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Authors: Karen Michelle Nutt
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back at her on her cell phone. Only she
knew he wouldn't be smiling when she spoke to him in person. She
didn't answer, but slipped the phone into her pocket. She needed
this conversation to be in person.
There was no way she could make her marriage
to Tye sound like it was the best thing she'd ever done. Her daddy
would see right through that lie.
Her phone buzzed again as she ducked inside
the tent. Her father lowered his phone when he caught sight of her.
She'd inherited her mahogany tresses from him, though his full head
of hair was streaked with gray now. He wore a white coat over his
dress shirt and slacks despite the heat outside. The tent was
situated near a generator and there were lights, and a cooling
system in place to keep the tent comfortable. A water pump was
attached to the sink, and the supplies were in order inside the
cupboards – everything necessary to run a minor medical facility.
The examining table stood as the focal point of the tent, but there
were fold up chairs lined against one side of the canvas, and a
desk toward the back. Her daddy tended scrape knees and elbows,
busted lips from fistfights, and people who needed fluids because
they didn't drink enough water, while they enjoyed their day in the
sun. Most people didn't realize alcohol dehydrated them. They
needed water in this heat. If anyone suffered from a major injury,
the person would be taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital and tended
there.
"Thought perhaps you were ignoring me," her
daddy said in a steady voice as he gazed at her over the rim of his
glasses, making her curious. She expected him to be angry with her,
not this…not this look of concern.
"I'm fine." She chewed on her lower lip and
tried to think of how she should spin this, so it didn't sound like
she was a complete idiot?
"No bumps on the head?" her daddy asked. "No
loss of memory?"
"No," she said with a frown.
"Then why in God's name did you go and marry
the boy who broke your heart?"
Now this was the reaction she expected from
him.
"I wish I knew. Truly, I wish I had a good
answer to why I would do such a fool thing, but," she lifted her
hands palm up and shrugged, "I don't have one."
He pursed his lips. His gaze lingered on her
hand and she realized she had yet to take the cherry stem ring off
her finger. It was thick and knotted so tightly, and she… Heck, she
didn't know why she still wore the darn thing. She lowered her hand
and hid it behind her back.
"I thought it was purely a fanciful rumor
that you married Tye Casper," her daddy said. "He didn't ask me for
your hand and he didn't even bother to buy you a proper ring."
She opened her mouth to defend Tye, but
promptly closed it again. She wouldn't tell him how Tye carefully
put this ring together with a promise for the real deal as soon as
Mr. Gallagher opened his jewelry shop come Monday morning.
Once she downed the pain relievers this
morning, and her head had cleared, bits and pieces of last night's
event kept intruding on her thoughts like long forgotten memories.
Her daddy pointing out the ring with such disgust prompted the
memory of how Tye looked at her when he placed the cherry stem ring
on her finger with such love, such hope, such promise for a
future... At that moment, his pledge of forever proved better than
diamonds. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. She actually
remembered thinking that.
"I'm sorry," she said for a lack of anything
else to say.
"There's no need to be apologizing to me. You
did this to yourself."
"I know…I… Last night… It shouldn't have
happened."
"But it did," her daddy said with a sigh.
"We're going to fix it." She nodded and stood
up straighter.
"We?"
She met his gaze. "Tye and I are going to see
Mayor Dirkly and have him give us an annulment."
He pursed his lips again.
Wasn't that what he wanted to hear? She would end this farce of a marriage. Tye would leave town, and
she would go back to her life.
"I'm going to have to have a word with
knew he wouldn't be smiling when she spoke to him in person. She
didn't answer, but slipped the phone into her pocket. She needed
this conversation to be in person.
There was no way she could make her marriage
to Tye sound like it was the best thing she'd ever done. Her daddy
would see right through that lie.
Her phone buzzed again as she ducked inside
the tent. Her father lowered his phone when he caught sight of her.
She'd inherited her mahogany tresses from him, though his full head
of hair was streaked with gray now. He wore a white coat over his
dress shirt and slacks despite the heat outside. The tent was
situated near a generator and there were lights, and a cooling
system in place to keep the tent comfortable. A water pump was
attached to the sink, and the supplies were in order inside the
cupboards – everything necessary to run a minor medical facility.
The examining table stood as the focal point of the tent, but there
were fold up chairs lined against one side of the canvas, and a
desk toward the back. Her daddy tended scrape knees and elbows,
busted lips from fistfights, and people who needed fluids because
they didn't drink enough water, while they enjoyed their day in the
sun. Most people didn't realize alcohol dehydrated them. They
needed water in this heat. If anyone suffered from a major injury,
the person would be taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital and tended
there.
"Thought perhaps you were ignoring me," her
daddy said in a steady voice as he gazed at her over the rim of his
glasses, making her curious. She expected him to be angry with her,
not this…not this look of concern.
"I'm fine." She chewed on her lower lip and
tried to think of how she should spin this, so it didn't sound like
she was a complete idiot?
"No bumps on the head?" her daddy asked. "No
loss of memory?"
"No," she said with a frown.
"Then why in God's name did you go and marry
the boy who broke your heart?"
Now this was the reaction she expected from
him.
"I wish I knew. Truly, I wish I had a good
answer to why I would do such a fool thing, but," she lifted her
hands palm up and shrugged, "I don't have one."
He pursed his lips. His gaze lingered on her
hand and she realized she had yet to take the cherry stem ring off
her finger. It was thick and knotted so tightly, and she… Heck, she
didn't know why she still wore the darn thing. She lowered her hand
and hid it behind her back.
"I thought it was purely a fanciful rumor
that you married Tye Casper," her daddy said. "He didn't ask me for
your hand and he didn't even bother to buy you a proper ring."
She opened her mouth to defend Tye, but
promptly closed it again. She wouldn't tell him how Tye carefully
put this ring together with a promise for the real deal as soon as
Mr. Gallagher opened his jewelry shop come Monday morning.
Once she downed the pain relievers this
morning, and her head had cleared, bits and pieces of last night's
event kept intruding on her thoughts like long forgotten memories.
Her daddy pointing out the ring with such disgust prompted the
memory of how Tye looked at her when he placed the cherry stem ring
on her finger with such love, such hope, such promise for a
future... At that moment, his pledge of forever proved better than
diamonds. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. She actually
remembered thinking that.
"I'm sorry," she said for a lack of anything
else to say.
"There's no need to be apologizing to me. You
did this to yourself."
"I know…I… Last night… It shouldn't have
happened."
"But it did," her daddy said with a sigh.
"We're going to fix it." She nodded and stood
up straighter.
"We?"
She met his gaze. "Tye and I are going to see
Mayor Dirkly and have him give us an annulment."
He pursed his lips again.
Wasn't that what he wanted to hear? She would end this farce of a marriage. Tye would leave town, and
she would go back to her life.
"I'm going to have to have a word with
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