Echoes From The Past (Women of Character) (35 page)
Read Echoes From The Past (Women of Character) Online
Authors: Grace Brannigan
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.
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."
"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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