Restless Heart by Wynonna Judd Read Free Book Online Page B

out the other side,” she said fiercely. “If his brain was dynamite, he still couldn’t blow his nose.”
    Destiny laughed. “Thanks, Nessie. You’re my number-one fan. Oh, wait—my only fan.”
    “Yeah, well, it might seem like you’re on the back side of hard times, but it’s not gonna be for long, girlie. I’ve heard your golden pipes and beautiful songs that come straight from your heart.” She tapped a red fingernail to her chest to demonstrate.
    Destiny glanced at Seth, wishing Nessie hadn’t said quite so much. “Yeah, well, all I need is a little bitty break.”
    “You’ll get one. Remember, the sun don’t shine on the same dog’s butt every day.” Nessie rubbed her hands together. “Well, I’d better get back to my inventory.”
    “It was nice to meet you, Nessie.”
    “Same here, Coach.” She turned and gave Destiny a quick hug. “You hang in there, hear me? Talk to you tomorrow.”
    “Sure thing, Nessie. Oh, and thanks for Mike’s mouse. You’re the best.”
    “Don’t I know it?” She made kissing noises at Mike, who was trotting back over with the rubber toy in his mouth.
    “Off I go,” she announced breezily, but when Seth turned his attention to retrieving the mouse from Mike’s mouth, Nessie eased up on tiptoe and said in a stage whisper, “Mercy, he sure is hot stuff!”
    “We’re just friends,” Destiny whispered back, hoping Seth couldn’t overhear.
    “Well, now, see, you gotta work on that! My oh my, I just want to dip that boy up on a chip. And he sure looks at you with big brown adoring eyes.”
    “Oh, go on with you . . .” Destiny scoffed, but her heart hammered at the thought.
    Destiny watched her meddlesome but well-meaning friend disappear back inside, then turned to see Seth looking after her as well.
    “Whew! That little gal whips around like a hurricane-force wind.”
    “She sure does.”
    “Looks like she keeps an eye on things around here.”
    “You mean, on me?” Destiny nodded. “I couldn’t have survived living here without her humor and encouragement, that’s for sure.”
    Seth nodded and rocked back thoughtfully on his heels. “Um, I don’t want to put you on the spot, but can I ask you something?”
    “Shoot.”
    “I won’t be offended if you say no.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    “Our game tomorrow is in the morning, and if we win, we stick around to play again the next day—and the fellas will have to rest up. If we lose, they’ll head back on the bus, but . . . either way, I have my own car.”
    “That’s nice.” Destiny wanted to reach over and shake whatever he was trying to say out of him.
    “You’re not going to make this any easier on me, are you?” Seth plucked a blade of grass and gave her a grin that did funny things to her stomach.
    “Sorry, but . . . you kind of lost me.” He hadn’t really, but she wasn’t about to go out on a limb here and assume he was trying to ask her out.
    “If you’re okay with it, I thought maybe we could have dinner tomorrow night. It would be fun to catch up.”
    “Of course I’m okay with it. Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?” It was all she could do to keep her voice nonchalant.
    “You might have plans or a boyfriend who might not like the idea.”
    “Well, I’m off tomorrow, so . . .” She shrugged.
    “What about the last part?”
    “Huh?” Her heart pounded.
    “The boyfriend part.” Seth arched a brow and pointed to her shirt. “Says right there that you only have half a heart. Where’s the other half?”
    “There’s nobody special in my life . . . you know, right now .” She didn’t bother to tell him that she’d recently dated yet another struggling musician for a few months before he moved on.
    Nashville was full of interesting men, but its population was fed by a transient industry. It seemed that all the guys Destiny had dated and the women she’d befriended eventually gave up altogether or found a promising gig elsewhere.
    “That bartender of