Otis relaxed further, the serenity of the land out here seeping into his soul and slowing him down.
The stage had a roof, which would help keep the sound condensed and pointed toward the cameras, and Otis could see the slim pole heaters that were in all four corners, and then the four poles throughout the stage area. Someone haddug a line through the snow and painted it bright blue, and in the cleared area on the other side stood all of their equipment, the stools, the guitars—anything they wouldn’t be using when they walked out on stage the first time. Under the tent blew two more heaters that warded off the Wyoming chill and would keep their instruments warm.
Daylight had started to fade, and tension returned to Otis’s shoulders. Someone came outside and he looked over to Tex.
“This is going to be great,” his older brother said, ever the easygoing one. “Are you excited to perform with OJ?”
Otis found himself nodding. Finally, the thing that Georgia had asked him to do settled inside him. “Yeah,” he said. “This is going to be a great time.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Joey bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, the excitement riding in the air at Bryce’s ranch sending electricity through her whole body. Adam was the most gorgeous man in attendance, though the entire Young family had shown up for this inaugural concert of the horse rescue ranch charity series. He’d been flitting here and there, taking care of last-minute preparations, and now he stood on the stage with Uncle Morris.
The main cameraman brought his hand down, and Morris grinned for all he was worth. “Welcome everyone, far and wide,” he said, his huge personality suddenly coming out. “I’m Morris Young, manager of Country Quad.” He chuckled. “At least for a couple more days.” He glanced over to Adam. “See, it’s time for me to step down, and in my place, I—and Country Quad—are thrilled to welcome Adam Harmon as the new manager of the band.”
Off to the side, Boston raised a sign that saidApplause, and everyone who had come to the ranch to see the concert broke into clapping and cheering, Joey included. She knew this was all for show, but she couldn’t erase her smile nonetheless.
“We’re happy to have such an amazing, detail-oriented person on staff with us now,” Morris said. “And we’re excited to bring you this five-concert series over the next two weeks, as we raise money and awareness for the horse rescue operations in the United States and Canada. I’m going to let Adam talk to you a little bit more about that.” He handed the mic to Adam and walked right off the stage, his part of the concert done.
Adam possessed all of the same charisma and charm as her country music star uncles, and he beamed at the camera as if it were his best friend. “I’m thrilled to be working with Country Quad in this new capacity,” he said. “Some of you may know me from working with Harry Young for the past several years, though it was in a completely different role. You may have also seen Bryce Young playing with Country Quad on some of their last concert tours that they’ve done. Now, the band is officially retired. I don’t want to have any rumors about that.”
He chuckled, but Adam hated rumors and gossip. Joey pressed her gloved hands to her mouth, simply enraptured with him.
“But when Bryce approached his father and his uncles about doing a charity concert series to raise money andawareness for the horse rescue operations out there, we were all on board immediately.”
Joey knew that wasn’t quite true, but she suppressed her giggle.
“See, Bryce himself owns thisbeautifulhorse rescue ranch where we stand today. It’s called the Rising Sun Ranch, because he and his partner, Kassie Avery, hoped to give the abused and neglected horses out here a new lease on life—a new day with a rising sun, where they can live and work and be the magnificent creatures that God created them to be.”
Wow, Joey thought. She had no idea who had written Adam’s speech, but he delivered it with absolute perfection. She couldn’t look away from him, everything about him shiny and attractive to her.
“We’ve set up a website where we’re taking your donations tonight—and throughout the next couple of weeks until our final concert on Three Kings Day, which is January sixth. All proceeds will benefit horse rescue operations like Bryce’s, which is a nonprofit ranch here in Wyoming.
“Half of the money will go to his ranch to help care for some of the magnificent horses that you see behind me. The other half will go to Teton Shadow Rescue, a horse operation on the other side of Yellowstone National Park, in Montana.”
A man walked onto the stage from the right, and Bryce from the left.
“You remember Bryce Young.” Adam beamed at him andshook his hand. “When he’s not playing the guitar, he’s now a proud new daddy who runs this horse rescue operation with his wife and best friend, with over forty-two horses here in need of care. And this is Stan Morgan,” he said, indicating the other cowboy on the stage. “He’s the owner of Teton Shadow Rescue, and he runs an operation of overone hundredhorses.”
Boston flipped his sign toAwww, and Joey added her voice to the soundtrack, saying, “Wow, ooh,” along with everyone else.
“I’m sure most people don’t know what it takes to feed and care for forty-two horses, or one hundred horses,” Adam said. “But these two gentlemen do, and it takes a lot of time, dedication, supplies, feed, expertise, knowledge, and money. We’re asking you to donate whatever you can. We’re going to keep an updated piggy bank on the website, and I’m pleased to announce that we’ll havethreeorganizations matching any donations that come through the website in the next two weeks.”
“First, Country Quad will match any donation, dollar for dollar.”
Boston flipped the sign again, and Joey whooped and cheered all over again.
“Second, the Young family has a rich tradition in the rodeo, and Blaze, Jem, Cash, Cole, and Rosie Young are going to be matching your donations, dollar for dollar, on behalf of the rodeo in which they participate.”
Joey bounced on her toes again as her uncles and cousins marched onto the stage and waved to the cameras,her pride swelling. “I didn’t know they were doing that,” she said to Georgia, who shone like a star too.
“Me either,” she called back over the applause.
“And finally, the Wyoming Animal Rescue, a private nonprofit operation that has locations in Cheyenne, Laramie, and Jackson Hole, is going to be matching your donations, dollar for dollar.”
Tears actually pricked Joey’s eyes then. Adam had not told her about the matching donations, and for some reason, they touched her heart. She’d been to Bryce’s ranch just to ride horses, and she’d seen how hard her cousin worked. She’d personally witnessed him and Codi struggling through hot summers and dry conditions, and then winters with dozens of feet of snow and that wicked Wyoming wind that never abated.
