Miranda Lambert is happy to play the bad guy to protect her time with her very busy husband, Blake Shelton. She graces the cover of the February issue of Redbook magazine, where inside she says she puts the brakes on inpromptu meet-and-greet sessions with fans when they're out together in public.

Miranda said of Blake, "He's the sweetest guy. Like, he will talk to anyone, sign anything, take a picture with everyone. And if I don't stop it at some point, it ruins our whole night. I have to be the bad guy. The people are like 'Oh, God, don't mess with her ...' "

Miranda says their hectic schedules kept them apart for 11 days recently, but that absence keeps the fires burning. She said, "When I go to the The Voice set and everyone says, 'Blake's been talking about you so much,' it just makes me feel special."

Miranda's brand new single is called "Mama's Broken Heart."

It's the fourth release from her Grammy-nominated Best Country Album and ACM Album of the Year winner, Four The Record.

Miranda is currently in rehearsals for the Locked & Reloaded tour with Dierks Bentley. The tour kicks off January 17th in Columbia, South Carolina.