Affairs of the Heart (9 page)

Just sing it, man. Just keep on
belting the words out. Don’t stop until it’s over.

Emerald Braun stood in the wings hanging on
Utah’s every word. She’d arrived in Nashville six months earlier on
a one-way ticket with the clothes on her back and a guitar case
slung over her shoulder.

Who’d have thought I’d be in the
running for Rising Star much less watching hunky Utah Sheridan sing
his song. Grandfather’s old guitar sure has brought me
luck.

She smiled thinking how he’d love that. All
her hopes and dreams were housed in her granddad’s ragged guitar
case. Every piece of music she’d ever written was tucked safely
between his old guitar and the worn red felt lining.

She smiled over at her boss and cheerleader
Frank Whitman. He’d kick the butt of anyone who called him a
cheerleader, but she didn’t care. He’d offered her a job as a
waitress in his bar a few days after she interviewed with him.
During the day, she’d write and practice her music; at night, she
served drinks.

Now the club owner and sometime talent scout
stood in the background giving her his silent encouragement. He
knew how nervous she was and also that singing wasn’t her favorite
thing. Songwriting was her true love.

She remembered when Frank had encouraged her
to try out for Rising Star. She’d told him he was crazy. He had
convinced her she had nothing to lose by showing up and singing a
song or two, and now she stood here as one of the
finalists.

Frank’s gaze flicked to Utah, and he smiled
and then looked away. She knew they had a past friendship but she
didn’t know what went wrong.

And you don’t care,
she scolded herself.
You need to
focus, girl, and stop mooning after Utah. He has more notches on
his bedpost than ten men.

She looked away from him and focused. Tonight,
after weeks of singing cover songs on national television, she’d
finally be able to perform one of her own in the last leg of the
talent competition. This was where her true talent lay, and she
couldn’t afford to be distracted; the prize in the end would be a
recording contract with Shadow Records.

Not that she cared for the recording contract
or really expected to win. That was the least of her concerns. This
competition was the best way to showcase her lyrics, have them
noticed by someone who sang far better than she did, and she would
make the most of it.

Emerald absently wiped her hands down the side
of her jeans, enthralled by the bright lights and backstage
activities of the auditorium. Frank took her hand and gave it a
squeeze, and, as he had since the start, led her to a place where
she’d experience the heat and hustle firsthand.

“
I still can’t get over the
chaos,” she mused, soaking up the atmosphere. It was like
breathing, and she loved it. This is where she’d hoped her journey
started several weeks earlier.

“
I know. Doesn’t matter if it’s
the first or the tenth performance of the day. Everything runs on
high energy. The fact that this is a different concept for finding
quality talent brings a new element to country music, darlin’. I
really don’t think anything’s been done like this before on the
Ryman stage since it closed to nightly performances years ago. Now
it’s only used for special events. I guess they thought ‘Rising
Star’ qualified.”

A body swept
past her, knocking her toward Frank, and she didn’t have to look to
know it was Utah. She’d sense him anywhere. Then his big hands
grabbed her waist, stopping the momentum, and she tingled.
Electricity sprang through her as her gaze travelled up and met his
hot green eyes, burning her to the core, and she couldn’t catch her
breath.

How am I supposed to sing around
him, of all people?

And it was all one-sided, which
sucked.

You don’t even like him. He’s a
spoiled snob, even if he is hot as heck.

She knew his family background. Could it be
his born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his-mouth attitude that bugged her?
She prayed she wasn’t that shallow. He had no control over who his
parents were, but still...

“
Sorry, Emerald.” The words came
quickly as Utah righted her and then disappeared onto the dark
stage in the split second that followed.

Well, that brush-off certainly put
you in your place.

Still, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the
backs of the band performing on stage. More to the point, she
couldn’t keep her eyes off Utah’s backside. Broad shoulders and
back that came to a V at the waist accented his six foot plus
frame. The tight-fitting black jeans molded perfectly to a butt
that would put any rodeo cowboy to shame. If she could just get her
hands on those cheeks for an hour or so, she’d paddle him good for
being such a spoiled rich kid and not wanting her back.

Lights and music became one, and excitement
built inside Emerald, the sensation to sway seductively to the
music something new to her otherwise quiet existence before
entering the competition. As usual, Utah made her listen to and
feel every word he sang. His voice drew her deeper into the strange
sensation building inside her, sensual to the point of making her
throb in a place she ached to have him warm up.

When the song ended, Utah waved and bowed to
the audience. Then he and jogged off stage in her direction. With a
sultry smile on his mouth, he tipped his hat at her as he drifted
past as if he knew and laughed at the riot he’d caused in her body.
A flush of goose bumps crept through her as he brushed by her. The
shivers felt more like a warning than anything else. He was way too
complicated, and Emerald knew she needed to leave him
alone.

There were only three of them left now—Casey
Montgomery from Oklahoma, the darling Emerald Braun, and Utah
Sheridan. By this time next week, Utah was banking on only two left
standing before the show even started. Emerald Braun wouldn’t be
one of them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.
Everything he'd wanted the past few years depends on this...and
what’s inside it. Utah Sheridan intends to win Nashville Rising
Star at all costs; will his bribe be the end of Emerald Braun?

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Nashville Rising
Star
© 2013 by Maxine Douglas

Meet
maxine

Maxine Douglas first began writing in the
early 1970s while in high school. She took every creative writing
course that was offered (grammar was not her best course) at the
time and focused her energy for many, many years after that time on
poetry. When a dear friend’s sister revealed she was going to
become a published romance author, that was all Maxine needed to
get the ball rolling. She finished her first manuscript in a
month’s time.

Maxine and her husband currently reside in
Oklahoma near her son with their dog Missy, and three horses,
Dusty, Paris and Pickles. Maxine is a member of Romance Writers of
America, Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, Publish Authors
Network, and the Oklahoma Writer’s Federation, Inc.

One of the many things Maxine has learned over
the years of her life is that you can never stop dreaming and
reaching for the stars, because sooner or later, you’ll touch one,
and it’ll bring you more happiness than you can ever imagine. She
feels lucky and blessed, over the past several years, to have been
able to reach out and touch the stars—and she’s still
reaching.

Praise for
Maxine Douglas Books

Nashville Rising
Star

5 Stars!
Maxine Douglas has a way of writing heartwarming
romance that will keep you turning the pages until the sweet
ending.

by Julia Brandywine,
Author

5 Stars! Like a special
piece of chocolate candy, this delightful sweet romance short story
will please your reading palate.

by Lorna Collins, Award
Winning Author

Rings of
Paradise

“
RINGS OF PARADISE is an
awesome read and I will tell my friends all about it!!!”

by Racegirl

“
The unique plot and the
great characters kept me turning the pages of this contemporary
romance. Sexual tension is high between the two main characters,
who probably couldn't be more different than each other if they
tried.”

by
Cheryl C. Malandrinos

“…
the story was really good that I cannot give it a lower
rating than a 5.”

by
SmallMallReads

“
RINGS OF PARADISE
is a superbly told, sexy romance. I'll be looking
for more books by Maxine Douglas soon.”

by The Book
Connection

A Knight to
Remember

“…
I LOVED this book. From the opening challenge and evil edict
issued by the impudent and cruel queen, to the modern
world…”

by Lady Bug Lin

“…
Well-written and
fast-paced, Reynold and Courtney's adventures kept me turning the
pages.”

by Edith

The Queen

“
Wonderful story,
passionate and compelling….”

by Alicia Dean, Suspense
Author

WORKS IN
PROGRESS

Bootlegger

Dear Citizen,

I’m Detective Tom Spence, of the
Geneva Police Department in Wisconsin. Geneva is a sweet town and
the type of place your kids could grow up, but this past summer all
hell broke loose.  That’s when Victoria Ravenwood moved in and
bought the old Humphrey Mansion.

The Ice Palace is, well, let’s just
say, there are some unique stories being told. Here in Geneva,
unlike the rest of the world, prohibition is alive and well. And
I’m not talking about the liquor prohibition of the 1920s here
either.

Geneva’s prohibition covers adult-type
of entertainment, and Ms. Ravenwood is right at the top of my list
of people of interest. The rumor of a speakeasy of sexual
entertainment and desires fulfilled housed in the underbelly the
Ice Palace has put the town’s fathers in a tizzy. It’s now my job
to shut down the Ice Palace and rid Geneva of Victoria
Ravenwood.

Sincerely,

Thomas Spence, Det.

Frosty Morn

Rain fell from the sky in the small
cemetery. Two men worked to fill the grave they’d just laid a young
woman to rest in. Lightning and thunder filled the sky along with
the fog that had begun to roll in.

“
Mr. Adams, it’s time to
go.” The minister from one of the local churches placed a hand
lightly on the arm of a man dressed in black.

“
Not just yet, Reverend
Smith.” Dan Adams placed his hand over that of the minister’s.
Somehow, it gave him little comfort knowing this man still stood
next to him.

“
Very well, you know where
to find me.” Reverend Smith turned leaving Dan alone as shovels
full of dirt were tossed down upon the coffin.