“Where’s your bedroom?”
“Down the hall.”
“Instead of making breakfast, make me.” He grabbed her, pulled her close. In an instant, they dropped into the bed, RJ was on top of her. He sensed her embarrassment and rolled to her side.
“Jillie, I’ve missed you. Baby, you have no idea how much I want you. I look at you and in a flash, the fire starts burning. I want you!”
“RJ…” she started to say, when she heard Joanna’s voice from downstairs.
“Jillian, dear, where are you?”
“I’m upstairs, Joanna. I’ll be right down.” She straightened her blouse smoothed her hair.
“Come on down when you’re unpacked and settled. I’ll be in the kitchen. Sorry.”
He said nothing and he was still lying on the bed, when she left the room.
When she came downstairs, she heard several voices in the kitchen. She found Emma and Joanna busy at the counters making breakfast. Gary was sitting next to the kitchen island, sipping a glass of orange juice.
“Coffee’s on,” Joanna said.
“Where’s RJ?” Gary asked.
“Upstairs getting unpacked.”
“Gary, make yourself at home. You’re welcome to go on upstairs. The guest bedroom’s on the right at the head of the stairs.”
“Nah, let the boss man get settled. I’d rather be down here with you lovely girls.”
Joanna chuckled as she was broke eggs into a bowl.
“Gary, thinks Yerington’s charming. What did RJ say about our town?”
“He didn’t say anything about it.”
“I didn’t say anything about what?” RJ asked as he entered the room.
“What you thought of Yerington. I said it’s charming,” Gary said.
“Yeah, it’s very nice.”
Jillian handed him a cup of coffee as a peace offering. She stood next to him, inhaling his aroma, that wonderful cologne of his. She touched the small of his back and kept her hand at that spot, while Emma was talking to the group.
“Well, what’s on the game plan until dinner tonight? We have dinner reservations at 5:30. What time’s the concert? Jillian, did you tell RJ about tonight?”
Jillian shot her a glance that everyone picked up on. Emma mouthed, Sorry.
“Tell me what about tonight?”
“I’m on call tonight, but only until midnight.” Feeling guilty, she tried to explain, as she saw he was getting angry. “There wasn’t anything I could do about it. My partner’s mother passed away on Tuesday and he left for Wisconsin. He’s coming home this evening and back on call tonight at 12:01. Hopefully, everyone will keep their bones intact until after midnight. Anyway, I’ve taken off all next week.” She wanted to say, to spend a whole week with you, but thought best not to mention her plan now.
“RJ, there’s lots of times when Jillie’s on call and never gets called,” Emma said.
Everyone laughed except RJ who was standing against the cabinet, looking like a pouting child, whose sucker had been taken away from him.
“I wanted her here with me tonight.” RJ continued, focusing on Jillian. “I don’t want to have to share you! Not tonight. Here I come to Yerington for you and you’re not even going to be there!”
“Hey, Robert let’s not fret over something that hasn’t happened yet,” Gary said.
Everyone stood quietly, all the jovial moments quickly dampened by RJ’s anger.
Emma was the first to break the silence, “Breakfast’s ready. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m ready to eat.”
“You’re always ready to eat, Emma.”
“Hey, Jillie, I’ve seen you chow down a time or two.” The girls laughed.
“I’ll going to be going and let you folks eat,” Joanna said.
“Please stay and have breakfast with us,” Jillian said.
Joanna nodded no, “I had my breakfast hours ago. Anyway, you young people have things to discuss. I’m going on over home. Got leaves to rake.”
“Please, let me do your raking. I’d love to do some yard work,” Gary said.
“You don’t want to do my chores. It’s you’re vacation,” the lively neighbor chuckled. Gary convinced their neighbor to let him do her yard work. He asked her to make a list of things she wanted done and promised he’d start first thing tomorrow.
The afternoon rehearsal went off without a hitch. Luckily, the December weather was unusually warm and held out for a nice warm day. Jillian and Emma sat in the grandstands, watching the backstage crew check out the lighting and sound. RJ came on stage as if an announcer had introduced him. Everywhere he had conversation to the audience in the show, he said, “Talk, talk, talk, music, music.” Emma and Jillian chuckled. He sang a couple of songs to get the mic levels adjusted. The rehearsal was over in about 25 minutes, and the foursome returned to Jillian’s house to relax and get ready for dinner.
Meagen seated them as soon as they arrived at Guieseppe’s. Lynda and Jack Morgan were already at the table. Luckily, they hadn’t caused much of a stir in the casino when they passed through, as it was still early.
Meagen took their drink order. RJ told the bubbly brunette, “Darlin’ keep those drinks coming.” Meagen laughed and said, “You got it, handsome. Who smells so good?” She leaned over and sniffed RJ. “It’s you, handsome.”
The Sage Hill Cowboys came over to their table and Emma said, “Guys, I’d like to introduce you to Robert John Montgomery, Gary Johns, and Jack Morgan. Jack’s Tucker’s Entertainment Manager, so play good tonight!”
“Nice to meet such a fine entertainer,” Bobby said. “We’re huge fans of your music. In fact, we sing your songs in here, your song, Loving You is requested quite often,” Bobby replied. Nice to meet you, too, Gary and Jack.”
The group nodded to the occupants at the table, walked over to the next occupied table, and asked if they had a request; they choose San Antonio Stroll.
After the song was finished, RJ leaned over to Jack and said, “They’re pretty good. You ought’a remember them if you’re ever an opening group.” Jack agreed.
Jennifer Dini came to take the group’s food order. It consisted of four New York Steaks, one Shrimp Tempura, and two of the Shrimp Scampi.
Other patrons were acknowledging their friends and neighbors, seeming like they were unaware of the diners at table Number 7. Marlene, another one of Guieseppe’s waitstaff, took the order from the table across from Jillian and her group. She nodded to Jillian, came over to the table, and said, “Nice to see you, Dr. James. I heard the girls talking about your guests.” Jillian introduced her to the group around the table.
As soon as their dinners were served, Hope came into the dining room and came over to their table. “Hey, Jillie, thanks for the mushroom.” Jillian introduced the group to Hope, who leaned over to RJ and said, “I heard Meagen and Jenni talking about what a hunk you are, that your pictures doesn’t do y’a justice. Can’t come to the concert tonight, so I just had to see for myself. And you know what, they’re right. You’re one handsome man!”
“Thank you very much, and if I may be so bold, you’re not bad yourself...quite ravishing,” RJ said as he sipped his drink. He reached out and shook her hand. Jillian smiled as Hope laughed as she walked away.
“You know, there’s a lot of good lookin’ women here in Yerington,” Gary said.
After dinner was finished, George came by the table, leaned down, and whispered something to RJ, who shook his head in the negative. After George left, Jillian leaned over and said, “What did he ask you?”
In a loud manner replied, “He wanted to let me know they have a backdoor to the steakhouse and we’d be welcome to use it. As the casino’s fairly packed with my fans. I told him we didn’t need it, that I’ve dealt with far greater and far wilder fans than here.”
Jillian saw the reaction of the group at their table and also that of the tables close by. These were her friends, co-workers, and family, and Jillian was embarrassed by RJ’s l
oudness. Although she knew it was the “alcohol” talking, she was worried about everyone else was probably thinking. She tried to cover up his statement by saying, “Well, that was a nice offer. Maybe we should take him up on his offer. One of us Yeringtonites might get wild and crazy and ask for your autograph!” Everyone chuckled.
Lynda said, “Better yet, someone might try to rip off your clothes or try to get a lock of your hair. You know, us folk out here in the hinter never know’d what we’d do.” Everyone laughed. RJ just looked at Jillian, as her point was made.
As they exited the steakhouse, a lady yelled from the coffee shop, “We love you, Robert John Montgomery.” Several people having dinner in the coffee shop stopped eating to look. Some of the diners waved at the group, and RJ returned the wave.
Jillian stopped RJ and whispered in his ear and he nodded. When they approached the cashier’s cage, the female cashier had her back turned to the open window.
“Excuse me, I’d like to…”
The cashier turned to help her customer and realized who was standing before her window. She saw Jillian in the background smiling at her.
“Oh, my God! Oh, my! I’m your biggest fan. This is too good to be true!”
“Darlin’, could you come out here a second?”
Davette came out of the door, her hands clasped, and she stood beside one of her favorite singers of all time. She’d told Jillian a few days before that she’d give anything to meet Robert John Montgomery.
“Darlin’, what is your name?”
“Davette.”
“Well, Davette, tonight’s your lucky night. Gary, my road manager, is going to take our picture and see that you get an autographed copy. Is that alright with you?”
All Davette could do was nod. When he put his arm around her shoulder, he could feel her shaking, he thought: Look at the effect I still have on women.
“You smell yummy and I’m in heaven.” Davette whispered to RJ.
Gary took their picture and had her write her name and address in his book to send her the promised autographed picture.
RJ leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “You have a great evening, darlin’, and it was nice meeting you.” The group thought Davette was going to faint, because her face turned a stark white.
“I can’t wait until Vickie hears about this. And me here with this green uniform shirt on.” The group heard her mumbling as they left the area.
RJ leaned over to Jillie, “Who’s Vickie?”
“Vickie’s her daughter and who also works here at Dini’s.”
“Is there anyone here in Yerington who doesn’t work for Dini’s?”
Chapter 23
The benefit concert was being held at the Lyon County Fairgrounds, one mile from the Yerington Airport east on Highway 95A. The fairground was no stranger to country music performers, as several times a year a country concert was held here. The fairgrounds grandstand seated about 2000 spectators. Tonight’s concert had been sold out for months.
The entourage arrived about 30 minutes prior to concert time. Jillian and Emma both chose to watch from backstage. Lynda said she would watch from the audience, as Jack Morgan had asked her to join him.
The portable stage was set up in the arena, centered in front of the grandstand. On both sides of the stage were portable walls that formed a semi-backstage. With no back wall on the stage, the band’s out in the open, not surrounded by walls. The girls sat off stage, on a couple of stools, placed near the edge of the band’s risers. They could see and be seen by the audience. They sat watching the business of getting ready for tonight’s performance. Gary was checking on various things. RJ changed into his “work” clothes in the motorhome. About five minutes before showtime he arrived backstage. He bumped Jillie off her stool with his hip, hugged her, and whispered in her ear, “This one’s for you. Love you.” He kissed on her cheek, then nodded to Gary to begin. Jillian smelled alcohol on his breath.
The hospital’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Glen Cleveland, handled the introductions. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending the benefit concert to support our hospital. Please welcome, Robert John Montgomery.” The applause was awesome.
Gary handed him a wireless mic, and he strolled out onto the stage. The band started playing a soft mixture of Robert John Montgomery hits.
“Good evening, Yerington! How are you this evening?”
The audience applauded generously.
“We’re here to benefit the hospital, that does such a good job.”
Suddenly a loud crashing noise came from the back of the stage.
“Oh no! Hey, guys, save the pieces back there.”
The crowd laughed.
“I want to thank the folks of Yerington for making me and my guys feel so welcome. I’d also like to acknowledge a couple of folks who traveled all the way from Oklahoma to see me here tonight…my cousin Angyne and her husband, Billy Bean. They try to come to my shows whenever they can.” He blew Angyne a kiss. “Please make them welcome.”
The audience applauded.
“Here’s a tune that you, my fans, voted the Top Single of the Year last year. Jillie, this is for you.” Again the audience roared with applause. He started singing, weaving his magic.
Gary stepped up and tapped Jillian on the shoulder. He whispered into her ear, she nodded, and followed Gary down the stairs and around to the back of the stage at ground level. Elliott Harris, the group’s electrician, was sitting in the dirt holding his left ankle. He looked up at Jillian and Gary and laughed. “That last step was a big one. I tried to land on my feet, but I guess it didn’t happen. Doc, it’s really hurting.” Jillian squatted down and examined his ankle. Swelling had already depleted any sock space he had. She knew right away that he’d probably broken his ankle, the only question being to what extent.
“Let me bring my car over and take you to the hospital. We’ll get a set of x-rays to see what’s going on here.”
Another of the group’s backstage crew and Gary got Elliott into the car.
“Gary, please tell RJ what happened? I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Jillian said.
“I’ll tell him. Let us know how Elliott is.”
After Elliott was settled into an ER exam room, Jillian examined his ankle. She ordered a set of X-rays and she sat in the doctors’ lounge to wait until the films came back. Nurse Julie Wyscroft stuck her head in the doorway of the lounge. “Hey, Doc, I thought you’d be at your boyfriend’s concert?”
“One of his band members injured his ankle, so we’re here to check it out. I’m waiting on his films to come back.”
“I hate to do this, but we have an ortho case in Number 1. Would you mind taking a look, since you’re here and on call?” The nurse stood waiting for Jillian’s reply.
“Sure, since I’m here. What’ve we got?”
“A shoulder injury: 44-year-old baseball player.” The nurse handed her the chart.
Into his second song, RJ noticed that Jillie was no longer sitting on the stool. He looked at Emma, who smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
The country star finished the concert, giving the crowd its money’s worth. He held his meet and greet in front of the stage. Gary handed him a bottle of water. Mrs. Crawford was front and center, commanding the whole session. In a hurry to find Jillie, he wanted to rush out but was polite. He posed for pictures and signed autographs until most of the crowd left. RJ joined Gary and Emma, Lynda and Jack Morgan who stood off to the side of the stage watching the event.
“Gary, what happened to Jillie?”
“Remember the crash, just as you started the show?”
“Yep.”
“Well, Elliott fell off the back of the stage and hurt his ankle. It looked pretty bad. Jillie took him to the hospital. I thought they’d be back by now.”
“I’m still really dry. What else do we have to drink?”
“I’ve got plenty to drink. Come on over to my house, while we wait for Jillie.” Emma, the perfect hostess, opened h
er home to the group.
After everyone was served a drink, she and Gary started fixing pizzas. They were up to their arms in grating cheese, rolling dough, and deciding what toppings to use. As RJ approached the kitchen, he heard them laughing. He entered unnoticed and he stood in the doorway watching the two chefs. They were absolutely having fun together. Why did he feel so alone… so empty?
Emma looked up and saw RJ standing in the doorway, “Hey, handsome. What kind of pizza do you want?”
He mumbled something, opened the back door, and stood on the back step looking across the alley towards Jillian’s house.
Gary came out onto the porch, “Hey, she’ll be back as soon as she can.”
“I think I’m going over there to wait. I still have some unpacking to do.”
“Do you want me to bring your pizza over when it’s done?”
“Nah. We’ll get something when she gets home. Talk to you tomorrow.”
He walked across the alley and up the steps. He entered the quiet house. For a brief second he could smell Jillian’s perfume and said, “Why not?”
RJ walked the couple of blocks down to Surprise Street, turned the corner, and headed for the hospital. A sign posted on the hospital’s main entrance read: After hours, please enter through the Emergency Room. RJ thought to himself: It’s 10:30, must be after hours. He followed the arrows and entered through the double doors marked “Emergency.”
“May I help you?” the receptionist asked routinely, without looking up. As soon as she recognized who she was addressing, she stammered, “Mr. Montgomery, how may I help you? I can’t believe you’re in our ER.”
He made a point of reading her name tag and addressing her by name, “Good evening, Kathy. Is Dr. James still here? I’d like to see her.”
“Dr. James can’t come out to see…” The receptionist stopped in mid-sentence, realizing what she was saying and to whom. From behind her a couple of white-coated people walked over to a counter, discussing something on the screen before them. RJ saw that Jillian was one of the persons involved in the discussion. She wore an apron with a white substance on the front. She was removing a pair of surgical gloves that were also coated with the white substance. As she approached the desk, a nurse handed a stack of papers. She looked up and saw RJ, just as he said her name. Shocked to see him there, she smiled and said, “Hey, you. What’re you doing here?”
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