No More Tears

by Sandy Appleyard

  Ralph shakes his head. “Ain’t much I can do at this point. Unless you got a look at the guy.”

  “How about if I’ve got a hunch?” Grayson says. I look at him curiously, and my expression mirrors Ralph’s.

  “I had a run-in with Matty Herald the other day.” Grayson admits.

  “I heard about that.” Ralph volunteers.

  “Now I hear he’s missing.” Grayson continues.

  “Y’all think it was him?” Ralph asks. “Why would he be hiding out in Laura’s bushes?”

  Shrugging, Grayson says. “Dunno. He holds a torch for Laura, that I do know.”

  “You think it’s him?”

  “I can’t be certain, but that’s what my gut tells me.”

  “His folks have reported him missing.” Ralph says. “I’m sure the whole town knows about that.”

  Grayson and I both nod.

  “That fancy car that he drives shouldn’t be hard to find around town. Nobody’s seen him. But it’s possible that he’s come back from wherever he was.”

  “Even if it is him, Ralph, I wouldn’t worry too much.” I interject. “Matty wouldn’t hurt anyone. He might be in trouble with his folks, but he’s harmless.”

  Ralph nods. “Y’all want me to have a couple of troopers have a look in the woods in the morning? It could have been some kids in there drinking or smoking dope for all we know.”

  “I can take a look.” Grayson offers.

  “Y’all be sure to let me know if you find anything.” Ralph orders politely. “I’ve got to keep proper paperwork and all, mind.”

  “Definitely, sir.” Grayson says.

  The next morning, as Grayson and I search the woods, other than a few scraps of garbage, we don’t find anything. “I bet you it’s him.” Grayson says.

  “Matty, you mean?”

  He nods. “We’ve left the fire pit out. I bet you he’s using it at night for warmth. Bringing his own gear though. It’s too far out from the ranch, we’d never know unless we were out here. And the nights when we have been out here, I always bring the stuff out ahead of time, so he’s got notice.” He looks back at the path we’ve travelled. “I bet you he’s had quite the little peep show the few nights we’ve been out here. Little pervert.”

  “Grayson, you don’t know that.” I chide gently. “Even Ralph said that it could be just some teenagers raising hell out here.”

  “They’d leave beer bottles or some evidence. Teenagers are pigs. They don’t clean up after themselves.”

  “Maybe it’s just a vagrant. Someone just having a hard time.”

  I hold her tight and kiss her temple. “Always the hopeful, you are. That’s one of the things that I love the most about you.”

  We head back to the ranch, and there is a strange pickup truck parked on the side of the road. “That Kurt?” I ask.

  Grayson nods once. “That would be him.”

  We look, and there’s a man talking to Simon by the pasture. He looks over and sees us, his smile is Grayson’s. “Heyyyy, brother.” He pats Grayson on the shoulder, and then they hug each other.

  “Thanks for coming.” Grayson says. “I see you’ve met Simon and the boys already. This is Laura.” He turns to me.

  Kurt is the same height as Grayson, with the same hair and the same face shape, but he has a different, slightly younger-looking, face. He’s a little skinnier, but just as muscular as Grayson. “Pleasure to meet you.” He says, shaking my hand.

  “The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for helping out on such short notice.” I say, smiling.

  “Oh, heck, it’s nice to get away from Hawk and my Mama. They get under my skin so much this was the perfect opportunity to get away. I love them and all, but man, it ain’t easy being around that much family all the time.”

  “Our family, that is.” Grayson corrects.

  “Simon here tells me that you had a spot of trouble in the woods last night? Some vagrant hanging around, having himself a camp out?” Kurt asks.

  “I think it’s more than a vagrant, but I can’t be sure yet.” Grayson explains.

  Lloyd, overhearing, says. “Who do you think it is? Not Matty Herald?”

  Grayson frowns. “It could be. But Laura says if it is, we should be relieved. He’s not going to hurt anybody.”

  Lloyd waves. “Ah, he’d just go home if he were back in town. He wouldn’t be camping out. He’d just sleep in his fancy car if he were that desperate.”

  “Maybe so.” Grayson says, then he addresses Kurt. “Let me show you around. I see that you’ve met the horses already.”

  I interject. “Grayson, maybe give him a hand with his things. He’s probably tired after driving all night.”

  Kurt gives me a half-smile. “I’m fine, ma’am, really. Stopped for some shuteye about halfway through. Didn’t bring much, either. Aside from clothes. Us Thomas boys don’t keep a lot, as you know from Grayson here.”

  “That’s true. Okay, go on ahead. I’ll fix us something to eat.”

  Surprising me, Grayson kisses me, full on the mouth, in front of his brother and Lloyd. “Thanks, darlin’.” He says, caressing my side with his hand.

  “Oh…you’re welcome.” I breathe.

  Never in my life has a man made me turn into a puddle on the floor before like that. Never in my life has a man ever made me so happy. And soon I’ll realize just how much that this man has changed my life, in more ways than I could fathom.

  Chapter 20

  Matty

  It’s a free world, see, and I’ve got a right to go wherever I choose, so long as I don’t cause trouble. My folks are looking for me, but I’m done with them. I’ve got a new plan. I’ll be making more money than I could ever have made working for that piece of garbage warehouse my folks had me working in. See, I’ve got the looks that drive women wild. Had I realized how goddamn handsome I was years ago, I’d a got into modeling or something. The chicks here in Dallas tell me I’m magazine hot, and I believe them.

  I’m staying here and there, and coming back into Huttonville, plotting my next move. Derek, my brother, knows where I’m at, but he ain’t telling my folks. He’s good like that. I got a new phone, and I canceled the old one, so old Larry and Sophie are just dialing to an out-of-service number now. They have no idea. They think they can toss me to the curb and then beg me to come back a day later? I don’t think so. I’ve got my pride, you know.

  Sure, I banked some of daddy’s cash a while back, so I’ve been drawing from that, but I’ve got a better plan in place. One that will garner me enough cash that I can skip town forever. Haven’t decided where I’m going to yet, but I’ll get there. I hear chicks out in Hawaii are gorgeous. Maybe I’ll go there. Haven’t decided yet. One day at a time. Chicks are kind of stupid, too, you know. They see my car and me, and they think I’m rich and hot, and they don’t know anything about me, but they put out all the same when I take them out.

  Derek and I have a plan. He knows I only call at night, when mama and daddy are asleep. Or I text him and he lets me know if it’s safe. The coast is clear this morning, as I dial his number.

  “Matt, buddy, what’s going on? Sheriff Ferguson was over here late last night talking to mama and daddy. Were you out routing through Laura Warner’s ranch last night?”

  “Yeah,” I chuckle. “Outran Grayson like nothing you’ve ever seen. But then, it’s kinda hard to run with your pants trailing down your legs. I caught them just about to make it last night.”

  “Really? Did you see anything good?”

  “I saw Laura’s tits last weekend. So goddamn nice I can’t get them out of my head now.”

  “Wow.” Derek is impressed. “So, when are you gonna make your move over there?”

  I cluck my tongue. “Soon. I’ve got lots of bread left.”

  “Mama and daddy’ll take you back still.”

  “I’m so done with that, Derek. If this plan goes through, man, I’m set.”

&nbs
p; “Ever think about taking your ever-loyal brother with you?”

  I snuffle a laugh, like he has to be kidding. “You? Yeah, okay, that’s happening.”

  “Y…you won’t take me with you? Seriously?”

  I sigh. “Derek, you’re the best brother I could ask for, man. I mean, you’ve covered my ass time and time again, but man, you’ve got to understand. This is too hot to be for you, too. You haven’t got what I got, man. You’ll be dead weight. I’ll send you money, man, I swear I will. I gave you my old phone, didn’t I? And I promise to call you as much as I can, okay?”

  Derek is a good kid, but man, he’s ugly and stupid. And what’s worse is, he’s such a suck up with my folks. He’s never lied to them, but he’s withheld the truth a lot for me. All the time I was stuffing daddy’s money into my pockets, he knew about it. He just never said anything. I left my old phone in a secret place for him. It’s better than the one he had, and I had to buy a new one and get a new number, to keep my folks off my tail.

  “I gotta go, kid. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Yeah, see ya.”

  ***

  Derek

  My brother Matty is the biggest liar that ever lived. He thinks he’s so all that, but he’s not. Yeah, I’ve kept my mouth shut for him for the last little while, because I looked up to him, but now…now he’s just a lowlife piece of garbage. I figured he would give me something in return for my support in his endeavors, but no, instead he’s leaving me high and dry. Don’t get me wrong, the setup I have here is not so bad. When Matty got promoted to sales, I went behind the cash and took the floors, instead of just stocking shelves. One day, when I’m finished school, I can help daddy with the books, but maybe I might do something else, too. Like start my own company.

  Matty thinks I’m stupid, but I’m a hell of a lot smarter than he is. For starters, I go to school. He dropped out of college. I kept track of all the stuff he swindled, and I’d been planning on using it as blackmail on him, but now that he’s left, that plan is for naught. But I have other plans with that. He thinks that I don’t know a lot of things, but I do. Last night, when Sheriff Ferguson was here, I listened to the conversation, but I said nothing. I figured it might not be Matty.

  I hear a knock at my bedroom door. “Derek?” It’s daddy.

  I’m just studying for an upcoming test. I’m taking a summer course; my program is accelerated. “Yeah, come on in, dad.”

  He opens the door and sticks his head in. “I’m heading down to the store to meet one of the auditors.”

  I lift my head from my book. “On a Sunday?”

  He tilts his head to the side. “He’s a good kid. Doesn’t mind.”

  “Need any help? I’m just about done here.” I offer.

  “No, you study. That’s more important.”

  He’s about to close the door, when I stop him. “Daddy?”

  “Yeah.” He sticks his head back in.

  Closing my book, I look at him with conviction, like I’m about to tell him that I’ve got six months left to live. “If you can spare a minute, come sit.”

  “I’ve always got a minute.” Daddy says, and the way he looks at me, it’s like he already knows what I’m going to say.

  Larry Herald is probably the hardest working man in Huttonville. The best part is that he’s proud to do it. He’s a man who loves what he does and it’s evident each day. He has given my brother and I every opportunity to be successful, whether it’s at his shop or not.

  I start. “Daddy, I’m not proud of what I did.”

  “This got anything to do with your brother?” he asks with a deep sigh.

  “Yeah,”

  “I had a feeling Matty had roped you into something.”

  Reaching into my desk, I scoop out the stack of receipts that I’d photocopied and kept a record of, indicating the true numbers, and the numbers that Matty adjusted incorrectly. “Here.” I say. “This will help the auditor.”

  Daddy takes them and observes. After looking at the first one, he’s caught on. “You knew about this the whole time?”

  I nod. “Yeah. It turns out you weren’t the only one that Matty was stringing along. Looks like we both got screwed over.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Here and there. He’s back and forth. It was him routing through Ms. Warner’s bushes last night, though. That I know for sure.”

  Daddy rakes a hand through his hair, and then he gives me a look that says, ‘level with me’. “Forget that he’s your brother. I want you to put yourself in my shoes, Derek. What would you do if he was your son, pulling a stunt like this?”

  The fact that daddy is asking for my input, gives me a sense of pride. Daddy doesn’t ask many people for their opinion, at least not anyone without a degree in some University designation. “Did you cancel all your credit cards?” I ask.

  “The day he left.”

  “And he has no other ties to you financially?”

  “Not a drop.”

  “Let Sheriff Ferguson know what’s going on. Cancel the search party.” I say. “Let him come in on his own accord, when his plan goes south, and then make him pay back everything he took before giving him a job…as a stock boy.”

  Daddy smiles. “What kind of plan does he have, Derek?”

  “One that’s sure to fail.”

  “Do you know what it is.”

  I shake my head. “Nope. But if it’s all his doing, he won’t go far with it.”

  “You’re one smart kid.”

  “At least you have one of them, daddy.”

  ***

  Matty

  It’s been like three weeks, and I haven’t heard from my brother. I’ve tried calling him and texting him, but he doesn’t answer. It’s my old phone, but I’m thinking that maybe there is something wrong with it. I can’t call anyone else in town, because then everyone will know. I got a job and a place to stay now, so things are looking up. It’s not a dump, but it’s better than living in my car or camping at the Kelsey Ranch. I’m flipping burgers and waiting tables at some armpit of a diner just outside of Huttonville. Nobody knows me here, so it’s cool.

  Laura and Grayson are as tight as hell, which makes me want to puke. What’s worse is that his brother is living there, too. You won’t believe this, but Grayson’s a goddamn doctor! He’s working with Clint, Laura’s brother, and I don’t know what in the hell kind of medical University gave him a license, but holy crap. How do you go from working at a ranch to being a doctor? I’d sure like to know who he paid off to get there. That’s what I’ve got to do.

  Worst part is, it’s almost like I don’t exist anymore. At first, this was kind of cool, because my folks had all but an A.P.B. out looking for me. I had to lay low or play Russian Roulette, which was kind of fun. But now, I don’t even have to hide my car or wear a disguise anymore, because…nobody cares. Not even my parents or my own brother. They’ll all care when I have it all. Once I get what I want, they’ll all be after me like white on rice. Especially Laura. When I get what I want, when I accomplish what I’ve set out for, when I achieve the goal that I’ve set out for, they’ll all notice me.

  I’ll be king of the goddamn world…

  ***

  Grayson

  Laura had a smock made special for me. It was a present for me for my first day in the doctor’s office. It’s only been a week, but so far it’s been great. Like riding a bicycle almost. Technology is a little different though. I don’t fill out prescriptions by hand anymore. Clint has this great digital signature software that places your signature at the bottom of each prescription that you produce. It even works for diagnostic orders and anything else that would require a doctor’s signature.

  There’s a medical convention coming up in a couple of weeks that Clint and I are going to. And I’m set up to attend a couple of seminars. The medical journals come digitally now, so my phone is full of reading material that I’m catching up
on at night or between patients if time permits. So far I don’t have any of my own patients yet, but we have a note up on the wall suggesting that I’m new and accepting new patients. Right now I’m spearheading the walk-in clinic, which is great. Clint’s also twisted a few arms over at the hospital, and I’ve done a few shifts there as well. Every week I’m going to rotate with Clint, working in various departments. Last night I covered the Emergency Department, and man, I forgot how much of a rush that can be at times.

  As I pull up to the ranch, I see Laura dismounting from Trixie. Kurt, I can see over in the stable, rubbing down Weasel. Laura sees me as I approach, and she smiles. God, her smile lights up my heart. “Hi, baby.” She says, and I catch her as she takes a step off the horse. She’s in my arms; her legs are draped over my forearms. Her arms snake around my neck.

  “Hello, my love. How was your day?” I kiss her full on the mouth.

  “Mmmm…much better now.” She purrs. “When I saw you the other day in your smock, I just about melted.”

  “Remind me to bring one of them home, then.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “How about tomorrow night I come to bed wearing nothing but that?”

  She lifts a brow. “How about if I wear nothing but that?”

  I kiss her, letting it deepen, unbeknownst to whoever is watching, even though I know that Kurt is almost in earshot.

  “Mmm…I miss you wearing your Stetson.” Laura comments.

  “Come on upstairs. I’ll take everything off and leave just my hat on.”

  “Ooooo…you drive a hard bargain.”

  My face is low and husky. “Well…not yet.”

  She smiles. “I can fix that.”

  “Oh, I know you can, baby.” I look around. “You busy?”

  Her head tilts to the side. “We can’t make love in the middle of the day, Grayson.”

  “Why not?” I kiss her neck. “Besides, it’s not the middle of the day. It’s almost supper time.”

  “Is it?” Her voice changes. She’s suddenly in work mode again. “Let me down. Shoot, I have to go help Grace in the kitchen.”