one he hadn’t had in what felt like forever. “What got into you tonight? What made you decide—not that I’m complaining—that it had been long enough.”
“Doc Jones wants me to go see my dad,” she whispered against his chest.
He tightened his arm around her neck and pulled her closer. “You know if you need me to, I’ll be right there with you. In fact, I’m not sure I want you to go alone.”
“I feel like I have to, Cash. This is about me and him.”
Cash didn’t say anything else, just held her and ran his hand along her back, but he knew whenever the meeting happened, he wouldn’t be far away.
‡
Chapter Fourteen
W hen Doc Jones had told her she needed to confront her dad, Harper knew it would have to be soon; otherwise, she’d lose her nerve. Within two days of her meeting with Doc Jones, Travis Steele had provided her with her dad’s place of employment, and now she sat in front of the factory where he worked.
It was funny, really, but his factory faced the Trail. She wondered if he’d ever seen Cash run; she wondered if he’d ever thought about betting on the man who’d stolen her heart.
Travis had told her what time he got off, and she sat in her car, waiting. Part of her hoped maybe her dad wasn’t there that day; the other part of her hoped he would be the first one out. She knew, though, that she couldn’t chicken out on this. This was something she had to do, and she wouldn’t be able to move on until she did.
The factory bell rang, and almost immediately she saw men and women making their way to their cars. Travis had also clued her in on what vehicle her dad now drove, so she had parked next to it. When she saw a man walking towards the vehicle, she knew it was him, even though she hadn’t seen him in years. He’d gotten heavier, and the years hadn’t been kind to his aging process, but she knew exactly who he was. When he got close enough, she opened her door and yelled, “Clayton!”
His head snapped up and recognition flared in his eyes. “Harper. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
She’d wondered for years what she would say to him if given the chance. At different parts of her life, she’d even had scripts memorized. That all left her in this moment. She opened her mouth once, twice, three times, but nothing came out, and what did come out wasn’t what she expected at all.
“You took me with you to rob a convenience store and ended up killing the clerk inside,” she whispered.
She watched the emotions play across his face and watched as he turned to the truck, opened the door, and put his lunchbox on the bench seat. He reached into the console under the steering wheel and she almost hit the ground, wondering if he had a gun. Instead, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
“You want one?” he asked nonchalantly as he beat the hard box against the palm of his hand and then extracted one, lighting it and blowing the smoke away from her.
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t smoke.”
To her it seemed like the stupidest thing in the world to say, but obviously to him, it was funny. His mouth kicked up on the side, and he let out a small chuckle.
“Of course you don’t. You always were better than I deserved. You always were good and right, no matter what example I gave you.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to any of this, so she didn’t; she let him talk.
“I didn’t go to that convenience store planning to rob it; you have to know that, Harper. The gas tank was on E, our fridge was bare, and I was out of money for the drug habit I’d picked up in the previous couple of months. I don’t even know if you knew that or not. I was trying very hard to hide it from you, but you were such a smart girl.”
He had a seat inside the truck and slung his arm on the door, holding the cigarette between his middle and pointer finger.
She hadn’t known that. The authorities had asked her if he’d had a drug problem, and she remembered
“Doc Jones wants me to go see my dad,” she whispered against his chest.
He tightened his arm around her neck and pulled her closer. “You know if you need me to, I’ll be right there with you. In fact, I’m not sure I want you to go alone.”
“I feel like I have to, Cash. This is about me and him.”
Cash didn’t say anything else, just held her and ran his hand along her back, but he knew whenever the meeting happened, he wouldn’t be far away.
‡
Chapter Fourteen
W hen Doc Jones had told her she needed to confront her dad, Harper knew it would have to be soon; otherwise, she’d lose her nerve. Within two days of her meeting with Doc Jones, Travis Steele had provided her with her dad’s place of employment, and now she sat in front of the factory where he worked.
It was funny, really, but his factory faced the Trail. She wondered if he’d ever seen Cash run; she wondered if he’d ever thought about betting on the man who’d stolen her heart.
Travis had told her what time he got off, and she sat in her car, waiting. Part of her hoped maybe her dad wasn’t there that day; the other part of her hoped he would be the first one out. She knew, though, that she couldn’t chicken out on this. This was something she had to do, and she wouldn’t be able to move on until she did.
The factory bell rang, and almost immediately she saw men and women making their way to their cars. Travis had also clued her in on what vehicle her dad now drove, so she had parked next to it. When she saw a man walking towards the vehicle, she knew it was him, even though she hadn’t seen him in years. He’d gotten heavier, and the years hadn’t been kind to his aging process, but she knew exactly who he was. When he got close enough, she opened her door and yelled, “Clayton!”
His head snapped up and recognition flared in his eyes. “Harper. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
She’d wondered for years what she would say to him if given the chance. At different parts of her life, she’d even had scripts memorized. That all left her in this moment. She opened her mouth once, twice, three times, but nothing came out, and what did come out wasn’t what she expected at all.
“You took me with you to rob a convenience store and ended up killing the clerk inside,” she whispered.
She watched the emotions play across his face and watched as he turned to the truck, opened the door, and put his lunchbox on the bench seat. He reached into the console under the steering wheel and she almost hit the ground, wondering if he had a gun. Instead, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
“You want one?” he asked nonchalantly as he beat the hard box against the palm of his hand and then extracted one, lighting it and blowing the smoke away from her.
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t smoke.”
To her it seemed like the stupidest thing in the world to say, but obviously to him, it was funny. His mouth kicked up on the side, and he let out a small chuckle.
“Of course you don’t. You always were better than I deserved. You always were good and right, no matter what example I gave you.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to any of this, so she didn’t; she let him talk.
“I didn’t go to that convenience store planning to rob it; you have to know that, Harper. The gas tank was on E, our fridge was bare, and I was out of money for the drug habit I’d picked up in the previous couple of months. I don’t even know if you knew that or not. I was trying very hard to hide it from you, but you were such a smart girl.”
He had a seat inside the truck and slung his arm on the door, holding the cigarette between his middle and pointer finger.
She hadn’t known that. The authorities had asked her if he’d had a drug problem, and she remembered
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