Brianna laughed. “I’ll see you—or rather,notsee you—in a bit?”
“You will.” He gave her a wave and turned to go up the stairs, wondering if and how he could tell her that he knew one of the headliners personally through Watchdog.
Chapter 2
Standing beside the St. Vrain River, Brianna took a deep breath and shook her head, disbelieving the insanity of the situation she’d just put herself into. Am I really about to let a total stranger who I met an hour ago listen to me practice the fiddle?Granted, Brock was undeniably easy on the eyes, especially in a wet t-shirt that clung to his six-pack, and he’d proven to be a gentleman—if a bit pushy, but what did she expect from a guy nicknamed Badger?—but she’d never letanyonelisten to her play. Now, she was standing there wondering if Brock was in place yet behind the trunk of the big cottonwood tree. He’d promised to let her know he was there without showing himself and she trusted (mostly) that he would do that.
Even though she’d changed out of her wet bikini and into a long skirt and crop top, she shivered. A tight knot formed in her belly as she picked up her fiddle and bow. She inspected them one more time, looking for any damage done when Brock had dropped them to ‘save’ her from the river. God, her heart had stopped and her blood boiled when she thought he was stealing it. It had belonged to her great-great-possibly-great grandma who had come West from Appalachia after she was orphaned, hoping to strike it rich or marry wealthy. Family legend had it that she played music in a local bordello until the madame fixed her up with a respectable man. At any rate, the fiddle had been in Brianna’s family for generations and she’d had to sneak it out of the attic to play it. When Brianna was eleven, she’d spent her allowance and babysitting money from watching her younger cousins to get it repaired by the local luthier—re-strung, re-pegged, a few small cracks repaired—and back into playing shape. She wasn’t about to letanythinghappen to her baby.
Brianna cleared her throat just in case Brock had forgotten to let her know he’d returned.
She heard a low chuckle that could have been attributed to one of the canyon ravens, except that it sent pleasurable shivers up and down her spine. Damn, not only was he easy on the eyes, but he had a great laugh.
“I’m right here, Brianna. I just got back. I was about to let you know but I guess my stealth skills aren’t what they used to be.”
“Oh, they are. I didn’t hear you at all.” She shielded her eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the water and peered at the tree. “Can’t see you at all, either.”
“I believe that was the point.”
“Sure was.”
“I also believe you’re stalling. So git to fiddlin’,” he drawled.
She rolled her eyes then realized he couldn’t see her expression. “Oh, stop with the terrible accent.”
“I’ll stop when you start. What are you playing first?”
“Think I’ll start with ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’.”
“So a happy one.” His voice was full of sarcasm.
“So you’ve never seenO Brother, Where Art Thou? I take it.”
Brock didn’t answer. He’d gone quiet, giving her no excuse to keep stalling. Brianna blew out her breath.This is it. She tucked the fiddle under her chin and raised the bow. She drew it across the strings, made a couple of adjustments, and started in on the lively opening. Once the music started she forgot he was listening. She closed her eyes and forgot the world—the river rushing by in front of her, the red cliffs across the water, the ravens, the fact that in an hour she was due to perform again in front of the other students and her instructors. For Brianna, there was nothing but the sound coming off the strings.
When she finished, she opened her eyes and blinked against the green-tinted sunlight filtering through the trees. She lowered the fiddle and looked at the cottonwood. Not a sound. She waited, then asked, “Well?”
“That was…sorry, I wanted to clap but I also didn’t want to disturb you. But, that was amazing. Really. Can you play another one?”
Brianna couldn’t believe the awe in his voice. All the swagger and bravado was gone, replaced by admiration. “Thank you.”
“Thankyou,” he said. “I stand by my hunch that you are going to win this thing. And I can say I knew her when.”
“Oh, stop.” She waved her bow in his direction.
“No, I mean it, Brianna. Look, I’m no musician, and I’m more of a straight-up rock and roll kinda guy, but what you just played was amazing.”
Heat filled Brianna’s cheeks. Instead of answering, she played ‘Shady Grove’ which was one of her favorites. Brock stayed silent through two more songs. By the time she was done, Brianna felt like she could play in front of the world.
Maybe.
Brianna opened her eyes. “Hey, Brock?”
“Yeah? Everything okay?”
“Do you think…could you come out and actually watch me? Like, where I can see you?”
“My pleasure.”
