The truth that he would never be a decent man, because every time a woman had made those happy-ever-after kind of ministrations he’d run a mile. A sea. A country.
‘Niamh. Leave it.’
‘Will you come over for Mammy’s birthday? Please? She won’t be happy until she sees you again.’
‘She won’t be happy until I’m married off to the lowest bidder.’ His heart squeezed. Poor Mammy...all she’d ever wanted was for him to be happy—but in her book that meant marriage.
He wasn’t convinced. He’d seen the destruction marriage, and the end of it, had wreaked on her.
‘I’ll send her something. I can’t—’ Couldn’t face going back. Couldn’t look at her and know he’d failed her—in every way. He hadn’t saved her from being hurt, and now he couldn’t give her what she wanted most—hope. ‘Yep. I’ll send her something.’
‘She doesn’t need your flowers. She needs to see you. It’s her sixtieth and she needs something to celebrate. When did you last come home? Can you even remember?’
No. Shame hit him in the gut. Working in London meant he could earn more cash than he ever would back home—which in turn meant he could support his family and have a life.
‘I don’t know—I can’t face all those questions...’ He turned his back and whispered, ‘She’s forever on my back.’
Niamh laughed. ‘She just wants to know you’re happy all the way over there. A bunch of flowers doesn’t tell her that. Why don’t you bring someone? That’d shut Mammy up. Hey, what about that girl? The one who answered the phone—?’
‘Who? Kara?’
As he spoke Kara’s head popped up. ‘Yes?’
‘Oh, sorry. Not you...’ He pointed to the phone. ‘It was...it’s my sister.’
Niamh laughed again. ‘Tongue-tied? You? Wow, you have it bad, big brother. Go on—ask her to come.’
Kara’s eyes narrowed. She stood and picked up her handbag. ‘What’s she saying?’
Don’t leave. Stuck in between two determined women, that was all he needed. But he wouldn’t be taking her anywhere near his home.
‘That...that the weather in Ireland’s very warm...’
Kara waited, her eyes blinking innocently. ‘The weather? Why—?’
‘Coward!’ Niamh hollered. ‘Ask her. It’ll get Mammy off your back.’
‘Hmm...’ He supposed his sister could be right. Having Kara there would be a delicious distraction. He could mix family with...a little pleasure. Would she? Could it work? How would it work? Hell, he didn’t know, but it was a heck of a plan. Kara in his house... A man could think of worse ways to spend a couple of days.
Maybe it was time to go home.
He huffed out an exasperated breath. ‘Niamh wants you to come visit Ireland.’
Kara stared, her hand on one hip. ‘Your sister wants me to go to Ireland?’
‘Just for a weekend. My mum’s birthday. Sure, why not? You said you’d always wanted to visit the place.’
‘No way.’ Her hands were physically up in front of her. She didn’t want this. She really didn’t want this.
Niamh’s voice crackled down the phone. ‘Did she say yes?’
‘Niamh, for heaven’s sake leave us alone for a minute. She’s thinking about it.’
Kara’s cheeks reddened. ‘Do you Underwoods always work in packs?’
‘Believe me, my sisters could teach the army a thing or two about stealth operations.’ But the more he thought about it, the more it became a perfect plan. ‘They want me to go back for her birthday. They said you should come too. You said I should be nice to my family. Bingo—everyone’s happy. Say yes?’
‘Emotional blackmail doesn’t wear well on you, Declan.’ She fiddled with her necklace.
‘No ties, no strings.’ At her frown he thought he’d better just be honest. ‘Look, I just want to give Mammy some hope—to think that I’m off her hands. I...we...need her to stop worrying about us all and focus on her own life. There’ll be the hassle of my sisters...but they’re not so bad really.’
‘No.’
But she’d released her grip on her bag. Was looking down at her magnificent shoes, out of the window, at the floor. She was wavering, he could tell.
Time to strike.
‘I’ve tried my whole life to make her better—and the only thing she’s ever said she needed was to see me settled and happy. She would love you, Kara. It’s just a weekend. Two nights. Two. Nights.’
He held his fingers up just the way she had with her Two kisses quip. He saw the flash of recognition and the rush of desire on her face—not just in her eyes, but in the flush of her cheeks. And, goddamn it, in the ghost of a sexy smile.
He imagined what he could do to her—with her—in two nights. Hell, he’d settle for just two hours. Naked. Shoes optional. Actually, shoes definitely on.
‘It’s gorgeous at this time of year. The leaves turning golden, the rolling hills. Ireland...land of your ancestors.’
Then for a fleeting second he realised what a stupid plan it was. Because above the pretence and the joking he knew that he was actually falling for her. That some part of him wanted Kara in his chaotic life—and that was the maddest thing he’d ever thought. He wanted ties and that made him scared as hell.
Because after the weekend he couldn’t offer her anything apart from a return to this—late-night meetings in his office, early mornings in surgery and the craziness of hospital life in between. Just colleagues. And then she’d be gone anyway, back to her team, and he’d be left with catching the scent of her in corridors, fleeting glimpses across the cafeteria...
His voice wavered a little as the reality of the plan sank in. ‘But if—’
She smiled. ‘Oh, okay, what the hell? Why not? I’m going to regret this, I know, but when you describe it like that how can I refuse?’
CHAPTER NINE
KARA STARED OUT of the hire car window as the Dublin countryside flew past. Pink clouds melted into rolling hills, ten shades of green, as the sun began to set around them. It was nothing...nothing like the endless red dry earth of her childhood, the heat, the bright, cloudless blue skies.
Here, lush fields carved by stone walls as ancient as the earth itself spilled out in front of them to the left and right as far as she could see. Cows grazed lazily, and ignored their momentous arrival in Declan’s home county.
Momentous? Sure. What kind of far-side-of-madness idea was this? Panic rolled through her in waves.
This weekend was going to be sheer torment—not least because she would have Declan within the temptation zone for forty-eight exhausting hours. But then, she couldn’t deny she wasn’t a teensy bit intrigued to see where he’d grown up and what had made him the complex man he was today. Even if the reason she was here was to cajole his mother into believing he was happy and settled.
She wondered if Declan was having second thoughts too as he stared ahead with eyebrows furrowed, his jaw fixed. His mood was hard to read—but he definitely wasn’t in his happy-go-lucky, carefree place. The silence between them since they’d checked in at the airport had stretched and stretched, interspersed by brief words and über-politeness.
As he drove he glanced over to her and she must have looked either a fright, or frightened, because he managed a smile.
‘Hey, don’t look so worried. It’ll be fine.’
It was more a question than a statement, and she wondered just who he was trying to convince.
‘I know. I know. I’m just a little nervous about meeting everyone.’
‘Ah, they’ll love you. How could they not?’
‘Okay.’ She wanted to run her hand along his leg and pat it and smile, tell him she was okay and looking forward to it all—do the kind of things you’d do to a friend or a lover. But she couldn’t because,
really, she was neither.
And the frightening truth was, deep down, that she didn’t want to live something over the weekend and later want it to be true. But it was already too late.
He pulled up outside a large farmhouse and she could see, in the dimming light, a number of smaller outer buildings dotting the acreage. With walls the colour of thick clotted cream, wide picture windows edged by pink roses, the house took her breath away. She imagined Declan as a child, running around, up to his neck in mud, playing and working on the farm.
He opened the car door for her and she stepped out into a surprisingly warm gentle breeze.
‘Wow. It’s so gorgeous. It’s like a dream house. You grew up here?’
‘Well, on the farm, yes.’ His eyes darkened. ‘But there was the fire, obviously...and so we built this.’
And there her images of him morphed from innocent to troubled. Her heart thudded. This place must bring back so many bleak memories for him. No wonder he barely wanted to visit.
‘Ach, Declan built this.’
A thin, pretty woman with long dark hair stepped out through the front door, folded her flour-dusted arms and grinned.
‘Not with his bare hands, you understand. Although he tried to in his weekends off from medical school. But he’s a surgeon, not a builder—mighty fine with a knife, but we were deeply concerned about letting him loose with bricks and mortar. I’m Niamh. Pleased to meet you.’ She stuck out her hand. ‘Thank you for bringing him.’
‘I...er...I didn’t. He brought me, really. But nice to meet you too.’ Kara shook Niamh’s hand and immediately liked the warm, friendly welcome that put her a little more at ease.
‘It was you on the phone, right?’ At Kara’s confusion Niamh explained, ‘I recognise the accent. Australian? Kiwi?’
‘Aussie.’
‘I thought so. And I do get the feeling he wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. So you’ve done a grand job already.’
‘Hello? I can hear you, you know.’ Declan growled as he gave his sister’s cheek a peck.
‘Tosh, what do we care? And smile, Declan, it’s only for a couple of days.’ Niamh laughed. ‘You certainly took your time getting here. And I don’t mean the journey from the airport. Because that doesn’t take a year and a half.’
Kara wondered what else Declan’s sister thought behind those perceptive Underwood dark brown eyes. And, indeed, just what Declan had told her about the nature of her and Declan’s relationship.
And then from behind Niamh came a roar, high-pitched squeals and a loud stamping along the wooden floor as four small children ran out and grabbed on to Declan’s legs.
His face changed in an instant. His eyes lit up brightly and his smile stretched. ‘Look at you all.’ Swinging each one round in turn, he plastered a kiss on each plump cheek. ‘Aine—pretty as a picture. Fiona—my, what a smile you’ve got. Saoirse—look at you.’ Lastly he reached down between his legs and caught hold of a wee grinning boy. ‘And Declan Junior—whoa, you’ve grown, my man. This is my friend, Kara. Say hi.’
‘Hi, Kara,’ they chorused, their curls bobbing in time with their words, and Kara’s heart just about melted.
‘Hi, everyone. Very pleased to meet you...er...Aine, Fiona, Saoirse and Declan.’ If she repeated the names she might have a hope of remembering them.
She bent to shake their chubby hands and before she knew it was almost bowled over by sticky fists and warm bodies pressing close in a sort of clumsy, grubby scrum.
‘You talk funny,’ Aine whispered.
‘So do you.’ Kara gave the girl a big smile and tapped the end of her cute snub nose with her finger. ‘And you’re gorgeous.’
‘Well, come in, come in. The others won’t be long.’ Niamh ushered the children back into the house and was just turning round herself when she glanced down to Kara’s feet. Her hand went to her chest. ‘Oh, my...’
Kara followed Niamh’s line of vision and lifted her foot up, all the better to see her beautiful red suede ankle boots with black ribbon ties. ‘Oh, yes. These. Totally impractical, I know. But just for the journey...’
‘I think I just fell in love with your girlfriend. Clearly we’re going to be great friends,’ Niamh quipped to Declan as she led them into the house. ‘You must tell me where you got them from.’
‘Sure, I’d love to see you milking the cows in those,’ Declan snapped, expertly avoiding the girlfriend comment.
But his eyes flickered towards Kara. She just couldn’t read what he was thinking and once again she wondered what she was doing here—doing this.
‘Come meet my mam.’
Kara’s heart-rate trebled. Declan had explained that his mum was shy and very aware of her scarring, so it was important to put a lid on her loud-mouthed, out-there, army brat self.
But when Declan’s hand fitted around hers and he walked her through the airy hallway to the large kitchen she stopped thinking and tried to just be. Which wasn’t hard; being in his firm grip and the subject of his warm gaze made her lose track of her thought processes anyway.
The kitchen was everything Kara dreamt a family kitchen should be. Flour on the benchtop, creamy mounds of dough left to rise, a large wooden table covered in piles of pots and pans, and a warm, herby cooking smell that made her nervous stomach grumble.
Once again she felt out of her depth. She’d never had a home like this—one that felt so welcoming, that smelt of flowers and yeast and clear fresh air, that was busy and chaotic and so full of life. A lump thickened her throat. It was everything she’d ever hoped for growing up, pretty much alone—the career, the husband, the home life. She’d believed she could have it all.
Until hard reality had smacked her in the gut and she’d been left with little more than broken dreams.
Mary Underwood sat in the corner of the room, looking out of the window across the blackening night. As they approached she looked up and inhaled sharply. Tugging down one side of her long grey bob to cover a good part of her face, she stood and offered Kara a shaky smile. ‘Goodness, I can’t believe you’ve come home with our Declan. You’re awful pretty, Kara. Nice to meet you.’
Kara could see the muted sadness in those dark brown eyes. The same eyes every member of the family had. But all of them shimmered with something different. With Declan it was wickedness, or heat, or cool restraint. Niamh’s were tired and yet somehow content, and held a little of the wicked in them. Mary’s were filled with an almost tangible love for her son but edged with pain.
The cause was right there on the woman’s face. Melted skin pulled down her features into nasty ridges like old candlewax. Her hands too were scarred and lined.
Kara stepped forward, unsure whether to kiss her or shake hands...or what to say. Words felt inadequate. ‘Nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me come—especially for your birthday. I’m really happy to be here.’
‘You and me both. I never thought I’d see the day.’ Mary nodded, relaxing a little with each softly spoken word, but still tugging at her hair. ‘Now, Declan, take Kara to the cottage and settle her in. Be sure to be back by seven for your dinner.’
‘Aye, Mam, will do. It’s good to see you.’
He wrapped his arms round his mother but she batted him away with a friendly smile. ‘Away with you, now. Can’t you see I’m busy?’
* * *
They walked through the encroaching darkness to a small house across a field. Declan opened the front door and ushered her in, shutting out the four sets of Underwood eyes that hung around in the paved area out front. Cute they might be, but clearly his nieces and nephew hadn’t got the hang of adult time. And he needed a good shot of that right now.
Actually, he needed a good shot of London right now...with Kara as a chaser.
Yet here he was, for the first time in many months, with a girlfriend in
tow. What a crazy, mixed-up idea that had been.
She peered up at him through thick black eyelashes, her green eyes piercing. ‘Wow. This is so different to the main house. So...stark. And so not the twee cottage I had in mind.’
He plonked their bags down on the whitewashed floorboards and looked round at the clean lines. No frills, no mess. Masculine. His. ‘Home sweet home.’
‘This is yours?’
‘Yes. When I could, I made it my priority to have some space. Sharing with that amount of oestrogen is way too dangerous for my health. So when I come home this is my space. No unwanted interruptions...’ He nodded to the giggling coming from the other side of the door. ‘Not too many anyway. Ach, they’ll get bored soon enough. You can have the main bedroom. I’m just next door. In case... Well, in case you need me. For anything.’
Declan put Kara’s bag on the master bedroom floor.
‘Oh? And just what would I need you for?’
‘You may need help changing for dinner. I’m all yours for unzipping...unbuttoning...unclipping...’ He leaned in closer, inhaled the scent of outdoors and coconut shampoo. ‘I think you’ll find I’m pretty adept at it.’
‘I don’t doubt that for a second, but I can manage.’ Kara gave him a strange half-smile, her hand clutching the hem of her cashmere cardigan. He’d never seen her quite so unsettled.
He liked that. Liked that she was such a mixed bag of emotions, but that she was determined to deal with it herself—not demanding anything from him, not clingy. Nor did she ask about a future for them, or push him into a corner, or cause a drama. That was how he liked things—uncomplicated.
So why the hell he’d invited her here to make things very complicated he didn’t know. But he reminded himself they had only two days to do this. Then they would be free to go back to their uncomplicated lives in London.
Only now London didn’t seem very uncomplicated either.
* * *
‘Thanks for doing this. You being here means a lot to my mum. She was so pleased to see you.’
‘I think it was you she was happy to see—seriously, I’m just icing.’ Kara started to unpack her bag, but kept her voice low. ‘Declan, why haven’t you done reconstruction on her scars?’
200 Harley Street: The Shameless Maverick Page 11
