Disclaimer: I do not own Nashville or any of its music, characters, and dialogue.

Nashville's Sweetheart

2

He looked over at her as he entered the bar and then stopped, his eyes locking with hers. Rayna had thought that her eyes were a pretty shade of blue, but if hers were pretty, then his were gorgeous. They were clear and bright under the soft lamp lighting, and when he smiled at her, Rayna felt something stir inside of her. She felt excited and scared and embarrassed all at once, and all she could manage to do was smile back, hoping that she wasn't blushing too hard.

He was young, but he seemed to be older than Rayna was. He was wearing a loosely-fitted brown flannel rolled up at the elbows, which showcased his taught forearm muscles. Rayna's eyes were drawn to them, along with the biceps bulging out from beneath the flannel, but she soon shook herself, realizing how utterly rude it was to stare and how she was probably making a fool of herself.

On the contrary, though, the guy smiled at her again, and it looked like he was about to come over to her. Did he really want to talk to her? Did his eyes really just flicker up and down her body like that? Before he could do so, though, Watty came over and put a hand on the small of her back. "Are you ready, Rayna? You're almost on."

She looked back at the stranger and merely blinked at him as Watty ushered her forward. Out of the corner of her eye, Rayna saw him take a seat at one of the tables, and she felt his eyes on her. She didn't look back at him as she climbed onto the stage and greeted the band players, but she wanted to. She wanted to very much.

"And now," said the lead guitar player as Rayna took her seat on the wooden stool, smiling out at the audience (and at him), "is Miss Rayna Jaymes!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"That was somethin' else." Startled, Rayna jumped and saw that guy standing in front of her, his blue eyes softened by his wide smile. He was even better looking up close, Rayna realized, but more importantly, she felt something from being closer to him. She felt something good and something safe radiate from him and dissolve into her, and for some inexplicable reason, she felt that she could trust him.

"Thank you," she replied, trying not to sound too surprised yet trying not to sound too ungrateful. He continued to smile at her, his eyes glued to her own, and she felt all those wild emotions from earlier surge back into her system.

"Rayna!" Coming up on her right side, Watty put a hand on her shoulder and joined them. Rayna felt her cheeks blush again as she smiled, looking up at the two men. "I see that you've met Deacon Claybourne."

Deacon Claybourne? What a strong name. The guy nodded and then flashed another smile, extending his hand. "Yup. I'm Deacon." As Rayna's hand slipped into his, she was amazed at how soft it was yet how rough it seemed. It looked like he built things or did a lot of work with his hands. "I play the guitar."

"Really?" That would explain the strange texture of his hands. He didn't have one with him, though, so Rayna was confused. "Where's it at?"

"Oh, it's back in my hotel room. I only came out to watch and to get a sense of what's goin' on here."

Back in his hotel room? That must mean that he wasn't from around there and that he didn't live there. Rayna felt a stab of disappointment at the revelation, and she wondered why she felt like that; she wondered why it was such a big deal to her.

"I'm stayin' over at the Holiday Inn until I get my own place." Rayna instantly perked up, and Deacon seemed to have sensed it, for he laughed. "Yeah, you probably thought I was just passin' on through, but no ma'am. I'm here to play guitar, and I'm here to stay."

"I'm glad," she said quickly, and then she stopped, blushing. "I'm glad that you've got a plan, that is."

"Right, right." He said it softly, like he knew what she had really meant, but he didn't press her on it.

"Deacon here's new on the scene, but he already came up to my studio and showed me a thing or two with that guitar of his." Watty was smiling as he gazed over at Deacon, but there was something else flecked in his gaze. His eyes wandered quickly over to Rayna and then back to Deacon, and Rayna wondered what he was thinking.

"So do you sing here often?" Deacon asked, breaking the silence. "I really liked how you went with some of the more authentic tracks. I haven't heard some of those songs in a real long time. I also like the quality of your voice. It really struck me."

"This is her first time singin' here, but we're lookin' to make it more regular." Watty's hand tightened on Rayna's shoulder, and for whatever reason, he cleared his throat in a sort of dismissive manner. "Well, I'm gonna say goodbye to some people and then we're gonna get goin', Rayna."

"Okay."

"Did you ride with him or somethin'?" Deacon asked as Watty went over to a group of men by the stage, shaking their hands. "Is he your manager?"

Manager? Rayna let out a laugh, for she had never thought of Watty as her manager. He was her mentor, sure, and a father figure to her, but Rayna didn't think that he held any managerial control over her career. Not that she even had a career yet, unless you counted the tips she collected from her gigs.

"No. He's just a good friend helping me out." She paused just then, feeling awkward. She wanted to know more about this guy and she wanted to somehow assure that they would see each other again, but she didn't know what to do. She also didn't really know if that was the appropriate thing to do in this situation because this had never really happened to her before.

Rayna flirted with the boys at school and had let them take her out on dates a couple times, but that was different – those were the Belle Meade kind of people. Deacon didn't seem to be like that. He had a more rural, laid-back air about him, and it had just felt so right and so easy talking to him. Though he definitely seemed to be a few years older than her, Rayna felt that they had sincerely clicked, and she didn't want this to be the first and last time they ever saw each other.

But since she was sixteen and inexperienced, she didn't really know what to do. "Well," she said, her head spinning, "I guess I'll see you around, then."

"Hey!" As she turned around and started to walk back to Watty, however, she felt a light touch on her arm. Deacon was right behind her, staring into her eyes again, and Rayna felt her entire body melt at his touch. "I'd really like to see you again. D'you work around here?"

Work? Oh gosh. He thought she was out of high school, and he thought she was working somewhere. He must have assumed that she was pounding the pavement of Nashville and looking for her big break, and even though she was doing that, there she was – still in school.

"Yeah, I'm around here," she said, purposely vague. As she said, Deacon wasn't the Belle Meade kind of person, so how would he react to knowing that she went to the most expensive and prestigious prep school in Tennessee? Would he judge her and get an unfavorable impression of her? "What about you?"

She thought she caught the faint traces of a blush as he said, "I'm... finishing up a couple things, and then I'm gonna start playin' full time."

Finishing up some things? What, was he still in school, too? It sounded like he was completely on his own, and Rayna wondered how that worked. Didn't you have to have a parent live with you if you were in school? Rayna didn't know anything about those kind of laws, but it fascinated her. She didn't want to give her own cover away, though, so she left it alone.

"Well, then, I guess I will see you around." She smiled at him again, thrilled at how he smiled back and looked at her with such admiration. She didn't know why he seemed to admire her so much, but it felt good. Maybe for the first time since her mother died, Rayna would finally have someone other than Watty value and appreciate her music aspirations. Maybe, Rayna thought, going over to Watty and waiting patiently for him to finish his conversation, she would finally find someone who would teach her how to play that damned guitar.