Restless Heart (38 page)

She looked up, shooting a tremulous smile toward the wings, where Grace was beaming with pride and rightfully so . . . Destiny wouldn’t have come this far this fast without her. Beside her was Max, who would be joining them on tour—as Destiny’s bodyguard, of all things.

Destiny had never really thought about any kind of danger associated with being a celebrity, not that she really thought of herself in that way. But this business was so much more complicated than what she’d ever envisioned.

She still hoped Max would one day return to Nashville take the stage by storm, but he seemed content, for now, just to be in the background—as long as Grace was near.

Destiny turned her gaze to the VIP section. Her father, applauding like a crazy person, put his thumb and pinkie to his lips for a shrill whistle, then leaned in and kissed her mother’s tear-streaked cheek. Nessie was clapping so hard that her platinum-blond ringlets bounced like little springs. Cooper cupped his hands like commas to his mouth and gave her a loud “
woo-hoo
,” and Annie watched him with adoring eyes before waving to Destiny.

And then there was Seth, smiling warmly and giving her two thumbs-up, here to share this extraordinary night with her.

Could life get any better than this? she wondered, fighting back tears.

“Ladies and gentlemen—” Back onstage, Rex Miller had to put up both hands to silence the audience. “Before Destiny leaves the stage to continue her first-ever national concert tour, we have an exciting announcement—and a very important guest here to make it.”

He turned expectantly toward the wings.

Following his gaze, Destiny spotted the one-and-only Tammy Turner, and her heart started thudding like a Murphy Quinn drum solo. A stunned hush fell over the crowd, then gave way to wild applause as Tammy took the stage.

“Well, hello there, Wilmot, Kentucky—and hello, Destiny Hart!” Tammy smiled at the standing crowd, drawing a deafening cheer, and gave Destiny a big one-handed hug.

“Tammy, what are you doing here?”

“Well, you know how much I love your voice and I cannot
wait
to have you back on the stage of my beautiful new theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, when you head out on tour!”

As the applause calmed down, she gave the audience a big Tammy Turner grin. “I want y’all to know I didn’t come all this way just to give my music hall a shameless plug—even if it is bringing some of the best acts in country music to the Great Smoky Mountains!”

More applause. Destiny could scarcely breathe.

“Destiny, I am proud to announce that your single, ‘Restless Heart,’ has gone to number one on the Billboard Charts!” she shouted. “I’m certain it will be the first of many!”

“Oh my goodness!” Destiny blinked at Tammy. “Thank you!”

She avoided looking at her friends and family so that she wouldn’t burst into hysterical tears.

Spotting cameras from local news crews in addition to her own team of videographers, Destiny realized she had to make some sort of speech. She inhaled deeply, trying to gather her wits.

“As if this day could get any better!” she said in a throaty voice, and paused to gather her emotions before continuing. “I want to thank my manager, Miranda Shepherd of Grandview Entertainment. She somehow knows how to organize everything even though it makes my head spin! Thanks to CML Publishing for getting behind my songs and, of course, to Nick Novell and Sundial Records. Oh, and let’s see . . .” She began naming names, frantically hoping she wouldn’t forget any of the people who’d had a hand in the single.

“And, of course, thanks to the fans who listen, download, and request my songs on the radio!” Destiny shouted.

She waited for the applause to die down before she said, more quietly, “And thanks to my friends, especially Nessie and Max and Cooper and Annie, and my family for their love and support . . . Mom and Dad . . . and my sister, Grace, who is the best PA in the business . . . or at least that’s what she tells me!”

She had a difficult time containing her tears, but somehow she managed. There was only one more person to thank now.

As far as Destiny could see, people were cheering, clapping, and whistling. Cell phones were raised in the air taking pictures. A warm rush of excitement washed over Destiny and for the first time it settled firmly into her brain that this was no longer a pipe dream. This was her reality.

“And Seth . . . Seth, I couldn’t have done any of this without you. You’re my lifeline. My rock-steady. You told me, right before the first time I ever took this stage, that I didn’t have to get up here and sing. Sugar . . . you were
so
wrong about that.” She laughed along with the audience.

“But you were right about a lot of other things—even fate—I’ll even give you that, because somehow, we found our way back to each other against all odds.”

She was facing him now; his cheeks were wet with tears and his eyes full of love.

“Seth, this is the beginning of an incredible journey. I might not be able to be by your side every step of the way, but I really will treasure each and every moment that I am, because I’d rather have snatches of time with you than a lifetime with anyone else.” She swallowed hard, and grinned through her own tears, concluding, “Now, there’s a country song title if I ever heard one. Let the adventure begin!”

W
ynonna Judd came into prominence as part of the legendary mother-daughter duo, The Judds, selling more than twenty million records worldwide and winning more than sixty industry awards, including five Grammys, nine Country Music Association Awards, and eight Billboard Music Awards. As a solo artist, Wynonna has gone on to sell more than ten million albums, receive the coveted Female Vocalist of the Year Award from the Academy of Country Music, become a
New York Times
bestselling author, and be recognized as a compassionate humanitarian. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Wynonna now lives on a hundred-year-old farm outside Nashville with her children, cats, dogs, buffalo, and deer.
Restless Heart
is her first novel.