A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers. The songs used in this chapter are Chicks Dig It by Chris Cagle, Love You Like That by Canaan Smith, Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter, Walking in Memphis by Lonestar, and Cry Like Memphis by Matt Kennon.
Chapter 49
"Love, is a really big word, but haven't you heard it's dangerous. And you, you think you got it locked down, and figured out and buttoned up. But, I, I've been burned enough, so I've learned enough to watch my back. That's why I'm warnin' you what you're about do is deadly as. Dancin' on the devil's stove, playin' with the fire below, pushin' your luck dippin' your toe in the water. It's a pedal down to race the train. Chasin' down a hurricane a bullet in a spinnin' revolver." Will started his song.
"Well, the heart it's a fragile thing hangin' on a string it don't take much. And soul it's a little bit stronger takes a longer to use it up. But when, when it all comes down cause it's gonna come down. You're gonna look around and wonder how you got to where you're standin' right now." JC took the second verse.
"Dancin' on the devil's stove playin' with the fire below, pushin' your luck, dippin' your toe in the water. It's a pedal down to race the train. Chasin' down a hurricane a bullet in a spinnin' revolver." Avery and Gunnar joined them on the chorus.
Deacon came out and played the guitar solo.
"Dancin' on the devil's stove, playin' with the fire below, pushin' your luck, dippin' your toe in the water. It's a pedal down to race the train chasin' down a hurricane a bullet in a spinnin' revolver. A pedal down to race the train chasin' down a hurricane a bullet in a spinnin' revolver."
"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the kickoff of the Angels and Outlaws tour. A big thank you to Mr. Will Lexington for lettin' us kick this off with his song. We are so excited to be startin' out here at the Bridgestone." Deacon got the crowd going. "Let me introduce you to the Outlaws. JC Grayson, Avery Barkley, Gunnar Scott, and Will Lexington." The crowd let out a huge cheer.
"Let's not forget our lead outlaw, Mr. Deacon Claybourne." Will introduced Deacon to the crowd.
"Now, we are gonna play a little longer for you tonight to really get this party started, so just sit back and enjoy." Deacon spoke again. "Now let's put your hands together for Mr. JC Grayson."
JC started playing once all the other guys left the stage. "Daddy's belt, momma's drapes. Standin' tall on the backyard shed lookin' cool in my superman cape. I told the neighborhood girls said hey ya'll watch this. My fate was a broken arm and my reward one big kiss. When daddy asked me why I did it. I made him laugh out loud when I told him cause the chicks dig it."
"Scars heal glory fades and all we're left with are the memories made. Pain hurts, but only for a minute. Life is short so go on and live cause the chicks dig it." He moved around the stage as he sang.
"Blacktop road learner permit thought I was Earnhardt drivin' fast, but I didn't see the ditch. Took out a mailbox, then fence, and then a barn. The police came and called my father, but I met the farmer's daughter. When the judge asked me why I did it he threw the book at me when I told him cause the chicks dig it."
"Scars heal glory fades and all we're left with are the memories made oh yeah. Pain hurts, but only for a minute. Life is short so go on and live cause the chicks dig it. Oh, yeah, ohhh. Just throw caution to the wind my friend then sit back and watch your life begin. Cause scars heal glory fades and all we're left with are the memories made oh yeah. Pain hurts, but only for minute yeah life is short so go on and live it cause the chicks dig it. Scars heal glory fades and all we're left with are the memories made. Pain hurts, but only for a minute. Yeah, life is short so go on and live it. It don't matter if you lose or if you win it hey the chicks dig it. The chicks dig it, the chicks dig it. Oh yeah, the chicks dig it."
Avery went next for the guys. "Hey, girl I'm just a small town runaround. I get my kicks out on the outskirts of town. I can never do it like a pretty city boy. I'm more a fishin' in the dark Nitty Gritty boy."
"So lay back and let me paint you a picture the way I wanna kiss you. Is slow as the Mississippi, strong as a fifth of whiskey, steady as a Tom Petty track. I wanna love wanna love you like that. Deeper than a sunset sky sweeter than Muscatine wine. All night til the sun comes back. I wanna love, wanna love, wanna love you like that." He sat on a stool and strummed his guitar as he sang.
"When I'm with you I can see down the road girl not just the gravel when we're travelin' on girl. And I'm bettin' that it's gonna be a wild ride, but I promise that I'm gonna be there by your side. I think we've got another memory in the makin'. So baby let's take it, take it."
"Slow as the Mississippi, strong as a fifth of whiskey, steady as a Tom Petty track. I wanna love wanna love you like that. Deeper than a sunset sky sweeter than Muscatine wine. All night til the sun comes back. I wanna love, wanna love, wanna love you like that."
"I ain't gonna do like a pretty city boy I'm a fishin' in the dark Nitty Gritty boy. So let me love you, slow as the Mississippi, strong as a fifth of whiskey, steady as a Tom Petty track girl. I wanna love wanna love you like that. Deeper than a sunset sky sweeter than Muscatine wine. All night til the sun comes back. I wanna love, wanna love, wanna love you like that, baby. I wanna love, wanna love, wanna love you like that. Yeah, I could never do it like a pretty city boy, I'm more a fishin' in the dark Nitty Gritty boy."
Since it was the opening night of the tour Rayna and Deacon made sure that each of their acts got at least a two song set in. They would have to work out a rotation so everyone got equal playing time, but this happened to work for the night.
"Now, I hope ya'll don't mind, but we are gonna close this down with an old favorite of ours." Rayna spoke to the crowd.
Deacon's fingers started to fly over his guitar strings.
"We got married in a fever hotter than a pepper sprout we been talkin' 'bout Jackson ever since the fire went out." They opened the song together.
"I'm goin' to Jackson I'm gonna mess around. Yeah I'm goin' to Jackson look out Jackson town." Deacon took that verse.
"Well, go on down to Jackson go ahead and wreck your health. Go play your hand you big talkin' man and make a big fool of yourself. Yeah go Jackson. Go comb your hair." Rayna sang.
"Honey, I'm gonna snowball Jackson." He winked at her.
"See if I care." There was a daring look on her face.
"When I breeze into that city. People gonna stoop and bow. All them women gonna make me teach 'em what they don't know how. I'm goin' to Jackson you turn a loose of my coat. Cause I'm goin' to Jackson." He shot her saucy grin.
"Goodbye that's all she wrote. Let them laugh at you at Jackson and I'll be dancin' on a pony keg. Then lead you round town like a scalded hound with your tail tucked between your legs. Yeah go to Jackson. You big talkin' and I'll be waitin' in Jackson behind my Jaypan fan." She rubbed up against him as they sang.
"Well, now we got married in a fever hotter than a pepper sprout. We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson ever since the fire went out. I'm goin' to Jackson yeah that's a fact. We're goin' to Jackson ain't never comin' back." They sang into the same mic.
"Yeah, we got married in a fever hotter than a pepper sprout honey we've been talkin' 'bout Jackson ever since that fire went out."
"Thank you, Nashville! It's always a real treat to play here and we will be closin' down here in a couple months." Rayna got wild cheers from the crowd.
The tour stopped in Memphis the next night to another sold out show. Rayna and Deacon had decided to be a little lax and let Maddie go out exploring with JC after the show was over hoping that it would cheer her up a little bit.
"Cricket, here we are. We have to go in. Come on now." JC stopped in front of a karaoke bar.
"No, we just played a show. We are not gonna go in there and do that." Maddie protested half heartedly.
"Oh yes we are. I've let you mope around about douche face long enough. Now it's time for you to get back out there and have some fun. There's no age limit on this club you're comin' in here and singin' with me even if I have to drag you." He maintained stubbornly.
"Fine," She rolled her eyes and sighed.
It was a slow night so they got up on stage pretty quickly.
"Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane touched down in the land of the delta blues in the middle of the pourin' rain. W.C. Handy won't you look down over me? Cause I've got a first class ticket and I'm blue as a boy can be." JC started out the song. It took a playful nudge from him to get Maddie to join him on the chorus.
"Walkin' in Memphis walkin' with my feet ten feet off the Beale walkin' in Memphis, but do I really feel the way I feel?"
"Saw the ghost of Elvis down on Union Avenue followed him up to the gates of Graceland and watched him walk right through. Now security didn't see him they just hovered around his tomb. There's a pretty little thing waitin' on the king down in the jungle room." He took the verse again.
"Walkin' in Memphis walkin' with my feet ten feet off the Beale walkin' in Memphis, but do I really feel the way I feel?"
"They've got catfish on the table they've got gospel in the air. And Rev. Green be glad to see you when you haven't got a prayer you've got a prayer in Memphis." They stared into each other's eyes as they sang soulfully.
"Now Muriel plays the piano every Friday at the Hollywood and they brought me down to see and they asked me if I would. Do a little number and I sang with all my might. She said tell me are you a Christian and I said ma'am I am tonight." He belted out.
"Walkin' in Memphis walkin' with my feet ten feet off the Beale walkin' in Memphis, but do I really feel the way I feel? Oh, walkin' in Memphis walkin' with my feet ten feet off the Beale, but do I really feel the way I feel? Oh, walkin' in Memphis, Ohhhh. Yeah, walkin' in Memphis." They ended the song together on a strong note.
Everyone in the bar stood and cheered for them.
The bar manager took the stage. "We have just been graced with the presence of JC Grayson and Maddie Claybourne fresh off tonight's show of the Angels and Outlaws tour. I was hopin' that since I happen to have a guitar handy they wouldn't mind doin' a couple more for us. What do ya'll say to that?" He asked. He handed JC the guitar.
The crowd cheered in approval.
"Well, I don't think we can let our fans down." Maddie grinned.
"I wouldn't dream of it." JC agreed. "Cry Like Memphis?" He asked.
"Perfect." She agreed.
JC started to pick out a bluesy tune on his borrowed guitar. "The home of the blues is where I live trapped inside these lonely walls that don't forgive. Surrounded by a memory her goodbye haunts me like a Beale Street melody. And I've done everythin', but get down on my knees. But if my tears will set this ghost inside me free."
"I'm gonna cry like Memphis I'm goin' three times under gonna drown my sorrow with tears that roll like thunder til I can find the strength til I can carry on. I'm gonna cry like Memphis when they heard the king was gone." He and Maddie were both able to show off their impressive vocal ranges on this song.
"Love me tender cuts through the dark. Comin' from an open window of a passin' car. And in that moment oh I believe that I can almost feel your body next to me. But one heart beat slowly brings me back around. I know you're gone and I know when I break down." He wailed.
"I'm gonna cry like Memphis I'm goin' three times under gonna drown my sorrow with tears that roll like thunder til I can find the strength til I can carry on. I'm gonna cry like Memphis when they heard the king was gone."
JC played a wailing guitar solo that cut to the soul.
"Whoa, til I can find the strength, til I can carry on. I'm gonna cry like Memphis when they heard the king was gone."
By the time they left the bar a light drizzle had started to fall. JC took his leather jacket off and wrapped it around Maddie's shoulders. "There you go, we can't have you gettin' sick."
"What about you? You just have a thin shirt on." Maddie asked him.
"I'll be fine I don't get sick easily. Plus, I've got this cowboy hat to keep me a little dry." He grinned at her.
"Thanks for making me come out tonight. That's the most fun I've had since I broke up with douche face." She had started referring to Colt by the same name that JC called him.
"That's my girl, I knew that you were still in there some where. You don't need a man to define who you are and you damn sure don't need one that's gonna act like he owns you and everything you are you owe to him. You want a man that treats you the way that your daddy treats your momma. Those two are equal partners in everythin' that they do. I want that with someone someday." He mused as he walked her back to the hotel. He stopped outside the door and tipped his hat to let the water run off of it.
"Do you ever take that hat off for anything?" She joked with him.
"I take this hat off for exactly three things, kissin', showerin', and I'm sure from the blush on your face right now you can guess what that third thing is." He laughed.
"Hey, there you two crazy kids are. Sadie and I caught your set at that bar and it was amazin'." Will caught up to them in the lobby.
"Someone obviously went to the Deacon Claybourne school of song writin' and the other one is clearly the offspring of Rayna Jaymes and Deacon Claybourne. You two were phenomenal." Sadie walked up and wrapped her arms around Maddie's shoulders.
"You know that hotel restaurant is still open if you two wanna grab some food with us?" Will suggested.
"I'm down I don't have anyone to answer to." JC agreed.
"Mom and dad didn't give me a curfew. I think as long as they know where I am and that I'm ok they don't worry so much. Just let me send them a text and I'm in too." Maddie added.
They settled into a private comfortable booth in the back of the restaurant where there was no chance of them being recognized.
"Can we get a pitcher of beer and a pitcher of sangria." Will requested. The waiter wasn't too worried about checking IDs and he filled the order without question.
"Will, if I take her back drunk it's gonna be my ass." JC cautioned him.
"Relax, you ain't takin' her back drunk. She's gonna have a drink or two and then I'm cuttin' her off. Poor Sadie is responsible for cuttin' the two of us off so I feel sorry for her." Will laughed.
"So, what's it like being on tour with your ex-wife?" Maddie asked after their food had come.
"It's not as bad as it could be. Considering that she spends most of her time with Jeff anyway and I don't have to see her unless it's on stage." Will replied.
"What about Kevin?" Maddie just felt like prying.
"Kevin and I are complicated I guess. Sometimes I don't think I'm gay enough for him and his stupid judgmental friends. I can be myself with ya'll. You see me for what I am a cowboy that's gay not a gay cowboy. Bein' gay is just a part of who I am." Will explained to her.
"A wise man once told me that if he can't accept you for what you and who you are he isn't worth your time. There's a guy out there who will love you and accept you for you." Maddie told him much the same thing that Deacon had told her.
"Was this man by chance named Deacon?" Sadie teased her.
"He was right. We gotta give him credit when he's right or my mom never will." Maddie laughed starting to feel the effects of the drink she'd had.
"We'll see what this time apart does for us. We have a break in a couple of weeks and if things are still the same then I guess I'll know he's not the one and it's ok for me to break up with him." Will shrugged.
"And if you want I can kick his ass for hurtin' my best friend." JC offered.
JC walked Maddie up to her parents' hotel suite just to make sure that she got there ok. "I had a really good time tonight, Cricket, I'm glad that you came with me."
"I had a really good time too. I'm glad that you're too damn stubborn to take no for an answer." She smirked. She flicked out her tongue and licked her dry lips. It was probably the alcohol bolstering her courage, but she had to do this or she'd regret it. "JC, take your hat off please."
For him there was no mistaking the look in her eyes and he took his hat off. He dipped his head and kissed her lips softly before pulling back. "That's all you're gonna get out of me tonight. You don't want it to be like this because you're hurtin' or because you've been drinkin'. I ain't gonna kiss you for real until the time is right and then and I don't if it's worth messin' up our friendship over somethin' that might not work out." He put his hat back on. He knew that was a lie. He was fighting every fiber of his being that kept telling him to kiss her deeper.
"I guess you're right, I better get inside before my parents have a major freak out." She replied.
"Night, Cricket," He tipped his hat to her.
"Night, JC." She used her keycard to let herself into the suite.
Rayna and Deacon were both walking the floor of the hotel suite with the twins trying to get them back to sleep. So far they had been very good babies to travel with. They were just getting ready to go back down after their nightly feeding.
"Look at that smile on her face. I didn't think we were ever gonna see it again." Rayna commented.
"Looks like her best friend got her sorted out just fine tonight." Deacon agreed with her.
"Daddy and I saw the YouTube clips of you and JC playing that bar and it was magic. I loved your take on Walking In Memphis and Cry Like Memphis is a great song. Which one of you wrote it?" Rayna rubbed soft circles on Jaymes' back.
"He wrote Cry Like Memphis, but I helped him with the arrangement and that's how I knew the words. I hope you're not mad at me for staying out so late." Maddie looked down at the floor.
"We're not mad at you for that at all. You called and checked in all night. We knew who you were with and we knew that you were safe. You showed a lot of responsibility and I'm very proud of you." Deacon praised her.
"Thanks, dad, you have no idea how much that means to me coming from you." She blushed at his words.
"Go on and get some sleep we have to get out of here early in the morning. We are playing Mobile tomorrow night and that's a little bit of a drive. Sure you can sleep on the bus, but I don't wanna have to practically throw you out of bed to get you down there." Rayna joked with her.
"Night mom," Maddie kissed her mother's cheek. "Night, daddy," She kissed Deacon's cheek and then she kissed both the boys' heads before heading off to sleep.
"She's as bright as the Dallas sky she always holds her head up high she loves the company of her family. She has faith in God's greater plan she trusts I'm a good man. That's why I'll always believe she's like Texas and she likes me." JC was playing around with a new song that he was in the process of writing.
"Either one of you three says something to him or I do. I can't take this anymore. He's been like this since Memphis." Avery whispered to Gunnar, Scarlett, and Will. None of them were actually on the bus they were supposed to be on at the moment, but Rayna and Deacon weren't really strict about that rule. As a matter of fact Cadence was on their bus having a play date with Little Deacon and Jaymes. He would return the favor later when they wanted to have a date night.
"I'm not sayin' anythin' to him. It's like beatin' my head against a brick wall." Scarlett begged off.
"Like he listens to anythin' anyone has to say anyway." Gunnar shrugged his shoulders.
Will sighed when he saw that all eyes were on him. "Why me? We all know how I am in the romance department."
"Because you're his best friend and he's more likely to listen to you than he is to anyone else." Scarlett whispered harshly.
"Hell, I don't even have a clue of what to say to him. Look at the state my marriage is in. I don't wanna be a hypocrite." Avery backed off even though he was the one to bring the subject up.
"We could always call Sadie up and have her come get on the bus to talk to him." Gunnar suggested.
"Nah, she's workin' on somethin' with Layla right now or somethin' like that. And she threatened to make me sorry I'm man the next time I call her to settle one of our juvenile disputes." Will nixed that idea.
Scarlett sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "You three are the biggest cowards on the face of the earth. I'll go talk to him." She got up and went to sit next to JC.
JC took his headphones off his ears and looked over at Scarlett. "Somethin' I can help you with or did you just wanna stare at my handsome face?"
"I'm gonna be blunt with you cause that seems to be what you need. Cut all the moon doggin' bullshit and tell her how you really feel. She ain't gonna know that you like her unless you tell her that." She held up her hand to stop him when it looked like he was going to say something. "Don't you dare try to tell me that you don't know what I'm talkin' 'bout because you damn well do. You like Maddie and Maddie likes you for that matter. Man up and stop bein' a little bitch baby. You're supposed to be bad Green Beret Guy, but you can't even tell a little ol' girl how you feel 'bout her." She got up after she spoke her peace because she wasn't interested in hearing anymore excuses from him.
"Maybe it was Memphis. Maybe it was southern summer nights, maybe it was you, maybe it was me, but it sure felt right." Maddie had her headphones in and was strumming her guitar. She too was working on a new song.
"Well, that is a new and improved version of Maddie. That's not the same sullen teen that we rolled out on this tour with." Sadie commented. She had lied to Will she told him she was working with Layla. She just hadn't wanted him to bug her with his bullshit.
"I know and I love it. She's been like that since Memphis. I don't know what ya'll said to her that night, but it worked wonders for her attitude. She's so much happier and she hasn't mentioned Colt's name in forever." Rayna took a sip of her coffee. With Tandy back in Nashville running Highway 65 Sadie had become her gossip partner.
"It's not ya'll it's a certain cowboy that goes by the name JC. You should have seen them when we had dinner with them that night. They hang on to every word that each other says. It's pretty damn adorable actually." Sadie looked over to the living area of the bus where Deacon was rolling around on the floor playing with the twins and Cadence. "That's pretty damn adorable too though."
"Hey, Catydid, you tell them two bad ol' boys to move over and let you play too. Yes, that Jayme is a big ol' bully when he wants to be you gotta push back." Deacon cooed at the little girl.
Rayna looked around to make sure neither of her girls could hear what she was about to say before she spoke. "Why do you think I have such a hard time keeping my legs closed when I'm alone with him? It should be illegal for one man to be that sexy."
"You are a pervert and a sex addict." Sadie shook with laughter.
"Getting back on topic. The only two people that don't know Maddie and JC like each other are Maddie and JC. They keep playin' around too much longer and I'm gonna give them a push in the right direction." Rayna shook her head.
"Just so you know. I heard that Ray." Deacon called from the floor.
"I meant for you to." Rayna called back.
"Here let me see that before you have a sticky mess and bugs all over you." JC took the ice cream cone out of Daphne's hand and licked all around it for her to keep it from dripping everywhere. "There you go." He handed it back to her.
"Thanks, JC, you're the best." Daphne beamed at him. She'd been feeling a little left out since there was no one else on the tour her age and she never got to hang out or do any of the fun stuff that Maddie did.
When JC heard about it he'd decided to take matters into his own hands. He'd showed up at her tour bus with a bouquet of pink carnations and asked her to go on a date just the two of them. "No problem at all. If you finish that ice cream up. We have time to ride the Ferris Wheel and the rollercoaster before we have to get ready for our set." They were playing the peach festival in Atlanta today and then tomorrow night they would play at the Georgia Dome. Today was just for the young acts though.
"Ok, that sounds perfect." Daphne agreed with him.
"So, you and JC?" Rayna broached the subject with her daughter as they sat outside of their tour bus in lawn chairs.
"What about us? Mom, I shouldn't have to tell you of all people that there is nothing going on between me and JC. I just broke up with Colt and I need time I guess. Besides that I don't think he likes me like that anyway." Maddie replied.
"What makes you think that?" Rayna was really curious now.
"Back in Memphis he told me that he only takes his hat off for three things, kissing, showering, and he left the third one unsaid so I can only assume he meant sex. When he dropped me off at the room that night I asked him to take his hat off and he barely pecked me on the lips. He said he didn't want to risk losing me as a friend and he didn't want that to be something that happened because I was hurting. That's what I think that." Maddie explained.
Rayna bit back a smile. Maybe those two weren't as hopeless as she'd thought they were. "Well, it wouldn't be wrong if it did turn out that you two liked each other that way. And let me tell you he is one of the good ones. I don't know many other teenage boys that would go out of his way to take his best friend's little sister on a date because she was feeling left out. That's all I'm gonna say about that." She knew if she said too much Maddie would just fight her on it.
JC walked up carrying Daphne on his shoulders a few minutes later. He deposited her on her feet and kissed her hand. "Thank you for the lovely afternoon, Ms. Claybourne. We will have to do it again sometime. I thoroughly enjoyed your company." He was playing the southern gentleman card to the hilt.
Daphne giggled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Mr. Grayson, we will have to do this again."
Rayna shot Maddie a look that seemed to say. 'See what I mean'.
A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I know that Layla and Jeff haven't been around much, but that will change a little later on when Marcus comes into the picture. Maddie and JC are inching closer and closer to each other. Don't worry I'm only going to tease you with that for a little while longer before I finally put them together. Until next time please review.
