A Stranger In The Cove. Rachel Brimble

her business?

      He grabbed his guitar from where it lay on a chair and took his phone from his pocket to silence it. His mind wandered to Kate once more. She looked fantastic in a pair of tight blue jeans, black boots and a peach knit top. Decent, yet almost indecent. Just the right side of sexy.

      He dropped his gaze to his phone, and his smile promptly disappeared.

      The display showed three missed calls from his older sister. Immediate guilt warred with his need to keep what he was doing in Templeton to himself a while longer.

      But if he avoided her, Dana would only keep calling. His sister was never one to be impeded by anyone, especially her younger brother. He pressed the button to return her call.

      She answered on the second ring. “At last! I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”

      Mac shouldered the phone and grabbed a pick out of his guitar case. “What’s up?”

      “What’s up? Where are you? I can’t believe you’d take off like this. Not when we need you here.”

      Culpability pressed down on him. “Why do you need me there? I know Mum’s upset about dad, divorced or not, but it’s you and her grandchildren she needs around her, not me. What can I do to ease her grief? You know what I’m like with that kind of thing.”

      “You mean sympathetic? Empathetic? Caring? Don’t talk rubbish, Mac. You’re amazing with Mum, with me, with all of us. Your disappearing makes no sense.”

      He squeezed his eyes shut. “I had a commitment for a gig. I couldn’t get out of it.” He left the room, closing the door behind him. “There’s nothing I can do but to see it through and then I’ll be back. Okay?”

      “No. Not okay. We need you here. I can’t be with Mum 24/7 when I’ve got two kids and a husband away working. Please, will you just come home?”

      “I can’t. Not yet.” He hurried down the stairs and through the bar, steadfastly ignoring the curious stares directed toward him and his guitar. “Dana, look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”

      “Where are you? It sounds kind of noisy.”

      “That’s because there’s a crowd of people here waiting for me to get on stage. We’ll talk later. ’Bye.”

      He ended the call, doing all he could to banish his sister’s words. Right now, he needed to concentrate on erasing the suspicion from Kate Harrington’s beautiful eyes and have her look at him with respect, maybe even a little wonder if he played well enough. His new, slightly worrying, reasons for wanting to do so were as dangerous as they were stupid, considering he’d recently acquired the troublesome desire to know if her lips were as hot as the rest of her.

      He liked her spirit and the way she didn’t let anyone—including him—push her away or around. He had a feeling she’d make a much better friend than enemy. If his playing could allay her misconceptions about him, all the better.

      She stood talking with an older couple, and as he walked by her, she turned and touched his arm. “Mac, just a second.” She smiled apologetically at the couple. “Will you excuse me?”

      “Of course.” The man nodded. “Good luck with everything. You do the town proud.”

      “Thank you. Enjoy yourselves.” She faced Mac, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure about this? I’m just about to introduce the band, and I don’t want you to think I’ve put you under unwanted obligation.”

      He stared into her worried eyes, and an entirely unanticipated concern for her swept through his chest. Why did it suddenly feel preferable to have her angry at him, rather than looking so anxious? “I’m doing this because I want to help you out. Nothing more, nothing less. It looks amazing in here, and if people are having a good time, they’ll stay longer and spend more money. We both know the Moon Shadows are a big part of today’s attraction. Let me do something toward making today a success. Okay?”

      Her cheeks flushed and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”

      “Anytime.”

      He walked up the three steps to the stage.

      Joe Masters came forward and slapped his hand to Mac’s shoulder. “You’re a lifesaver, man. Let me introduce you to the band.” He pointed as he spoke. “Over there, we have Josh on drums, Will on bass and Lola, who will be singing backup vocals.”

      Mac raised his hand, acknowledging the band’s curious but welcoming study. “Mac Orman. Pleased to meet you all.”

      The next few minutes passed quickly as Joe talked Mac through the proposed set. Once Mac had convinced the lead singer he knew each of the original and cover songs well enough to keep up, Joe left the stage in search of Kate.

      Mac took up his position and released a slow breath as he looked out at the audience. Women smiled at him, while guys focused on his guitar or the rest of the band. Every face looked happy, comfortable. Potentially, a really good crowd. The familiar buzz pooled in his stomach as it did every time he played. His gaze fixed on Kate as she emerged through the throng and climbed the steps onto the stage.

      She didn’t so much as glance in his direction as she walked to the microphone. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m thrilled to see so many of you here already. There are burgers and hot dogs near the rear of the tent, as well as drinks available at the temporary bar or inside. As you know, today is all about raising money for the hospital’s new mother and baby unit. Please, give what you can for this worthy cause.

      “Okay, that’s enough from me. I’m thrilled to leave you in the capable hands of the Moon Shadows and special guest guitarist, Mac Orman.”

      Mac stared at the back of her head as a jolt of unease pierced through him. Why hadn’t he considered that she might offer his name to the whole damn town? So much for melting into the background.

      She clapped along with the rest of the audience as she made her way down the steps in her sexy, high-heeled boots. He struck up the first note, watching her progress through the tent. It wasn’t until she tossed a triumphant smile over her shoulder at him that Mac realized the public announcement of his name had been intentional.

      Clearly not content with her own careful watch on him, she wanted the whole town on high alert.

      Kate Harrington didn’t trust him, didn’t like him and wasn’t going to be happy until he left town for good. That much was obvious. He glared at her as she started chatting with a group of women in their twenties who enveloped her affectionately. Mac turned to the audience, purposefully catching the eye of another twentysomething female.

      He tipped her a wink, and she returned the compliment with a bright smile and glittering eyes. But it didn’t calm his frustration that, no matter what he did or said, nothing seemed to lessen Kate’s curiosity about him.

      Well, one way or another—he strummed the opening bars of the first song—he’d see through what he came to the Cove to do. Whether she watched him like a bloody hawk or not.