“You’d know, Uncle Bart,” John said, winking at Meg, “if you’d ever listened to a real violinist.”
Bart shrugged, but all Meg could do was try to keep from staring at John. She took him to be the youngest of the four brothers, but he was definitely the best looking of the group.
Maybe I only think that, because I know the other three are married, she thought, desperately seeking some explanation for the fact that her right side—John’s side—was a lot warmer than her left.
“I really like the mandolin,” she finally said, looking for a distraction. “I’ve never played one before.”
“It plays just like the violin, fingering-wise,” John said. “I can teach you how to play it.”
She glanced up sharply, only to find her pale green eyes trapped by his golden ones. “Really?”
He smiled. “Sure. Where are you staying?”
“Um, well, actually, I came here straight from the bus station, so I don’t know, yet.”
“That’s perfect,” Addy said from across the table. “You can stay with Mark and me.”
“I can’t do that,” Meg said. “I mean…”
“Sure you can,” Mark said. “We have plenty of room.”
“We bought a house with three apartments in it,” Bart said. “Matt and Mel live on the top floor, Mark and Addy in the middle—the biggest apartment—and Luke and Candace have the ground floor. John and I share another house across the alley. We’re in the middle of renovating it into another multifamily—two apartments this time.”
“We still have a long way to go,” John said, “but playing in the upstairs living room right now is kind of like singing in the shower—terrific acoustics.
They all laughed, and Meg began to reconsider. Perhaps I can do this, she thought. What better place to stay than with new friends, where my father is less likely to find me?
“Come on, Meg,” Candace said. “Say you’ll stay with us. You don’t want to be wandering around Nashville all by yourself in the middle of the night looking for a hotel, do you?”
“No,” Meg said, certain of that much. “And I’ll thank you in advance for your hospitality.”
“You’re welcome,” Mark said, toasting her with his beer.
“Oops,” Matt said, seeing the bartender’s signal. “We’d better get back to work.”
He and his brothers polished off their burgers and downed the rest of their beers then stood to head back to the stage.”
“Will you head home soon, darlin’?” Matt asked Mel, kissing her lightly.
“Probably. You can all come in the van, can’t you?”
“You betcha,” Luke said, kissing Candace. “We’ll see you at home.”
“You’ll walk them out?” Mark asked Bart.
“Of course. Don’t worry about it. You get back to work.”
Mark grinned, dropped a kiss on Addy’s lips then followed his brothers back to the stage.
Meg and the others stayed through another set then the four women headed out to Mel’s car, which they told her was parked not far away. Bart escorted them as promised—as Meg learned was his habit.
34
They left the confines of the bar, and Meg breathed deeply of the warm night air. Even without the cigarettes, the place had been stuffy, and it felt good to be outside. They went to the corner and turned right, presumably headed to Mel’s car, though it was much darker off the main street, and she couldn’t see a thing. Then suddenly, three huge shadows separated from the wall.
“Hey, there! How come you got four women, and we ain’t got none?”
“Oh, let me count the reasons,” Candace hissed under her breath.
“Easy, darlin’,” Bart said, shifting Meg to the outside of him. “Just get to the car.”
“He asked you a question, old man!” another of the shadows growled. Then they moved away from the wall, and Meg could see three burly men, dressed in cowboy attire and reeking of alcohol.
“You don’t want to mess with these ladies,” Bart said on a growl. “Their husbands won’t like it.”
“Well, I don’t see no husbands. Do you, Zeb?”
“Naw. I just seen one old man.”
“He’s has to be kidding,” Meg muttered. Bart old?”
“Just get in the car,” Bart said.
They had reached a light-colored midsized sedan, and Mel was unlocking the doors.
“I don’t think so!” the third man sneered.
Meg braced herself, knowing she would be useless if there was going to be a fight, but there was a sudden roar right next to her, where Bart had been standing. She yelped and jumped away, but Mel was there to catch her and bundle her into the back seat, her bag and violin quickly following. The wash from the interior light of the car reflected briefly on a tawny hide as it streaked away, and she heard something that sounded like the scream of a big cat.