He welcomed the dawn-to-drop work schedule that kept him too busy to think about Melody more than a thousand times a day. He let his hair grow. By February, he would once again be the man his fans paid to see. In the past, the ritual elicited excitement, but lately he could hardly stand the sight of himself in the mirror. After the harvest, he turned to his music, sequestering himself in the barn for long hours composing and practicing. Plans were under way for the new tour and details requiring his attention poured in daily. Conference calls with the other band members and hours of discussion, compromise and negotiation added to his workload. In addition, there was the mixing. Since he lived closest to the mixing studio in Dallas, it fell on his shoulders to monitor the progress of the CD. Highest priority was given to mixing “Melody,” and he was relieved when he approved the final product. Guy assured him the single would hit the airways across the country on January fifteenth—Melody’s birthday.
