Somewhere in My Heart (7 page)

They went ahead with the idea to schedule the tour.  The first stop would be in Nashville.  Billie realized too late that, that may have been a terrible idea.  She had forgotten that her real identity could be discovered while they were there. Billie tried to keep a low profile.  They were at a Nashville Coliseum rehearsing for Ricky’s first concert of his tour.  She wondered who might show up unexpectedly.  Someone did.  It was nothing to worry about, so she thought.  It was only Dennis.  He came up to her and she said, “What are you doing here?” 

Dennis reported, “Keeping an eye on you.  I don’t want my brother getting hurt.  I know you will do the same to him that you have done to me.” 

She challenged, “Why do you think I will hurt him?  Is it because I was not so quick to fall in love with you?”  He stopped in his tracks when Ricky walked up to them.  He told Ricky he’d talk to him later and to be careful. 

Ricky asked what that was all about and Billie said, “You know Dennis, just being a menace.”

Ricky asked Billie if she cared to go with him somewhere in town.  Billie would rather know where, to be on the safe side, but didn’t want to make him suspicious.  She agreed and hoped for the best of luck.  The spot was not one uncommon to Billie, the local pool hall.  All she could think of was the time she went with Bobby Douglas playing pool.  She was up for some competition, since Ricky was extremely good at pool.  He once played with one of the top pool 'kings.' She was thankful to Bobby for giving her some pointers.  Now, she wouldn’t be so embarrassed playing against Ricky.  Once they finished their first game, Ricky asked, “Billie, do you know Bobby Douglas?” 

She almost choked, “Why do you ask?” 

He warned, “Because he is right behind you.”  Billie turned around and sure enough, he was standing there. 

He gave her a hug and exclaimed, “I thought I would never see you again.”  Billie then asked Ricky to get her a drink.  He went to get it, while anxiously wanting to know what was going on with the 2 of them.  Billie tried to get over the shock.  She had not kept in contact with him, only Maria.  So, she had to sum up the situation in thirty seconds.  She just hoped he would understand and not give her away.  Now, all she had to do was try and convince Ricky of some other ridiculous fib. 
             

He returned with her drink and a look of concern.  Bobby did most of the talking, so Billie wouldn’t stutter.  Ricky then proceeded to go on and on about how good Billie was at playing pool.  Bobby boasted, “Well, she learned from the best.” After Bobby said that, she started thinking about what happened that night they played a game together.  She hoped Ricky wouldn’t catch on to their prior involvement. 

Billie was, for once in her life, thrilled to be leaving Nashville.  She didn’t want anything to ruin what she had going with Ricky.  She had a few disappointments in store.  For one, Dennis had decided to stay in Nashville.  He wouldn’t say what for, but Billie knew he was up to no good.  A few days later, Ricky and Billie went to the Houston Livestock Rodeo Show.  She had forgotten all about one certain person who normally shows up there, Chris.  He was there, too.  Ricky wanted to go speak to him.  Billie declined.  He asked, “Don’t you want to see Chris Brady?” 

She thought, “Trust me, I’ve seen enough.” She was lucky enough to escape that time.  Chris wouldn’t be as considerate as Bobby had been.  One really good thing came out of the concert in Houston.  She had the chance to talk to Rose Madison, the famous country singer and actress that she had always wanted to meet. She used to be in her fan club, but never got a chance to go back stage for a meet and greet.  This time, Billie had a classier title and more advantages, than just a fan club member.  With Ricky’s help, they were invited to Rose’s ranch for the weekend.  She was throwing a party for her husband.  A few of Rose’s close and personal friends were there, as well. Billie was in a different situation this time, than when she was at Andy Johnston’s place.  She wasn’t worried about anyone saying something to her at the party, because they didn’t really know her that well.  She was sure they couldn’t remember her from the past, such as interviews or awards.

After everyone surprised Rose's husband, they all got together to talk about the business and the latest gossip.  Billie was just itching to write it all down, like she was there working on a report.  Most of the news was normal, except for two unusual comments.  They talked about a recent interview they read, concerning Chris.  Since he was cleared of all charges in Lana’s murder, he had to clean up his image.  People were more forgiving than he had predicted.  He had a great turnout at his last show, and was thinking things were getting back to normal.  Although, he had one thing left unresolved.  He made a public apology to his girlfriend, one that most of the public didn’t know about.  He wanted her to forgive him for how he had behaved and wanted her forgiveness.  They were all curious to know who it was and if she ever did forgive him.  Billie knew the girlfriend they were discussing was really her.  She wondered how she could have missed that interview.  She was grateful that there were not pictures of her printed along with it.  She knew there was a reason for her to keep their relationship private.

The other comment that shocked Billie was that Joy Edwards had separated from her fiancée.  This news had arrived the same time Joy’s duet with Chris Brady had hit the top ten on billboard.  She thought that news would make some men happy, because Joy was very beautiful.  Rose discussed possibly doing a duet with Ricky in the future.  Billie loved that idea and was glad someone had thought of it.

Billie decided to mingle and talk with some people that she never actually had a chance to talk to before then.  One of the things worried Billie.  She heard that Andy might stop by.  He could tell Ricky everything that happened a few months earlier.  She knew she had to tell Ricky the truth before he heard it from someone else.  But first, she had to find him. They had split up when Billie had tried to get to know a few of Rose's guests.

Billie found Ricky in one of Rose’s stables.  She was sure that was where he would be, because of his love for horses.  She began, “Ricky, there is something that I need to tell you. I have been meaning to tell you for a very long time.” 

He claimed, “I know what it is.  I have actually known this whole time.  I have heard all about it.” 

Billie pleaded, “When?  Who told you?”

Ricky answered, “It is nothing to be ashamed of.  Someone you and I know very well, filled me in on it.  I didn’t want to believe it at first.  But, since you have finally decided to tell me yourself, I appreciate it.  Dennis just made it sound worse than what it really was.” 

Now Billie was confused.  She asked, “What did Dennis tell you?” 

Ricky responded, “That you weren’t interested in him or any relationship right now.  And I happen to know that you are thinking about dating again, and you are worried that I might take offense to the way you treated my brother.  Don’t be.”  Billie didn’t know what to say about that, except the truth.  Just as she was about to tell him, Rose found them and told Billie there was someone there to see her. Billie just knew it was Andy.  It was only one of Ricky's business associates; one she had an appointment with later in the day.  Billie was relieved, but had to make sure if Andy was still coming.  Rose told her that he couldn’t make it after all. 

Billie wanted to forget everything that had just happened.  She still had to tell Ricky her secret soon. The following day, everyone decided to go horseback riding. Billie knew Ricky would enjoy that part of the weekend the best.  She and Ricky sort of got sidetracked from the others. They decided to give the ride a little bit of a challenge.  They started chasing each other.  They had no idea what was about to happen. Rose’s palominos started acting strange.  They were uncomfortable.  When Ricky slightly hit Billie’s horse with a whip, it went crazy. Ricky went after the runaway horse.  The horse Billie was on reared back and she fell off.  Ricky quickly dismounted to help her. He called for the others to come and help, too.  They drove her to the nearest hospital.  She received the best care possible.  Ricky found out her condition and reported it to the others that were with him.  She had some torn ligaments in her leg.  She had to be checked in for a few days.  So, Billie ended up being in Nashville longer than she had planned anyway.

Once Billie was feeling better, Ricky decided to return to Hawaii.  He was going to help her recover.  It was real strange to Billie because he was doing for her, what she wanted to do for him when Lydia died.  He was going through a lot and didn’t know how to handle it.  He just knew he had to help Billie. She didn’t want Ricky to have pity on her, so she tried therapy on her own.  He had left the room for just a few minutes one day, when he heard a loud noise.  He ran back in the room and saw Billie on the floor. 

He insisted, “Don’t push yourself so hard.  You’re trying to walk and be brave.  Let me help you.” 

She moaned, “I don’t deserve it.  I just want to be able to do things for myself.” 

He advised, “It is going to take some time.  It is all of my fault that you are in this condition.  So, at least let me do this.” 

Billie was not okay with him taking the blame.  She felt it was punishment for not telling him the truth.  She argued, “You didn’t know the horse would react that way.  Things happen for a reason.” 

He noted, “Well, I wonder what is supposed to happen next.”  Billie hoped for the best.

Ricky was serious when he said he was going to help her get better.  He would even wash her back for her when she was taking her bath.  He’d help her walk some.  As she made some progress, he kept reassuring her that she would be fine.  One night, she was having a nightmare about Chris.  In the dream, he was spying on her, and he became jealous of Ricky.  Chris had his gun and tried to shoot Ricky.  Billie jumped in front of him to block the bullet.  That was when she woke up screaming.  Ricky ran in to her room to see what was wrong.  He asked, “Are you okay?” 

Billie responded, “I guess so.  It must be the medication the doctors are giving me, that causes nightmares.” 

Ricky inquired, “Do you want me to get you something to drink?” 

She sobbed, “No, just hold me for a few minutes.”  Ricky lay next to her and they fell asleep.

Billie was closer to Ricky, now more than she had ever imagined.  This was better than her wildest dreams, about being with him. She wanted there to be no more secrets between them.  She called her boss to tell him she was through playing games.

She had to make him understand that she wanted out of this charade.  Mr. Reid didn’t like the sound of her idea.  He wanted her to go along with it for at least another month.  She did have a choice, but didn’t want to lose her job.  She didn’t want to lose her chance at happiness either.  Ricky was more important to her than her job.  She told her boss she would think about it, before she changed her mind.

Ricky was trying to find out who she was going out with, since she never cleared up that fact.  She figured he was set on that idea, so she would go along with it.  She wanted to try and make him jealous.  She wasn’t sure it would work.  She didn’t mention any names, just said it probably wouldn’t work out because they were so different. 

Ricky advised, “Well, when you are ready to tell me the details, I am here to listen.”

After that, he went to bed.  As he was walking up the staircase, Billie started playing a song on the piano.  She was singing some of the lyrics. He recognized it immediately, because it had been a number 1 hit on the singles charts for a fellow country artist. So, he came downstairs and proceeded to sing the song along with her. They both sang the chorus.  After they were through with the song, he observed, “I didn’t know you could play the piano.” 

Billie added, “I didn’t know you were listening to my song.” 

He questioned, “The lyrics, is that how you feel about the guy you were trying not to tell me anything about?”