“Mind if I join you?”
His words, completely unexpected, had her freezing so suddenly on the spot that Shane took a step beyond her before he realized she’d come to an abrupt halt. “Why would you do that?” Lacie asked, her blue eyes the size of saucers as she regarded him. Was he kidding?
The light breeze caught his hair – a black so dark and shiny it looked blue – pushing locks of it into his face. His eyes – a crystalline blue – were like brilliant sapphires in the moonlight. The effect was startling. She sucked in a breath, a conscious effort to remind her temporarily failing autonomic systems that breathing was essential
He shrugged, offering a boyish grin. “I’m not sure exactly. Maybe because you’ve made me smile more in the last ten minutes than I have in the last ten days.”
It took a few moments for his words to penetrate the haze. Oh. Comic relief. Yeah, well, okay. She could do that. It was probably the only time she’d ever get a chance like this, so why not?
“You like to live dangerously, don’t you?” she said, flashing him a friendly smile again. “No, I don’t mind, but I’m warning you - you do so at your own risk.”
“Duly noted,” he chuckled. “But I think I’ll take my chances.”
S
hane hadn’t been entirely honest with her. She did make him smile, that much was true, and heaven knew, he could use more of that these days. Five of his brothers – including his twin – were now happily married, leaving only him and his younger brother Kieran feeling somewhat... lost? Left behind, maybe?
They had always been a very close-knit group. For the most part, their adult lives had been a series of dangerous missions interspersed with Callaghan-centric recharge time. Over the last several years, though, the dynamics had changed. They had wives and kids to turn to. They had other places to go. Other things to do.
Not that Shane sat around on the sidelines twiddling his thumbs these days, not by any means. As the legal counsel for his family and their vast (and lucrative) interests he stayed quite busy. And with himself and Kieran as the only unattached males, they were taking on more of the special forces task load, both out of a sense of responsibility and for the sense of purpose it gave them.
But it wasn’t the same. Things were changing. It wasn’t enough anymore. And Shane found himself looking. For what, he wasn’t sure. Just...
something
.
He stole a glance down, catching the illusion of sunshine and moonlight as the old-fashioned streetlamps cast their light upon her golden hair. The sweet, subtle scent of lilies and orchids drifted up to him, wrapping around him like a soft breeze. He filled his lungs with it. Such a light fragrance. Clean. Simple. Pure. Feminine.
Something
.
She was being especially cautious now, paying particular attention to where she was walking. Shane bit back a smile. He was being particularly attentive as well. If she stumbled or tripped again, he would catch her. He almost wished she would. It would give him an excuse to touch her again.
The lights of the all-night campus coffee shop glowed welcomingly. Shane stepped forward to open the door for her, then extended his hand, indicating that she should order first. His curiosity was roused, and this little exercise would provide a chance to study her, to learn a little more about her.
He had a natural gift for “reading” people, for sensing their underlying natures. He could tell when someone was lying, or when they were nervous. It was an ability that had served him well over the years, but one that he sometimes wished he didn’t have. Once in a while, it would have been nice to simply be able to take people at face value, and not know what lie beneath the surface.
The woman with him was slightly anxious, but it was a ‘good’ anxiety, one based on anticipation and, possibly, incredulity, as opposed to the kind someone felt if they were afraid or hiding something. Nor was it the blatant lusty admiration he often picked up from some of the younger coeds, the type that had him turning on his heel and slipping out of the back of the classroom earlier, only to return for his sleeping beauty once the lingerers had left.
Oh, she was interested. The way her cheeks flushed that lovely pink and her pupils dilated every time she looked at him were clear tells. But it was the subtlety of it that made all the difference.
This woman was not the type to throw herself at a man or take the initiative.
He took it as an encouraging sign. She had a sense of humor. Her smile lit him up from the inside out. She smelled like flowers, and had what he could only describe as a refreshingly honest interest in him and his company.
His initial analysis was promising indeed.
Personal desire aside, this was also an exercise in the study of human nature. Would she defer to him or order for herself? Would she select something she actually wanted, or would she be more worried about what he might think?
“Medium hazelnut, cream and sugar, and, um, let me see... how about one of those cream-filled donuts with the chocolate icing, please.” Shane smiled broadly, then doubled her order. She grinned right back at him.
By the time she dug down into the front pocket of her blue jeans, Shane had already paid.
He picked up the tray and guided her back to the most private booth in the place. The on-campus café wasn’t overly crowded at this time of night, but there were a few tables occupied.
“Thank you,” she said the moment they sat down. “You didn’t have to pay.”
Shane shrugged, an easy lift of his shoulders. “It’s the least I can do,” he said. “I’m the one who put you to sleep.”
She flushed, a very pretty shade of rose that had him wondering just how far down that color extended.
“I’m just glad you were kind enough to wake me,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “I can imagine waking up at midnight with the wood grain of the desk ingrained in my cheek and being locked in for the night.”
Shane laughed again. “Now there’s a visual. I’m glad I could help.”
While Lacie prepared her coffee (she added two creamers and two sugars, he noted), Shane did a quick scan of the room. It was habit, one that came from years of special forces work, first for the government, then with his family’s “non-existent” team. Within seconds the images were locked in his brain. He knew every exit and entry point, the complete layout of the building, and would be able to describe every other occupant in excruciating detail.
Turning his focus back to the woman across from him, he took a sip of his coffee. “I seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage here. I don’t know your name.”
“Lacie,” she said, extending her hand over the table. “Lacie McCain.”
“It’s a pleasure, Lacie McCain,” he said sincerely as he took her hand. He briefly considered bringing it up to his lips, but he refrained, choosing instead to let the soft weight of her hand rest in his, pleasantly warm, firm.
The contact lasted longer than it would have had it been anyone else’s, but he found that he simply did not want to let go. On the contrary, he wanted to pull her over to his side of the booth so she would be closer to him. The urge was so unexpected and powerful that it took him a minute to process. This had never happened to him before. Being the intellectual that he was, it definitely warranted further study.
“Shane Callaghan.”
“I know who you are,” she said, amused.
Of course she knew who he was; he had been guest-lecturing her class. Shane offered a slightly embarrassed grin, reluctantly releasing her hand. She let it linger a moment more before reclaiming it to break off a bite-sized piece of doughnut.
Her next words surprised him. “I recognized you earlier. You spoke at Maggie Flynn’s re-zoning meeting awhile back. You were wonderful, by the way. Very eloquent.”
Her words were spoken sincerely, with no trace of flirtatious flattery. Shane’s mind flew back to that night, his photographic memory allowing him to review the room section by section. Ah, there she was, sitting left of center, halfway back. He remembered his eyes had lingered on her then, too, but had turned away when the man she was sitting next to draped his arm around her shoulders and cast a possessive glance in his direction.
“I remember,” he said without thinking, something very out of character for him. “You were with someone. Tall guy, brown hair, ex-military.”
Lacie’s eyes opened wide. “How could you possibly remember that?”
Shane shrugged modestly, realizing his mistake. “Blessed with a good memory, I guess.” Some people were put off by his ability to remember and recall things at will; it was not something he shared often. His brothers knew, and that was enough. If this woman was who he was beginning to suspect she was, it wouldn’t matter, but he wasn’t about to take any unnecessary chances until he was certain. He was a cautious man by nature.
Lacie, however, was as astute as she was attractive. “Better than good, I’d guess. Photographic?”
Shane nodded cautiously, but once again his instincts had been correct. Lacie’s grin grew. “And you’re modest, too. You are not at all what I expected, Mr. Callaghan.”
“Shane, please,” he insisted. He was on the verge of asking her exactly what she had expected, which would have been followed up closely by inquiring just when and for how long she had been thinking of him in any regard, and decided against it.
“So you were there to speak on Maggie’s behalf?”
“Yes. Maggie is wonderful. My parents used to take me and my brother and sister up there when her grandparents were still alive to pick apples and pumpkins and go on the hayrides. We made such wonderful memories. Now I take my kids there. They love it.”
Shane’s chest constricted; his focus snapped back onto the woman across from him, the memory of that man’s arm around her shoulder flashing in his mind’s eye again. “You have children?”
Lacie’s shy smile lit the whole room. “Not technically, no. I teach Kindergarten. I refer to my students that way. For a few hours each day at least, they are mine.”
The tightening in his chest eased. He could easily picture her in a room full of little ones, sitting on the floor with them surrounding her as she read from a book of fairy tales. Even with his talent for detailed imagery, this one was particularly clear.
“You’re not married then?” he fished. He’d already noticed she wore no ring on her finger, nor was there any indentation or tan line, but he would rather hear the confirmation from her lips.
A light pink blush suffused her cheeks. “No.”
“Seeing anyone?” He tried to keep his expression carefully neutral, but he could not keep the glimmer of hope from his eyes.
“Not unless you count this,” she teased. “You?”
The neutral expression vanished; a devastating grin took its place. “Present company excluded? No.”
The next few hours flew by. Shane learned that in addition to teaching Kindergarten at the Pine Ridge Elementary School (she had a morning and an afternoon class) she was also working toward her Master’s degree in Education, one night class at a time, ruefully noting how long it would take her to finish.
She had one older brother, Brian, who was in the service (Army). He’d gone missing nearly three years earlier while stationed in Afghanistan. From the way she spoke of him, Shane could tell that they were very close. Lacie believed that he was alive and would return, saying with absolute conviction that if Brian was gone, she would
know
. He didn’t immediately discount her claim. He had similar connections with his brothers, often instinctively sensing when one was in trouble.
She also had a younger sister, Corinne, who was a full-time undergrad at the University. It was Corinne, he learned, who had recommended Professor Steven’s Ethics course to her sister to fulfill one of her optional Humanity requirements. Shane was profoundly grateful she had.
Lacie had an apartment in town where she could be close to both the elementary school and the University – a property owned and managed by the Callaghan family, he noted. Her sister crashed with her sometimes, especially when she had early morning classes, but technically still lived at home with their parents.
Lacie was curious about him, too. Shane obviously couldn’t tell her everything about himself, but he did mention that he had a law degree and was active in the local family businesses. She seemed to be somewhat familiar with his family, which was not surprising since Pine Ridge was a relatively small community. She knew of the Pub his brothers Jake and Ian ran together, though she admitted she’d never actually been inside. She was also familiar with the garage his twin Sean owned and operated. She had heard that Maggie married a Callaghan, a doctor whose name she could not quite recall until Shane told her, and that Kieran ran the popular fitness center
BodyWorks
downtown.
When Lacie’s cell phone sounded – a pleasant, classical melody – she gasped at the time. “Excuse me,” she said to Shane, putting the device up to her ear.
“
Where the hell are you? Is everything alright?
” Lacie immediately held the phone away from her ear, wincing. Shane had no trouble hearing the agitated male voice projecting through the tiny speaker. Inwardly, he tensed.
“I’m fine,” Lacie said when the shouting stopped, shooting an apologetic glance at Shane. “Just lost track of time.”
The caller fired off another series of questions in rapid succession:
What are you doing? Are you still at the University? It’s too late to be out, tell me where you are and I’ll come and pick you up...
Lacie responded with practiced patience; Shane had the distinct impression that this was a common occurrence and that she was used to it. He, however, was not, and found it gratingly irritating.
“Coffee, I’m having coffee. Yes, I’m still on campus. No, I don’t want you to come and get me. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself home.”
There was a brief pause, then,
You’re not alone, are you? Who’s with you, Lacie?