Page 14 of My UnTrue Love
“Make sense.” Bill allowed.
“Well, look at where my gift got me.” Tony waved a hand around the bar, the rag splattering water all over the counter that he’d just cleaned. “I can’t even get songwriters totalkto me, about drum solos. Hey, hang on,” he looked Bill up and down, “do you write songs?”
“I perform other people’s songs.”
New tunes constantly played in Bill’s head, but he was the only one who’d ever heard those flashes of notes and bits of lyrics. Tantalizing pieces of music appeared in his mind all hours of the day, but none of them ever escaped into actual sound. None of them were everwhole. Something was always missing, and he’d given up trying to figure out what it might be.
Tony made a face. “Well, Red River Valley is a sucker bet for creative types, unless you’ve got a muse. There ain’t nothing so valuable as one of those va-va-voom vixens.”
Bill frowned, because that was true. Clementinewasthe most valuable thing in town. And there were a lot of men with more to offer her than Bill. That worried him some.
Luckily, Clem was Good.
Coyotes stole Bad women. They were the only ones willing to take a chance on Bill’s kind, even temporarily. Bill hadneverheard of a coyote getting himself a Good girl. Not until now.
Bill didn’t like to brag, but he was a mite cleverer than the others of his kind. He’d found himself a workaround to the stolen-mate problem. Good folk didn’t know their True Loves until they slept with them. Clem wasn’t the type to cheat, no matter how many males tried to woo her into their beds. Once Bill locked her into a relationship, she’d never find her True Love, because she’d only be withhim. It was the perfect plan!
Just to be on the safe side though, every other male would be staying far away from her.
“Muses are damn picky about who they work with. Their magic has to fit together with the artist. And eventhen, they’re looking for a spark of genius or some shit.” Tony ranted. “But if they decide you’ve got it, brother, you’re set forlife.”
Bill’s eyes narrowed. Was Tony a threat, after all? He listened for some hint of criticism, or lascivious intent, or professional acquisitiveness directed towardshisva-va-voom vixen.
“Clem’s the only muse who’ll talk to me, but her magic don’t quite fit with mine. She’s beenrealencouraging about my drumming, though. She’s always looking out for people.” Tonytsked. “Her heart’s too soft for this town.”
“I don’t have a heart.” Bill intoned. There was nothing but rock-hard selfishness in his chest. The inflexible knowledge that he’d destroy any other man who came after what was his.
Tony was oblivious to how close he was walking to the edge of disaster. “Clem’s a real sweet girl. If you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass.”
Bill’s flare of suspicion eased. Tony seemed to view Clem in a platonic way. That was fine. He could be ignored, again. …Well, mostly ignored. Bill didn’t trust any man enough tocompletelyignore him around Clementine.
“Johnnyneverappreciated her.” Tony declared, winning himself some points with Bill. “Any guy who has a muse should count his lucky stars, ya know? There aren’t enough of them to go around.”
Bill didn’t quite understand how Clementine’s magic worked, but he’dhatedwhen it had been linked up with Johnny. She wasBill’sstolen-mate and he wasn’t sharing one single piece without a fight. Not a curl on her head. Not the nail on her tiniest toe. Not a sparkle from her lovely green eyes. He got it all and everyone else gotnothin’.
Tony’s gaze fixed on Bill. “How’d you get Clem away from Johnny, anyhow?”
“He fired her.” Bill lifted a shoulder, pantomiming his bewilderment at Johnny’s choice.
“Fiddly-i-o! Hefiredhis own muse?” Tony’s downturned mouth lifted the smallest bit. Red River Valley was a town where others’ misfortune was your gain. “Well, he’s fucked.”
“Yep.”
Chapter Four
The cy’ote wanted fortune and lights,
A chance to find renown,
His talents sharp as edge of a knife,
And so he must leave town.
Lyrics from the folk song “Crossroads Coyote”
“Bill!” Clementine came dashing back into the main room of The Kitchen, interrupting his not-very-interesting conversation with Tony.
Enthusiasm lit her face and Bill smiled in response.
