Luke passed out copies of the song to everyone and sat back down at his drums.
“I don’t really know the names for all the chords I use,” Addy admitted shyly.
“Self taught?” Matt asked.
She nodded and blushed.
“Nothin’ wrong with that,” Mark said with grin and a wink. “I’ll take a good ear over book learnin’ any day.”
“That’s for sure in this group,” Bart said from beyond the barrier. “Why don’t you just play your song and sing it as you think it ought to go, darlin’, and the boys’ll just join in as you go along. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Addy checked her tuning one last time, slipped her favorite thumb pick out of her front pocket, took a deep breath to calm herself, and started to play. She had called the song “Appalachian Home,” but it was about more than just a place. It was about belonging, being a part of the land, a family, of mattering to someone. She’d written it for Granny, but realized as the boys joined in, both instrumentally and vocally, that it was even more effective as a song of love between a man and a woman, something she had never even considered before.
Mark quickly picked up the rhythm on his bass fiddle, and Matt didn’t have any trouble following her fingers on guitar. Then Matt started to sing with her, and the harmony made her heart soar. Her own vocal range was a low alto, and Matt’s warm baritone set it off beautifully as they moved into the second verse. Mark added a second baritone to verse three, and then Luke jumped in with his bass on the final chorus, making the full sound shimmer. Luke had quickly switched to brushes on the drums, and John started to add touches of an improvised counter melody on mandolin. As the last chord faded, Addy knew she had finally heard “Appalachian Home” as it had been meant to be played.
“Well, I’d say that’s a keeper,” Bart said from the next room, his voice full of both approval and satisfaction.
Addy looked around and saw clearly that all of them felt the same way, if their grins were any indication.
Mel’s face was tear-streaked, though her smile was sunny bright.
“Please promise me, Addy, that even if you decide not to sign with Konstantine, you will sing that song at our wedding.”
Matt carefully set aside his guitar and crossed to pull Mel into his arms.
“So, what do you say, darlin’?” Mark asked softly from behind her. “Care to join us?”
Addy turned to look into his eyes, seeing in them an emotion as potent as the music they had just played together. Taking a very deep breath, she finally nodded.
“I’d like that.”
Mark grinned, and setting his bass aside, he came forward and took her into his arms.
You were right, Granny, Addy thought as he held her close, and she felt his lips brush the side of her face. You were so right.
17
They finished their final set to a rousing round of applause, and Mark thanked everyone, reminding them to drive home safely. Addy felt as though she was floating above the stage, as she gently set her guitar in its stand. Before stepping down, she scanned the still-crowded reception. Granny was sitting with Mark’s two grandmothers, chatting amiably as the elderly often did at the weddings of their grandchildren. Mel and Matt had invited Granny to their wedding, and their family home was close enough to Granny’s place, that it was no trouble for one of the many Saint cousins to pick her up and take her back home again. Addy wouldn’t be going home tonight, and she wasn’t entirely certain of what she felt about that.
“Buy you a drink, darlin’?” Mark asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
“Just something cold, thanks. I need to talk to Granny, though.”
Mark gave her a squeeze of understanding. “I’ll bring it to the grannies’ table, then.”
“Thanks, Mark.” She smiled up at him and blushed when he dropped a light kiss on her lips.
Winding her way across the crowded room, she was waylaid several times by people who had nothing but positive things to say about her performance with the Saint brothers. They had publicly débuted “Appalachian Home” during the actual wedding ceremony, and according to everyone who had spoken to her about it, there hadn’t been a dry eye left in the house. Addy was glad for many reasons, not the least of which was knowing it was the best wedding present she could have given to her new friends.