Carter (Remington Ranch Book 3) (21 page)

~ ~ ~

Summer rolled her eyes at Cassidy. She could hardly speak anymore. She knew now that the stress was making her throat worse. She also knew there was nothing she’d be able to do about it until she talked to Carter.

She held up her pad.

What do I do???

Cassidy shrugged. “I wish I could tell you. I don’t think there’s much you can do until you hear from him.

But what if I don’t?
She scrawled.

“Well, he can’t stay gone forever. I guess you just have to sit it out.”

If he thinks I’m going to leave, he’s got another thing coming. I’m staying right here.

“Hopefully he’ll come to his senses and come home and talk to you.”

Summer nodded. She hoped so, but she was starting to have a really bad feeling about all this. The worst part was that she had no control over any of it. She wanted to
do
something. She wanted to do something for Autumn. She wanted to do something to make Carter see sense, but there was nothing she could do. Except wait.

Cassidy’s phone rang.

“Have you spoken to him?”

Summer assumed it must be Shane.

“Oh.”

“
What?
” Summer’s voice was barely a whisper, but she had to know!

Cassidy looked up at her. “Well call me when you know anything, will you?”

She hung up.

“Now he’s not answering Shane’s calls either. Shane went out to the courthouse, and Carter’s crew said they’re not expecting him today. So Shane went to the nursery and there’s no sign of him there or at the house either.”

Summer sighed. “You think he’s gone?”

Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know, but I do know you need to stop talking and start writing.

Summer’s phone beeped and she snatched it up. It was a text from Carter.

I love you.

That was all it said, but it made her heart leap. At least he’d sent something. At least he hadn’t shut down completely on her.

I love you too. Please come home.

She wanted to say so much more than that, but there was no point in a text. She needed him to come back, to talk to face to face, and to figure out how they were going to handle this.

Cassidy raised an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged. “He loves me,” she whispered.

Cassidy smiled. “Then he’d better start proving it.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Carter sat in the departure lounge and looked around at all the people waiting to board. He was glad that he only needed to go as far as Salt Lake City. That had been a lucky break. He didn’t like to fly and the thought of flying all the way to Nashville had filled him with dread. A quick google search had told him that he didn’t need to go there anyway. The person he needed to talk to was in Salt Lake tonight, for one night only.

His phone rang and he sighed. Whoever it was, he didn’t want to talk to them. He checked the display. Cassidy. He reluctantly swiped to answer.

“Thanks for picking up.”

He had to smile. “I just figured it’d be easier to answer now, than to take the grief later.”

She laughed. “Glad we understand each other. Do you want to tell me where you are and what you’re doing?”

“Not really.”

“Tell me anyway?”

He sighed. “I’m at the airport, waiting to get on a plane.” He heard her suck her breath in sharply. “I’m not just taking off. You were the one who told me that it’s for me to fix this or screw it up all by myself. I’m going to try to fix it…But I’m afraid I might just screw it all up.”

“Want to tell me where you’re going?”

“No. Listen, I have to go. They’re calling my flight. Take care of Summer for me.”

“I will, but when you get back here…”

“I know. I have to go. Bye.”

He hung up and joined the line at the gate. He hoped to hell that he wasn’t about to screw this up. If things went like he hoped, then he’d be fixing things for Summer and himself—and for Autumn too. If they didn’t, he might screw things up, and then Summer might just hate him for it. He couldn’t afford to think about that. Now that he’d decided what he needed to do, he had to believe it would all work out. It was a gamble, and he wasn’t normally one to gamble on anything, but in this case the stakes were so high he couldn’t afford not to.

~ ~ ~

Summer sat out on the deck. She couldn’t settle down to anything. She couldn’t believe that Carter had left. Cassidy had reassured her that he hadn’t said he was taking off, but still. Where was he? What
was
he doing? And why wouldn’t he talk to her?

She sighed. She knew she wasn’t going to get answers to any of those questions until she saw him. Hero came out onto the deck and sat in a patch of sunshine beside her. This was the first time Summer had seen her leave her kittens to do more than go to the bathroom. She reached down to stroke her. Hero purred and jumped up onto her knee. She head butted Summer’s shoulder and kneaded her lap. It was comforting in a way Summer couldn’t explain. If she was honest, she’d grown used to the thought that she and Carter would live here, in this wonderful house. They’d have Hero and her kittens and become a real little family. At some point they’d have little ones of their own. Now, in the face of it all going up in flames, she could admit it to herself. She’d had it set in her own mind that this was going to be her life—Carter was her future. She wasn’t too concerned if she never sang again. She’d found where she belonged and the man she belonged with.

She couldn’t stand the thought of having it all torn away from her. As if sensing Summer’s discomfort at that thought, Hero jumped back down and went back inside to her kittens.

Her phone buzzed with a text. It was Autumn.

Are you okay?

Yeah. Carter’s gone, but Cass says he isn’t running. I don’t

know what to think. Or what to do.

Apparently Autumn didn’t know what to say either. It was a long few minutes before she replied.

I don’t want either of you to worry about me. I can walk away from McAdam.

Summer sighed. She didn’t want Autumn to sacrifice herself any more than she wanted Carter to.

No you won’t! I’ll come back for a while. Don’t let her run you out.

There was another long pause.

She can’t run our lives. Screw her! I’ll walk away.

Summer shook her head. Autumn was stubborn. She’d sooner walk away from her career than have someone use it against her. But Summer couldn’t let her do that.

Let’s both sleep on it? Maybe we’ll think of something.

She could imagine Autumn’s face as she read that. She hated to wait. She would want to make a decision and get on with it.

Ok. I’ll call you in the morning.

Summer wanted to feel relieved, but a part of her was concerned that when Autumn did call it would be say that she’d already quit. She put her phone away and got up to go inside. Then she came outside again. She didn’t know what to do with herself.

~ ~ ~

As Carter walked toward the stadium, he had to wonder if this wasn’t the dumbest move he’d ever made. How was he even going to get to see the guy, let alone convince him that he didn’t need Summer back—and that he did need Autumn?

He decided his best bet would be to hang out by the back entrance. That was how it worked, wasn’t it? The singers and the band would come around here. He realized when he rounded the corner of the building that he wasn’t alone in hoping to catch more than a glimpse of Clay McAdam. There was a barrier set up by the doors and maybe thirty people were hanging around. He pushed his way through to where two big burly guys stood guarding the door.

One of them eyed him suspiciously. “What do you want?”

Carter tipped his hat. “Is there any way I could have a word with Clay McAdam?”

The guy laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

Carter shook his head. He couldn’t be more serious.

“Listen, every single one of these people would love to have a word with Clay. It doesn’t work like that. You go take your seat in the stadium and you can hear him sing. That’s as close as you’re going to get.”

“But I need to talk to him.”

The guy shook his head. “Forget it.” He turned away from Carter as the door opened behind him. His walkie-talkie crackled and he spoke into it. “Okay folks,” he called. “We’re going to need all of you to move over to the other side, if you will. Clay’s on his way in and if you’re all out of the way there may be time for autographs.”

Carter moved with the rest of the group as the two doormen lifted the barriers and corralled them all on the other side of the street. His heart was racing. Here came his chance and he couldn’t afford to miss it.

A black Suburban came around the corner and the small crowd went wild. They were mostly women, and Carter’s ears rang with their screaming as the Suburban’s door opened and Clay McAdam got out. He took his hat off and waved it toward his fans with a grin. “Now that’s what I call a welcome,” he said.

Carter had to keep pushing his way to the front as excited women tried to elbow him out of the way, all wanting to get an autograph or touch Clay’s arm. Carter had never understood this kind of reaction. He hated the thought of Summer being treated this way. Clay stopped to sign a program that the woman beside Carter thrust in front of him.

“Mr. McAdam?” said Carter.

He didn’t even look up, as he signed a shirt and continued chatting and smiling. Carter stepped forward and spoke up. “Mr. McAdam. Sir?” he had to shout to make himself heard, but it had the desired effect. Clay looked up and met his gaze.

“Nice to meet you, son. Thanks for coming.”

Carter didn’t have anything for him to sign, so he held his hand out to shake.

Clay hesitated, then reached out. He seemed to be weighing Carter up, as if there was something about him he wasn’t sure of. When he took Carter’s hand, Carter gripped on tight. “Sir, I need to talk to you.”

Clay immediately tried to pull his hand away, but Carter held on. He had no choice, this would be his only chance.

“It’s about Summer.”

Clay’s eyebrows came together and he stared hard at Carter, then there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes. “I thought you looked familiar, son!”

Carter grinned with relief.

Now it was Clay who was gripping his hand and pulling him toward the gap between the barriers. When they reached it he pulled him through and out of the crowd of now grumbling women.

“Sorry ladies,” called Clay. “I hope y’all enjoy the show. I’ll try and catch you later.” He grinned at Carter. “For now I need to catch up with an old friend.”

Carter grinned at the doorman who looked stunned as Clay pulled him in through the door.

Once they were up in the dressing room, Clay asked one of the many people milling around to get them both a beer. Then he took a seat and gestured for Carter to do the same.

Carter perched on the edge of the sofa. His plan had only gone as far as somehow getting to talk to Clay. Now he was here, he wasn’t at all sure what he was going to say.

“So, what can I do for you, son?”

Carter swallowed. He wasn’t exactly sure what Clay could do for him. All he’d known was that he needed to talk to him.

Clay smiled gently. “Is she okay?”

Carter nodded. “She is. I’m sorry to do this to you, sir…”

“Call me, Clay. You may as well. I’ve a feeling we’re going to be friends.”

Carter thought he was saying that to put him at ease, but it only made him more nervous. He hoped Clay wasn’t expecting him to move to Nashville with Summer. “Thank you, sir. Err, Clay.”

Clay waited while he gathered his thoughts.

“Summer’s okay. She’s happy…
we’re
happy. In Montana.”

Clay nodded. “I never expected her to come back, kid. When that story ran in the papers up there I saw the photos of the two of you together. I knew.”

Wow! Carter hadn’t been expecting that.

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Autumn.”

Clay frowned. “Autumn will do just fine. In fact from what I hear, she already is. She’s whipping Matt’s tour into place and…”

Carter decided to go for it. “And someone named Ashley, doesn’t like it. She’s saying Autumn needs to bring Summer back, and she doesn’t want her working with the other singers.”

Clays eyebrows came together again. He was a good-looking guy; even Carter could see it, but he looked pretty imposing when he frowned like that.

“And why hasn’t Summer come to me herself?”

“Because, sir, this Ashley is threatening to make sure no one will want to work with Autumn if either of them go bothering you with any of this. From what I understand, she’s got her own people working PR for your singers and she doesn’t like the fact—and doesn’t want you to discover that—Autumn does a much better job than any of them. Summer once told me that you like to have the best people on every job, no matter what job it is. I thought you should know what’s going on. I can’t let this Ashley blackmail the girls. I can’t let her make a fool out of you.” He hesitated, but he had to say it—had to be honest. “And most of all I can’t let her steal my future with Summer.”

“How could she do that?”

“Before I came to see you. I’d almost decided to walk away from Summer. To make sure that she went back to Nashville, to help her sister out. I didn’t want her to have to ruin her sister’s career in order to be with me.”

Clay nodded slowly. “And if I tell you you’re full of it? If I say that Ashley has my full support, then what?”

Carter’s heart sank. “Then I guess I have to thank you for your time, and I have to live with the fact that I just screwed everything up for both of them.” He got to his feet.

“Hold up, son. I don’t think you’re full it. I think you’ve got guts. I’ve had a bad feeling about Ashley for a little while now. I misjudged there, and I’m not afraid to admit it. You’ve got balls, kid, but then love will do that to a guy, huh?” He smiled. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’m going to have to get ready and get out there, but will you do me favor?”

“What’s that?”

“Stick around. After tonight’s show I have forty-eight hours before the next one in Seattle. We’ve got some fixing to do, you and me.”

Carter felt the relief rush through him. He nodded and took a swig of the beer that had been placed on the table beside him. “Thank you.”

Clay grinned as he got up. “No, thank
you
. I think we’re all going to come out winners in this one.”