*Author's Note*

Thanks for reading, faving, following, and reviewing.

Time for some Tolbert! YAY! Oh the way Tolbert and Novella's breakup went down is revealed in this chapter.

Bail Out

Novella POV:

It only took 3 days instead of 4 for the money to drop into my account. My uncle took his Subaru hatchback to pick up Randall while tasking me with the job of dealing with the bail bondsman. Lucky me, just what I didn't want to do.

Currently I was in a small, cement blocked, dinky office that smelled like stale Fritos and beef jerky waiting for a guy that had a Dog the Bounty Hunter vibe to him to pull up the McCoy boys' information up on his dinosaur of a desktop from 1999. "McCoy boys ya say?"

"Yea. Tolbert, Pharmer, and Bud." I told the man as his grimy hands moved his old computer mouse on a ratty stained pad, clicking and scrolling on his screen.

He nodded his head while telling me, "Just got it up right 'ere on my 'puter."

I opened my handbag, taking out some checkbooks, one was mine and the other was the family joint account used for school funds, while asking, "Okay. So, can I just write the checks and get them freed now?"

"Yea, each bond's gon'be $10,000." I already knew that. "You's respon'ble if they skip and run out on the court date." Filthy fat version of Dog the Bounty Hunter warned me with a sneer, his eyes boring into me.

"I'm their lawyer, they won't skip and run." I informed the bondsman while writing out checks.

"Better not or you gotta pay up a hefty 'mount o'money."

I tore the checks from the checkbooks and handed them to wannabe Dog while telling him, "Here's your 30 grand."

"These ain't gonna be bouncin' all over the county, right?" The bondsman asked as he took the checks and placed them in a drawer on his desk.

"No, the money's in the accounts. Now where's the forms I need to sign?"

"Right here." The man handed me the forms. While taking them he told me, "Sign on the line then you can go." I nodded, picking up the pen off the counter and quickly signing my name. I silently handed the man the signed papers. He took them and placed them on his desk while telling me, "I'll call up the jail and give 'em the go 'head to set them McCoy boys free as birds."

"Okay. Thank you." I nodded before turning away from the desk and walking out of the door.

I quickly made by way to my car and got into it. I locked the doors and grabbed my phone from my purse before slinging it onto the passenger seat. I unlocked my phone and scrolled my contacts 'til I found my uncle's name. I pressed it and listened to the phone ring for a few seconds before I heard my uncle's sly voice greet me with, "Did you get the bond paid?"

"Yea, I'm in the parking lot getting ready to leave. The guy said to go to the jail to get them."

"Yes, we're heading there right now. By time we get there the boys should be processed and getting released."

"Okay. See you soon." I hung up my phone and tossed it back into my bag. With a heavy sigh I shifted gears and backed out of the parking lot. Oh boy, time to spring the McCoy boys from the hoosegow.

I was leaning against the trunk of my car in the county jail's lot, only a few yards from the door labeled Inmate Release. Uncle Perry and Randall were standing by my uncle's hatchback. Well My uncle was standing while his friend was actually pacing between my vintage car and the safely built family friendly Subaru. I was picking at my French manicured nails whenever I heard the loud buzz indicating the heavy metal exit door to the jail had just unlocked. I lifted my head up to look at the door while Randall stopped his pacing, looking at the door with my Uncle Perry.

Suddenly the door opened and in a single file line walked out Bud, Pharmer, and Tolbert. They were dressed in their slacks and button ups that they wore for their arraignment, carrying bags with their bloodied soiled clothes. Bud and Pharmer ran over to Randall while happily crying out, "Poppy!" Even though they were both in their 20's, one early-mid and one late-nearing 30, they both still needed their poppy. They both weren't too old for that, but their older brother was an entirely different story.

Tolbert on the other hand walked up to me while asking in a velvety trembling timbre, "Did ya pay for me t'get out?"

"Yes, but just a small part. Most of the bond was covered by Mo's college fund he's not using this year." I honestly told Tolbert as he stopped right in front of me, looking at me with grateful, but astonished smoke hued eyes.

Taking me by surprise Tolbert gave me a hug while telling me a bit softly, "Thanks for gettin' me out. Means a lot, darlin'."

"You're welcome." I smiled weakly, breaking the hug and pulling away from him. Looking at him so closely I noticed that his usually close, but scruffy, beard had grown out a bit while he's been locked up. I wasn't sure if I liked his ginger facial haired face or not since I'd only seen him with trimmed, close cut bearded scruff. Wait a second, I shouldn't even be worrying bout his beard. Quickly I gained my composure and darted my eyes to look anywhere, but directly into his, while making the tension cutting remark of, "Besides I couldn't let you stay locked up, you got a little girl you need to take care of."

Before Tolbert could utter a word, my uncle's voice sounded out into the air with a slick and commanding, "Novella, take Tolbert to our house to pick up his daughter before bringing him home. I don't have room for him in my car."

What? I didn't want to do that. I quickly, but logically, protested with, "Uncle Perry, I don't have a car seat in the Challenger."

Uncle Perry tilted his fox like face at me while responding slick-voiced with, "This is rural Kentucky in Appalachia, riding a few miles without a proper seat won't hurt the child."

"Okay, Uncle Perry." I reluctantly told my uncle, earning an approving smile from him. Turning to Tolbert I sighed, "Come on, let's get you reunited with your kid."

"How's Sally Elle doin'?" Tolbert asked while we walked up to my car doors.

"She's good but misses you." I honestly answered him while we opened the doors and got inside my car. "Or at least she missed you til I turned on Frozen." I joked with him, tossing my bag on the floor near his feet.

"Told ya my girl loves Frozen." Tolbert said while we buckled up our seatbelts. "How many times she make you watch it?" He asked as I backed up and pulled out of the parking spot.

"Over the last 3 days I'd say maybe 5 or 6 times." I answered him as I followed my uncle's car out of the county jail's parking lot.

"Those songs grate on your nerves." He stated, not asked, as I stopped my car behind my uncle's as I waited for him to make the right turn indicated by his blinkers. "She knows 'em by heart tho. I can't bring myself not t'let her watch no matter how many headaches that music gives me." Tolbert rattled off as I turned left a few moments after my uncle made his right turn.

"Yea, I know what you mean. Your daughter's so cute that it's hard to say no to her."

"Mhm. Poppy says I'm too soft on her, says she's too spoiled."

"I think she's just fine. She's well mannered for a 3-year-old that only has you to bring her up."

"Thanks. I do the best I can." Tolbert smoothly replied to my compliment as we drove down the isolated road heading to town.

"I don't mean to pry, but does Sally Elle see Mary at all?" I asked since the little girl never mentioned her mother once to me.

"No, not since the two-bit whore ran out on us when she was a couple months old." Tolbert spat-snarled, his face curling up in anger and turning nearly as red as his hair due to oncoming rage.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know she left when your daughter was a baby." I quickly apologized, hoping to toss a large bucket of water on the fire beginning to ember in him.

He sounded bitter and miserable as he ranted, "Why would ya? Ya weren't 'round when it happened. Ya were graduatin' from yer Louie-Ville law school an' movin' to Bal'more, becomin' a Yankee."

"I'm not a Yankee and don't be bitter about me graduating from Brandies School of Law at Louisville." I quickly spat back at him, not willing to take his attitude from his nasty gruffy ass.

"I'm not bitter bout ya schoolin'. Always knew ya'd get thru all the law shit." Tolbert told me, his usually velvety voice soundin' a bit flat. The flatness in his tone didn't last for long though. Suddenly his velvety voice sounded gruff as he accusingly barked, "But ya talk like a Yankee and act like one too now. You've forgotten 'bout yer life in these hills. Never came back to it, ran off to Bal'more so fast would've thunk a bear was chasin' yer ass tryin' t'et ya."

"Why would I come back to these hills when there was nothing for me to come back for?" I rhetorically spat at him, taking a swing at our past.

A strange look passed over Tolbert's bearded face upon hearing my rhetorical remark. It seemed like a look of regret, loathing, and sadness all wrapped up into one for some odd reason. "But I reckon yer back here now to save my ass from fryin' and goin' t'hell." He stated factually as his stormy blue eyes looked at me with what appeared to be a glimmer of hope.

"Truthfully yea that's my reason for being here. You and your brothers, to work your case."

Tolbert shook his head quickly, his short wavy ginger hair slightly bouncing, before looking at me. I didn't look back at him, but I could feel his stormy stare on the side of my face as he lengthily told me, "No, Ella, don't give me that horse shit. I know you'd only come back here if I was in trouble. Even tho I broke yer hear ya never let me fry. I might've dropped out of school at 15, but I ain't no mush head. I gotta feelin' Perry Cline mentioned my name and ya raced yer ass in this car here."

"Listen to your stupid outlaw country and stop tryin' to flatter yourself, Tolbert McCoy." I ordered as I cranked up the volume of the radio.

Tolbert just glared at me before snapping his head to look out the window while crossing his arms huffily over his chest.

Blame the ex for the drinkin', Blame the drinkin' for the ex

I pulled up into my uncle's driveway, cranking off the engine before any more of It Ain't My Fault could course over the radio speakers and into my car. Without a word Tolbert opened his door and got out of the car. He wasn't waiting on me and was already walking up the pathway to the front door by time I grabbed my bag and got out of the car. For reasons I'm not quite sure of I rushed to close the distance between me and Tolbert. When I reached his side he just rolled his eyes at me.

Once we reached the door I opened in, walking in with him following right behind me. Roseanna and the girls were in the living room sitting on a blanket playing dolls whenever we walked into the room. I didn't have to announce Tolbert's release cause once Sally Elle's eyes fell onto her poppy she did that.

"Poppy's home! Poppy's home!" The little ginger with the head full of wild curls cried out excitedly as she dropped her doll on the floor and ran over to Tolbert.

Tolbert dropped to a crouch and held his arms wide open right before his daughter jumped on him, hugging his neck tightly. "I'm home, Sugar. Gonna be home for a while yet, too." He wrapped his arms tightly, squeezing his daughter in a hug.

Roseanna smiled and blinked her watery eyes as she watched the exchange between her brother and niece while getting up from the blanket covered floor. Sarah Elizabeth continued to play with her dolls, ignoring her uncle and cousin's reunion.

Sally Elle whipped her head round to look at me while still wearing her large smile on her cute face. "Y'keeps yer p'omise. Brung poppy home."

Tolbert looked at me slightly wide-eyed while standing up with his daughter in his arms. I ignored him and chose to give Sally Elle a sweet smile while telling her, "Of course I did."

"Tolbert, it's so good to have you back." Roseanna said while making her way over to her older brother. "I was so scared that you would be harmed."

Tolbert just rolled his eyes at his worried fragile sister. I could tell by the tremble in his jaw that he was ready to snap so I quickly tempered the situation my blurting out, "I need to take them home so I can get back to work."

"Oh, of course. Well, my car's open so just get Lil Sally Elle's car seat from the back for your car." Roseanna told me with a weak smile before going back to the spot on the floor that her daughter was at playing dolls.

After Tolbert put the car seat from Roseanna's Forrester into my Challenger, since he knew what he was doing and I didn't, we left my uncle's. We were almost out of the neighborhood whenever I spotted the house that, if my memory served me correctly, Jim and Lissa McCoy lied in with their children. "Jim and Lissa still live there?" I found myself asking Tolbert, pointing to an indigo and white cottage styled house with a small porch.

"Yep. He's still a security guard at his bitch's poppy's store too." Tolbert spat out venomously. Okay, so clearly he still wasn't over how his brother moved to town and got out of the farmer and shinner lifestyle. Geez, it's been over a decade since he left the countryside, Tolbert should be over it by now. Or maybe he was bitter with Jim and Lissa since Mary was her friend and she skipped out on hi and their daughter when she was a newborn.

"Poppy, y'say bad word!" Sally Ella squealed accusingly, her eyes wide with shock.

Tolbert turned in his seat and looked at his daughter. In a calm velvet tone he told her, "I know I did, Sugar. I'll try not to do it 'gain."

"Okay." Sally Elle simply said before moving her attention to look out the window.

Our entire ride over to Blackberry Creek was quiet, other then the music from the radio. Tolbert's jaw was hard set and he had this indecipherable look in his smoky blue eyes. Relief flooded over him as I pulled onto the road that would take us to his house in a few short minutes. He turned around slightly to check up on his daughter in the back. "She's gone an' nodded off." He said while sitting back straight in his seat.

I glanced up into my review mirror and saw that Sally Elle was indeed fast asleep in her car seat. "Yea, guess she's tired."

Tolbert pointed to the digital clock on my car's stereo (yea I had a modern stereo and not the old-fashioned tune knob one that was originally stocked with the car) while saying, "It's close to nap time."

"Oh, yea it is." I said as I glanced at the time before quickly placing my eyes back on the road.

We fell back into silence, one that was accompanied with awkwardness and tension. I didn't know what to say and I just felt funny acting as a chauffeur for Tolbert and his daughter. From his body language Tolbert seemed to be in a mix between relief and annoyance. I think that latter was cause he was stuck with me. We had too much shit left unsettled and undone for us not to feel any oddness being alone together. I mean our breakup was, well for a lack of a better word, pulled out of his ass for no real reason.

Memory/Flashback Start:

"Ella, I ain't stayin' up here for the weekend. Ain't gonna be comin' up here no mores neither." I just looked at Tolbert, raisin' a brow up in confussion. How were we gonna do long distance if he weren't comin' up t'Louie-Ville no more? Tolbert looked down at his scuffed up boots before his stormy eyes locked onto my cornflower ones. His look was steely, hardened, as we stood on the plantation styled porch of the Delta Zeta Sorority house I'd just moved into not that long ago. He opened his mouth and in a gruff, but smooth, tone he told me, "We're done with. I don't want ya no more, Ella."

The autumn wind whipped my copper tangled mess of hair 'round as I stood in the breezy weather feelin' like I had just had my heart torn out, cut up into tiny pieces, and been shot. I stared up at Tolbert with big and confused wide-eyes full of shock. He-he didn't want me no more? "But why?" I asked, hopin' 'gainst everythin' that I could hear the reason and then convince him to take me back. To not fulfill the break up. I mean after 2 years why would he not want me now?

"Just cause, Ella." Was the only answer he gave me, which wasn't even an answer at all.

"But Tolbert-" I began only for Tolbert to snap, "We're done. I'm leavin' so go on back inside an' focus on yer studies."

I felt so empty. He really didn't want me after all this time. Where I was from usually after 2 years ya get proposed to not dumped. With my lip quiverin' and tears buildin' up I spun 'round and ran inside my sorority house. I knew he walked away without havin' to look and confirm it. I could feel it, like a sixth sense, and I just knew that he was movin' forward without a care for me. I couldn't help but think did he ever really love me? Time for us to start thinkin' 'bout a future t'gether and he just tosses me aside, turns his back on me and leaves. Maybe he never meant for it to get this far, but it did. I was upset that I wasn't given a reason why either. Just cause wasn't good 'nough.

With tears blindin' my sight I clumisy made my way to a chair in the front parlor room off the open entryway. I collapsed into the velvet green thing, my chest heavin' up and down quickly as sobs racked throughout my body.

So, this is what heartbreak feels like? I feel like I wanna die I hurt so bad. How could he do me like this?

Flashback/Memory End

My unpleasant and depressing memory of the man sitting in my car next to me ended whenever his velvety voice brought me back to reality with the inquiry of, "Ella, ya okay? Yer lookin' a bit upset."

"I'm fine, Tolbert." I retorted quickly, but flatly, as I felt dull from the memory I had just been in.

He just nodded his head slowly while giving me a look that said 'if ya say so' before turning his attention to staring out the window. I felt relieved as I saw the turn for his house comin' up. In no time I flicked on my blinker (probably useless since we were the only ones on the road) and made the turn onto the pathway leading up to his house.

After a minute I stopped the car on the driveway a few yards from the white and green manufactured home. Quietly Tolbert got out of my car. "Thanks for the ride an' gettin' my ass outta jail. I know ya didn't have to, means a lot." He told me as he flipped up his seat and reached into the back to get his daughter out of her car seat.

"You're welcome." I simply replied since it was the proper thing to do. I was raised with manners so…

Tolbert, holding a very drowsy Sally Elle in his arms, gave me a nod before shutting my car door and walking off to his porch. I was just about to back out of the driveway, while Tolbert was opening his front door and going inside his house, whenever my phone started to ring. Instinctively I grabbed my phone from the bag on the passenger's side floor. Without even looking at the ID screen I swiped right and placed the phone up to my ear. "Hello?" I asked the caller while shifting into reverse and backing out of the driveway.

"You fucking bailed those murderous scumbags out!" Was the rumbling deep wave of a reply shouting out of my phone and into my eardrum.

Oh shit! How'd he find out so fast?

AN:

I know Novella and Tolbert's breakup was sad. Can anyone guess who's on the phone in the cliffhanger? LOL!