I Gave You My Heart, but You Sold It Online Read online

  TWENTY PAINFUL MINUTES ticked by, the silence broken only by Eugene/Janine’s sobs and sighs. Finally Sheriff Jackson came back into the room wearing a grim expression. “Folks, I’m gonna call the district attorney and have him get in touch with the district judge.” He looked at Tag. “Mr. Freeman, was it? Do you know how to reach Mr. Matthews?”

  “Yes, I can call him now.”

  “Good. Get in touch with him and have him get here as quick as he can. Tell him to bring his lawyer.”

  Tag left the room. When he returned, he reported that Quint and his attorney would be in the sheriff’s office within the hour.

  “Oh, no,” Debbie Sue cried out. “Quint did it, didn’t he? It was on that tape, wasn’t it?”

  “No, ma’am,” the sheriff replied. “Monica Hunter was very much alive when Mr. Matthews left her.”

  All eyes turned on Eugene/Janine. He squirmed in his seat.

  “He didn’t do it either,” the sheriff said. “It was an accident.”

  “An accident?” the group chorused.

  “But I thought they determined the grill couldn’t have fallen off the counter,” Allison said.

  “Well, they were right about that. It didn’t fall off, but it was an accident all the same.”

  The group glued their collective gazes on the sheriff. “There’s quite a bit of the tape showing Mr. Matthews talking to Monica. Mind you, there’s no audio on the tape, but it appears he did no harm. In fact, he got down on one knee and handed something toward Monica. It appeared he was asking her to marry him.”

  “Oh God,” Debbie Sue said softly, almost in tears. “Poor Quint.”

  Edwina shook her head. “Bless his heart.”

  Eugene/Janine leaped to his feet and stamped his foot. “That ass!”

  The sheriff pointed a finger at him and growled, “Now you just sit down before I change my opinion.”

  Clearing his throat, the sheriff continued. “Monica started laughing at Matthews and he left.” He glared again at Eugene/ Janine. “That’s where you come in. At first I didn’t recognize you, but it’s you all right. Long red hair, tight green dress, high heels.”

  “That sounds cute,” Edwina whispered to Debbie Sue.

  Eugene/Janine gave her an appreciative smile. “The shoes are brown with little green bows on the toes. I got them at Nordstrom’s while I was in Vegas.”

  “Knock it off,” the sheriff boomed. “Like I was saying. I’ve got you on tape.”

  He turned back to the group. “Mr., er, Miss, well, this person”—he pointed at Eugene/Janine—“looks like he’s chewing Monica out, but good. She came out of the water and tried to reach a towel that was lying on the counter. It was a little too far away, and when she stretched for it, she accidentally pulled that plugged-in grill into the hot tub. Y’all know the rest.”

  Eugene/Janine broke into loud sobs again. “Oh God, that’s exactly what happened. It was awful…Even—even the cat got upset…It yowled and ran out of the room.” He dabbed his eyes with a ragged tissue and blew his nose. “I never meant to hurt her, honest. I only wanted to tell her to leave Quint alone.”

  Tag pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and offered it. Eugene/Janine took it and boo-hooed into it. “Quint’s never known what’s best for him…I knew she was using him, the hussy. When she and Quint were dating, when he wasn’t in town, I followed her. I heard her tell a friend in the ladies’ room that she had caught a big fish and was going to reel him in and take him for all she could. The little tramp.” Eugene/Janine blew his nose with a loud snort.

  “You’re the one who called 911?” Tag asked.

  “Yes. I couldn’t just leave her…like that.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell us it was an accident?” the sheriff asked. “Why did you run? Man, er, uh, ma’am, er, uh, hell, you could’ve been shot.”

  Eugene/Janine’s gaze darted around the room, perspiration showing on his brow. “I’m under a restraining order. I’m supposed to stay away from Quint. I only wanted to tell that little, that little—I didn’t dream he’d be accused of murder. I wouldn’t have let it go to a trial. Honest, I wouldn’t have. I would’ve confessed.”

  “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now,” Sheriff Jackson said. “Mr. Matthews’s legal problems are over.”

  “Yeah,” said Debbie Sue, rising to her feet, “and his real ones are just beginning.”

  “Again,” Edwina added. She, too, stood.

  “Did I hear somebody say my legal problems are over?”

  All heads turned toward the voice at the door and Quint Matthews.

  “Ah, Mr. Matthews,” Sheriff Jackson said, getting to his feet. “Come in. I didn’t think you’d get here so quickly or I would’ve waited.”

  “I was still at the truck stop diner, not that far away.”

  “I was just explaining to the group here the action on the surveillance disc at Miz Hunter’s home.”

  “DVD? A surveillance DVD?” A muscle quirked in Quint’s jaw. He took a menacing step toward the sheriff. “My lawyer never mentioned this. Did you know about this disc all along?”

  “Whoa, now.” The sheriff thrust his face forward, obviously not intimidated. “Just hold everything, cowboy. Nobody’s hidden anything from you. Nobody knew what happened. If it wasn’t for Allison Barker, we wouldn’t know now and your butt would still be parked in my jail.”

  Quint looked at the group for the first time, his eyes landing on Eugene/Janine. “You? Why, you little bastard. It’s you who’s been following me, isn’t it?” His right hand curled into a fist. “I oughta take you apart—”

  Eugene/Janine shrieked and darted behind Edwina’s back. “Don’t touch me!” He peeked around Edwina’s side. “Sheriff, don’t let him near me.”

  “Don’t get me in the middle of this,” Edwina said, and stepped aside, exposing Eugene/Janine.

  Tag stood up and put his hand on Quint’s shoulder. “Quint, calm down, buddy. Everything’s working in your favor here. Don’t screw it up with an assault charge.”

  Quint’s posture relaxed. “Okay, okay, I’m fine. I’m not gonna hurt the…the—you say everything’s working in my favor? How?”

  “Why don’t you just have a seat, Mr. Matthews, and I’ll explain what’s happened.”

  Quint sank to a chair in front of the sheriff’s desk, but perched on the edge of it like a coiled diamondback. The sheriff, too, took a seat. For the next ten minutes he outlined how events had unfolded up to the present.

  Eugene/Janine timidly stepped toward Quint and placed a hand on his forearm. “See? You’re not in trouble at all. You’ve been cleared. Isn’t that good news?”

  Quint yanked his arm away from Eugene/Janine. “You ever lay a hand on me again and you’ll scratch your ass with a stump for the rest of your life.”

  Eugene/Janine winced, then scurried behind Edwina again.

  Debbie Sue sat down beside Quint and leaned toward him. “I’m so sorry about all of this, Quint. You must be heartbroken, having offered Monica a wedding ring and all.”

  “Wedding ring? Is that what you thought? Babe, you of all people know me better than that. I offered her a hotel key. I stopped and got a room.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? I thought she was the one. I thought you loved her.”

  “That might have entered my mind at first. But she wasn’t as important as my freedom.”

  Debbie Sue recoiled. Edwina stepped forward. “Sheriff, shoot him! Aim carefully and just shoot him.”

  Quint laughed. “Edwina, looks like you’re gonna have to put up with me a little bit longer.” He stood up and gave his shoulders a shimmy. “Now, if all of you will excuse me, I’ve had the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders and I’m getting the hell outta here.”

  “You going back to Midland?” Tag asked.

  “Naw, man, I’m going home. Back to Seguin, and I might not leave there for a while. The fact is, I may never come back to West Texas again.”

&n
bsp; Quint lifted his gray Stetson and looked at the occupants of the room again. “Thank y’all for everything you did for me. Allison, something tells me you and Tag need me to get out of your hair. I wish y’all luck. Debbie Sue, send me a bill. Add a tip.” He pointed to Eugene/Janine. “Sheriff, I want you to arrest that man. I’ve filed protective orders in two counties on him. Tarrant and Guadalupe. The paperwork is in the glove box of my truck. It won’t be hard for you to verify it. I expect to see him locked up to night.”

  Eugene/Janine bravely stepped from behind Edwina’s shadow. “Excuse me, but I am not going to jail. I only wanted to tell that woman that what she was doing to you was unforgivable. I haven’t—”

  He stopped when Quint took a step toward him, but the sheriff grabbed Quint’s arm and steered him toward the door. “Ma’am,” he said to Eugene/Janine, “if I were you, I wouldn’t say another word. I think the safest place for you to night is in my custody. Merle, keep an eye on him while I step outside with Mr. Matthews.”

  Merle snapped to attention and saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  Edwina turned to Debbie Sue. “Guess our work here is done. You want to head on back to night? Vic will be at home waiting for me.”

  “Sure, no need to stay. Allison, you want to ride with us?”

  “Well, I, uh, don’t know. I’d like to go to the funeral tomorrow and my car…”

  Tag placed a protective arm around Allison’s waist and pulled her close. “I’ll stay over. You can go to the funeral, then I’ll give you a ride back to Salt Lick. We’ll stop and check on your car on the way.”

  Allison’s face broke into a beaming smile. “You remember the way to my house?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I most assuredly do.”

  epilogue

  All charges against Quint were dropped. He was free to resume his life, though he faced a relentless barrage from a merciless media. Monica Hunter’s death and the run-up thereto contained all that readers and viewers craved—celebrity sex and scandal and a fair amount of redneck humor.

  Despite the publicity, Quint’s reputation as a lover didn’t take the hit it had a few years back. Perhaps it had even been enhanced. He was now the man that no woman—or man—could resist.

  Eugene/Janine had violated a restraining order against stalking Quint. He received an eighteen-month jail sentence. While confined, he made good use of his time. He wrote a tell-all book about the death of Monica Hunter and his relationship with a three-time world-champion bull rider. The book, entitled What I Did for Love, was an instant must-read. It became a New York Times bestseller.

  Upon his release six months early because of good behavior, Eugene/Janine became a media darling, giving interview after interview detailing the story of his/her affair with Quint, his/her brush with the law, and the grisly story of Monica Hunter’s electrocution. He was invited to be a guest on Oprah, Leno, and Letterman, and all of the morning talk shows.

  Tag and Allison dated for ten months, then married. Allison and Jill moved from Lydia Barker’s small cottage in Salt Lick into Tag’s 4427-square-foot home in Midland. As Mrs. Tag Freeman, Allison realized a dream of opening a dress shop in the mall. She added maternity wear within the year.

  Tag expanded his business, opening a chain of barbecue joints. He penned a cookbook and landed a TV cooking show called Cooking Cowboy Style. He was on the road to being famous again, but this time he wasn’t alone. With a wife, a daughter, and a son on the way, life held new meaning and purpose.

  Sheriff Jackson recognized the potential for real harm from Merle’s good intentions. He gave him “the most important job in the county”—feeding and loving all stray dogs and cats in the county. The job came with a uniform, a badge, and a whistle. Dr. Sinclair retired and donated his office building to the county with the proviso that it be used as a safe haven for lost animals. Merle was surrounded by greetings of love and kisses every day, and he gave back freely. He had never been happier in his life.

  Edwina and Debbie Sue continued as usual—looking for trouble, getting into trouble, and explaining their way out of it. As Debbie Sue said often, “Well, somebody’s gotta fuckin’ do it.”

  Quint made fewer trips to West Texas, but he kept in touch with the Freemans and the Equalizers. He had learned something from his experience: life might be there for the taking, but real friendships were there for the lucky.

  acknowledgments

  Long before I shared the title of Dixie Cash, I was blessed with the title of Mom. My son is the center of my life and the reason behind everything I do. He has always made me proud, and now I can repay that honor by seeing pride in his eyes when he looks at me. Thank you, Brandon, for bringing your wife, Michelle, into our family and blessing me with Caleb, Joel, and Olivia; for being a better son than I deserve and a funnier comedian than I could ever hope to be. Never give up, or in, and always strive to make a hand.

  To my mom, Joan Cumbie, for always being on the other end of the phone saying, “What’s wrong?”

  Thanks also to Joe Dunnam for his emotional support. He’s the best PR man I could ask for. And Richard, for not scolding me for watching Dancing with the Stars, when I should have been writing.

  To my gang at the office: Gary, Jim, Shanen, Laura, Tiffany, and Slim Katie. Y’all help make work fun and the days go faster.

  And last but never least, Janis Gist and Dawn Hunter. Thanks so much for making my life in Abilene worth writing about.

  —Dixie Cash (Pam)

  Also by Dixie Cash

  My Heart May Be Broken,

  but My Hair Still Looks Great

  Since You’re Leaving Anyway,

  Take Out the Trash

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  I GAVE YOU MY HEART, BUT YOU SOLD IT ONLINE. Copyright © 2006 by Dixie Cash. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Mobipocket Reader October 2006 ISBN 0-06-121008-0

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Cash, Dixie.

  I gave you my heart, but you sold it online / Dixie Cash.—1st ed.

  p. cm.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-06-082971-1

  ISBN-10: 0-06-082971-0

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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  rt, but You Sold It Online