came out of the bathroom and sniffed the air. No coffee smell. And the bus seemed too still. Panic gripped him as he sped down the hall. Had he dreamed the whole encounter with Jewell? It wouldn’t be the first time. But never before had holding her, kissing her, loving her seemed so real.
The kitchen was empty. He snapped on the light. Last night had been real. The remains of two dinners were proof.
Stifling a yawn, he noticed a faint light shone from the living room. Maybe Jewell had gone there to keep from waking him.
All wall sconces burned, but the room was empty. From there he could see out through the wide bus windshield. What was visible of the sky was streaked with lavender and pink, a sign the storm had passed. His bus sat behind one used by his band. It would shock him to see any sign of life there this early.
He clutched a railing that separated the bus driver from his living area. He’d had the wall that came with the bus removed because he and the band often jammed on the road or planned concerts. Ducking, he ran his gaze along the street that went behind the theater. The asphalt gleamed with wet puddles, but nothing moved for as far as he could see in any direction.
Jewell had gone. She’d left without a word. Last night he’d invited her to travel with him—again. She’d slunk away in the night like a thief—one who’d made off with his heart. He’d spent years trying to forget her. Last night she’d shown up and suddenly he was back where he’d started—when he’d loved her with every fiber of his being.
He stumbled to the couch, dropped down and buried his head in his hands.
Hours later he remained there when someone rapped on his door. Because Donovan had the code, he waltzed right in. “Hey, what’s up?” He climbed the two steps. “Rough night? You look like hell.” He swiveled his big body around. “Where’s your lady friend? Should I pipe down? Is she still asleep?”
Saxon dragged his hands down his face and felt the prickle of whiskers. “She left.”
“It’s just as well. I’m surprised she joined you. She almost bolted before the concert started and again when it got canceled.” He extracted a folded envelope from the inside pocket of his suit coat. “Who is she? Last night she asked me to give you this. My impression was it’s the only reason your lady came to the show. I forgot her name. I hate to keep calling her your lady friend.”
“Jewell. Her name is Jewell Hyatt. Dr. Jewell Hyatt. She’s a veterinarian from my hometown.” Saxon took the envelope. His name was typed on the front.
“Hell’s bells! Tell me she’s not the Jewell you write all those lovesick songs for but never sing in a show until last night?” The big man clasped his hands between his knees as he leaned forward and stared at Saxon. “Of course she’s one and the same. By the way, the guy who ran the sound booth said that song was the biggest hit with your audience. It sent his meter past the hot-damn zone.”
“Yeah, well, don’t schedule it on the tour. It’s personal.”
“You’ve always been stingy with info about your past.” He gestured toward the envelope Saxon clutched. “The lady said the letter was from your uncle. How come you never mentioned any family? I’m in the dark even though I’ve had your back for five years.” Donovan slapped him on the back. “So what’s in the letter?”
Saxon’s lip curled as he dug a finger under the flap and ripped open the envelope. Taking out the single sheet of paper, he scanned the few lines that only requested him to come to the ranch so they could talk. Crushing it into a ball, he dropped it on the couch. “My past is better left buried.” Rising, he rubbed his bare chest. “I see the storm’s over. I’ll grab a shower and coffee. You roust the band. Tell ’em we’re off to Nashville for the CMA Music Festival. Plan a lunch stop in West Virginia. After we eat, I’ll join the band and we can choose which numbers to do on the tour. I thought we’d mix it up for each venue.”
“Smart. Keep it fresh and you all perform better. Oh, I got word from the benefit promoter in LA. They want two songs. You’ll be live. Something jazzy to start. Get the audience revved up. Follow that with a tearjerker so people open their wallets and shell out for the charity.”
“Okay. Whatever they want.” Saxon sidestepped Donovan and padded barefoot down the hall. “Let yourself out,” he called over his shoulder.
“You’d do well to sing the love song you did last night no matter how private it is. The one where it’s obvious you got your heart broke.”
“No! And that’s final.” Saxon slammed the bathroom door so hard it rocked the bus. Stiff armed, he leaned on the sink, gritting his teeth, telling himself grown men didn’t cry. It wasn’t until he heard the outer door at the front of the bus bang shut that he was able to emerge from his funk to shower.
He felt somewhat refreshed after donning clean clothes. Going into his bedroom, he decided to strip his bed and put the sheets and pillowcases in to wash. He couldn’t bear to sleep there again where Jewell’s signature shampoo had left a flowery scent.
After remaking the bed with fresh linens, he cleaned the kitchen of all signs that he’d hosted a guest last night. But as he started loading the dishwasher, he remembered his uncle’s letter. It wasn’t anything he’d want any band members to see, and they ran in and out of his coach at will.
Hurrying into the living area, he saw that the letter was gone. Obviously Donovan had discarded it for him. Cleaning up after him and the band was a duty of his recording label’s babysitter. Which pretty much explained Donovan’s role. Who else would show up wearing a suit at 7:00 a.m.? Although today he had dispensed with his usual tie.
Saxon sighed and went back to restoring order to his kitchen. Maybe he needed a break from touring more than he thought. He’d requested downtime after LA. His agent hadn’t sounded happy when he said he wanted to hide out and write new songs for a month or two. Granted, he hadn’t expected Sid to be overjoyed, but neither had he figured he’d get flak from the label owner. His band said they could use downtime, too. Harmony Records counted on him. So did Sid. Which was why Saxon thought they should realize no one lasted if they performed stale music. Fans demanded new songs every year.
He was in the process of tying up a bag with last night’s trash to toss out in the theater’s garbage bins when his driver knocked loudly and came in.
“Yo, Saxon, Donovan said we need to pull out. Are you riding with the band?”
“Not until after lunch. Can you give me a minute to throw this away?” He hurried to the front of the coach and held up the bag.
“I’ll get it,” the cheerful young man said. “There are puddles of standing water outside and you don’t have your boots on.”
“Thanks, Dean. I’m running on slow speed today.”
The man grinned. “It’s probably due to last night’s low barometric pressure.”
Saxon doubted that. He thought it was due to Jewell’s abrupt departure, but he didn’t argue. He went back to the bedroom to get his boots, knowing they’d be where he’d toed out of them in his rush to get Jewell into his bed.
Still at loose ends after Dean returned and both buses got under way, Saxon decided he’d be best served to sit with his guitar, keyboard and music pad and maybe get a head start on writing a new song.
But he sat staring at the blank page for a long time.
All at once he felt the bus jerk, slide, then smooth out again.
“Jeez,” Dean groused. “Sorry, Saxon. There are some low spots filled with water on the road. I don’t know if you’ve looked out, but in places, water’s running across the freeway. I had to swerve to miss a stalled car. Some people tried driving through that storm, I guess.”
Saxon set aside his guitar and went to the railing behind Dean, where he could see the road out the front window. Traffic was heavy. Passing cars threw spray up from their tires. He pictured Jewell driving on this road when