Page 42 of Beyond Reach

“How could you do this, Garner?” Marcella demanded. “He’s an old man. I never in a million years thought you would be a bully.”

The officer moved up. “Okay, everyone calm down. Who is Garner Driscoll?”

Garner held up a finger. “I am, sir. I phoned you. I don’t want to press charges against this man. I called when I wasn’t sure who broke my windshield.”

“We don’t need the police.” Uncle Bill was still in rare form. He waved a fist above his head, although he hadn’t made it off the ground yet. “I’m going to kill her as soon as I get up.”

Chanda gasped.

“Daddy, shush.” Marcella tried to place a hand over his mouth.

He dragged her hand down. “Don’t shush me, and don’t get in the way, baby. I’ll kill her. She’s no family of mine. No blood. I have no problem doing it. Dead. She’s gone. Dead!”

Aunt Hope wobbled. Her eyes were wide, and she raised a hand to her head. Papa Colm seemed to recognize that she was about to faint and caught her elbow to steady her.

The officer stepped between Garner and Chanda and faced Uncle Bill. “Sir, you can’t just threaten a woman’s life like that. How about you come downtown with me, and we’ll have a little chat?”

“Don’t need to chat. Just need to get her out of the way. Then he can marry my baby. That’s what my baby wants. I get her what she wants. Period. No questions asked.”

“Okay, let’s go.” The officer hauled Uncle Bill up from the ground.

“No,” Marcella sobbed.

Her mom came to her senses and dragged Marcella away. “Let him go, Marcella. He’s not right in his head. I’ve known it a long time. Let’s go home. This isn’t the place for us.”

“I’m going with them to make sure there’s no funny business.”

Aunt Hope looked like she would protest or maybe go with Marcella and her husband. Then she stood straighter. “Go. I’m not coming along. Bill, when you get out of jail—if you do—you can find somewhere else to live. Goodbye.”

Chanda was proud of her aunt for deciding she’d had enough with his crazy, but she left without speaking a word to Chanda. The policeman tucked Uncle Bill into his car, and after some argument, Marcella joined them. The policeman and Aunt Hope left Chanda, Garner, and his parents alone in his driveway.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Dad, Mom,” Garner said. “Chanda, I promise you. I wouldn’t have let him hurt you.”

“That goes without saying, but I should get moving.” She remembered she had nowhere to go. No flight. No hotel room.

Garner’s mom hooked her arm through Chanda’s. “Come inside, dear. It’s early, and I haven’t had breakfast. We can make something while the men have a chat.”

“We’ll all talk and make breakfast together,” Garner corrected. “Chanda and I were almost done cooking. We’re glad for the company.”

The three of them started for the house, but when Chanda didn’t move, Garner came back to take her hand and gently lead her into his home.

Chapter 17

Three months later.

“Are you sure about this, Garner?” Chanda’s heart beat out of control. She wanted to pass out, but she might miss the warm and fuzzy feelings dancing in the pit of her stomach.

She looked from Garner on his knees, holding out a ring to her, to his parents and his brothers, all sitting around the table at the restaurant. When Garner invited her to go out to dinner with his family and Steven, she was just flying back into town after working the last day at her job and relinquishing the apartment she’d been living in. The entire process took weeks, and she had missed Garner.

They dated continuously over the last three months, and Chanda was surer the love she felt for this man had never died. It had lain dormant, waiting for the day it could safely blaze up again.

While they claimed they would take it slow, that hadn’t happened. They were on fire, and Garner kept her on her toes the whole time.

His beautiful eyes sparkled, and he grinned. “I’m not getting any younger. How long are you going to keep me on my knees?”

“The rest of your life,” one of his brothers joked.

She laughed. “You said this was just dinner.”

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