The Closer You Get by Kristi Gold Read Free Book Online

to impose on them.”
    No surprise there. “How’s everyone doing?”
    “Caroline didn’t catch you up?”
    “We didn’t talk that long.”
    “But she did show you the pictures from Christmas.”
    Obviously his cousin had set the gossip line on fire. “She
showed me one picture.” And that photo had disturbed his sleep the past three
nights, along with the guilt that had accompanied it.
    “She’s asking more and more about you, honey.”
    He didn’t have the energy to deal with that now. “Jana will
handle it. She always has.”
    “Lacey’s still your daughter, Brett.”
    “She thinks of Randy as her dad now. At least that’s what
Jana’s been saying the past seven years, and she’s probably right.” A fact that
still wounded him to the core, even if he’d been partially responsible through
his absence.
    “True, he’s been there for her,” his mom continued after a
slight pause. “But she’s still legally yours, and she knows that. It’s time for
you to decide whether to try to rebuild a relationship with her, or let her go
and sign away your rights so Randy can adopt her.”
    He couldn’t do that even though he probably should. Maybe he
hoped someday he might be in a better place where he could reconnect with her.
Maybe someday she’d seek him out and want to have a relationship with him.
Regardless, he wasn’t ready to give her up completely. “Look, Mom, I’ve barely
had any sleep and I have to perform again in a few hours. I can’t think clearly
right now, much less make any serious decisions.”
    “Guess some things never change,” she said. “But someday soon,
you’re going to have to decide for your daughter’s sake. She deserves that much
from you.”
    She deserved better than him. “I’ll take care of it, Mom.” He
wasn’t sure how, but he’d figure it out later. “And hopefully I’ll see you later
this summer when I have a break.”
    “That would be real nice, son, but I’m not going to hold my
breath.”
    After his mom hung up, Brett tried to go back to sleep, but
sleep wouldn’t come. Time to take a shower and face the day. And his bus
driver.
    * * *
    E ARLY MORNING WAS Cammie’s favorite time of day, when she could absorb the beauty of the
passing countryside in the moments before the sun began to rise. Right then a
silvery mist lingered over the landscape, giving the Texas terrain an almost
heavenly quality. Considering she’d been driving for a good five hours, with two
more to go, she should be exhausted. But she didn’t feel the least bit tired. In
fact, she experienced a strong since of serenity and calm―
    The rasp of the curtain sliding open behind Cammie startled her
so badly she almost jumped out of her skin and into the left lane. Even more
surprising, Brett dropped down in the seat to her right. Since the night they’d
left Austin, he’d barely said two words to her. And now here he was, sitting
next to her and acting as if he’d never played the part of phantom
passenger.
    “Where are we heading?” Brett asked as he propped his bare feet
on the dash.
    Nice toes —her first thought. Watch the road —her second. “Fort Worth.”
    “I know, but what venue?”
    She sent him a quick glance before turning her attention back
to the highway. “Do you really have that much trouble keeping up with the
schedule?”
    “Yeah, I do. One day melts into the next until the weeks become
one big blur. It’s your job to tell me when we get there and the boys let me
know when it’s time for me to go on.”
    Obviously he could use a copy of the schedule Bud had given
her. “At the moment, we’re just this side of Waco, which means we have about two
hours before we arrive at some giant racetrack north of Fort Worth where you’re
scheduled to perform at approximately 1:00 p.m. to kick off a multi-act concert
before a hundred thousand or so fanatical fans.”
    “Okay. That’s probably more detail than I need to know.”
    “Sorry,” she said. “I’m a