The Long Road Home
The neon lights of Nashville's honky-tonks blurred through the rain-streaked windshield as Maggie Carter pulled her beat-up Ford pickup into the parking lot of the Blue Moon Saloon. She sat for a moment, listening to the rhythmic drumming of raindrops on the roof, her calloused fingers gripping the steering wheel. Three years in Music City, and she was still playing the same dive bars for tips and free beer. At twenty-eight, Maggie had left everything behind in Cedar Creek, Arkansas—her family's struggling farm, her job at the local diner, and the comfortable predictability of small-town life. She'd packed her grandfather's vintage Martin guitar, two suitcases, and a heart full of dreams into that same pickup truck, chasing the country music stardom that had called to her since she was old enough to hold a microphone. But Nashville was different than she'd imagined. The city was full of talented singers, each one convinced they were the next big thing. Record l...