Page 40 of Hero on the Road
And that morning, Olivia and Connor got in their van without telling me where they were going and flat out disappeared.
I felt deserted. I felt betrayed. And I was, I have to admit, worried. They’re two city slickers from Nashville in the wilds of Montana and though our state is beautiful, I don’t think any of us would say it’s kind to people who get lost in the wilderness. Those people don’t know our state. They don’t know our people. We may have welcomed them into our hearts but that wasn’t going to save them if they’d driven into the forest and been attacked by a bear.
Which, it turns out, is exactly what happened.
I caught up with them again in that famous mining town of Butte and after at least five minutes of lecturing them about disappearing on me like that, I finally asked them where they’d been.
And yeah, I can hear you guessing already. They ran off together to get married. They were tired of the spotlight and needed a moment alone. Their label, who famously threw them into the wilderness on their own, set the whole thing up as a mystery, for the press.
But it was none of those things.
They weren’t tired of us and they weren’t set up by their label. They were on their way to the next show in Butte and got lost.And while they were lost, they were, in fact, attacked by a bear at a campsite where they’d pulled over to try to regroup.
They survived, in case you were wondering, and I had the privilege of getting to see the show they put on for Music on Main. There was a great turnout and lots of speakers—a new sound for them—and everyone had a great time. Olivia and Connor were terrific, of course.
But I couldn’t help but think they were better when I saw them on a stage in a bar. Without the amps and speakers. Without the big crowds.
Could it be, dear readers, that our very own Olivia and Connor are better with small, intimate crowds and purely acoustic appearances? Could it be that those two crazy kids, whose careers have been molded her in Montana, belong on a small Montana stage rather than in the stadiums, so we can see the way they laugh and joke with each other during their performances?
And if that’s true, what are the chances that we can get them back here for another tour next year?
I’m off to bed and to sleep in tomorrow, as I’ve heard we’re staying here for a couple days. But I’ll be back soon with another update. Until then, I’ll see you on the road!
-C
CHAPTER24
Olivia
When I woke up, I had only one thought on my mind.
We had a day off. An actual, honest-to-God day off. We’d played the Atomic appearance yesterday at a street fair in Butte, and though we were still in Butte, we were free for the day. We had money left over from the deposit Danny put in Connor’s account and were going to get breakfast today in a Real Live Restaurant, then hang out during the day at a church fair we’d heard about.
Just Connor and me in Butte, Montana, acting like normal people instead of the blue collar workers of the music industry, touring our butts off and trying to keep from starving to death.
It felt weird and wonderful and unexpected, and I grinned at the thought.
When I looked over, Connor was watching me and grinning back.
“What are you grinning at?” I asked. “And how long have you been watching me?”
“I’ve been watching you for long enough to see you going through the day in your head and realizing that you like it,” he said honestly. “And I’m grinning because you’re grinning. If that thought was good enough to make you smile like that, then I’m guessing I’ll like it, too.”
It should have made me mad that he’d been watching me. It definitely should have creeped me out. Instead, it made the butterflies in my stomach start flitting around and the smile on my face grow.
“Well, you caught me. I have indeed been thinking about the day. I can’t believe we have an entire day to do nothing but hang out. No driving, no performing, no press...”
“No Colin,” he agreed quickly. “I’m tired of watching him watch you.”
I made a face. “He’s just doing his job.”
Connor didn’t look amused. “If his job is to stalk you and constantly ask you if you need anything. Did you bring a valet along and force him to start a blog as his cover or something?”
I reached out and shoved him. “I’ve never met him in my life. And he’s not that bad. He’s just enthusiastic.”
“Enthusiastic about being in love with you,” Connor muttered, looking sour.
“What?” I asked, sure I’d heard him wrong.
