Guardian Angel (7 page)

“There is very little I regret,” Aidan said somberly, “but my silence that day is a glaring exception.” 

Rebecca knew exactly what day he was talking about – the day their father gave her the ultimatum:  conform or be cast out.  Rebecca left and never looked back.  It had probably stunned them all; not one of them believed she would actually follow through, but she did. 

“Do they know you’re back?”

Rebecca shook her head.  “No.  And before you say anything, I’d like to keep it that way.”

“But Becca - ”

“No buts, Aidan.  They made it very clear that I had to make a choice, and I did.  I don’t regret it.”  Well, that wasn’t exactly true.  She’d missed them, especially Aidan, though she knew she’d make the same choices over and over again.

“You are still their daughter.”

Aidan didn’t understand.  He was barely sixteen when she’d left, just coming into his manhood. 

“Not in their eyes, Aidan.  I’m not like you.  I cannot be who they want me to be.” 

She’d tried.  For years she’d let them dress her up and put her on display, the perfect Southern belle debutante.  But it wasn’t enough.  Rebecca wasn’t content to sit back and look pretty.  She desired more than a life of luxury and a wealthy husband.  She wanted to live life, make a difference, get her hands dirty.  On her eighteenth birthday she’d had enough and announced that she wanted to attend college for her teaching degree.  She might as well have announced she wanted to open up a whorehouse on the family estate for the sudden and vehement reaction she received.

“Won’t you at least try?  It’s been a long time.  We’re family...”

“You’re my family.”

“But - ”

“Enough.  It is what it is, Aidan.  No more talk of the parents, or I’m on the first bus out of here once the waters recede.”

“Alright,” he agreed, but his grimace let her know he wasn’t happy about it. 

“Good.  Now tell me all about what you’ve been up to.”

Aidan sighed, but relented as she had hoped.  He told her all about his business partner and master chef – Lexi Callaghan - and the creation of the Celtic Goddess restaurant line, including the story of how he had left their southern family stronghold and based himself in this little corner of northeastern Pennsylvania.

“So Lexi’s husband, Ian, is one of the infamous Callaghans?”  Even in her short time in Pine Ridge it became clear that the family was well-known by the locals.  More than a few women had confided their envy that she was working so closely with the gorgeous doc Michael, even though he was very obviously devoted to his wife and son.

“Afraid so.”

Rebecca laughed softly.  “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“No, not really.  I wasn’t too sure at first, but I have to say, Ian’s entire world revolves around Lexi.  There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her.  And to be truthful, they do kind of grow on you after a while.  Not to mention they’re definitely good men to have on your side.  You already know Michael from the shelter.”

“Yes.  I’ve met a few of the others, too.  Sean, Kieran, and Kane.” 

Aidan looked up in wary surprise.  “You’ve met Kane?  Actually spoken to him?”

“Yes.  On several occasions, actually.  You seemed surprised.  Why?”

Aidan hesitated.  “Kane isn’t really all that social.  Even as much as I’ve been around the family I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him speak, just growl occasionally.  When he is around – and that’s not all that often – he just tends to stand back in the shadows glowering at everyone.”

Rebecca had no trouble imagining the eldest Callaghan doing just that – standing back against the wall, watching and being acutely aware of everything around him, with that sexy hard-assed look about him and those penetrating eyes that made her insides go all soft when they locked on her.  The thought made her smile slightly. 

“He’s been very nice to me.” 

“Well, then you’re the first as far as I know.  The others – they all seem to lead fairly regular lives, but him?  Not so much.”

“Tell me.”  Rebecca tucked her legs up beneath her and sipped from the cup of hot tea.  Hearing about the Callaghans was preferable to talking about their own dysfunctional family dynamics.

“Well, you already know Michael, the doctor.  He’s probably the nicest among them.  He’s married to Maggie.  They have a cute little guy named Ryan and live out on Maggie’s family farm.  She provides all the organics for the Goddess, by the way, and makes the best damn cookies you’ve ever had.”

Rebecca nodded.  She liked Michael very much.  In addition to being highly skilled, he had a very soothing way with his patients, and an excellent bedside manner.  Yet there was nothing stuffy or arrogant in his manner.  And his wife, Maggie, had been very friendly and welcoming.

“Then there’s Jake.  He’s probably the second scariest next to Kane.  He runs the family Pub with Ian.  He’s married to Taryn, and they’ve got a little girl named Riley.”

She remembered meeting him once or twice.  He seemed remarkably like Kane, in fact.  He was on the quiet side, and reminded her of an advancing storm when he moved.  She’d spent a good deal more time with his wife, Taryn, at the shelter.  She’d been a little shocked by Taryn at first – the woman could hold her own with any of the Callaghans – but she had grown quite fond of her contagious smile and irreverent attitude. But what Rebecca liked most about Taryn was her passionate soul and kick-ass attitude.  Rebecca wished she had the fortitude to tell people what was on her mind once in a while.

“Sean runs the garage in town – honestly there’s not an engine that guy can’t fix.  He’s married to Nicki, who now runs the Teen Reach program for Taughannock County.  You met her down at the shelter too, I believe.”

It was hard not to remember Nicki – jet black hair, amazing super-light crystal eyes.  She and her twin brother, Nick, had been instrumental in assembling the teens and keeping them busy with helpful tasks.  Nicki was another one she had become quite fond of.  Though she looked like something straight out of a heavy metal video with her jet black hair, piercing light silver eyes and a penchant for leather, she was the perfect match for her equally bad-ass husband, and she really cared for the kids.

“His twin, Shane, is a lawyer and lives above the Pub.  He was a Godsend in getting us everything we needed to get the Goddess up and running.  He’s relatively soft-spoken, smart as hell, and he’s still single.  Stay away from him,” he warned, making Rebecca chuckle.

“And Kieran, the youngest.  He runs BodyWorks, the fitness place in town.  He’s single, too, but he’s too young for you.”

“Relax, Aidan.  I’m not looking for a hook-up.  What about Kane?  What does he do?”

“You definitely want to stay away from him; the guy’s like a walking thundercloud.  I’m not sure exactly what he does, though.  Like I said, he’s not around much.  Lex says he’s got a place up in the mountains somewhere, likes to keep to himself.  The only reason he’s been hanging around Pine Ridge is because he’s been doing rehab at BodyWorks.”

“For his hip?”

“How did you know about that?”

Rebecca had the good sense to blush a little.  “I was with him when he, uh, got shot.”

“WHAT?!?!”  Aidan sat up so fast his coffee splashed over his lap.

“Now, Aidan, you need to calm down.”

“Calm down?  CALM DOWN?  Are you insane?  What situation could possibly put you and Kane Callaghan together and he ends up getting shot?”

“Well, I don’t know what
he
was doing there, but
I
was travelling with the Sisters of Mercy.  We were delivering medical supplies to some of the villages of Namibia when we were attacked.  Kane saved my life.”  She shuddered, remembering the gleam in her captors’ eyes.  “The bullet got him when he was trying to get me out of there.”

“Son of a bitch.  Not one of those bastards said a thing - ”

“They didn’t know who I was, Aidan.  It’s not like we exchanged ID’s.  All I knew was his first name, and I never told him mine.  We were running for our lives at the time.  I never expected to see him again, especially in Pine Ridge of all places.  I doubt he ever expected to see me again, either,” she added as an afterthought.

“He saved your life?” he asked, still in shock.  “What happened to the rest of your group?”

Rebecca lowered her eyes and shook her head.  “They’re all gone, Aidan,” she said quietly.  “I had to identify the bodies when the clean-up team came in.”

Aidan pulled her into his arms.  “Oh, Becca.  I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too,” she whispered.   

“N
ot heading up to the cabin this weekend?” Michael asked casually several weeks later.  Kane shot him a suspicious glance, but Michael had wisely turned his attention back to helping Maggie create “care packages” of cookies for the families still displaced by the flood.  Their son Ryan was tucked against her hip, shooting Kane a baby-toothed grin around the slobbery cookie he held in his hands.

“No.”

It was the third weekend in a row that Kane had elected to stay in Pine Ridge, causing a lot of speculation among his brothers and sisters-in-law.  No one was stupid enough to ask him outright, though they thought they had a pretty good idea of what was keeping him local these days, and it wasn’t his overwhelming desire to help the less fortunate. 

“Thanks for offering to take these down to the shelter, Kane,” Maggie said, placing the little bundles carefully into a larger box with her free hand.  “Your haircut looks nice.  And you shaved.”  She leaned in a little closer and sniffed.  “Mmmm, you smell good, too.” 

Kane’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down and fixed her with one of his patented stares.  Michael winced.  It just wasn’t wise to say things like that around Kane; the man liked his privacy, and most definitely did not regard inquiries or suppositions into his life favorably.  There was a reason no one had spoken to Kane about his uncharacteristic interest in Aidan’s sister.  The Callaghan boys learned early on that when the eldest among them didn’t like something, it didn’t usually bode well for the rest of them. 

Maggie, however, apparently chose to ignore the unwritten family guidelines of interacting with Kane, and Michael’s protective instinct had him positioning himself between them, just in case.

“What?” Maggie said innocently, pushing Michael out of the way with impatience.  “He looks good!”

To Michael’s great surprise, Kane actually smiled.  It was a little smile, but a smile nonetheless.  “Thanks, Maggie,” he said, his smile waning as he turned to glare at his brother.  “Glad to see someone in this house has some balls.”

* * *

T
he flood waters receded, leaving behind a mess of mud and muck in their wake, but with the community-wide cleanup effort, the situation was improving every day.  Most people had been cleared to go back to their homes and begin the task of assessing and repairing the damage.  Those who had been hit the hardest were consolidated and relocated from the high school to other locations to allow for the upcoming start of the new school year, which had already been delayed.  The second and third floors of Nicki’s youth center were among them.

The National Guard had been redeployed elsewhere; people returned to their jobs and lives best they could, though donations still trickled in.  A handful of volunteers kept the new shelter going, and, not surprisingly, Rebecca found herself among them.  Her life settled into a comfortable routine.  She spent the better part of her days at the shelter, and sometimes the nights, too. 

But at least a few times each week she could be found with her brother.  At first it had been all about catching up with each other, but lately, things were changing.  Aidan seemed to be under the impression that because she was staying with him she was his responsibility, and she was starting to feel the familiar claustrophobia in his presence.  She loved him dearly, she really did, but he was so much like their parents sometimes.  They’d never quite understood her need for independence, either.

* * *

D
inner was being served in the large communal kitchen when Kane arrived at the shelter.  The autumn sun was just beginning to settle, muting the sky in soft hues.  He didn’t bother checking the dining area; he knew by now that Rebecca would not be there.  Instead, he dropped off Maggie’s care packages with the matronly woman who’d assumed control over the kitchen and strolled outside. 

He narrowed his eyes at the group of youths who hung out there, reiterating his silent warning, reminding them of his presence.  One of them, a young man who seemed to be the one the others looked up to, was brave enough to meet Kane’s gaze for a few seconds.  That kid, Kane knew, was Trouble with a capital “T”.  He might just have to have a talk with Nicki about that one.

Continuing on, Kane found Rebecca beneath a sprawling maple.  Her legs were stretched out in front of her, her back against the tree, her eyes closed.  It was one of the rare occasions where her hair was down, lifting slightly in the gentle, warm breeze.  He caught the familiar light scent of Dove and smiled.  It was ingrained in his mind and his body, solidly linked with the woman herself.

“Hey,” he said in his deep voice as he approached.  Not the most suave of greetings, perhaps, but heartfelt nonetheless.  The sight of her lifted away his feelings of unease like a light summer breeze. 

She didn’t stir.

“Hey,” he said again, a little louder this time, and still she did not react. 

He peered down, thinking she might be asleep, until she absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and he saw the earbuds.  Crouching beside her, he tapped her lightly on the ankle and she opened her eyes, removing the pieces from her ears and giving him a hundred-watt smile that lit him up from the inside out.

“Kane!” she said, surprise and pleasure filling her voice.  “Dropping off more care packages?”

He loved how she seemed so happy to see him.  So few people were.  Most found themselves fleeing, uncomfortable in his presence, which for the most part, was just fine with him.  But not her.  He didn’t want her running away, and he regretted the fact that she hadn’t attempted to wrap her arms around him in greeting once since that first reunion in the school hallway.  Each time he saw her he mentally prepared himself for it, just in case, determined not to make the same mistake twice, but so far, no such luck.