“Oh my goodness, yes,” I explained. “Everyone thought I was dead. Who in the world is going to go searching for someone who’s supposed to be dead?”
“Obviously someone did. I heard you met him when you were in protective custody. Why don’t you tell me about that?”
I burst out laughing. “Yes, that was interesting. Let me tell you, I hated him when we first met. He was nothing but a dirty cowboy who liked to give me a hard time.” Blake shook his head and grinned when I glanced at him behind the stage.
“What all did he do?” Helen asked. From the get go, I knew they wanted to know about my relationship with Blake. He was still a mystery to them.
“For starters, he made me clean the horse stalls in his barn,” I told the crowd.
They all laughed, oohing and aahing as I continued to discuss Blake, and my entire stay on his ranch. Their favorite part was when I’d brought up the boots.
“That’s right folks,” Helen exclaimed excitedly. “While I was backstage with Hadley, she showed me some pictures she took. Apparently, her new beau is trying to start a new trend. Why don’t we take a look at this?” She nodded at one of the TV producers and then a picture popped up on the screen. It was of Blake in his Mexican pointy boots. The crowd burst into laughter and a ton of them whistled. Blake’s mouth dropped when he saw it.
“Ladies, look at that handsome stud. Much different than the clean cut Blake we’ve seen the past couple of weeks,” Helen said. Another picture popped up of him in a suit, from when we were walking into a restaurant for dinner.
Blake chuckled when more of the ladies started whistling at his picture. “I have to say, I miss his cowboy hat and jeans.”
“What is with those boots though?” The picture bounced back to the one with him in the boots.
“He lost a bet. I picked them out myself.”
“Very nice,” she laughed. “So what are your plans now that you’re alive?”
Taking a deep breath, I smiled at the crowd. “I plan on singing again, but I’ll also be making some changes in my life. And one of those changes, will happen right here on this show today.” My heart started to race; especially when I looked over at Blake. He had no clue what was going on.
Felicity disappeared and then walked out onto the stage, carrying the guitar Blake gave me. His eyes went wide when he realized what was going on. “Knock ‘em dead,” she whispered, passing me the guitar.
I pulled the strap over my shoulder. “Thanks.”
Helen sat back in her chair. “So are you ready to tell the audience what the surprise is?” she asked.
The crowd had given me their undivided attention, including Blake. I was nervous as hell, but I was ready. If there was anything I learned over the past couple of months, it was to get over my fears. Today was the perfect day to start.
I took a deep breath and turned my body toward the crowd. “For years, I’ve performed in front of thousands of people, in different cities across the country, but never have I gotten on stage and sang something new. The song I will sing today is something I wrote a couple of months ago. It’s about a very special person in my life. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Strumming my fingers down the strings, I glanced over his way. “It’s called My Gray-Eyed Cowboy.” Felicity jumped up and down and grabbed his arm, but he didn’t even notice her pulling on him. Drawing in a deep breath, I blew it out slowly and began. Music always came so easy to me, it was part of my soul. I wanted to look out at the crowd, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from Blake.
He loves me, he loves me not.
Oh, how I wish I knew.
We haven’t known each other long,
But when I’m with him,
I feel like I belong.
He loves me, he loves me not.
My gray-eyed cowboy, I want to know. (Please tell me)
Your heart may never be tamed,
But I am not afraid.
Will you love me if I leave, will you love me if I stay.
Dear gray-eyed cowboy, please show me the way.
Time has passed, a new life upon us.
So many things to see, so many things to do.
I want to stay in your arms,
And never let go.
My gray-eyed cowboy, I want to know. (Please tell me)
Your heart may never be tamed,
But I am not afraid.
Will you love me if I leave, will you love me if I stay.
Dear gray-eyed cowboy, please show me the way.
You may love me now, but can you promise me forever.
If there’s one thing I can say,
It would be this . . .
I promise to love you, I promise to stay.
Never again will I leave you.
My heart is yours, your heart is mine.
My gray-eyed cowboy, thank you for showing me the way.
The whole room was silent. A tear fell down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly before turning my gaze to the crowd. I didn’t know what to do or what to say, so I sat there waiting, as if I was on trial. I guess I kind of was. No one had ever heard the song before and now my fate rested on what the audience thought of it.
They jumped to their feet in applause, screaming and hollering my name, and I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“Wow,” Helen exclaimed, “That was amazing. I could feel your emotions in it. I know that’s what we all love about your music. You put so much heart and soul into it.”
“Thanks. I like to write music about the people I care about. It makes it special.”
Helen smiled and gazed out at the crowd. “I know I’m not the only one who can’t wait to hear more. Why don’t we make things a little more interesting and bring out this gray-eyed cowboy? What do you say people?”
The audience went crazy, clapping their hands and whistling. Eyes wide, I turned to Blake, knowing he was going to hate coming out there. Instead, he winked at me as one of the producers hooked a microphone to his button down shirt. What was going on?
He walked out on stage and waved at everyone as he took the seat beside me. Leaning over, he kissed me and whispered over the loud applause, “Love the song. Thank you for singing it to me. You need to do it more often.” He put his arm around me and I snuggled into his side.
“I will,” I murmured, winking up at him.
Helen reached over and shook his hand. “Blake Evans, it’s good to have you on the show. I know a lot of people in the world want to meet Hadley’s hero, or better yet, her gray-eyed cowboy. Where’s your boots?”
“Soon to be burning in a fire the second we get home,” he joked. “I think I need to get Hadley a pair to wear at her next concert.”
I snorted. “Don’t think so.”
The crowd laughed and Helen giggled. “That’d be pretty epic. But Blake, I know the world’s been dying to ask you this question.” She glanced out at the crowd and then back to him. “How did you even think to go searching for Hadley? What made you think she wasn’t dead?”
His arm tensed around me as he went into detail about hearing of my death, and the struggle he endured thinking I was gone forever. Over the next five minutes, he answered questions about the mission to find me, how he was dealing with the paparazzi, and even more questions about his boots. The crowd adored him. But how could they not?