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“Then I’ll let you know.”
Her smile returned. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He nodded to the guitar. “Do you have the whole song ready? Can I hear it?”
She adjusted her hold on the instrument, then flashed him a nervous-looking smile. “Okay. I’m going to put the words you already gave me where I think they should go. Then we can go from there. What do you think?”
“I think you might as well start playing. We’re not getting any younger.”
He settled back as she started her song. Emily hummed along to the music, a melody that was so wrought with emotion hewasn’t sure he could do it justice. When she sang the words he’d already written, he knew he wouldn’t be able to let her down.
Caleb held up a hand, cutting her off at what he could only assume was the midpoint of the song. “That other stanza. If you make it the pre-chorus, we could do something like…” He closed his eyes and attempted to sing the melody of what the chorus could be. “It’s a new love, like a wildflower in bloom. You’re the sunshine breakin’ through the cloudy afternoon. In your arms, I found a place I can belong. With this love, we’ll write our own song.”
The room went deathly quiet. He opened his eyes and found Emily staring at him, emotion brimming in her eyes.
“What? You don’t like it?”
She shook her head vehemently and leaned forward as she placed a hand on his. “I think it’s beautiful. I think perhaps I’ll change the notes here, though.” She released his hand, the departure of her warmth triggering a shiver that traveled down his spine. Emily sang the words of the pre-chorus and the chorus with a slight change, and it was enough to really emphasize the new love he’d spoken of. “What do you think about that?” she asked when she’d finalized the changes. “Do you think it will work?”
He was embarrassed to admit that he hadn’t been paying attention. He’d been so wrapped up in listening to the music, watching her eyes as she sang with so much energy, that he forgot to pay attention to the little details. Caleb cleared his throat and nodded. “I think it works,” he murmured lamely.
“Great! Now all I need are the first and second verse. Oh, and an outro.” She grinned at him widely. “I absolutely love how this song is coming together, and I couldn’t have done it without you.” She placed the guitar to the side and faced him. “You know, it makes me wonder more about you and how you grew up.”
“There’s not much to tell,” he offered. “Big family. Abandoned by their folks. Ended up making it after pulling together.” He shifted closer to her for no other reason than because he wanted to. “What about you?”
She shrugged. “Raised in Nashville. Moved to LA. I like singing—clearly.” She laughed.
“And you came to Colorado…” he drawled. “How did you manage to end up in Copper Creek? I mean, it doesn’t really make sense, right? Nashville. LA. Those are big cities. I’d reckon that Copper Creek isn’t even on most U.S. maps.”
Emily’s eyelids fluttered, and it was almost as if he could see the walls come up around her in real time. She turned her knees away from him, no longer looking him in the eye. “Simple. I needed a break. And when you close your eyes and pick a place to go, you might find yourself in a town like Copper Creek.” She pressed her lips together and stared at a spot on the wall across the room. “The funny thing is that I really love it here, you know?” This time she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. “This town is something special. It’s one of those places that makes you believe in fairy tales.” Her smile softened. “If I could move here…” She sighed, leaving the sentence unfinished.
“Well, why don’t you?”
Her head snapped around and she gazed at him with surprise. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Emily shot to her feet and grabbed her guitar. “Sometimes people have to accept that they have responsibilities, and they can’t go on living in a fantasy just because it makes them happy.” She stared at her feet, then heaved a sigh. “It’s getting late. I’m heading off to bed. Can you turn off everything tonight?”
“Yeah,” he said, feeling more than a little off balance, “sure.” He watched her disappear, wondering if his head was spinningbecause of her abrupt disappearance or a hangover from spending the last couple hours in her company.
13
Emma
Emma needed to rein it in—her infatuation with Caleb, to be specific. She needed to stop looking at him like he was some Prince Charming who could ride in on a white horse and save her from herself.
He wouldn’t be able to handle Rachel; that was certain.
And he definitely wouldn’t want to deal with the fame that came with being in Emma’s inner circle.
Not only that, but Caleb didn’t even know who she was. She was an idiot if she thought she could play pretend and not get hurt. But at this rate, her heart was done listening to her head’s advice.
How did the saying go?
The heart wants what the heart wants.
And Emma’s heart only grew to care for him more and more with every passing day. What was she going to do? She didn’twant to leave, and yet at the same time, she knew eventually she’d have to.
