Nashville by Heart: A Novel

by Tina Ann Forkner

  In the bathroom, she slipped the white silky nightgown over her head, letting it settle over her hips. The girls had bought it for her from the chapel gift shop, and it was surprisingly pretty with a lacy bodice cut low in front and not a trace of the Elvis chapel theme. She sprayed on a scent that she kept in her purse and stared at herself in the mirror. Adjusting one of the gown’s thin straps, she checked her reflection one more time, her skin flushing pink with the thought of his touch.

  Already short of breath, she opened the door. Will had lit candles around the room, and they cast a soft glow across the bed. He rose from the mattress completely comfortable in nothing but his own skin as her gaze swept over his body. Desire coursed through her. He was more than she could have imagined. When she gave him a shy, but inviting smile, he moved toward her.

  ~~~~

  A flood of heat surged through Will. He wanted to pull her down on the bed and devour her, but he was transfixed by the soft glow of her skin in the candlelight. He crossed the room, his eyes wandering over the curves of her body, covered by the flimsy silk of her gown.

  “Have mercy,” he breathed. “You are so beautiful.”

  Pressing his mouth to hers, he drank her in, his head dizzy with the sweetness of her lips. The only thing that could compel him to stop kissing her was the promise of her bare skin beneath that thin slip of silk. He pulled his lips from hers, leaving her panting as he trailed feather kisses along the neckline, struggling not to pull her down on the bed on top of him before she was ready.

  “I love you, Gillian.” He spoke to her in between kisses, his voice husky with desire, his body aching to be much closer. He loved how she trembled against him, and he wanted to give her the world. Pulling her closer, he let his hands slowly roam her curves, finding the hem of the gown and slowly inching it up.

  “Oh God,” he whispered. “I can’t believe I finally get to make love to you.”

  He was so turned on, he had to take a few deep breaths. He wanted her to remember this night for a long time.

  “You’re mine forever,” he said. “Only you.”

  “And you’re mine,” she said.

  Her words went straight to his heart, and he smiled to think of how she’d changed him so much in such a short time. He never wanted to be anyone else’s. With more feeling he went back to working her gown off her, but inched the fabric slowly, enjoying the anticipation on her face.

  She gasped softly as he peeled the gown up over her head. He tossed it to the side, so that it lay forgotten somewhere across the room. His mouth fell open. She was so beautiful, so perfect… so much that he wanted to touch and to taste. He told her so, over and over.

  “This has to be a dream,” he whispered.

  He reached for her, slowly sliding his hands around her waist, restraining himself so as to savor the silk of her skin, the curve of her hip, and letting the full lushness of her drive him wild. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, melding her body to his, he pulled her tight, their lips never parting as he guided her to their wedding bed, trying not to hurry, but eager to show her all the pleasures he’d been dying to give her for far too long.

  ~~~~

  Her lips still tingled from his kisses as he settled himself beside her on the bed. She traced his cheek with her fingertips, letting his eyes search her from head to toe. She loved the way he looked at her, the way it made her feel open and unashamed to be stripped bare in front of him, body and soul.

  She gasped as he cupped her breasts in his palms, running his thumbs lightly across her soft skin. How had they waited so long for this? But Will had been right. A ring on her finger proved it was forever this time, and it made all her inhibitions fall away. She boldly returned the touch, exploring the muscular planes and angles, all of him, in a way she’d never done before. She wanted to give him a wedding night to remember too, because this was their first time together. His lips moved lower, setting her skin ablaze.

  Her words were a whisper. “Make love to me.”

  His only answer was his mouth pressing against hers, and with a low groan, his hands traveled the length of her, his lips trailing along the surface of her skin, her curves responding in a way that made her burn, and moving together they unbridled a passion they’d both been battling since they first met.

  ~~~~

  Gillian woke late the next morning to find she was still in the fairytale world. Her eyes sleepily traveled around the room, the blues and greens reminding her she was in Will’s house.

  Wait. No. Her house. Their house.

  She smiled to herself. This was crazy but real.

  Her skin was bare underneath the sheets, so no way last night was a dream. She’d fantasized about what their first time together would be like, but her imaginings in no way lived up to the real thing.

  “I’m married,” she whispered into the room.

  “Yes, you are, Mrs. Adams.” Will walked in with a cup of coffee. He cast her a wicked grin.

  “Gillian Adams,” she said, cradling the cup in her hands.

  “Turns out Dorothy stopped by anyway,” Will said. “I got a text to look on the front porch and found all this.”

  She plucked one of the oversized blueberry muffins from the basket. “I love Dorothy, and I’m starving.”

  They moved to the bay window where Gillian sat wrapped in a sheet gazing out at the barn. “We’re getting horses, right?”

  “Anything you want. This big ol’ house isn’t going to be quiet and boring any more.” He reached a hand out, squeezing her knee.

  “Maybe some people will think we rushed things,” she said. “But I’m so happy.”

  “You still think I’m crazy?” He winked at her.

  “Definitely.” She leaned over for a kiss. “And I love it.”

  “So, I was thinking about that song we wrote last night, before we got married.”

  She smiled. “I love that song.”

  “Just look how it ended,” he said. “No Las Vegas-style regrets.”

  She thought about the studio downstairs and how songwriting had brought them together, how it had brought about their wedding, and how it would always be a part of their story.

  She sipped her coffee, imagining the rest of their life together. She leaned against his chest.

  “Let’s always write love songs together, Will.”

  He planted a kiss on her shoulder. “I have a better idea.”

  She raised her chin, shivering when he planted a kiss on her neck.

  “What could be better than writing love songs?” she asked, but she had a feeling she knew the answer.

  He trailed a line of kisses up to her cheek. “How about we live them?”

  She relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her. She liked that idea better.

  No, she loved it.

  Epilogue

  One more missing piece in Gillian’s life found its place, albeit after a bit of a struggle. Upon hearing about her marriage to Will, no doubt from Aunt Cher, Cooper Heart showed up at one of her performances. She refused to see him, so Will had to send him away. Only after two more tries did she finally give him a chance to explain, but through the crack of the dressing room door, her on one side and him on the other.

  He told her he’d been wrong to abandon her, that he’d been a downright idiot by letting fame and money consume him. He’d thought he would experience a bit of the Nashville life, hobnobbing with all the famous people, and then come back home, but her momma hadn’t let him. “I don’t blame her,” he’d said. “She only wanted to protect you. And I used my money as a bargaining tool, refusing to support you unless your mom let me back into your lives. I regret that. I was wrong, Gillian.” Tears gathered in Gillian’s eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall, wouldn’t fall into his arms so quickly. She told him she needed more time.

  Gillian didn’t blame Louise. Her momma had done the right thing by not letting Cooper come in and out of their lives at his own whim. He would have been a bad influence on her, eve
n if her little girl heart would’ve taken him however she could get him. She was no longer a little girl, though, and after a lot of soul-searching, and making her dad beg, she decided it was time to move forward. But only because it seemed her mother already had.

  Louise had decided to forgive Cooper after he’d been one of the subjects of a big Nashville magazine article about the price of fame. Allowing himself to be interviewed, he was quoted as saying that the biggest mistake of his life was leaving his family, and the most despicable thing he’d ever done was to smother the light of his talented wife, Louise Heart, who’d never been given a chance to shine.

  “Since my daughter came on the Nashville scene, people have said she’s as talented as me, but it’s not true. Gillian gets every bit of her talent from her momma,” he told the reporter. “Louise raised our daughter right. She’s the reason Gillian turned out to be so beautiful, talented and a good person.”

  When her momma, in tears, read those words out loud to her over the phone, Gillian cried with her.

  “I think it’s time to move on,” Louise said. So they arranged for him to come to Gold Creek Gap for the reception.

  Will had promised Gillian and her momma a beautiful reception, and by gosh, he was giving them one. Well, the women had done the actual planning, but he was the one who set the date six months after the wedding. At first they’d planned to hold it at the church, but then they decided to wait until the house was built, so they could hold it there, hence the delay.

  Louise had argued about the house at first, saying there was nothing wrong with her trailer. After all, she had a beautiful garden. Will and Gillian had assured her that while nothing was wrong with her mobile home, they would like it if she’d stay in the sprawling new home they had built by the lake and take care of it when they weren’t around. Since they only made it there a couple of weekends a month at best, due to Gillian’s tour dates, Louise had the run of the house. This had given her the freedom and time to plan the reception, and since Gillian was too busy living her life as a music artist to help like she wanted to, Aunt Cher was happy to pitch in. Gillian’s only request was that there be sushi. Her mom and Cher thought that was crazy, but she said she’d promised Will.

  The day had finally arrived, and Gillian and Will were thrilled with the lights draping along the deck overlooking the lake. There were people dancing, children splashing down on the bank, and more food and wine than anyone could ever consume.

  Louise stood there with a smile on her face, satisfied at how the rich and famous mingled with the small town folks from Gold Creek Gap and from Will’s hometown only a few hours away. This is how life is supposed to be, she thought. People being together, not caring about where they came from or how much money they had.

  Her daughter waved, and Louise made her way over to the happy couple. Never had Gillian looked so beautiful or so happy standing with her husband and all her friends. She especially loved that Tasha. She’d been a big help with the reception. Louise thought it was sweet of Gillian and Will to let her have this reception, since she’d missed their wedding, but they didn’t realize she was even happier that her daughter had found a man who treated her so well and who made her so happy.

  “Thank you for all this, Momma.” Gillian kissed her mother. “You’re the best. And you too, Aunt Cher.”

  Aunt Cher hurried over. “Anything for you, sweetheart, and you too, Will.”

  “We sure are thankful,” he told her with a grin, but then his smile faltered. Gillian, Louise and Cher turned in the direction Will was looking. A reunion was about to happen, and he hoped his wife’s heart wouldn’t be broken in the process.

  Gillian stared at Cooper Heart as he made his way through the crowd. He was handsomely dressed in a western cut suit, and his eyes were glued to Gillian. Louise turned to see her daughter’s face. She and Will reached for her at the same time.

  “If you’ve changed your mind, it’s OK,” Will said. “I’ll make him leave right now.”

  “I want him to stay,” Gillian said, steeling herself as he approached. It seemed like a long time, but when he finally reached her, all the anger that’d gathered in her heart evaporated. She wasn’t the same little girl who’d stood out on the front porch daily waiting for him to come home.

  They stared at each other, Gillian’s heart nearly flying out of her chest.

  “Did you mean what you said in that article?” she asked.

  He nodded, his eyes glistening.

  “Please forgive me, Gilly,” he said, and the sound of his voice calling her by her nickname broke her in two.

  “Daddy.” She threw herself into his arms, not caring what he’d done wrong. They’d have to sort through all of that later, but for now, he was home, and it was all she cared about.

  “Holy praises,” Aunt Cher muttered. Louise hadn’t said anything, which led Gillian to believe that her dad and mom had talked before the reception. She vaguely tried to imagine what that would have been like for her momma, but she didn’t look angry. Life is short, is what her momma always said. There’s no time to waste. Gillian smiled as she breathed in her dad’s scent. He still wore the same cologne. It brought back a flood of happy memories of the times they’d spent together, before he’d left.

  When they finally let go of each other, Cooper looked at Will. He offered his hand.

  “Will.”

  “Cooper. How you been?”

  Cooper smiled weakly. “I never saw this one coming, son, but I couldn’t be happier to know Gillian’s with you.” Will nodded.

  Finally, Cooper turned to his sister, Cher. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss, because she was like that, forgiving, and so loyal to everyone she loved that it drove everyone else crazy.

  With obvious affection and regret reflected in the lines of his face, he turned toward Louise. He simply stood with his hat in his hands, staring at her like a lost puppy. Louise cast a look at Gillian and sighed. She’d always had a soft spot for lost puppies, dang it.

  “Come here,” Louise said, and drew him to her. He wrapped his arms around her, and while everyone knew he had as much to work out later with Louise as with Gillian, they all nodded their approval and passed out tissues.

  Will left Gillian for a minute to speak to the band, who’d stopped when they realized something was happening. They started playing again, and Cooper escorted Louise onto the dance floor. Everyone smiled as the band crooned Elvis’ Love Me Tender and went back to dancing.

  Will held his hand out to Gillian. “What do ya say, little darlin’?”

  She smiled at his reference to their Elvis wedding. “I say, we still gotta lotta livin’ to do.”

  He pulled her close, and they danced through the evening, until they stole away when nobody was looking. They drove to the back of a field by the river and spent the rest of the night under the sycamore trees in the bed of the pickup truck underneath the stars.

  A Note from Tina Ann Forkner

  Dear Reader,

  I’ve always wanted to write about Nashville. Everything about it fascinates me, from the city life to the Southern food, but I love the music the most. My interest in the music industry started as a kid when I watched my sister sing all over Oklahoma and Arkansas. She was amazing. I could never hold a tune very well so I contented myself with listening to her sing while I wrote stories. We used to dream of her moving to Nashville and me becoming a journalist. With a few plot twists, we both achieved our dreams. She had a decade-long career behind the scenes in Nashville, and I became a published novelist.

  Cheri and I have always encouraged each other to follow our dreams. Now, all these years later, I’m writing a book about Nashville.

  I hope you enjoy reading Nashville by Heart as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you did, I would love if you left a review on Amazon. Thanks for reading!

  All the best,

  Tina Ann Forkner

  P.S. You can stay up to date on my new releases and special sales by signing up for m
y newsletter. I only send a newsletter once a month at most, so I promise I won’t bombard your inbox! You can sign up here: http://bit.ly/BookNewsFromTina

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, dear readers, for loving the romantic aspects of my women’s fiction enough that I was inspired to write you a romance novel. Thanks to my coffee writers group in Cheyenne for encouraging me to submit this manuscript one more time, and to Velvet Morning Press for accepting it. Many thanks to Amy Sue Nathan for bringing out the best in my story, and to Joanne Kennedy for thinking the book was good enough to provide a lovely endorsement.

  Much love to my daughter, Hannah, who is an incredible person and also shares my love of books. Thank you to my mother-in-law Nancy for raising the hero I would one day marry. And special thanks to my mom, Barbara, who when asked what she’d think if her daughter wrote a romance novel responded with, “Why not? Romance makes the world go round.” After fifty years with my dad, my mom would know.

  Most of all, thank you, Cheri Kaufman, for giving me a behind-the-scenes look inside Nashville during your marvelous decade working in the music industry. You always knew it would end up in a book, right?

  About the Author

  Award-winning author Tina Ann Forkner wrangles words on the pages of her Women’s Fiction and Romance novels and kids in the classroom as a substitute teacher. Her novel Waking Up Joy is a Virginia Romance Writers 2015 HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Recipient – Romantic Elements.

  Tina grew up in Northeastern Oklahoma and currently lives in Wyoming with her husband, who knows when to wear a cowboy hat, and three teenagers who never do (even if she thinks they should). Learn more at TinaAnnForkner.com, and sign up to receive her newsletter at http://bit.ly/BookNewsFromTina.