Page 71 of Irish Rebel
“Go ahead.” Travis bared his teeth in a killing smile. “You’re drunk and you’re stupid, just as my daughter said. And you touched her.”
“He was shouting at her, Mr. Grant.” Larry elbowed his way through the crowd. “I heard him threatening her when I was coming in to see the horse.”
Travis blocked Brian’s move forward, felt Brian’s muscle quiver under his hand. “Hold on,” he said quietly, and turned his attention back to Tarmack. “You stay away from what’s mine, Tarmack. If you ever lay hands on my girl again, what Brian can do to you will be nothing against what I will do.”
Emboldened as he assumed Brian was now on a leash, Tarmack swiped blood from his face with the back of his fist. “So what if I touched her? Just getting her attention was all. She’s not so particular who has his hands on her. She wasn’t minding when this two-bit mick was pawing her.”
Brian surged forward, but Travis was closer, and nearly as quick. His fist cracked, one short-armed hammer blow, against Tarmack’s jaw. The man’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed.
“Dee, take Keeley home, will you?” Travis glanced at the crowd, one brow lifted as if he dared for comments. “Would someone call security?”
“We shouldn’t have left.” Keeley paced the kitchen, stopping at the windows on each pass. Why weren’t they back?
“Darling, you’re shaking. Come on now, sit and drink your tea.”
“I can’t. What’s wrong with men? They’d have beaten that idiot to a pulp. I’m not that surprised at Brian, I suppose, but I expected more restraint from Dad.”
Genuinely surprised, Adelia glanced over. “Why?”
As worry ate through her she raked her hands through her hair. “He’s contained. Now you, I could see you taking a few swings...” She winced. “No offense,” she said, then saw that her mother was grinning.
“None taken. My temper might be a bit, we’ll say, more colorful than your father’s. His tends to be cold and deliberate when it’s called for. And it was. The man hurt and frightened his little girl.”
“His little girl was about to attempt to gut the man with a hoof pick.” Keeley blew out a breath. “I’ve never seen Dad hit anyone, or look like he wanted to keep right on with it.”
“He doesn’t use his fists overmuch because he doesn’t have to. He’ll be upset about this, Keeley.” Adelia hesitated, then gestured her daughter to a chair. “Sit a minute. Years ago,” she began, “shortly after I came to work here, I was down at the stables at night. One of the grooms had been drinking. He had me down in one of the stalls. I couldn’t fight him off.”
“Oh, Mama.”
“He was starting to tear at my clothes when your father came in. I thought he would beat the man to death. He didn’t even raise a sweat about it, just laid in with his fists, systematic like, in a cold kind of rage that was more terrifying than the fire. That’s what I saw in Brian’s face today.” Gently she touched the faint bruise on Keeley’s temple. “And I can’t blame him for it.”
“I don’t blame him.” She gripped her mother’s hands. “This, today, this wasn’t like that. Tarmack was mad over the horse, and wanted to bully me.”
“Threats are threats. If I’d gotten there first, likely I’d have waded in myself. Don’t fret so, darling.”
“I’m trying not to.” She picked up her tea, set it down again. “Ma, what Tarmack said about Brian. About him pawing me. It wasn’t like that. It’s not like that between us.”
“I know that. You’re in love with him.”
“Yes.” It was lovely to say it. “And he loves me. He just hasn’t gotten around to saying so yet. Now I’m worried that Dad... Tempers are up, and if he takes what that bastard said the wrong way.” She pushed away from the table again. “Why aren’t they back?”
She paced another ten minutes, then finally took some aspirin for the headache that snarled in both temples. She drank a cup of tea and told herself she was calm again.
And was up like a shot the minute she heard wheels on gravel. She got to the door in time to see Brian’s truck drive by, and her father’s pull in behind the house.
“I missed all the excitement.” Though his voice was light, Brendon’s eyes carried that same glint of temper she’d seen in their father’s. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Though she patted his arm, her gaze was fixed on her father. She could read nothing in his face as he climbed out of the truck. “I’m absolutely fine,” she said again, stepping toward him.
“I’d like you to come inside.”
Contained, she thought again. It was impressive, and not a little scary, to see all that rage and fury so tightly contained. “I will. I have to see Brian.” Her eyes pleaded with his for understanding. “I have to talk to him. I’ll be back.”
With one quick squeeze of her hand on his arm, she dashed off.
“Let her go, Travis,” Adelia said from the doorway. “She needs to deal with this.”
Eyes narrowed, he watched his daughter run to another man. “She’s got five minutes.”
