The Mighty Quinns: Kieran (13 page)

He reached out and took her hand. “I’m sorry. That must have been terrible.”

“She’d forgotten my reaction to the whole thing. She was just so delighted to recount the story of how she got back at that record company to her assistant. How they’d missed out on representing a huge star because of what they did to her.” Maddie took a ragged breath. “Now that I think about it, that was when I started to get stage fright.”

“You realized that love had nothing to do with singing?”

She slowly nodded her head. “Yeah. I mean, I never really thought of it that way.” Maddie met his gaze, her eyes growing watery. “That’s it. She was my courage and when I heard the truth, I realized she wasn’t in it for me.” Dropping her menu, she raked her hands through her hair, then pressed her palms to her temples. “Ah, it’s like a light just went on. Why didn’t I realize this before?”

“Because you’ve never talked about it with anyone?” Kieran asked.

She sat up straight. “I have to have something to eat. Right now.”

The waitress appeared a few seconds later and Maddie began the process of ordering. The young woman shot him looks of confusion as she wrote down the detailed list of dishes, but he just smiled. Then she turned to Kieran. “And for you?”

“I’m just going to finish whatever she doesn’t want,” Kieran said.

“Great,” the waitress said. “Are y’all okay for drinks?”

Kieran nodded. “We’ll be working on the beer for a while.” He stared out at the dance floor and saw a few people doing the dance that Maddie had taught him the night before. “What do you say, Miss West? Why don’t we have a dance before our meal gets here?”

She stood up and followed him out to the dance floor. “Do you remember what we practiced?” she asked, grinning.

Kieran pulled her into his arms. “I remember vividly. Quick, quick, slow, slow.”

“Start with your left foot and...here we go. Quick, quick, slow, slow.”

It was much more intimidating dancing in the midst of a crowd. He messed up a few times but as they made the second turn around the floor, he was moving much more smoothly. “Okay. I think I have this.”

Maddie took his right hand in hers, turning out and holding his left hand at her waist. “All right, now we’re going to do a little promenade. Same step, we’re just going in the same direction now.”

Maddie laughed as they made it through another round, then stepped in front of him and twirled beneath his arm. The move surprised him and he stumbled, almost tripping over her.

The two-step segued into a slow ballad and Kieran drew her closer. His grandfather had wanted him to find a different life. Nothing could be more different that what he was experiencing right now, holding Maddie in his arms as they moved around the dance floor.

He was in love with her. At least he could admit it to himself, even if he couldn’t say it out loud. When they were together, touching each other, the world seemed in perfect balance, as if nothing could tear them apart. And though these intense emotions were unfamiliar to Kieran, they felt real.

He pulled her closer, the words spinning in his head. If he was brave enough to say them, then he’d have to be brave enough to accept her reaction—good or bad. But then, maybe he should wait, until he had a better sense of how she felt. They had time. He certainly wasn’t going anywhere and she didn’t have plans to leave the farm anytime soon.

“This is nice,” he whispered.

“It is,” she said. “You’re a pretty good dancer.”

“I had a really good teacher.”

When the song was over, they headed back to their table to find their dinner already laid out for them. But they were stopped on their way by a burly young man in a denim shirt and cowboy hat. He looked at Maddie nervously.

“I was wondering if I might ask you to dance, Miss West,” he said. “They boys over there don’t think you’ll accept, but I told them you’re too much of a lady to turn me down.”

Kieran was stunned at the audacity of the guy. He and Maddie were clearly together. They were holding hands. “Listen, buddy, we’re just about to have dinner and I—”

“It’s all right,” Maddie said. “It’s just a dance. I’ll be right back.”

“No,” Kieran said. “Our dinner is on the table.” He nodded to the guy. “She’ll dance with you later.”

Maddie held her hand out to Kieran. “It’s all right. I can dance and then I’ll eat. Why don’t you just sit down and wait for me. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Maddie looked into his eyes. “Please?”

Kieran shook his head, then walked back to the booth, sending one last warning glare to Maddie’s dance partner. He sat down and flagged down their waitress. “Double scotch on the rocks,” he said.

Suddenly, he didn’t feel much like eating. What the hell was she thinking, letting a complete stranger bully her into a dance? She came to the place with him. In what world did a guy not understand the code? A good man never stepped in on another guy’s date.

But maybe he was in a different world. Maybe the code didn’t apply in Kentucky. Kieran watched as they moved around the dance floor. The jerk was surprisingly graceful for a big guy. In fact, he put Kieran’s attempts at dancing to shame.

The waitress set his drink down next to him and Kieran grabbed it and took a gulp. The scotch burned a path down his throat and his eyes began to water. “So this is what it feels like,” he muttered to himself.

Jealousy. He’d never experienced the emotion before, at least not when it came to women. But then, he’d never really had so much to lose before.

If he planned to spend any time with Maddie West, country star, he was going to have to learn how to share. When she was out and about, she seemed to be public property. And there was nothing he could do about it except stand back and smile.

Falling in love had been so simple for him. He’d just followed his heart. But after tonight, Kieran had to wonder if the difficult part was still ahead—learning to ignore his ego.

* * *

M
ADDIE
PICKED
AT
the slice of coconut cream pie, then pushed it aside. “I am stuffed like a Christmas goose,” she said. “I am going to have to stop eating. My jeans are starting to get too tight.”

“I think you look nice just the way you are,” Kieran said.

Maddie stared at him for a long moment. Since she’d returned to the table, he’d been oddly silent, as if he was stewing about something. She knew he wasn’t happy about her dancing with another man, but she hadn’t been gone that long and the guy had been sweet and kind of nervous.

“What’s wrong?” she said.

“Nothing.” Kieran reached out for his drink and drained the last of it. “I’m good.”

“No, you’re not. I think you’re angry that I danced with that guy.”

Kieran shook his head. “I swear to God, I’m not angry at you.”

“Then who are you angry at? Him? He’s just a fan. Just a guy who’s going to go home and tell all his friends that he danced with Maddie West tonight. And all his friends are going to clap him on the back and tell him how lucky he was. And then, maybe, they’re going to buy a CD or a concert ticket. It’s just part of the game.”

“So you were nice to him because you wanted his money?”

“No, I was nice to him because it was the right thing to do. Because he probably has bought some of my CDs. And because he was nervous and sweet and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. If you think he’s competition, you’re—”

“That’s not what I’m thinking,” he said.

“Then what are you thinking?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud whistle from the stage. Maddie turned to find Charlie standing at the microphone, a guitar in his hand. “Ladies and gents, as you know, we’ve got an old friend in the house tonight. Maddie West has stopped by for a visit. Now, we don’t want to put her on the spot or make her do anything she doesn’t want to do, but maybe, if we put our hands together, she might give us the pleasure of a song or two. What do you say? Maddie? Will you sing for us?”

Maddie glanced over at Kieran.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said.

“But I think I want to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she said, without a moment of hesitation. “It’s about time I sing for you, don’t you think?” She set her napkin beside her plate and slowly stood, then made her way through the crowd to the stage.

To her surprise, she didn’t feel that overwhelming sense of dread, the sweaty palms or the racing heartbeat. None of the symptoms that marked her stage fright in the past were affecting her now. In fact, she felt calm and composed and almost excited to get back onstage.

She climbed the steps at the side of the stage to loud applause, then took the guitar from Charlie, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Maddie took a moment to look out at the small crowd then smiled, bending over the microphone. “How y’all doing tonight? You having fun?”

The crowd screamed their reply as she plugged the guitar into a nearby amp. She strummed the strings, then took a quick moment to tune up before she settled herself on the stool. “I don’t know if y’all know this, but Charlie was one of the folks who gave me my start. My mama used to bring me here when I was fourteen years old and I’d sing my heart out and even though my songs weren’t the best, everyone would clap. I’ll never forget that kindness and that encouragement.” She strummed the guitar again. “This is an old song, but a good one. I’m sending it out to a special friend. It’s a song I used to play right here at Charlie’s. It’s called ‘Pink Cadillac.’”

She launched into the song, her voice raspy and raw, and tinged with a bluesy sound. When she’d first started singing professionally, it had been part of her list because it was easy to play on guitar. But now, she sang it like a woman, full-grown, confident, seductive. The kind of woman that Kieran Quinn might find irresistible.

The audience sang along with the chorus and clapped during the verse, creating a raucous noise that was both thrilling and satisfying. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she was having fun onstage. She finished the song with an aggressive guitar lick and a sexy wail and the audience erupted in wild applause.

From that moment on, Maddie didn’t really think. She moved from one song to the next, talking to the audience in between, telling funny stories about her early days at Charlie’s and life on the road. And when she finished up with her most recent hit, an upbeat rock song about an unfaithful boyfriend, she was certain that she’d just given the best performance of her life.

“Thank you,” she called out to the audience. “Y’all have been so nice to me. Thank you.”

Charlie came onstage and thanked her, then asked for another round of applause as Maddie made her way back to the table. Kieran was there and he pulled her into his arms and gave her hug. A few moments later, a crowd gathered for autographs. Maddie found a felt-tip pen and began to scribble her name on anything they presented.

By the time she finished with the last person in line, she was exhausted. She looked over at Kieran. “Let’s get out of here before they talk me into singing again.” She glanced around the table. “Did you take care of the check?”

“Charlie said it was on the house,” Kieran replied. He held out his hand and Maddie placed her fingers in his. As they walked to the door, they nodded and smiled at the patrons, who had decided another round of applause was in order.

When they reached the parking lot, Maddie fell against him with a low groan. “I’m exhausted. I usually don’t sing right after I eat because I usually throw up before the performance. But I thought it was pretty good. What do you think?”

“I thought it was amazing,” Kieran said, pulling open the door of the car.

She looked up at him. “It was. And I wasn’t afraid at all. Not a bit. What’s that all about?”

“I don’t know.” He closed the door, then circled around the car and got behind the wheel.

They pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward home, the wind blowing against her damp skin. She didn’t want to talk about it or try to understand why it had been so good. She just wanted to revel in a feeling that she hadn’t experienced in years.

By the time they got back to the farm, Maddie felt like she’d been rung out, her limbs boneless and her mind fuzzy. Kieran parked the car in front of the house and turned it off.

“I gotta tell you, Maddie, that was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. You had that audience so wrapped up they would have followed you off a cliff if you asked them. The way you just knew what to sing next. It was like a carnival ride.”

“It felt right,” she said. “And I think maybe it was because you were there.”

“No,” he said. “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”

“You gave me the courage to get back out there. To take control of my career.”

“No. You had that inside you all along. You just needed a reason to make it happen.” He reached out and smoothed his hand over her cheek. “You can’t give that up, Maddie. You don’t just walk away from a talent like yours. And as much as I’d like to steal you away from your life and keep you all to myself, that would be wrong. You need to keep performing.”

“But I—”

He put his finger over her lips. “You probably need to fix things with your mother. Maybe you should get a new manager. Someone who will let you make the decisions. But you have to figure out how to make this work.”

“Can’t we just crawl into bed and talk about this tomorrow?” she asked.

He leaned forward and kissed her. “I think that maybe you should sleep by yourself tonight. It will give you time to make some decisions. I don’t want to come between you and your career.”

Maddie gasped. What was he saying? After all they’d been to each other, after all she’d told him, did he really think she couldn’t make her own decisions? “Am I just supposed to forget how we feel about each other?”

“Yeah, maybe you have to. You need to think about your career first.”

“And who are you to decide that for me? It’s my choice. And if I choose you, that’s my choice, too. Don’t you dare tell me what I can and cannot feel. I’ve lived this career, I know what I’ve given up. And you don’t know anything.”