Wicked Force (Wicked Horse Vegas #4.5)(18)

I don’t have to clarify who “him” is.

That would be my dad, who was a doctor in Cunningham Falls. But not just any doctor. He was the small-town doc who would come to your house if you were too sick to get out of bed. He treated those who couldn’t afford medical care for free, or he’d accept a bucket of huckleberries in return. He was beloved by everyone, most of all me.

My mom’s eyes glisten with welling tears and her voice is small. “It’s just too painful for me to go back, Jos. I hope you understand.”

She doesn’t give me a chance to figure out whether or not I understand, because she’s spinning away and breezing out the door.

I blink in surprise, stunned she’d just leave me in the middle of such an important conversation. We’re talking about my dad... her husband. He died almost two years ago. It was about six months after my album dropped and we had all figured out that it wasn’t going to perform well. I guess the downside to going with a small label with no real marketing power.

Still, through it all, my father always maintained I was going to be a superstar one day. My mom agreed with him, and I know that’s why she works so hard for me. Sometimes I think she blames herself for helping me secure that deal with the label. She sees the failure of the album as her failure, whereas I just see it as a learning lesson. Through all of it, my father was our biggest supporter. He even made my mom promise on his deathbed that she would stick by my side and help me achieve my dreams.

She never hesitated because she loved him and me, and as he was dying, she would have promised him the world.

And yet, she can’t go back to celebrate the memory of such a man.

It makes no sense to me, and she won’t even try to explain her feelings on the matter.

Once again, my dressing room door opens but this time it’s Kynan stepping in. He takes one look at me and his expression darkens. “What happened?”

I force a big smile on my face. “Um... great news. That man was the most sought-after talent agent there is and he wants to sign me.”

Kynan doesn’t smile back. He doesn’t congratulate. He merely questions me. “Then how come you look upset?”

“I’m not—”

“You are,” he says over me. “What’s wrong?”

I shrug but then spill my guts. “I thought maybe my mom would come to Cunningham Falls with us, but she still wants to go to New York for her shopping trip.”

“Maybe it’s too hard on her to go back,” he suggests.

I nod. “That’s what she said.”

“Give her the benefit of the doubt,” he tells me.

I nod again.

Of course I will. I could never question her love for my father. Not when I watched how she took care of him as he died. I need to accept that the way she grieves or honors his memory is not necessarily the way I would.





Chapter 9



Kynan



Joslyn became a different person once we loaded up into the rental SUV and left the airport. The drive into Cunningham Falls only takes about twenty minutes and a good chunk of that time I spent watching Joslyn through the rear-view mirror. She sat in the rear passenger seat behind Jayce. Her forearm was propped just below the window and her forehead rested against the glass. She stared dreamily out at the passing scenery, a tender smile on her face. Her body appeared loose, her posture relaxed, and I’d never seen her so at peace before.

It became glaringly apparent to me in witnessing this transformation that Joslyn bore a lot of stress in her day-to-day life in Vegas.

But now she’s never looked more beautiful, with the late afternoon sun bathing her face in a golden glow and her blue eyes glittering with a recognition of something very personal to her.

I’ve learned a lot about Joslyn, and in turn have learned about her hometown of Cunningham Falls. It’s small, boasting just over six thousand permanent residents, although that number swells during tourist seasons. Cunningham Falls sits at the bottom of Whitetail Mountain, which is renowned for its skiing.

Joslyn told me just last night after her show as we were driving home that when she lived here, she couldn’t wait to get out and explore the big world, and now that she’s been gone, she can’t wait to get back to the quiet.

As we enter the small town with streets bordered by unique and trendy-looking shops, Joslyn starts narrating the trip for Jayce and me.

“You can see the resort on top of Whitetail Mountain,” she says as her head pops up in between the front seats and she points out the front window. She had to take her seatbelt off to do so but I’m driving about 15 miles per hours so she’s safe enough. Besides, I doubt she’d sit back if I told her to. “Oh, and there’s Ed’s Diner. We have to eat breakfast there tomorrow. Best huckleberry pancakes.”

She tells us about the coffee shop, Drips and Sips, and how they have the best lattes. I grimace because that shit is just nasty, but I let her keep talking.

I have to admit, the scenery is stunning. Cunningham Falls sits in the basin of Glacier National Park in the northern Rocky Mountains. Even in the height of summer, the top of the mountains are still tipped with a bit of snow, giving it a postcard picture quality in the dying sunlight of later afternoon.

“Stop,” Joslyn squeals and I almost have a heart attack. She points at something out the side window. “We need to stop for ice cream.”