Gypsy Hearts (9 page)

"When did this happen?" Roy asked Will.

Willjust smiled.

"Did you think it was magic? The guy's got connections," Miles said, smacking Roy with a music
magazine.

Roy pointed a finger at Miles and chuckled. "Don't
start with me again."

"Enough, already," Will said, getting up and moving
to the front of the bus. "This bus isn't big enough for
you two to get into another wrestling match."

"Hey, Miles is just sore because I managed to get
him in a headlock."

Josie glanced over at Brock, who was reclining in his
seat, seemingly lost in the song playing on the radio.
His song.

She leaned over, rested her elbows on her knees, and
said quietly, "Cool, huh? To hear it on the air for the
first time."

But instead of the elation the other band members
were enjoying at this milestone, Brock appeared guarded,
almost critiquing the music as he had in the studio.

Josie giggled with excitement. Her work was on the
radio again. And not some little fluff dog food commercial. It was music she'd worked on. It had been a
long time coming.

"You know, you can ease up a little and just enjoy the
moment. This is big."

As she sang along with the radio, he smiled at her,
something warm, wonderful, and wide.

"I've been dreaming of this day for a long time," he
said quietly. "I knew it would come. Now that it has, it
almost doesn't seem real."

"You can pinch yourself if it helps, but it's real. Hey,
Miles, turn it up a little louder," she called out.

Brock listened intently to the music, a slight smile
playing on his face as his teeth clamped down on his
lower lip. "I didn't expect it would feel this good."

She tilted an eyebrow. "You are allowed to enjoy it,
you know."

Another smile split his face. This one bigger and
more of what she'd expected. In an instant, he was on his feet, picking her up and spinning her around. "I've
dreamed of this for a long time," he said again, his eyes
twinkling down at her.

It felt great to be in Brock's arms again, Josie
thought. It seemed much too long since he'd held her
and kissed her. They'd been so busy, and so many eyes
had been on them that there hadn't been any opportunities for stolen moments like this.

"Will talked to the station manager. He said they've
been playing it the last three days and started getting
calls about the show. It almost doesn't seem real."

Josie nodded. "If you've been getting a lot of airplay,
then it should be a great turnout with people who are
coming to see you. It'll be a good show."

"Hey, when we get settled at the fairgrounds, why
don't we take off?" she said, surprising herself with her
spontaneity. "We can check out the fairgrounds together."

His expression faltered. "Will's got some interviews
lined up for me as soon as we get there. I don't think
there'll be any time."

She nodded, forcing a smile to cover her disappointment.

"Another time then."

Much to Brock's disappointment, they both were
quiet the rest of the ride. As the bus rolled to a stop just
outside the staging area, he saw the mob. Reporters and
photographers wearing large VIP passes were already
assembled by the gate, waiting to get a story. Will had
indeed outdone himself this time. Smiling, Will
climbed off the bus to greet the crowd, then gestured
inside. Brock had no doubt he was making promises
with his time to meet with each and every one of them.

"Looks like I'm on," he said to Josie, the pit of his
stomach burning as he stared outside the tinted window.
He was glad they couldn't see him or the apprehension
that suddenly clutched him, leaving him weak.

Josie touched his hand and said, "Knock 'em dead."
Her smile, the gentle touch of her hand giving him confidence broke the spell that had consumed him just
moments earlier. He smiled and felt his fear turn to
excitement.

This was it. He had their attention. It was time to give
them what they wanted.

He squeezed Josie's hand and brought it to his mouth
for a kiss before walking off the bus into the mayhem.

There had to be a hundred thousand people gathered
for the two-day summer festival, Brock thought as he
peered out the bus window. Few of the people who were
eager to come to the festival had heard of Brock Gentry,
but that didn't seem to matter to any of them. The number of people all gathered at the same time and the television footage of the outdoor concert with several other
bands was what Will had said was going to set the stage
for them to make the rest of the trip to Nashville.

They needed to make a big splash in Galveston and
then continue on their way to Nashville riding on the
success of the show. Brock watched from the back of
the bus while Will worked the crowd of reporters. It
was a good plan. Why was he so apprehensive?

Since they'd arrived at the parking lot of the fairgrounds, Will had been pulling him from one stop to
the next interview, and to yet another photography session until Brock didn't even know which way was up.

Finally he was alone to enjoy his down time, the
short hour he'd begged off to take a nap or to simply
regroup on his own. He had come to value the privacy
that was so rare on the road.

The rest of the band had taken this time to sightsee,
as Josie had suggested they both do together when they
arrived. Brock was grateful he didn't have to hear
another petty squabble between Miles and Roy, or the
phone ring and Will offering him up for another
appearance for some radio show. The DJ's he'd met
didn't have a clue who he was or what he was about.
His excitement over doing the radio spot soon waned
when he felt their lack of enthusiasm or had to answer
the same question over and over, or listen to another
lame joke about his new clothes.

Brock sighed as frustration made its way up his
spine. He put his guitar down, placing it into the case
and snapping the locks shut. He always wrote his songs
in private. That's when his thoughts were his own and
the noise of the world didn't intrude. But none of his
thoughts were on his music now.

Dexter meowed as he prowled along the edge of
Josie's bunk and made his way up to the front of the bus
where Brock was reclining on the sofa. The cat rubbed
his face against Brock's leg in a gesture of friendship.
Without any thought, Brock obliged the cat by stroking
its fur.

"You miss her, don't you boy?" he said quietly.
Dexter lifted his head and gave a plaintive cry, as if he
really knew Brock was talking about Josie.

"I miss her too." Sighing, he closed his eyes and
leaned back against the cushion. There'd been no time for them at all, even though his mind always seemed to
wander to Josie. There was a lot of idle time on the bus,
even at the gigs, but never time alone. Today would
have been a good day for them to connect. He was
beginning to see why Josie felt a relationship between
them wouldn't work on the road.

She'd calmed his nerves with a simple squeeze of the
hand and a warm smile. In all his life, the only thing that
had ever eased his anxiety was playing his guitar. It
wasn't always possible to do that here on the bus, especially when he was never alone. But a simple touch
from Josie's hand had done the trick when he felt his
heart starting to race and his palms sweating. He'd been
able to face the reporters when all he'd wanted to do
was hide from their flashbulbs and barrage of questions.

But there was never time alone. No time for them to
connect on any level other than business.

Unfettered, Brock stood up, walked to the kitchenette, and pulled open the refrigerator door. Grabbing
the carton of milk, he poured himself half a glass and
put an inch of milk in a plastic cereal bowl, offering it
to Dexter. The cat immediately jumped to the counter
and began lapping up the milk.

"This will be our little secret, okay?" he said with a
chuckle, recalling how Josie had worked overtime to
make sure the cat didn't jump on either the dining table
or the counters. He stroked the cat's long, silky back and
felt an ache in his heart that rose up and choked him.

Brock missed Josie. She'd been here on this bus the
whole time, sleeping in a bunk not far from his, looking at him from beyond the spotlights every night as he
sang, yet she felt far away, so unreachable. She'd kept an emotional distance from him ever since he'd
reached for her and kissed her that first day.

What an idiot he'd been.

Somewhere in the back of his brain, he knew there'd
be girls hanging about at every stop, after every performance. Miles and Roy were in seventh heaven. And
Brock had to agree that Josie had been right about their
every move being watched. He'd felt the stares at his
back whenever they'd talk. He hated the feeling that he
couldn't just reach for her again and let her know what
he'd been feeling. He didn't want those other girls. He
wanted her.

That empty ache in his gut began to grow and burn.
He'd lived in a house as big as Texas growing up, but
he'd always felt alone. His brothers were much older
than him and had their own lives to live. As much as he
knew they loved him, they'd never been close. He'd
always been on his own and for most of his life, that
had been fine with Brock.

He wasn't so sure anymore. Meeting Josie had
changed that. He couldn't ever remember feeling the
way she made him feel. It wasn't the words she said, it
was the way she looked at him, saw through him like no
one had ever done before. Certainly not like the girls
who were always pulling at him and trying to steal a
kiss or a hug after a show. Josie was different. And right
now, he missed her more than he could handle.

Voices outside the bus made him groan. The band
was on its way back. Roy and Miles were arguing about
something else. It didn't matter if it was a woman or
who took the last potato chip from the bag, they just
loved to argue with each other. It reminded him a little bit of his brothers, Beau and Cody, who always seemed
to be at the other's throat about something. A longing
for home and that familiarity stabbed him.

With a sigh, he peered out the tinted windows and let
his eyes graze the group to see if Josie was among
them. He'd hoped she'd be here when he'd gotten back
to the bus earlier. But he couldn't expect her to stay
alone and be available just when he had time. It wasn't
fair to ask her to hang around waiting for him either,
when she could easily have a good time sightseeing
with the other members of the band. He scanned the
group heading toward the bus. Josie wasn't there.

He wouldn't let his disappointment get the better of
him. Or that fact that his solitude was over.

here is he?" Will shouted over the noise of the
crowd.

Since they'd arrived and done their sound check,
Josie noticed that scores of people had since crowded
into the fairgrounds for the afternoon concert.

"Who are you looking for?"

Leaning over the soundboard, Will barked at her, his
frown darkening his expression. "The kid. He's got an
interview with some local news station in ten minutes
and I can't find him."

"They're going on stage in fifteen."

"Like I don't know that," he drawled. "I set up the
interview for when he's ready to go on stage."

"He's not with the rest of the band?"

Will shook his head. "One guy is ready to do a writeup on Brock and get it to press tonight. We need the
press to ensure tomorrow's performance is packed."

Josie searched her mind. The last time she'd seen Brock he was heading into the crowd around the same
time she'd come out to recheck the equipment. She
always wanted to make sure the board was undisturbed.
When the band went on stage, she didn't want to discover someone had pulled a connection accidentally.

"I haven't seen him since I came out here. Are you
sure he isn't with the rest of the band?"