Page 27 of This Heart Of Mine (Chicago Stars 5)

Phoebe spoke with quiet determination. “Let’s all sit down.”

“I’ll stand,” Kevin said, his lips barely moving.

Molly felt sick and angry and panicked. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I won’t have any part of it.” She spun around, only to have Kevin step forward and block her way.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“That’s not what I hear.” His cold eyes cut into hers like shards of green ice.

“You heard wrong.”

“Molly, let’s sit down so we can discuss this,” Phoebe said. “Dan flew all the way to Australia to find Kevin, and the least you—”

Molly whirled toward her brother-in-law. “You flew to Australia?”

He gave her the same stubborn look she’d seen on his face when he’d refused to let her go to a co-ed sleepover after her high school prom. The same look she’d seen when he wouldn’t let her postpone college to backpack through Europe. But she hadn’t been a teenager for years, and something inside her snapped.

“You had no right!” Without planning it, she found herself hurtling across the room to get to him.

She wasn’t a violent person. She wasn’t even hot-tempered. She liked rabbits and fairy tale forests, china teapots and linen nightgowns. She’d never struck anyone, let alone someone she loved. Even so, she felt her hand curling into a fist and flying toward her brother-in-law.

“How could you?” She caught Dan in the chest.

“Molly!” her sister cried.

Dan’s eyes widened in astonishment. Roo began to bark.

Guilt, anger, and fear coalesced into an ugly ball inside Molly. Dan backed away, but she went after him and landed another blow. “This isn’t your business!”

“Molly, stop it!” Phoebe exclaimed.

“I’ll never forgive you.” She swung again.

“Molly!”

“It’s my life!” she cried over Roo’s frenzied barks and her sister’s protests. “Why couldn’t you stay out of it!”

A strong arm caught her around the waist before she could land another blow. Roo howled. Kevin drew her back against his chest. “Maybe you’d better calm down.”

“Let me go!” She jabbed him with her elbow.

He grunted but didn’t release her.

Roo clamped on to his ankle.

Kevin yelped, and Molly jabbed him again.

Kevin started to swear.

Dan joined in.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” A shrill noise split the air.

Chapter 5

Sometimes you need a friend really badly, but everyone’s gone away for the day.

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