Echoes From The Past (Women of Character)

by Grace Brannigan

  Garrett ran his palm up the inside of her leg, his fingers feather soft, drawing small circles on her tender flesh. His eyes met hers and he saw desire in her pupils, large and black.

  She brought her face close and touched his mouth as she lowered her body onto his, her liquid heat fully enclosing him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Garrett woke slowly, stretching from head to toe. Opening his eyes, he saw the clock on his bedside table. Nine-fifteen. He couldn't recall the last time he’d slept so late.

  Instantly, he thought of the night he and Christie had shared. He rolled over but she was gone from the bed. He ran his palm over the still warm sheets.

  The bedroom door opened. "Hi, Daddy."

  He caught Hannah as she jumped onto the bed. "Good morning, Hannah. You look very nice in that blue dress."

  "Thank you, Daddy." She gave him a tight hug. "Me and Christie are making breakfast ‘cause Ruth isn’t working today. I didn't wake you, did I, Daddy? Christie said to let you sleep."

  Garrett grinned. "I'm not tired anymore."

  "I'll tell Christie." After giving him a kiss, Hannah jumped off the bed.

  "Hannah?"

  She turned her wide blue gaze on him. "Yes, Daddy?"

  "You like Christie, don't you?"

  "I love her," she said solemnly.

  Garrett smiled at her. "Me, too." He stared at his daughter, and it was like a light bulb flashed in his head. He did love Christie. He patted the sheet beside him. "Sit down a minute. We have to talk."

  His daughter sat on the edge of the bed.

  "Do you remember when we talked about the accident? I want to make sure you understand it was never your fault."

  She nodded.

  "I also want you to know that ever since I saw you peeking at me from behind your mom, you’ve always been my little girl." He wanted there to be no lingering doubts in her mind that he wanted her. Hannah threw her arms around him and hugged him again.

  "Oh, Daddy! I love you even more than Albert."

  Garrett laughed, but a great relief washed over him. He finally felt like he had a handle on his daughter.

  "I have to go help Christie," she said, and ran out of the room.

  Garrett heard Hannah's excited chatter all the way from the kitchen.

  In the shower he planned what he would say to Christie, how he'd ask her to marry him. She had to say yes. She loved him and he loved her. It was that simple and the time was right for the three of them to be a family. He didn’t expect everything to be easy, but he and Christie had a good start.

  Exiting the shower, Garrett knotted a towel around his waist. He reached for the bathroom doorknob but the door opened toward him first. Christie stood in the doorway. With a lift of his brow and a leer, he advanced on her. "Since you’re here I have every intention of taking advantage of you."

  Christie put up a warning hand. "Keep away from me, Garrett McIntyre. I came to tell you breakfast is just about ready. I have other news also." Christie smiled slightly. "Hannah informed me she loves you more than Albert."

  "Ah, the highest compliment."

  "Ruth was here for just a few minutes. She’s taken Hannah with her into town. I imagine she’ll have her hands full with the way Hannah’s been running through the house," she said. "And now it appears we’re all alone."

  Garrett began to smile. "Sounds like a conspiracy to me."

  "If it is, I vote we should play along." Her smile told him to come and get her. She pretended to evade him by backing out the door but Garrett shackled her wrists in his hands and closed the door. Gently, he pinned her against the wood and put his hands beside her head. "The rule starting today is you can’t leave bed until I’m awake. I think you were looking for an excuse to come back in here," he murmured, running his mouth down her neck. "And I'm not letting you go until you admit it."

  Christie tipped back her head and closed her eyes. "I'm not admitting to anything," she declared, her palm flat against his chest.

  Garrett heard the distant ringing of the phone. "Let the machine get it."

  "It might be Darrell," she murmured, "He promised to call."

  Garrett closed his eyes and groaned. Christie burst out laughing, no doubt reading the disappointment on his face.

  "The bacon’s probably nearly burnt anyway," she observed, slipping away from him. She gave him a teasing smile. "See you for breakfast."

  Garrett walked into the kitchen a few moments later. He’d let Christie off lightly with a few kisses, but he intended to make up for it later.

  He wrinkled his nose and reached over to turn off the griddle. The bacon strips were definitely charred.

  "Christie?"

  He also flipped off the gas under the teakettle as it began to whistle shrilly. Where was Christie?

  Garrett walked back out into the hallway and spotted Christie in the living room. She stood at the French doors, staring outside. The phone was in her hand but Garrett could clearly hear the constant beep of a disconnected line. He felt a sudden chill, seeing her standing there so still.

  "Christie?"

  As he approached she slowly turned. She fumbled with the phone and then put it down on the table behind her. Gone was the carefree woman he had kissed five minutes earlier. Now her eyes looked haunted.

  Telling himself to remain calm, he touched her arm.

  She started to speak several times but was so obviously upset she stopped. Garrett’s gut twisted at the resignation he saw in her eyes.

  Finally she managed, "There’s something I’ve heard Buddy say, about being dumber than a box of rocks."

  "Tell me," he said urgently.

  "I must be dumber than a box of rocks to think I could pull this off."

  "Pull what off?"

  She flung her arm out in a sweeping gesture. "Any of this. You -- Hannah, the talk we had about me staying here like we’re a normal dating couple. How could I think I could get away from my past? Judith knew it, but I thought I could win. It’s always been there waiting to jump on top of me." She lowered her head. "And now it has," she whispered.

  "You’re not making sense." Garrett gripped her arms and made her face him. "Christie, tell me what you’re talking about."

  Her eyes looked like liquid chocolate. "That call was from Darrell. He got in early this morning. There was something in his voice -- he didn’t want to tell me but I knew something was wrong. Apparently my mother’s been arrested again. Her name is all over the news." Christie pulled away from him.

  "Your mother? What does this mean for you?" Garrett asked.

  She spun around and stared at him incredulously. "It means what it’s always meant. My family is bad news -- lying -- stealing and we’re drunks who don’t care if the whole world knows it."

  Garrett put out a hand. "Christie, that’s not you."

  "It’s my family, so it is me," she said, her voice thick with pain. "There’s more you should know. My father’s been arrested countless times for driving under the influence. My mother’s been in and out of jail my entire life. That’s why Judith left. She wanted something better." She looked up at him. "She found something better, you, but she couldn’t handle it. She couldn’t handle normal."

  Christie’s eyes were dark with wounds he might never understand. He felt as if he’d been hit between the eyes. He needed just a minute to think, to make her see it was her that mattered.

  "What’s important is I care about the woman you are," he said urgently.

  "You don’t know the woman I am. When your life is a sordid secret, there’s nowhere to hide. Eventually the truth comes out, but you wouldn’t know anything about that. You’re a well-respected businessman, you serve on committees and actively participate in the community. People look up to you. Your life is an honest, open book." She looked at him and then went on deliberately, "I was engaged about six years ago. He was an assistant district attorney with a bright career ahead of him. He told me he loved me. When I told him about my family, our relationship
ended."

  Garrett knew the next few moments were crucial to their future. "I don’t care about your family," he said. "It’s you I love."

  Christie stared out the glass doors. "You have no idea what you’re saying. I can’t stay. I was a fool to try and forget who I am." She turned to face him and there were tears on her cheeks. "I’m so sorry, Garrett." She pulled the door open and ran out onto the terrace.

  Garrett stood there, his brain working, trying to see his way through this nightmare. An intensity of emotion gripped him. He wanted to fight for her but he wasn’t sure how. All along he’d had his own doubts about her past, but right now the only clear thing in his mind was he didn’t want to let her go. Despite what she’d said, she wasn’t her sister and she wasn't her family.

  Chapter Twenty

  Christie stood on the terrace, trembling all over. The sun touched her head but it didn't warm the cold place inside -- the place she had run from her entire life. Her past. Her upbringing. The guilt and shame she’d tried to keep hidden, sometimes even from herself. Judith, I understand.

  Now Garrett knew all the secrets about her messed up family. She’d seen the look on his face. Maybe he was already having second thoughts.

  He said he loved her.

  She thought of the way she and Garrett had loved each other last night. It had felt so right.

  "Had a little spat?" asked a man’s voice, a familiar voice.

  Christie turned around and reached for the terrace door just as Les Doyle muscled in close to her and pushed her across the terrace. Christie lost her balance and fell against the edge, gritting her teeth as her knee hit the stone.

  "Too bad about your fight," he said. "I guess this means you’re finally leaving."

  "Why are you here?" she demanded.

  His mouth twisted in a mockery of a smile. "You ruined my life, now I’m going to ruin yours." In his hand he held a small handgun.

  Terrified, she edged away from him. "This isn’t necessary." She looked at the closed terrace door, praying Garrett didn’t follow her out. "You have to get help, Les, for yourself and your family."

  "Why bother? Kim swore she’d never come back." Christie recognized the stark pain in his voice. "The way I see it, all of this started when you weaseled your way in here."

  "No," Christie said. "Kim left because she was afraid for her son. You’re not yourself when you drink."

  His eyes shifted and she saw a shadow of pain. "You don’t know anything about it."

  Christie planted her feet. "I grew up in an alcoholic family. I know what it does to the people who love you. It’s an obsession you can’t kick on your own, no matter how much you think you’re the one in control." When he didn’t say anything, she pressed her point home. "Think carefully, Les. When you drank, long before I arrived here, what happened?"

  "Move off the terrace," he snarled, waving the gun left to right.

  "You’re afraid to admit it, aren’t you?" she said slowly, sympathy filling her. "It hurts like hell to think someone you love doesn’t want you anymore."

  "Les!" Garrett’s voice was behind them. Christie turned back toward the terrace doors, heart racing with fear. Garrett stood in the doorway. "I’m the one that hired her. This isn’t her fault."

  Christie looked at Les. "You know it’s not my fault or Garrett’s. You need to look at yourself Les. You’re a good looking guy, you’ve got a wife and a beautiful baby boy, but you’re so far down in that bottle, you can’t remember what it was like when you and Kim were happy. A job is just a job. There are other ones, better jobs. But Kim does have a job to come back to. Don’t do something you’ll regret and pay for the rest of your life."

  Les’ laugh sounded desperate. "It’s gone too far already." His hand with the gun pointed down to the ground.

  Christie could see the sweat beading his brow. "Stop now before someone gets hurt. You’ll go to jail and what will that do to Kim? This next moment will decide the rest of your life. How do you want to live it?"

  Christie saw something in his eyes, either desperation or fear, and she knew part or all of what she’d said hit home. As if his feet had been yanked out from under him, Les suddenly collapsed to the stone floor, the gun in his lap. "I didn’t mean to start a fire," he said, his voice cracking. "I fell asleep. They’ve been looking for me everywhere, I couldn’t go home."

  "Have you been hiding at the ranch, Les?" Garrett asked.

  "Yes," he said starkly. Les looked up at Garrett. "The night of the fire it was moonless. I used my lighter to see, but I dropped it on the bag the painter’s had in the corner. It started to burn and I thought I stomped it all out, but I woke later and the room was filled with smoke. God, it was choking." His shoulders began to shake. He pushed the gun across the stone, away from him. "Call the police," he said to Garrett. "I’ll turn myself in. Right now, I have nothing to lose."

  Garrett picked up the gun.

  Christie’s heart went out to Les and she carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. "We’ll get help for you, Les."

  ###

  As Garrett called his brother and explained what had happened, he marveled that Christie had stopped Les in his tracks, maybe even saved his life by dealing with him calmly and rationally. By the time Randy arrived Christie had spoken to Les about the different substance and alcohol abuse programs available and Garrett’s admiration for her went up another notch. However, they all knew the most important part was up to Les.

  When Randy and Les finally drove away in the patrol car, Garrett pulled Christie into his arms, needing to reassure himself that she was okay. "Christie, sweetheart. How did you know all that information about the help that’s available for Les?"

  "I’ve worked in the court system for years and my own father has been in various rehab programs." She looked away. "I've always been afraid," she admitted, lifting her chin. "They say it runs in families. I've never had a drink, not even a taste. I didn't want to find out if I had it. I know what it does to the people you love. So many times, my father promised to quit, but he couldn't. My mother, well, she was in and out of our lives -- a lot of it’s blurred."

  She took a deep breath. "I’ve wasted a lot of time being ashamed of who I was."

  "Your upbringing made you the woman I love." Tenderly, he cupped her face. "Something beautiful came out of the ugliness. You."

  "You know all the secrets," she said simply, feeling a tremendous release.

  "Marry me."

  Christie threw her head back as a smile pulled at her mouth. She lifted her shoulders and a great well of love rose up within her. Tenderly, she smoothed her fingers through his hair. "I love you so much, you’re everything to me."

  "I won’t let you walk away," he said gruffly, "especially now that we’re both finally talking some sense. How could either of us have doubted for one minute we were meant to be together?"

  "We’ve been too stubborn to see what’s so obviously in front of us." She kissed his cheek. "I hope you’re interested in kids when we’re married," she teased. "I want a brother and sister for Hannah."

  His smile was slow and full of promise. "We can get started anytime."

  Epilogue

  "Christie Jenkins McIntyre."

  Christie walked onto the stage and accepted her diploma with a smile. She moved over to the podium and felt very calm as she looked out over the vast sea of faces. Assembled before her were her classmates and peers, family and friends: the people who mattered the most to her.

  She smiled down at her family sitting in the front row. Garrett held Katherine, the baby’s small dark head nestled against his shoulder, and Hannah sat beside him, the big sister proudly in charge of diaper bag and baby essentials. Darrell and Eric had flown to Kentucky to be here today, along with Trina, Eric’s new mom. Behind them sat Garrett’s mother, Ruth and Sam with Buddy, Ally and Randy, who had finally married only last month. They all cared about her and in the last several years they had all shown it as families do, in one caring manner after
another.

  She had practiced her speech for today in front of her husband, but suddenly, she knew she had to share her knowledge in a different manner than she had planned. When the applause died down, she began.

  "Friends and classmates, I had planned a different speech today for these graduation ceremonies, but I would like to share a story with you." She lifted her chin and knew without looking at her husband that Garrett was proud of her. "I would like to share with you a story about following your dreams and allowing yourself the strength and wisdom to overcome any obstacle, real or perceived. The real truth to success lies not in your past, but what you build for your future."

  ∞ THE END ∞

  Thank you for purchasing Echoes from the Past. Stop by my page for other titles. http://www.GraceBrannigan.com

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