Chapter 3

Chapter 3


Harley Stewart, was 42 yrs old, 5’8”, 120 lbs, long brown hair with highlights, and blue eyes. Harley had been singing country music since her early 20’s. Born and raised in Nashville, country was in her blood. When she was 25, she had met the man of her dreams, Tim Stewart, a country music performer and celebrity in his own right. They met while doing the same tour. Started off as friendship and very quickly escalated to the most passionate and loving of relationships. Tim couldn’t imagine any life without her apart of it. They were married and had the perfect marriage. Never fought, he was her best friend and she was his. Harley had been diagnosed with severe endometriosis and was forced to have a hysterectomy. Never having any children, for years she felt a hole in her heart. Like she had not been able to give Tim everything he needed or wanted. They had talked about adoption, but just never seemed to get around to it. Tim was happy, which in turn, made her happy. They bought a beautiful ranch outside Nashville. Harley loved horses. She loved caring for them and riding them. Her ranch kept her grounded and humble. Never really being one for the so called LA SPOTLIGHT. They preferred staying quiet. When Tim was 38, he had what he thought was a cold, that would not go away. Doctors kept giving antibiotics but never took x-rays of his lungs until he couldn’t breathe. Thinking it was pneumonia, but the x-ray showed something far worse, even fatal. Harley fell to her knee’s when the Doctor said Tim had stage 4 lung cancer and it was terminal. There was no amount of chemo that could save him. Only prolong the inevitable. Harley and Tim had their first fight that night. She wanted him to do the chemo and live for as long as he could. Even if only just to breathe, for her. Tim didn’t want the chemo. He wanted to live as happily as he could and have quality instead of quantity. Harley took care of Tim with help from family that would come stay for periods of time. October 3, 2009, Harley whispered in Tim’s ear, “I love you so much. You have to know you’ll always be in my heart, but it’s ok to go baby. I’ll be ok, I promise.”, within minutes Tim took his last breathe.

When Harley thinks back, she isn’t sure how she made it through those days, weeks, even months that followed. To her she woke up one day and it was 8 months later. She knew she had to do something productive. So she wrote her first album without her best friend
and lover. Everyone loved it. Top of the charts, standing ovations, sold out shows. The tour had just ended and she found herself back on the ranch alone. Harley and Brad had toured together before and Brad had been Tim’s best man at the wedding. Harley had called to talk to Brad the other night and told him she was thinking of dating again, but not sure how. They talked about his plans for the weekend. Brad told her that he had a “Hollywood big shot” coming in for the weekend. She was always a curious little bee. Asking who, Brad responded with “you won’t know who he is”. Harley felt a tad insulted and angry. Brad always underestimated her, saying she was “Sheltered”. “Try me” She said. “Harley he’s a rock star” Brad said with a huge sigh, loud enough for her to hear over the phone. “Brad Paisley, you tell me right now” she demanded. “Fine, Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi” Hoping to get a little upset out of him “Who is THAT?” she said but knowing exactly who he was. You’d have to live under a rock to not know that. He and Jon Bon Jovi had become quite the talk of Nashville when they were recording the album “Lost Highway”. Brad said “I told you that you wouldn’t know.” Harley squaked back “Wouldn’t know? Of course I know who he is. He’s one hot man!” She
continued with “I’ll be there bright and early in the morning to meet him!” Oh Lord, Brad thought but didn’t dare say that to her. Then a light came on. As he hung up from Harley he thought, Richie’s single and Harley’s single, sort of, and they are both looking for someone. Of course Brad didn’t know if Richie knew about Tim’s death, so he would need to tell him, so he would know to be especially kind to Harley’s heart or he would have to give him a good old fashion ass kickin. Friend or not, she was very special to him and needed to care for her, as he promised Tim he would.