The Redeemed Groom, page 13
Another football player—his neighbor and friend, Cameron Cruz—stood next to Montana and bit his lip. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Montana grinned, happy he could help make Cam’s dreams come true. “Oh, you’re doing it. I bought the rights to your song on the condition that you’d perform with me a couple of times a year.” Obviously, Montana didn’t need Cam to do this. No, Cam needed to do this for himself.
Cam chuckled as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “I feel like it’s the opening game of football season.”
Montana gave him a heavy pat on the back. “You’ll do fine.” Out of nowhere, he caught sight of golden-white hair in the crowd. Like Lily’s hair. Frantically, he looked for her but didn’t find her. Of course it wasn’t her. Everywhere he went, she danced at the corners of his vision, but he hadn’t seen her since he’d left Springs Hollow seven years ago.
She’d made her choice.
Some of the electricity faded, and he turned to his manager, Kirk. “How much longer is this set?”
Kirk put up two fingers. “Two minutes, boss.”
“You don’t think my song’s kinda cheesy?” Cam gulped back a swallow.
Montana scoffed. “Songs about first love are always cheesy.”
Cam sucked in a breath and nodded, turning a bit pale. He let out a breath. “How come I have no problem facing down linebackers and defensive tackles, but this …” He trailed off and searched the crowd.
Montana nudged him. “Because every time you sing, you bare your soul.” He sighed and gazed at the crowd. “C’mon, Cam. Think of it like throwing a perfect spiral into the end zone. Easy.”
“Yeah.” Cam scoffed.
Lily’s face flashed into his mind, and Montana looked for her again. At least he had the perfect life when he wasn’t thinking about her—his first love.
Last night, once again, he’d been plagued by her face in his dreams. Closing his eyes, he tried to push away the thought of her. The harder he pushed, the more the memories haunted him.
The first time he’d seen her, she was sitting on the edge of the Springs Hollow swimming hole. He’d only been in town a week. Jason, a kid in his new foster family, had convinced him to come.
Lily sat in the dirt with her three friends wearing a pink polka-dot halter-top swimsuit. She was a siren calling out to him.
When their eyes locked, he could swear there’d never been anything like her before, and there never would be after. Instant attraction. His hands had gotten sweaty, and he’d been tongue-tied when Jason introduced all the girls. The only name seared into his brain was hers—Lily Ray Gold.
Reaching out, she’d taken his hand all professional-like. “Want me to teach you how to go on the rope swing?”
A big, dopey grin had filled his face. “Yeah.”
After they’d climbed to the top, she held out the long, knotted rope to him. He pushed it back to her. “You first.”
“Are you a scaredy-cat?”
His heartbeat quickened. Warm chills rushed through him. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to get to know a girl. Smiling, he put the rope between them. “Then let’s do it together.”
Then they were flying, falling through the air. Her laughter had rained down hot against his face. Fighting against falling in love with her had been as useless as fighting against gravity.
“Montana!” Like the chilly water at Springs Hollow, Cam’s shout got his attention. “We’re on!”
Lily Ray Gold, L.R. Gold to her legal associates, watched the concert from the sidelines. It wasn’t her choice to be here. Hot wrath rose up inside of her. Refusing to go closer to watch the show, she stayed on the edges of the fence line.
She wanted to bolt, run, leave like any reasonable person would do if they were this close to a hot, bubbling magma-filled volcano. But she couldn’t. She’d promised Jason she would finish this mess.
Tears instantly stung her eyes, and she pushed her emotions down. She wouldn’t disappoint Jason any more than she could forget the memory of his hand inside of hers and his soft words as he’d pleaded with her to deliver the envelope in person.
Dang. She kicked the side of the fence and listened to the stupid, whiny country music.
Her phone, vibrating against her side, pulled her from her dark thoughts. Brad. Clearing her throat, she stuck her ear to the phone and plugged her other ear with her hand. “Hey.”
“I take it you got there safely.”
The relationship had developed in an office setting, following long nights working on cases. Although she’d been reluctant to get close to anyone, Brad was fun. “Yes.”
“You said you’d call,” Brad reminded her.
It wasn’t in her nature to be responsible for her time to anyone. This part of any relationship was something she didn’t care for. “Oh, sorry. Yep, I’m here.”
“So, you’re watching the concert?”
“I’m not watching,” she insisted. “I’m waiting for it to end.” The crowd got louder, and it was impossible to carry on a conversation. “Sorry. I’ll call later!” she yelled.
Shutting off her phone, she glanced at the big stage. Smoke flooded the arena, and Montana appeared on a lift in the center of the stage. He wore a black hat, and his head was tilted down. A black muscle shirt emphasized his tanned, toned biceps. Dark jeans and black boots completed the dramatic image. A screen played snippets of various country music videos where beautiful women danced, and some good old boys laughed.
When Montana had made it big, she’d vowed never to listen to his music, and she’d made good on her promise. Every time his deep voice came on the radio, she turned it off. If she went to a club and his guitar solo started over the speakers, she left. By all accounts, Lily had taken great care to scrub her life free of ever knowing Montana Crew.
For a second, as she watched Montana bring the mike to his lips, her mouth went completely dry. He was gorgeous. And she recognized the song. It was the one he’d played the first night she’d known she was in love.
She remembered sitting next to Jason, the bonfire across from them. Montana played a song on his guitar for them. At first, Lily had only listened because Montana was so cute. He had a slow, sweet smile, and his green eyes always lit up when she entered the room. The magnet-like pull she felt for him got her attention.
But when she heard him play and then sing, she’d been lost.
He was good. More than good. It was like one of the times she’d been in art class and seen a picture of Starry Night by Van Gogh for the first time. Immediately, she’d recognized greatness.
She had seen it in him then, only sixteen and singing a song she’d never heard before—one he’d made up. The words had been so raw, so vulnerable, so everything. They’d made her feel like the first time she’d tasted homemade peach ice cream when she was five at her grandmother’s house, surprised and delighted. She wanted more and knew nothing would ever be better.
When he’d finished, two of her friends sat on the ground staring up at him, completely stars truck. They wore the same look when they watched MTV and Bon Jovi. But it didn’t matter, because the only one Montana looked at was her.
The music ended and the arena went wild.
Finally, she let out a sigh of relief. She would give him the envelope and be done with Montana Crew forever.
Now available on Audible and Kindle! Get it Here!
Also by Taylor Hart
Texas Titan Romances
The Tough Love Groom
The Second Chance Groom
The Dream Groom
Bachelor Billionaire Romances
The Football Groom
The Country Groom
The Unfinished Groom
The Barefoot Groom
The Masquerading Groom
The Christmas Groom
Rescue Me: Park City Firefighter Romance (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion)
The Lost Groom
The Undercover Groom
The LoneStar Groom
The Last Play Series
Last Play
The Rookie
Just Play
A Player for Christmas
Second String
End Zone
Hail Mary
Snow Valley Series
A Christmas in Snow Valley: The Christmas Eve Kiss
Summer in Snow Valley: First Love
Spring in Snow Valley: The Bet
A Return to Snow Valley: The Christmas Boyfriend
About the Author
Taylor Hart has always been drawn to a good love triangle, hot chocolate and long conversations with new friends. Writing has always been a passion that has consumed her dreams and forced her to sit in a trance for long hours, completely obsessed with people that don’t really exist. Taylor would have been a country star if she could have carried a tune—maybe in the next life. Find Taylor at:
www.taylorhartbooks.com │ Twitter: @taylorfaithhart │ Facebook: Taylor Hart
Taylor Hart, The Redeemed Groom
