Gypsy Hearts (14 page)

Pulling her into his arms, Brock bent his head and
pressed his warm mouth against her lips in a kiss that
left her dizzy.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're very welcome, cowboy."

Brock sighed and reached for her hand, squeezing it.
"We'd better get back."

"You're late," Will said, glaring at them as they
boarded the bus. The air conditioning was on, and it
immediately bathed Josie's face with cool air as she
made her way down to an empty seat. Brock picked up
his guitar and dropped down on the seat next to her,
giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"We went shopping," he said, seemingly unfettered
by Will's disposition.

"Nice hat. We can roll," Will called out to the bus
driver before lowering his head to concentrate on his
paperwork.

"Me and my back can't wait to get to Nashville and
check into that hotel," Miles said.

"I can't say I'm not glad to be sleeping in a real bed
again, even if I still have to bunk with the likes of you."

"Just four more hours, boys. The hotel has all the
luxuries-Jacuzzi, heated pool, mini bar, you name it.
It even has those thick, terry cloth bathrobes and a
towel warmer."

Brock smiled and put down the guitar. "I hope
there's a Jacuzzi for two," he said, pulling Josie into his
lap. She laughed as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Sure does. It's even big enough for you, Miles,"
Will said with a laugh. "I want you all rested for the
shows at the Wild Horse Saloon. It's going to be a big
string of nights, with lots of big names there."

Josie was sitting next to Brock and he gave her a
squeeze. "It's pet-friendly, Will, isn't it?" Josie asked.

Will didn't look up from his paperwork at her
inquiry. She had the feeling his expression would be a
bit frosty if he had. Ever since that night on the beach
in Galveston, she and Brock had grown closer. It was
nice not to have to hide their feelings like she had when
she'd been dating Grant years ago. Brock proved to be
openly affectionate, pulling her to his lap and giving her
a hug and kiss no matter who was around to witness it.

At first, she'd felt a little self-conscious. But the
feelings Brock evoked in her quickly lessened any fears she had. She loved the unabashed affection he had for
her and the fact that he didn't seem to mind that anyone
might witness it.

"Don't worry," Will said. "The hotel has room for
your cat."

She smiled, anticipation racing through her. They'd all
been waiting for this day to come. Glancing at Brock,
her heart tumbled. Many new beginnings awaited them
in Nashville. She only hoped it didn't mean an end to
what she'd found with Brock.

hatever anxiety Josie had left over what lay ahead
for her and Brock in Nashville changed to excitement
the moment the bus pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"You only have about two hours to settle in before
we head out for sound check. Oh, and by the way," Will
said with a Cheshire cat grin. "We're riding in style too.
The limo will be waiting out front at five o'clock
sharp."

They all stumbled from the bus, duffle bags in hand.
Josie put her duffle down under the large hotel awning
and arched her back to get the kinks out.

"That comfortable bed isn't coming too soon,"
Brock said, picking her bag up and holding it in the
same hand he gripped his guitar case.

"I can take it," Josie said.

"It's okay," he said, smiling. "You've got precious
cargo."

Josie couldn't help but chuckle at his teasing her about Dexter. Where Will liked to jab her, Brock had
actually gotten used to Dexter. In fact, Dexter was even
warming up to Brock.

They all rode the elevator up to the top floor in
silence. Josie leaned her head against the wall and
closed her eyes.

"I could use a nap, too," Brock said, breaking into
the silence just as the elevator door swooshed open.

They reached her door first. After inserting the card
key and waiting for the green light, she pushed the door
open. The smell of lavender filled her nose. The room
was cool and everything smelled fresh and crisp like a
spring day.

"This is heavenly," she said, carefully placing
Dexter's kennel on the soft floral bedspread. There was
only one queen-sized bed, but it looked enormous after
sleeping in a small bunk for the last month. By the window was a small table with two cushioned chairs and
next to that sat a sofa in perfect position for viewing the
television.

Josie fluffed a pillow on the sofa. "Wow. This place
is nicer than my apartment back in Texas."

"Yeah, Will really outdid himself." Brock peeked
inside the bathroom and made a mocking grimace.
"Bummer. It's a whirlpool bath, but it's only big enough
for one. I'll have to speak to him about that."

Josie shot Brock a wry grin. "Don't get cute."

"But I am cute. You even think so," he said, waggling
his brows.

She laughed as she dropped onto the sofa. Reaching
over to the bed, she opened the kennel door, but waited for Dexter to feel comfortable enough to emerge into
his new surroundings.

The hotel door closed. She lifted her head in time to
see Brock pull the chain to lock it.

"Aren't you going to check out your room?"

"I need a nap," he said in a deep voice as he dropped
down to the sofa next to her. With his hands, he gently
coaxed her back against his chest as he leaned back on
the pillows. "Now this is heaven."

"What are you doing?" Her slight protest was feeble,
even to her own ears. Her body melted against Brock's
and she felt all the tension in her muscles ease.

"Lady, I've been dying to get you in my arms like
this all day," he whispered against her forehead, giving
her a warm kiss that made her head spin.

His hands stroked her hair, teasing her. As he spoke
softly, she felt his warm breath against her skin.

Placing her hand against the wall of his chest, she
allowed herself to relax. "Hmm. I like that thought."

"I've been dreaming of holding you like this and
drifting off to sleep for as long as I can remember. Now
that I have the chance to do it without any eyes on us,
I'm not going to pass it by."

"That's a nice dream," she murmured, her eyes filling with tears. It had been hers too. But in her dreams,
the words he spoke were that of his love for her. She'd
said the words back a hundred times herself. Only in
her dreams.

"We should set the alarm or we'll never make it
down to the lobby by five o'clock." Josie started to
move toward the clock, but Brock held her back.

"You're not going anywhere. If we don't wake in
time, someone will come get us."

With that, she settled against his chest and started to
drift off to sleep. She couldn't be sure if it was a dream,
but she swore she heard him say, "I love you, Josie."

His guitar was gone.

At first, Brock searched the band's dressing room at
the Wild Horse Saloon, assuming he'd forgotten where
he'd placed it or that perhaps someone had draped a
jacket over the case, hiding it from his view. But that
never happened. Brock never forgot where he put his
guitar. Backstage, he didn't allow it out of his sight for
more than a few minutes.

He'd already pulled all the jackets and clothes from
the sofa and chairs in the room three times. His guitar
was definitely gone, and panic, as strong and painful as
a heart attack, was setting in. Beads of sweat popped up
on his forehead as he continued searching to no avail.

"The house is packed, Brock," Will said, charging
into the room without knocking and dropping right
down to the sofa, not caring that he was sitting on
someone's jacket.

But the words Will spoke didn't evoke any calm in
Brock. In fact, it only made matters worse.

"Do you have any idea who's out there tonight?
Huh?" Will raised his eyebrows, his eyes bright and
gleaming with excitement. Brock already knew how to
read Will. His expression was that of a man who'd just
hit the jackpot in Vegas and was ready to horde his
stash. Will didn't get this charged over little things.
This was big.

"Who?"

"Rick Beckley. He does A&R for Sentry Records. He
loved that demo I sent and heard about the trail we've
been blazing to Nashville. He called us. Can you
believe it? He called me to tell me he'd be here tonight."

"That's great." Brock said the words but didn't feel
any of the excitement. His eyes crawled around the
room, searching again, already knowing he wouldn't
find what he was looking for, but unable to stop himself.

"I think he would have signed you right on the spot,
but he wants to see how you perform live. Most artists
make the bulk of their living from live performances
and those live shows move record sales. You give the
performance of your life tonight, kid, and you've got
the gold."

Brock forced a smile. The air in the room was like a
vacuum, sucking the fresh air out of his lungs. Will
kept talking, but all Brock could think about was his
guitar. Someone had taken his guitar.

He could have sworn he'd taken it into the dressing
room with him. Of course he did. He always did.

"Come on, kid, what's eating you?" Will slapped
him on the back as if Brock were a champion boxer
about to go out into the ring. Brock didn't feel like the
champion. Instead, it was as if someone had punched
his lights out and the world around him was counting to
ten as he struggled to pull himself up.

"I told you I'd make you a star and tonight is your
night to shine."

The walls of his chest constricted, his muscles
squeezing tighter. He had to force his mind to think
about his breathing. Just breathe, he told himself. He knew the feeling because he had been plagued with it
before. He'd felt it the first night he'd performed in
Houston, the night he'd met Will. Somehow he'd managed to move past it enough to get himself on stage that
night. He'd done it before. He could do again. He'd be
okay if he could make it that far.

His eyes sought out the door. Breathe steady, clear
your mind, he told himself.

"They're waiting for you, kid. Tonight, it's all
going to be yours," Will said, oblivious to Brock's
distress.

"I know. Just give me a few minutes."

Brock was vaguely aware of the door closing. He
searched the room and realized Will had left. He
glanced at his reflection in the dressing room mirror.
Lights twinkled all around the perimeter, blinding him
so all he could see was the reflection in the center of
the glass, a stranger staring back at him. For the first
time in his life, he honestly didn't know who he'd
become.

He remembered the words of his mother. At times
like this, he always thought back to how she'd encouraged him to be who he was. And in a few short weeks,
he'd let Will paint a new picture of him until he'd
become completely unrecognizable.

After fastening the top button of his shirt, he
smoothed down the royal blue satin, watching the lights
reflect off the fabric. His heart pounded ferociously. He
wasn't this man he saw in the mirror. He didn't think
he'd ever be.

Breathe steady.

Sweat bubbled on his forehead. With the back of a shaky hand, Brock wiped it clean. Someone had taken
his guitar.

Breathe, he continued his mantra.

His heart rate quickened as a knock on the door
pulled him from his musings.

"Everyone's wondering what's keeping you, Brock,"
Josie said, stepping into the room.

He wanted to weep as emotion surged through him,
threatening to break the surface of his composure.
Josie. Thank God, it was Josie. The woman calmed his
fears and gladdened his heart like no one else had ever
done before in his life. Life made sense with Josie
around. His little gypsy. He needed her tonight more
than he'd ever needed anything.

"I can't... do this," he said, scared to say the words
out loud. Closing his eyes, he turned away from Josie's
bright smile.