A Country Music Christmas

by Maggie Carpenter

  The composition of the piece was complex, the chord changes were unpredictable, but the melody carried a compelling flow. He immediately wanted to do something to help the young, uniquely talented musician, he just didn't know what that something was. Leaning against the wall he closed his eyes and listened, allowing himself to get lost in the mellifluous music, and when Harry finished Liam was sorry it was over.

  "Harry, I'm impressed," he said as he entered the room and approached the piano. "That was exactly what you described. Quite honestly I've never heard anything like it. Sort of, Chopin meets Coldplay."

  "Really? You really liked it?"

  "I did and I'd like to talk to you more about it later."

  "Cool. Thanks, Liam. Wow."

  The guests were starting to leave, and after Liam had said his farewells, Harry rose from his seat at the piano and joined Keith and Janet to escort them to the front door. Sitting down Liam tinkled on the keys, then idly looking through the music on top of the piano he spotted a familiar title. A One-Way Street. It was the song Harry had mentioned, but as he looked at it more closely he saw something that made him catch his breath.

  Underneath the title, in parenthesis, were the words, A Song For Liam.

  What did that mean? A song she'd written for him to hear? Or a song about him?

  He started to read the lyrics, but hearing Janet, Keith and Harry about to return he quickly dropped the sheet of paper and walked away from the piano.

  "I was thinkin'," Keith said approaching him, "would you like to take a drive to check on your house? The snowplows should've gotten to that road by now."

  "That'd be much appreciated," Liam said gratefully. "I'm anxious to see it."

  "Can I come?" Harry asked hopefully.

  "I'd rather you stay and help your mother clear up, and I wanna talk to Liam about some things. Let me see if I can find a jacket for you, Liam."

  As Keith marched from the room Liam started to follow him, but pausing he turned back to Harry.

  "I'm gonna be in Nashville until after New Year's and I've asked Summer to supervise gettin' my home back in order. Maybe you can help her out."

  "Sure. Yeah. I'd be happy to," Harry said eagerly, the disappointment giving way to excited enthusiasm.

  "Great. I'd better catch up to your dad. I'll see you later."

  But as Liam hurried away it wasn't his house that was in the forefront of his mind, it was what he'd just seen; A Song For Liam. His instinct told him it had been the original title. What was it about, and did he want to know? A part of him did, absolutely, but another part of him wasn't sure. There was that old adage about sleeping dogs…

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Harry and Keith had shoveled the driveway just before the guests had arrived, and as Keith drove down the street Liam could see how the blizzard had left its mark; the snowplows had done their job and heavy snow was piled everywhere.

  "I just wanted to tell you," Keith began as they turned on to Main Street, "I'm real pleased that you and Summer are gettin' along like you are. It's good to see her so happy."

  "Thanks, Keith. She's a terrific girl."

  "I sure think so, but that comes with the job," he grinned. "You might be wonderin' why she's still livin' at home."

  "To be honest I haven't given it much thought."

  "It's about Janet. With Harry off at school and me away Summer wanted to stay with her mother. Now I'm gonna be home for good she can finally spread her wings."

  Liam smiled. Keith wanted him to know the timing was right.

  "Keith, can I talk to you about Harry for a minute?"

  "Sure. He's a talented kid. I'm real proud of him."

  "He's more than talented," Liam remarked, "he's got somethin' unique. What he plays isn't really my niche so I'm not sure what to do with him, but if he stays with it he'll go places. His music will go places."

  "Really? Damn. I wasn't expectin' that"

  "Harry's music has the X factor, as Simon Cowell would say. It sticks in your brain. What I heard is still rattlin' around in my head. If it's all right with you I'd like to put him in touch with one of my producers. There'd be no strings, and I think this guy will get what Harry does and he might be able to help him."

  "That'd be great. It sure would make Harry feel good. Everyone raves about Summer's voice and her songs and he's been in her shadow a bit. He adores her, but I think that's been hard on him. Here we are," Keith announced, turning on to the road that would take them up to Liam's house.

  "I'm suddenly worried," Liam remarked, staring at the high piles of snow on either side of them. "From the looks of this I'll be lucky to see my chimneys."

  "Don't go gettin' ahead of yourself."

  Driving carefully forward Keith wound up the hill, and when they reached the corner where Summer's car had slid off the road and into the ditch there was no sign of it. The vehicle was completely buried.

  "I can't say I'm surprised," Liam muttered. "It's under there someplace. Man that's scary."

  "I am just so damn grateful you found her. Gives me the chills just lookin' at it, and not because it's cold out there."

  "Me too. I swear, findin' her was meant to be."

  "I reckon it was," Keith said gravely. "Anyway, your house is around this next bend if I remember rightly."

  "It is," Liam replied, feeling his heart start to pump. "Do I even want to—I don't believe it! How is that even possible?"

  "Now that is a sight. You got your phone? Take a picture, take a bunch."

  "I'm already pullin' it out."

  It appeared that Liam's property caught the edge of the avalanche leaving bizarrely-shaped, haphazardly-placed huge chunks of snow in its wake and half of the roof resembling a ski-lift.

  "Look over there," Keith said urgently, pointing to his left where the cascading snow looked like a glacier. "Does anyone live in that area?"

  "Not as far as I know, but damn that's horrifyin'. Why didn't the avalanche fall straight down the mountain on to me? I saw it when it started and it was right above my house."

  "Maybe what hit you was minor slip and what we're lookin' at over there is another one. You could always call in the experts. They know how to judge a mountain. Shoot, now that I'm thinkin' about it they may show up when word gets out. This doesn't happen here every day."

  "Summer said there have been a couple in the past."

  "The two she's talkin' about were on that peak. The next one over. I reckon this was just a freak thing."

  "If you're right then maybe there's a way to mitigate any further threat. I'm gonna have Summer track down the folks who know about this stuff. I wonder if it's safe to go inside my house."

  "I'll call Cain and ask for some help. The county boys will be comin' out anyway, but Cain will get them here quicker."

  "Thanks, Keith. I gotta say I'm relieved. It's bad, but not as bad as I thought it'd be. I'm sure glad my studio is in the basement, but on the other side," he said gravely, "it looks like the roof might've caved. That's where my bedroom is, or rather was."

  "You saved her from her car, then she saved you from the avalanche, then you saved her again, gettin' her out. That's quite a story for your first Christmas together."

  Keith's words sent a strange feeling through Liam's heart.

  Our first Christmas together. He already sees us as a couple. Are we are a couple? One day together and I'm part of a couple? I guess I am. It sure feels like it.

  "Have you seen enough? Got all the pictures you want?"

  "Yeah, sure," Liam replied, but his head was still swimming.

  But it's been more than a day. We've been gettin' to know each other for weeks. Still, it's a bit quick—isn't it? But I don't wanna leave her tomorrow. I really don't wanna leave her.

  "Have you sorted out your flight?"

  "I didn't wanna interrupt Frank's Christmas so I've been waitin' to call. I'll do it now."

  "I heard you have your own plane. I've done some flyin' myself. Can I ask what it is?"


  "A Gulfstream G550."

  "Nice. I'm surprised our little airfield can handle that."

  "I was too, but apparently some of the farmers around here extended the runway a couple of years back."

  "Damn. You're right. Slipped my mind. I've been away too much."

  "I couldn't have bought property here without an airfield able to handle my plane," Liam said, touching Frank's name on his phone. "I've got so much goin' on I need—sorry, excuse me. Hey, Frank. Merry Christmas. I hope I'm not interruptin'. Just wondered if we could take off tomorrow, say around noonish?"

  As Keith wound his way down the hill and listened to Liam talk to his pilot he smiled contentedly. Things for his family were finally falling into place, and in a big way. He was home with the love of his life, and thanks to Liam Taylor, a door was opening for Harry, and Summer had never been happier.

  "When do you think the county would be out?" Liam asked as he ended his call.

  "Probably day after tomorrow. Knowing them they'll need twenty-four hours to recover from the holiday."

  "Dammit, I should be here."

  "You really have to go?"

  "Yeah, I really do, but I'm used to this. I've learned to accept there's only one of me and I can't be everywhere. I'll leave my keys with Summer. She knows where everything is."

  "If you'd like I can meet them for you. Summer will be great at organizin' things once we know what's what, but I'm not sure she's up to dealin' with the boys from the county, and the city will come out for sure."

  "Keith, that's very generous of you, but don't you have your own obligations? You've been gone for months."

  "Liam, you pulled my daughter from a car in a blizzard, and you've given my son an important helpin' hand. It's the least I can do, besides, I'll probably know the guys who'll show up. I might be able to cut through some red tape for you."

  "That would be great, Keith, thank you. That's a load off my mind. I appreciate it very much."

  "When do you think you'll be back?"

  "Hard to say, but I'll try to be here shortly after the New Year."

  "New Year's Eve," Keith muttered. "Still not sure what I'm gonna do about that."

  "From what I remember there's usually a fireworks display in the city park."

  "That's not what I'm talkin' about. I've been tryin' to figure out where to send Harry and Summer."

  "You need to send them somewhere?"

  "I don't need to, it's just…well…the thing is, in February Janet and I will celebrate our twenty-fifth weddin' anniversary and I haven't had her to myself on New Year's Eve since Summer was born. That's twenty-two years. I'm hopin' to make that happen."

  "Why don't you go out of town? Wouldn't that work?"

  "I thought about that, but I'd rather take her to a nice meal somewhere then come on home. We don't have a bunch of choices here, but Lawnsdale isn't too far, and they've got some new restaurants, some of them pretty good I hear."

  "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You seem like a resourceful man."

  "Yeah, that's me. Mr. Resourceful."

  Twenty-five years. Liam couldn't imagine doing anything for twenty-five years, and Keith and Janet were so happy together. How had they managed it?

  "What's your secret?" Liam asked as Keith pulled into his driveway.

  "My secret?"

  "Still so happy after such a long time."

  "Ha, that's easy. I always make sure Janet knows I love her to bits, and she's the only woman I ever wanted. She does the same for me, and we learned how to forgive and forget. The forgettin' part, that's the key."

  "You're an inspiration," Liam said softly. "There's a song in there somewhere. I'm gonna give those lines to one of my writers. If anything comes of it you'll be gettin' a royalty."

  "Hey, sounds good to me. Maybe I'll have my fifteen minutes of fame along with my kids. I wouldn't say no to that."

  Climbing from the car they walked into the kitchen, and as Janet started some fresh coffee, Keith and Liam pulled off their coats while Harry peppered them with questions.

  "How was it? Is your house okay? Was it crazy?"

  "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, the damage to my house I mean, but it's a bizarre scene," Liam replied. "I'll show you the pictures. Man, I'm suddenly beat."

  "I'm not surprised, all you've been through the last twenty-four hours," Janet remarked.

  "Yeah. I guess you're right about that. I think I'll go upstairs and take a load off, but first I'd like a quick chat with you Harry, if you have a minute."

  "Sure."

  "Let's sit here so your mom and dad can listen," Liam suggested, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table.

  "I think I'll sit down as well," Janet said, wiping her hands on a towel and walking over to join them.

  "This might sound strange," Liam began, "but when I hear somethin', it's like lookin' at a paintin'. It talks to me or it doesn't, and I know right away."

  "That's true," Keith murmured. "It's like that for me as well."

  "Harry, your music didn't talk to me," Liam continued, "it shouted."

  "Really?"

  "Really. You've got somethin'. I'd like to put you in touch with a producer I work with. This isn't a contract, it's a connection. I think he'll know what to do with you, how to channel what you have into something commercial, if you're interested."

  "Yeah, of course I'm interested. Thanks so much."

  "His name is Scott Bridges. Email me at LT1@LTProductions.com and I'll put you in touch with each other. Do you know how to load up an audio sample?"

  "Sure, I do it all the time, and I've got stuff on YouTube as well."

  "Great. Send him four pieces, and make them different. Show him a range."

  "Oh, man, this is, wow, this is fantastic. I don't know what to say. Thank you, thank you so much."

  "Hey, you're welcome. I'll be followin' what you guys do very closely. I honestly think somethin' can happen for you. It's just a bit outta my ballpark, but Scott will know what to do with it. Now if you'll excuse me I am seriously wiped out."

  "Liam, how can we ever thank you?" Janet asked earnestly. "This is so unexpected, and, well, my goodness. I don't know what else to say."

  "It's what I do," Liam smiled as he rose to his feet. "Findin' talent is a rush. I love it."

  "We're mighty grateful," Keith added, "and you do look kinda beat. Go get some rest."

  "Yep, I'm gonna do that."

  Ambling through the hall and up the stairs he felt as if he'd been hit by a truck, but on his way to the guest room he stopped at Summer's door and slowly cracked it open. She was under the covers and sound asleep, her blond hair splayed around her. A soft smile curled the edges of his lips. She looked like an angel, and wishing he could crawl between the sheets and snuggle next to her, he let out a sigh and moved on to his room.

  He'd slipped his Macbook Air into his knapsack, and kicking off his shoes he pulled it out and laid on the bed. Sinking into the comfortable mattress he closed his eyes and let himself relax. It was a slice of heaven. He wanted to drift away, but even though it was the holiday he had no doubt there'd be a ton of emails waiting for him. Opening the laptop he checked the mailbox he kept exclusively for family and friends.

  After skimming through them all he decided to send out a group response. In it he wished them a very Merry Christmas, apologized for taking so long to get back to them, and described the avalanche, then dropping a separate note to his sister, he told her he'd be arriving late afternoon the following day.

  He had two additional email accounts; one for his artists, the other for his lawyers, accountants and other business associates, and his artists needed more from him. There wasn't much from his business contacts, but by the time he'd finished he was drained. Closing the computer he placed it on the bedside table, and letting out a long breath he settled in for his nap. At some point he felt a chill and slipped under the covers, vaguely thinking he should probably go back downstairs. That didn't happen.r />
  When he finally woke up it was morning. He'd slept for over fifteen hours.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Liam stared at his wrist. His watch. Where was it? Rolling over he saw it sitting on his laptop. He had no memory of taking it off, then he realized he'd slept in his clothes. His phone? Had he put it someplace? No. He could feel it in his pocket.

  "Damn, I must've been totally out of it," he muttered pulling it out.

  It was 10:02 a.m. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept past 7:00 a.m. Sitting up he checked his messages. He had three texts from Frank.

  Wheels up noon. Please confirm.

  Liam? We're set. Is that good?

  Okay, now I'm starting to worry. Get back to me.

  They'd been sent about thirty minutes apart. He immediately tapped his response.

  Overslept. See you at 11:30.

  Sitting up he quickly scanned his emails. Nothing urgent. Leaving the phone next to his watch he rose from the bed, and still in disbelief that he'd slept so deeply for so long he headed into the bathroom.

  Summer too, had been in a coma-like sleep since she'd crawled into bed after the Christmas dinner, and as she slowly came back to life she groggily reached for her wonderful Liam. There was no Liam. She was in her own bed, and a second later she remembered he'd be leaving.

  "No," she whispered. "I don't want you to. I wish you could stay."

  Letting out a long heavy yawn, she sat up, rubbed her face, and looked at her bedside clock. 10:22 a.m. Had she really slept for so long? The doctors had told her she was exhausted. No kidding! Slipping from the bed she headed into the bathroom. She was dying to see Liam.

  A short time later, as she moved down the stairs, she could hear his voice coming from the kitchen. The smell of bacon was wafting through the air. She quickened her pace. and as she walked in she found her father and brother sitting at the kitchen table with Liam, and her mother standing at the stove.