Page 12 of Playing With My Heart Strings

dusty

The First Solo Date

When I woke up this morning, a wave of excitement and nerves washed over me as I prepared for my solo date with Katherine.

Not only will it be my first date with her, but it will be my first date on the show and the first solo date of the season.

I have no idea what’s in store for us today, but I have a feeling whatever it is will set the tone for the coming weeks.

A few producers and crew members show up to get me camera ready for the day, a bit to my dismay.

I was hoping we were done with the makeup.

The fancy clothes, although not my personal taste, I can get used to, even if it’s a bit like playing dress-up, but the makeup?

I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that.

I’ll be meeting Katherine at a trailhead by the Cumberland River this morning, and then in the afternoon, I’ll be meeting the rest of the women to spend time with them in a group setting.

Even before the producers told me I would be meeting her at a trailhead, I was dressed pretty casually—a pair of cargo shorts and an athletic T-shirt—so I have enough reason to assume we’re doing something active and not just sitting down for a meal.

Which I’m completely okay with. Eating at a romantic restaurant in front of cameras for the very first date seems like a lot of pressure.

The entire car ride to the trailhead is uncomfortably silent, with Brett driving and me sitting in the passenger seat.

The camera crew is coming in a separate vehicle, a detail I’m grateful for, but it makes the drive with Brett a bit painful.

Not even Chris Stapleton crooning “Broken Halos” over the radio can provide me any relief or distraction, so I resort to looking out the window.

“All right, we’re here,” Brett announces as he pulls into the parking lot and cuts the engine. “We’ll get out of the car together, but you’ll walk ahead on the path and the camera crew will follow behind you. Katherine’s already here.”

I nod before getting out of the car. Brett falls behind as the camera crew hooks me up to a microphone and sends me on my way.

I walk on the path as instructed until a flash of brown hair catches my attention up ahead.

In a matching lilac workout set and her hair pulled back in a high ponytail, Katherine stands by one of those self-service bike rental kiosks.

“Katherine, hey!” I call, prompting her to whirl around with a wide smile on her face.

She meets me in the middle, pulling me into a hug as she greets me, “Hi, Dusty!”

I pull back for a moment to look at her. “You look beautiful.”

Her eyes sparkle as a rosy tint creeps into the apples of her cheeks. “Thank you, you also look incredible.”

“Let’s rent some bikes, shall we?” I gesture to the bike racks. “I haven’t ridden a bike in years, so we’ll see how this goes.”

She laughs at my admission but lightly squeezes my arm. “It’s been a long time for me, too, so we’ll struggle together.”

“Sounds great.” I chuckle as we each unlock a bike and grab a helmet. I secure the strap under my chin before Katherine is able to buckle hers, so I face her and tilt her chin upward before grabbing the straps. “Here,” I murmur as the buckle clicks together.

“Thanks,” she whispers.

I try to ignore the camera crew and the fact that we’re currently mic’d up, trying to treat this like any other date. But the knowledge that someone is watching us crawls up my spine.

I shake off the discomfort as I walk my bike backward. “Shall we?”

We start off slow, and a bit shaky, on our bikes. Well, I start off shaky, but we get into a rhythm pretty quick where we can pedal side by side and have a conversation.

“So, I’m pretty sure I blacked out during the entire speed dating process,” I admit with a laugh. “Where did you say you were from?”

“I’m from South Carolina,” she replies, not giving me any sort of impression that she’s upset I didn’t remember. “My goal is to move out here permanently, but I do still live in South Carolina right now. Music was a hobby, until it wasn’t.”

“You said you’re a nurse, right?” I ask, remembering at least one detail about her from the whirlwind of a day I had yesterday.

“Yeah, I work in pediatrics. I love it wholeheartedly, and as much as I would love to stay, I tell those kids to follow their dreams. If I’m not following mine, then who am I to give them advice?

I owe it to them—especially the ones who won’t get to follow their dreams—to chase mine.

” Her face falls slightly, but there’s still a glint of passion in her eyes.

I can tell she really loves what she does.

“That’s admirable, truly. The kids you work with are probably so proud that you’re here.” I reach out my arm to touch her shoulder, attempting to ride one-handed. The moment is fast, though, a bit too fast, as I start to lose balance and have to return my attention to the handlebars.

“I miss them, I really do, but I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for the world.” She looks over at me, a seriousness in her eyes. There’s no way I’ll send her home after this. She’s so…genuine. As much as this process is for me, I also want this for her.

“What’s one thing you want to do before you die?” The question pops in my head out of nowhere, falling out of my mouth.

“Like a bucket list item? Hmm…I really want to run a marathon.”

Damn, so she’s pretty, has musical talent, and is athletic? I think to myself.

“How about you?” she asks, after a few moments of quiet.

“Definitely not run a marathon.” I laugh.

“I can hardly ride a bike, as you can probably tell. I’m not much of a runner either, so unless walking the marathon is an option, I unfortunately won’t be joining you on that venture.

But in all seriousness, I’ve always wanted to play a big music festival like Stagecoach. Or during CMA Fest.”

“You haven’t done that before?” Her eyes widen. “But you’re a big country star?”

I shake my head. “I almost played CMA Fest, but something came up and I wasn’t able to anymore. That was when I was a newer artist, too, and the opportunity just hasn’t arisen again.”

“I hope you get to cross that off your bucket list one day, Dusty Wilder.”

We ride around for about an hour, chatting about things like favorite movies and musical idols. I learn that we have similar tastes in music, both preferring classic country over mainstream Nashville country, a bit ironic considering my label is trying to push me into the mainstream pool of music.

“Katherine, I’m so glad we had this time together.” I take her hand after we return our bikes to the rental kiosk.

“Me too. I feel like I learned a lot about you. And I think you’re a pretty great guy.”

My date with Katherine leaves my body warm and my heart thundering like wild horses in my chest. But I’m only given a couple hours to change and get ready for my next date—axe throwing with five of the other nine women—so I can’t dwell on it for too long.

When I walk in the doors of the axe throwing building, the girls chosen by production—Kelsie, Jade, Sage, Aspen, and America’s Sweetheart herself—are already waiting.

“Hey, handsome.” Aspen immediately walks over, looping her arm underneath mine to rest her hand on my bicep.

“Hi, ladies.” I glance down to the spot where her hand rests. “I’m excited to spend time with you tonight, have a little bit of fun, and hopefully get to know you all on a deeper level.”

Aspen’s hand is still on my arm, despite the other girls awkwardly shifting on their feet at the sight. I debate pulling away, but then an employee gets our attention, directing us to the three stalls we’ll be using, separating Aspen from me anyway.

Kelsie and Sage are put in the stall to my left, and Baylor and Aspen to the one on my right, leaving me and Jade next to each other in the middle stall. Each stall only has one small hatchet.

“Oh, God, I’m probably going to be horrible at this.” A laugh erupts from my left side as Kelsie picks up one of the axes and stands in front of the target.

Sage leans away from her, a grimace on her face.

“I’m going to stay away from you, then. I don’t really feel like getting hit by an axe today.

” She backs up slightly, ensuring that she’s out of any potential line of fire.

I don’t blame her, because with the way Kelsie is holding the axe, there’s no telling what direction it could go.

Still giggling, Kelsie throws the axe, or at least attempts to throw it.

Just like she predicted, she misses horribly.

She half-skips over to the hatchet lying on the floor.

I’m glad she’s having fun, though, more than I can say about the grumpy girls to my right.

Neither Baylor or Aspen look particularly interested in the activity.

Baylor reluctantly picks up an axe while Aspen picks at her nails.

“Show me what you’ve got, America’s Sweetheart.” I wink at Baylor.

The look she gives me sends a chill down my spine, and I can’t explain why. There’s something about her that draws me in.

She huffs out a breath as she lines up and raises the axe over her head. The muscles in her arms contract as she pulls the tool back then throws it at the target, the blade soaring through the air before sticking in the middle ring.

The other girls turned their heads, looking at Baylor’s target.

“Not too bad.” Jarrod approaches from behind me, clapping his hands. “I hope you girls are warmed up, because this isn’t just any date. It’s a competition.”

I can’t tell who it is, but one of the girls lets out a quiet groan as they circle around Jarrod.

“Just a friendly competition, but whoever wins may or may not get an advantage.” He raises his eyebrows. “The winner of tonight’s challenge will secure themselves a solo date next week.”

One of the girls gasps, but Jarrod continues, unphased. “Yes, that means that if you win tonight’s challenge, you are granted immunity from the elimination later this week.”