The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (106 page)

  
Roy
nodded, taking her hand. ‘Everything’s just
fine, Sam. Better than it’s been for a long, long time,’ he replied as Jess
moved into Jon’s outstretched arms.

  
‘Good,’ Sammy said, smiling at
him. ‘That’s just what I need to hear.’

TO
BE CONTINUED

ALWAYS ON MY

MIND

by

PAM HOWES

PUBLISHED BY

RAIDER PUBLISHING

Copyright © 2012 by Pam Howes

Second Edition

First published in
Great Britain
as a paperback in 2011 by FeedARead

ISBN 978-1-908603-16-6

All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form without the prior written permission of the author, nor be circulated
in any other binding or cover than that in which it is published.

This is a work of fiction.

***

FOR MY MAN, DAUGHTERS

AND GRANDCHILDREN

A BIG THANKS TO MEMBERS OF YOU WRITE ON.COM
FOR CONSTRUCTIVE REVIEWS AND SUPPORT

AND HELPING THIS NOVEL INTO THE YWO BEST
SELLERS

WITH EXTRA THANKS TO LISA BUIST

FOR READING THE WHOLE MS

CHAPTER
ONE

SAN FRANCISCO
- FEBRUARY 2001

Livvy closed the birthday card and
traced her finger around the cute bear on the front. He carried a pink balloon
and wore a matching ribbon sash across his shoulder inscribed -
To a Special Daughter.

  
She jumped as a sharp rap at the door preceded a deep masculine voice,
‘Ten minutes, Miss Grant!’

  
‘Be out soon.’ She put the card in a pink envelope and picked up a
dog-eared photograph of a dark-haired, brown-eyed baby girl. ‘You’re the image
of your daddy, Harley. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you.’ She
blinked rapidly. No tears tonight. The makeup girl had spent ages on her face.
Mustn’t spoil it.
     

  
Tears were never far away, especially at this time of year. In two weeks
her first-born would be sixteen and she wouldn’t be with her to celebrate.
She’d never wished her girl a happy birthday. Never helped her choose a new
outfit, or welcomed her friends into their home. Those privileges belonged to
Harley’s father, rock musician Roy Cantello, and his all-forgiving wife
Sammy.
                                                                                   

  
It had seemed the right thing to do at the time, sign Harley over to her
father and get on with her life. The Cantellos were fabulously wealthy and
would give her daughter everything that she
couldn’t - well - certainly
nothing quite as grand as she could offer today. But as far as she knew, Harley
had no knowledge of her existence. In spite of the Christmas and birthday cards
she sent, there’d been no contact from the family after the first year. Maybe
it was better this way, although Roy
had
promised he’d tell Harley the
truth when she reached ten.

  
Livvy kissed the photograph, slid it into her handbag and checked her
appearance in the full length mirror. She fluffed out her blonde curls,
smoothed down the full skirt of her dress and hurried back-stage in time to
hear her band
Juice
playing the opening bars of their latest hit. A
deep breath, a smile fixed in place,
she
walked on stage to tumultuous applause for the last show of their West-Coast
tour.

***

Daniel McVey was deep in thought
as he drove down the dusty lane on the last few miles of his journey home.
Livvy would be flying in tomorrow and no doubt the quarrels and conflict would
start all over again. Daniel was growing tired of his wife’s mood swings and he
dreaded the next few weeks.
   

 
 
They’d reacquainted in their
native Glasgow almost sixteen years
ago when Livvy was recovering from a broken heart. Good friends at school,
they’d dated off then went their separate ways. He to London
to pursue a career in property and she to Manchester
to escape the clutches of a controlling adoptive father, who’d left her with a
lasting fear and little trust in men.

  
Someone though managed to break down those barriers. She’d fallen in
love and given birth to a daughter. All she’d divulge was that the child had
been adopted by a wealthy couple and she had no further contact with the baby’s
father.

  
Daniel had wanted nothing more than to love and protect the petite,
blue-eyed blonde who’d walked back into his life. He suggested he sell his
business and they move to the States on the condition she married him.

  
Within the year they not only moved to Los-Angeles, but also became the
proud parents of Courtney. Livvy became depressed following the birth, which
put a strain on their relationship. The more he tried to understand, the
further away she withdrew. She didn’t want more children, she said, and avoided
intimate contact as often as she could. Daniel was desperate for a son and
heir, but those dreams had faded as time moved on.

  
Livvy joined the country rock band
Juice
and was now a successful recording star. Daniel started a property
development company and, as the money rolled in they’d made their home in
wealthy Orange County.
 
 

  
He spotted Courtney sitting on the front porch steps of the sprawling
ranch, twiddling her curls around her fingers. He waved and caught his breath
as she jumped up to greet him. She was so pretty, so like Livvy with her blonde
hair, blue eyes and petite stature. But Courtney was desperately lonely. Her
close friends from school lived too far away to drop in. She needed
companionship, a sister to gossip with and share her secrets. No chance of
that, he thought as she flung her arms around him.
  

  
‘Hi, sweetie.’
    

  
‘Hi, Dad.’ Courtney sighed into his linen jacket. ‘I’m so glad you
managed an earlier flight. I missed you.’

  
‘Missed you, too. Mom’s home tomorrow, so we’ll spend some time together
over the next few days.’

  
‘Good! The housekeeper’s okay, but not as much fun as you.’
   

  
‘Is that right, Goldilocks?’ He ruffled her curls. ‘I’ll take a shower
and then we’ll eat supper and watch an episode of
Friends
.’

  
‘Can we watch the one where Phoebe has her triplets?’

  
‘If you like,’ he said, thinking, thank God Livvy’s not home. The
Friends’
character was a surrogate mother and he didn’t want Livvy reminded of giving
her baby away. Things were strained enough as the time of her lost daughter’s
birthday drew nearer.

***

Livvy lay on the huge bed in her
plush fifth floor suite, staring at the ceiling. The final show had been a
success and the end of tour party, as always, drunken and rowdy. She’d made an
excuse to leave after the first hour, claiming a headache. A limo had brought
her back to the hotel. She’d showered, ordered a tray of tea and toast and her
thoughts turned once more to Harley and Roy.

  
Since handing their daughter to him, she’d closely followed Roy’s
band through MTV, and chat shows, where he and his drummer and song-writing
partner, Eddie Mellor were often guests. Her heart still leapt at the sight of Roy,
rocking on stage with
The Raiders
.
She shivered, remembering back to that long ago afternoon when he’d stolen her
virginity, and the passionate affair that ensued. She could almost taste his
kisses; feel his hands on her body. She moaned softly, turned on her side and
curled into a tight ball. Daniel had never been able to excite her like Roy
had done.

  
She lay awake for most of the night and climbed out of bed at seven,
head thumping. The flight home wasn’t until two-thirty. She pulled on faded
denims, a loose cotton shirt and slipped her feet into trainers. A jog in the
hotel’s landscaped grounds would help her feel better. She scraped her hair
into a ponytail, popped on her shades and set off down the long carpeted
corridor.

 
 
Outside, Livvy took a deep breath
of the cool early morning air. The already bright blue sky was peppered with
fluffy white clouds. Another hot day looked certain. Back in Glasgow
it would be cold and wet, maybe even snowing. She jogged along the path at the
back of the hotel and towards a man-made lake where a flock of geese were
squabbling. She smiled. Probably males fighting over a female. It wouldn’t
surprise her if even geese were prone to affairs of the heart. She stopped
beside a white painted bench by the lake and sat down. An overwhelming feeling
of loneliness crept over her and tears ran unchecked down her cheeks.

  
Unbeknown to Daniel, she’d recently made steps to try and trace her own
natural parents. Until she could find her roots, Livvy was certain she’d never
find true contentment with Daniel and Courtney. She wished she was closer to
her youngest daughter, but found it hard to show her how much she loved her.
She wiped her tears on her shirt sleeve and strolled back to the hotel.

  
‘Message for you, Miss Grant,’ the receptionist greeted her. ‘Will you
call home?’

  
‘Sure.’ Livvy headed for the elevator. What was so important that it
couldn’t wait until she got back?

  
She threw herself onto the bed and dialled her home number. ‘Danny, what’s
wrong? Is it Courtney?’

  
‘
Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart.
There’s an urgent e-mail for you.’

  
‘Who’s it from?’

  
‘Sheena.
 
She wants you to call her as soon as
possible.’
 

  
‘I’ll try her now. Thanks, Danny, see you later.’

  
‘Okay, honey. I love you.’

  
‘Yeah, me too.’ Livvy hung up with a rush of both excitement and
apprehension. Sheena had e-mailed. That could only mean one thing; news of her
birth parents.

  
Her hand shaking she dialled her old school-friend’s Glasgow
number and lay back on the pillows.’

  
Sheena answered almost immediately.
‘Livvy?
’

  
‘How on earth did you know it was me?’

  
'
Because
the caller display flashed up International. I don’t know anyone else
who lives abroad
.’

  
‘I see. Well it’s almost eight-fifteen in the morning here. Danny just
called me with your message.’

  
‘
You’re not home then?’

  
‘Still in San Francisco.
We’ve just finished the West Coast tour. I’m flying home later. We’re taking a
six-month break now. So, have you got some news for me?’

  
‘
Yes, are you ready for this? I’ve
found your father.’
 

  
‘Oh my God!’ Livvy shot upright and could hear her heart hammering in
her ears. ‘Are you sure it’s really him?’

  
‘
Dead sure, Liv! I wouldn’t have mailed
you otherwise. I placed the ads in the local paper last week like we agreed. Yesterday
I had a call from a woman claiming to be his daughter. She questioned me a
little. I think she thought I was you, but pretending not to be, if you know
what I mean. I explained that I was trying to trace family for my friend in the
States.’

  
‘Oh, Sheena, did you tell her who I am?’ Livvy held her breath. If this
man was indeed her father, she’d prefer them to meet first without him or his
family realising she was famous.

  
‘C
ourse not. I told her that my
friend, who was adopted as a wee baby, was looking for her natural parents.’

  
‘What did she say?’

  
‘
Well, like I said, at first she
thought I was you.’

  
‘And then?’

  
‘
Turns out she knows all about
you. Your father told her and her brother that his first girlfriend had given
birth to a baby girl who’d been adopted. Afterwards, your mother and her family
moved to
Canada
.’
  
 

  
Livvy wiped her tears with her hand. ‘So I’ve got a dad and a
half-sister and brother?’

  
‘Yes. And you’ve got
cousins, aunts, uncles, a nephew, nieces, and
a granny to boot! What do you think of that?’

  
‘I can’t believe it. Is there any news of my mother?’
   

  
‘
Sort of. Your father knows the
whereabouts of her sister who’s back in
Glasgow
. So we can get in touch and see how the
land lies. We have to tread carefully though. Your mother may be married and
her hubby might not know anything about you.’

  
‘I understand. So, what should I do now?’

  
Sheena was quiet for a moment.
‘I’ll
ring the family and let them know I’ve spoken to you. Why don’t you come home
for a couple of months? Then you can contact them yourself.’
 

  
‘I’ll have to tell Danny about this first, but yes, I see no reason why
not. I can take Courtney out of school. I need to spend some time with her. I
hardly ever see the poor kid from one week to the next.’ Livvy took a deep
breath and continued. ‘There’s someone else I'd like to see when I come to Britain,
but I’ll explain when we’re face to face. It’s too risky to tell you over the
phone in case there’s a crossed line.’

  
‘
Sounds intriguing! Will Danny be
coming with you?’

  
‘I’d rather he didn’t. And the risky thing I mentioned is definitely
taboo in front of him.’

  
‘
Have you got yourself involved
with another man, Liv?
’

  
‘You could say that, but it was a long time ago.’

  
‘
Who was it? Someone famous? Mick
Jagger, Rod Stewart? Oh come on, tell me, please.’

  
‘Can’t tell you now, but I will when I see you. I need to talk about it.
I’ve bottled it up for far too long and it’s eating away at me. I’ll call you
tomorrow from home and let you know what I’ve decided to do. Can we stay with
you? I can keep the visit really low key then, for everyone’s sake.’

  
‘Of course you can.’
 

  
‘Thanks a million, Sheena. Can’t wait to see you again. I’ll talk to you
tomorrow, goodbye.’ Livvy hung up, smiling. The whole thing was amazing and it
had been so easy. Why hadn’t she done this years before? Fear of rejection,
probably. She imagined the look on her daughter’s face when she explained to
her that she had a grandpa
and
cousins.