Chapter Eight
Dane
Whatever peaceful routine my new wife and I have found in the past week is disturbed by when my brother returns to Valor Springs.
My wife and I are enjoying lunch together and lost in mindless chatter when a sudden knock interrupts us. Cherry perks up at the sound. I overheard her and Paula earlier making plans to go out to town and look around, but I could have sworn those plans were made for later in the week.
It is, after all, a weekday afternoon, and I am certain my niece, who is an elementary school teacher, is still at the school. Cherry has been spending a lot of time out on the ranch and helping with the animals. I bet she misses spending time with another woman, doing whatever it is women do.
“I’ll get it,” Cherry says, jumping up from her chair.
It’s probably just one of the ranch hands with a question, but I don’t tell my wife that. Instead, I push away my half-eaten food and go out after her. Perhaps something happened with the animals and one of the hands is here to inform me.
There is a wide smile on Cherry's lips as she opens the door, but on the other side is neither Paula or a ranch hand. There is an awkward silence as we all stare at each other for a beat. But it is quickly broken by our new company.
“You must be Cherry,” my brother says, extending a hand. “Paula has told me a lot about you. She insisted I come straight here to see you when I got back to town.” Cherry takes his offered hand and shakes it gently, clearly confused. She looks from me to my brother and back again.
Stepping forward, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her in tight against me. My brother raises an eyebrow at the move, but I ignore it. “C’mon in, Derek.” I motion for him to enter and precede us into the living room, where we settle on couches. I take a moment to observe my brother. Like me, he has dark hair, though his is dusted with gray. He’s lean, though less muscular than me, and our green eyes are the same shade inherited by every Tate. He’s taller than me, but it’s not obvious in the way he carries himself, weighed down by the grief he still carries over the loss of his wife years ago.
Again, Derek is the first to break the silence. “So, Paula tells me there’s some legal trouble. Want to explain what’s going on, Cherry?”
“It’s sorted now,” I intervene. “Cherry and I were married a few days ago. We’ve already submitted her application for a green card, so she won’t be deported.”
My brother is clearly taken aback by the news. “Wait, you married Paula’s best friend so she wouldn’t be deported?” To Cherry, he says, “But Paula has talked about you for years. I remember she met you in high school. Were you here on a student visa?”
Cherry shakes her head, a flush staining her cheeks. “Um, no. I recently learned that my parents adopted me illegally from Scotland. Until a couple weeks ago, I’d thought they were my biological parents. Then an ICE agent showed up at the door a few days after my parents went on vacation with a warrant for their arrest. She threated to have me deported if I didn’t tell her where my parents are, but I honestly don’t know!” The more she speaks, the more distressed Cherry becomes.
Derek is visibly angry know, his face darkening and his hands tightening into fists. At the sight, Cherry presses further into me. “You mean to tell me that you were trafficked into this country as a baby and some ICE agent is threatening to deport you? After you’ve been here you’re whole life?”
“Um, yes?” Cherry responds, her voice lifting at the end as if even she isn’t sure of her own story in the face of my brother’s incredulity.
“That’s bullshit!” Derek shouts, making Cherry jump. “You can’t be deported. There are laws in place to protect victims of child trafficking. Besides, the deportation process takes months to years. It’s not like ICE can kick you out overnight.” He pauses for a beat then turns back to me. “But you two got married ? You, Dane Tate, my baby brother and confirmed bachelor of Valor Springs, got married to this girl, who you’ve known less than a week, so she could gain citizenship?”
Cherry’s entire body stiffens at his words, but I’m not sure what is bothering her, so I direct my answer at my brother. “Yes. You weren’t here to offer us advice, there was no time to find an immigration attorney on such short notice, and I wasn’t about to risk ICE picking her up. I didn’t know how quickly they could follow through on their threats.”
“Christ, the road to hell really is paved with good intentions. You idiot,” Derek says, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. “You had to go and muck it all up.”
“What are you talking about?” I demand.
“You’ve just admitted to committing fraud! You can’t marry someone for a green card! I can guarantee you that ICE will be on your doorstep the minute they catch wind of this marriage, and they’ll launch an investigation to prove you didn’t marry for love. Then Cherry will be deported anyway, and you’ll be charged with a felony.”
I’m about to respond, to tell my brother that my marriage to Cherry is no fraud, that I love her with everything I am, but my words are cut off when she suddenly gets up from her seat and runs from the room before either of us can stop her.
All my life, I have lived a pretty mundane lifestyle. A life without complications.
I have always taken care of my business and looked after my own, and Cherry, she’s mine now. It’s about time this woman—and the rest of the world—realized that as well.
But before I track down my runaway bride, I need to set the record straight with my brother.
“Now listen to me very carefully because I am only going to say this once…”