Page 5 of Barry

Barry walked up to her and put his hands on her hips. “Hey, sorry for not calling first.”

She put her arms around his neck. “You never have to call first,” she said, toeing up and kissing him.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave,” her mom said from behind her.

Barry lifted away and then smiled at her mom. “Lorna, you don’t need to go.”

“Oh, heavens, I really do. I have to get home and start dinner. Melvin is over at the Flying H. Senior told him he could buy one of his older tractors to replace the one of ours that died last month. It's better than buying new, that’s for sure, and we’re too old to be cleaning that barn by hand. That front-end loader is a back-saver. But if I know my husband, he and Senior are going to dicker over the price for a couple of hours before they both agree. Those two men haggle like they were at a flea market, and they love every minute of it.”

“You may have to drive out to get him, Mom. Last time he and Senior haggled, he had one too many drinks.” Kathy laughed, remembering the incident.

“Lord, no. I told him he could have two drinks during the entire negotiation. He promised.” Kathy looked at her mom, and they both laughed. Her mom shook her head. “I’m making a venison roast, so I’ll put it on low and slowso I can go get him.” She tapped Barry on the arm. “You’re coming for Sunday dinner, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Barry said.

“Good. I’ll see you then.” Lorna toed up and kissed him on the cheek. “Tell your mom I said hello, and make sure she knows she’s invited.”

“I will.” Barry moved out of the way, and her mom left, only to be stopped by two dogs. She picked them up one at a time and gave them kisses and hugs before getting into her car and leaving.

“I didn’t mean to run her off,” Barry said as they entered the house.

“You didn’t. She was just dropping off some material I asked her to pick up for me in Rapid.” Kathy motioned to the bag at the table.

“How was the last day of school?” he asked.

“It was insane, as always. The teachers won the annual teacher versus student volleyball game,” she shared with a laugh. “I think several of the seniors threw the game.”

“A pity win?” Barry smiled as they moved through the kitchen to the living room.

“Probably,” Kathy admitted. “So, what brings you into town on a Wednesday?”

“I made an appointment with Doc Wheeler.” Barry sat down on the couch.

Sitting beside him, she took his hand in hers. “Is everything okay?”

He sighed when she leaned into him, dropping his arm over her shoulders. “It is now.”

She chuckled and got comfortable in his hold. “Why wasn’t it?”

He sighed, and she let him gather his thoughts, not pushing for an answer. Barry wasn’t keen on being pushed for an answer, and she respected his boundaries. Finally, he spoke. “Everything got too big for my mind. I know that sounds stupid, but all the things kept chasing each other, and I needed to make sense of what was going on. Talking to him helps.”

“Then I’m glad you made the appointment. Did you make sense of things?”

“No, but it was comforting to know Doc agreed with a lot of my concerns and said they were valid.” He shook his head. “No one believes me about Fish, though.”

Kathy put her hand over his on his thigh. “I believe you.” Barry was certain the man was alive and responsible for the events in and around Hollister.

He looked down at her and smiled. “You might be a bit biased.”

She smiled at him and admitted, “I’d say I’m definitely biased. Don’t let anyone stop you from telling your truth.”

“You’re amazing, you know that? Even Doc Wheeler believes Fish is dead.”

“But you said his body wasn’t recovered.”

“It wasn’t, at least according to Andrew's documents.”

Kathy turned to look at him. “How old are they? Thedocuments? I mean, we could request information via the Freedom of Information Act. It could take a while to get, but everything is online these days, so it would be quicker.”

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