The Bribe - Bonus Epilogue

  THE BRIBE

  Copyright © 2020 by Devney Perry LLC

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-1-950692-20-0

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Bonus Epilogue

  Lucy

  I threw my arms in the air and screamed, “Thank you, LA!”

  A wave of sound rocked me on my heels and stretched the smile on my face even wider.

  It was a rush, being on the receiving end of such pure, unfiltered fun. It was a thrill to stand on stage in an amphitheater like this one, with thousands of people screaming my name. Especially when my family was backstage watching along for the first time.

  Past the edge of the stage, Duke waited on my right.

  His smile was as wide as my own. He looked so happy and maybe even a little bit awestruck.

  I was a little stunned myself.

  When we’d flown to California three days ago to start rehearsals, I’d been a ball of anxiety. I’d had no idea how this show was going to go and I’d mentally prepared for a flop. The label had asked—begged—for me to participate in this charity concert. My manager, Alison, had promised it would be easy. Just one show featuring a stellar lineup of popular country artists who’d perform and raise money for a good cause.

  I’d agreed but my nerves had been a mess over the past two months as I’d prepared.

  We’d kept the set simple. There were no aerobatics, pyrotechnics or crazy choreography moves. It was just me with a band from the label, playing and singing our hearts out for the live audience and the ones at home watching the broadcast networks or online streams.

  I’d feared that people had forgotten me since I hadn’t toured in years. I’d done two albums with my new label since moving to Calamity. Both had landed me massive hits. Duke had told me it was absurd to think people wouldn’t want to hear me live, but I was so out of practice and you needed a certain charisma to keep thousands of people engaged. I’d worried I’d lost my edge.

  But he’d been right, per usual. The crowd’s excitement was like jet fuel. Maybe the people at home had switched the channel, but everyone here was absorbed with the show.

  It was a win.

  If tonight was my last big show, I’d be happy, knowing I’d ended on a good note.

  I closed my eyes, raising my arms as the cheering continued. I let it seep into my skin and swirl in my blood for a long moment before the band started the opening riffs of the song I’d insisted I perform last.

  Duke’s song.

  I rocked my head and tapped my hand on my thigh to the beat of the drums. I shot Duke another smile, earning a laugh and a shake of his head, then raised the mic to my lips and sang to my husband.

  “Slow Down Sheriff” was fast and loud. It made you want to clap your hands, stomp your feet and dance with wild abandon. Some might have expected a ballad for the love of my life, like the ones I’d written for my children. But Duke had come into my life like a tornado, sweeping me off my feet. Nothing but a rocking beat and clever lyrics would have suited my husband.

  I twirled across the stage, singing and keeping up with the energy from the fans. And when that last note rang through the air, I was overpowered by the applause. I threw my head back and laughed. My hair dangled down my back and past my waist. I screamed with them, cheering for the man who had saved my life and made it whole.

  When the cheering finally began to subside, I spoke into the microphone but looked stage right. “Y’all want to meet my real-life sheriff?”

  The noise was earsplitting.

  Duke shook his head.

  I waved him onstage.

  He mouthed, “No.”

  And I waited. Because he might protest but that man would come out on stage and stand beside me because he knew it would make the moment even sweeter.

  Duke hung his head, then one boot stepped in front of the other, unhurried, as he emerged from the shadows and into the limelight. His gaze never strayed from mine.

  I flipped off the mic and set it on the stage floor, then I opened my arms wide to catch the little boy who didn’t walk if running was an option.

  “Mommy!” Theo launched himself into my arms.

  I caught him under the arms, spun him in a dizzying circle, then settled him on my hip.

  At four, he was getting too heavy for me to swing around. He was tall for his age and he’d inherited his father’s strength. In most ways, he was Duke’s miniature, though he had my green eyes.

  Bella, our one-year-old daughter, had Duke’s blues. She clung to him, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she looked out at the crowd with wide eyes.

  Where she was timid, her brother had no fear. Theo raised a hand and waved, earning his own booming cheer. Thank God, both kids were wearing the huge earmuffs Alison had brought for them.

  Duke stepped close and gave me his sexy grin. The crinkles around his eyes deepened.

  I ran my fingers through the hair by his temple, fluffing the gray strands that threaded through the tawny brown. He teased that I was the reason for those grays. He wasn’t wrong.

  But he was as handsome now as the day I’d met him under the big, blue Montana sky. And those eyes would always be my safe haven.

  He put his free arm around my shoulders and leaned in to speak into my ear. “Hell of a show, baby.”

  “Thanks, Sheriff.”

  “Miss it?”

  I scanned the sea of people before us, their arms raised. Phones were held high, taking pictures. Some weren’t paying us any attention. It was beautiful chaos.

  Did I miss this life?

  No. I didn’t need stadium lights when I could play with the guys at the bar once a month. I didn’t need other people cheering my name when the word Mommy filled my heart.

  It was fun to revisit. Maybe I’d do this again. But this would never again be my life. Not when I had the life of my dreams waiting in Calamity.

  Duke bent to kiss me and when I didn’t think the applause could get any louder, the amphitheater proved me wrong.

  I smiled against his lips. “This was fun. But let’s go home.”

  The Calamity Montana series continues with Everly and Hux in The Bluff.

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  Willa Nash, The Bribe - Bonus Epilogue

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