Forever Hers by Walters, Ednah (new ebook reader .TXT) 📗

opened and closed, but all she heard was, “You don’t have it in you to do it. You are useless, Amy. You are less than useless. You are nothing.”

She pulled the trigger. The click sounded like a cannon in the silence and everything fell into place. Sanity returned as Amy recognized her surroundings and Eddie staring down at her in total shock. He sunk to her side, sat on the floor and pulled her into his arms. Her breath hitched. Eyes burned.

“It’s okay,” Eddie murmured. “You’re safe.”

She was shaking so hard the gun slipped out of her hands. The thud, as it hit the garage floor, reminded her she was supposed to be strong, the protector of her family. Yet she couldn’t find the strength to push Eddie away, to refuse the comfort his arms offered. She’d stay for a minute longer while she gathered her wits about her.

“Shh,” he murmured, tucking her head against his chest. “It’s okay. You did it.”

She didn’t know how she’d ended up between his thighs, her hands gripping his shirt. She became aware of his hot skin against hers, the pulse beating at the base of his neck, the way his shadow tickled her skin. Fear disappeared and desire leaped through her senses faster than a smoldering line of gun powder.

Heart pounding, she leaned back just as he did. Their gazes locked. Amy gulped at the answering heat in his eyes. He cupped her face, his eyes moving to her lips. Amy’s lips opened in response. She wanted to feel his lips against hers, needed the connection to another person even if it was just for a moment.

“Talk to me, Amy,” Eddie said. “I want to help you but I can’t without knowing what’s going on.”

His words were like a dunk in the Arctic. What was she thinking? She had enough problems to deal with without starting an affair with Eddie Fitzgerald.

She swallowed and found her voice. “You are already helping by teaching me self-defense.”

“It’s not enough. Who’s stalking you? Are you running from the law? Whatever you did, I can get you a legal team with one phone call.”

Amy scrambled from his lap. His expression was so earnest, the concerned look in his gray eyes real, but she couldn’t involve anyone in her mess. She tried with her parents and they’d ended up believing Nolan. She didn’t want Eddie to know how weak and stupid she’d been. Call her vain, but she rather liked the occasional flash of interest and admiration in his eyes. It had been awhile since a man looked at her like that.

“I can’t discuss this, Eddie. This is my problem and I will take care of it.” The piercing sound of the house phone resounded in the empty garage and Amy jumped, her eyes going to the phone mounted on the wall. Each ring was like a needle prickling her skin.

She knew she should answer the phone, but she couldn’t close the short space to pick it up. Nolan would be on the other end. Ever since she saw him at the grocery store, someone had been calling and then hanging up without saying a word. If she wasn’t expecting a call about her car, she would have unplugged all the phones days ago.

“I’ll deal with this,” Eddie murmured as he walked past her and yanked the receiver from its cradle. “Listen, you son of a bitch. I told you to never, ever call here again. You want to talk to her, be a man and show your face.” He slammed the phone back on the wall then turned around. “How long has he been calling?”

Amy’s eyes widened. “Since we dropped off the car. How did you know?

“He called while you were showering. Three times.”

The phone started again. Eddie cursed and reached for it. Amy gave herself a mental shake. He shouldn’t fight her battles. “I’ll answer it.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, took the phone and brought it to her ear. “What do you want?”

“Mrs. Franklin?”

Amy frowned. “Yes?”

“This is Randal from Jack’s Auto. Your car is ready.”

“Oh, uh, thank you. When do you close?”

“Six o’clock.”

“I’ll be there before then. Thank you, Randal.” She put the phone back on its cradle, then unplugged it from the wall. Now, she didn’t have to listen to his heavy breathing. She planned to unplug all the ones inside the house too.

“Was that Randal from the auto shop?” Eddie asked.

“Yes. My car is ready. Do you think you can give me a ride into town before six?”

A pensive look crossed his handsome face. “Sure. In fact, we can leave after Raelynn wakes up. I have somewhere to go at four but I’m hoping you and I can go through some self-defense moves before I leave.”

***

Before going to pick up her car, Eddie stopped by the sporting goods store to pick up a few things. Randal was waiting for them with the keys when they arrived at Jack’s Auto Services. She left Eddie in the car with Raelynn and went inside the building to pay for the repairs.

“It runs very smoothly. We also changed the oil and rotated the tires.” He flashed a boyish grin. “Those were complimentary because we want you to come back.”

Hoping he wasn’t going to ask her out again, Amy pulled out her purse and counted several hundred dollars and offered them to the guy.

Randal shook his head. “He hasn’t told you?”

“Who?”

“Your brother. He came here the day we inspected your car and said he’s paying for it. He did this morning. We told him the car also needed an oil change and he offered to pay for that too, but we decided we wanted you to come back, so we threw that in as a comp.”

Eddie Fitzgerald. He must have called while she was in the shower or something. How many times did she have to tell him she wasn’t a charity case? Amy gave the service tech a tight smile. “He forgot to mention that.”

“He said it was