Page 31 of Broncos and Ballads (Healing Springs Ranch #2)

Maybe he shouldn’t have come.

Brock stood with Reed’s friends and groomsmen in the palm-thatched bar overlooking the mirrored infinity pool.

The view was amazing, with the ocean spreading out beyond the pool and the darkening evening sky laced with pink and purple.

The live band on the opposite side of the bar was providing cultural music, and the scent of the seafood made his stomach growl.

The resort was posh and mostly private. His room was peaceful, with an ocean view. The staff had been polite, and he’d been assigned his own butler for the stay, as was the custom for all guests.

He couldn’t complain. Even so, he’d been second-guessing his decision to join in Reed’s bachelor party all day, even after his jet had taken off from Nashville.

He’d started half a dozen texts to Reed on the way to Los Cabos with one excuse or another for changing his plans.

But in the end, he’d deleted every single one and finally put his phone away.

The truth was, the lure to see Venus was too great to resist. And he was obviously a glutton for punishment, because being around her would be torture. But staying away when he had the chance to be near her would also be torture.

Either way, he was in a losing situation, just as he’d been since she’d left him.

He pretended to grin at something one of the others said, but he could hardly concentrate on anything, was too keyed up waiting for Venus to make her appearance.

Since Reed hadn’t come down yet to the oceanfront area where they were having dinner, Brock guessed Reed and Venus must be hanging out.

Seeing them together would only remind him of how she’d rejected him because she still cared about Reed.

Acid rose up in his throat, and he took a sip of his Mountain Dew. He needed to go. He would never make it through the evening, much less the weekend.

He’d hardly been able to survive at his ranch over the past week, had gone crazy thinking about her and wanting to be with her.

Even though he’d tried to stay busy with friends and all the things he loved about his ranch, she’d invaded every thought in almost every activity during every second.

She’d even crowded his sleep and dreams.

Yep, he’d been a fool to come.

He took another drink and glanced at the pathway that led to the lobby. Maybe he should have his butler pack his bags and alert his pilot that he wanted to leave.

A hand clamped his shoulder. “So, head over boot heels, huh?” Dallas, Reed’s lead guitar player, grinned at him, his leathery face crinkled. As usual, Dallas had secured his long brown-gray hair in a ponytail.

“Yep. That’s me.” Brock had glanced at the Rolling Stone article for only a second before he’d swiped it closed earlier in the afternoon.

Looking at the pictures with Venus in his arms, holding her hand, sitting together in the hot spring, riding horses side by side, had been too much.

Emotion had swelled swiftly and keenly, swamping him with such need for her that he’d had to close his eyes, breathe deeply, and force down the pain that had burned through him.

“You’re the man.” Dallas slapped Brock on the arm. “Don’t know how you did it, but she’s head over boot heels for you too. Although I don’t know why she fell for an ugly coot like you.”

Brock laughed and so did the other men around him. But at the same time, his heart sank.

How should he explain his and Venus’s relationship now? And how were they supposed to interact with each other this weekend?

Brock hadn’t thought that far ahead. Now, with the Rolling Stone article out there, most people—including Reed’s friends and groomsmen—would expect him and Venus to be really close and serious about each other.

He definitely shouldn’t have come.

As the other men teased him about the article and claimed she’d lassoed him, he finished his drink and tried to banter back.

All the while, the panic inside him kept growing.

He had to get away before she made her appearance.

Because if he was standing there when she showed up, everyone was sure to see that something was wrong.

Even though Reed’s bachelor party was small—not more than twenty guys—the other guests and staff would be watching him and Venus too. Although the resort had a rule that prohibited guests from taking photos of the celebrities that stayed here, the gossip would find a way to the media regardless.

As soon as the conversation shifted toward one of the other men, Brock backed up and tried to make his getaway.

He was stopped only a couple of times as he wound down the pathway past palm trees and exotic flowering plants.

Excuses raced through his head—anything plausible that he could tell Reed for why he couldn’t stay.

Not that his friend would care if he left. In fact, Reed probably hadn’t wanted to invite him to the bachelor party in the first place. No doubt Reed’s manager had insisted on it and had encouraged the friendship the same way Harper had.

Brock flung open the lobby door and stepped inside only to nearly barrel into the man in question.

Reed took a quick step back. “Hey, Brock.” Attired in casual shorts and a button-down shirt that had palm trees on it, Reed looked relaxed and ready for a night of fun.

His sandy-blond hair was damp and slicked back, and his face was clean-shaven, revealing a tan, probably from a day out in the sun riding ATVs on the beach with the other men.

If Reed was here, then Venus had to be nearby. Brock’s pulse raced, and his gaze shot around the elegant lobby while his body tightened with the need to see her.

She was always easy to spot, not only because of how beautiful she was but because she carried herself with such poise and grace and confidence. As his gaze flitted around from one person to the next, he didn’t see her.

Disappointment mingled with desperation. He’d thought for sure she would arrive to dinner with Reed. So where was she?

He needed to see her before he left. If he could get a glimpse of her face, look into her eyes, and maybe earn a small smile, then maybe he’d be able to leave without feeling such a huge aching hole in his chest.

“Where you headed?” Reed’s brows rose, and his tone carried an edge.

“I’m sorry, Reed.” Brock tried to rein in his pulse and his thoughts. “I’m happy for you and Lexi and wish I could stay to celebrate with you, but I’ve gotta go…”

Reed nodded. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

“No doubt about it.”

“Good.”

Reed glanced toward the elevators nervously. Almost as if he didn’t want Brock to be there when the elevator doors opened. Because Venus was coming.

Brock’s pulse spurted again. At that moment, the elevator dinged, and the doors began to slide open.

“Venus told me everything,” Reed said quickly.

Brock didn’t want to take his gaze off the elevator, but something in Reed’s tone drew him. “Everything?” What did that mean?

“That you told her you loved her but that she doesn’t love you back.”

At her lack of love stated so plainly, Brock’s gut twisted.

“She also told me that you didn’t have a real relationship, that it was all arranged by your managers.” Reed’s expression was slightly smug.

Brock didn’t know what to say. A part of him was hurt that Venus had shared their private information with Reed. But another part of him understood why she’d done so. Reed was her best friend, and she’d needed someone to confide in. After all, he’d almost told his dad and his family.

He still hadn’t answered the text from his dad from last week, the one where he’d apologized for pushing Brock with Venus.

The last words of the text had sifted around Brock’s mind all week: Everyone’s love story is different.

I’m sorry for trying to write it my way instead of letting you write it yours.

“Listen,” Reed said, dropping his voice. “It’s hard not to fall for Venus, but she needs someone who can give her the love she deserves.”

Brock’s spine stiffened with an irrational spurt of jealousy. “And who exactly is that someone, Reed? Is it you? Because last I checked, you were getting married to Lexi.”

“Or course it’s not me. But it’s definitely not you, either.” Reed glanced in the direction of the elevator.

Brock followed his gaze and found himself looking at Venus. She’d exited the elevator, taken several steps, but now stood absolutely motionless in the flow of other guests moving around her.

She was as stunning as always in a sleek sundress that covered one shoulder and left the other bare. The slit in the skirt left a long portion of her leg showing. Her hair was twisted into an updo that revealed more of her exquisite skin.

Even from the distance across the lobby, Brock felt the inevitable sizzle that sparked every time they were together.

Maybe Reed was right, that it was hard not to fall for Venus.

Maybe every guy felt chemistry with her.

And maybe the best thing to do was to let her find someone else—someone she could love, because she obviously didn’t love him.

She’d actually told Reed that she didn’t love him back, and if that wasn’t humiliating, Brock didn’t know what was.

Regardless of what he should or shouldn’t do, he was as captivated by her as always. Her wide blue eyes held his with a power that made him forget every reason why he’d been about to leave the resort. He was suddenly breathless and needed to talk to her and touch her and be near her.

He took a step, but Reed grasped his arm and halted him.

“I thought you had to go,” Reed said, straining to hold Brock back.

Yep, he needed to tuck his tail between his legs, admit defeat, and return home. He’d had his shot with Venus, and he couldn’t grovel at her feet, begging her to give them a chance the way he had in his numerous voicemails.

He was tempted to call himself a failure again, especially recently, because his thoughts had been dark and his inspiration gone and even his desire to sing was absent. He hadn’t been able to stop from wondering if he’d end up a failure in his career just as he’d been a failure in love.

But if this was his story that he was writing for both love and life, then why did he have to settle for failure?

Maybe he wouldn’t do everything the same way his dad had done, and maybe his choices would be a disappointment to his dad.

But ultimately, he had to write his story his way and in his time.

Brock fisted his hands at his sides. He’d already fought hard for Venus, and for now he had to let her go, the same way he had when she’d left the ranch. The best thing was to stick with his decision to leave Los Cabos.

He tugged free from Reed’s hold. “I’m heading on out.”

“I’ll see you at the wedding?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be there, do you?”

“Probably not.”

With that, Brock gave Reed a last nod, then he strode toward the elevators but kept a distance from Venus. Even then, he couldn’t avoid passing by her, and he refused to ignore her. He wasn’t that kind of guy. He also cared about her too much to pretend to be cold.

He slowed just a little and tried to give her a smile that felt more like a grimace. “Hey there, darlin’.” The words I missed you and I love you and I can’t live without you were on the tip of his tongue. But somehow, he managed to bite them back.

“Hi.” Her response was breathless. Was it also filled with longing? Was that longing in her eyes—her stunning blue eyes that matched the clear blue ocean water?

He nearly stumbled but managed to keep himself from going down like an idiot. “Hope you have a great time this weekend.”

Her brow furrowed.

He forced himself to keep walking and head toward the elevators. With each step, he felt her gaze searing into him.

“Are you leaving?” Her question finally came.

“Yep. Heading out right now.” He halted at one of the elevator doors and tapped the arrow going up.

“But we all just got here, and the party hasn’t even started.” Did her voice have a note of desperation to it?

He couldn’t keep himself from turning around and facing her.

The lines in her forehead and around her eyes made her look distressed. Was she upset he was leaving, or was something else going on? “You all right, darlin’?”