“Well, who’s this now?” A booming male voice pulled her from her mental musings.
“This is Lovey Porter, a friend of Royal’s.” Royal’s mother made the introduction as she served each plate with yellow crookneck squash and fried okra.
“I’m Royal’s grandfather, Duke.”
“Nice to meet you.” Lovey hesitantly took a seat at the table next to Teddy, who’d ambled in the door just now but had been quick to take his chair.
“Poppa, would you say grace?” Royal’s mother settled herself into a seat at the other end of the table and reached out to clasp hands.
Lovey was comforted and at the same time unsettled by the warm welcome she’d received from the Duval family. Only a few hours ago, her father had been quick to dismiss the entire clan for low character, and in her opinion, he couldn’t have been more misguided. They had shown her kindness and settled her at the table amongst them as if she were family, when in fact she’d been at the root of much heartache for the Duval household of late. Even still, they made no mention of it as second helpings were passed around the table along with a pan of cornbread.
“Lovey’s father is Reverend Edwards.” Royal’s mother volunteered the information to Duke, who had been studying Lovey, but hadn’t said much.
“You don’t say.” He entwined his fingers at the edge of the table as Royal’s mother spooned more okra on his plate.
“And what’s your skill, Miss Lovey?” Duke set upon his heaping plate again. “Besides turning Royal’s world upside down.”
Lovey nearly choked on the mouthful of lemonade she’d just taken. She swallowed with some difficulty and coughed into her napkin before she could speak. The old man clearly knew what was going on, despite his laid-back demeanor. “I’m trained as a teacher, Mr. Duval.”
“Call me Duke. All my friends call me Duke.” He smiled at her and refilled her glass.
Chapter Thirty-four
Royal downshifted into the next curve. The old truck had a high center of gravity, and she didn’t like the way it swayed in the curves with such a heavy load. They hadn’t been driving for very long when she began to argue with herself in her own head.
Why did she leave Lovey? Lovey seemed sincerely upset and she’d just gone off and left her to do what? Run a load of whiskey with an uncle she couldn’t stand the sight of.
She felt guilt was the root of it. It was her fault Ned had gotten killed, and if she hadn’t agreed to ride with him, he’d have bullied Teddy into it. He’d been a terrible father to Ned. And he would be just as cruel to Teddy.
And hadn’t the woman she’d been pining over for weeks just professed that she loved her and her response was to leave? She must be losing her mind. Well, she’d done her share. She’d gotten Wade away from the house, away from Teddy. She was finished.
Royal slowed the truck and pulled off onto the grassy shoulder.
“What are you doin’?”
“I’m getting out.”
“What?”
“You don’t need me to make this run. I’ll walk back and you can take the truck.” Royal climbed out. She thought Wade would just slide over and take the wheel, but instead he walked around the front of the truck carrying the shotgun he’d had at his side since they left the house. Royal turned to look at him in the glare of the headlights.
“Get back in the truck, Royal.” He raised the shotgun in her direction.
“What are you doing? Are you gonna shoot me?” She knew her uncle disliked her, but blood was thicker than water, and she’d never have thought one of her own clan would go so far as to turn on her to this extent.
“You’re gonna get back in and drive this truck. We have a delivery to make.”
“Why do you care if I’m in the truck or not? This way you keep as much of the cash as you want. Then you and Boyd can do your little backroom deals and leave me out of them.” Royal started to walk away when she heard him cock the hammer on the gun, first one barrel, then the second. She stopped and slowly turned toward him.
“I’m sick of you and your queerie ways. I’m sick of the preference you enjoy because your daddy was the favored son. It’s your fault Ned is dead.” He took a step toward her, with the barrels raised. “You’re gonna drive and that’s the end of it. You owe me some respect after all you put me through.”
Wade must have been out of his head with grief. That, coupled with his general ill disposition, was causing him to take it all out on Royal. Her mind raced along with her heart. The last thing she was going to do was climb back in that truck and face God knows what down the road with a man who clearly wasn’t in his right mind. He’d have to shoot her first.
“I’m not gettin’ in that truck with you. I’m done, Wade.”
“You don’t get to say when you’re done. I say when you’re done.” Wade moved toward her with the shotgun raised. “Get your ass in and drive.”
Wade took another step toward her, but just as he did, they both turned at the sound of a car rounding the curve in the road behind them. Headlights blinded Royal for an instant before she dove toward the shoulder on the opposite side of the road.
As the car slowed to move around Wade, who was standing near the center of the road, she used those moments to scramble up the bank under cover of thick mountain laurel. She heard Wade cursing behind her, and twigs snapped off along with leaf debris as he discharged the shotgun in her direction but missed her by about ten feet. Her heart pounding, she kept crawling up the hill keeping close to the ground until she found a dead tree to hide
