“You need to stand back now, Branna, and let me get her out of there. Can you do that for me?”
Branna moved to the side, still clenching Macy’s hand.
“Macy, I’m Branna’s father, Declan O’Donnell, and I’m going to get you inside so we can take a look at you, would that be all right?”
“I… I don’t want you touching me.” The words were whispered, but both Branna and her father heard them clearly.
“Macy, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’m going to ask you to try,” Declan O’Donnell said gently.
Macy was biting her lip hard, but she managed to nod. Branna watched then as her father slipped his arms under her legs and lifted her. They both winced as Macy inhaled sharply in pain.
“Go clear the sofa of my things, Branna, so I can put her there for now,” Declan O’Donnell said, as he moved slowly toward the house.
She tried to let go of Macy’s hand, but the woman held onto it with a surprisingly strong grip.
“N-no phone calls to anyone, Branna. Promise me!” The hysteria was close, each word pitched with fear.
“I promise.” Macy released her then, and Branna ran inside. She moved everything off the sofa, and her father arrived seconds later and lowered Macy onto the cushions, which made her moan again.
This was the first real look Branna had of Macy, and she had to swallow the instinctive cry that rose in her throat. Declan rose to his feet, and Branna took his place.
Macy’s jaw was almost black now, the bruise vivid in her pale face, and there were others forming too, and a cut to her forehead that oozed blood. Her shirt was ripped and exposed the pink satin of her bra. She was shaking violently, her body almost convulsing with fear and pain. Pulling the throw off the back of the sofa, Branna quickly wrapped it around Macy and kept her arms there, holding the woman as close as her injuries allowed, giving whatever comfort she could.
“I’ll make some tea, but first you tell me where the first aid kit is, daughter, and then I’ll bring you some water to wash her.”
“Under the sink, and bring more blankets and pillows.”
She was relieved to have him here. No matter what lay between them, he would help her care for Macy, because she hadn’t lied, he was a good man. Even in her angriest moments, she’d known that.
“Br-Branna,” the first sob was pitiful as Macy gripped the front of her dress, her hands clenching in the fabric as Branna held her. Belle had done this for her once, and she still remembered how it had felt, the relief that she wasn’t alone and the knowledge that someone actually cared whether she lived or died.
“Shhh now, it’s safe. You are here with us.” Branna sat beside Macy and rested her head on her cheek. “We won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
Macy’s cries were soft and heartfelt and came from that place deep inside that was shattered. Branna felt her father’s hand on her head as he placed another blanket over the shaking woman in her arms.
“I’ll make the tea now.”
Macy cried until her tears became sniffs, and finally, on a deep, shuddering breath, she stopped.
“She needs to drink this now, love,” Declan said gently when he returned.
Branna eased back and used the edge of the blanket to wipe Macy’s tears.
“Can you drink on your own, Macy?”
“Yes.”
Declan handed her the cup and she wrapped both hands around it and took a small sip. Branna knelt beside her and picked up her own drink, while Declan pulled a footstool close to her side. They all sat and drank in silence, she and her father watching Macy. It was he who spoke first.
“My worry for you, lass, is that you’re hurt and we can’t see how badly. Will you tell us of your pain, so it will ease my mind?”
Macy lowered her cup and looked at them. “I shouldn’t have come here. Th-this is my problem and one I can d-deal with alone. I can’t involve you both.”
“I fear tis too late for that, Macy, and more than time for you to stop whatever this is.” Branna let her father talk, let his deep voice draw what needed to be drawn from Macy. One thing Branna knew was that she would never let her go back to whoever had done this to her. She had found her tonight, and while she had no idea what it was she was dealing with, she had the terrible feeling that Macy had been suffering quietly for a long time.
“I-I c-can’t, don’t you see? H-he’ll kill me if he knows I’m here.” Her face was white and fear filled her eyes. “He’s crazy.”
“‘He’ being Brian, your husband?” Branna asked gently, trying to get her head around the fact that the mild-mannered man they all knew had the entire town of Howling fooled.
