Six Miles From Nashville by Elaine Littau Page A

become of her heart? She ran to retrieve it, but it had already been offered up as a sacrifice. Gage brought it back to her in a gift wrapped box. It looked brand new. He asked her something. What was he saying? His voice was drowned out by Sonny, who was singing her songs.
    She awoke with a start just as the sun streamed through her window. Looking at the clock, she realized that she would have to hurry to be able to work with Bill before the breakfast crowd showed up. She threw on her uniform and apron, tied back her hair in a pony tail and washed her face. Today she didn’t have time for any makeup.
    She ran toward the door and back to the table where the scratch of a song lay waiting for her. She took it for Bill to work over. He always seemed to know what she wanted to say even when her words were halting on the paper.
    Bill already had his old guitar out working on their last song. It sounded really good with his skilled hands on the instrument. His voice was studio quality. She never understood why the label didn’t offer him a recording contract.
    She slipped into the booth and slid the paper in front of him. He continued playing as he read the words. Suddenly he stopped playing and scribbled a few words on the paper and marked out others. He sang the revision as if it were an old song on the radio.
    She listened to him with amazement. He took her thoughts and put them to words by adjusting the phrasing on the page. It brought fresh tears to her eyes.
    He finished and stared straight into her eyes. “You know, good songs only come out of a lot of suffering. I’d say you were hurting a lot when you wrote this.”
    She nodded.
    “Why have you been holding out?”
    “I haven’t...I just wrote it last night.”
    He put his hand on hers and frowned. “I thought you had a good time last night. That Gage guy was really nice.”
    “Yes, I like him. I am just confused.”
    “Are you still pining for the farm boy?”
    She was startled that he knew of Johnny, but not surprised because Miss Sweetie had no secrets from Bill. “I still love him.”
    “Well, it don’t hurt for you to have a good time until he comes around. You didn’t do anything but be a friend to Gage. I would swear to that if need be.”
    She nodded. “I wrote another letter to Johnny. I told him I have to hear from him by Christmas.”
    “That sounds reasonable.”
    Miss Sweetie bustled into the room and to the kitchen to get her apron. Betty leaned close to Bill and whispered, “Don’t tell Miss Sweetie. I don’t want her anxious about this.”
    “If that’s what you want.”
    “It is.”
    Sweetie trotted to the table while tying her apron behind her back. “What are you workin’ on?”
    Bill strummed the guitar and said, “Wait ‘til you hear this one.”
    She sat next to Betty and beamed at her talented husband as Betty and Bill sang the new song for her.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 16
     
    Johnny saw the postmark before he read the return address. He tore the thing open and read. The words streamed off the page and caught him by surprise. Was it really possible that she still cared for him? He got in the pickup truck and slammed the door. He had to get home so that he could give her a call or write to her. The radio was playing loudly as he heard the disc jokey read the latest news.
    “The next song coming up is from a new songwriting team. I am sad to say that last night Bill Wall and Betty Barnes were in a car crash. The car they were in was totaled. Both are in critical condition. Bill’s wife, the third passenger was pronounced dead on the scene. Listen to Sonny as he sings the last song the pair wrote. It is called ‘Tell me by Christmas’. Our prayers go out for this talented songwriting team.”
    Johnny’s throat constricted with dryness. Is that really my Betty? He threw the pickup into reverse and sped to the house.
    “Mom, please put together some clothes for me while I take a quick shower. I am going to Nashville. A