Leaving Liberty, a Western Romance (Book 5) (Texas Hearts) by Lisa Mondello

said, touching the red mark on her cheek from where she’d been leaning against the seat.
    “You’re beautiful.”
    Glancing at her watch, she said. “Aren’t we early? I thought you said the show doesn’t start until seven-thirty.”
    “Brock and the band are doing a sound check right now. We’re going to have dinner with Brock and Josie when they’re done.”
    He stepped out of the truck and looked around to see where the entrance to the music hall was. A door on the side of the building was open. The sound of someone hitting a drum in a monotonous beat filtered out into the parking lot.
    “I guess this is the way,” Jackson said. As they walked toward the building, the sound of the music grew louder. Jackson took Libby by the hand and led her inside of the darkened arena. They moved through the back hallway until they reached the door to the arena. A man holding a clipboard stopped giving instructions to one of the workers backstage when he saw them.
    “No one is allowed back here during sound check,” the man said. “You’ll both have to come back tonight through the main door. You can purchase tickets there if they aren’t sold out.”
    “Brock Gentry is my brother,” Jackson said. “We’re supposed to be meeting him here.”
    “Your name?”
    “Jackson Gentry. This is Liberty Calvert.”
    The man looked at the list of names on the clipboard, and then nodded his head. Pulling two stage passes out of a stack he had fastened to the clipboard, he said, “Okay, you can go on through. They’re just finishing up sound check now so wait to the side.”
    The man moved aside so Jackson and Libby could walk into the arena.
    “I’m impressed,” Libby said, leaning into Jackson as she followed behind him. “Are you sure he’s your brother?”
    Her teasing smile made Jackson’s heart melt.
    “He got all the talent but I got all the good looks.”
    Libby rolled her eyes as she laughed.
    “One more time with the bass drum,” a woman called out from behind the sound board which was located near the middle of the arena. “I’m getting weird feedback on it out here.”
    The drummer began kicking a steady rhythm on the bass drum. His expression was one of boredom.
    “Okay, that’s good,” the woman called out.
    Jackson knew from talking to Brock that the woman behind the sound board was Josie Tibbs, the new love of Brock’s life. By the way his brother talked, things between Brock and Josie were pretty serious. He was happy to finally be meeting her.
    “Brock, let me hear a few lines through your microphone,” Josie called out.
    The sound check continued for a few more minutes until Brock noticed Jackson and Libby standing on the sidelines. His brother’s bored expression immediately brightened.
    “Hey, you made it!” Brock yelled into the microphone, causing feedback that made everyone wince and groan.
    “We all thank you for that, Brock,” Josie said, laughing. Glancing over at Jackson and Libby, Josie waved from her position behind the sound board as Brock jumped off the stage.
    Brock winked at Josie as he ran over to Jackson. It had been a long time since he’d seen his younger brother. Brock had been on the road for a while. He had been on the road even longer. It only emphasized how much distance Jackson had put between himself and his brothers since their mother died.
    * * *
    Libby couldn’t believe she’d slept nearly the entire way to San Antonio. She probably looked like a disaster. But Jackson hadn’t said anything even when she’d woken up and felt her hair sticking up on one side of her head from the way she been propped up as she slept.
    She wasn’t normally one to get star struck over celebrity. Even though Brock Gentry wasn’t exactly a big-time celebrity, she had heard his music on the radio and she’d even bought his CD. It felt a little surreal to meet him with Jackson. Side-by-side the family resemblance was striking, something she hadn’t noticed before now. The two