Gypsy Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page A

had talent in every inch of his being.
And the dogs of the recording industry would chew
him to pieces.

     

    ve got to be out of my mind," Josie said, stuffing
an extra sweatshirt into her duffle bag. She owned a
nice black leather set of luggage her mother had given
her when she graduated high school. She'd only used it
once. It was too nice to be thrown around in the bottom
of a dusty bus cargo hatch, being crushed by equipment, or on the bus, getting food and drink spilled on it.
    And she had to pack light. Space was limited when
sharing quarters and before too long, she knew the nice
little things she thought she needed on the road would
only be in the way. One big bag was all she was taking.
If she couldn't fit her needs in there, it wasn't coming
on the road with her. She'd probably get enough ribbing from the band for the things she couldn't part
with.
    And then she'd give it right back. No matter how
many trucks they had to haul their equipment, the bus would have a few instruments the musicians wouldn't
leave in the equipment truck. A guitar was like a security blanket to a musician.

    Yes, she was out of her mind, she decided as she
pulled the hooded sweatshirt over her head.
    "Don't look at me that way," she said, ignoring the
penetrating gaze of her faithful feline friend. Judgment
was harsh, swift, and always hurt when she saw the truth
staring back at her. "This is an important career move.
I'm not a naive girl who's fresh out of high school anymore. I've grown. I've learned from my mistakes."
    A quick roll of his eyes, or maybe it was just a halflidded, sleepy gaze-with Dexter, she never knewand she found herself defending her decision even further. "I'm not going to get involved with the man. I'm
just going to make some contacts, meet some people.
Maybe by this time next year I'll be working in a
Nashville recording studio with Garth Brooks !"
    Or some other country singer. As long as it wasn't
Grant Davies, it didn't really matter. There was a lot of
talent out there. The more she'd thought about things as
she fitfully tangled herself in her sheets last night, the
more she'd come to realize she'd sold herself out for
the likes of Grant Davies and a broken heart. She was
playing it safe doing dog food commercials and audio
books.
    It had been her decision, of course. She couldn't
blame him for everything. Only for the broken heart
he'd left her with. And even then, there'd been signs
she'd ignored.
    But leaving her career behind? No, that was all her doing. That and everything she'd done since. It was
time to make a change, keep on stretching her legs.

    "I've worked on my last dog food commercial, Dex,"
she said as she zipped her bag, happy the last of the
things she'd need on the road were packed. "Come on,
boy."
    Josie carefully lifted Dexter into her arms and
opened the small kennel door, closing the cage after
she'd coaxed the cat inside. He'd only given her a marginal fight this time. He'll be happy to discover this trip
didn't include a stop at the veterinarian's office. Until
then, Josie knew she'd have to deal with his wails of
distress in the car. Once they were on the road, he'd
become acclimated to the bus and even come to like it.
    "At least you'll be my one true friend on the road,"
she crooned at the eyes looking back at her from the
cage. "Even though I'll be totally outnumbered."
    She changed her mind at least one hundred times
between the time she dropped her bag in the trunk of
her car and drove the thirty-minute drive to where the
band was meeting. All the while, Dex wailed and Josie
wanted to wail with him.
    What was she thinking? Didn't smart women learn
from their mistakes?
    "This isn't a mistake. It's a new direction. An adventure, Dex," she said to the cat as she pulled into the
parking lot and saw the bus. "It's a chance for me to
prove something to myself. For once I'm not going to
run away like a dog with her tail tucked between