First and Only: Callaghan Brothers, Book 2 (11 page)

* * *

T
hey spent several hours at the house, moving from room to room, discovering sections that Lexi didn’t remember quite as well.  They explored the ten secluded acres – including the orchard – barely recognizable now – and the creek, whose path had surprisingly changed very little.  They found a few outbuildings, too, including a cold cellar with its own still-flowing spring, and a smokehouse.  Even with the poor shape the house and grounds were in, the small estate had tremendous value.

Jack, a man of very few words, said little, finding enjoyment in the beautiful afternoon and the pleasure of Lexi’s company.  He stayed close, watching as Lexi went from room to room, her face filled with wonder.  Damn if it didn’t do his old heart good to see her smile again.  In all his years, he’d never come across a lonelier soul, or a woman who deserved it less.  Even after all this time, the look in her eyes the day he’d driven her out of town still haunted him.

It was therefore with much sadness that he saw Lexi’s unfortunate, necessary return to reality as the sun began to set.  They sat together on the southernmost border, on a small ledge that overlooked the entire valley, now bathed in a soft, amber glow that matched her eyes.  This view alone made the property priceless.

“This has been wonderful,” Lexi said, her eyes moist as she gazed out at the sunset. 

“Aye, that it has,” Jack said simply, but the wonder he’d glimpsed hadn’t been in the house or the grounds.  It had been in the eyes and heart and mind of a girl who had, at least for a few hours, remembered how to dream.

“Thanks, Uncle Jack, for bringing me here.”

“My pleasure, lass.”

“I can’t keep it.”  Jack remained silent, watching the spark of light he’d seen in her eyes all afternoon as it began to dull.  “It’s not habitable,” she said.

“No,” Jack agreed, slowly.  “But it could be with a little work.  She’s structurally sound.”

“A little?”  Lexi said doubtfully.  “Uncle Jack, you said yourself the wiring was shot, the plumbing needs a complete overhaul, ...”  She went on and on as he let her get it all out, somewhat surprised and impressed that she had registered and retained all that throughout the afternoon.  With every reason she listed, her exuberance waned a little more, and it was almost painful to witness. 

In his opinion, Lexi needed this house.  She wanted it; she just didn’t believe she could have it.

“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” she concluded, blowing out a breath, deflating before his eyes. 

“You speak as if you had to do it all alone, lass.”

Her eyes flickered with hope for a moment, but then she shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Uncle Jack, but I just don’t belong here anymore.”  The sadness in her eyes was heart-wrenching.

“Bullshite.  You’ve got family here.”

Lexi snorted softly, something that sounded like a cross between a choked sob and a laugh.  “Surely you’re not talking about Patricia and Kayla?”

“Of course not.”

Lexi looked genuinely baffled. 

“Now you are just being insulting, lass,” he huffed. 

Realization dawned on her face; her eyes widened and her cheeks grew red.  “I didn’t mean –“

“I know what you meant,” he finished for her.  “But family doesn’t always have to be blood.”  He took her hand in his, and looked at it intensely while he gathered his thoughts.  “As long as we’re around, you will always have family here, do you hear what I am saying, Alexis?”

She nodded, averting her eyes, but not before he saw the telltale sheen of moisture in them.

“That’s a good lass.  We will talk about this more tonight over dinner and then you can sleep on it, alright?”

* * *

L
exi picked at her dinner under Kieran’s watchful eye, but only because Kieran threatened to force-feed her if she didn’t eat something.  Part of her itched to call his bluff.  The other part of her though – the realistic part – knew him well enough to know that he would make good on his threat, and wouldn’t that just be a barrel of fun?

For the most part, she remained silent as Jack brought Kieran up to speed on the day’s events.  While listening intently, and managing to put away more than she could eat in a week, Kieran apparently tired of her playing with her food.  He reached over and cut her steak into small, bite-sized pieces. 

“Eat,” he commanded, as if she wasn’t a grown woman perfectly capable of taking care of herself.  Without thinking, she stuck her tongue out at him.  His eyes blazed for a few moments – apparently all of the Callaghans had that strange optical power - then the corners of his mouth twitched a little.

“Oh, that’s real mature, Lex.” 

She couldn’t help it.  She smiled, too.  Then she started to laugh.  Kieran had always been able to do that.  To push her buttons until she was ready to throttle him, then say or do something that made her laugh and forgive him instantly.

“Goof,” she muttered.  He pointed at her plate.  She sighed, spearing a carrot instead – purely out of spite – and brought it to her lips.

The food was delicious, but to say she was feeling a bit off-balance would have been putting it mildly.  Within intervals as short as five minutes she’d swing from childlike enthusiasm to adult-like pessimism and back again.  Throw in a decided lack of sleep, the loss of her father, the stress of Patricia’s appeal against the will, and the whole mess with Ian and she didn’t know which way was up.  Taking on the added responsibility of home-ownership was a little more than she was capable of handling at that moment.

While her logical mind created a list of all the reasons why it was a bad idea, the idealistic, romantic part of her – the same one that had been pining for Ian all these years - tuned it out.  The cottage, the land - were perfect.  Everything she could ever want.  Contrary to what her realistic side said, it wasn’t a broken down cottage on neglected acreage.  It was a castle straight out of a fairytale, situated smack-dab in the middle of enchanted ground.   

“Can’t wait to see it,” Kieran said as Jack spoke of their afternoon.  “Sounds awesome.”

“It needs some work,” Jack admitted, and began to run down the substantial renovations required to make it livable.

And just like that, Lexi’s fantasy took a decided nosedive into reality once again.  He meant well, she knew he did, but he didn’t understand, and she couldn’t expect him to.  The kind man she called her Uncle Jack spoke as if she really was a part of their family, but she wasn’t.

She
was
alone.  Had been for a very long time.  She preferred it that way, actually.  Except for Aidan.  Aidan knew all of her secrets (well, most of them, anyway) and kept the monsters at bay.  If he was here now, he would be the first one to tell her that she was in over her head. 

Which was yet another reason why she should be getting the hell out of Dodge and not looking back. 

“We’re heading back up tomorrow,” Jack was saying, avoiding the sudden look of surprise Lexi shot him.  “Johnny’s going to come take a look.” 

“Who’s Johnny?” Lexi asked, not quite sure she wanted to know.

“Our cousin,” Kieran explained.  “He owns a huge construction business across the way in Birch Falls.  Does mainly big stuff, but he’s into restorations and renovations now, too.  There’s nobody better.”

“I really don’t think –“

“Calm down, lass,” Jack soothed.  “Johnny can give us a good idea of what’s what, and you’ll need that, no matter what you decide to do.”

He was right, of course, and she would have realized that herself if she wasn’t riding such an emotional roller coaster.  She needed to get a grip.  Thanks to her father, she was the current owner of the place, whether she wanted to be or not.  It would be smart to have it appraised in its current condition.  Even if she wasn’t going to keep it, she should have an idea of its worth.

She nodded.  It was the responsible thing to do.  And she’d be lying if she said some part of her didn’t want to go up there again, at least once more.

Things only got worse when they stopped back at the Pub after dinner.  Jake, it seemed, had spread the word to the others, and they all wanted to help.  By the end of the evening she’d grown tired of trying to rein them in; they weren’t really listening to her anyway.  Eventually she’d given up, sitting quietly off to the side, nursing her clear soda, until Kieran finally noticed her eyes drifting shut and took pity on her.

Back in her hotel room, Lexi flopped down on the bed, her head still spinning as she tried to process it all.  So much was happening so fast; she felt like she was being swept away in a current of events over which she had very little control.  She was running on empty and she knew it.  Before long, the past two days finally took their toll on her and she dozed off. 

She wasn’t overly surprised when she woke up to find Ian sitting at the small table in her room, watching her as she slept.  Somehow, even in sleep, she had sensed his presence.  Of course, that might have just been because she’d been dreaming of him.  Again.  Except in this dream, Ian had been making love to her when Kayla suddenly appeared, laughing hysterically and leading Ian away from her by a collar while Lexi tried desperately to hold onto him. 

She didn’t need a psych degree to figure
that
one out.

She glanced at the clock, noting that it was just after midnight.  Ian must have come straight from the bar after it closed. 

“Do you make a habit of breaking into people’s rooms?” she asked sleepily, forcing herself to sit up and pin him with as fierce a glare as she could muster.  Damn, he looked good, even in the middle of the night, even with the sound of Kayla’s cackle echoing in her head.

I
an studied her carefully.  He’d been watching her sleep, intrigued by her dreams.  At first it was erotic as hell – she was tossing under the sheet, uttering those soft little sighs and moans he now associated with very specific areas of her body.  But then something changed.  Her whispered cries grew anguished, her expression pained, her hands clawing in some nightmarish struggle as she murmured his name.

He was on the verge of waking her, the need to protect her – even in her dreams – strong in him.  But she’d awoken on her own, and the look in her eyes when she spotted him tore at his heart.  Whatever she’d been dreaming, it had shaken her.  Hoping she might confide in him, or at the very least take some comfort from him, he waited silently.

“Well?” she demanded.  “Do you?”

She was not going to share her dream with him.  He wouldn’t push.  This time.  If it happened again, all bets were off.

“I’m afraid that’s classified information,” he said, opting for an attempt to lighten the mood.  “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

For one very brief moment, he thought he saw her lips quirk, but it was gone before it had a chance to take hold.  “Ian, why are you here?”

“I was worried about you.”

“Don’t be.  I’m a big girl.”

“You didn’t have a problem with Kieran looking out for you.”

“Kieran is my friend.”

“Maybe I want to be your friend too, Lexi.”

Lexi snorted, padding to the bathroom and closing the door behind her.  With each step she seemed to recover a little, and Ian forced himself not to stalk across the room and pull her into his arms.  He would refrain for as long as he could, allowing her to regain her footing.  He was still learning about her, and he had a feeling there was a lot to learn.  It would be worth it, though.  That, he knew. 

In the meantime, he appreciated the view greatly, the curve of her lovely behind hidden beneath the hem of her plain white cotton V-neck T, the one that nearly went down to her knees. 

With a start, he realized the shirt looked familiar.  It was
his
.  He must have left it here that first night in his mad scramble to get to the viewing.  The corners of his mouth curved upward.  She was wearing his shirt? 

Ian felt like thumping his chest.  Then again, something about Lexi called to the primal male in him more than most.  Around her he felt more protective, more possessive, more aggressive than usual. 

His eyes remained riveted on the bathroom door.  Had she always been this damn enchanting?  Her sleep-tussled hair. The sexy, drowsy look.  That lush, curvy body that had him hardening painfully, making his mouth water, and his hands itch to touch her.  Oh yeah.  He wouldn’t mind waking up next to that.  Which, frankly, scared the hell out of him.  But he was trained to ignore fear and go in anyway.

Ian heard the toilet flush and the shower go on. 
Torturous vixen
.  She was doing it just to drive him crazy with the thought of her under the hot spray, naked and wet.  He clenched and unclenched his fists, promising himself he would behave.  Frankly, he was surprised she hadn’t kicked his ass out right away.  He was grateful for it, but surprised.  Most women would have been much less receptive and a lot more hostile, given the circumstances. 

He sighed.  Lexi might be out of his sight, but her intoxicating scent still filled the room.  It made him restless.  He needed a distraction until she tired of punishing him.

Ian looked around, the corners of his mouth twitching.  He’d just have to find something else to occupy his time.  A little recon, perhaps.

“So who’s Aidan?” he asked innocently when she emerged from the bathroom a full thirty minutes later.  He was propped up on her bed, legs extended in front, her notebook laptop open on his lap, which was a good way to hide what had become a natural state for him in her presence. 

Steam billowed out into the room.  Her hair was wrapped atop her head turban-style; another towel was wrapped around her body, hiding the more delicious parts.  That was probably a good thing.  If they were as flushed and pink as the skin she
was
showing, he would be hard pressed not to lick and kiss every inch before it cooled.

The expression on her face was unreadable when she realized he was still there.  Obviously she knew nothing about the infinite patience of SEALs and how long they would wait to accomplish an objective.