Fifteen Minutes

chapter 2

Reese Weatherly had pictured many things for her and Zack after college, but she never imagined this. Zack trying his hand at fame. Now the day was here and she needed to handle it with grace. She loved him. He deserved her support, especially this morning when he was on his way over to say good-bye. They’d share a few words, a hug and a kiss as he drove off for the Atlanta audition.

And then what?

She sat in the dark on her parents’ front porch steps and tried not to shiver. The uncertainty of tomorrow was colder than the early morning. She hugged her ribs and stared at the stars blanketing the sky. He’s going to make it, right, God? This is going to change everything.

She waited. Sometimes she could almost hear the voice of God when she talked to Him. But not here, not now.

Maybe because she didn’t need an answer from heaven. If he survived the audition process and made it to the televised show, Zack could win the whole thing. He would win it. He looked like a young James Dean or Elvis, and his smooth voice captivated people. The struggle was this—Zack had never talked about being a singer. Like his dad and grandfather, Zack always planned to take over the horse farm. He’d stay in Danville, bring on a few thoroughbreds, maybe raise a Derby champion like his ancestors. Sure he’d write songs in his spare time, and maybe that would bring in a second income someday. But auditioning for Fifteen Minutes?

It was the financial crisis that had forced his decision. And that had led to his curiosity that maybe God had created him for the stage.

A shiver ran down Reese’s arms. If he won, he would need to live in L.A. or New York or Nashville, caught up in the madness of whatever that life looked like. And I’ll be here. She blinked back the sting of tears. Teaching special-needs kids to ride horses. Working with Zack’s sister.

Gradually, with the soft steps of sock feet and Sunday mornings, their beginning came back, the first time she met Zack Dylan. As a freshman, she had won a spot on the university dressage team. A week after classes began she was about to compete in her first event. She remembered the way her heart pounded as she walked with the team to the arena, how nervous she was to compete in her first collegiate competition.

As she’d reached the gates, Reese had felt her heart sink. She’d forgotten her gear bag back at the stable. She told the coach and then ran as fast as she could back to the school’s horse center. Darting through the door and down a dimly lit path covered in sawdust, she found the bag at the edge of the covered arena. But before she could turn back for the door, she heard a guy’s voice. Someone singing. Even out of breath and in a hurry to get back, she could do nothing but stop and listen. The voice came from one of the stalls. He was brushing down a horse, with sunlight streaming in from one of the windows.

Slowly she set her gear bag down. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The fractured sunlight on his handsome tanned face, the silhouette of his muscled arms in the shadows, the sure way he had with the horse. The beautiful voice. Reese had gripped the wooden post. If he worked with the UK horses, how had she missed him?

He must’ve heard her; barely half a minute passed before he stopped and looked up. Their eyes met, and across the stable the connection was immediate. Like they’d known each other all their lives.

“Hey.” He set the brush on a shelf and dusted his hands off on his jeans. Then he walked over to her slowly. Curious. “You on the dressage team?”

His question jolted her from the moment. “I have to go.” She grabbed her gear bag and flung it over her shoulder. “Loved the song.”

“Thanks. Nice to meet you.” He chuckled. “I’m Zack.”

Already she was running toward the door. She was going to be late, and then the coach would bench her or kick her off the team.

“Hey,” he called after her. “What’s your name?”

She didn’t have time to turn around. Instead she raised her hand without looking back. “Later.”

That afternoon Reese had the best ride of her life. Halfway through the competition she caught a glimpse of the stands and there, near the top of the bleachers was the dark-haired boy. Sitting by himself and watching her. He waited for her after the competition and they walked together back to the stable. “You didn’t tell me your name.” He grinned at her.

She could barely think. The combination of the win and the guy beside her. “Reese.”

He nodded, thoughtful. “It fits you.”

“Thanks.” She allowed a light bit of laughter. “I think.”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing.” He narrowed his eyes. “Well, Reese. That was beautiful.”

“What?” She felt his eyes on her, felt the warmth of his gaze all the way to her soul.

“How you ride.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “I’ve been around horses all my life.” He stared at her. “The way you ride . . . that’s how it’s supposed to look.”

“Thank you.” She hoped he couldn’t see the heat in her cheeks. “And you? You’re a singer?”

“Nah.” He laughed and looked up at the sky. “Only for God and my horses.”

They reached the barn and he waited while she changed out of her dressage clothes. Afterward they walked to the far side of the university where the view of the hills was prettiest. They talked the whole time. She learned about his family’s horse farm and she told him about her dream of helping handicapped kids. They both were single. No time to date with the newness of college and the demands of the horses. Zack worked eighteen hours a week grooming, required for his major. She spent about that much time practicing dressage.

“Looks like we’ll see a lot of each other,” he told her as they walked back to the dorms.

“Yeah.” She grinned at him. “I know how to find you.”

“How’s that?” They’d reached her dorm and he faced her.

“Your voice. As long as you’re singing, I’ll find you. You’re amazing.”

“Thanks.” His eyes held hers. “It’ll be easy to find you, too.”

Reese liked the easy banter. “Do tell.”

“Simple.” His eyes sparkled. “I’ll look for the prettiest girl on campus.” He put his hands in his pockets again and smiled. “See you around, Reese.”

The memory dissolved in the early-morning quiet. Reese hugged her knees to her chest. She and Zack had seen each other the next day at the stable and after that they were inseparable. On their first date he’d told her something that stayed with her still. “I feel like I was born for this, for knowing you.”

She remembered his words because she had felt the same way. Then, and as their friendship turned to dating a few months later, and a year after that when the story of their grandparents came to light. Craziest story ever. Like something from a movie.

How could she not feel destined to love Zack Dylan?

At least before today.

Other memories swirled and danced in her mind. The first time she visited Zack’s church and watched him lead music at the beginning of the service. It wasn’t just his beautiful voice that captured her that day.

That afternoon they had gone to her house for dinner and afterward they walked through her neighborhood. “Have you thought about American Idol or Fifteen Minutes? You’re so good, Zack.” She wasn’t testing him. She only wanted to know.

His response had found a permanent place in her soul. “I could be a songwriter. But I don’t want a crazy life.” His smile had faded as he seemed to grasp for the right words. “I sing like I breathe, because it’s in me. I feel closest to God when I’m on that stage at church singing for Him.” He shrugged slightly. “I don’t need to win a reality show to be a singer.” He grinned. “I’m already one.”

She had liked his answer, not so much because it protected what they had but because it suited him. Year after year his answer remained. People would suggest he try out for one of the singing shows, but he would smile