She played the intro, then Nicki began, singing with strength and clarity. Andi sang the next line, her voice ringing out high and true. When their parts joined, it was as if God had ordained it. Their voices blended in magical perfection, with Nicki laying a velvet foundation of feeling, and Andi soaring to the heavens with sweetness and purity. When the song ended, neither of them could say anything. They simply looked at each other in amazement.
“That’ll get the dogs out from under the porch!” cried Dawn, hopping up from her chair and rubbing her arms. “You gave me goose bumps. Are you going to put that one on the tape for Kyle?”
“No, we’re going to do this one live,” Andi said quietly.
***
As Andi predicted, Kyle called right after he heard the tape. “You say you found this kid at the shopping mall?”
“Actually, she found me,” Andi replied with a laugh. “She came over and asked for my autograph.”
“But, Andi, how did you know she could sing? Did she just belt out a song right there?”
“That would have been interesting. The only way I can explain it is to say God must have revealed it to me. There was something in her voice that caught my attention, and somehow, I knew, without any doubt, that she was a singer, and that I was supposed to help her.”
“That’s even wilder than if she started singing in the middle of the mall, but I’m glad you followed up on your intuition. She’s dynamite. Can she fly out tonight?”
“Give the girl time to pack a suitcase and tell her boss she’s leavin’ town. How about two days?”
“I knew you’d say that. All right, we’ll plan for Thursday. I’ll have Lisa make all the arrangements. Her tickets will be waiting for her at the airport in Sidell. We’ll pick her up here in Nashville. Call and tell her the news, so she gets the screaming over with before I call. I’ll give you ten minutes. I have a dinner meeting I can’t miss, and I want to talk to her before I leave.”
“Yes, sir. And Kyle...”
“Yes?”
“Mellow out a little, or you’ll scare the poor girl to death. She doesn’t know anything about barracudas yet.”
“I’m not a barracuda. Just a little intense.”
“That’s an oxymoron. Besides, you’re a lot intense. She’s sweet and innocent, Kyle. Help her stay that way.”
“Not street-wise like you were when I met you, huh?”
“Nope. She’s nineteen but she still lives at home with her big, loving family. Take care of her, okay?”
“Anything for you. I’ll treat her like my sister.”
Andi laughed. “You may change your mind when you see her.”
“Oh? What does she look like?”
“About five seven, slender but not skinny, long blond hair and beautiful green eyes. She’s very pretty. And sweet and innocent.”
“You said that already. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior—no lechery and no yelling.”
“I’m going to hold you to that. And Kyle...”
“What?” His slightly-raised voice held more than a hint of impatience.
She pictured him shoving a note or a file at his secretary and probably nodding or shaking his head at something the woman asked him. The man was destined for a heart attack before he reached forty. “Thanks. You’re being a real doll about this.”
“That’s me. A big soft teddy bear.”
Andi glanced at the bear Wade had given her and smiled. There was absolutely no comparison between the two men, although they were both dear to her in different ways. “Not even close. Now, slow down and take care of yourself, or you’ll wind up sick, too. Did you eat lunch?”
“Don’t remember,” he replied absently.
She’d lost him. He probably had another phone pressed to his other ear. “Bye, super manager.”
“Bye, hon.”
She called Nicki, laughing as the girl screamed and the phone crashed to the floor. When Nicki picked it up, Andi quickly relayed what Kyle had said and told Nicki to call her if she had any questions.
Half an hour later, Nicki called back. “Andi, he was so nice. He doesn’t sound at all like you’ve described him. He was very patient and encouraging. He said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and asked politely instead of issuing orders like you said he usually does.”
“Amazing. Don’t expect it to last. The man only has one speed—fast forward. He wants everything done immediately, if not sooner.”
“But you like him don’t you?”
“I adore Kyle.” Andi looked up to see Wade scowling at her through the screen door. She smiled and motioned for him to come inside. “He’s a good friend and one of the best managers in the business, but he goes through life like a runaway freight train. You may have to put on the brakes, or he’ll have you working twenty-four hours a day. I keep telling him not everyone can function on three or four hours sleep like he does.”
Nicki groaned. “I need at least six or I’m incoherent.”
“Then insist on it right from the start.” Andi patted the couch beside her. Wade hooked his hat on the coat rack and ran his fingers through his hair. When he sat down, he was still wearing a frown. “Kyle respects people who stand up for themselves. But don’t throw a fit, or he’ll send you home. I’ve seen him do it more than once. Came close myself a couple of times at the beginning. Hold your ground, firmly but quietly.”
“I don’t yell much. Except when I’m excited.”
“That’s allowed. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Kyle is an extremely good-looking man, so don’t be bowled over when you meet him.”
“How handsome?”
“As good as any movie star you ever saw.”
Nicki took a deep breath and released it slowly. “All right. Andi, what should I wear? I’ve never been on a plane before.”
Andi slid her hand around Wade’s arm, then stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. She grinned at his surprised expression and the slow smile that followed. “Wear jeans or something comfortable and take a sweater. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. The Dallas airport is gigantic, and, as Wade’s uncle Ray put it, it’s a real wasp nest, zillions of people going every which way. Don’t be afraid to ask someone from the airlines to help you find your way around. Kyle will have someone pick you up in Nashville.”
“He said the driver would hold up a sign with my name on it.”
“That’s the way it works. He may take you to a hotel when he picks you up from the airport, or he may take you directly to see Kyle. It won’t matter if you go directly and are still dressed casually. He flies a lot so he will understand. Take some nice dresses and slacks, like you would wear to work or to church, and plenty of comfortable, casual things. The rehearsals are laid back. Nobody dresses up. If you have a question about what to wear, ask Kyle or his secretary, Lisa. She’s a sweetie and will be a big help. Anything else?”
“Not right now. I’ll probably think of something later. I can’t believe I’m flying to Nashville! Andi, I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You’re doing a good job of it. Just hang on tight, kid. It’s going to be quite a ride. Now, go pack. The handsomest man in Texas just came through the door, and I haven’t given him a proper welcome.”
Nicki laughed softly. “Tell Wade hi for me, too.”
Andi hung up the phone and smiled. “Nicki said hello.”
He made an incoherent sound in this throat.
“What’s the matter?”
He frowned and looked away, glaring out at the yard through the screen door. “I never asked if Kyle is married.”
“No, he’s not. The man doesn’t have time for a wife. He’s married to his job.”
“But you still adore him. Easy to do, I guess, since he looks like a movie star.”
Her heart soared. He was jealous! She turned slightly, resting her hand on his chest. “He is handsome, but men in five-hundred-dollar-suits don’t do much for me.”
“Oh, really?” He didn’t sound the least bit convinced.
Andi glanced at his clothes and nodded. “It takes a man in boots and jeans and a sky blue western shirt to set my heart a-flutter.”
A light flared in Wade’s eyes as he looked down at her. “A-flutter, huh?”
“Flittin’ all over the place.”
“So, will any old cowboy in a blue shirt do?”
“Nope. He has to have light brown hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. And he has to be sitting next to me right this second.”
“So what was this about a proper welcome?” he murmured, lowering his head toward hers, kissing her deeply.
When she could speak, she rested her head on his chest. “That was good enough to make me send you outside, so you can come back in again.”
He put his arm around her. “Let’s don’t and say we did.” He cradled her chin in his other hand, urging her to lift her head. When she did, he kissed her again and again...each time more passionately than the last until he slowly straightened and drew in a shaky breath. “You’d better open all the doors and windows and turn on the fan, darlin’. I think we’re about to go up in smoke.”
She smiled dreamily up at him. “What a way to go.”
He chuckled softly. “I dropped by to ask—”
“You mean you had another reason?” She grinned impishly, enjoying the way his gaze focused briefly on her dimples.
“Right now, I’m not sure if I did or not.” He paused, slanting his eyes upward as if concentrating took great effort. “Now, I remember. I wanted to see if you would like to come out to the ranch on Thursday afternoon. Grant is going to be working some of the horses, and I thought you might enjoy watching him.”
“I’d rather watch you.”
A broad smile spread across his face. “Well, that can be arranged, but I might be cleaning out the stalls.”
“On second thought, I’ve always wanted to see cutting horses at work. What time?”
“He’s supposed to come out around one-thirty.” Mischief glinted in his eyes. “You might want to arrive a few minutes early. I’ll be busy once he gets there.” He glanced at his watch. “I hate to, but I’ve got to run.”
She made a point of looking at his cowboy boots. “That I gotta see.”
“Figure of speech, sugar. I’m due at Clint’s in five minutes.” At her questioning look, he said, “Pastor Marshall to strangers in town.”
“I’m not a stranger. I just forgot his first name.”
“He’s cookin’ dinner. Deli chicken from Greene’s Grocery.”
She walked to the door with him. “Call me later?”
“I will if I get home before ten-thirty. After that, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I need my beauty sleep.”
“It must be working.”
He smiled and kissed her slowly and thoroughly. “This keeps gettin’ better and better.”
“You thought it might get dull and boring?”
He grinned. “No, but I did think things might settle down once the new wore off.”
“Not a chance.” Andi put her arms around his neck and stretched up on tiptoe, kissing him with all the love in her heart. When she finally broke away and lowered her heels to the floor, she smiled at his stunned expression. “What we have isn’t ever going to settle down,” she said softly.
“Andi...” He looked completely dumbfounded.
She put her fingers to his lips. “Shhh. You don’t want to be late. Go on to Clint’s. Give him my best.”
In a daze, he picked up his hat and put it on backwards.
“Uh, Wade, honey, I think you need to turn your hat around.”
He obeyed without a word, moving toward the door.
“Can you drive?”
“Been drivin’ since I was eleven,” he said absently, opening the screen door with a mighty shove. He walked down the porch steps, but when he reached the sidewalk, he turned around, staring at her.
She put on her most innocent expression. “Bye, sugar.”
“Bye.” He spun on his heel and walked swiftly to his pickup without another word.
When the telephone rang about nine-thirty, Dawn answered. A minute later, she hung up, shaking her head. “That was weird.”
“Was it Wade?” asked Andi, racing in from the back porch steps where she had been star gazing and praying.
Dawn nodded. “He said to tell you he made it home safely. I asked if he wanted to talk to you, but he said, ‘Not tonight.’ Did you two have a fight?”
A chill spread through her, and Andi shook her head. “No, but I think I made a big mistake.”
On Thursday afternoon, Wade sat on the top rail of the corral fence. He usually enjoyed watching Grant Adams work cattle with a cutting horse, but this time his heart wasn’t in it.
Grant moved as one with the animal, guiding with a gentle nudge of a spur or the pressure of his knee now and then as the horse shifted back and forth, blocking the cow’s desperate maneuvers to get back to the herd. The horse did most of the work, using her own natural instincts, but something about Grant seemed to bring out the best in her. She worked well for Wade, but he had found that most of his cutting horses did better after a few hours training with his friend.
Grant leaned forward and patted the horse on the neck, then guided her toward Wade, letting the cow run back to the herd. “Sadie’s doin’ better every time I come by. She must be getting plenty of practice.”
“I try to work with her and Joe a couple of times a week. She still gets excited occasionally and messes up.”
Grant smiled and patted the horse again. “She’s young and spirited. She’ll learn.” He straightened and took off his hat, wiping his sweaty forehead on his light-weight denim shirt sleeve. “Too bad your lady friend couldn’t make it. I was lookin’ forward to the surprise. You gonna tell me who she is, or do I have to keep waitin’?”
Wade jumped down off the fence, guilt weighing heavily on his mind. He hadn’t talked to Andi since Tuesday evening, since she hog-tied his brain and branded his heart and soul. She had left a message on his answering machine shortly before noon saying she couldn’t make it because her doctor’s appointment had been changed, and she had to go to Sidell today. That may have been true, but he figured she would have rescheduled it if he’d had the gumption to talk to her. Trouble was, he didn’t know what to say.
Grant dismounted and led the horse, following Wade to the horse corral. “You look like you’re up to your armpits in alligators and can’t find the drain to the swamp.”
“Andi Carson.”
“Ride over that trail again,” said Grant with a perplexed frown.
“My lady friend is Andi Carson, the country singer.”