Page 80 of Country Music Cowboy

She grabbed her purse and hurried out of her room to the elevators.

“Loretta?” It was Sawyer.

“Sawyer.” She sniffed.Damn tears.

“Is everything okay?” His voice was low and soft.

She nodded.

“Are you going somewhere?”

She nodded, wiping a tear away.

“Do you need a ride?” He was studying her.

A ride? She’d have to get a taxi.

“I’m off the clock.” He cleared his throat. “You seem upset, Loretta.” He reached out and placed his hand on her arm. “I can help.”

“Yes, Sawyer. Thank you.” She nodded, breathing a little easier. “I need a ride.”

He nodded, guiding her onto the elevator and pressing the button without another word. He led her through the back hallways and kitchen, then out through the service exit to the vehicles he and the security team had waiting.

“Backseat,” he said, holding the door open. “Just in case there are cameras waiting.”

“Right.” She let go of the front passenger door handle. “Of course.” She climbed into the car.

“Where are we going?” he asked, pulling out of the parking garage and onto the relatively busy streets of downtown Salt Lake City.

“The South Salt Lake City Police Department.” She met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “My father’s been arrested.”

***

Travis held the manila envelope in his hands, hoping Loretta would stop long enough for them to set things straight. Sawyer said she’d seemed extra emotional when she’d given back the song. Travis hoped that was a good thing.

But that was before. Now his mind was scrambling to make sense of what he’d just seen. Sawyer and Loretta. Leaving together.

Then he was back to the night everything changed. The night he’d walked into Loretta’s dressing room and found Sawyer, crouching by Loretta’s chair. Worse, Sawyer’s expression. Concern. Sawyer rarely emoted… Like it or not, that meant something.

Could something be going on between them? He reached into his pocket, turning the guitar pick over and over.

Bullshit.Sawyer wasn’t interested in Loretta. Even if he was, he wouldn’t go after her because he knew how Travis felt about her.

Loretta was a different story. She was fighting it, but she still wanted him. When they were singing onstage, hell—sitting across the room from each other, the air was alive and electric between them.

But wanting him didn’t mean she couldn’t want someone else too. She’d made this clear from the get-go that this was about sex. They’d never talked about being exclusive, either. Technically, she didn’t owe him a thing—including monogamy. There could be someone else. Someone like Sawyer.

His lungs compressed so hard and fast his chest hurt. Sure, he’d let himself believe it was more because that’s what he wanted to believe. The truth was another story.

What the hell was going on?

First things first, calm the fuck down.

If there was ever a time to practice self-management, it was right now. How he reacted to this was his choice.

“I’m choosing to calm the fuck down,” he muttered. Clear his head. Get some perspective. Think through what he wanted and what steps he could take to get there. Since he had zero experience with this sort of thing, he could sit here and spin his wheels or he could get some help.

He walked down the hall to Emmy Lou’s room, hoping like hell she was still awake. He adored both of his sisters, but tonight he needed less sarcasm and more support. She and Krystal wanted to do the whole family breakfast thing in the morning, so he had a key card to her room. With any luck, she’d still be up. If not…well, maybe he’d check out the hotel gym and see if he could sweat some of this shit out.