Brave the Storm, Season 2, Episode 3 (Rising Storm) (2 page)

Marylee’s lips curled into a smile. “Doesn’t matter. That’s what news editing is for. He’s exactly the type of positive press we need. We just have to get the footage and then we can turn it into the perfect sound bite. We get Logan on the air to show your support for veterans, and that’s what people will be talking about. Not the fact that you can’t keep your damn pants zipped.”

Sebastian scowled, but he had to hand it to his mother. She was a master at turn-around play. And her plan could work if they could get Logan Murphy to cooperate.

“I’ll have my assistant give Logan a call.”

“No. You handle it personally. And soon. We need to stop this before it has a chance to get any worse.”

Chapter Two

Anna Mae sat at the kitchen table with a pad of paper and a sharpened pencil. Her coffee cup had long been drained, but her mind was still cluttered with things she didn’t want to think about.

Chase Johnson.

“Are you going to hang around this house brooding all day again?” Rita Mae asked, dropping the last of the morning dishes into the dishwasher.

Most of the guests they’d had overnight had either checked out or gone about their business of the day. The house was quiet and Anna Mae was ready to dive into a long list of tasks she’d written out on a notepad last night before bed.

“What are you talking about?” Anna Mae asked as she reviewed her list. She knew. She always knew. Anna Mae just wasn’t in the mood for another one of Rita Mae’s lectures.

Mary Louise came into the kitchen dressed more formally for the day than she normally did. “I’m not sure when I’ll be home tonight,” she said.

Rita Mae tilted a curious eyebrow. “Oh, no? Why not?”

“Why is she not sure or why won’t she be home?” Anna Mae asked.

“Both.”

“Leave the girl alone. She’s young. She’s probably got herself a hot date.” Anna Mae winked at her niece.

Mary Louise grabbed a glass from the cabinet and then went to the refrigerator and poured some orange juice before answering. “I could say the same of you.”

“Me?” Anna Mae laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m too old for
hot
dates.”

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that,” Mary Louise said. “I can’t bear the thought that romance dies and love goes stale as we get older. I haven’t even had a real turn at it.”

“Oh, so it
is
a hot date,” Rita Mae said. “I saw you talking with Tate Johnson at the barbeque yesterday. Are you seeing him?”

“It’s a meeting. That’s all. Tate and Hannah broke up and we’re…we’re just friends.”

“But you’d like it to be more?” Rita Mae asked.

Mary Louise shrugged as a blush crept up her cheeks. “Besides, now that Chase Johnson is back in town, why shouldn’t you have a hot date, Anna Mae?”

Anna Mae dropped the pencil she’d been holding. “Why would you say something like that?” she said, feigning ignorance.

“Oh, come on. It may have been a long time ago but Daddy told me you and Chase were once an item. I even saw an old picture of the two of you hugging.”

“You did?” Rita Mae asked.

“Yeah. Daddy and Chase were both playing at some club. It didn’t look like much more than a rinky-dink honkytonk. That’s what my mother used to call them. Of course, Mom had a thing for hanging out with Daddy at those honkytonks. Do you remember, Anna Mae?”

There were too many places like that to remember which one Mary Louise could be talking about. Too many late nights with too much drink and too many years that made it all fuzzy now.

And she could lie to herself about how much she remembered, but Anna Mae had made a career of silently cataloguing all those moments with Chase Johnson. Perhaps that’s why her anger had grown exponentially over the years after she’d told him to leave. She could have stopped him. And he would have stayed. She was sure of that. They’d loved each other so very much.

But Anna Mae couldn’t bear the thought that eventually his love for her would have turned to resentment.  Playing music had always been his dream.  And if she’d trapped him in Storm, he’d never have truly been happy. Her brother had tried that and it had ended in divorce, and Mary Louise being more Anna and Rita Mae’s daughter than his.

Would it have been different if Anna Mae had followed Chase to Nashville? It was a question that she’d rolled over in her mind for many years on many nights while missing the feel of Chase’s arms around her.

“Anna Mae?”

She turned her attention to her sister, who was staring at her from across the kitchen. Her mind had wandered to a time when she was younger than Mary Louise. Despite the fact that she hadn’t had her happily-ever-after with Chase, that didn’t mean that Mary Louise couldn’t have that.

“To be honest, when I was a girl, I went to so many music halls I can’t even count them. Your father was quite the musician.” She stifled a sigh of regret because she didn’t want to feel it. She wanted to remember times that were happy and those late nights with her brother and Chase playing
were
happy memories. None of that had changed because she’d stayed in Storm. “Your dad and Chase used to play really well together.”

“When I was little, I remember Daddy playing in the living room while I sprawled on my stomach with a coloring book. And sometimes I sang along with him.” She placed her hand over her cheek as she chuckled. “Badly, I might add.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad. I’ve heard you sing a time or two. You’re good enough to have gone on the road with your daddy,” Rita Mae said.

“Not everyone is meant for that kind of life,” Anna Mae said.

Rita Mae sighed quietly and turned toward the coffee pot. “No, I guess not. So, Mary Louise won’t be home for dinner. I guess that means you and I can go out, Anna Mae.”

Anna Mae shook her head slightly. “I have a lot of things to do here.”

“Hey, that sounds like a great idea,” Mary Louise said. “If things change then I’ll meet you there.”

A wide smile split Rita Mae’s face. “Perfect.”

“I can’t,” Anna Mae insisted, rubbing her head as if she had a headache.

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. We haven’t had a meal and a drink at Murphy’s Pub in a long time. It’ll be nice to—”

“I don’t want to go! Not everyone has time to sit around drinking at Murphy’s.” Anna Mae launched herself to her feet so fast that her chair tilted back and nearly fell over. At the shocked expression on Mary Louise’s face, Anna Mae sat back down slowly. “I’m sorry. I…”

“Just because Chase Johnson is back in town, doesn’t mean you’re going to run into him every time you leave the house. Ever since you ran into him at the barbeque you’ve been finding busy work. And to be honest, you’re becoming a big pain in my ass.”

“Rita Mae! In front of Mary Louise?”

Mary Louise laughed. “I’m not ten years old. I’ve spent a few nights having drinks with friends down at the pub, Anna Mae. It’s nothing I haven’t heard.” Pulling her purse strap up on her shoulder, she headed for the door and called over her shoulder, “Call me on my cell if you end up going to Murphy’s. I may stop by.”

When she was gone, Rita Mae cast Anna Mae a disapproving glare.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who cursed in front of our niece.”

“Oh, the hell I did. For God’s sake, Mary Louise isn’t a child. She’s a grown woman. I, for one, hope she ties one on and has herself a good time tonight. Hopefully, she
will
meet up with Tate Johnson and who knows. Maybe she won’t come home at all.”

Shaking her head, Anna Mae sighed. “Do you really think Tate Johnson is a good match for Mary Louise?”

“It’s not our call. It’s hers. I saw the way she looked at him at the barbeque. And Tate and Hannah are no longer a couple, so why not have Mary Louise step in and have something for herself? Tate isn’t a bum. He’s like his dad. He’s a community man and he has political aspirations. She could do a whole lot better with him than our brother did by her when he dropped her on our doorstep.”

She couldn’t argue the point. Mary Louise had been crushed by the events of her life, and at such a young age.

“This isn’t easy for me, Rita Mae.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, she’s a grown woman.”

“I’m not talking about Mary Louise. Sure, Tate Johnson is a fine man. So is his father. He was always a good friend to me. Especially after Chase left.”

“But now he’s back.”

“Don’t start,” Anna Mae warned. “I ran into him at the barbeque. I saw him. It’s done. Now it’s time to move on.”

“And that’s it? You’re just going to let him off the hook after the way he broke your heart?”

“I acted like a damned fool at the barbeque!” She groaned and looked at the ceiling. “I’m not some lovesick youngster. I had my time for that and it’s passed me by. I don’t need this at this point in my life. I wish…”

“What?”

“I wish he’d never come back to Storm. Things were fine before he came back.”

Her sister’s expression was sympathetic. “Well, he did come back to Storm. It’s his home. So he’s here now. As for you, it’s either hide in this house for the rest of your life or deal with having Chase Johnson in town for as long as he stays.”

“What if he never leaves?”

Rita Mae let out a belly laugh that filled the kitchen. “Oh, sweetie, men like that don’t stay. Hasn’t he already proven that? He’s only been back a handful of times and he never lingers. He’ll catch a whiff of something on the wind and he’ll be gone all over again. But that doesn’t mean you have to hide. In fact, that’s the last thing you should do. So you had your little moment at the barbeque and it caught you off center. Big deal. I say it’s time to show the man he didn’t break you in two when he left. If you’re really over him, as you keep arguing you are, then there is no reason not to go on living life as normal.”

Anna Mae cocked her head to one side. “When was the last time we went to Murphy’s Pub on a Saturday night?”

“That’s beside the point. It’s high time we go.”

Chapter Three

People were packed wall to wall in Murphy’s Pub when Chase walked in at half past eight. An old Johnny Cash song was playing on the jukebox and could barely be heard above the laughter and the chatter of the room. If Chase put his money down, he could easily be drunk by nine o’clock. But tonight, he wasn’t going to get that lucky.

The meds he’d been taking since his Parkinson’s diagnosis warned not to have alcohol, but after today, he needed at least one drink before going back to the ranch and dealing with his brother.

He wasn’t sure how long he was going to be able to hide the truth from Zeke. So far Chase’s symptoms weren’t easily visible because he’d taken pains to make sure he took his meds on time and he played his guitar regularly. No one had to remind him to do that.

Music therapy was often used to lessen the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Some patients were able to walk steady and even dance after music therapy. For Chase, music was part of his DNA. He didn’t have to remember to listen to music every day. He didn’t need to learn how to play an instrument like many Parkinson’s patients did. It was just a part of him. As long as he could play guitar, his music would help heal him.

Michael Murphy was standing behind the bar telling a story to a man who was a younger version of himself. Must be a grandson, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember which one. Before Chase could make it to the only empty stool at the bar, Michael let out a booming laugh that filled the space around him. As soon as his gaze landed on Chase, he stopped laughing and his expression turned to surprise. His blue eyes twinkled with pride. Chase guessed it came from living a happy life surrounded by family.

“Well, if it isn’t Chase Johnson back from the music city. I heard you were in town. How come it’s taken you so long to stop by and see me, son?”

Michael’s thick Irish brogue was still evident even after decades of living in Texas. It surprised Chase just how much he missed the sound of it, and the smell and atmosphere of Murphy’s.

“I’m due for a good lashing for that, Michael. No excuse other than just getting myself acclimated again. But it’s good to finally see you,” Chase said, claiming the recently vacated barstool. “How’ve you been?”

The older man leaned across the bar to shake Chase’s hand. His hand was weathered from age and the dark hair that Chase remembered Michael having was now mostly gray. But his old friend looked the same as he had back when Chase and Zeke were still close brothers and the best of friends. Back then, he and Zeke used to frequent Murphy’s nearly every evening Chase didn’t have a gig.

“I’m still here. That’s saying something. It’s been a while but you remember my grandson, Logan. He’s a war hero, but even more than that, he’s my hero.” Michael’s pride was so strong it was impossible to ignore.

Logan rolled his eyes at Michael. “Gramps, please. Why don’t you just put a neon sign in the window?”

Michael laughed. “That’s a hell of an idea. I think I will.”

Chase extended his hand and shook Logan’s. “Actually, I think we talked at the barbeque the other day.”

“Yes, we did. Good to see you again,” Logan said. “You played a great tune on that guitar. It was amazing.”

“Thank you. Do you play?”

Logan looked surprised. “Me? No.” He lifted his right hand to show his pinky finger, which was a little crooked. “Thanks to this I don’t think I could.”

“Are you left or right handed?”

“Right.”

“You can do a lot without a pinky finger on the guitar if you’re playing right handed. I knew a guy in Nashville with only three fingers on his right hand. He put me to shame.”

“After hearing you play, I find that hard to believe. What can I get you?”

What he wanted was a tall glass of whiskey to melt away the unsettled feeling he’d had since seeing his Annie last week at the barbeque. He’d hoped that seeing her would give them both some closure from the past. But that hadn’t happened and he realized he was a bigger fool for thinking time had taken care of a lot of the things that hadn’t been said years ago. It hadn’t.