Outlaw Country

by Davida Lynn

  She turned to the massive crowd. “Thank you! Thank you guys so much!” The mass of people cheered louder as she came down to the front row. Hands reached for her as she walked along the stage. “You guys are in for a special treat!”

  Gracie turned back to look at the stage. It was filled with guitarists, keyboardists, and drummers. The two bands had merged seamlessly, despite Kathleen’s worry. Gracie had made sure that nothing would go wrong, because her mother was looking for any and every opportunity to get rid of Colton. Gracie couldn't let that happen.

  “I want you to give a big, loud welcome to Colton Wade and The Guilty Party!” Gracie dragged out the last vowel as she screamed into the microphone. Even with the in-ear monitors, she could hear the crowd screaming. In that moment, Gracie knew it was not just a good idea for her career, but a good idea for the Gracie Hart that the public never saw. Not the one that sang about the stings of a breakup, but the one that had needs and desires.

  By the time the crowd died down, Colton was back at the microphone. He put a hand up to block some of the lights. For the first time, Colton could actually make out some of the fans that were reaching up from the front row. He liked what he saw: nothing but beauties.

  “Well, I’ll be damned, if this isn’t the best looking crowd I’ve ever played to. The Guilty Party and myself are just tickled pink to be on tour with Gracie Hart.” Colton laid the accent on thicker than Gracie had heard before. The rocker was really playing up the Southern gentleman act. Gracie hated how hot she thought that voice sounded.

  The night only got hotter. The group played country standards, some of each of their respective songs, and they ended the main show with “Standin’ Next To Destiny”.

  The bands had rehearsed it a few times, but it was one of the few songs that Colton and Gracie were nervous about. The song was great, with a slow buildup and a powerful ending, but it was brand new. Based on the crowd’s reaction, they’d know if “Standin’ Next To Destiny” would be a hit or just something to slip onto either Gracie’s or Colton’s next album without another word.

  Gracie and Colton’s eyes met. He gave her a nod, and Gracie strummed the chords. Colton stepped to his microphone and into the spotlight.

  “Love her when she’s angry, she lets me know the fault is mine.

  Love to get her so ticked off, Lord knows my favorite time...”

  The crowd seemed to hush as Colton’s voice filled the arena. He had his eyes closed as he sang. At the first chorus, the only music was Gracie’s guitar and Colton’s voice. The only difference was he had opened his eyes, and he was staring right at Gracie Hart.

  “I knew that girl had wrecked me something good.

  I knew it from the first moment she stood next to me.

  I felt it deep inside my country heart.

  I knew that I was standin’ next to destiny.”

  As Gracie strummed out the simple chords, the lyrics hit her like never before. Colton had written that song about her, and the words were making her heart ache. She couldn't hide the smile on her face, and Gracie forced herself to turn away from Colton’s piercing stare. In that moment, Gracie couldn't see the thirty thousand people there. She couldn’t see the people just off stage monitoring the performance. She couldn’t even see the huge band behind her on the stage. Colton was the only person on earth in that moment.

  She turned back to see him walking up to her, the mic in his hand. She strummed a chord, letting it ring out. Colton was just an inch from her face, leaning over her body with his own. Gracie’s heart stopped for a moment. She was sure that Colton was going to kiss her. She had flutters in her stomach, and her heart screamed at her to lean forward and meet his lips.

  The drums kicked in, and a few beats later, the entire band behind them joined. Gracie was snapped back into reality. Colton backed away from her, a smile on his face that let her know exactly what was on his mind. He was toying with her. She wasn’t used to that feeling. Since hitting it big time, everyone treated her like royalty. Everyone but Colton...

  Roger hadn’t been nervous about the show. He knew Colton and the band were in top form, and he could see Gracie’s approval every time she looked at the outlaw country singer. His worry was with Gracie’s mother. Kathleen Hart made it painfully obvious that she was unhappy with the whole situation.

  Roger and the label had done everything to convince her that Colton would be a gentleman and stay on his best behavior. In the end, she said that he would never be a gentleman, but it was a good career move for Gracie. Since the two bands had gotten together, she never took her eyes off of her daughter.

  In many ways, Roger couldn’t blame her. Colton was one wild son-of-a-bitch, and when he had his mind set on something, nothing stood in his way. That was what worried Roger after the first show of the tour.

  “Is that your life every night? Because goddamn, Gracie Hart, a guy could get used to that!” Colton pulled out the in-ear monitors, and even backstage the roar of the crowd was still deafening. She wondered if Colton would ever forget that night. His first night in front of a massive crowd.

  Gracie had her own permanent smile on her lips. For once, she seemed to have the upper hand on Colton. For her, it was a nightly occurrence. She could pull in bigger crowds when new albums dropped, and if he knew her monthly income, his eyes would probably fall out. Colton may have been cocky and a bad boy, but Gracie held her cards close to her chest, and he got a taste of what she was capable of.

  “You did good out there.”

  Colton laughed. “You didn’t think I would? I heard you tripping over a few lines, Macy Gray.”

  The two walked down the stairs leading into the innards of the stadium. They had been the last two off of the stage, and for both of them, it was hard to step out of the shining light and adoration.

  Gracie gave Colton a friendly shove. The two had been very close on stage, but it was the first private moment the two had shared since “Standin’ Next To Destiny” was written outside of Muscle Shoals Sounds. That fact was very clear in Gracie’s mind. For two weeks she’d been dreaming of alone time with Colton Wade, even if it was just the walk to the backstage hospitality table.

  She wanted more. She wanted much more, but Gracie knew that her mother had her on a tight leash, so she’d have to settle for a private walk. As the roar of the crowd faded, the two found themselves alone together.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’ll go stir crazy if I have to stare at the walls of another hotel tonight.” Colton’s voice was smooth like dripping, sweet honey. “There’s a nice lake not too far from here. I’d love to kick back with a six-pack and a little Merle Haggard.”

  “Oh, and can I pick up my dry cleaning while I’m there? And will there be a masseuse, because my back is killing me. Lovely dreams, Colton, but we ain’t in a dream, sweetheart.” The word came out before she had a chance to stop it. Sweetheart. Her heart jumped at it. It was like she was falling into a groove with him, already. The lovely groove of a record playing something sweet by Emmylou.

  “Ain’t no dream. It’s a plan, and I’m inviting you personally.” He turned to her, and Gracie looked for the joke in his eyes. They were in the middle of Nashville. How in the hell would they find a lake? How would they even get there?

  Even though she was sure Colton wasn’t serious, there was a battle in Gracie’s voice. “You’ve got to be kidding. My mother will be waiting for me.” Kathleen would instantly suspect Colton had delayed Gracie, or worse. Gracie rolled her eyes at the thought of Kathleen chewing out Colton.

  “And she’ll keep waiting for you. I’m not gonna brainwash you, but after a show, I need to wind down. I’m just offering you a little bit of winding down. Nothin’ sinister, scout’s honor.” Colton held up two fingers, really selling the lie that he was a scout…or had any honor.

  She smiled. He was such a charmer. Gracie shrugged, her mind at war. It was her heart that came out on top. At almost twenty, she was ready to climb from the tall nest her m
other had woven. Gracie wanted to live dangerously, and she couldn’t think of a better man to initiate her.

  “All right. I’m in, but how the hell are you going to get us out of here? These places are like prisons mixed with mazes. Most exits are closed off, and what the hell are we going to take, anyway? You have the bat mobile waiting in the wings or something?”

  Colton shook his head. “Oh, Gracie Hart, you gotta lot to learn about Colton Wade.”

  Before she could say another word, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from the safety and stale security of her mother’s arms. She was excited, and the dull ache in her back vanished as Colton weaved through the labyrinth beneath the arena.

  Gracie wondered if he actually had a plan, or if Colton was just looking for some dark corner to be alone with her. Part of her had no problem with that thought. She envisioned Colton pinning her to the cinder block wall in the darkest part of some hallway. He would press his hips against her and keep her pinned as he kissed her. Keep your head on your shoulders, Gracie. She didn’t know how far she wanted to go, but she knew that if she wasn’t careful, Gracie’s life could tumble out of control in an instant.

  Kathleen headed back to Gracie’s green room just before the final number ended. She liked to make sure everything her daughter needed post-show was ready. It was just as much Kathleen’s cool down routine as it was Gracie’s. A few glasses of water, a few notes on the show, and some relaxing mother daughter time while the equipment was loaded up for the next show.

  For the first few minutes, Kathleen assumed Gracie was jammed up backstage with twice as many band members crowding around. After that, she began to worry. Fifteen minutes after Gracie was supposed to come back to her dressing room, Kathleen stormed out. She was furious and looking for Colton Wade.

  “Roger, where is he?” Kathleen was pissed, and he knew it. Unfortunately for Roger, he didn’t know answer to her question. He would’ve guessed that the band was at their usual Nashville haunt, but The Guilty Party was back in the warm-up room. It was only Colton and Gracie who were missing. That worried him, because Kathleen was a lioness when it came to her little girl.

  With Gracie’s mother storming a path right for him, Roger put his hands up. “Hey, hey. I don’t know where they are.” He tried to make his voice as soft as possible. “But were going to find them, and everything’s going to be okay.”

  “Everything’s going to be okay?” She was right in his face, and Roger would have preferred dealing with the fallout from one of Colton’s drunken destruction spells rather than Kathleen Hart. He remembered in that moment why he was still single, and he made the grave mistake of smirking at the thought.

  “Mr. Ellery, I sincerely hope you’re not laughing at me. That hooligan that you claim to represent stole my daughter, and you have no idea where he is? I knew from the first moment that this was a bad idea. I knew he was a corrupting influence and—”

  Roger had had enough. He cut her off, “Corrupting influence? Jesus. Get over yourself.” Roger pulled out his phone to call Colton.

  Kathleen ignored Roger’s biting remark. “Oh, don’t bother. I’ve called Gracie a dozen times, and she’s not picking up. She probably switched it to silent. It’s what she does when she doesn’t want me knowing what she’s up to.” Kathleen stepped closer to Roger, almost growing in size right along with her anger. “I’ll have you know I am very much interested in what she’s up to, or should I say, ‘what Colton Wade is up to?’”

  Colton was no saint; Roger would admit that any day of the week. He wasn’t a criminal, though, either. He was girl crazy, but he wasn’t a rapist. Roger had seen the way that Gracie looked at Colton, and he suspected that whatever they were up to, it was very consensual. “Mrs. Hart, we’ll track them down, and we’ll make sure—”

  It was Kathleen’s turn to cut him off. “Just Kathleen is fine.” She hated being called Mrs. “And we’re not going to make sure of anything. You’ve proven time and time again that you can’t control that boy. This rock ’n’ roll lifestyle is not something I want to subject Gracie to. I’m calling the record label, and we’re going to deal with this. I don’t know, maybe we’ll call it a one-off show and be done with it.”

  Roger had gotten very good at defending Colton. It was both necessary, and worth it. Colton was a superstar in the making, and Roger Ellery wasn’t going to let anything happen to his future star. “Dammit, Kathleen. Take a look around you.” Roadies were hauling sound equipment past them toward the loading dock. “If you didn’t want to subject Gracie to the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, you should’ve put her into art classes or some other boring activity. She is a pop star, and you cannot protect her from the world. I’m sure you want to, really I do, but it’s impossible. Colton’s not a bad guy. Impulsive, unruly, and selfish, but not bad. As for this tour?” Roger knew that Kathleen was tough, which meant he had to be tougher.

  “This tour is going to go on. The record company cares way more about the bottom line than about your precious morals. Gracie Hart moves ten thousand units a week. Colton moves five hundred. Did they tell you their projections for the duet?” He gave her a second to answer. “Twenty thousand. Double what Gracie sells in a good week, and a fuck load more than Colton could ever dream of. I know your story. Single mom trying to do the best she can, trying to make sure Gracie doesn’t make the mistakes you made. Kathleen, you’re staring at a mistake right now. I can promise you that.”

  She shot a cold look back at him. Kathleen wanted to burn him down, but he had smothered her fire. She knew he was right, and she knew she was wrong. It was impossible to protect the same daughter that she was trying to market. Her anger turned inwards again. Kathleen brought her fist up to her forehead. Pressing her closed fingers to her head, she turned away from Roger and counted to ten inside her head. Gracie was her a Hart, but she wasn’t Kathleen. She didn’t make the same choices Kathleen had made. Kathleen knew that her daughter was worlds smarter than she was. At least, that’s the mantra she repeated over and over again.

  Kathleen didn’t turn back to Roger. “Sorry.” Her voice was shaky, but Kathleen had to go on. “Everybody knows about Colton’s reputation. Gracie got out of a bad relationship not too long ago, so I’m just a little on edge about the whole situation.”

  She felt a hand on her shoulder. Her first instinct was to shove it away, but Kathleen stopped herself. For too long, there were only two people in her life. Kathleen made sure that she and Gracie lived in insular life. Her daughter was an adult, and Kathleen couldn’t keep her caged up any longer. Roger gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. Kathleen was surprised to discover that it actually helped calm her racing mind.

  After a deep breath, Kathleen got her emotions under control. She turned back to face Roger. After a strategic wipe beneath her eyes, Kathleen apologized. “I guess you and I are partners for the next few months. That means I’m not allowed to treat you like shit. You or Colton. I’m sorry, I know I can be a lot to handle.”

  There was empathy and Roger’s eyes, even when he smiled and let out a short laugh, “That’s putting it lightly.” He lifted his hands, surrendering. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Before Colton, I managed a singer-songwriter named Raylene Evans. She had a real Emmylou Harris thing going on. Very young, very green. I really believed in her, so I understand. I tried to protect her from the world, and I wasn’t even her father. I’m not faulting you at all, Kathleen. I guess I’m just asking for a little bit of trust.”

  Kathleen’s mind reeled through all of the artists she knew. Raylene Evans wasn’t one of them. She was just another one of the thousands who never made it. She could hear the softness in Roger’s voice, and she could tell that he had cared about Raylene. Between the ten second meditation and a small show of emotion from Roger, Kathleen allowed herself to let loose.

  “Trust you or trust Colton?” She wore the smile of a woman who had known how to have fun in her day.

  Colton’s manager smiled “I know it�
�s alot to ask, but how about both?”

  Kathleen stepped forward and poked Roger square in the chest. “I’m beginning to trust you. Colton on the other hand? I don’t trust Colton any farther than I can toss him.” Kathleen pulled up her daughter’s number in her phone and hit send for the umpteenth time.

  “This isn’t a road, Colton.” Apparently he hadn’t heard her. “Colton, this isn’t a road!” Gracie grabbed the oh-shit handle as Colton launched the pickup over a bump. It came down hard, but he didn’t slow down. It didn’t help that he had just shut the headlights off, leaving only the yellow parking lights glowing.

  “Are you crazy?” Gracie regretted every stupid thought she’d had about Colton. He was reckless, and after a taste of danger, she was over it. She was over it hard.

  “Crazy like a fox.” She could see his pearly whites in the glow off the dashboard’s light. “It is a road, so ya know. It’s an access road for the power company.” His deep voice jumped at the same time the truck hit a low spot on the dirt path. “And before you ask, the headlights are off because technically this ain’t exactly a legal excursion.”

  She wasn’t sure if her heart could take much more. “Just how ‘ain’t exactly legal’ are we talking? Unlike you, I’m not used to community service.” She was afraid, sure, but she did feel a certain safety beside Colton. They weren’t going that fast, and he had great control over the truck. She knew it was just her cautious side trying to win out, but Gracie was so over cautious. She wanted to throw that caution from a cliff.

  “This is owned by the airport, so if we get found out, you’re gonna have an awful hard time with the TSA.”

  Gracie gave Colton a smug look. “Then make sure we don’t get caught.” He missed the look because his eyes were squinting out into the darkness in front of the truck.