“That was amazing.” Jamie stood and gave them an ovation. “I love that song, girls, but you’re missing a singer.” She picked up Clayton’s guitar from the couch. “Mind if I join you?”
“Would you, Miss Jamie?” Emily pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture.
“Please sing with us!” Charlotte ran over and hugged her.
Jamie nodded, tuning the guitar. “As long as I get to be Dolly.”
Clayton arched a skeptical eyebrow. “You know this song?”
Jamie nodded. “By heart.”
She strummed the first few bars and Emily picked up Linda Ronstadt’s part. Charlotte followed with Emmylou Harris’s verse. When the chorus came Jamie joined in and took Dolly’s turn. Their voices blended effortlessly, filling the room with warmth.
When the song ended Jamie turned to Clayton—and froze. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, disappearing into his beard.
“You okay?” she asked gently.
Charlotte ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”
Clayton wiped his face with the back of his wrist. “That’s the most beautiful dang thing I’ve ever heard.” His eyes, still glistening, locked onto Jamie’s. “Thank you.”
“Thank them, not me.” She smiled. “It was their idea.” She hesitated, then added, “But I just had one of my own.”
Clayton tipped his baseball cap, amusement flickering in his expression. “Now, don’t hurt yourself, darlin’.”
“Very funny.” She pointed toward the door. “Can I have a word outside?”
His smirk faded and he let out a low groan, resting his hands on his knees. “Am I in trouble?”
“Oh no, Daddy’s in trouble!” Emily giggled, wagging a finger. “You should ground him.”
Jamie shook her head with a grin and stepped outside. The heat hit instantly—thick, smoggy, the kind of stifling warmth she never missed about Los Angeles.
Clayton followed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, if you felt pressured to sing—”
She cut him off. “I offered.”
He nodded, glancing away. “Still, it meant a lot.” He exhaled, almost as if steadying himself. “That song . . . it got to me.”
Jamie studied him for a beat, then asked, “How would you feel if I asked the girls to sing with me tonight?”
He didn’t answer right away. The pause stretched long enough for doubt to creep in. Had she overstepped?
Finally he looked at her, his expression unreadable—until it softened. “I reckon they’d love that.”
Before she could respond he pulled her into a hug—tight, warm, lingering. His breath was steady against her ear as he whispered, “Thank you.”
She pulled back, searching his face. “For what?”
“For being more of a mother to them than Tammy ever was. I try my best to raise them, but they need a woman’s touch.”
The words landed hard, leaving Jamie momentarily breathless. Was she getting too attached? To Charlotte and Emily, to the Langley family? How was she supposed to leave at the end of the tour, walk away like none of this mattered?
Of course she would miss them. That wasn’t even a question.
And damn it, she’d miss their father, too. Even if he was a royal pain in the ass. But somehow she’d gotten used to him being around.
And that might be the biggest problem of all.
