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Melody appeared in front of the stage with a loaded tray of drinks held up in one hand. “And they say I’m impulsive and stupid.”

Lyric leaned down, away from the microphone, and said, “Anyone says that about you, I’ll kick their ass.”

“This is a bad idea,” Melody warned, walking off with the drinks just as Rick took the stage with her.

Don’t I know it?

She notched her chin toward the second microphone. “I’ll play and back you up, you sing. Ready?”

“Um, this is the first time I’ve ever sung to this many people.”

“Then, make it good.” No pressure. They just had about a hundred and fifty people waiting on them.

She didn’t let Rick overthink it and started playing the song. He missed the cue to start, so she replayed the intro, held his gaze, and sang him into the song. Once the lyrics started flowing, she let him take it on his own, backing him up just like they’d done today when they wrote the song.

It wasn’t flawless by any means, but people were listening, dancing, and caught onto the chorus and sang along to it. She played the last few notes and letthe music fade. With a smile for Rick and a job well done, she announced, “Rick Rowe, everyone!”

The crowd gave them a round of applause, and they took a bow.

Rick pulled her into a hug, the guitar between them, keeping him from crushing her body to his. She gave him a second, then pushed back and away from him.

“Thank you, Lyric. What a rush! That was awesome!”

Lyric set the guitar aside and let the crowd get lost in the recorded playlist she’d already set up for the break. She waved her hand out for Rick to precede her offstage. They accepted a bunch of appreciation for the song from a ton of people as they made their way to the bar.

Aria handed her a bottle of water and a fresh beer to Rick.

“Seriously, that rocked. Oh my God, I can’t believe I just did that.” He had that mad rush of a high she got when she played onstage.

“You need to do it more, so you’re comfortable in front of a crowd,” she suggested.

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

Fuck.She really wanted to say that out loud but held her tongue.

Of course he thought she meant he could play the stage with her here.

She shook her head. “No. I mean you need to do that back home. Or wherever. This was a one-time thing.”

“You say that now, but when I’m big, you’ll beg me to play here in Nowhere, Wyoming.”

She wouldn’t beg him for anything, least of all to play at her bar. “The crowd enjoyed the song.” They were already primed and riding the high from the band playing for them the last hour.

Rick needed to work on his confidence, his pitch and tone, and his engagement with the audience. You only got that last one by performing for people. Yes, there were nerves, but you had to use that energy to pull the crowd in, then you could feed off their vibe.

There was nothing like it when the crowd was into the music and amped. She loved it.

And right now, Rick was riding the high of it.

It could be addictive.

She downed her water.

“Let’s do another song,” he coaxed.

“The band will be back in ten minutes. I need a break, too.”

“Come on. One more.”