Erin felt the tension in Joseph’s body. It was obvious that Chief Norris would hear about his intrusion, given his son’s attitude.
If she planned to retake charge of her life, Erin decided, she had better start now. “Joseph was just leaving, Chet, and so am I. I’m sorry but I can’t marry you. In fact, under the circumstances, you’re the one who should be saying you’re sorry.”
The groom’s reaction was subtle but unmistakable: a tightening around the eyes, a flare of the nostrils. Erin’s chest squeezed. Something about him frightened her.
Tina gasped. “Five minutes ago, you were fine. What on earth is going on?”
“Five minutes ago, I was deluded,” she said. “Tina, I was going to turn Chet down the day of the accident. He lied to me.”
“Tell me what kind of nonsense this man’s been spouting.” Chet reached for her shoulders, a gesture he frequently used, she realized, when he wanted to assert control.
She stepped away. “He didn’t have to tell me anything. I called my boss in Tustin. According to her, I was planning to turn you down before I got hit. I never promised to marry you. You lied to me.”
At some level, Chet must have been prepared for her accusation, because he immediately changed tactics. “You’ve been promising to marry me for the past six weeks. If anyone lied, it was you.”
Erin could hardly believe his nerve. “I was flat on my back in the hospital with a head injury! You convinced me we were engaged.”
“The hospital released you a month ago. You could have called off the ceremony at any time. No one forced you to do anything, Erin.” He spread his hands placatingly. “Look, this is an obvious case of prewedding jitters. We’ve got a whole ballroom full of guests waiting for us to walk down the aisle. Do you want to humiliate your mother in front of her friends?”
This last statement stopped her. By refusing to move home again after her father’s death, she’d already let her mother down once and left her vulnerable to an opportunist like Lance. The last-minute cancellation of her daughter’s wedding would embarrass Alice in front of Sundown Valley society. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
That wasn’t a good enough reason for Erin to marry the wrong man, however. And if she hadn’t already been convinced there was something amiss, Chet’s behavior these past few minutes had made it crystal clear. Instead of showing concern for her happiness, he’d done nothing but try to finesse her.
“When I told you I didn’t want to rush things, you described how eagerly I accepted your proposal and how I insisted we get married right away,” she said. “You stage-managed the whole thing.”
“This is a misunderstanding. This policeman’s been playing on your vulnerability. I don’t know why he’s done it but I’ll find out.” Despite Chet’s conciliatory tone, his pale blue eyes had turned to ice. “What I don’t understand is how you think you’re going to get away with this.”
She couldn’t seem to drag her eyes from Chet’s. It was like staring at a cobra. “Joseph?”
“I’m here.” His evenness broke the spell.
“You can’t stop me.”
“The problem is, you’re not stable,” Chet said in that same persuasive tone. “We’ve all tried to smooth things over, but your behavior this past month hasn’t always been rational. You need someone trustworthy watching over you.”
“I’m an adult,” she told him. “I can watch over myself.”
“Unfortunately, there’s a lot more at stake here than a young woman’s whims,” he said. “You’re half owner of a major company. If you go off half-cocked, you could not only endanger your inheritance but threaten the stability of a large chunk of this town’s economy. Maybe it’s time someone asked a judge to appoint a trustee until you regain your mental health.”
To have a judge declare her incompetent—what would that mean? She couldn’t be forced into a marriage, but could they lock her in a psychiatric facility? The prospect terrified Erin.
She moved closer to Joseph. He was a police officer and her friend. She just hoped he hadn’t changed his mind about helping her.
His next words were reassuring. “Miss Marshall is under my protection. If she wishes to leave the premises, that’s her right. You want to talk to a judge? Fine. My mother works for a lawyer. We’ll make sure Erin’s properly represented.”
“You used to be her boyfriend,” Gene put in. “For all we know, you’re playing on her weakness for your own advantage.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Tina blurted. “She’s not crazy and Joseph isn’t here to trick her.”
“Stay out of this,” her brother warned.
“Why? What’s it to you?”
“Let’s save the family quarrel for later, okay?” Chet was too intent on his goal to let the conversation get off course. “We’ve been going together for a long time, Erin. I could tell when I proposed that you intended to accept. I just simplified matters at the hospital because you needed someone to take care of you. What’s wrong with that?”
Thank goodness he’d backed away from making threats. At the same time, she marveled at how skillfully he twisted the facts. “I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you,” Erin said. “But it’s useless to argue.”
“You’re going to run off and leave your mother to handle the fallout?” Chet pressed. “Do you have any idea how upset she’s going to be?”
His renewed attempt to corner her annoyed Erin. “I think I know my mother better than you do.”
“Is that why you’ve been asking me to run interference with her this past six months?” It wasn’t a question but a challenge. “You don’t have the first notion what Alice is going through.”
Angered flipped a switch. Andrew Marshall would never have allowed an employee, even a CEO, to address him in this condescending manner. “I’ve been dealing with my mother since long before you came to work for us.” Erin heard her father’s commanding inflection in her voice. “I can handle her without your help, thank you.”
Chet flinched. It was all the encouragement she needed. “Let’s go,” she said, and caught Joseph’s arm.
She did indeed owe Alice an apology. If that meant she had to endure a tongue-lashing, it couldn’t be any worse than facing up to Chet had been.
Adrenaline carried her along the carpeted hallway and outside into the October afternoon and down a walkway toward the guest wing, where her mother had taken a suite for the day. The hacienda-style country club, built sixteen years ago by the Marshall Company, opened onto a landscaped courtyard.
Ordinarily, Erin relished its lush vegetation. Today, she was in no mood to admire the flowers.
Joseph slanted her an admiring grin. “I love the way you pulled rank on him.”
“Is that what I did?” She would have found the notion amusing, except that Chet’s warning still rang in her ears. What I don’t understand is how you think you’re going to get away with this. What exactly had he meant?
“He jumped as if someone yanked the carpet out from under him,” Joseph said. “I think you missed your true vocation. You should have been a drill sergeant.”
The darkness inside Erin dissipated. “He scared me. I couldn’t have done it without you standing there.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself.” The autumn breeze ruffled his light brown hair, which always seems to stick up no matter how short he trimmed it.
“Do you think he was right?” she asked.
“About