve written a little song for the birthday girl.” Shock must’ve resonated on my face because he chuckled into the microphone, a sexy, sensual caress to my senses. “This is for you, Shasta Monohan, because I know now there’s no me without you.”

  Holy shit.

  Bets froze beside me, her mouth open and her eyes wide. I felt the same shock rippling through me, casting a brushfire of euphoria to burn any doubt, any negativity from me.

  I clung to every note, every chord and tumbled along with Caleb as he sang every word as though he was ripping it from the very depths of my soul. Each heart-mending moment resonated with me because they were the words I would’ve created. The silence of the crowd was deafening, but I didn’t care if they heard what he said.

  I savored every syllable because they were mine to have, to hold. Forevermore. He sang about the despair, the longing, the raw hunger each night as memories of what we’d shared here in White Bluffs torpedoed his nights with what he’d lost. What he’d walked away from.

  Each line struck a blow to my battered defenses. Caleb’s fingers glided along his guitar’s frets without hesitation. His gaze never left mine. I sensed Bets stand beside me. Firm hands grasped my arm and tugged.

  Without words, without hesitation I trusted her to maneuver us down the rickety bleachers because no way in hell would I sever the eye contact—the emotional bond permanently fusing our souls together. As I trudged alongside my friend, I wept as the emotions resonating within his song enveloped me.

  I wouldn’t be satisfied until I heard it a million times. I’d always wished he’d written something for me. I’d hoped to be important enough in his world to deserve something cherished, beautiful. The fact it was unlike anything they’d ever released offered me a secret realization. He’d written Me Without You alone.

  As the last note echoed in my ears, Bets guided me to the edge of the stage. Suddenly Caleb was there. I wrapped myself around him and allowed my tenuous grip on my emotions to snap. As long as I was in his arms I was safe, protected from whatever hazards awaited us.

  “I love you, Shasta Monohan, and I’ll spend every last second of my life proving it to you. No matter what.” He claimed my mouth in a kiss meant to brand, possess everything within me.

  I chuckled against his lips and gripped him tighter as flashes exploded around us and the assembled crush of White Bluff residents went wild. Their celebratory chants and shouts deafened me. “I’ve always loved you, Caleb ‘Colt’ Douglas.”

  He sighed against my ear as he held me close. “I want to drag you away somewhere private and make love to you for an eternity. Somehow I don’t think my dad’s ranch screams romance.”

  I pulled away enough to scan the crowd. There, at the very edge with a shadowed expression denoting his devastating pain, Frank stood. Bets was right. He needed a good woman. For tonight, though, his presence reminded me to hang on tight to what I have.

  And plan ahead.

  “Well, I happen to know where we can hide out. What do you say, rock star? You ready to corrupt a cowgirl?”

  He grinned big. The gleam dancing in his gaze made arousal flood me. “I thought you’d never ask, Mrs. Douglas.”

  I froze. He chuckled and swept me into his arms.

  “W-what did you say?”

  “You heard me.” He kissed my lips quickly. “Think on it. I intend to get a yes from you, no matter how long it takes.”

  Like he didn’t know the answer already. As we made our way to the Hummer we ran into Pete. His words from earlier knocked the air from my wings a moment. I’d spent more time with him than I had my dad. His opinion meant something and the fact I knew my joy was against the grain of what he thought was best for me stung. Bad.

  I was a big girl. I could deal with his disdain. I was used to people looking down on me and my decisions.

  “Pete.” Caleb set me down as if sensing my need to lock away the tension between my boss and me. Damn my man was awesome. He got me.

  “Caleb.” Pete nodded. “You got a minute, Shasta?”

  “Sure.” I wandered away from Caleb and followed Pete as he hobbled toward the weathered red Ford he’d driven longer than wise. He paused and settled against the rusted door. I fortified my mental defenses and braced myself for the impending battle. “What’s up?”

  “I was wrong about your man. He did right by you, spoke his mind even though everyone would hear.” Pete nodded his approval and my defenses shattered in relief. “He’s a good boy, Shasta. I’m happy for you both.”

  I lunged the distance I’d put between us and drew him into a hug. “Thank you. Your approval means the world to me. I’ve always considered you to be my second father, you know.”

  He cleared his throat and looked away. “Well, good. You’re a great girl. He’d better treat you right.”

  “He will.” I grinned. “Can I take tomorrow off? I’ll get Bets to cover my shift.”

  Pete chuckled. “Do me a favor and let me find your replacement. I think your girl is wound up as tight as you with those twins back. Let her have her day off.”

  Damn. How bad of a BFF had I been not to notice? Tomorrow I’d set her straight, once I figured out the situation. Maybe Caleb. I smirked as I wandered over to him. My inner hussy listed the top ten ways to make him talk.

  Let the games begin.

  From Cara

  Thank you so much for picking up Romancing Austin. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do this anthology with these amazingly talented women.

  When the idea for a collection of stories centered round SXSW presented itself during our monthly Digital Darlings happy hour (i.e. copious amounts of white sangria and cheese), my muse perked up. Rock stars? Austin? Oh. My. Yes, please.

  Caleb “Colt” Douglas and Shasta “Shas” Monohan came to life, along with a menagerie of well-meaning friends, meddling small-towners and obnoxious media vultures. I hope you enjoyed Book One of my upcoming Delirium series and choose to continue the rest of the band’s journey to their own HEA.

  Caleb and Shasta still have a rocky road ahead of them as they reconcile small-town life with a rock and roll reality. Perch all that on the lit dynamite of Bets’ tenuous relationship with a certain Twisted Delirium band member and things are about to get interesting.
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  Check out my website at www.caracarnes.com for the latest on the Delirium series. You can contact me at cara@caracarnes.com. I’d love to hear from you. Sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive sneak peeks to upcoming releases.

  If you enjoyed Twisted, please take a moment to leave a review for the Romancing Austin anthology. Thank you and happy reading.

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  Do Over

  Chandra Ryan

  1

  The bright letters of the text burned themselves into her eyes as Juliana stared at her phone. She fought to understand the message for ten minutes, but no matter how many times she started at the beginning and worked her way to the end, the words didn’t make sense.

  “Julie, honey.” The door to the church’s changing room opened slowly to reveal her mother. All dressed in cream and lace, the woman could be a model for mother-of-the-bride. “Has Rodger gotten in touch with you?”

  The dry laugh escaped her before she could stop it. “He sent me a text.” She held the phone out to her as her mother swept into the room.

  “What does it say?”

  “He’s not coming. He’s found the woman of his dreams.”

  Her mother grabbed the phone and stared at the screen.

  “But how could he? I’m the woman of his dreams. Otherwise, why would a hundred and eighty of our friends and family be waiting for me to get married to him?” The words echoed in her ears as if they’d been spoken from a great distance.

  “Oh, sweetie.” Mom dropped the phone on a nearby table and then wrapped her in a warm hug. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t understand. He proposed to me, not her. If she were his destiny, why drag me through months of planning a wedding that wasn’t going to happen? And all the money I spent.” Her stomach rolled as she thought of her credit card bills. “All the money you and Dad spent.”

  “Don’t worry about the money.” Her mom released her and took a step back to wipe a tear from Julie’s cheek.

  The weird numbness filling her thawed into a warm ball of anger and frustration as her mom’s words sunk in. “Don’t worry about the money? We spent over ten thousand dollars on this fiasco. And when I say, we, I mean you and me. He didn’t spend a damn dime. ‘It’ll be both our debt once we tie the knot, so why does it matter whose card we put it on?’” She made Rodger sound dopey with the imitation. She didn’t want to be the nice girl—not after his callous dismissal of their wedding and life together. “I wanted to elope. He wanted the big ceremony. The wedding was all his idea.” She flailed her arms to encompass as much of the room as possible. “And then he doesn’t show. Over ten thousand dollars, Mom. For something I didn’t even want. How am I supposed to not worry about ten thousand dollars?”

  “Your dad and I will pay off your part of the debt.”

  “No. I’m not letting him off the hook so easily.” She stomped to the door of the dressing room.

  “Juliana, sweetheart, what are you planning to do?”

  The doorknob was cold in her palm as she turned it. “Somebody has to tell all those good people out there the wedding won’t be taking place. Don’t they?”

  “Julie…” Her mom’s voice was soft.

  “And I think we should collect Rodger’s money from his family while there’s a room full of their friends and family to properly shame them.”

  Her heart thumped harshly as she threw the door open. I have to face them. It’s only fair. They owe me. She laughed bitterly at the thought. His family owed her so much more than the five thousand she would be demanding. But it wasn’t like she could make them produce a groom for her.

  “Julie, darling, you’re hurt.” Her mom grabbed Juliana’s arm as she spoke and the older woman’s sharp tug made her stop. “I understand. Really I do. And I agree. They should pay their share. But this is something we should resolve in private. Not in a room full of prying eyes and wagging tongues. Don’t let them take your pride and dignity as well.”

  “Stop.” She took a deep breath trying to regain her control. “First of all, you do not understand. I love you. I know you’re trying to help. But there is no way you could possibly understand what I’m going through right now. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even understand what I’m going through. So there’s no way you, who married your high school sweetheart and recently celebrated your fortieth anniversary could. And that’s a good thing, Mom.” She pulled her arm from her mother’s grasp and then continued walking toward the chapel. “Secondly, what pride? I can’t afford it. My fiancé ran off with some other woman on the day of our wedding. The only thing he left me with is debt—a mountain of it. That room full of prying eyes and wagging tongues is the only leverage I’ve got right now.”

  The double doors leading into the church’s sanctuary boomed loudly as she threw them open. “Listen up.” Every eye in the room turned to look at her as she strode into the room with her head held high and her shoulders straight. “Rodger has run off with some other woman.” Her stomach dropped and her breath caught as she said the words out loud. She didn’t imagine how much the simple statement of truth would hurt. Especially when it was coupled with the collective gasp of shock from the guests. “It’s okay. I’ll survive. But I’m going to need the groom’s family to pay for half the ceremony. Since he’s the one who wanted this party, and he’s the one who ran away, I think we can all agree he should pay for half.”

  Rodger’s mother stammered for a moment. “But...we had no idea he was planning on not showing.”

  “I know. I believe you. You’re as shocked as I am. If you’d suspected, I assume you wouldn’t have come. But that’s really neither here nor there. He promised he’d take on half the debt. Since he’s skipped town, I’m going to need a check from you to cover it.”

  Rodger’s father stood and cleared his throat. “Julie, I think you’re being a little unreasonable. I think we’ve all discovered Rodger isn’t good at keeping his word today. But you can’t expect us to cover his debts.”

  “I can and I do. It’s the right thing for you to do. Your son is monetarily responsible for half of the wedding costs. If he doesn’t pay, you should.”

  “Maybe. But you can’t force us.”

  The conversation wasn’t following her plan. He was right. She couldn’t force them. If they didn’t feel bad about what their son had done to her, they could leave without paying a dime. Unless she found some sort of motivation other than decency, she was going to be stuck with his part of the debt. Her mind raced as her stomach turned nervously. “You’re right. My name is on the bill. I’m legally responsible for it.” She took a deep breath before she continued. “But you know what else my name is on? The car he’s most likely driving. His credit wasn’t good enough for the loan. And if he took my car without my permission, that’s theft.”

  Rodger’s father shuffled nervously from one foot to the other. “You’d get him arrested—screw up his record—because he left you at the altar?”

  These people didn’t get it. “No. I’d turn him into the police because he owes me a great deal of money—and he stole from me. There’s a difference.”

  “But…” His mother clutched at the pearls she wore around her neck. “We don’t have that kind of money.”

  “Of course you do, Rose.” Shaking her head, she pointed at Rodger’s father. Protecting the family’s dirty little secrets wasn’t her job anymore. She knew exactly where they would get the money to pay her back. “Stan had quite a windfall in Vegas last year. Rodger told me all about it. Unless he’s gambled it all away again, you have more than enough to help get Rodger out of his little pred
icament before it escalates.”

  “Stan?” Rose looked at Stan. “What is she talking about?”

  Stan brushed off the question. His focus remained locked on Julie. “Five thousand and you don’t press charges?”

  “As long as he makes the car payments, I see no reason to notify the law.”

  “When the car is paid off, you’ll mail him the title?”

  She had no idea these negotiations would take as long as they were. “Yes. But if he stops making payments, the car is mine and he’s a thief.”

  “I’ll get you your five grand and I’ll make sure the car is paid off. But then I never want to hear anything from you again.” Stan’s face was red as he made the demand.

  “Happily.” She turned, then forced her feet to move toward the door. Since she’d secured her parent’s portion of the debt, her mind became fuzzy. She hadn’t been drinking, yet she’d swear she was tipsy.

  “Are you okay, sweetheart?” Her mom’s arm wrapped around her waist right before her knees gave out.

  “Help me get out the door.”

  Though her mom possessed a small frame, she’d always been strong. She held Julie’s weight and helped her keep moving forward even after they’d left the chapel. She made it all the way to the changing room and through the door before her mother collapsed and took Julie with her.

  “Thank you.” Julie laughed despite the pain in her ass from where it’d struck the hardwood floors. “I couldn’t walk another step.”

  Mom took a deep breath, then started to chuckle with her. “Did you see Stan’s face when you said you’d turn Rodger in for car theft? I thought his head was going to explode.”

  She laughed harder. “I wouldn’t have had him arrested. I needed leverage. And I didn’t want you and Dad to pay off his part of the debt.”

  “You should’ve had him arrested the minute he sent the text.” Her mom stopped laughing and sighed. “And you were right to take them to task in front of their friends and family. They would’ve found some way to weasel out of it if you’d talked to them in private.” She shuddered. “Slimy people make my skin crawl. I’m sorry I tried to talk you out of it.”