It’s the kind of twist you usually only see in country songs. A man builds a new life in Montana with the woman who once worked for his ex-wife.

When Brandon Blackstock passed away on August 7 after a three-year fight with melanoma, his obituary didn’t just list family. It honored Brittney Marie Jones as his “beautiful and loving partner in life and business.” But Jones wasn’t just any partner. Years earlier, she had been on Kelly Clarkson’s payroll, working as the singer’s production assistant in Nashville from 2016 to 2018, and later helping manage Clarkson’s day-to-day schedule even as she transitioned into an executive role with Blackstock.

By June 2020, the same month Clarkson filed for divorce, Jones had moved into a new chapter. She became executive assistant for V Bar B Cattle Co., the Montana ranch Blackstock called home. Not long after, the two were building businesses together, including Headwaters Livestock Auction and what would become his pride and joy, the Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman.

Her father, Larry Jones, called him his daughter’s soulmate. In a Facebook post after Blackstock’s death, he wrote, “Yesterday we lost a good man… I considered him my son. We’re sure going to miss your funny humor. R.I.P hoss!”

Blackstock’s journey to Montana life came after years in the spotlight as Kelly Clarkson’s husband and manager. The two married in 2013, had two children (River, now 11, and Remington, 9), and shared a whirlwind career together before their split. By the time the divorce was finalized in 2022, Clarkson had primary custody of the kids and kept their Montana property, though she lived in New York. Blackstock stayed out West, leaning hard into ranching and rodeo life with Jones at his side.

It wasn’t just business for them. They seemed to be building a whole new identity away from the bright lights. Friends and family say they poured themselves into the work, raising cattle, organizing rodeos, and shaping a legacy that will outlast both of them in the Montana hills.

The connection between Jones and Clarkson has not been publicly discussed by either woman, and Clarkson’s team has not commented on the relationship. But the timeline is hard to ignore. Jones worked directly for Clarkson for years, then joined Blackstock full-time just as the marriage ended.

Whatever the backstory, those who knew Blackstock in his final years say Jones was there for the long haul. The two weathered his illness together, and she was by his side when his health began to decline sharply in the past year.

Clarkson reportedly kept things respectful for the sake of their children, even stepping back from her talk show and canceling Las Vegas shows to make sure the kids spent time with their father before the end. A source close to her said she was “devastated” for them, knowing what was coming.

Blackstock died at 48, surrounded by family in his Montana home. His rodeo, cattle operation, and the life he built with Jones stand as reminders of the man he became after Nashville, far removed from the music industry grind but still a figure whose story has plenty of people talking.