Vanishing Dreams: Vanishing Dreams (Devil's Bend #2) Read online

  It was the nights he waited for her after the bar closed that were the hardest times to try to wrangle out of a commitment, because he was offering to take her to breakfast, and by that time of the morning, she was usually starving. Dalton was rather persuasive, and she found it difficult to refuse the man, especially when he turned those sexy chocolate-brown eyes on her.

  It sure beat going home to her tiny apartment and tiptoeing around to keep from making any noise so that she didn’t wake her roommate, who was a shockingly light sleeper. In order to do that, she usually had to avoid food altogether.

  “Howdy, y’all! How’s it hangin’?” Dalton’s smile-laced voice echoed through the speakers in the ceiling, riling up the crowd, who was still filing in through the front door, bringing with them the chilly evening air.

  A round of whistles and cheers erupted, making Katie smile in response to his obvious good mood. She had to admit, the enthusiasm that Dalton inspired in the people he came into contact with was quite heady. Then again, being female and all, Katie couldn’t deny her intense attraction to the dark-haired, dark-eyed cowboy. When he smiled, there was a small dimple that formed in his left cheek, giving his ruggedly handsome face a somewhat boyish look. But his smile… His smile was potent enough to make her limbs turn to jelly.

  “What’re y’all doin’ tonight?” Dalton asked casually. “Like now, I mean. Not later. We’ll talk about that in a minute.”

  Katie tried to listen to the crowd’s fervent response. Not that any of the answers were distinguishable, because it was as though everyone in the bar spoke up at the same time, vying for an opportunity to chat with the handsome superstar.

  Dalton’s sexy, rough chuckle vibrated through the speakers.

  “Alrighty then,” Dalton crooned. “How ’bout we get this party started? What d’ya say? Then we’ll chat s’more.”

  Another ruckus burst within the thin walls of The Rusty Nail as Katie eased her way back to the bar. Within seconds, Dalton’s lyrical voice was resonating through the place, the steady strum of his guitar competing with the thunderous boom of his silky drawl.

  “Whatcha got for me?” Eric asked when Katie approached the far side of the bar.

  She pulled out her note pad and listed off the orders. “Two Buds, a shot of Cuervo, and a glass of white wine.”

  Eric’s nose scrunched at the mention of wine, as usual, or maybe it was the mention of tequila, she didn’t know. Either way, he started working with the skill and precision of an experienced bartender as he moved about getting the order ready. While she waited, Katie took a moment to sneak a peek at Dalton up on stage.

  Damn.

  That’s the only word that came to mind as she watched him move around that stage, leaning forward and then back, nodding and grinning at the crowd gathered on the small dance floor. He was energy and light, never sitting still and, most important, always smiling.

  What it came down to was the fact that she loved watching him.

  Sometimes she wondered whether it was that air of celebrity that made her knees weak, but other times Katie got the sense it was something much more than that. It was the whole package. It was hard to describe the way he made her feel just by being in the same room. Kind of like trying to wrangle the moon — an impossible feat, but one that still seemed attainable.

  Of course, there was that glimmer of heat she noticed in his eyes every time he looked at her, and that only made her want to accomplish the impossible at every turn. Sometimes she thought it was surreal to have that sort of intensity turned on her, but for the life of her, she couldn’t find it in herself to dislike the feeling.

  When the song came to an end, the crowd went crazy, hooting and hollering their approval. Katie offered a round of applause as she watched Dalton, secretly wishing he’d send a glance her way.

  Yeah, well, okay. Holy crap.

  Dalton looked right at her from across the room, and the wink he offered made her breath hitch in her chest.

  “See that pretty little thang over there?” Dalton asked the crowd, and Katie’s face felt like it was on fire as several heads turned in her direction, the same direction Dalton was looking.

  “Yeah, her. That’s my girl. Did y’all know that?”

  His girl?

  Instinctively, Katie shook her head. She wasn’t his girl. No way.

  No one seemed to be paying her any attention, or they weren’t accepting her denial, anyway. Applause and whistles made her head roar. Or maybe that was her blood pressure, skyrocketing thanks to Dalton’s acknowledgement.

  “See, I kinda need y’all’s help,” Dalton continued, his eyes locked with hers. “I’ve been tryin’ to get another date with her, but she keeps turnin’ me down.”

  The crowd clearly didn’t approve of that if their boos and hisses were anything to go by.

  Katie was tempted to run upstairs to the office and hide out for the rest of the night. One, because she didn’t care to have the attention of so many of these people on her, and two, because she might’ve needed time to comprehend just what Dalton was saying.

  “Hold up,” Dalton said sternly, addressing the crowd. “It ain’t like that. You know how it is. We’re all busy, right? Well, she is, too, but I have to say, I’m dyin’ to get her to go out with me again. That’s where y’all come in. This next song, I’m dedicatin’ it to her, and I could sure use your help. If you know the words, sing along.”

  Dalton shot her another wink, and the amount of oxygen in the room decreased by at least half. Was he really doing this? And to think, just a moment ago, she’d been caught up in his enthusiasm. Now she just wanted to…

  Holy hell. She didn’t know what she wanted to do.

  The room erupted in a chorus of song with Dalton leading the pack. Some folks were still focused on her, others were back to watching him. She wished they’d all turn around and look at him, but since she didn’t have any superpowers, Katie tried to pretend that this man — the one who had called her his girl — was not serenading her with an entire bar full of people helping him.

  What she figured was a four-minute song seemed to go on forever. At least that’s what it felt like, but finally it was over, and only then did Katie retrieve the drinks that Eric had set in front of her. Grabbing the tray, she scurried off to deliver them, doing her best to ignore all of the good wishes from the people around her. Seriously, what were they congratulating her for? Nothing had happened.

  “Make sure you tip your waitresses tonight,” she heard Dalton say as she squeezed between the bodies packed on the crowded floor. “And if y’all don’t mind, I’m gonna take a short break so I can go hang out with my favorite waitress.”

  Yes, Katie blushed, even as she kept her eyes down and her focus on not dropping her tray of drinks. She couldn’t help herself. Not only had Dalton just laid on the charm but he had also directed it at her. Of course, the curious folks in the bar were once again looking in her direction, which made her even more uncomfortable. Not that she had long to think about it before Dalton made his way to her side, smiling down at her.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he greeted. “Care to have breakfast with me when this is over?”

  And just like that, all of her mortification took a backseat to this man’s incredible smile. Katie couldn’t speak. As she stared up — way up, considering there was an entire foot difference in their heights — into Dalton’s glimmering brown eyes, she thought of all of the things she wanted to do to him, and having breakfast with him was the least of her concerns at the moment.

  “Okay,” she agreed, and the smile that gleamed back at her confirmed what she feared. It’d been a long, long time since she’d had any sort of reaction to a man, and certainly never anything of this magnitude. But the more time she spent with Dalton, the more she realized she was headed for a heartache.

  No matter how much she fought it.

  Chapter Two

  The chickens were close to waking by the time the crew had finished closing up the bar
around three o’clock in the morning. Dalton had pitched in, unable to sit still while everyone around him worked diligently. He’d actually been grateful for the distraction, because had he been waiting for Katie to finish up, he would’ve gone mad just staring after her, desperately wanting to get his hands on her.

  He knew that she hadn’t worn that particular dress with the short, frilly skirt and breast-hugging sweater just for him, but every time he took in the sight of her in that cream-colored fabric and those brown cowgirl boots… Yeah, damn was about the gist of it.

  Thank God, they’d managed to close the place up. And not a moment too soon. Now Dalton and Katie were heading out of The Rusty Nail, Eric following them to the door and locking up behind them. While they trekked across the parking lot, Dalton had to make a conscious effort to keep from dragging Katie to the truck rather than walking like a man who possessed at least a minimal amount of decorum.

  “Still up for breakfast?” he asked, taking her hand and leading her around to the passenger side of his truck.

  “Depends. Are we talking taquitos to go?”

  “Taquitos?” he asked, grinning. “As in Whataburger on the run?”

  “That’s what I was thinkin’. I was kinda hopin’ to get some time away from people,” Katie told him, looking up at him, a sexy little glimmer in her charcoal-gray eyes.

  Okay, so Dalton hadn’t expected that. Nor had he anticipated the promise he saw reflecting back at him. They’d been dating — for lack of a better term — for the last couple of months, but just when Dalton thought they were making a little progress, Katie was always the first to put the brakes on. He couldn’t say he was disappointed in the possibilities the night still had to offer.

  “Whataburger it is. Any thoughts on where to go after?”

  “I’ll let you choose,” she said sweetly.

  “I know a place,” he informed her, willing his body not to overreact too quickly. It was bad enough that his jeans had been getting increasingly tighter every time he looked at her. The woman had a penchant for making his dick hard. Then again, he was the one responsible for putting himself in that position, so the case of blue balls he’d been sporting for the last couple of months was solely his fault. His current streak of celibacy had started the day he’d met her.

  Taking her hand, he led Katie to his truck, and after helping her in, closing the door behind her, he was damn near bowlegged as he made his way around to the driver’s side. Yeah, it’d been a while since he’d been laid, and although he had no intention of going that far with Katie tonight, his dick didn’t seem to realize that. For the first time in his life, Dalton was trying patience on for size. Not that he was all that happy with the fit, but he was working on it.

  Good things came to those who waited, right? At least, he hoped like hell that that was the case.

  Once they were out on the main road, leaving Cooper and the rest of the gang back at the bar, along with a handful of reporters still hanging out in the parking lot, desperate to get a glimpse of Cooper’s new life, Dalton tried to think of something other than sex.

  It wasn’t easy.

  They ventured into the small neighboring town to get taquitos, but at that time of morning, they made good time. Since they’d made that particular food run a couple of times recently, the overnight crew at the fast food restaurant knew exactly who he was when he pulled up to the window. He laughed when they all vied to get to him through the small opening, everyone speaking at once. Thankfully, they weren’t pushy, probably because they knew he’d be back, so several minutes later, he and Katie were pulling out.

  With food sitting in a bag between them, Dalton turned the truck back toward Devil’s Bend.

  Night had fallen hours ago, blanketing the chilly Texas day in darkness. The temperatures were hovering in the forties, significantly warmer than Dalton was used to but still cold enough to warrant a jacket. Thankfully, the wind had died down after the clouds had been blown out, and now the night was clear, the threat of rain a distant thought. The only reason Dalton had the heater on was for Katie’s benefit. Had he been alone, he would’ve had the windows down to offset the warmth from the vents, but he wasn’t looking to freeze her out.

  But he was hot. And he wasn’t sure it had anything to do with the heater, either. More like he was as nervous as a teenage boy was on prom night.

  “Where are we goin’?” Katie asked as she stared out the window when they crossed the county line.

  “I thought we’d head to the lake,” he answered, glancing over at her briefly, wiping his hands on the leather covering the steering wheel.

  “Okay.”

  “No arguments?” he teased, his voice rough with anticipation.

  “Nope,” she said softly. “Not tonight.”

  Dalton heard a world of innuendo in those two words, and he started to fear he was thinking with the wrong part of his anatomy. It wasn’t all that difficult to succumb to his little head’s curiosity, though, especially with Katie sitting beside him, the tops of her trim, tan thighs on display beneath that skirt. That and boots.

  Lord help him, if he made it through tonight, he was going to be inducted into sainthood.

  “Did you enjoy the show?” he asked, trying to make small talk.

  “It was decent,” she said, causing Dalton to dart a look her way. The adorable smile that tipped her full lips made his dick harden that much more.

  “Decent? Well, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that said about my shows.”

  “Yeah, well…”

  Dalton knew she was joking, and he enjoyed her banter. The fact that things could be so easy between them was one of the reasons he loved being around Katie so much. She wasn’t like most of the women he met, who were constantly competing for his attention or trying to keep it if he even looked their way.

  Nope, not since he’d made it in the country music world had he met a woman like Katie. One who just wanted to be friends and nothing more.

  Katie reached for the bag and rummaged through it noisily. She chuckled, and he looked over at her, noticing she was holding something up for him to see.

  “They gave you an apple pie,” she said with a grin.

  Dalton laughed. Sometimes being famous did have its perks.

  It was the little things.

  Katie continued to pull items out of the bag before handing him one of the breakfast burritos. Egg, potatoes, and cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla should’ve been enough to bring him out of the lust-induced haze, but even that was making his dick hard. No, wait, it wasn’t the taquito, it was the brush of Katie’s hand against his that did it.

  Come on, Calhoun. You’re not fifteen.

  “Since we’re havin’ breakfast on the run, maybe we should get the traditional part of the date over with as well,” Dalton said, willing his body back under control. Katie’s curious glance didn’t help.

  “First of all, Calhoun,” Katie told him as she held her burrito to her mouth, “this is not a date.”

  “You see, it kinda is,” he replied, darting his eyes over to meet hers briefly before turning his attention back to the darkened road in front of him.

  “No. It’s not,” she said more insistently.

  “Fine. It’s not,” he replied with a chuckle. Whatever she wanted to tell herself. But to him, this was a date. “However, I still think we should get the pleasantries out of the way.”

  “Pleasantries?”

  “Yeah. You know. Routine date questions, the whole gettin’-to-know-you part.”

  “We already know each other. And as far as I’m concerned, you’ve asked enough questions,” Katie told him, her voice a little harder than before.

  Dalton knew Katie wasn’t much for his queries, but considering he wanted to know everything there was to know about her and she wasn’t very forthcoming in sharing pieces of herself, he wasn’t left with much choice. So he pretended not to notice her affront.

  “So, this is like our tenth non-date,” he told her for
her benefit, “and I still don’t know much about you other than you work at the bar and you’re in school. Tell me somethin’ else.”

  “Nothin’ to tell,” Katie said a little too fast for his peace of mind.

  It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten the sense she was hiding something. What, he had no idea, but he did notice that as soon as he tried to get to know her better, she tended to shut down.

  Luckily, Dalton didn’t scare easily. He knew with a little encouragement, Katie would open up. Eventually.

  “Nothin’?” he asked, smiling and trying to keep the subject light.

  “Nope,” she added, her tone less strained than a moment ago, but he could still detect her hesitancy.

  Well, shit, this wasn’t going quite the way he had planned.

  “Do your parents live in Devil’s Bend?” he asked, going for polite conversation now. Although the two of them had gone out quite a few times, anytime Dalton moved the subject to Katie, she always managed to deflect.

  “Nope. What about yours? Do they live in Nashville?”

  This time clearly wasn’t going to be any different. Going with the flow, Dalton said, “Georgia.”

  Damn, the woman was a dichotomy. He never knew what to expect from her, but he did know that she wasn’t keen on talking about herself. That was only a small problem where Dalton was concerned because he had this overwhelming inquisitiveness when it came to her. Had since the moment he’d laid eyes on her at The Rusty Nail just a few short months ago.

  It was a wonder he didn’t know much about her by this point, but that was only proof that she had succeeded in shutting him out whenever he tried to get closer.

  The conversation had hit a lull by the time they were pulling down one of the dirt roads that led to a secluded section of the lake he’d recently located when he was looking for a place to hide out from everyone. The good news was that breakfast was out of the way, thanks to Katie encouraging him to eat rather than talk.