Page 35 of Love Is a War Song

I stayed away from the barn and Lucas as much as I could for a day. We could not afford to slip up and get caught by Lottie or the guys. I had to focus on my part of the bargain and save the ranch.

Getting access to the phone lately had been impossible. Lottie was on the phone with her Realtor and what seemed like every bank in the country. She would hide away in her room or the study with the door closed so I couldn’t eavesdrop and see how bad it was getting.

With the ranch’s laptop, it was easy to get business done, all without cc’ing my mother—a first. Luckily, we did not have a joint bank account.

She took a ten percent manager commission off all my checks, but what was left over after paying my agent and entertainment lawyer was mine.

My lawyer and financial adviser returned my emails, and their news was a devastating blow.

To add insult to injury, Niles left my messages unanswered, so the state of my album and music video was still up in the air.

The song I was working on had potential to be something big, I could feel it in every fiber of my being.

If only I could record it and release it, I just knew it would take off.

If I could work on getting a licensing deal for it or something, that could help us fund Lucas’s ranch plans.

But without word from my label, I was stuck.

These plans could never come to fruition unless I found capital, and fast.

We all had finished breakfast a while ago and Lottie was going to visit Bessie with her friends.

I had to tell Lucas the truth, and maybe we could come up with a plan together.

I tucked the laptop under my arm and headed for Lucas’s trailer.

The heat always surprised me every time I walked outside from an air-conditioned place.

I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it. I was panting by the time I reached Lucas’s door.

I had to calm my breathing for many reasons.

It was just a few days since we’d decided to be “business partners” only, but my body still craved Lucas’s touch, especially after our slipup with the hose.

I had been trying to keep my distance. When I was satisfied that my breathing was normal enough, I knocked.

Immediately, the breath was knocked from my lungs again as Lucas pushed open his door and poked his head out. He must have just finished his chores and showered, as his hair was wet and curling. He lifted his chin in greeting then opened the door wider to let me in.

He was shirtless. Fantastic.

He closed the door behind me and motioned for me to sit at the table. I was nervous. I was a woman of her word, and now after he had given me so much lately by showing me the ropes around here, I wasn’t going to be able to deliver.

I started worrying my hands until I found a hangnail and started picking, looking at the spot on the table in front of Lucas. I needed a moment to gather my courage.

“Are you okay?” he asked, bending his head so it was in my line of vision.

“Yes and no…”

He sat, blinking, waiting for me to continue.

“I can’t buy the ranch.”

“What do you mean?”

I let it all out in a whoosh. After I finished explaining, my heart started rapidly beating, waiting for his reaction. He straightened back up.

“So let me get this straight. You’re rich but not really rich?”

“Basically.”

“What about all the royalties from the song?”

“I get practically nothing. I didn’t write it. With how the contract is structured, I owe Grand Records the money they advanced me before I see any other money. What I have is from my acting residuals and a few investments.”

“It’s not enough,” he agreed.

“I know and I’m so sorry. I really thought things were a lot cheaper out here.”

“Hey, don’t apologize. You tried your best.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “Property is cheaper out here than California, but this is a lot of land with mature lumber and the business as well.”

“My best isn’t good enough. Maybe your dad is right, and Lottie would accept a much lower all-cash offer to rid herself of the headache.”

“Never say that again.” Lucas’s tone was sharp. “My father is never right. I would never shortchange a woman who has helped me.”

“She’s my grandmother, I’d never want to do that either. But what if we just approached her with this idea. Maybe she would accept it?”

He shook his head. “Lottie’s too proud.”

“So, you think she’d rather sell to a complete stranger than let us help her? We don’t even know how much she owes the bank. It could be so much less than the list price.”

“Did your lawyer finish setting up the foundation?”

“Well, the good news is the paperwork was filed for the Fox Equine-Assisted Therapy Ranch Foundation.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“It can take thirty days or more to hear back on the approval.”

“Shit,” he muttered.

“I am nothing if not a problem solver, so I have a work-around.” I beamed, turning the laptop around to show Lucas the screen. “Ta-da!”

Lucas peered at it before his eyes widened. “A crowdsource campaign. This is great.”

“And a handy QR code we can share with anyone and everyone.”

“You put the goal as one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Why?”

“Because I can get a loan with that down payment.”

“There is already an anonymous donation of twenty-five grand.” He looked at me over the laptop screen.

“It was all I could move myself online.”

“This is brilliant. You’re brilliant.” He closed the laptop, pushing it to the side. “Thank you for doing all of this.”

Lucas folded his arms on the table, and I had to look away, but there was so much of him. He needed a shirt or something. The way his muscles rippled with power from such a casual motion was indecent. How was I supposed to keep up a professional pretense when he did things like that subconsciously?

“My eyes are up here.”

I ripped my vision from his pecs and blushed as he chuckled.

“It’s time for your biggest lesson on being Indian.”

“And what is that?” I gulped, because even though he was talking casually, the sexual power this man exuded was too much for little ol’ me. I was going to have to get out of here quick.

“Community. We can’t do this ourselves, even Lottie has tried it and failed. We need to ask for help and really publicize the hell out of the crowdsourcing through word of mouth. We need all of Broken Arrow behind us.”

“What, like a fundraising event?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Do we have enough time to do it? We are already close to the thirty-day deadline the bank gave Lottie.” Knowing everything that went into planning my shows, I was a bit skeptical.

“Oh, we have time. We just need to get the word out. Keep it casual. Lottie has done so much for everyone. I haven’t been the only person she has taken in over the years.

They will all come out and support. Especially if we can get it online and crowdsource hard.

This town has over a hundred thousand people in it.

Even if we only had a couple thousand people contribute and come to the event, we can get the bank off of her back. ”

“You have a lot of faith in this little town. No one I’ve ever known has shown up for people in this way.”

“We’re in rural America. Community is all we have here.”

His optimism was infectious. I wish I could have been the savior and swoop in with my credit card and make it all better, but I couldn’t.

What I did have was a network of people I had accumulated for years.

Even if it was likely that no one would take my calls, for Lottie and this ranch, I would reach out and keep trying.

“I can’t promise anything, but I could try to make some calls and get more publicity for it, see if I can cash in on a few favors to get more talent here. ”

“We have so many local bands too. We can host it here on the property, set up a dance floor, include food and drinks.” Lucas sounded excited, and as he talked, I could see the event unfold in my mind, almost like a fair with booths of food, activities, music, and lots of dancing.

“We need a big headliner, someone people couldn’t resist. Someone who would take a very small fee for a good cause,” I mused.

“That’s a big ask.”

I deflated, only a little. “Yeah, it is a big ask and with next to no notice. I don’t know anyone who would do it.”

“I do,” Lucas said, his voice quiet, but his eyes were intense as they bored into mine.

“Who?” I asked excitedly.

“You.”

I blinked. “No. I’ve never headlined anything.

I’ve always been an opener. With the way people hate me right now, they would be more inclined to pay to watch me fail…

” My voice trailed off and our eyes locked.

That was it. I could cash in on the expectation of failure and humiliation.

If it will fill seats and get the money we needed, who cared why they attended so long as they did?

“Not everyone hates you, Avery. All they have to do is hear you sing to know you’re the real deal. We are more than the sum of our mistakes.”

“They might come and expect me to fail, but that doesn’t mean I will. I just don’t know how good a performance it will be without my costumers and dancers.”

“You forgot about your band?” Lucas asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes—of course he had to get his digs in where he could.

“I perform to a track, anyone can play it, but I don’t have access to any of it.

My phone was stolen, remember? I’ve been using this brick.

” I motioned to the heavy laptop that rested between us on Lucas’s dining table.

Maybe I could find a karaoke track on YouTube or ask Chelsea to work her magic with My$teriou$ Money to get me some tracks.

“You don’t need dancers or flashy costumes or any other theatrics. You just need to be you. Why don’t you perform your songs acoustically? We can bill it as an unplugged performance, and you can sing that song you’ve been singing all over here.”