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  “He’s coming this way. Wonder what he wants,” Rayne whispered.

  “Mr. McKay, ladies.” Sam nodded as he stopped.

  “Mr. Sam,” a chorus answered.

  “I just wanted to thank y’all for all you did. Getting everything out in the open was my wake-up call. Made me realize I needed to let go of the past.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Those two are a good couple—they belong to each other. I’ve finally accepted that, and y’all helped me see that.”

  “I’m glad we could help, Mr. Sam.” Immy waved toward the spare area of the table. “Would you like to join us?”

  “No, ma’am. I just stopped by to wish Robert and Amber all the best. I’m on my way to the courthouse to see Eric.”

  Gabby nearly choked on her coffee. “You’re going to see Eric?”

  “Yes, ma’am. He’s my son. I want to get to know him.” His eyes misted over. “I didn’t get a chance to know him growing up. I aim to change that now.”

  “I think that’s wonderful, Mr. Sam,” Immy said.

  He nodded. “And Pastor Lum has agreed to give us some Christian counseling. He’ll go to whatever prison Eric gets assigned to, and I’ll go for all visitations.”

  “Oh, Mr. Sam, that’s a great idea,” Gabby said.

  “Well, I just wanted to thank y’all. I’m much obliged.” He gave another nod, then ambled out of the diner.

  “Great day in the morning, things are looking up around here.” Immy lifted her cup.

  Gabby squeezed Clark’s hand again. “Yes, they surely are.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” Rayne’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “What?” the other girls all asked in unison.

  “Guess who’s coming to the B and B next month.”

  “Somebody famous?” Tonna asked.

  Rayne nodded. “Beverly Bates.”

  “The actress?” Sheldon squawked.

  “The one and only.” Rayne rubbed her hands together. “I can’t believe it. She’s actually going to be here, in my B and B. I’m beyond excited.”

  “That’s awesome.” Gabby shook her head—it wasn’t every day Mystique got big-screen actresses coming to town.

  “Her agent called this morning.”

  “Great day in the morning, why is she coming to Mystique?”

  Rayne grinned. “Her agent said Ms. Bates was about to start work on her tell-all memoirs, and she’d hired someone in Mystique to do the ghostwriting.” She tapped her finger against her tooth. “But with her entire entourage coming with her, I’m booked solid for the next month. It’s great for business.”

  “Bet your dad is flipping out. Is he going to come to personally greet her?” Tonna asked.

  “I haven’t told him, and I don’t intend to.” Rayne’s perfectly arched brows knitted. “This is really my chance to prove I can handle the business without his interference.”

  Immy stood. “I need to be heading out soon.”

  “Why?” the other girls all asked.

  “I need to check on Mr. Tobias. He isn’t doing so well.”

  “His Alzheimer’s?” Tonna asked.

  “It’s not looking good for him.”

  Gabby shook her head and glanced at Sheldon. “So, have you talked to McGruder?”

  “I think not.” Sheldon stood and straightened. “I hate to be a party pooper, y’all, but I need to get home. I’m beat. I’ll see y’all at church in the morning.” She winked at Gabby. “And of course, I’ll be tuning in to your show tonight.”

  Gabby glanced at her watch. “Oh, man, I need to get outta here. David’ll wonder what happened to me.”

  Clark planted a kiss on her temple. “I’ll be tuning in to your show, too.”

  Her heart flipped, pushed over by the spike in her pulse.

  The final notes of the love song faded as Gabby queued up her microphone. “That was for Amber from Robert. Love well, you two. I’ll be right back after these messages from our sponsors.” She punched the button and leaned back in the chair as she nudged the headset down around her neck.

  She laid the groundwork to air live calls on the turntable for the next segment. This was her favorite part of the night, when people would call in and she’d air them live, letting them send out their love dedications in their own words and voices. Even more so tonight, when her heart brimmed with happiness. While a lot of that had to do with solving the murder, Robert and Amber’s reconciliation and Amber’s salvation, Gabby knew in the depths of her soul that the main reason was because she had let go of her past experiences with Blake and moved on to her future with Clark.

  The phone blinked. She waited until the commercials ended, welcomed her listeners back to the broadcast, then pressed the button to air the call. “KLUV dedications, you’re on the air.”

  “Um. Yeah. I’d like to dedicate a song to a special lady.” The man’s voice was ragged, but familiar.

  “Then you’ve dialed the right number. What song can I play for you?” Gabby spun her chair around. She’d have to work fast to grab the particular song and get it queued up before the caller finished his dedication.

  “It’s an older Elton John song.” Why did his words seem forced?

  “Great. I’m a huge Elton fan. What song?”

  “‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.’”

  She’d already moved to the Elton John section of her songs. Gabby pulled the request quickly. “An oldie, but a goodie. I’m assuming there’s an apology dedication coming?” She hurried to get the song ready.

  “Uh. Yeah.”

  “Want to tell me about it?”

  “I told a lovely lady that I’d call her after our date. I got busy with work and then I thought too many days had passed, so I was scared to call by then.”

  “I can understand that.” She had the song queued. “Go ahead and make your dedication directly to this lady.”

  “Okay. Um, Sheldon, I’m really sorry I didn’t call you. I had a great time on our dates, and I’d love to be able to call you again. Uh, that’s it.”

  Gabby sat in stunned silence for a moment, then jerked to attention. “And this is from?” As if she didn’t already know.

  “Harrison.”

  “This is for you, Sheldon, from Harrison.” Gabby flipped the song to play and disconnected the call. Gabby bit back a smile. The sheriff may be a little slow on the draw, but it was sweet he’d publicly apologized to Sheldon in such a way. She just couldn’t be sure about Sheldon’s reaction…the woman had a mind of her own.

  Her phone blinked again, even though the song wasn’t even halfway over. “KLUV dedications.”

  “Did you put him up to that?” Sheldon’s voice held no hint of teasing.

  “No, I promise. He called on his own. Until he mentioned your name, I didn’t even know it was him.”

  “Well, one of you girls had to put him up to it. He wouldn’t think to do it himself.”

  “Come on, Shel, the man’s smitten. It was a nice gesture.” The countdown clock clicked to sixty-two seconds.

  “No, I can’t accept that. It’s so unlike him. I’m calling Immy. If I find out she put him up to this…”

  Gabby’s other line blinked. “Just calm down, Shel. He did it himself and that took a lot of guts to make such a public apology.” Countdown marked twenty seconds flat. “I’ve got to go, Shel. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  “You bet we will.”

  She kept her eye on the countdown clock. When it reached eight seconds, Gabby reduced the volume on the last notes of the song and answered the new call. “KLUV dedications, you’re on the air.”

  “I have a very special dedication request tonight.” Clark’s smooth voice sent her heart thumping.

  “You do, sir?” Gabby couldn’t stop the smile from creeping into her voice. The man just made her giddy, plain and simple.

  “Oh, yes.” His laughter seeped into his words.

  “What song would you like to dedicate tonight?” She spun aro
und and poised her hand to pull the song.

  “Celine Dion’s ‘Because You Loved Me.’”

  Her heart twisted as she automatically reached for the song. “And your dedication?” Her voice hitched while she moved to queue up the song.

  “Oh, this goes out to you, Gabby Rogillio. Because the first time I laid eyes on you, the first time I knew for sure that beauty from the inside out existed, I knew I wanted to be a better man because of you. And I am. Because you love me.”

  She paused, no words slamming into her mind.

  “And because I just received word that your show is being syndicated.”

  Oh, now she really was speechless.

  “And then there’s this whole house thing.” His voice sounded huskier.

  “House thing?”

  “I have this beautiful house that’s entirely too big for a bachelor. I’m looking for someone to spend the rest of my life with. Someone who’ll be my special blessing from God.”

  Gabby couldn’t think straight. She queued up the song and clicked his call off the air. “Clark?”

  “Yes, darling?”

  She chuckled. “Uh, Yankee, that’s pronounced darlin’.”

  His laughter filled every available space in her heart. “Okay, yes, darlin’?”

  “Why don’t you come visit me? I have this overwhelming urge to give you a great big hug.”

  “Why don’t you look out the studio door, darlin’?”

  Gabby dropped the phone and rushed out of the studio. Clark held a bouquet of white Confederate roses in one hand, the other had a cell phone pressed to his ear.

  As she moved into his arms, her heart began to sing the sweetest of love ballads ever written.

  Dear Reader,

  My mother was born in Mississippi, so I had no choice but to set a book in the state. What a journey my research took me on. I hope you enjoyed visiting my fictional coastal town of Mystique as much as I did creating it.

  Gabby and Clark were such fun characters to write. The supporting cast of Gabby’s friends filled me with laughter at times, and brought me near to tears, as well. Through it all, I pray that the storyline touched you in some way, and left you feeling the hope and promise of the future.

  I love hearing from readers. Please visit me at: www.robincaroll.com and drop me a line, or write to me at: PO Box 242091, Little Rock, AR, 72223. Join my newsletter group…sign my guestbook. I look forward to hearing from you.

  Blessings,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Gabby’s past troubles with a relationship left her wary, which could have cost her Clark’s love. Have you ever had something from your past interfere with your current relationships? How did you handle it?

  Amber let a situation get out of hand because she was concerned, in part, about her reputation. Have you or someone you loved ever had to live down a reputation? How did you deal with the situation?

  Clark felt like an outsider in Mystique at first. Have you ever felt that way? How did you work through your feelings?

  Gabby jumped to conclusions a lot and was proved to be wrong. Have you ever done something similar? Explain.

  Clark purchased the house Gabby had her heart set on, and it disappointed her greatly. Have you ever felt that way? How did you reconcile your emotions?

  Martin Tankersly was a surly old man who made a lot of people’s lives miserable. Have you ever had to deal with someone close to you with those character traits? How did you handle the relationship?

  Clark felt that he was put into a no-win situation. Have you ever been in a similar situation? What did you do?

  Law enforcement doesn’t always get it right. Have you ever been convinced law enforcement was wrong in a particular situation? How did you handle that in a Christian manner?

  Robert was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Have you ever been falsely accused of something? What did you do?

  Gabby and Clark had to learn to trust each other in order to claim love. How important is trust to you in your personal relationships?

  Gabby went back and forth about Robert’s innocence. Have you ever argued with yourself about another person? What happened?

  Gabby’s friend, Tonna, is a gossip at heart. How have you dealt with gossips?

  Gabby leaned on her friends throughout the book. Do you have friends you can count on through any trial? Are you a friend like that to someone else?

  Eric acted out once he found out he was adopted. Do you know someone who’s adopted? How does his or her experience differ from Eric’s?

  In the end, Sam was able to forgive Amber and accept Eric. How do you handle forgiveness?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-5066-0

  DEAD AIR

  Copyright © 2010 by Robin Miller

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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