heads together, whispering and staring at him. He watched, in horror as one by one, the women in his family gathered, the veritable pack of she-wolves in one corner of the room. Tiffany stood at his left elbow, talking animatedly to Jackson and Giselle, seeming oblivious to his sister’s actions, thank God.
“ Any more requests?” Red called out again.
Annie looked up with a wicked gleam in her eye. “How about When a Man Loves a Woman, ” she called out loudly.
Red looked darkly at her. “No, pick something else.”
“ Gary Alan’s Loving You Against My Will ,” Melissa threw in with a chuckle.
Red shook his head. “Something else...”
“ The One by Gary Allan?” Bailey asked as he continued to shake his head and send his sisters looks that could kill.
“ Jake Owen’s Don’t Think I Can’t Love You ,” Rebecca added.
“ Or maybe James Otto’s Just Got Started Loving You ,” Kathleen chimed in.
Red glared at his sisters, thinking he’d like to throttle every last one of them the first chance he got. He shook his head in disgust, and started up a quick paced tune by a popular country artist. It was a safe tune about a guy with no commitments, and it was something with no female vocalization, so he wouldn’t have to hear Tiffany sing.
Afterwards, Jackson sang a favorite of his wife’s then he and Giselle performed a duet, prompting a standing ovation.
Red checked his watch. “We’ve got time for one more.” His heart clenched in dread as his mom raised a hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Red, I’d like to hear something Christmassy to ring in the season.”
He could feel the tension ease from his shoulders, so relieved at her request. He knew her favorite Christmas carol and it was safe, to say the least. His relief was short lived as his mother voiced her request.
“ I’d love to hear a duet... Baby, it’s Cold Outside ...Please?”
“ But, isn’t The Little Drummer Boy your favorite Christmas song?” he asked, as an uneasiness crept back into his bones.
“ It is, but your dad and I watched that Elf movie last night and the duet those two characters sang was lovely.”
He watched his mother weave her way through the crowd, stopping in front of Tiffany, just as he suspected she would. Here it comes…the final act of treachery
“ Do you know it, Tiffany?” she asked.
Tiffany nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I surely do.”
Red was already shaking his head no as Vivienne turned to him. “Mom, are you sure you wouldn’t rather hear The Little Drummer Boy? ”
“ No, I’m sure I’d rather hear this one, dear,” she said, sounding convincingly innocent to everyone but him.
“ I bet he’s too scared to sing that with Tiffany,” Annie threw in, as everyone in the room snickered.
Red glared at his sister then looked up at Tiffany as she stood beside his chair, her face, a pallet of amused smugness.
“ Bok...Bok,” she said.
Red stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“ You heard me,” she answered, before continuing her imitation of a chicken. “I said...Bok...Bok...Ba-cawk!” Soon, everyone in the room joined in with various chicken sounds.
Red snorted then shook his head as he cursed under his breath. He looked back at Tiffany. “Are you ready to sing?” he asked, loud enough to make his traitorous family’s clucking and crowing get replaced with whistles and applause.
Tiffany’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “I don’t know, McAllister—did I pass your test?”
“ Your ass!” he said, before calling his family a bunch of turncoats. “Get on up here…Tiffy.”
Tiffany walked up to him and poked his chest with a finger. “Keep it up, chicken man,” she said, as he repositioned his guitar. Red started playing the mellow guitar opening as Brandon and the rest of the musicians joined along. Tiffany sang the first lines of each stanza with Red picking up the back-up lines. During the guitar solos she entertained both him and their audience by placing a
“ Any more requests?” Red called out again.
Annie looked up with a wicked gleam in her eye. “How about When a Man Loves a Woman, ” she called out loudly.
Red looked darkly at her. “No, pick something else.”
“ Gary Alan’s Loving You Against My Will ,” Melissa threw in with a chuckle.
Red shook his head. “Something else...”
“ The One by Gary Allan?” Bailey asked as he continued to shake his head and send his sisters looks that could kill.
“ Jake Owen’s Don’t Think I Can’t Love You ,” Rebecca added.
“ Or maybe James Otto’s Just Got Started Loving You ,” Kathleen chimed in.
Red glared at his sisters, thinking he’d like to throttle every last one of them the first chance he got. He shook his head in disgust, and started up a quick paced tune by a popular country artist. It was a safe tune about a guy with no commitments, and it was something with no female vocalization, so he wouldn’t have to hear Tiffany sing.
Afterwards, Jackson sang a favorite of his wife’s then he and Giselle performed a duet, prompting a standing ovation.
Red checked his watch. “We’ve got time for one more.” His heart clenched in dread as his mom raised a hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Red, I’d like to hear something Christmassy to ring in the season.”
He could feel the tension ease from his shoulders, so relieved at her request. He knew her favorite Christmas carol and it was safe, to say the least. His relief was short lived as his mother voiced her request.
“ I’d love to hear a duet... Baby, it’s Cold Outside ...Please?”
“ But, isn’t The Little Drummer Boy your favorite Christmas song?” he asked, as an uneasiness crept back into his bones.
“ It is, but your dad and I watched that Elf movie last night and the duet those two characters sang was lovely.”
He watched his mother weave her way through the crowd, stopping in front of Tiffany, just as he suspected she would. Here it comes…the final act of treachery
“ Do you know it, Tiffany?” she asked.
Tiffany nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I surely do.”
Red was already shaking his head no as Vivienne turned to him. “Mom, are you sure you wouldn’t rather hear The Little Drummer Boy? ”
“ No, I’m sure I’d rather hear this one, dear,” she said, sounding convincingly innocent to everyone but him.
“ I bet he’s too scared to sing that with Tiffany,” Annie threw in, as everyone in the room snickered.
Red glared at his sister then looked up at Tiffany as she stood beside his chair, her face, a pallet of amused smugness.
“ Bok...Bok,” she said.
Red stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“ You heard me,” she answered, before continuing her imitation of a chicken. “I said...Bok...Bok...Ba-cawk!” Soon, everyone in the room joined in with various chicken sounds.
Red snorted then shook his head as he cursed under his breath. He looked back at Tiffany. “Are you ready to sing?” he asked, loud enough to make his traitorous family’s clucking and crowing get replaced with whistles and applause.
Tiffany’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “I don’t know, McAllister—did I pass your test?”
“ Your ass!” he said, before calling his family a bunch of turncoats. “Get on up here…Tiffy.”
Tiffany walked up to him and poked his chest with a finger. “Keep it up, chicken man,” she said, as he repositioned his guitar. Red started playing the mellow guitar opening as Brandon and the rest of the musicians joined along. Tiffany sang the first lines of each stanza with Red picking up the back-up lines. During the guitar solos she entertained both him and their audience by placing a
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