“This Town,” Clare Bowen and Charles Esten

“Even if It Breaks Your Heart,” Eli Young Band

“I See You,” Luke Bryan

“Texas Was You,” Jason Aldean

“Springsteen,” Eric Church

“Distance,” Christina Perri featuring Jason Mraz

“Dancing Away with My Heart,” Lady Antebellum

“Hope You Get Lonely,” Cole Swindell

“Wheels Rollin’,” Jason Aldean

“Easy,” Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield

“Make You Miss Me,” Sam Hunt

“Come Over,” Kenny Chesney

“Love You Like That” Canaan Smith

“It Goes Like This,” Thomas Rhett

“I Walk the Line,” Johnny Cash

“Save Your Breath” Josh Dorr

“Let Her Go,” Passenger

“Mine Would Be You,” Blake Shelton

“More than Miles,” Brantley Gilbert

“Run Away with You,” Michael Ray

“Crash My Party,” Luke Bryan

“I Won’t Give Up,” Jana Kramer

“Simple Man,” Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Say You Do” Dierks Bentley

“Play It Again,” Luke Bryan

Acknowledgments

FIRST OF ALL, I OWE A HUGE THANK-YOU TO ANYONE WHO READS this book. Readers make my world go ’round and have given me the amazing gift of allowing me to live my dream. There literally are not words in existence to fully express my gratitude. Thank you for investing in the Neon Dreams series and for continuing on the band’s journey with me! Thank you for putting your faith, trust, and hard earned dollars into this series. I pray I don’t let you down. Thank you for taking a chance on me and my books! I know many of you are planning to throw your books and e-readers at me because you are ready for Gavin’s story. It’s coming, I promise!

To my friends and family, I am so thankful for each and every one of you. I am eternally grateful and indebted to you for the love, support, guidance, and listening ears you have been. Thank you for tolerating and embracing my brand of crazy. I am so grateful for each one of you. It means the world to me to have such amazing people in my corner.

Speaking of my corner, I have so much gratitude and appreciation for my editor, Amanda Bergeron, who is so very patient and understanding. She pushes me to be a better writer and she makes my characters better versions of themselves. Without my awesome agent, Kevan Lyon, this book wouldn’t be in your hands, so big hugs of love and thanks to her as well! Thank you, Dianna Garcia and Onalee Smith at HarperCollins for all that you do. Patricia Nelson and Gabrielle Keck, you both do fantastic jobs at keeping the ships running smoothly and your e-mails make me smile. To the cover design team that works on this series, thank you for being so patient with me and for all of your hard work making these books so pretty.

The ladies on my social media support team, CQ’s Road Crew, have been instrumental not only in helping to spread the word about this series but in making it better by giving me their honest feedback along the way. Thank you so much, ladies! The Backwoods Belles are also a fantastic group that works hard to share the book love and I am eternally grateful for everything that they do!

Thank you to those of you who buy books, leave reviews, love on authors, and make recommendations to your friends. I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate your love and support. You make my dreams come true—literally! Big tackle hugs of love to everyone who came out to Austin Book Fest and helped make Leaving Amarillo such a hit!

To anyone with a dream, keeping chasing it. If you catch it, chase another. And another. Unlike most things, dreams are free and unlimited. I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to my fellow authors and colleagues who take time out of their own busy careers to read, critique, blurb, and promote each other’s work. I am so fortunate to have found such a great group of ladies to hold my hand along the way. If this writing thing doesn’t work out, maybe we can start a band.

MISSING DIXIE COMING OCTOBER 2015

Fighting for redemption . . .

I’ve lived most of my life in darkness, beneath the shadows of secrets and addictions. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt the only girl I’d ever loved—the one who brought me into the light. In my entire life I’d made one promise—a promise I’d intended to keep. I’ve broken that promise and now I have to live with the fallout. Dixie Lark hates me, and I have to tell her that I love her. I also have to tell her a truth that might destroy us forever.

Can she love me even if she can’t forgive me?

Learning to move on . . .

Gavin Garrison broke his promise to my brother and he broke my heart in the process. I may never love anyone the way I’ve loved him, but at least I won’t spend my life wondering what if. We had our one night and he walked away. I’m finally beginning to move on when my brother’s wedding and a battle of the bands brings us back together.

Our band is getting a second chance, but I don’t know if I can give him one. How do you hand your heart back to the person who set it on fire once already?

“You know you really love someone when you can’t even hate them for breaking your heart.”

—Unknown

Prologue | Gavin

“I NEED A MICHELOB LIGHT, TWO JACK AND COKES, A BOURBON on the rocks, and a Sex on the Beach,” a waitress named Kimberly calls to me over the crowded bar.

“Yes, ma’am,” I shout over the din while filling the order quickly, tossing an umbrella into the fruity drink and briefly wondering what the hell kind of group orders such random drinks. It’s an odd number, so probably not a double date.

Once Kim’s tray is full, she takes off into the crowd and I take a few more orders from patrons sitting at the bar. The house band announces that they’re taking a break and I’m grateful that the bar is full enough to keep it from being quiet.

Silence has always been my enemy. Hence why I play the drums, the loudest most deafening musical instrument in existence. They’re the only thing that drown out the sounds in my head. Once my customers and waitresses have been taken care of, I do a quick wipe down of the bar and restock the highball glasses.

It’s in the brief moment when the pool balls knocking together and the raucous chatter dies down that I hear it.

Someone is playing the piano, the old Wurlitzer that sits abandoned in the back corner of the Tavern. It’s not the music itself that stops me where I stand. It’s the way it’s being played. A combination of effortless and meticulous that I’ve only known one musician in my entire life to be capable of.

Glancing in the direction where the melody is drifting from I notice I’m not the only one mesmerized by the sound. Half the bar has made their way to the back corner to get a closer listen. My boss, a perpetually red-faced man named Cal, is going to kill me, but I have to see. I have to know if it’s her. My body propels itself around the bar just as a voice from my right calls my name, startling me out of my trance.

Turning, I look directly into a pair of gleaming green eyes beneath a perfectly even bob of blond hair.

Ashley Weisman stands across from me in her pencil skirt and oxford dress shirt with two too-many buttons undone to be here for professional reasons.

“You’ve been avoiding my phone calls,” she says evenly.

“Been busy.” Huffing out a breath, I place my hand gently on her elbow and attempt to steer her toward the exit.

Stilettos planted firmly on the liquor-sticky floor, she purses her full mouth at me and glares into my eyes. “You can’t ignore me forever. I’m your attorney. Besides, what’s the rush, Gavin? Not even going to offer me a drink? What kind of bartender are you?”