The Hottest Ticket in Town by Kimberly Van Meter Page A

then it was all about trying to wrangle the monkeys that were tearing stuff up. Except she liked the monkeys and she didn’t care what kind of damage she’d end up having to clean up later. Yeah, that was the pure crazy part and she knew it.
    Pot roast, red potatoes and green beans, that’s good eating right there
, she thought with pride as she served up their plates. One thing Cora had taught her was how to plate a good dinner that’ll stick to the ribs because hardworking country men needed something real on their forks. “None of that fancy foo-foo stuff,” Cora had scoffed.
    â€œThe way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, you mark my words, Chickpea,” Cora had told her one hot summer day while in the kitchen. Laci had grinned, loving the nickname Cora had given her from the minute they’d met. “A man—a real man, mind you—wants meat and potatoes, stuff that goes down to the gut and stays there a while. Some ladies think the way to bend a man is with their pretty face and a lot of this—” Cora wiggled her hips and Laci had laughed “—but they’d be wrong. Good food keeps a man where he belongs.”
    â€œSo you’re saying that if I learn to cook real good, I’ll never be alone?” Laci asked.
    Cora smiled and smoothed a worn hand over Laci’s head with a warm smile and squeezed her chin lightly. “My little Chickpea, I would never steer you wrong. A woman has many talents, many gifts, but her true talent is revealed in the kitchen. Now, grab that sack of flour and bring it over. I’m gonna show you how to properly bread a chicken leg. Ain’t nothing better than fried chicken on a summer night and that’s the truth, but the secret is in the scald, my sweet girl. All in the scald.”
    Laci roused herself from the memory and realized Kane was watching her intently. “You okay? You looked like you’d disappeared from the table.”
    â€œI did for a minute,” Laci admitted, shaking off the reverie before returning to Kane with a smile. “I was just thinking about Cora. Remember how she used to call me Chickpea? I don’t know why, but whenever she called me that, I always felt loved. Weird, huh?”
    Kane graced her with a smile filled with love for Cora and said, “Nothing weird about that. Cora is a special woman. She has a way of reaching into your heart and finding all the weak spots so she can shore it up with her unique brand of duct tape.”
    Laci laughed. “You’re right. God, I hope she’s okay. Have you heard from Warren at all?”
    â€œNo, not yet. I thought to give them a call tonight, but I didn’t want to pester them in case Cora is resting. I don’t know what the treatments are like and all that, so I figured it was best to wait, but I’m getting antsy, too.”
    Laci nodded, concerned. “She has to pull through. I feel like such a shit for not staying in better contact with them. They’re like my family—my only family since Daddy died—but my schedule has been so...well, hectic, you know?”
    â€œSame. I mean, I suspect being on tour’s no picnic, though. I’m sure the Bradfords don’t hold a grudge against you.”
    She didn’t worry about that. Cora and Warren were loyal to the core. Once they let you in, it would take a nuclear blast to knock you free. But still, she knew where the fault lay and it was with her. There was no excuse for abandoning them the way she had. “I wish I could cut the tour short. I’m done with being in a different hotel every night, a different city by the following night. It’s wearing on my nerves something fierce.” She rubbed at her temples as a tension headache sprang from nowhere at the mere mention of returning to the tour.
    â€œSo cut it short. It’s your tour, right?” Kane said, as if that was the answer. Bless his heart, he