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All I wanted was to take the pain away. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her until it got better. However, there’s nothing I can do to bring her sister back and we’ll both have this gaping hole forever.
“I sort of understand, but this could blow up in your face. You know that her daddy has been having her music shopped, right? Some bigwigs in New York are interested,” Tom says.
His horse releases a whine that sounds more like he’s agreeing with Tom. He’s not telling me anything I don’t already know. The Galvestons have family in the music business.
They’re pulling strings where they can for Lynn. I know that they won’t have to pull too hard. For now, I need to think of one obstacle at a time.
I nod. “I’m aware. Pook told me.”
“She has a shoot. I mean, you know this. Cakes has the talent to make it big. You could make this trip happen and it’ll blow up in your face when we come back home.”
He’s right. “I’ve thought of that. Bringing up her music was the only way I could get him to agree with her going. Once I talked about her music and this trip being the inspiration she needs, he opened up to listen.”
The gleam in her daddy’s eyes said it all. Moses no doubt wants his baby girl to find her muse again. I understand theman. He’s been working the ranch harder than ever since the accident.
“So he’ll go for this then?”
“He said he’ll think about it, but he’ll say yes,” I reply. I look out over the acres of my family’s ranch. “Especially if she doesn’t come out of that room. He’s giving her time, but he’ll start the busywork soon. It’s his way of dealing with things.”
When Brooke and I were thirteen, I watched Mr. Galveston lose his brother to cancer. Instead of grieving the way most would, he worked that ranch like a madman.
He also drove Lynn harder with her music. She learned three new instruments and went from vocal lessons three days a week to five. Brooke would hide out at my house so he wouldn’t target her and her love of soccer.
It took a year and the flu to get him to ease up. Deep down in my gut, I know he’ll allow Lynn to come to Paris so she can work on her music and songwriting.
“She still won’t come out?”
“No,” I say and grind my teeth. “She cried herself to sleep before I went to talk to her daddy.”
Tom heaves a heavy breath and shakes his head. “You might have something. If she’s willing to go. Cliff still planning to stick around and help your daddy with the ranch for the summer?”
“Yeah, you know him. Traveling ain’t for him. He’d rather be here working in the heat. This is the life for him.
“He only planned to go for Pook. Now, I don’t think he could bear to. He’ll probably never leave.”
“He can have at it, I need a break. I don’t know if this is it for me. I’m going to take the summer to figure some things out,” he says.
“I know exactly what you mean. Nothing makes sense anymore.”
Tom releases a long breath. “I still can’t wrap my head around this. She’s gone. She was just on my back, laughing in my ear. Dude, I walked her to her truck.”
“Yeah, I’ve gone to call her every damn day. You know I would have come home if it weren’t for her. She used to send me pictures of Brad and Ann.”
“I know. She and Cliff would pick them up from school for your mama and take them for ice cream. She loved them like her own siblings. How are they holding up?”
I shake my head sadly. “My entire family is devastated. Mama bursts into tears if I just look at her. Brad and Ann cling to me when I’m around.”
I had wanted to come home so bad. Brooke was the one who told me my family had been counting on me to see my dream through. Although my dreams had changed, I appreciated Brooke helping me to connect with my family to keep me going. I didn’t want Brad and Ann to see me as a quitter.
“If I never told you, man. I love you. The four of us thought we would live to grow old and watch each other raise families. I never thought we’d lose her. And like this… I want to beat the shit out of that motherfucker.”
“He’s on life support. Not sure he’ll make it for the ass whipping waiting for him,” I mutter, then click my teeth and tug the reins to get my horse to turn. “Besides, that’s not what Pook would want. This trip. Us going to live out her dream. That’s what we have to do.”
“So that’s what we’ll do.”
CHAPTER 6
Wings
