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“You can’t be that bad” Brooke’s voice lowered with innuendo

As Cash’s hand paused halfway to his nition of Brooke’s interest in him

“My wife has a true calling to get new members into our church” The pastor patted his wife’s hand affectionately

Seriously? Surely the pastor couldn’t be as dense as he see on to Cash in front of hi, however

“She’s calling for so if she doesn’t stop”

Rachel’s mouth dropped open at her sarcastic rehter

“What she means, Pastor, is that people around here take church seriously, and I happen to be one of Treepoint’s citizens who isn’t very well liked,” Cash tried to explain his grand was the only one in toho had the nerve to call Brooke out

“‘We’re all God’s children in the search for salvation,’” Pastor Merrick quoted

“Soreed

Rachel wanted to slide under the table, praying Brooke would be wise enough not to set Mag off again Luckily, Cash changed the subject to fishing, which was one of the pastor’s favorite topics Rachel was able to relax until the Pattersons rose to leave

At the door, Cash shook the pastor’s hand as he went out

“It was niceyou, Cash” Brooke waited until her husband stepped out the door, blatantly ignoring the to Cash’s hand in hers “If you need any help getting caught up in your Bible studies, giveher husband out the door

Rachel had to grab onto the handlebars of Mag’s wheelchair to hold her back

“Let ood man needs to knohat kind of woman he’s married to”

Cash quickly closed the door, standing in front of it with his arive yourself another stroke”

“That’s okay The good Lord will reward ht on that bitch’s behavior No Christian woman would behave like that”

Rachel rolled Mag into the living roo her some tea It took several minutes for the old woer passed and Mag decided to go take a nap

“Don’t forget to pray,” Cash said as she rolled herself out of the rooer at him

“You stay away fro ot himself tied to”

“I’ll stay away,” Cash said sole eyes

Rachel had learned that Cash liked to rile his grand in aer

“You should be ashamed of yourself If she had a stroke, it would be your fault,” Rachel accused as soon as Mag left

Cash leaned back against the couch, putting his booted feet up onto the coffee table “I couldn’t help it When she gets like that, it reer and she was like that all the tiht in her back roo them half to death with a mop handle Even drunk, they didn’t want to hit a woot a mean streak a mile wide Don’t let her fool you”

“I won’t I remember her before she had her stroke, too My brothers are scared to death of her They broke herout one time when Dad took them to her house, and she wore theain; they were too scared of her”

Cash laughed until he couldn’t breathe at the idea of his grandest bootlegger in the county for decades until the county et Shortly thereafter, she’d had a stroke She had barely survived, only to be left in a wheelchair, but her fighting spirit had accepted it and had adjusted

Rachel went into the kitchen and began cleaning up the table, washing the dishes before putting them away Cash watched television as she worked, aware she was trying to ignore him, but occasionally, he felt her eyes on him

“You done?” he asked when he saw her put the last dish away

“Yes”

“You want to go for a ride on my bike?” He saw the refusal on her face “You scared to ride with me since I wrecked?”

“No, everyone in town knows that the wreck wasn’t your fault The driver crossed the center lane Knox said anyone else less experienced would have died on impact”

Cash shrugged “Been in a couple of them That one was the worst”

“Why do you keep riding, then?” She ca a seat in one of the chairs

“Because there’s nothing else like it on earth It gets in your blood; the freedom of movement, how it feels when you ride it It’s hard to explain Go for a ride with me and you’ll see,” Cash prodded