Gypsy Hearts (13 page)

"Not all men."

"Just music men. Is that it? The blue suit variety of
men are just fine."

"Do you blame me?"

He turned to her but didn't say a word. Instead, he
shook his head, picked up some sand and tossed it
away.

"I don't want to make the same mistakes I made
before. I don't want to have any more regrets. Is it so
wrong of me not to want to share a man with every
woman in the world? I'm that selfish, you know. I don't
want to share the man I love. I want him all to myself."

"Sharing your man on stage and sharing him in your
life are two different things."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I do. I've seen it."

"Where?"

"My oldest brother was a famous bronc rider, Beau
Gentry. Have you ever heard of him?"

Josie's interest was piqued. "Yes, I have. Beau
Gentry is your brother?"

Brock nodded. "I never thought he'd show his face
back home, but he's there. He and Mandy, my sister-inlaw, take my niece to rodeos now, but years ago it was
just Beau. He used to tell me that even after all the women he'd met, he never stopped loving Mandy.
There was only one woman for him."

Envy crept through her veins. "That's beautiful."

"It's real. I don't see how it would be different for
you and me. Blue suit or not, I'm just a man who happens to want to make a living on the road and come
home to the same woman, no matter how many pretty
faces come to my door."

Her eyes widened. She wanted to believe him. Josie
wanted to think that Brock would be different. But
she'd already seen history repeating itself with the
other band members over the last week. Women were
everywhere, smiling and offering their time. And all the
men had their pick. Brock hadn't taken his pick and
part of her wanted to believe she was the reason.

"Brock-"

"No, let me finish. I know you're scared of being
hurt again. I can see that. But I don't want to let go of
what I've found in you."

"And what's that?"

"A true friend."

She sputtered with exaggerated disgust. "Oh, come
on, not an 'f word," she said, trying to keep her voice
light. Trying to keep from feeling all these amazing
things Brock made her feel when she was with him.
She was glad when he laughed at her slip.

"An 'f word?"

"You know, friend, flattered, fat. It's the three evil 'f
words every woman hates to hear when she's with a
man."

"You don't believe friendship is important in a relationship between a man and a woman?"

"Of course it is."

"I'd just like someone who sees me for what I am and
accept me for that. My parents weren't friends," he confided. "They were more like business partners, although
my brother, Cody, said there was a time when Mom and
Dad truly did love each other. I never saw it though."

"That's too bad. Are they still together?"

"Sadly, no. Mom died when I was fifteen." Brock
cleared his throat. "Come walk with me." He reached
for her hand and the blanket slid off her shoulders.
Brock quickly put it back in place and wrapped his arm
around her shoulder to keep it there. She felt good and
safe in Brock's arms, especially in the vast ocean of
uncertainty that had been plaguing her.

"Let's stay here and watch the sun come up over our
little sandcastle," Brock said, wrapping the blanket
around both of their shoulders and enveloping her with
his warmth.

It was a sweet thing to say and Josie couldn't think
of anything more romantic. They hadn't talked about
the band, or gigs, or anything that had to do with music.
Tonight it had been all about them.

Things had changed. She'd gone from seeing Brock
as the talented musician he was and as a means for her
to break out of the rut she'd dug herself in, to a man she
enjoyed being with-someone she genuinely cared for.
A man who made her think of fairy-tale endings she'd
sworn long ago didn't exist.

"That sounds great." Leaning closer to him, she
asked, "Which way is east? I'm so bad with direction."

"It's a good thing you're not driving the bus then."

She giggled as he leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. Sucking in a deep breath, Josie lifted her head,
parting her lips. Her instinct kicked in. This wasn't a
good idea. She'd told herself that very thing over and
over again after the first time they'd kissed.

But she ignored the warning bells that clanged in her
head and met him half way until his warm mouth covered hers and lingered.

This kiss was much different than the one they'd
shared on the bus. The newness was gone, and the mystery of who they were had been solved tonight over the
simple, playful act of building a castle out of sand. A
new bond had strengthened between them.

Josie tilted her head back, tasting his lips and drawing him closer to her.

When they parted, he brushed away a strand of hair
the wind had blown against her face. "No regrets?" he
said softly.

"No regrets."

And she meant it. There wasn't anything about tonight she would change, from building their sandcastle
to kissing Brock.

"The moon is gone," Josie said, lifting her head to
the sky. Clouds that had been teasing them all evening
had now filled the sky. "I don't think we're going to get
a chance to see the sun come up this morning."

"There'll be other sunrises. I promise you that. I
want more nights like this with you, Josie. Holding you
just like this." Brock sighed. "I don't really want to go
back to the bus. I wish I could find a way to hold back
the morning."

The sky was changing from black to blue. As disappointed as she was to see the night end, it didn't take away from the new hope that filled her heart. Their
relationship was growing and it felt good.

"Do you think anyone is up?"

"Probably not, but I'd guess that if anyone is, it's
Will. In about an hour, Miles and Roy will probably be
arguing again."

She quirked a smile. "Forget the sunrise. I'll make us
some scrambled eggs. We can sit back and watch Miles
and Roy argue. You can be the one to keep score this
time."

They walked hand in hand back to the bus. The blanket was filled with sand. They each took a corner and
shook it out before folding it and climbing on board.
The smell of coffee already filled the bus. As suspected,
Will was up, seated at the dining table as he nursed a
mug of coffee and poured over paperwork.

"A little early for a walk. Where have the two of you
been?" he grumbled sleepily.

Brock glanced over at Josie and gave her a sleepy
smile and her heart exploded with emotion. One night
of playful fun had given her an enormous view into
what this man was all about. As frightened as she was
of another broken heart, she couldn't just walk away.
She'd give it a chance and let fate play out-with no
regrets.

The band had played a long set at a local hot spot in
Memphis the night before after spending the day walking around Graceland. Memphis was a music town with
an excitement and a charge all its own.

The big test for them would be Nashville.

In each town they played, the crowd was bigger than the last, the press more interested in Brock Gentry.
Josie knew there'd come a day when simply walking
down Main Street would be a major event. But for right
now, she was enjoying the fact that Brock Gentry was
hers and hers alone.

They'd only been scheduled for the one show in
Memphis and were due to leave this morning for a fourhour drive out to Nashville. Brock said he couldn't leave
Memphis without at least seeing a little of the city, so they
snuck out of the bus just as the sun was rising and walked
the streets, hand in hand, until they found an open door.

"Let's get out of here before Will promises my time
to some reporter," he'd said, and just as the sun rose
they'd both run from the bus like two kids sneaking out
of the house for some fun.

They found a small, hole-in-the-wall diner in downtown Memphis that was filled with the smell of fresh
coffee and baked bread. She pulled Brock through the
door and sat in the quiet of the morning before the rest
of the world started milling around the streets, going
about their days.

As the waitress dropped the Sunday breakfast special
of fried grits, eggs over easy, and buttered whole wheat
toast in front of Brock, Josie nursed her coffee and
played with her napkin. She'd only ordered a bagel
with cream cheese, but didn't feel like eating.

"Not hungry?" Brock asked, motioning to her
untouched plate.

"It's too early for me to eat. I'll wrap it up and take
it back to the bus."

"You'd better hide it from Roy."

She chuckled at his teasing.

Most of their meals were spent with the band, which
was fine by Josie on most days. But in the time since
they'd spent that precious night building their sandcastle together, Brock had taken her seriously when she
said she didn't want their relationship to only be centered around the band. He made a noticeable effort to
pull her away so they could share time alone.

"It almost doesn't seem real that the next stop is
Nashville," she said, ringing her napkin and then tossing it to the table with a sigh.

He swallowed his food and took a sip of coffee. "I
think I'm looking forward to sleeping in a real bed
instead of in that small bunk."

"Yeah, I guess you boys have it rougher than I do. I
don't think I could stand one more night of Roy and
Miles going at it."

"It hasn't been all that bad, has it?"

She shook her head. "When I decided to come, I figured I knew pretty much how things would go. I didn't
count on you though."

Brock lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't you?"

"Well, you haven't exactly kept your feelings from
me. But right from the start you treated me as a professional. It's a hard road for a woman surrounded by
men."

"You deserve your place in this just like the rest of us."

"Thanks. Brock, what are you hoping will happen
when we get to Nashville?"

He looked surprised by the question. "I'm hoping to
catch the eye of one of those A&R reps Will's been
talking to for the last few weeks." He reached his hand
across the table to squeeze hers. "I'm also hoping to catch my breath a little so we can spend more time
together. Isn't that what you want?"

She smiled, her chest filling with emotion. "Absolutely."

"What's troubling you then?"

Josie chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Nothing really.
I guess I'm just a little fearful. I don't want to screw up
this time."

In those stolen moments together, their relationship
flourished, and Josie found it easy to confess her secrets
when she was with Brock. He had a way of digging into
her soul with just a smile, unearthing a part of Josie she
hadn't known existed. It was hard to put all that into
perspective when the end result would mean they could
be going their separate ways in Nashville.

"Things could change, you know," she said, looking
him straight in the eye.

"Nothing's going to change." He flashed her one of
those Brock Gentry look-at-me smiles and she almost
believed him.

Of course, he was right. It didn't have to be that
way. In the quiet hours alone, Josie could dream about
the two of them, building a life and sharing their
dreams-together.

It was dangerous, she knew. So many uncertainties
lay ahead of them in Nashville. The studio executives
became the new dogs of their world and their lives
could change in an instant.

Josie refused to let that possibility mar what little
time they had now. If all they had was this moment,
then she was determined to take it and enjoy it for what
it gave her.

As they finished breakfast and left the diner, the
quiet peace that surrounded her at the diner remained.
No thoughts of an uncertain future intruded on them as
they walked the streets of Memphis, hand in hand.

"That is so you," Josie said, laughing as she peered
into a storefront window. The black suede cowboy hat
sat perched on a stand under white lights to show off its
beauty.

"You think so?"

"Definitely. Let's go take a look," she said, pulling
him into the store.

The Cowboy Strong was only one of many specialty
stores that had just opened, their doors for the day. The
salesman greeted them and Josie pulled Brock over to
the window where she'd seen the black suede cowboy
hat.

Brock raised an eyebrow in jest. "No blue sequins?"

"Thank you, God," she said laughing. Carefully, she
lifted the hat from the stand and placed it on Brock's
head. The smell of the suede filled her senses and it felt
smooth and lush on her fingers. She could imagine how
fabulous Brock would look up on stage wearing it.
When he stood up straight and looked at her, she realized she was wrong. Her imagination did no justice to
how commanding a man Brock looked wearing the hat.
Or maybe it was simply the man himself, Josie
thought.

"What do you think?"

He actually looked shy as he waited for her approval,
cocking his head to one side.

"I don't know how you've lived your whole life without that hat," she teased.

He laughed. "Well, that settles it. I can't put it back
on the rack after you put it that way."

"Let me buy it."

His brow creased.

"Come on," she said. "My gift to you." It seemed so
small a gift when she compared it to how Brock had
changed her world so completely in the short time
since he'd walked into the studio back in Houston.

Her heart bursting, she moved to the counter to make
the purchase and caught the time on the iron clock on
the wall.

"What time did Will say the bus was leaving?" she
asked.

"Five minutes ago."

"Oops, guess they left without us." If it weren't for
the fact that Dexter was stuck on the bus, Josie would
revel in the idea of having that bus roll down the highway without them.