Hearts on Fire (20 page)

The crowd in the venue
cheered and whistled as Drew turned to her and gave her a reassuring
nod. It was her turn. She took a calming breath, then looked back to
the audience. The bright lights used for television shined brightly
into her eyes making it nearly impossible to see them all, but she
felt their warm, welcoming presence with every fiber of her being.

“Thank y’all so
much.” Her voice shook a little as she spoke. “This award means
more than I can say.” She took a calming breath, exhaled and willed
her professional experience to kick in. “First, we’d like to
thank everyone at Trident and Full Moon for making this duet happen.
I’d also like to thank Wally Lindell. Wally, I know you’re out
there, and I want to thank you for sticking with me through the good
times and the bad. You’re the best manager in the business, and the
best surrogate father a girl could have. I adore you.”

Jessie took in another
breath and turned to look at Drew, whose tender gaze was filled with
love for her; the girl with a past she was so ashamed of she didn’t
think she was worthy of being loved. But she
was
worthy—she finally believed that now, and damn if it wasn’t the
best feeling in the world.

“Drew, every blessing
I have in my life right now is because of you. Thank you for being my
friend and showing me what the word trust means. And thank you for
giving me the greatest gift of all; your love.” She paused as the
audience let out a collective sigh. “You told me once that all the
success in the world isn’t worth a damn if you don’t have someone
to share it with, and you were right. Thank you for sharing your life
with me, and for being the first person I want to see when I wake up
each morning.” A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she gazed at
her husband. “I love you with all my heart.”

And then, in an
impulsive move, Jessie leaned forward and kissed him. She didn’t
know who was more surprised, Drew, or the audience, whose cheers and
whistles filled the arena as her lips lingered on his. When she
pulled back, he looked a little dazed. Not that she blamed him; he’d
just won his very first CMA award. Well, he’d better get used to
it. There would be a lot more awards in his future. She was
absolutely sure of it.

A huge thank you
to all the wonderful people who helped make this book possible:
Chrissie Humphrey, Jodi Henley, Helen Williams, Amber Drappier of
Fiction Diction, Jesse Gordon, Tera Lynn Childs, Crystal Perkins, and
Angie Shiroff. I couldn’t have done it without your help and
support!

Originally from
the San Francisco Bay Area, Alison now lives in Southern Nevada where
she’s still getting used to the blistering summers and the slot
machines in every grocery store.

When not working
at the day job that pays the bills, keeps a roof over her head, and
supports her book and chocolate habits, Alison spends most of her
free time writing. But when she takes a break, she enjoys reading,
watching movies, and spending time with her family and friends.

For more
information on Alison’s upcoming releases, you can sign up for her
newsletter at
alisonpackard.com
;
follow her on Twitter
@alleyfics
,
and Facebook.
on.fb.me/1xLdP8f

If you enjoyed
Hearts on Fire
and would like to give it a review, please do.
All reviews are welcome!