Made in Nashville: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance by Mandy Baggot Page A

hadn’t wanted and nervous energy brought on by Dan’s reappearance.
    Jared let out a low whistle as he joined her and observed the house in front of them.
    ‘Is this really where you live or have we stopped by a concert hall or something?’
    ‘It’s ostentatious isn’t it?’ She sighed.
    ‘Hell, I’m not even sure I know what that really means.’
    ‘It’s showy and pretentious. I had so much money back then it seemed the right thing to do. Get rid of it by hiding it in a luxury building.’
    ‘I bought a monster truck for me and a horse for my sister. Does that count?’
    She let out a laugh, looking up at him. He laughed too and any unease she’d felt just melted away. Those eyes seemed to have that effect on her. When he looked at her every barrier she put up against life just tumbled down.
    ‘I stink at making coffee but I might have some beer. Just the one, mind. I don’t want to be responsible for tainting your reputation.’
    ‘What’s with everybody concernin’ themselves with my reputation tonight? Don’tcha’ll think I can look after myself?’ He lowered his gaze, raised his eyebrow up into his cap.
    ‘There’s no right answer to that one. I’m not even going to attempt a response. Come on.’ She led the way. ‘Come meet my pretentious palace.’
    She hadn’t flicked a light switch on when they’d entered the house. Instead she’d clapped her hands together and commanded the electricity to come on like she was summoning a wish from a genie. She’d ordered music on the sound system and got the air conditioning down to a subtle breath of cool.
    He followed her into the kitchen.
    ‘So what d’you do if you want food? You got a pop-out chef or somethin’?’
    ‘That would be cool. Or maybe not. He’d probably make all that stuff with seeds.’ She produced two beer bottles from the fridge and popped the tops off them before handing one to him.
    ‘Oh man, I know all about seeds and that green stuff…is it wheatgrass? Buzz keeps orderin’ them for me and I keep feedin’ them to the plants down at Farley’s Diner. I tell you, those window boxes could win prizes.’
    She let out a laugh and he felt the wide smile that grew across her face. She was different tonight. She was less tense. Probably because he wasn’t forcing her to think about all the things she’d been avoiding thinking about for ten years.
    ‘Come through and sit on my genuine leather cow hide,’ she invited. How could he refuse an invitation like that?
    There he was. The latest superstar of country music, sat on her sofa, drinking a beer. He had one leg crossed over the other, strips of naked flesh visible under his ripped jeans. He was still wearing his leather jacket and his cap. She’d never seen him without either. She flushed as he turned his eyes away from her décor and directed them at her.
    ‘So, why are we listenin’ to some dance/rap combination here?’ He raised a hand to indicate the music playing.
    ‘Don’t you like it?’
    ‘Do you?’
    ‘Were you expecting Vince Gill?’
    ‘If you clap your hands does he appear?’
    She looked away from him then, focused on her sheepskin rug lying in front of the expensive fake flame fire. Just like everyone else, he didn’t understand. Why had she expected him to? He knew nothing about her. He was just paying her attention to get her to join his tour. The publicity at having a freak show as a supporting artist would be huge.
    ‘What are you so afraid of, Honor? D’you think if you listen to country music Tammy Wynette’s gonna leap out of that iPod and hit you with a six string?’
    ‘Listen, me inviting you in for a drink doesn’t give you a right to ask me questions like that,’ she snapped back.
    ‘How can you fight what’s in your soul like that? Listenin’ to stuff like this - manufactured, weak, poorly-constructed bullshit - when you feel nothin’ for it?’ he continued.
    She shook her head. She shouldn’t have invited him in. It was a