When she saw it was Brendan, she smiled.She’d never been in love like this before. The simple act of watching him walk into a room made her weak in the knees.“Hi, Brendan, is everything okay?”“It is now. Are you two all right?”“We’re fine. Your mother is a sweetheart. She’s been asleep almost ever since you left.”“Don’t open the door to anyone but me.”The warning was unexpected and frightening.“What’s wrong?”“Anson didn’t take well to the news that Mama and Linny would be staying with me.”“But didn’t you tell him how badly she was hurt?”“He doesn’t care, Julie. He’s the one who burned her in the first place. For him, it’s all about control.”“Why did you tell me not to answer the door?”“Because I just found out he’s not here and we did not part amicably.”“What happened?”“I put a gun in his face.”She staggered, then backed up to the wall to keep from falling. “Oh, Brendan.”“It was that or fight until one of us was dead.
