Bluebells on the Hill (13 page)

When the truck turned into the drive, she was
ready. Casting a fond glance in farewell, she closed and locked the
door.

'Hi, Mandy. This all?' John-Michael joined
her on the deck, motioning to her lone suitcase.

'Good morning, John-Michael. Yes, that's it.
I'm only going for a few days.'

'I'll miss you.'

'Thank you, but you’ll have your guitar to
practice, and work on the ranch. I'll be back soon and we can keep
on with lessons, if you like.'

'Yes, I'd like. I'm glad you bought Cora's
place.' He jerked the truck into gear and backed out.

They pulled out on to the highway just a
short distance ahead of the bus traveling from Reno with the San
Francisco destination emblazoned above the windscreen. John-Michael
drew up in front of the depot just ahead of it.

'Do you have your ticket?' he asked, getting
out to get the suitcase.

'No. I'll zip in and get it. Can you ask the
bus to wait for me?'

'Sure, better hurry.'

Amanda dashed to the window, greeted the old
man working at the bus depot and purchased her ticket. Her goodbye
to John-Michael was, by necessity, hurried as the bus had only a
short stop in Timber.

'I'll meet you,' John-Michael said. ‘Just
call me as soon as you get in. I’ll be here in no time.’

'Wonderful. Thanks. I'll be back Thursday a
week.'

'On the bus from San Francisco?'

'Yes, gets in just before noon, I think.
Goodbye, John-Michael, thanks for bringing me in.' Amanda gave him
a quick hug and then turned to climb aboard. She sat by a window
and waved.

In less than four hours the big bus was
turning into its large, bustling, downtown San Francisco depot.
Amanda waited for her luggage, then pushed through the crowd to the
taxi stand on the street.

Phew, city life had certainly become more
hectic since she was last here. She stood on the pavement, waiting
for a cab to pull into the designated spot, watching the busy city
moving around her. She shivered a little; San Francisco's famous
fog was already coming in and the temperature was dropping quickly.
In only a short time it would be cold, and she was not dressed for
it.

'St Francis, please,' she said to the cab
driver as she climbed into one that pulled into the taxi lane. She
sank back against the seat, suitcase beside her, and watched out of
the window at the crowded streets alive with cars, motorcycles,
electric buses and bicycles. The pavements were full of people:
wide-eyed tourists; stoic elderly Chinese women, weighed down by
their packages; preoccupied businessmen in three- piece suits
rushing to a meeting.

Grateful for the short distance between the
depot and the landmark hotel on Union Square, Amanda soon reached
her destination. Paying the driver, she glanced across Powell
Street to Union Square, a small patch of green in a gray and cream
forest of high-rises and tall towers. The few, neatly spaced trees
were small and scrawny in the polluted city air. The rest of the
view from the old hotel was of concrete and glass. Amanda sighed,
homesick already for raw forest land, few people and endless blue
sky.

Stopping at the desk, she was informed she
had already been registered and was sharing suite 1123. Amanda
smiled her thanks, declined a porter for her lone bag, and,
familiar with the hotel, headed directly for the elevators. In only
moments she stood knocking at the door of 1123.

Evie opened the door.

'Hi, Evie.'

'Mandy, hello, glad to see you!' Evie gave
her a warm hug, calling over her shoulder, 'Here she is now, Davie,
you can stop worrying.'

'Was Dave worried? How are you? And the baby?
You look enormous! Are you sure it is not coming tomorrow?'

Evie giggled delightedly. "No, it's not
coming for another month. I'm feeling fine now, though I get tired
easily. I'm not going to Nashville with you this time because I’m
getting close to delivery.'

Amanda widened her eyes at that. Since their
marriage eighteen months earlier, Dave and Evie had rarely been
separated. Even his recent visit to Timber had been extraordinary,
and that for only one night. Now the two of them would be parted a
week or more.

'Hi, coz.' Dave swept her up in a big hug,
joining them in the small entry hallway. 'I wasn't worried,' he
spoke to his wife as he released Amanda. 'Just wondering when she'd
be here.'

'Sure you weren't honey.' Evie smiled and
slipped her arm through his. 'Your room's through there, Mandy,'
she said, pointing to the door on their right. The opposite wall
held a duplicate door, to Evie and Dave's room.

Amanda and her cousin often shared a suite of
rooms when traveling. It offered a central meeting area for the
whole group, away from the public, where they could relax, plan or
practice.

'Do you want to rest, or something?' Evie
asked.

‘
I'm not tired. Let's go over the
schedule so I know where we are.' Amanda dropped her bag near the
door to her room and crossed into the living room, going to the
sofa. 'We leave tomorrow, right? Arriving in Nashville
late?'

'Right.' Dave joined her on the sofa as Evie
sat on the arm. 'We'll get in late in the afternoon, so I didn't
make any plans for tomorrow. Thursday morning we'll meet with Steve
Potlack, discuss the new album. I've booked a few hours at the
studio on Friday to cut one song if we want another demo. Which I
doubt. Joe and Marc are already there. They'll be ready if we need
anything.' Dave referred to two other members of the back-up band,
the bass guitarist and the drummer. Joe's brother, Samuel, played
electric piano and would fly east with Dave and Amanda.

'If the deal’s signed with Steve, when will
we record? I don't want to keep flying back and forth across the
country all summer,' Amanda said.

'Me neither,' Dave gave Evie a fond look,
'especially when I become a father. We'll see how it goes. If Steve
closes the deal on the terms we want, we will be using the studio
in L.A. as you asked. It's only if he balks on that term that we
have to try to negotiate something else. It's easier for him to
come west once in a while than for all of us and all our gear to go
east.'

'Sure,' Amanda laughed, 'he'll really buy
that one. How often do we drive back and forth across the States
doing concerts? It's a way of life for us. Try it anyway. I like
the plan. L.A. I could take and not be away from my new home too
much during my getaway summer.'

'We'll know for sure later this week. If he
doesn't buy L.A., well, Nashville is only a few hours by
plane.'

'I know.'

Evie waited a moment, to see if either Amanda
or Dave would continue the conversation. When they remained silent,
she spoke.

'What have you done to your hair, Mandy?'

'What? Oh, I was trying to be less
conspicuous, so I pulled it back. It's cooler in the hot weather,
too.'

'Incognito's the word, toots,' Dave drawled,
stretching his feet out and reaching for his wife's hand, threading
his fingers through hers.

'But why?' Evie looked puzzled.

'So cousin Mandy could be loved for herself
alone and not her money.' Dave's astute answer reminded Amanda of
how close she and her cousin were, and always had been. She hadn’t
mentioned her desire to be liked for herself. He just knew her
well.

'For true?' Evie asked Amanda.

'For true,' Amanda said solemnly. 'I'll fix
it like I usually wear it tomorrow. I'm going to take a shower now.
Can we eat Chinese food? I love it.'

'Sure. And then we want you to tell us all
about your new house. Davie says there’s a lot of work to do on
it,” Evie said, looking at him when she smiled.

Amanda swallowed a lump in her throat. It was
so reassuring to find a couple so much in love, delighting in each
other's company. One day, she thought, one day I'll have that, too.
I hope. I want someone who will find delight in my presence, whom I
will want to spend my time with. The words to her song flashed into
her head. Slowly she got up.

'Won't be long, then we’ll eat and I’ll tell
you all about the joys of home ownership.'

***

Heads turned the next day when Amanda walked
briskly through the terminal at the San Francisco International
Airport. She was dressed in a fashionable denim trouser suit and
leather boots. Her hair was gleaming, clean and shiny, cascading
around her face, on her shoulders, part way down her back.
Skillfully applied make-up highlighted and enhanced the natural
beauty of her bright blue eyes. She carried a leather shoulder bag
and walked through the terminal with the confident air of someone
who knows where they are going, oblivious to the stares, nudges and
whispers going on around her. In truth, preoccupied with the
forthcoming journey.

She checked in at the designated gate just
after the boarding had commenced. Dave would join her in a few
moments. He was seeing Evie off on her plane to Los Angeles.
Scanning the crowd as she moved towards the jetway, Amanda wondered
where Sam was. Perhaps on board already.

'Seen Sam?' Dave joined her.

'Hi. No, maybe he's on board. Evie off all
right?'

'Yeah. Wish she were coming with us this
trip,' he said, looking a little lost.

Amanda patted his arm. 'It won't be so
long.'

Sam was already in his seat in first class,
across the aisle from the two booked for Amanda and Dave when they
boarded. He greeted them, indicating he’d trade places with Dave
later in the flight to spend some of the travel time with
Amanda.

It was a long, boring flight. Amanda had made
it several times in the last few years, always on business. She
talked part of the time with her cousin, part of the time with Sam,
to catch up on family news, go over some of the business that had
cropped up in her absence.

Dave brought up business first. They
discussed the forthcoming meeting in further detail and the
possibilities it opened, the terms they wanted and some of the
possible songs for the new album. Dave complimented Amanda on the
ones she had most recently written at Timber. The ones she’d sent
to him had been tried with the band and both had sounded good.

'What about your rancher?' he asked next.

'What about him?' she
asked, growing still. Mac wasn’t precisely
her
rancher.

'I'm asking you that. You tell me.'

'He's not my rancher, as you put it.'

'Do you want him to be?'

Amanda was silent a long time, staring out
the window at the empty sky. 'I'm not sure,' she answered slowly.
'I want to get married some day if I can find someone to have a
very special relationship with. To love, to have love me.' She
smiled at Dave. 'Like you and Evie.'

‘
And give up all this?' He waved his
hand.

'No, not all. I don't think I’ll want to
travel as much in the future. It gets tiring. But I don't want to
give it up totally. Just not so much. That's not so outrageous, is
it?'

'I could handle that, especially with a kid
in the family. Evie won't be able to travel with me as much.'

'I could spend more time writing songs. I
really like that part, Davie.'

'It's where you started, what you're good at.
In addition to the singing, of course. But the rancher?'

'I don't know. I find him very attractive,
very sexy. I like being around him, but he’s so hard to get
anywhere with.'

Suddenly the kiss by the stream flashed into
her mind. She would like to know Mac better. But she didn't pin
hopes for a long-lasting relationship on someone who treated her
distastefully, no matter how attracted he was physically. There had
to be more than sexual attraction to build a relationship—at least
the kind she wanted.

She shrugged. 'Time will tell, I guess. What
are we doing for the album?'

'We want to include the new ones you wrote.
They should both go over really well. Bluebells on the Hills is the
one that needs a little more work.'

'Yes, I know. I thought it would help to hear
it with the band, see better just where it’s weak.'

'Lyrics are nice.'

She bowed her head slightly, her smile
heartfelt. 'Thanks, coz. I think I'm ready to settle down.'

'So your song says. Me, too.' Dave was silent
for a moment. 'It's been grand fun, though.'

'Sure, and will still be, only not so much
travel.'

The big plane droned on, flying eastward
towards the Great Smokey mountains of Tennessee, towards the
fertile green basin of Nashville. Dave swapped seats with Sam. He
and Amanda flew the last hour together, catching up on family. Sam
had taken a few weeks to visit Colorado and was bringing Amanda up
to date on everything and everyone from their home town.

Joe and Marc met the plane, greeting the
travelers, taking them to the hotel where they had already reserved
rooms. It was located near the famous Renshaw Theater, first home
of the Grand Ole Opry.

Amanda didn't even see the city as they drove
through it. She’d been here many times now and no longer stood in
awe. She was here to do a job. Work and then go home. She had
neither the time nor inclination for tourism.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Amanda was tired, but felt the stirring of
excitement as the bus drew near Timber. Her trip had been short and
hectic, not the least of which had been this final leg. Up early
yesterday, to fly from Nashville to Los Angeles. Making
arrangements to have some furniture shipped from L.A. to her cabin
had kept her busy in the afternoon. Then, up early again this
morning to catch the flight to San Francisco in time to connect
with the bus. What with the time zone differences, irregular meals
and heavy schedule in Nashville, she was worn out. She hoped
John-Michael would pick her up as soon as she called.