Chapter Nine
“Quinn, I’m finally done. The final checklist for the wedding is done. She proudly held up five neatly written single-spaced pages, all categorized and in meticulous order.
He whistled. “Are you sure we can’t just elope? I mean, this is a lot of work, probably too much work for something that’s going to be over in a few hours.”
“Yes but lasts a lifetime. You’re not getting out of this, Mr. O’Connor.”
“I was afraid of that,” he answered as he swooped down to kiss her nose. “I want you to have the wedding you want because it’s the only one you will ever get.”
“Oh, I thought this was a trial run, you know, for when the real one comes along.” She felt his hand pop her bottom.
“Nope. When I get you to the altar and you say those vows, it’s all over but the spanking.”
“Oh, no.” Cheyenne shook her finger at Quinn. “There will be no spanking on my wedding day or my honeymoon.”
He looked crestfallen. “Not even the good girl kind?”
“Not even the good, oh, well, maybe that kind.” She grinned, and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“I can’t wait, a stór, we—” Quinn lifted his index finger and answered his phone. “Hello?” He looked up at Cheyenne and ducked his head down again and walked away to talk, but she could hear. “Sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m with her.”
The rest of the conversation was lost in the wind, literally, as he had walked outside to finish his call. When he returned, it was as though he hadn’t behaved oddly at all, only he was distracted by something. That something gave her cause for concern.
“Got to go, I need to make a few stops before we leave for Montana, and I have a full workload until we drive away.”
“Sure. Anything wrong at work?”
“Nope, same stuff really, lots of work but not lots of workers.” Quinn pecked Cheyenne on the lips and left, only to quickly return to grab his hat off the table by the door.
Wearing his Stetson at work was not part of the uniform, although he complained that it should be in the nicer months, so when he wasn’t working, that hat stayed with him. If his hat was there, he was there.
Cheyenne shrugged the strange behavior off because she was doing all sorts of crazy things herself these days. The wedding was making her go in circles. They would all need a rest after the big day was over. She picked up her own phone and called Siobhan to start work on her list.
“I’m making chicken and dressing for dinner and peach cobbler for dessert. Why don’t you come over early, and we can work on it then have dinner?”
“That sounds scrumptious. I’ll grab a salad on my way,” offered Cheyenne.
“Wonderful and some vanilla ice cream for the men. They like to put it on their cobbler,” Siobhan added.
“I remember. You spoil them, you know.”
“And I love it,” came the warm reply.
Later that afternoon, just before she jumped in the shower, she remembered she was supposed to bring something to the dinner.
Checking the time and seeing she would not be able to go after her shower because Quinlan would be skidding in on the dot to pick her up, she decided her best bet was to run to the store now.
She could easily shave time off the dressing end.
Grabbing her keys and wallet, she headed for the door with only a moment’s hesitation for her cell phone that was getting a desperately needed charge.
Deciding to leave it, she raced out the door.
The panel pictogram for needing gas was illuminated, and the needle was past empty.
How did that happen? Irritated, she now had to stop for gas first, and that she hadn’t noticed the light soon enough to stop at the corner station, she pulled onto the main thoroughfare.
Sitting in traffic at 4:00 was expected, but since she had noticed the indicator light, it became a crucial focal point in her day.
Thankfully, the traffic was moving. Glancing at the gas gauge every few seconds, she grew anxious, even knowing it wouldn’t help the situation but seemed uncontrollably drawn to do it anyway.
Cheyenne searched her memory banks for whether you go faster or slower to save gas.
Ultimately, she’d just done what she could.
She figured if she could get there faster without overdoing it, then that was better.
The jerking sputter was the first indication that she was not going to make it to her destination without trouble.
She had never run out of gas before, amazingly enough, and the timing of this once-in-a-lifetime experience couldn’t have been worse.
Feeling the anxiety of being stranded on the side of the road hit her as she pulled to the shoulder, in front of the sign that said emergencies only, before the car died.
No phone, smart move, Cheyenne. Checking again for some unknown item, she sighed and got out of the car.
That was when she noticed she only had slippers on her feet.
At that point, she did release a loud sound of frustrated irritation at the situation she found herself in.
She mentally berated herself. What was I thinking?
It was just going to be a quick run to the neighborhood store after all.
Not a big deal, except that’s when it became a big deal.
Walking up to the station, she sighed her relief because her house slippers had given up the ghost. She had re-lived her afternoon choices a hundred times over the laborious mile to the closest gas station.
Walking any distance was harder in slippers, and she had concluded that her brilliance, not, was unsurpassed.
Quinn would not be happy with her situation.
Well, join the club. She wondered how many safety violations this would be?
She didn’t really care if only Quinn was there to take care of the whole problem.
Attempting to take care of it herself, she explained her dilemma to the attendant.
“What do you mean I need a container for the gas?” she exclaimed to the attendant. “You can’t even loan me yours?”
“No way, my manager would dump me fast.”
“Over a gas can, he would fire you over a little gas can?” she put her hands up in surrender.
“Okay, I’ll buy it from you. Do you have them to sell?
” When she saw the negative shake of his head, she grunted her frustration and barely held back a scream.
“Never damn mind.” After a moment of fuming, she calmed enough to continue, “Then may I please borrow your phone? I don’t have mine, and I’ve walked a mile.
Not a big deal but it’s a little hot out here and as you can see,” she pointed to her tattered slippers, “these have had it.”
“Sure lady, for five dollars. I can’t take the chance you’re going to call long distance.”
“What? Even if you dial the local number?” Incredulously, she capitulated. “Fine, fine.” She reached for the phone.
“In advance.” He held the phone just out of her reach as though she would steal it.
“Of course,” she responded sarcastically. Money paid, she tried Jacquie and several other friends, but no one answered.
She finally called Quinn. “Are you okay, honey? Are you safe? Where are you?” He fired questions so fast she didn’t even attempt to answer them until he paused.
“I’m fine, but I don’t have a gas container, and they don’t loan under penalty of death. They don’t sell them either. I can barely use their phone. Quinn, I’ve tried, but I need help.”
“Honey, call the car club. Wait, why are you using their phone? No, never mind, tell me where you are, and I’ll call the roadside assistance.”
“Wait, honey, you can’t. I didn’t renew them.” She bit her lip and cringed in anticipation.
There was silence on the other end of the line before he spoke again in a quietly controlled voice, “I’ll send Andrew, Shane or someone to help. Don’t go anywhere, beag amháin.”
Cheyenne shivered in apprehension as she got the exact address and recited it to Quinn, who demanded to speak to the attendant anyway. The wait for help was not long. Shane arrived promptly, quickly taking the situation under control. He settled her in his truck, turning up the air.
“You okay, a stór?”
“Aren’t you going to tell me that I should have been better prepared, I should have more than a skimpy tank top and shorts on, had real shoes on, enough gas in my car and my cell phone? And not have forgotten to renew the emergency car service?”
“Nope.”
“Now how could that be? You’re an O’Connor male aren’t you?”
“Quinn said you can be sassy when you want to be, said that’s the first thing that attracted him to you.
I thought I knew what he was talking about, but I can actually see it now.
And to answer your question, I’m not going to chew you out because I’m the good brother in this one, Quinn is the mean one.
You know, good cop, bad cop. Therefore, I’ll leave the unpleasantness to him when he arrives.
From me, you will get sympathy for the trouble, a smirk for the shoes, rolled eyes for the phone and a tsk-tsk for the attire.
Want me to stop and get you something to drink, non-alcoholic of course.
Even I won’t go up against a brother’s rule in his own family, and before you say it, you’re family, and you’re definitely his. The paper declaration is soon to come.”
Cheyenne laughed. “You’re my new favorite O’Connor.”
“Great. Can I call you when Alesha is mad at me so I can get a home cooked meal? She’s mean that way.”
“Let’s leave the options open, shall we?”
“Good enough,” Shane said with a chuckle.
That evening the laughter was loud as Shane began the retelling of his valiant rescue.
The rescued lady in distress was quiet, too quiet.
Shane, after getting “the look” from his wife that Cheyenne was grateful for, slid into another perspective.
Quinn had gone to get her car after she called him earlier, allowing Shane to run Cheyenne home and then to his parents’ ahead of him.
She showered there, running to their corner market for the salad and ice cream in Siobhan’s car.
“You know, actually, it was pretty smart to go to a gas station instead of flagging down a motorist or going down into that neighborhood that she had stopped in. I mean, it would have been so much easier but much less safe,” Shane observed.
“Quinn has told me that neighborhood is known for some unsavory activity. It would have been courting trouble,” offered Alesha.
Cheyenne tried not to smile when Da took up the torch.
“Yes, Mom and I were wondering what to get to put in that gadgets box we always give the kids when they get married. Now we know to add one of those, what’s it called?
You know that little gadget that charges up things.
Anyway, we can get a few of those, and a whistle because every woman should have one in her car and bag. ”
He gave Quinn a look as though he had fallen down on the protector role before adding, “And slippers with rubber soles. That’s a good start.
Oh, and a year subscription to that auto club.
I can’t believe that policy lapse slipped by you, son.
” Again, turning the tables on Quinn took the whole, glaring spotlight off Cheyenne, and she loved them for it.
Siobhan chuckled as she joined the party. “Sean, do you and Shane remember the first storm Quinn drove in after he got his license?”
“Yes, oh I’d forgotten. He slid into a snowbank and gunned the car so long trying to get out that he used up the rest of the gas and was stuck until someone could find him.
He was so cold. It must have been November if I remember.
” Siobhan looked over at Quinn with an innocent look on her face. “Do you remember, dear?”
Quinn shook his head in defeat. “I get it. I understand what is going on here. I’ll never win today. It’s as much my fault that Cheyenne was in her situation as it was hers.”
Cheyenne looked over at Shane, and he winked.
Her lips twitched upward as she nodded her head in acceptance of the help.
She knew she would cook him dinner if he needed it.
If nothing else, she owed him one. She didn’t doubt Quinn loved her, wanted her, desired her, and would smack her butt if she needed it.
Today, she didn’t earn it or need it, and she was glad she wasn’t going to have to battle over it.
Thanks to her new family standing in the gap.