“Actually?” She shook her head. “None of them.”
Oh. Well, hell. That obviously wasn’t it.
Cooper braced for both of them to get booted out the door as Liam’s jaw dropped. Then he turned to Cooper, looking more amused than annoyed, which surprised him.
“The lady doesn’t like any of them. Did you hear that, Coop?”
“Um, yeah.” He turned to Shelby, widening his eyes in warning. “Seriously?”
But instead of looking ashamed of herself, she smiled. “Real ones are in the back, I assume?”
“Maybe. What are you looking for?”
Shelby rattled off a name and series of numbers, and Liam nodded respectfully. Then he slapped his leg and laughed. “Damn, Cooper. Where’d you find this one?”
“I—what?”
Liam hooked a hand around Shelby’s arm and pointed to a door behind the counter, still laughing. “You come with me. I’ll show you the good stuff.”
Cooper followed—because what else was he going to do?—but he was still confused. The guitars out front looked perfectly good to him. But when Liam unlocked another door and flipped a switch, Shelby looked as if she’d just found her own version of Heaven.
“This is what I’m talking about.” She grinned as she stepped into the tiny room. “May I touch? With your permission?”
Liam put his hand to his chest. “She slays me, Coop. She really does.” He pulled a stool away from the wall and patted it. “You just sit right here and play these babies all afternoon if you want to. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be right out front.”
And then he was gone, leaving Cooper and Shelby in the tiny, windowless room full of gorgeous, probably ridiculously expensive guitars.
Instead of taking one off the wall to try, Shelby leaned on the stool, just looking around, a soft smile stealing over her face.
“Daddy always said this is what we’d do when he retired—we’d find an old hole-in-the-wall music shop, and we’d put the tourist-crap instruments out front, but we’d have a secret room in the back for the real musicians.”
“How’d you know Liam had one?”
“I didn’t. Just had a feeling. He was too interested in what I thought of the stuff up front. It made me think that wasn’t all he had, and he was hoping I’d notice.”
“Well, you obviously called that one right. I think you might be his new best friend.”
“Yeah. Well.” Her face fell a little bit, but she didn’t say more.
Cooper pulled out another stool and leaned on it. “Are you going to try one?”
“I’m trying to get up my courage. I want to make sure my fingers remember the good stuff before I pick one up. It’d be sacrilege to play my tour music on one of these beauties.”
“Okay.” He sat back, watching her eyes skate over the wood, the strings, the rounded shapes. And when she finally stood and pulled one off the wall, it was with a reverent touch he knew Liam would appreciate.
She sat on the stool, hooking one foot on the bar, and then let her fingers touch the strings one by one—the tiniest pluck of each as she tipped her head to listen. As she strummed carefully, then tuned the strings, he watched a peace steal over her face, and he was surprised to feel that same quiet calm touch his own limbs.
“What do you think?” he asked, as she paused.
“I think I’m in love.” She smiled. “Mind if I play a little?”
“Of course not.”
Her smile faltered. “Mind if maybe I do it—by myself?”
“Oh. Um, sure. Yeah. Of course.” He backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.
“She kick you out?” Liam asked as Cooper headed for the vinyl.
“Yep.”
“S’okay. Needs to find her fingers again. Hard to do that with an audience.”
Cooper felt his forehead furrow. “How do you know she needs to—quote—‘find her fingers’?”
“Dunno.” Liam shrugged. “Just know.” Then he pointed toward a section of records still in their original sleeves. “Got some of your favorites back there at the auction last week. Check ’em out.”
“Will do.” Cooper thumbed his way through the classic country records, finding stuff he mostly already had, but plucking a couple of classics he hadn’t managed to find in Boston. He knew damn well he could probably find anything he wanted to online, but there was something satisfying about thumbing through the dust and stories of music store bins that made his finds more personal somehow.
As he flipped through the albums in Liam’s collection, he heard Shelby’s guitar, first as soft as fluttering leaves, but gathering strength as she got used to the strings and the sound. Then she started playing one of her dad’s classics—one that had never had much radio play, but was one of Cooper’s favorites—and he smiled to himself.
“Good taste, that one.” Liam came around to where Cooper was so he could hear better. “How’d you land a woman her age who knows guitars and good music?”
“Yeah, well.” Cooper bit his tongue, not sure how to answer. Not sure how Shelby would want him to. “Not landing her.”
Liam laughed. “Ah, I get it. How long’s she here for?”
“Couple more weeks. Not long.”
“Long enough.” Liam winked. “Make her want to stay. She’s a catch.”
Cooper shook his head. “Do they put that line in the Kool-Aid out here? You’re all convinced there’s nowhere else anybody would want to live.”
“Well, we’re right. There’s no place better.” Liam grinned. “But some of these women are harder to convince than others. I’m still looking.”
Just then, Liam put up a hand like he was shutting Cooper up, even though Cooper wasn’t talking. His eyes went wide as he leaned toward the door to the room where Shelby was playing.
“Holy shit. You hear that?” he whispered.
Cooper swallowed. Yeah, he heard, and he’d been aching to hear it again ever since the night they’d sung together. And now? Here it was—soft, sweet, tentative, as she played her dad’s song. It was a long one, a slow-rising tune with an aching chorus, and as her voice traveled the notes, he felt like his bones might just melt.
Good Lord, there’d never been anything more beautiful.
Liam tipped his head, listening hard, and as she hit the chorus for the second time, he turned to Cooper, a look of awe on his face. Practically hopping, he went to the vinyl Cooper had just combed through, and he came up with the album Shelby was singing from. He held it up like he’d struck gold, and Cooper nodded, entertained by his friend’s obvious glee.
But Liam couldn’t possibly know who was really singing back there—only that she was singing Tommy Quinn’s music.
Liam put the album on the counter, then closed his eyes until Shelby let the last notes of the song trail off. He shook his head, then turned to Cooper.
“You’ve got Shelby freaking Quinn in there. You know that, right?”
“Wha—wait—what?” It seemed safer to play dumb right now. Shelby would kill him if he revealed her identity to Liam.
“Shelby. Quinn.” Liam spoke more slowly, like Cooper was deaf.
“I heard you. I just don’t know why you think that’s—Shelby Quinn.”
Liam stared at him for a long moment, and once again, Cooper could picture himself outside the music store, a firm boot in the ass propelling him there.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Coop. You know damn well who that is.”
Cooper shook his head, but didn’t deny it, and Liam knew it.
“Son of a bitch.” Liam grinned. “Son of a bitch.”
“You can’t tell anyone. Anyone. You get me?” Cooper felt his eyes widen as he tried to keep his voice low enough so Shelby wouldn’t hear.
“You bring in Shelby Quinn, and I’m not allowed to say anything? Do you hate me or something?”
“How’d you know who she was?”
“The harmony,” Liam answered without pausing. “I heard her
and her daddy in concert a hundred years ago. Nobody sings like that girl. Nobody. I fell in love, and I was fifteen, I think.”
“So was she, probably.”
“Exactly. So in my head, it was all going to work out just fine, if we could get past the whole backstage-security angle.”
“Nice.” Cooper laughed, then bit down on it as he heard the door creak open.
Shelby emerged with the guitar, a contented, peaceful smile on her face. Cooper closed his eyes and turned away for a second, because if he hadn’t, he was afraid he might put his arms around her, steer her back into that tiny room, and kiss her silly.
“So what’d you think?” Liam asked, all bland shop-owner, rather than the fanatical teenaged fan he’d been.
“I’m in love,” she gushed softly.
“Me, too,” he said, making Cooper’s eyes widen in consternation. Liam cleared his throat as he reached for the guitar. “She’s a beauty, this one.”
“If you have a case for it, I’d like to buy it,” Shelby said.
Liam’s eyes popped. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“But—”
Shelby tipped her head. “Is it promised to someone else? I can respect that, if so. It’s definitely one of a kind.”
“No. It’s not that. It’s just—”
“Are you concerned about the price tag?” She smiled. “It’s okay. I’ve been saving. I know how much it should cost.”
“Um…”
Cooper almost laughed as Liam went completely tongue-tied. The sale of this one guitar could have him closing up shop and heading up to the lake for a long weekend. Or a month.
“Please? Could I buy the guitar?”
Finally, Liam spoke. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Cooper’s voice matched Shelby’s.
“Maybe.” Liam’s voice was firm as he set the guitar carefully on the counter.
“I’m not sure I follow,” Shelby said, her eyebrows marking her confusion.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“Okay?”
“You know more Tommy Quinn stuff?”
Cooper cringed. He was going to throttle Liam.
“I know—some.” Cooper saw Shelby swallow painfully.
“ ‘River of Dreams’?”
Shelby smiled carefully. “One of my favorites.”
“Mine, too. Any chance you’d come play it at Jasper’s open mic one of these weeks? Just so people can see how it’s supposed to sound?”
“Oh.” Her face shuttered. “Um, no. I really—I just play for myself.”
“It’s a friendly audience.”
“I’m sure it is. But—no. I don’t think so.”
“Ever been to one of his concerts?” Liam’s eyebrows went upward, and Cooper shook his head. He was seriously going to shoot the guy.
“Yes.” She cleared her throat, then turned to Cooper with wide eyes.
“You know,” Liam nodded, “I went to one down in Denver, years ago. Might be the best concert I’ve ever seen, actually. At the end, he brought up his daughter, said they wrote songs together. And then they sang, and I fell in love. I was totally going to marry that girl.”
Shoot him dead.
“Wow.” Shelby’s voice was small as she glanced toward the door, probably calculating how many steps it would take to flee.
“But anyway.” Liam shook his head like he was clearing the memories. “Long time ago.” He picked up the guitar and handed it to her. “You take this with you. I’ll get you a case. You play it for a week and see what you think.”
“Oh, gosh. I can’t take this guitar without paying.” Shelby shook her head, even while her fingers found their way back to the strings like she’d missed them already.
“You’re borrowing it. It’s different.” Liam reached behind him and pulled a case out of a rack. “You fall in love with it, we’ll talk. You decide this baby’s not meant to be yours, then you bring it back. Easy.”
“Liam.” Shelby glanced at Cooper like she wanted his help, but all he could do was shrug. He knew damn well that Liam wanted nothing more right now than for Shelby Quinn to fall in love with a guitar he’d handpicked and kept hidden. Hell, the guy would probably pay her to take it, at this point.
“I insist.” Liam took it out of her hands and placed it reverently in the case. “It’s been waiting for just the right fingers, and I think you’ve got ’em. Come back in a week, and we’ll talk.”
Shelby put up both hands. “I can’t just walk out of here with that instrument, Liam. It’s worth more than me!”
“Not possible.” Liam grinned. “But if the guilt of it all eats you right up, then show up with Cooper at Jasper’s open mic, and play a tune.”
“I—”
“Wednesday at seven.” He clipped the latches shut and handed her the guitar with a wink. “We’ll see you there.”
Chapter 18
Cooper’s friend Liam was a complete nut job, Shelby thought as she took the guitar out of its case the next morning. But in a way, his nuttiness had combined with the feel of this guitar in her hands yesterday to send a lightness down her spine. Her fingers had found the strings like they’d never left them. They’d plucked and strummed and felt their way, and before she’d known it, Daddy’s music had been coming out of both the guitar…and her.
And for the first time since his death, it hadn’t made her cry.
She’d just played. She’d sung. She’d fallen in love with the instrument at the same time she’d felt the creak fall out of her voice, and she couldn’t wait to try it again this morning.
She settled the guitar on her knees, and she smiled when she remembered the sight of Cooper’s face as she’d emerged from Liam’s back room yesterday. It had been filled with a mixture of disbelief and what she could only think to describe as…affection, but was that ridiculous?
She hadn’t had a chance to find out, as Decker had met them in the Whisper Creek parking lot and sent Cooper out on the overnight trail ride because one of the other guys had taken a fall that had him laid up for the next few days.
She wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that she’d glanced at the clock ten times already this morning, counting the hours till he’d be home tomorrow.
The piglet lifted her snout to snuff at Shelby’s toes, then made a contented sound as she closed her eyes and burrowed back into the slipper she’d been curled up in since her last bottle. Shelby leaned down to pet her, still amused that she was babysitting a pig.
Just as she sat back up and started tuning her strings, a knock on the door had her setting the guitar back in its case, and she took a moment to appreciate the realization that she hadn’t jumped a mile at the sound of the knock, or looked behind her for a bodyguard, or checked for self-defense objects.
She opened the door to a woman with long, dark hair and a friendly smile. She’d seen her around for the past couple of weeks, usually with a little girl in tow, but today she was alone.
“Hey, Shelby. I’m so sorry we haven’t met yet. I’m Jess. I run the spa.” She pointed downhill toward where a log building sat against the hillside next to the main lodge. “How are you holding up out here?”
“I’m doing—all right, actually.”
“You sound surprised.”
Shelby smiled. “I might be.”
“Whisper Creek has that effect on people.”
“I believe it.” Shelby studied her for a moment through the screen, wanting to reach out, but not sure exactly how to.
“I wish I could invite you down for tea or something, but I have a class starting in ten minutes. But listen—if you’re not busy, the girls and I are getting together tomorrow night for chick flicks—it’s kind of our Thursday-night thing, while the men are out on the trail. Would you like to join us, maybe?”
Shelby took a second to process the invitation, then took a deep breath. More people meant more chances of being recognized, which meant more chances her cover here at Whisper Creek would be
blown.
And—wait. Cooper was going to be gone for even longer than she’d thought?
Just then, Hayley bounded up the steps behind Jess. “Hey, Shelby. How’s Miss Piggy?”
“She’s great.” Shelby pointed at the slipper. “She has a new favorite spot.”
Hayley peered over Shelby’s shoulder, smiling at the sight of the little piglet all snuggled into the blue fleece. “What am I going to do when you leave?”
“I don’t know.” Shelby shook her head, suddenly feeling the weight of her end date coming toward her. The month had seemed endless when Nicola had first mentioned it, but now that she was here—now that she was actually settling down, not sobbing every second, not aching quite so hard for coulda-beens and shoulda-beens, that date seemed to be racing toward her.
Yeah, she rolled her eyes internally, and it had nothing at all to do with a cop-slash-cowboy whose kiss she kept reliving, even though she’d practically mauled him to get it.
“Did you ask her to come to girls’ night?” Hayley’s eyebrows were up, looking at Jess.
“I was trying to, when you bounded up here like a gazelle on steroids.”
“I just delivered six puppies. I am like a gazelle on steroids.” Hayley smiled apologetically, then turned to Shelby. “They tolerate me because they need my veterinary skills.”
“Actually, we tolerate you despite them.” Jess smiled. “So what do you say, Shelby? Can we convince you to come do movies and bad-for-you food with us?”
“Jess has a huge television that she never uses unless we come over. Have you ever seen Scott Eastwood in high-def?” Hayley patted her chest dramatically. “Le sigh!”
Ha. Oh, she’d seen him, all right. Up close and personal in one of her most recent video shoots. And wow—he was every fantasy and more.
Jess sighed, smiling apologetically at Shelby. “Sorry. She’s convinced that if she stays in Carefree long enough, eventually he’ll come vacation here at Whisper Creek.”
“And if he does?” Hayley put up one hand. “You owe me five bucks.”
“If he shows up here, I’ll pay you ten.” Jess motioned her off the porch. “Now go, before you scare the poor girl.”
Meant to Be Page 16