Oh, she wished Knox had been in the audience. But maybe…maybe it was enough for her to simply sing something from her heart.
And to realize that she wasn’t alone onstage. Ever.
She stepped up to the mic and gave Glo another round, then set up the finale song, the beat fast, the entire band showing up to bring the house down.
She noticed that even Glo had grabbed her banjo. Oh Glo—she just couldn’t stay out of the fun.
The crowd was dancing, and she reached inside, heard the words as she belted them out.
* * *
So, when life doesn’t make sense
when you want to run away
When the songs seem over
and you ain’t got nothing to say,
Stick around, boy, and give us a chance.
Take my hands…and let’s just dance!
* * *
Just dance. Whatever life had for her. Maybe, like Knox said, she didn’t always need to keep moving. Didn’t always need a destination in the front windshield.
Maybe she could let God take the wheel—as Carrie would say—and simply enjoy the view.
The finale went off just like she’d planned. The chorus sung twice through, then the lights went down, just the starlight cast from the giant disco ball twirling overhead.
And a second later, the explosion of silvery confetti.
The crowd kept singing, and the Belles sneaked offstage, followed by the band.
Kelsey felt Dixie’s hand in hers and Glo taking the other as they exited toward Tate.
The crowd, behind them, was still singing.
Take my hands…and let’s just dance!
Maybe the Yankee Belles had reached in and healed a few wounds tonight.
Or maybe God had simply done the healing, in her. Through her, sharing her wounded places, letting God’s love pour out and back in to heal. To give hope. You are enough, God.
Tate was there, his flashlight flicked on as he lit a path away from the stage, toward their dressing room, but Kelsey grabbed her Yankee Belles in a hug.
“You were magnificent!”
The song had ended, and the applause turned thunderous.
But she didn’t hear it. Because Tate flashed his light on someone emerging from the shadows of the backstage wing. Tall, he wore a red shirt, the arms rolled up past his forearms, as if he’d been working, his hair tousled, those dangerous forest-blue eyes on her.
How had she ever thought him safe?
“Hey there,” Knox said. He had his hands in his pockets like, aw, shucks, but she didn’t wait for him to catch her before she simply walked forward and threw her arms around his neck.
He caught her anyway, of course, and he was so solid and real and…here. Of course he was here. He smelled of the rodeo—roughed-edged, hard work, pure cowboy, but under his exterior, she felt the thunder of his heartbeat, the slightest tremble in his body.
“What is it?” She pushed away from him, met his eyes.
But he caught her face in his big hands, running his thumbs down her cheeks. “You. Just you. I…I love you, Kelsey. I have since the day you kissed me on the cheek and told me I was old and safe.”
“You’re neither old, nor safe, Knox Marshall. And I love you too.”
A slow, hot, dangerous smile slid up his face. “Good. Because you’re not getting rid of me. I’m going on the road with you.”
It took her a second, then, “As a groupie?”
His eyes turned warm. “Something a little more up close and personal, I hope. And far from boring.” And then, just to prove his words, he kissed her, right there, in front of her band, with the stands still cheering, so much strength and sweet possession in his kiss that she knew…
No more running. No more fear.
This was enough.
And it was time to go home.
What happens next…
All this sappiness didn’t solve the biggest problem. Sure, Tate could cheer on his brother, the fact that he’d ended up with Kelsey in his arms.
But someone had to raise their hand and point out the obvious—someone had tried to kill Glo—and that someone was still on the loose.
Although, yes, it seemed Kelsey’s nightmare had ended. Russell would be heading back to prison without another shot at parole—and a stack of other sentences to serve, no doubt.
Knox and Kelsey sat on the white leather sofa overlooking the massive fountain of the Bellagio hotel, a two-bedroom penthouse suite that apparently Rafe Noble had pulled connections to secure. And gifted it to Knox to give to the Yankee Belles.
Tate and Knox had nabbed a similar suite, so Tate wasn’t exactly complaining, but just being in the Bellagio, or even in Vegas proper, raised the little hairs on the back of his neck.
The sooner they hit the road, the more likely he’d live through his under-the-radar return.
“Room service show up yet?” Glo came out of a bedroom wearing a fluffy white bathrobe, her hair wet and tousled as she dried it with a towel. She hadn’t cinched the robe and he spied a T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants underneath, so maybe she was simply basking in the luxury. She slid onto a green leather high-top stool pushed under the granite countertop of the long, mirrored bar.
“Not yet,” Tate said, the scent of her catching him, and he had to look away.
The adrenaline of running down Russell still spiked his system, and he’d barely stopped himself from grabbing Glo and holding on when she walked offstage.
Just because.
Knox got up, his hand woven into Kelsey’s. “We’re going for a walk.”
A walk. Right. Euphemisms. But he could play along. “The fountains go off every fifteen minutes.”
Knox grinned at him.
Lucky dog.
Dixie had gone with Elijah Blue and Carter to check out the famed chocolate fountain.
Which left—aw, shoot. He hadn’t done the math in time. The door clicked behind Knox and Kelsey.
Glo was still drying her hair with the towel.
Now, she looked over at him, her hair in short, nearly white-gold curls around her head. “How do you know so much about the fountains?”
Oh. He walked to the window, stared down at the night, the strip alive and always moving. The 460-foot Eiffel Tower replica sparkled gold against the pane of night in front of the Paris Las Vegas. At its feet, the Chateau Nightclub was rocking, spotlights alerting the world to some headliner, and to the left a little farther, blue light cast upon Bally’s casino. The real action was happening just northwest of Bally’s at Drai’s nightclub in the front yard of the Flamingo.
He knew every cranny and dark alley on the Vegas strip, not to mention what happened under the bright lights.
“Tate?”
He hadn’t noticed Glo join him. She had stuck her hands into the robe, and without her boots on, she seemed like a tiny, delicious package of curves and smarts and talent.
For a second, he was standing offstage, watching her sing her solo. So much of her heart on the outside of her body, her voice sweet and honest and…
And the words felt like they might be for him.
* * *
But you don’t know if you don’t start
So wait…for one true heart…one true heart…
* * *
He knew, right to his bones, that Glo was the one he’d waited for. Wanted to start over with. And he would. As soon as they got clear of the specter and the death threats stalking them, he would quit this job.
Create his own sappy happy ending, hopefully.
But until then, he had to keep his hands fisted in his pockets.
“I used to work here,” Tate said, finally answering her question.
“Doing what?”
He simplified his answer. “Protecting people.” And other things.
“Of course you were.” She glanced up at him then. Such beautiful hazel-green eyes, with tiny specks of gold. He could forget the past, the knot in his gut, even his sins when she looked at
him like that. A trust.
As if he might actually be a hero.
He couldn’t move, his heart nearly frozen in his chest.
Especially when she moved toward him. Touched his arm. “Thanks for taking down Russell tonight. You set Kelsey free.”
“I didn’t—”
Her hand touched his chest. “Yeah, you did.” She stepped in front of him, her back to the window panes. She put her other hand on his chest. “Thank you.”
The heat of her hands turned his entire body to fire. He swallowed, stared down at her. “Glo—I—”
“Kiss me, already, hero.”
Oh, uh—
But she wasn’t hesitating. She leaned up, running her hands around his neck and pulling his head down, and then her lips were on his.
Sweet, tasting of toothpaste, and soft against his.
And it just took a second for him to catch up, because he had to get past the warning bells bonging in the back of his head.
The past, rising to convict him.
But he ignored it and swept his arm around her back, pulled her against him, and returned her kiss. Let all the emotions of the past month sweep through him, flood over him, and pour out in his ardor.
She made a sound, something of desire deep in her bones, and it only sparked heat in his own, only made him press her against the glass, move his other arm around her.
Glo—
The knock at the door was a hand between them, and he came up breathing hard, his heart pounding. Glo, too, and she bit her lip as if struggling with her own emotions.
Yay for pizza, because yes, he needed a deep breath, something to help him tuck his emotions back inside and escape the hot temptation that he knew could only cause trouble.
Maybe he and Glo needed a walk, too, and pronto. “Get dressed,” he said over his shoulder as he headed into the foyer. “I’ll show you the strip after we have pizza.”
“It’s about time.” She headed for her bedroom.
Lock the door behind you, honey. Because he was about three seconds from following her and frankly she made him want to stay out of trouble, possibly for the first time in his life.
She turned the lock, as if reading his mind. He heard the click just as he opened the door to their suite. “Room service. Finally.”
Except, it wasn’t a waiter with a white-clothed serving cart containing pizza and drinks.
Unless the Bellagio had upgraded their room service staff to a six-foot-five Russian dressed in a black turtleneck and a suitcoat and missing a right incisor.
Tate’s reflexes let out a word. “Slava—”
“Look who’s back in town.” He shoved a foot in the door before Tate could slam it.
Then the Russian’s big hand hit the door, banged it open, and Tate had just a second to brace himself as Slava sent a fist into his gut.
It knocked Tate, doubled over, back into the suite. He fell to the floor as Slava stepped over him. Knelt and slammed his cement mitt on his chest, pinning Tate as he tightened his fist.
“I warned you what would happen if you ever came back to Vegas,” Slava growled.
He had. Oh, he had.
Please, Glo, stay in your room…
Read Tate! Book 2 in the Montana Marshall series!
What will it cost this bodyguard to save the woman he loves? Bodyguard, Tate Marshall, has always been the family troublemaker. Maybe it's his propensity to get into the middle of problems that don't belong to him. And once in, his inability to stop until they are solved.
His most recent dilemma is no different. He's in love with the woman he's tasked to protect, the beautiful Gloria, "Glo" Jackson, daughter of US Senator and presidential hopeful Reba Jackson.
A member of the country band, the Yankee Belles, Glo was targeted in a recent terrorist attack designed to deter her mother from running.
As stubborn as her mother, Glo isn't about to hide from threats, at least the kind that won't cost her heart. She’s already paid a terrible price for the war on terror, and she refuses to let herself love a man who might die, especially because of her.
As the presidential campaign heats up and the threats deepen, so does the attraction between Tate and Glo.
But when they're discovered, and Tate is fired, how far will he go to protect the woman he loves? And what will Glo do to keep from losing another man to the cost of war?
The gripping second installment of the Marshall Family series. Read Tate!
Thank you for reading!
Be Thou my Vision,
O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me,
save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought,
by day or by night
Waking or sleeping,
Thy presence my light
* * *
There is no peace, no healing without the secure knowledge of God’s love. But when our lives are shaken, it can be nearly impossible to reach out and hold onto the truth that we are loved. Even when life and people betray us. Even when the unthinkable happens. Period. Full stop. And God’s love is not dependent on our actions.
He loves us because He Is Love.
And because of that, we can trust him with our hearts. Our hurts. Our need for justice, healing and hope. He is our provider, or healer, our protector. He. Is. Enough.
But getting that through our heads to our hearts is a life-long process. And it was this journey that I wanted to convey when I set about penning the Montana Marshalls series. A journey of faith through struggle, through joys and through an unknown future. Knox had to see that God had a great plan for him if he would be willing to let go of the one he’d planned for himself. The logical one. The one he’d promised to his family. And Kelsey had to step forward into healing. Into peace, into the home God had for her, if she would simply surrender.
These are life lessons I’m still learning. But I’m excited about the journey the Montana Marshalls will take us on!
My deepest gratitude for their help in creating this series goes to my amazing SDG publishing team: Rachel Hauck, for her amazing encouragement and help on the journey. Alyssa Geertsen, my key beta reader, Barbara Curtis, for her almost magical editing, Rel Mollet, for her awesomeness in countless ways. I’m deeply grateful for my cover designer, Jenny @ Seedlings Design Studio, and my talented layout artist, Tari Faris. Thank you also to my fabulous beta readers (any mistakes are all mine!) Lisa Jordan, Lisa Gupton and Bobbi Whitlock. You all are fabulous! Appreciation also goes to my amazing Masterminds. You know who you are. Thank you for pushing me and believing in me.
Finally, to the Lord, who is always and forever enough. Thank you for proving this to me every day.
Thank you so much for reading KNOX. I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, would you be willing to do me a favor? Head over to the product page and leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long—just a few words to help other readers know what they’re getting. (But no spoilers! We don’t want to wreck the fun!)
I’d love to hear from you—not only about this story, but about any characters or stories you’d like to read in the future. Write to me at: [email protected]. And if you’d like to see what’s ahead, stop by www.susanmaywarren.com .
I also have a monthly update that contains sneak peeks, reviews, upcoming releases, and free, fun stuff for my reader friends. Sign up on www.susanmaywarren.com.
I invite you to continue the journey with book 2: Tate!
* * *
Susie May
Also by Susan May Warren
THE MONTANA MARSHALLS (family series)
Book 1: Knox (March 2019)
Book 2: Tate (July 2019)
Book 3: Ford (September 2019)
Book 4: Wyatt (October 2019)
Book 5: Ruby Jane (November 2019)
Other books by Susan May Warren
MONTANA FIRE
Book 1: Where There's Smoke
(Summer of Fire)
Book 2: Playing with Fire
&nbs
p; (Summer of Fire)
Book 3: Burnin' For You
(Summer of Fire)
Book 4: Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful (Christmas novella)
Book 5: I'll be There
(Montana Fire/Deep Haven crossover)
Book 6: Light My Fire
(Summer of the Burning Sky)
Book 7: The Heat is On
(Summer of the Burning Sky)
Book 8: Some Like it Hot
(Summer of the Burning Sky)
Book 9: You Don't Have to Be a Star
(Montana Fire spin-off)
* * *
MONTANA RESCUE
Prequel: If Ever I Would Leave You
Book 1: Wild Montana Skies
Book 2: Rescue Me
Book 3: A Matter of Trust
Book 4: Troubled Waters
Book 5: Storm Front
Book 6: Wait for Me
MISSIONS OF MERCY SERIES
TEAM HOPE: (Search and Rescue series)
Book 1: Waiting for Dawn (novella prequel)
Book 2: Flee the Night
Book 3: Escape to Morning
Book 4: Expect the Sunrise
* * *
NOBLE LEGACY (Montana Ranch Trilogy)
Book 1: Reclaiming Nick
Book 2: Taming Rafe
Book 3: Finding Stephanie
* * *
THE CHRISTIANSEN FAMILY
Prequel: I Really Do Miss your Smile (Prequel)
Book 1: Take a Chance on Me
Book 2: It Had to Be You
Book 3: When I Fall in Love
Evergreen (Christmas novella)
Book 4: Always on My Mind
Book 5: The Wonder of Your
Book 6: You're the One that I Want
Knox Page 26