Wow, I didn't realise it had been so long since I updated this story. As I keep saying, I am chipping away at it and I apologise for the massive wait between chapters. With that in mind, rest assure the next chapter will be up in the next couple of days :-)

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she nodded at her hair and make up team. They had worked miracles yet again. Try as she might, she was unable to relax this afternoon after sound check, so had arrived to get ready for the show looking exhausted. The image of that shadowy figure kept haunted her all afternoon. It wove itself into her longing for Deacon and no amount of her telling herself that it wasn't him would vanish it. Trying to convince herself it wasn't Deacon, she had called him. She could barely hear him over the background noise coming from the Beverley. He had to cut the phone call short, as some patron was causing problems for a waitress. Thanking her team, she smiled as they left her dressing room. Moving her head side to side, she tried to loosen the tense muscles in her neck. She didn't know what was wrong with her today. She had felt on tenterhooks and off kilter ever since her body had reacted so powerfully to Bucky's mystery guest. When she had asked him about it, he had told her that it was local artist who was trying to hustle a supporting act spot on the remaining part of the tour.

Just at that moment, Bucky poked his head through the door, smiling at her he asked,

"Hey Ray, when you get a moment there are some VIP's in green room one that I said you would be happy to meet before the show. Hope that is okay?"

Smiling back at him

"Yeah Buck, give me five minutes and I will meet you down there"

Standing up, Rayna smoothed down her the skirt of her dark plum sequinned dress. Giving herself one final glance in the mirror, she headed after Bucky.

Smiling at various members of her crew as she navigated down the hall towards green room one, she sent up a mental prayer thanking the powers that be, for bringing Bucky into her life. He was a godsend. She didn't know what she would do without him, both as a friend and manager. Upon seeing Terri, her backup vocalist, she remembered she wanted to make some changes to the vocals on one of Markus' songs.

Terri squeezed Rayna's arm, assuring her that those changes would make the world of difference to the song. Bidding her goodbye, she wished Rayna all the best for tonight's performance before yelling out for Chester, Rayna's drummer to hold up. Pausing for a moment outside green room two, Rayna sighed with loneliness, she watched as Terri walked away joking with Chester. She ached to have that level of companionship while on this tour. Usually it was Deacon and herself who would display that level of comfortable intimacy. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the door to the green room open and the hands reaching out. One went across her mouth while the other snaked around her waist, pulling her backwards into the room.

*** I promise the next chapter will be up in the next couple of days