Page 104 of Cash

THIRTY-SEVEN - Kimberly

The road was narrow,and not at all what I’d become accustomed to. The motorcycle dodged right and left unexpectedly, yanking the handlebars from side to side without warning. Every few feet, the tire would drop off into a pot-hole, causing me to fly out of the seat.

It was, however, much better than riding in a cage.

The trip would have taken three solid days in a car. On the bike, it took two. My willingness to ride was equal to Cash’s, and we’d ridden almost seven hundred miles a day to get there. Our early morning “crack of dawn” start assured us we’d arrive before nightfall, and we were doing just that.

Barely.

As the sun was setting, we pulled up the long, narrow drive. At the low speed we were traveling, the low rumble from the exhaust gave little warning of our arrival.

“You didn’t tell her anything?” I asked. “Seriously?”

“Not a word. It’s how I roll.”

“I can’t wait to meet the woman who is okay with that,” I said with a laugh.

Surrounded by large trees, green grass, and acres upon acres of rolling hills, the home looked like a typical farmhouse out of the movies. A front porch – complete with two swings – ran the entire width of the front of the home.

When we were a hundred or so yards from the front of the home, woman stepped onto the porch with a gun in her arms.

“That’s her,” Cash said.

“Holy crap. She’s not going to shoot us, is she?”

“I hope not,” he said with a laugh.

Despite the condition of the crappy road, he sped up. Half the distance to the porch, the woman musty have recognized him. She leaned the gun against the door’s frame and rushed to down the steps.

By the time she reached the drive, we were coming to a stop.

Her skin was pale with a tinge of redness to it. She was tall and thin, like Cash. Her hair was long, white, and draped over her shoulder in a long braid. The dress she wore was white with faded blue flowers and had pockets in the front. Adorable was the only word I could use to describe her.

She outstretched her arms and flapped her hands up and down excitedly. “Get that thing off your head and let me have a look at you,” she said, in a thick Irish accent.

As Cash put down the kickstand, I took off my helmet.

“Oh, my word. He was right, you’re beautiful.” She continued to flap her hands. “Climb off that motorbike and come here.”

“Nice to see you, ma,” Cash said sarcastically. “And, how many times do I have to tell you, it’s a motorcycle, not a motorbike.”

“It’s a feckin’ motorbike,” she snapped. “Always will be.”

I stepped off the motorcycle, almost falling in the process. “Sorry, my legs fell asleep.”

She shot cash a glare. “You didn’t let her stretch her legs, did ya?”

“She didn’t want to.”

“If he didn’t already tell you, my name’s Erin.” she said.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kimberly.”

She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a smothering hug. When she released me, she leaned away and looked me over. “I can tell you this, he doesn’t deserve you, Kimberly. He was the orneriest child that ever graced this countryside, and don’t let him tell you differently. I hope he’s in heaven two hours before the devil knows he’s dead. Did he tell you lies to get you a courtin’? He must have, because you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. He’s not deservin’.”

“Lies.” I laughed. “I hope not.”

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and turned toward the porch. “Come in, I’ll tell you the truth about him. He might be riding home alone.”