Free On Lone Star Trail by Amanda Cabot Page B

there’d always been a piece to practice, new music to consider adding to her repertoire, the next season’s schedule to arrange. Even after the accident, her days had been full, with physical therapy replacing the hours she used to spend at the piano. Now there was a void.
    TJ settled into the chair next to her and fixed his gaze on her. “That’s a shame.” For a second, she feared he had read her thoughts, but then she realized that he was speaking of vacations.
    â€œThere’s nothing like heading out and not knowing exactly where you’re going,” he told her, his lips curving upward as if he were remembering a particularly pleasant excursion.
    As a mockingbird flitted by, landing on one of the live oak trees, Gillian clenched and unclenched her hands, stopping only when she realized she no longer had a reason to keep her fingers limber.
    â€œI can’t imagine doing that.” There’d been no spontaneity in her travels, only careful scheduling. Even her childhood trips with Kate’s family had been planned. No spur-of-the-moment drives, no impromptu picnics. And once Gillian had won the Brooks, the planning had intensified. Nothing could be left to chance.
    But the difference between her experiences and TJ’s was more than a matter of planning. While Gillian had seen big cities, hotel rooms, and concert halls, TJ had explored small towns,national parks, and natural beauty. If something caught his fancy and he wanted to stay an extra day, he did. Gillian knew that from the tales he recounted around the campfire.
    â€œYou ought to try it. You never can tell what you might find at the end of the road.”
    The image of herself riding into the sunset with the man of her dreams—a man who looked a bit like TJ—was so appealing that Gillian caught her breath. She turned to TJ, a question in her eyes.
    â€œAs soon as my bike is fixed, I’ll take you for a ride.”
    The bubble burst. “No.” The word came out more forcefully than Gillian had planned, so she tempered it with a “thank you.”
    â€œWhy not? Are you afraid of getting lost?”
    â€œIt’s not that. I just don’t ride motorcycles.” She never had, and after her one experience with a bike, she knew she never would.
    TJ seemed undaunted by her lack of enthusiasm. He leaned forward, his eyes shining with anticipation. “There’s always a first time.”
    â€œNot for me.” Gillian needed to change the subject. Though Kate and Sally knew the details of the accident, Gillian’s manager had insisted the press release say only that Gillian Hodge had sustained an injury to her right hand. At the time, she hadn’t worried about his motivation, and now it hardly mattered. She wasn’t going to tell a man whose life centered on his motorcycle that one had destroyed her career. Instead, she said, “Speaking of motorcycles, how’s yours coming?”
    TJ flashed her a mischievous grin. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
    Rainbow’s End without TJ. The thought was oddly disturbing. “Why would I do that? If you left, I’d have to go to Firefly Valley alone, and that would be a disaster. My stories can’t compare to yours.” Each night seemed easier, but Gillian knew she’d never have the easy rapport with the teens that TJ did.
    â€œYou underestimate yourself. I know you said you weren’t good with kids, but that’s not what I see. The way that group of girls was hanging around you last night, I’d have thought you were Scheherazade. What kind of tales were you telling them?”
    Gillian smiled at the memory. “Don’t laugh, but it was a dissertation on the fine art of applying blusher and eye shadow.” When the girls had learned she had had professional makeup for some performances, they’d been fascinated and had asked her to share the techniques she’d learned.
    To his