Suddenly, Annie's Father

Laurie’s expression brightened. “Let me see,” she said, putting the guitar aside to kneel down beside Val. “Dallas, Tucson, San Antonio, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver. Why is everything in the Southwest? Does Nick know something I don’t? Am I losing fans in the South?”

“No, you are not losing fans anywhere. The schedule won’t be like this when Nick is finished with the bookings,” Val assured her, then grinned. “We both just thought you’d prefer to be close to home around the time the baby’s due.”

“I am not pregnant,” Laurie repeated with a stubborn jut of her chin.

“Saying it won’t make it true,” Val taunted. “See a doctor, Laurie. Take a home pregnancy test. Do something before you drive both of us nuts.”

She glanced up just then and spotted Annie standing hesitantly on the deck outside.

“Is it okay?” Annie whispered, her awestruck gaze fixed on Laurie, though the question was directed to Val.

“Of course it’s okay,” Val said. “Laurie, this is Annie Sutton.”

“Hi,” Annie said shyly, not budging from outside. “My dad said not to bother you, if you were busy.”

“We’re not busy,” Laurie said. “More’s the pity.”

“You were singing before,” Annie said. “I heard you. I hope that’s okay.”

Val wondered how much more Annie had heard before she’d made her presence known. Her expression, however, was totally innocent. Maybe she’d been so captivated just being near Laurie that she hadn’t been paying any attention to the rest.

Laurie grinned at her. “What did you think of the song? Tell the truth. I can take it.”

“I thought it was awesome, not as sad as what you usually do,” Annie said, creeping inside. “Is it finished?”

“Not yet. I can’t decide if I like it.” Laurie studied Annie intently. “You really liked it, huh?”

Annie nodded. “Especially the part about finding someone new inside. I feel like that sometimes, as if I’m not who I was anymore, but I don’t know yet who I am.”

Val saw the sudden inspiration flare to life in Laurie’s eyes. She grabbed her guitar off the sofa and began to toy with the lyrics that she’d been struggling with earlier. Annie crept closer and sat down to listen, her rapt gaze never leaving Laurie’s face.

Time seemed to stand still as Laurie captured what Annie had so eloquently expressed, and turned it into the beginnings of a song. As the first words flowed, Val grabbed a pad and jotted them down. She knew from experience that Laurie would want to see them in black and white later. For now, she was too caught up in the creative process to take the time to make sure the words weren’t lost as soon as they were uttered.

When the last notes faded away, Annie looked as if she’d been given a precious gift. “That’s what I said,” she whispered. “You sang what I said.”

Laurie grinned. “You inspired it, all right. Thank you. I was stuck until you came in here.”

“You mean I helped? I really helped?”

“More than you’ll know,” Val told her fervently. Maybe now Laurie would realize that the only block to her continued success was in her own mental attitude toward the future. “Now let’s get out of here and let Laurie work in peace. She won’t be happy until every note’s perfect.”

“I thought it sounded perfect just the way it was,” Annie told her.

“Not yet,” Laurie said. “But thanks to you, it’s getting there.”

Annie followed Val to the door with obvious reluctance. Just as they were about to go out, she turned back. “What’s it called?”

“‘Where’d I Go?’” Laurie told her. “But I’m going to think of it as Annie’s song. And whenever I sing it, I’ll tell the audience about the young lady who helped me write it.”

“Oh, wow!” Annie murmured, eyes shining. “Wait till my dad hears about this.” Outside, she gazed up at Val. “Do you think she really meant it? Will she put that song on an album? Will she really tell people about me?”

“She’ll have to run it past some people, but I’d say yes. Laurie usually knows a hit when she hears it.” Unwittingly, Annie had captured Laurie’s own mood with her words. She’d given her an excuse for writing about the changes that scared Laurie to death. The meeting had been good for both of them. “As for telling her fans about you, Laurie always gives credit where it’s due.”

Val grinned down at Annie. “How about you and I go into town and celebrate? I’ll buy you the biggest sundae they serve at Dolan’s. Remember? That’s the place I told you about. If we’re lucky, Sharon Lynn will have her new baby there with her.”

“Really? You can go now? You don’t have to work or something?”

“I can go. Let’s see if your dad says it’s okay for you to come along.”

Some of the light in Annie’s eyes faded. “He won’t care. He’s working. I haven’t seen him all day. He told me to stick close to home and not get into trouble.”

“Ask him anyway,” Val insisted. “He’s probably at the stables. I’ll wait at the car.”

Annie gave her a put-upon look, but she scampered off dutifully. Val resisted the temptation to follow and make sure she actually talked to Slade. Annie needed to have someone trust her, and Val needed to learn to resist the urge to make excuses to catch a glimpse of Slade. It was way past time to try out a new strategy. Straightforward hadn’t cut it. Maybe the old-fashioned way—playing elusive and hard-to-get— would work.

Annie came back waving a five-dollar bill. “He said okay, but he’s treating.”

Val was oddly pleased by the gesture. It could hardly be counted as a date, since he wasn’t even coming along, but it would be the first thing Slade had ever given her. Too bad she couldn’t preserve an ice cream sundae as a souvenir. Maybe she’d tuck that five-dollar bill into a scrapbook, instead.

* * *

Seeing Annie and Val with their heads together was enough to send goosebumps sliding down Slade’s back. It had been occurring with distressing regularity ever since Annie’s arrival earlier in the week.

Over dinner on Annie’s first night, all Slade had heard was “Val said this” and “Val said that.” He probably should have been grateful that Annie was talking to him at all, but all he could think about was the topic. He had enough trouble keeping his mind off Val without her name coming up every two seconds. Still, he’d gritted his teeth and listened to every word Annie had to say about this new friend she’d acquired.

“And she said she’d take me into town tomorrow,” she’d said, her eyes bright with excitement. “There’s this place, Dolan’s, that has ice cream and hamburgers. It’s owned by a lady named Sharon Lynn. You probably know her. Her dad’s your boss or something. Anyway, Val said Dolan’s is the place to go in Los Piños. Or she said we could go for pizza. It’s not like one of those national chains. It’s made by a real Italian family. I think they came from Rome way back even. Anyway, she said it’s my choice. So, what do you think?”

What Slade thought was that the woman was as pesky as flies at a picnic. There hadn’t been a single day since she’d first turned up at White Pines that she’d minded her own business. If she got it into her head to befriend Annie, it could only mean trouble. It would start with ice cream and pizza, but who knew where it would lead? Still, he couldn’t bring himself to put a damper on Annie’s enthusiasm by saying no.

“If you want to go, it’s fine,” he’d said. “Just don’t take advantage. I’ll give you the money for your food.”

“No, it’s her treat. She said so.”

But when Annie had come to him for permission, he’d insisted on giving her the money for ice cream. A gentleman didn’t let a lady pay. The lesson had been drilled into him by his mother and echoed by his father. It had stuck, which he supposed made him some kind of an old-fashioned oddity in this day and age of dutch treat and ladies doing the asking for dates. On the circuit he’d been astounded by just how brazen some women were, even once they knew he was married.

Annie and Val went for ice cream and burgers on Monday. They had pizza on Tuesday. Val planned a swim in the creek and a picnic on Wednesday. The two of them were thick as thieves. Yes, indeed, it made his skin crawl. Annie needed a new friend, one who wasn’t old enough and sexy enough to make her daddy’s heart pump quite so hard.

Kids her own age would be good, he concluded, and the ranch was crawling with them. Was it possible to arrange some sort of play date at Annie’s age? He could talk to Cody about it. Or should he just pray that the kids found each other before hearing about Val drove him nuts?

The thought had barely occurred to him when he spotted Val striding toward him with a purposeful gleam in her eyes. Watching her walk was a thoroughly entertaining experience. The woman’s hips swayed provocatively enough to make a man’s blood steam, especially when she got the notion to wear a pair of kick-ass heels that made her legs look long and willowy, despite the fact that she was just a little bitty thing. She’d worn those heels today as if she knew the effect they had on him.

He indulged in a moment of purely masculine appreciation before he reminded himself that that expression on her face spelled upheaval.

“Whatever it is, the answer is no,” he announced emphatically when she was several yards away. He turned his attention back to the horse he’d been grooming before he’d caught sight of Val.

When she remained silent for way too long, he risked a glance up. She gave him one of her irrepressible grins. “Good. I have your attention. Just for the record, I haven’t asked for anything yet.”

“But you will,” he muttered. “You always do.”