AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’s part of it.”
“A woman?”
He glanced at Ollie. “That obvious?”
“Only two things will make a man clam up, mate, and they’re both female. Either your mum or your girl. From the looks of that video that went viral, I’m guessing it’s the girl.”
Cal had never shared his story with Ollie, or any of the guys. They knew nothing about his life in Big Bend. Nothing about this family and all its frayed threads, or the woman who’d claimed his heart when they were teenagers. A part of him felt sad that he’d kept all of it locked up tight.
“Her name is Millie Sue.”
“She’s got some talent. More than her fair share, from what I saw.”
Cal smiled at that. “Sure does.”
“Why is she here?” Ollie looked puzzled. “With that voice and her looks, she could have made it in Nashville. Hell, she still can.”
Cal stared out the window into the darkness, his thoughts on another night, not unlike this one. “I wanted to take her with me. It’s all I thought about. Getting the hell out of Big Bend, going to Nashville, and making it. It was my mom’s dream when she was a young woman. But she met my dad and he got her pregnant, and her dream died. The night she died, I swore to her that I’d do what she couldn’t. That I wouldn’t let anything get in the way.”
“What about this girl, Millie? Was it her dream too?”
“No.” Cal blew out a long breath. “ Which is crazy and I couldn’t understand it. She had so much talent. More in her little pinky than I did in my whole damn body. I mean, man, that girl could make the coldest bastard on the planet cry like a baby without even trying.” He smiled at a memory of Ivy’s grandfather, old man Wilkens, bawling his eyes out at Sunday church service while Millie sang “Amazing Grace.”
“She was incredible.” Cal paused. “Is incredible.”
“It’s not for everyone,” Ollie replied. “It’s a tough gig.”
“It’s not that. She’s never been afraid of hard work or putting in the effort to get stuff done.”
“Then what?”
Cal frowned, his thoughts scattered, and he had to take a few moments to gather them together so they made sense.
“I think it’s this place. Big Bend. Montana. I think it’s a life that’s simple but fulfilling, about knowing all the folks in town by name, and having Mrs. Winger drop off a hot apple crumble because she heard you were feeling poorly. It’s about going to church on Sunday in a suit and tie, and eating too much afterward. Fishing in the summer, skinny-dipping in the jumping pond, and sleeping out under the stars.”
His throat was so tight, he couldn’t push out any more words if he wanted to. The two men stared through the window into the darkness outside, and after a while, Ollie leaned close.
“Sounds like paradise, if you ask me.”
Cal could only nod, trying hard to keep his shit together in the way that men do.
“Well,” Ollie said, stepping back from the island. “Seems to me like you have a few things to figure out.”
“Yeah? What’s that, exactly?”
“You’re in love with this woman. Figure that shit out before you lose her for good.”
Cal would have denied it, but damned if it wasn’t the truth. He’d never fallen out of love with Millie Sue Jenkins. So the question was, what was he going to do about it?”
“What’s the other thing?” he asked, mind already racing ahead.
Ollie slapped him on the back. “You need to know whether you’re living this dream for yourself, or for your mother. If it’s for you, then tweak it, fix it so it works with your lady’s way of life. If it’s for your mother, then let it go. Hanging on to someone else’s dream isn’t living, it’s pretending to live and not knowing it. And I’m sure as shit am gonna guess your mum wouldn’t want you wasting your life living hers. Not when the one thing that can make you truly happy is within your grasp.”
Cal took a moment and thought about what the man had just said. Ollie wasn’t wrong. It was as if all these little pieces of his life were coming together, clicking into place in a way that made sense. It was a lot to process. He glanced at the clock, noting it was nearly seven, and turned to the rest of the band, an idea forming in his mind.
“How about a trip to Big Bend?”
“What’s that?” Matty asked.
