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Cassidy’s nerves jumped at the bumper-to-bumper traffic down Main Street as she peered out the decorated diner window. The glittery garland and lights strung along Honor’s historic buildings, the red bows on every light pole, and the many cheery decorations everywhere she turned—not to mention the huge Christmas display at the courthouse and town square—caused her heart to tug at the small town charm all around her.
According to Jenny, Caleb and his deputies had blocked off roads leading to town over an hour ago. Apparently, the reporters and curious tourists had ignored them and were now holding up any hopes of the annual Christmas parade from proceeding.
It was all her fault, too.
She’d left so much to her momma’s business expertise, never really learning the details of anything. Then came momma’s sickness and the medical bills and wondering why Cassidy didn’t have more in her accounts.
But she’d asked Drew to fix it while she went back in the studio day and night to finish the album she had to put off when her momma passed away. Grief and writing about it brought sweet relief at the time.
Chasing down more gigs to escape the pain worked for a little while.
And then she couldn’t ignore the dreaded sore throats and cracks in her range, not hitting the high notes for rehearsal, and then nothing one day...
During recovery—with too much time on her hands—she discovered the many layers of her manager Drew’s betrayal. She’d wrestled with boredom and began hunting around, only to find pieces of the truth with her bank accounts. Missing money.
With more time, she’d found out her house really wasn’t hers, she’d been the tenant renting from Drew and his, most likely, unsuspecting, sweet wife for twice as much as his mortgage on the place. The mail revealed the many debts he had—or, more like it, the ones he’d put in her name or funneled to bogus companies he’d created for invented non-work they’d done for her.
Sign here, he’d say and she did. Too caught up in her suffering to read the blurry words on the page, she’d trusted him to do the right thing.
The contracts, the deals he’d made on her behalf, were ludicrous by giving him a larger percentage than even she got.
She’d searched for a lawyer of her own—the best. He wanted a big slice of what she had left. Cassidy had no choice but to cough up the thousands and follow through. Her day in court would come in just weeks. And she prayed it would go her way. No telling yet; it was in the preliminary stages—gathering more information.
Everyone wanted something.
Except the people here. And look what she’d gone and done to them. If only she hadn’t had come to Honor.
Her heart twisted.
But then she’d never gotten to see Ryder again or ever meet Molly.
That was something she couldn’t imagine missing out on. Ever.
In that moment, Cassidy knew.
I love Ryder Hadley. Always will.
A hollow ache grew until she couldn’t breathe.
What in the world was she going to do without him? Her chest hurt at the thought of never seeing Ryder again, never sharing his life, never seeing Molly grow up. Because she couldn’t wander in and out whenever she found time between tours or concerts or recording with other artists in Nashville, hoping to have something real and lasting still waiting for her.
Real? Like your life is? Girl, you need a wakeup call! As if you already haven’t had a few dozen.
Emptiness yawned ahead for her.
In a flat New York minute, she’d give up the shady deals, opening her front door to find an overzealous fan clutching Bandit and trying to barge their way in for a reward and be her so-called bestie, the hidden agendas other people seemed to have for her, others invading her space and life, and hungry reporters hunting her down.
Did they all have to be tied to the music she loved to create? Couldn’t there be something else or something more?
Think, Cassidy...
Ryder tugged open the diner door. The bell over the door jingled. The sign showed closed, but he knew from the cars in the parking lot people were already gathered there, waiting on the ultimate decision.
He braced himself before entering, knowing Cassidy was among them from what Caleb had said and the sight of her familiar truck parked outside.
“Hmm... smells good, doesn’t it, Daddy?” Molly scampered in and down the aisle toward Jenny and Frannie.
Heavenly scents of pies, pastries, and brewing coffee filled the air. Ryder breathed in nice and slow, savoring the heady combination. Maybe he could sneak in a cup and a treat...
The low murmurs and sounds of spoons stirring against mugs or silverware scraping against plates rose.
But it was the sigh off to his right that captured his undivided attention. Cassidy—in a fringed suede cowgirl jacket, her cowgirl hat, blue jeans, with a big old white silk with gold trim sash stating Queen of Honor crossed her from her shoulder to hip, and her bright blue boots—stood gnawing on her bottom lip.
“Hungry, girl?” He shot her a lopsided grin, knowing how her nerves worked before an appearance.
Her troubled gaze sought and found his.
His gut twisted at the ropes of fear staring back at him.
“No need in the slightest to worry none, is there?” She shrugged. “Just a thousand or so people waiting and all them cameras clicking away. Seems like I’m the hottest story they’ve got going on.” Her chin wobbled and she blinked fast.
They hadn’t quite managed to maneuver this far down Main Street yet, but the tabloid reporters were straining the perimeters Caleb and his men had set up. “Can’t contain it forever.” He hinted at her ongoing dilemma.
“I can run, but I can’t hide, is that it, cowboy?”
“Something like that.” He ached for her. All she wanted to do was sing and write songs and perform. “Tough business as it is and then you add the sideshow...”
“Tell me about it.”
Ryder moved, closing the distance between them. “Go ahead and tell me, gypsy girl. I’m listening.”
Cassidy sucked in a sharp breath and jerked to stare into his gaze.
That soft, vulnerable look stole his breath away.
“This isn’t what I wanted, Ryder. Not the headlines. Just the top of the charts. They make it personal and painful, though, nearly from the start.”
“It’s wrong. They’re wrong to do this to people. But can you change them?”
“Not likely.”
“If this is what you want then find a way, Cassidy. Find your way.”
“But if this comes with my dreams—the price I have to pay—do I really want it?”
Shock fanned out of her wide-eyed stare, most likely mirroring his own. She’d admitted the huge flaw in all of this music thing.
“I know what you’re thinking. I don’t want the fame. Momma knew that. Bless her, she kept it at bay. Protected me. Now that she’s gone, my shield is, too. I didn’t know how much until lately.”
Tears clung to the fringes of her eyelashes. Ryder reached up and brushed the moisture away. “She did a good job.” He swallowed hard, missing her sweet mother, too. “Quite the lady.”
“She was that.” Cassidy giggled. “Remember that time she threw that nosy reporter out of the meet and greet?”
He chuckled at the image of her tiny, blonde mom—not more than a hundred pounds soaking wet—charging the persistent man with sweet Southern double-talk and backed him away from the fans and right out of the room until he fell over backwards. “Everyone cheered her on.”
“And he had no clue she’d chewed him up one side and down the other.”
They laughed.
The tension siphoned out of her and Ryder could breathe again. Thankfully, she wasn’t going to fall apart here and now. Instead, talk of her mother bolstered her.
A hush swept over the diner. Ryder twisted around to see the five Christmas committee members traipse in the diner, one after the other, in stony silence.
Gramps brought up the rear, nodding at Ryder and Cassidy. His grim features told their own story.
Miss Clementine and Miss Peaches gathered near the front. Leon Price, a retired banker, and Mrs. Spellman, the high school principal, marched to a big round booth, taking up residence there.
Frannie and Jenny rushed to bring cups and the pot of coffee. Molly followed close behind and then raced to Ryder, hugging his side.
“Daddy?”
He brushed her newly styled hair back as she gazed up at him with trusting blue eyes. His middle twisted at her desperate look. “It will be fine.” He prayed it would.
“Oh, all right.” Miss Clementine huffed and slid in the booth first. “Peaches, come along now, we have to finalize this.”
At his side, Ryder watched and felt Cassidy brush by him and go to Left McCall.
“Everything all right, Gramps.”
“Will be soon enough.” He patted her on the shoulder. But the lines on his face deepened as he sank down on the end of the long bench. He cleared his throat. “For the safety of Cassidy and the good people of Honor—”
“Well, now, don’t you worry none about me, you hear?” Cassidy’s voice cracked. She winced.
“But we do, dear.” Miss Peaches reached over and grasped Cassidy’s hand for a brief moment.
The reassurance soothed her frayed nerves. She didn’t know how much this concerned her until now. The entire town of Honor would be punished. That wasn’t fair to them or the businesses that counted on the extra sales throughout the festival over the weekend.
“No matter.” Cassidy glanced at Ryder and then turned back, straightening her spine. “What’s a little ol’ crowd anyway? Why I’ve got Ryder driving me and Molly, the one and only cowgirl princess, by my side. You can’t beat this team.”
“They’ve been relentless.” Miss Clementine scowled and then pressed a hankie to her mouth. “In all the years the parade and festival have gone on, this is the first one we’ve ever had to cancel.”
A huge weight sat on Cassidy’s heart. “Not on my watch, Miss Clementine.” She’d let more than enough people down in the last few months, most of all herself. She wasn’t about to ruin anyone else’s holiday, especially not the little town that supported her through thick and thin since finding her McCall family here years ago.
“It’s a fiasco out there.” Gramps nodded to the stream of people—mostly reporters and tourists—rushing along the sidewalk across the street now, horns honking in the far off distance, and the irritating noises clogging the air.
“You folks might not know this, but this here ain’t my first rodeo.” Cassidy chuckled.
Thankfully, they joined in.
“I love that girl.” Frannie nudged Jenny’s side.
“Not more than me, you don’t.” Jenny sniffled and dabbed one eye with the corner of her apron.
“Me, too.” Molly grinned and rushed to Cassidy, hugging her. “I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”
The beautiful, adoring look centered on Cassidy and she melted, her heart tugging. “We might not get this show off on time, but we’ll sure bring the house down, won’t we, Molly, my love?”
Cassidy knelt down and hugged Molly close, careful of the bright pink wings and things. With all the courage she had in her, Cassidy looked up at Ryder watching them with his hand pressed to his chest and a blast of shock in his gorgeous green eyes.
Yeah, that. How could I not love these two?
She’d fallen hard and fast. Now all Cassidy had to do was wait for the big crash...
