Page 33 of Risking it for the Cowboy

Thaddeus laughed loudly. She glanced back, feet stalling, as Charlie watched his hand settling on the woman’s waist as if a train wreck she couldn’t bear to see and yet, couldn’t shield her eyes from—

Chapter Eleven

No, not lilacs. Cheap-ass body spray. No whiskey soprano. Voice like a cheese grater. Already he knew this bottle blond clinging to him like lichen to a rock wasn’t getting in his pants tonight…

T.R.’s eyes landed hard on her.

Flower Girl.

His lungs seized. Their gazes locked. After two weeks pining for a phone call that was never coming, she had to show up here? Now? Dammit, Ty had been right!

A shove to his shoulder jarred him.

“What the fuck, man?” Jack mouthed, jutting his chin toward the microphone he was white-knuckling.

The flashing lights flooded back—blues, pinks, blowing away the haze he’d just gotten lost within as the girl who’d ruined him stared back at him like he’d just gut punched her instead of the other way around…

Wait, was that her kid? That little girl? Shoot, that was the girl Heart had brought over the other day when she’d taken Seth and Stephen to the university open-house thing.

Then Artex spotted him. And darted into the crowd toward him! Did Artex remember him? Charlie had said he would. The little girl ran after him, calling for him … vanishing into the mass of undulating bodies!

Charlie chased them, her shouting drowned out in the melee as she wedged into the crowd.

“Stop!” T.R. bellowed.

The girl was gonna get trampled!

Tossing off his guitar and blaring feedback, he ripped away from the blond’s clutches and jumped off the stage.

Faces leered and cheered. Girls grabbed his shirt, but he rammed through them as his band’s music came to a fragmented stop.

“Move back!” T.R. called, motioning for people to part. “Move back, y’all!”

Flashes of the girl being knocked around, face fearful, blinked through the bodies. Charlie was screaming and pushing her way forward, flashing between carnival goers.

The girl cried out and fell off step. Charlie screamed, shoving toward him, as Artex wiggled through the bodies and leapt up on him, evading the random hands petting him.

“Outta the way!” T.R. boomed, and finally, people began to understand something was amiss and heeded his command.

He snagged the girl up beneath the arm and into his embrace.

“I got you, girlie. Shiii … ooot, I got you … it’s all right.”

A moment later, Charlie threw herself atop the girl’s back. He jolted beneath the force.

“Daisy!” she exclaimed. “I thought you were gonna be trampled.”

Lilac assaulted. His heart thundered. Familiar body, calming … his arm came around Charlie, too, sliding up her back to cup her neck and reacquaint himself with the girl who’d ghosted him.

Wait, Daisy? The girl’s name was Daisy?

What did save you, then?

Daisy.

At the time, T.R. had thought she’d been talking about her botanical studies when she’d likely been … talking about the girl, who judging by her size … Charlie had been a young mom. A teen mom? Was this when she’d gotten married? Was this when Charlie had stopped dreaming about Nashville? She’d been eighteen, then. This little one was eight? Nine?

She must’ve gotten pregnant right after that pageant.