Relentless (15 page)

He laughed. “Since when are you and my mama so close?”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “If you were home more, you’d know your parents have practically adopted me. I’m the daughter they always wished they had.”

“Why am I not surprised?” he muttered. “Strange you and I haven’t crossed paths before, don’t you think?” he said, pulling up in front of his parents’ house and cutting the engine. “I mean you’ve been friendly with my brother for a while now, yet I’ve never seen you around. Why is that?”

She’d been purposely avoiding him because she knew a guy like J.T. was a distraction she didn’t need in her life, but she couldn’t resist the temptation when she saw him in Vegas. Just crushing on him from afar was distraction enough. Now that she knew what it felt like to be intimate with him, she didn’t know how she’d manage to concentrate on her music without her mind wandering to the handsome cowboy at her side. “I don’t know. I guess the timing wasn’t right.” She reached for the door handle, but he grabbed her arm.

“I’m glad the timing was finally right for us, Nik,” he said. “You were so damn young when we met, but I held out hope that one day we’d get here.”

She looked at him, saw the sincerity in his eyes, and chose to ignore the inner voice that told her she was treading into dangerous territory. A man like J.T. could make a woman forget about her reasons for wanting to remain single. “Come on, let’s go,” she said quietly, hopping out of the truck.

Liz McCall stood up, tossing her gardening gloves on the grass. A wide smile split her creased face when she saw Nikki jump out of the passenger’s seat. “I thought that was you, girl. Get over here and give me a hug. We watched the awards show on TV last night.” She laughed. “I was jumping up and down like a school girl when you won. Just ask Carl.”

Nikki laughed, stepping into the older woman’s arms. “You were right; you said I’d win.” She missed her own mother, who was living with her stepfather in Florida. Liz had become like a surrogate, making sure she was taking time to eat and sleep when she would have preferred to work straight through the night.

“There was never a doubt in my mind, sweetie.”

She loved this place, these people. The first time Ty brought her out here, almost a year ago, she’d felt a deep connection, as though she belonged. She couldn’t understand or explain it, but she felt at home here in a way she never had at her mother or father’s homes. She grasped Liz’s hands in hers, feeling silly when her eyes welled up with tears. It was ridiculous to be getting all sentimental because of a few kind words, but there were few people in her life who gave praise freely.

Liz cupped her cheek in her work-roughened hand, smiling as though she understood without needing an explanation for her show of emotion. “We’re so proud of you,” she whispered, her own eyes filling with tears. “We know how hard you’ve worked for this.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, cursing the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She refused to succumb to a show of emotion in front of J.T., standing only a few feet away. Maybe if she had been alone with his mother she would have felt differently, but she couldn’t afford to be vulnerable with him.

Liz looked over Nikki’s shoulder, a mischievous smile lighting her face. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

J.T. cleared his throat, stepping forward. He had obviously been observing the scene with great interest. “Hey, Mama, good to see you.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek. “You got any of that apple cobbler I love so much in the kitchen?”

She shook her head, chuckling. “Honest to goodness, J.T. McCall, all you ever think about is food.”

“Ah, that’s not true.” He winked at Nikki. “In fact, lately, I’ve been thinking about a whole lot more than that.”

She raised an eyebrow, looking from Nikki to her son and back again. “So tell me, how’d you two finally meet?”

Nikki didn’t want to invite any questions about their relationship or lead J.T.’s mother to believe it was more than it was. “We, ah, met last night after the awards ceremony.”

J.T. smirked. “That’s not entirely true. We met a few years back at her daddy’s place, but we, uh, just got reacquainted last night.”

Liz frowned at Nikki. “I didn’t know you and J.T. had met before, honey. You never mentioned it when I talked to you about him.”

Nikki had absorbed everything J.T.’s family said about him and used the information to build a case against pursuing a relationship with the man, should the opportunity ever arise. She knew he was a risk-taking womanizer who loved to get drunk and raise hell. Definitely not the kind of man to help her further her career.

“It was just once, for a few brief moments.” She stole a glance at J.T., who was hanging on her every word. “I barely even remembered it.”

J.T. smirked, sticking his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Come on now, sugar. You make it sound like I’m an easy man to forget. You sure were singin’ a different tune last night.”

Had they been alone, she would have given him a swift kick, but since his mama was there, observing their little exchange with blatant interest, she had to settle on an insult to put him in his place. “You really are full of yourself, aren’t you, McCall? You think every woman…”

He surprised her with a swift kiss on the lips. “I don’t give a damn about other women, darlin’. I only care about you.”

Liz McCall fanned her hands in front of her face, laughing. “Well, well, I do believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen my son smitten.”

Nikki held her hands up, trying to ward off her assumptions. “No, it’s not like that, Liz. Honestly, we’re just friends. In fact…”

J.T. slipped in behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. “Don’t listen to her, Mama. It’s exactly like that. I’m crazy about this little lady. Now I just have to figure out a way to convince her that I’m not the scoundrel she seems to think I am.”

Liz pressed her fingers against her lips. “I’m ashamed to admit that I may be partially responsible for her low opinion of you, honey.”

J.T. stood upright, settling his hands on Nikki’s hips. “You been talkin’ me down, Mama?”

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know…” She shook her head. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey. I guess I did tell her more than a few stories about some of the crazy stunts you’ve pulled.”

He sighed. “I’m sure you didn’t tell her anything that wasn’t true.”

Nikki turned into his arms, flattening her palms against his chest. “Don’t blame your mama. We were just talking, and your name came up in conversation a few times. It was no big deal.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. “Does that mean you won’t hold it against me, sugar?”

“I won’t hold it against you,” she said, quietly. She had the feeling that the man getting ready to plead his case wasn’t the same man she’d heard all those stories about.

A red pickup truck pulled up the gravel drive and J.T. turned toward it, muttering a curse.

“You mind your manners, boy,” his mother warned. “She’s our neighbor and Joe Foley’s daughter.”

Nikki felt like she was missing out on something, as though there was a secret they didn’t care to let her in on.

A tall, curvy blonde wearing cut-off shorts, a tight white T-shirt, and red cowboy boots stepped out of the truck. “Hey, y’all.” She shielded her face from the sun and smiled at J.T. “I heard you were back in town, cowboy. When were you gonna get around to calling me?”

Okay, it was finally starting to come into focus. Joe Foley’s daughter must be one of J.T.’s girlfriends.

He dropped his hands to his sides and stepped up to brush his lips against her cheek. “Hiya, pretty lady. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You’ve been out of town for the better part of a month. You don’t call, you don’t even text, and that’s all you have to say to me?”

“Sorry, sugar, you know how it is out there. There’s never a dull moment.”

Nikki bristled at the term of endearment he’d used when talking to her only moments ago. Everything she’d heard about the man had obviously been true. He was every bit the player his brother professed him to be. Good thing she found out now, before she’d been taken in by his sweet words and empty promises.

The woman’s eyes fell on her, and she asked, “Do I know you from somewhere? You look kinda familiar.”

Nikki shook her head, biting her tongue. “I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

“You may have seen her on TV,” Liz said, stepping up to put her arm around Nikki’s shoulders. “Nikki Spencer. She’s goin’ on tour with Ty in a couple of weeks. Nikki, this is our neighbor, Lindsay Foley.”

She pointed a brightly painted fingernail at Nikki. “That’s right. I’ve heard that song on the radio. What’s it called now…” She snapped her fingers. “Little…”

“Lolita,” Nikki said quietly, wishing she were anywhere but here, sandwiched between the man she’d slept with last night and his girlfriend. To think she’d actually believed him when he said he didn’t have anyone special back home. She wondered how his country princess would feel about being dismissed so easily.

“That’s right,” she said, smiling. “It’s cute, catchy. You’ve kinda got that Miranda Lambert, don’t mess with me, vibe about you. I like it.”

Nikki longed to tell her it wasn’t a persona, but she held her tongue in deference to J.T.’s mama.

The Barbie doll turned her attention to Liz, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Ms. Liz, Mama wanted me to come on over to ask if you needed anything. She’s headin’ into town in a little while.”

Liz squeezed Nikki’s shoulder, as though she could sense the tension spiraling through her body. “Ain’t that sweet? Why don’t you come on in and have a glass of lemonade while I write a little list?”

“Will I see you before I leave?” Lindsay asked, looking up at J.T.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, I don’t think so. Why don’t I call you later?”

“Promise?”

“Hey,” Nikki said, “I just remembered something I have to do before I head over to Ty’s.” She grabbed her car keys out of J.T.’s hand without looking at him. “I’ll see y’all later.” She gave Liz a quick hug and smiled at J.T.’s girlfriend. “It was nice to meet you, Lindsay.”

She raised her hand. “Yeah, you too. Good luck on that tour.”

“Thanks.” She didn’t spare a glance over her shoulder as she kicked up dust on the way to her truck. As she suspected he would be, J.T. was hot on her heels.

He flattened his hand against the door to prevent her from opening it. “Where the hell do you think you’re goin’?” he whispered in her ear.

She clenched her teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing his little girlfriend had affected her. “Like I said, I have things to do. Now get out of my way.”

“Damn it, you are not leavin’ here until we talk. I’m gettin’ tired of you runnin’ out on me, sugar.”

She whirled around to face him. “Don’t you call me that, you, you…” For someone who made her living writing music, she was mortified when she found herself speechless.

He tipped her chin with his forefinger, a smug smirk on his handsome face. “You’re jealous.”

She stomped her foot on the gravel, realizing a moment too late that she probably looked like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum because some bully was trying to take her favorite toy away. “No, I’m not.” She pushed him hard.

Caught off guard, he stumbled back.

She took advantage of the opportunity to jump in her truck. His hand came down heavy on the roof, but she didn’t spare him a glance as she gunned the engine, maneuvered around the little red pickup truck, and left him standing there, choking on her dust.

J.T. took his horse for a long ride, to clear his head, before he finally made his way up to the main house. He needed to learn everything he could about Nikki, and it seemed his mama might be a good place to start.

“There you are,” she said, wiping her hands on a flowered apron. “You’re just in time.”

He washed his hands at the sink, salivating as his mother took his favorite dessert, apple cobbler, out of the oven. “I was just kiddin’ about that, Mama. You didn’t have to go to all that trouble.”

She reached up to pat his cheek, smiling. “It was no trouble. Besides, I thought I owed you, after all those things I said to Nikki about you.”

He dried his hands, propping his hip against the counter. “Maybe you’d better tell me what you told her so I can do a little damage control tonight.”