Cash (10 page)

Chapter Nine

At
least Katy was finally going to meet someone in Cash’s family. She felt like
she knew his ancestors but not the ones who were still living and breathing.
His uncle and aunt had asked them to go for drinks at the Old Mill Tavern which
seemed fitting, seeing how it was once owned by a Doyle. Cash’s uncle told them
to meet him there at 7 p.m. and he had a surprise for him.

She
didn’t have to be told which one was Cash’s uncle because she saw the
resemblance with the same jawline and blue eyes. In fact, the one photo she’d
seen of sheriff Ryan Doyle did in fact, resemble Cash a lot.

“This
is Katy Nolan-Delaney, Katy my uncle Bill and his wife, Abby.”

Bill
stood and put his hand out to Katy.
“Nice to finally meet
you.
He’s told us so much about you and your family.”

“It’s
great to meet you too,” said Katy.

Abby
put her hand out to Katy. “You’re as pretty as he said,” said Abby.

She
looked at Cash and he winked at her.

“Now
what’s everyone drinking tonight?” asked Bill.

“I’m
going to stick with white wine,” said Abby.

“White
wine for me too,” said Katy taking off her coat.

“Beer
for me,” said Cash. “You want me to help you bring them back to the table?”

“That
would be perfect and we can let the ladies chat,” said Bill.

Abby
pulled out a chair and tapped it, indicting for Katy to sit next to her.

“I’m
told you own the sex shop in town,” said Abby.

“Yes,
it’s been open about a year now.”

“I
think it’s a good thing.
Nothing like spicing things up in
the bedroom.”

Katy
liked Abby already.

“And
Cash, how has he been acting lately?” asked Abby. “The poor boy’s had such a
rough time in his life. His pa is a perfectionist and thinks everyone else
should be too. Guess you knew he was in the army too?”

“No,
no I didn’t.”

She
wondered why Cash had never mentioned that besides him telling her he ran his
life like the army. She smiled as Bill and Cash returned with the drinks and
set them down on the table.

“I
can’t believe it’s almost Christmas,” said Abby. “Time flies when you reach old
age.”

“Hey
less of the old age
talk
,” said Bill. “Cash tells me
Katy, you own a business, a store. You have enough insurance coverage?”

“Uncle
Bill, quit the sales talk,” said Cash.

Bill
raised his hand. “Sorry, pure instinct to try and get business everywhere I
go.”

“So
what’s the surprise?” asked Cash.

Bill
and Abby looked at one another. “This being the season of forgiveness, good
will and families, well I don’t think you and your pa should be on bad terms.
He’s getting older. You were almost killed and I don’t think either one of you
would want to pass from this life into the next without you making amends.”

Katy
glanced at Cash: his smile had changed to a frown and his knuckles were white
where he’d clenched his fists so tight.

“Uncle
Bill, I know you mean well but I do not want to see my father, let alone make
amends with him. Come on Katy, I think we should leave before…”

“That’s
it, running away again.”

Katy
looked behind them to see a man taller than Cash and almost looking like Ryan
Doyle’s twin brother standing there.

Cash
went to stand but was pushed down firmly by this man who was obviously his
father. Even Katy could see the vice-like grip he had on son’s shoulder.

“You
mind letting go of me,” said Cash.

“Will
when I’m good and ready. And I take it this is the young woman you’ve been
seeing.”

He
looked at Katy.

Katy
didn’t know what to do or say so she stuck out her hand to him. “Katy
Nolan-Delaney.”

“Nolan-Delaney.
Your pa owns
the ranch over on the north side of town.”

“That’s
right.”

“Well
son, you’ve got yourself in with someone with stability for once. That’s if you
can keep her.”

“Hey,
Mike, you want to sit down and just relax,” said Bill.

Cash
finally pushed his father’s hand away and Mike sat and took off his cowboy hat
and rested it on his lap.

“So
you’re working in the insurance business now?” asked Mike.

“Yes,
I am,” said Cash.

“That’s
yes sir. You’re not too old to address your pa in the proper manner.”

Katy
swallowed. She didn’t like Mike at all. She could see why Cash had stayed clear
of him.

“You
stick with it and get your shit together this time around,” said Mike. He took
Cash’s beer without even asking and downed half the bottle before slamming it
back on the table.

Abby
fidgeted and looked at Bill.

“So
Katy, what has Cash told you about our family?”

“Not
much really,” said Katy. “I’m meeting Abby and Bill for the first time
tonight.”

Mike
glared at her.

“Did
he tell you how he lost his leg?” asked Mike.

“Yes,
he did. It’s very heroic of him to serve his country.”

Mike
burst out laughing. “This son of mine’s no hero.” He kicked Cash’s prosthesis
and Katy wanted to get up and slap Mike around the face. “He’s a coward. I know
the truth. He knows the truth—that’s why he cries like a baby in the middle of
the night.”

“Hey
Mike, just tone it down. That’s not why we invited you here tonight,” said
Bill.

Cash
stood.

“That’s
it, run away when you hear the truth. Just like you were running that day you
got the rest of your guys blown up and killed. The explosion was your fault because
you didn’t follow orders. You never could. I tried to teach you but you
wouldn’t have any of it.”

“Fuck
you old man, fuck you.”

Cash
grabbed his jacket and hurried out of the bar.

Bill
stood and so did Katy.

“Cash,”
shouted Bill. “Jesus Mike, why did you have to do that?”

“It’s
okay, I’ll go catch up with him,” said Katy taking her coat and purse off the
back of the chair.

“Don’t
bother with that loser,” Mike shouted after her as she headed out of the bar.

She
found Cash outside. He was smoking a cigarette.

“I
didn’t know you smoked,” she said.

“I
quit a long time ago but whenever I’m around my old man I seem to revert back
to my bad habits.”

“Ignore
him,
Cash,
he’s clearly not a very nice person.”

“That’s
true but he’s right about me being a coward. Those guys would all be alive if
it wasn’t for me and my pigheadedness. Thinking I knew best.
 
I’d still have my damn leg and my dignity.”

“We
all make mistakes. It’s what’s being human’s all about.”

She
got hold of his arm but he shook it away.

“I
don’t think I can be around here anymore. I’ve tried coming back home but I
can’t do it.”

“Then
we’ll go someplace else.”

“No
Katy, this is your home. You have people who love you and your business is
here. Don’t waste your time on me.”

“If I thought that I wouldn’t have gone
out with you a second time.”

He
took one final drag on the cigarette and then threw it on the ground and extinguished
it with the tip of his boot.

“You
are too good for me so I can’t let you waste your time. There’s some great man
out there for you.”

“You
know who you sound like, Cash?”

He
didn’t respond. “You sound like Ryan Doyle when Gracie told him how she felt
about him.”

“Yeah
maybe being a big time loser runs in our family.”

“A
loser, is that what you think you are?”

Once
again he didn’t respond. “Just like Gracie I’m going to make you see sense,
make you realize that you are the man for me.”

“One
thing’s going to be different Katy. Ryan stayed in town but I’m leaving and
where I’m going no one’s going to find me.”

He
walked away as the first snow of the evening began to fall. She wasn’t going to
run after him. She was going to let him cool down and calm down. Even if he did
leave town there wasn’t anywhere on earth she wouldn’t find him.

Chapter Ten

New Year’s Eve.
She thought
she’d be with Cash and they’d be kissing and proposing. Instead she hadn’t been
able to find him. He had literally vanished. Her parents had invited her over
to their place to see in the New Year but she’d declined. She wasn’t much fun
to be around, plus she felt more comfortable being close to a bathroom where
she could throw up when she wanted to. She’d kept the pregnancy test stick as a
souvenir to give to Cash if she ever found him. If she didn’t, well she was
looking at the prospect of being a single mom. They’d been careful but every
girl knew no birth control was one hundred percent foolproof.

She
was getting that feeling again and knew she was about to have another round of
severe vomiting. She ran toward the bathroom and just got the lid of the toilet
open quick enough for her to empty her stomach. She sat on the floor, heaved
again. Why did they call it morning sickness when hers lasted twenty-four hours
a day? She hadn’t been able to keep any food down for the last thirty six
hours. She slumped back against the wall and this time the room spun and she
felt like she was going to pass out.

Maybe
there was something wrong with her besides being pregnant. She’d call her mom
and ask if she could take her to the ER just in case something was wrong and
would hurt the baby if she didn’t get help. Yeah that would be fun on New
Year’s Eve with all the drunks rolling in there.

Her
parents, no one knew about the baby yet. Would they be happy or disappointed?
Would her dad think that bunny honey had foolishly gotten herself knocked up by
a guy who’d left town and wasn’t ever coming back? Would she have to move in
with them and have them help raise the child?

The
room spun faster. She had to get help before she passed out. Katy managed to
crawl along the hallway into the bedroom and grabbed her cell phone. She pressed
the numbers for her parents but barely seeing them as the room spun. She was on
the verge of throwing up again.

“Hello
Nolan-Delaney residence.” It was her dad.

“Daddy,
could you come and take me to the ER I’m feeling…”

****

Cash
shivered. The place was a fucking freezer. He climbed into bed and pulled the
covers up around his shoulders. He knew he was crazy running away from
Grantsville, his uncle and the job he’d given him, but most of all the best
thing that ever happened to him, Katy.

However,
his big mouthed son of a bitch father was right. He was a loser and a coward.
He fucked up things, fucked up people’s lives and he didn’t want Katy being his
next victim.

Cash
blew into his hands before rubbing them together. He’d stopped at the first
motel he’d found after it had begun snowing. He’d intended to make it to
Billings but hadn’t got that far. He was slowly running out of money and would
probably need to find himself some work before he made his next move, whatever
that would be.

He
closed his eyes and hoped he wouldn’t have another of his bad dreams. They’d
been nightly visitors since the night he’d walked out of the Old Mill Tavern.

He
dozed off, falling quickly asleep and then the dream began. This time it wasn’t
the bad one but one featuring his great, great, great, grandparents Gracie and
Ryan.

“What
do you think you’re doing, Cash? You’re a disgrace to the family name,” said
Ryan. He looked handsome in his hat and the sheriff’s badge sparkled on his
chest.

“You
can talk…you killed a man,” said Cash.

“And
I’m not proud of it but I didn’t wallow around feeling sorry for myself.”

“Cash,
you’ve found a wonderful woman in Katy. Do you want to be like your grandpa
here and play hard to get?”

Gracie
was more beautiful than he ever imagined her to be.

“This
family’s known its share of scandal and tragedy but things can be different.
You can be a better father to your child than your pa was to you.”

“I
don’t have a child,” said Cash.

“That’s
where you’re wrong,” said Gracie. “You’re going to be a father.”

Cash
woke up, not screaming this time but wondering if it was an omen of things that
were to come.

****

“You
have Hyperemesis
Gravidarum
,” said the doctor.

Did
that mean she was going to die?

“Doc
what’s that in English?” asked her father.

“In
layman’s terms it’s severe morning sickness. It’s the same condition that the
Duchess of Cambridge has experienced with both her pregnancies,” said the
doctor.

“Well,
wouldn’t you know, I always said my girl was a princess,” said her father.

A pretty fancy
name for feeling very shitty.

“And
what can you do for her?” asked her mother.

“We’ll
keep her in for a few days and give her some fluids and medication.”

“Medication;
is it okay for the baby?” asked Katy.

“Both
you and the baby will be just fine. Now I’ll be back tomorrow morning to check
on you again, but in the meantime just rest and relax.”

The
doctor walked out of the room.

“How
long have you known about the baby?” asked her mom.

“Two
weeks,” said Katy, realizing she should have at least told her parents.

“So
Cash doesn’t know?” asked her mother.

Katy
shook her head.

“Well,
I’m thrilled as a grandpa to be can be. Two grandbabies next year,” said her
dad.

Her
mother sat on the bed and took her hand. “Do you love Cash?”

She
did. She could tell herself that this was just another mistake in her long list
of relationships that hadn’t worked out but she loved Cash. She’d never get
over his leaving and this time around she’d have a baby to remind her of what
they’d shared.

“Yes,
I love him.”

“And
do you think he loves you?”

He’d
never told her. But then she hadn’t told him either. Maybe if she had done, he
wouldn’t have taken off like he had. Anything could have happened to him by
now.

“I
don’t know.”

“Oh
honey, I think we need to find him and not just because of the baby,” said her
mom. “I think he’s a sweet young man who needs the love of a good woman and her
family.”

“Your
mother’s right,” said her dad.

Someone
tapped on the door and Katy saw Connor standing there.

“Hey,
Jennifer told me to come here because Katy was real sick and that Dad had to
call the paramedics. You okay sis?” Connor walked over to her and kissed her on
the head.

“Your
sister has Hyperemesis Gravidarum,” said her dad.

Katy
was glad someone had been paying attention because she wouldn’t have remembered
or known how to pronounce it even if she’d been asked.

Connor
sat down. “Holy shit, how did you get that and is there a cure for it?”

“Fluids
and medication,” said Katy. “And you might as well know I’m pregnant.”

“It’s
the same morning sickness that the Princess Kate had,” added her dad.

“Katy,
that’s wonderful…I mean about the baby not about the hyper whatever. Our kids
can grow up together. I know Jennifer’s going to be excited too,” said Connor.

“But
we have to find Cash,” said her dad.
 
“First job as the sheriff will be to get a posse together and drag his
ass back to town.”

Katy
burst out laughing seeing Connor’s face and clearly not knowing if their father
was being serious or not.

“This
might be 2015 but the concept of shotgun weddings hasn’t gone out of style,”
said her dad.

“You
do know he’s joking right?” asked Katy.

“I
wasn’t sure. Dad’s a bit old school when it comes to ways of the West,” said Connor.

“Connor
and I will find him,” said her dad.

“But
then what?” asked Katy. “If he doesn’t want to stick around, doesn’t want to be
here I don’t want him doing it just because I’m having a baby.”

****

Cash
emptied the garbage into the main dumpster. He looked up at the sky and sensed
another round of snow was on its way.

“Cash.”
He looked around to see the janitorial supervisor standing in the doorway.

Cash
was getting used to the job but he knew he wasn’t as fast as the other guys.
Hopefully he wasn’t going to fire him because right now Cash needed the money.

“There’s
a sheriff here who’d like to talk to you.”

Shit,
a sheriff. He hadn’t done anything wrong. His heartbeat picked up. What the
hell would a lawman want with him and how had he found him?

“I’ll
be right there.”

Cash
carried the bin back inside, set it on the ground and walked through to the
main area of the school where he almost sighed with relief when he saw Connor
standing in his sheriff’s uniform with his hat in his hands.

“Connor,
what are you doing here?” asked Cash.

“I’ve
come to escort you back to Grantsville.”

“This
is my home. Well at least it is for now.”

“I
don’t think so. It took me a day and a half to drive here and I’m not going
back empty handed so you either come on your own accord or I snap on the cuffs
and you can ride in the back of the sheriff’s truck.”

“What’s
in Grantsville for me, Connor? You tell me that?”

“My
sister, for one thing. I guess you’ve figured out we’re pretty close and I
promised her I wouldn’t go back without you. I’ve never broken my word to her
and I don’t intend to start now. So, you want the handcuffs or not?” Connor
pulled them off his belt and held them up.

“I
don’t think you have jurisdiction in this county.”

“Where
my sister’s concerned I have fucking jurisdiction wherever I like.”

“Katy
is better off without me.”

Connor
dangled the cuffs letting the metal clang together.

“You’re
going to have to taser me or whatever it is you do these days. This is for her
own good because I ruin everyone’s life. I love her too much to do that to
her.”

“Geez,
Cash you’re pushing me into a corner here. I was hoping she’d be able to tell
you this but I guess in order for me to get your crazy ass in that truck I’m
going to have to do it.”

“Tell
me what?”

“You
knocked up my sister, buddy. My dad’s thinking about getting a posse together
but I said I’d handle it before he has to get rough with you.”

Had
Cash heard right? Was the dream with his grandma Gracie coming true? Was he
going to be a dad?

“I’m…”

“Going
to be a father, yes, so get in that truck before I kick your ass all the way to
Grantsville.”