Love Songs And Lullabies

They had offered to let her sit on a stool for the performance, but she had refused. She would tough it out because she needed to knock this out of the park if she was going to have any hope saving her career from complete ruin.

The lights went down and the orchestra under the stage began to play. Commercial over. Piper felt her own set of butterflies, only they weren’t flying—they were swimming some rough seas in her stomach. Closing her eyes, she prayed she wouldn’t throw up onstage—on television—in front of millions of people.

One song. One last time pouring out her heart to a man who was about to find out their time together had major consequences. This song had brought them into each other’s lives and yet was all about saying goodbye.

“I’m thrilled to present Piper Starling and Sawyer Stratton!” country icon Sara Gilmore exclaimed as the lights came up and the music started to play.

Sawyer strummed his guitar and let what he did best guide him out of the fear. Piper reminded herself that the stage was home. Nothing could hurt her here. This was where she shone bright.

Piper sang the song, holding nothing back. She let her real emotions fuel the performance. The song was about fear—the fear of letting go. Piper was very much afraid, but this time of having to hold on.

As the song neared the end, their gazes locked. He sang about goodbye, and sadness tightened her throat. He stepped closer. Piper froze. At rehearsal, they had decided he would begin to back away as the music faded and the lights dimmed. He was clearly changing the plan here.

Piper’s heart pounded as he stood in front of her. Sawyer pushed the guitar behind his back so there was nothing between them. He reached up and cradled her cheek in his hand. The blood thumped in her ears. She had no idea what he was doing. As the lights began to dim, he leaned forward, his lips inches from hers.

The crowd gasped and then exploded into thunderous applause. Piper blinked and everything went black.

CHAPTER FOUR (#u74104fa4-2cf5-5fce-87e2-9871c226404a)

SAWYER TRIED NOT to panic as he scooped Piper up. The stage was dark, but there was little chance no one had noticed her faint. Her head fell back as she lay limp in his arms.

“Piper, wake up. Please wake up,” he said as he carried her offstage. What was wrong with her? Fear mixed with the adrenaline coursing through his body was similar to what he’d felt when he found his father on the floor after his heart attack. “Piper, you need to wake up.”

Hunter, drumsticks still in hand, was the first to join him. “I can’t believe you made her pass out with one kiss.”

“I didn’t kiss her.”

A bearded stage manager was waiting in the wings to help. He cleared a space for Sawyer to lay her down.

Sawyer put his face close to hers. He could feel her breath on his cheek, thank God. She felt warm to him, though, and her skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat.

“Come on, Piper. Wake up. Please, Piper.”

“What happened out there?” Heath came barreling through the small crowd that had gathered.

“She passed out,” Sawyer explained, although he knew that wasn’t what Heath was curious about.

“Why were you in her personal space?” her father demanded. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything to her.”

Piper’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze landing on Sawyer first, then her father, then her surroundings. It was clear the moment she became aware she was lying on the ground instead of standing onstage. Her cheeks turned as red as the barn back at the Strattons’ horse farm.

“What happened?” she asked as she tried to sit up. Both Sawyer and Heath reached out to help.

“You’ve done enough!” Heath’s harsh tone was enough to get Sawyer to back off. “Can we keep the press away? I don’t want any pictures of her like this.”

Sawyer rolled his eyes. The only thing that man seemed to care about was Piper’s public image. God forbid she get sick or have a human moment in her life.

“Piper, are you okay?” Dean appeared over Heath’s shoulder.

Sawyer wanted to shake Dean for coming up with the terrible idea of surprising her with what was supposed to look like a kiss. It had been nothing but a stupid publicity stunt. Why had he done it?

He’d done it because Dean had told him this was what the public wanted. Sawyer had to give people what they wanted if he was going to make it in this business.

It had also felt like the most natural thing in the world. Because when he’d listened to her sing, he had heard the pain in her words and wanted to take it away. Because when he’d looked at her, he had seen how vulnerable she allowed herself to be in front of not only everyone in the crowd and watching on television, but in front of him.

Sawyer got to his feet and took a couple steps back. Those were dangerous feelings. Piper had a way of drawing those out.

“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Let’s get her to her dressing room.” Heath helped Piper to her feet, but she cried out when she tried to put weight on her bad foot.

Instinctively, Sawyer reached for her again. She steadied herself on one foot with his help. Their eyes met, and she bit down on her bottom lip. The desire to kiss her was immediately overwhelming. Sawyer picked her up instead and carried her to her dressing room.

Piper’s arms stayed wrapped around his neck even after he set her back on her good foot. She wasn’t helping him repress those feelings he was trying to avoid.

“You should sit,” he suggested.

Her blue eyes stayed locked on his. “Why did you do that?” she asked.

“Because he’s an idiot,” Heath said, swooping in. He led her to the chaise lounge in the corner of the room. “Come lie down over here.”

Piper’s entourage, as well as several CAA employees, began to fill the room. Sawyer quickly became claustrophobic. He slipped out and found his sister and Hunter waiting outside.

“I can’t believe you made Piper Starling pass out,” Hunter teased. “Just the thought of having to kiss you knocked her out.”

Sawyer shot him a look. “This isn’t funny. She’s hurt and obviously something is wrong.”

“She’s going to be fine,” Faith promised him. “I heard Lana say she was sick before the performance. You know this really isn’t your fault, right?”

“I know. I’m just worried.” He tried to shake off the fear that still lingered. “When she started to go down, my heart stopped.”

Faith patted him on the back. “It was a good thing you did what Dean told you to do. She could have been hurt much worse if you hadn’t been there to catch her.”

Dean came out and placed a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. “We’re going to need you to talk to the press. Tell everyone Piper’s fine. Don’t confirm or deny anything between the two of you. Be as coy as possible.”

“What? I don’t know how to be coy. I’m a straight shooter. You know this.”

“Trust me,” Dean said. “If you play this right, you and Piper will be the headline story tomorrow.”

Headlines were what the business of being famous was all about. This was Sawyer’s chance to prove to Dean how much he wanted this.

“When they ask you if you’re dating Piper, say something like, ‘Wouldn’t you like to know.’ Then smile and they’ll go nuts,” Hunter suggested.

“Sawyer Stratton?” A frazzled-looking production assistant interrupted them. “We’re ready for you in the pressroom. I need you to come with me now,” he said.

Dean gave Sawyer a thumbs-up before slipping back into Piper’s dressing room. How would she feel about Sawyer leading the world to believe there was something going on with them?