The Closer You Get Read Online Free PDF Page B

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young and his wife wasn’t too keen on the touring. She pretty much left him high
and dry without any warning, right about the time he signed with the record
company.”
    Cammie couldn’t mask her surprise. “I’ve never heard that
story.”
    “Not many people have,” Pat said. “His manager’s tried hard to
keep it under wraps. Brett’s a real private person.”
    Cammie couldn’t let it go without one more question. “Did he
have a fondness for groupies back when he was married?”
    Bud patted her leg. “No, Cam. When Brett started out, Jana was
on board the bus every night along with the rest of the band. He never cheated
on her.”
    That would be new and different. Cammie put away her sarcasm
for the time being. “You’re saying he’s never gotten over it?”
    Pat rubbed his whiskered jaw. “Not really. The night when we
were celebrating his first album going platinum, he had too much to drink and he
told me he nearly gave up on his music when Jana left him. Many a man probably
would have, but Brett threw his grief into his songs.”
    That much Cammie could understand. All of it. First, suffering
the loss of her parents. Later, being left alone with a trampled heart,
compliments of an aspiring singer with a penchant for booze and wild women.
Composing songs had proven to be great therapy.
    “Most of the time Brett’s okay to be around,” Bud added. “But
those times when he reaches a dead spot in his writing, that’s when he gets
really hard to live with.”
    Pat got up to retrieve a beer from the refrigerator and a
mangled bag of corn chips from the cabinet. He sat back down and took a swig of
the brew, grabbed a few chips, then passed the bag to Cammie. “It’s been better
since Tim, Brett’s manager, convinced him to look for new writers for his
material. It’s taken the pressure off but he still prefers to write his own
songs. And he’s real good at it.”
    “Do you still write?” Bud asked Cammie after taking a generous
handful of the snack that she’d declined.
    He could have gone all year without mentioning that. “Not
lately.”
    Pat looked at her curiously. “You write songs?”
    “I was a music major in college, but songwriting is just a
hobby. I’ve never been that great.”
    “Don’t let this gal fool you, Pat,” Bud said. “She’s written
some good material and she can sing like an angel. She’s got as much if not more
range than a lot of the female country-music performers today.”
    Good old Bud, always her champion. “I prefer classical to
country music, Bud.”
    “You write damn good music,” Bud said, his words barely
discernable over major crunching sounds. “Whatever you want to call it.”
    A subject change was definitely in order. “So how long has it
been since lover boy’s been gone?”
    Pat consulted his watch. “About fifteen minutes.”
    Fifteen minutes down, who knew how many more to go? Oh,
joy.
    A short time later, the door opened and the star strode into
the cabin, looking as if he’d lost his best friend. “I’m ready to get on the
road, so let’s go.”
    “That didn’t take long,” Pat said. “But I guess that’s what
happens when a man does without for too long, then hooks up with a fresh, young
thing.”
    Brett nailed Cammie in place with a scowl. “That fresh, young
thing happens to be my cousin.”
    Bud barked out a laugh. “Kissing cousin?”
    “You can kiss my ass, Bud.” Brett sent Cammie a surprisingly
apologetic look. “Sorry.”
    “This is ridiculous,” Cammie said as she stood to leave. But
before she made a quick exit, she turned back to the group and settled her gaze
on Brett. “If you’re through taking care of all outstanding business aside from the shower, I’m going to do a quick check on the bus
so we can get out of here before dawn.”
    Once outside, Cammie breathed in the cool, crisp air and found
the change of scenery did her a world of good. Even the smell of diesel was less
oppressive than the