Jack & Diane by Lena Hampton Read Free Book Online Page B

heard just before I met you.”
    “I’ve heard that song before. A different version though, on the contemporary Christian station I listen to sometimes.”
    “Dave Barnes did it last year.”
    “You know a lot about music.”
    He sat quietly for a moment and looked out over the horizon. “I had a record deal once.”
    She waited for him to elaborate, but he did not. He seemed lost in thought. “What happened?”
    “It’s a long story. I don’t want to bore you.”
    “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” She was disappointed that he did not want to tell her. Without thinking she took her hand from his.
    He could feel their emotional closeness change with the physical distance. He wrapped his arm around her a pulled her back into him. She came easily without a fight because that’s where she wanted to be.
    “When I graduated from high school I moved to Nashville with dreams of becoming the next big thing. I worked odd jobs and played any gig that came along. After about two years I finally caught a break and started getting into some better places. I was writing and even had a couple of songs recorded by major artists. A manager of one of the artist liked my voice and started representing me. About a year later I had a contract. Half way through writing songs for the album I got a call from my momma saying that my dad was sick. She could not take care of him and the farm so I came home to help and I’ve been here ever since.”
    “You gave up a lot. You gave up what you love.”
    “No, I gave up my passion. What I love is my parents and this farm. Passion is something that has the tendency to burn out, but love can burn forever. I knew if I didn’t come back it would only be a matter of time before the farm would have to be sold. It’s been in our family forever and I didn’t want some pipe dream of mine be what ended the legacy. Having a record contract doesn’t guarantee success. Looking back, it was likely for the best.”
“Why is that?”
    “Young and stupid was the best way to describe me. I was partying way too hard with no fame and a little money. If I had hit it big then I wouldn’t have handled it well. Money and fame would have been like striking a match to gasoline drenched TNT.”
    “Were you doing drugs?”
    “No, but Jack, Jim, and Jose were good friends.”
    “Who are they?”
    “Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Jose Cuervo.”
    “Were you an alcoholic?”
    “No, but the hard stuff makes me stupid. Some of my worst decisions were made after a night with any one of those three.”
    “What was wrong with your father?”
    “Cancer. After surgery and chemo it went into remission for a while.”
    “A while? Did it come back?”
    “Last month, his doctor found a tumor. They aren’t sure that it’s cancerous. He has a biopsy scheduled for after the holidays.”
    “Jack. I’m so sorry to hear that.” He went quiet again. She could tell how much his father’s illness bothered him. “I didn’t know there were this many stars in the sky. It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing me out here.”
    “You’re beautiful Diane.”
    “Thank you.” As they lay there her hand made its way under his jacket. Initially it was just for warmth, and then it began to move over his stomach muscles. He grabbed her hand to stop it from moving back and forth on his chest
    “Diane, I need you to stop that before I, at the very least, kiss you again.”
    “Maybe I’ll kiss you this time.”
    She moved her mouth to his. The kiss started off tentative and sweet. He let her control the kiss at her pace until she let out a little moan and then he deepened the kiss. That caused her to moan again. He took the opportunity her parted lips offered and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She matched the movement. Heat exploded in her.
    His hand moved down her back and cupped her jean clad bottom. Every nerve ending in her body came alive, craving more of his touch. She pressed her body closer to