Read Final Encore for Free Online Page A

Ropers
    completed the outfit.
    When Bily slipped the black Stetson onto his
    head, Ian could feel the man’s charisma as clearly as he
    could see his strikingly handsome face beneath the hat.
    His sharp features and tal muscular frame worked
    perfectly onstage and, as Ian alowed himself to imagine
    for a minute, offstage as wel. It’s been so long since
    I’ve felt even a flutter of an attraction to someone.
    Why now? Was he just looking at Bily as a potential
    new artist for Capitol, or was it something else?
    Ian hadn’t been a saint, of course. In his early
    years in Nashvile, when the pain of Todd had receded
    a little, and at Jean’s encouragement, he’d tried to get
    back out there. He’d had a one-night stand or two but
    never even as much as a quick or casual relationship
    and nothing at al in the last few years. Fear of the
    slightest connection to anyone left him cold and closed
    off emotionaly. He’d adjusted to the fact that his head
    would never alow it, or was it his heart? He no longer
    knew, and he’d given up trying to figure it out a long
    time ago.
    Bily opened with “Find Out Who Your Friends
    Are” by Tracy Lawrence. As Ian watched Bily and the
    crowd’s reaction, he instantly noticed that in addition to
    Bily’s physical appearance, he had that star quality very
    seldom seen in today’s entertainers. He was able to
    connect with the audience with an ease that Ian seldom
    felt from the stage.
    Ian was stunned. Bily’s voice was strong and
    easy, his transition from upper to lower registers was as
    smooth as velvet, and Ian could hear just a hint of R&B
    in his rich tone. He sang effortlessly, and the lyrics
    flowed like a slow, lazy river.
    Bily ended his set with the entire house, including
    Ian, on its feet. The crowd was screaming for more.
    Bily looked off to the wings and saw Jed nod, so he
    knew it was okay to do an encore. Bily hadn’t
    rehearsed the song he had in mind with the band, so he
    wasn’t sure if the time was right to do an original song.
    It was a risk, but he went for it. “Ladies and gentlemen,
    thank you so much for the warm reception. I would
    realy love to end my set with the first song I ever
    wrote. It’s caled ‘The Love of a Man’. It was inspired
    by my mother, who always said she wouldn’t have had
    a life without my father’s love.” Bily reached for his
    guitar, took the stool at center stage, and the spotlight
    found him as he hit the first note.
    The song was a balad, and the dance floor soon
    filed up with couples doing a very slow two-step.
    Before long, the dancing stopped and the crowd stood
    there quietly watching, couples holding their dance
    partners and rocking back and forth with looks of
    approval and understanding.
    Bily hit every note every time and sang the song
    with an ease that Ian had rarely seen. When the song
    was over, the crowd again went wild. He had realy
    struck a chord with the ladies, and there wasn’t a dry
    eye in the house. Ian thought about his parents, and a
    tear slid down his face as wel, but for much different
    reasons. Ian had seen crowds react similarly to various
    singers, but never at Jean’s and never for a guy who
    had just arrived in Nashvile. The room was electric, but
    besides that, Ian suspected he would never forget that
    night for far more reasons than he was wiling to admit,
    even to himself.
    It was Bily’s turn to introduce Jed. “Folks, I’ve
    taken up enough of your time. Let’s bring out the guy
    you realy came here to see. Please put your hands
    together for Capitol Records recording artists Jed
    Strong and the Renegades.” With that, Bily headed
    offstage and met Jed midway. They shook hands, and
    Bily continued to exit the stage as Jed thanked Bily and
    began his set.
    When Bily reached the wings, he couldn’t believe
    what had just happened. He felt like he was floating on
    air. After four nights, they stil liked him! Jean was
    heading his way, and he sure hoped she was equaly
    happy