“Sorry,” he murmured, stammering out an apology. He reluctantly released her hand. “I didn’t expect you to be so...”
Matt scowled, but Faith’s features softened. He could tell he embarrassed her, given the shy way she averted her gaze and the pretty pink color blossoming in her cheeks, and he immediately felt bad. It wasn’t like him to totally zone out like that.
“It’s okay,” she said kindly. “You’re not the first.” She made a point of scanning him from head to toe. “But you might just be the biggest.”
Her smile was dazzling, and he found himself chuckling with the others as the awkwardness passed. “Fair enough.”
Faith’s eyes moved away from him and back to Shane. For a moment, it felt as if the sun had been hidden behind some clouds. Surely it was a trick of his imagination.
“So to what do we owe the honor of your visit, Mr. Callaghan?” she asked. “I hope there’s not a problem.” Her voice was light, but Kieran didn’t miss the way her pretty gray eyes clouded with concern.
“Call me Shane, please. And no, there is no problem. We were just hoping to make the place a little more habitable for you before you arrived.”
“That’s very kind of you,” she said.
Kieran forced his addled brain to start functioning again. “We’ve got the truck loaded with a bunch of stuff – lumber, hardware, a couple of fixtures.”
Faith’s smile faltered a bit. She glanced at Matt again and shifted her weight slightly. The two exchanged a knowing look before she spoke. “That’s really nice of you,” she said hesitantly, “but we haven’t really had a chance to go through thoroughly and see what we need.”
“I walked through yesterday,” Kieran told her confidently, confused by her apparent sense of discomfort. “Trust me. You need this stuff, and a whole lot more.”
* * *
Faith’s unease grew. It had taken nearly everything they had to get this far. Things were going to be really tight for a while, and they were going to squeeze every possible dime out of what they had left, at least until she got that first paycheck. Even then, it would be a struggle. For their own home, they had both decided it would be worth it.
But she did have her pride. She wasn’t about to share all that with a stranger, no matter how good looking he was. “I appreciate the thought, Mr. Callaghan -“
“Kieran,” he corrected immediately.
“Kieran,” she said, only to appease him. “It’s not that we want to appear ungrateful, but we can’t accept any of that. ”
“It’s all in the agreement,” Shane interrupted smoothly.
“It is?” Faith blinked. She had read the contract six times, each and every legal word of it. What exactly had she missed?”
“It is,” Shane assured her. “Page seventeen, Clause four, subclause B. ‘It is the Seller’s responsibility to ensure that the residence is habitable and up to code.’ I’m paraphrasing, of course, but that’s the gist of it.”
“Oh,” Faith said, her brows knitting together. “I’m afraid I don’t remember seeing that.”
“No?” Shane asked with a bemused expression. “Hang on – I’ve got the papers in the truck.”
Faith shifted uncomfortably as Shane jogged outside. “I wish I could offer you something,” Faith said to Lacie and Kieran, feeling somewhat embarrassed, “but I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to get to a store yet and our electricity was just turned on this morning...”
“It’s fine,” Lacie assured her with a smile that was as genuine as it was warm. “We weren’t expecting you to be here, so we brought a couple of coolers with us.” She looked around the decent sized kitchen with appreciation. It had definitely been built at a time when the kitchen was the hub of all family activity. “This is a great kitchen, by the way.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Faith agreed. Real wood cabinets, carved from what looked like dark cherry wood. Authentic marble countertops. A double basin stainless steel sink. The appliances – a gas stove and a refrigerator – were close to being considered of historical value, but they were sturdy and appeared to be in working order.
Like the rest of the house, it just needed some TLC. From the first moment they’d pulled onto the property, it felt like home.
* * *
Kieran forced his gaze away from Faith with some difficulty and took the opportunity to look around. The place didn’t look as bad as it had yesterday. Maybe it was because Faith had managed to uncover some of the beauty beneath the layers of dust and dirt. Or maybe it was just because she was here, and her presence made everything seem a little brighter.
Shane returned with a slim, soft-sided leather case and proceeded to extract a small stack of papers. He hummed slightly to himself as he searched for the one he was looking for.
“Ah, here’s the problem,” he said, managing to look sheepish. He held up what looked like one page, then separated it into two. “These pages must have been stuck together. I’m so sorry about that.”
Kieran narrowed his eyes. Shane was looking just a little too innocent, and Lacie made a point of looking away. His brother had a memory like a computer. He did not make mistakes like that. Suddenly, Kieran felt a new surge of appreciation for his brother. He must have reworked the papers and added in that clause after the fact.
* * *
Faith scanned the “missing” page he handed her, her eyes growing wider the more she read. When she finished, she looked up and blinked. According to the paper in her hand, Shane Callaghan was going to pay for everything needed to repair the home.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, blinking away the tears that were filling her eyes. It was simply too good to be true. She’d fallen in love with the place from the very first pictures, but had known it would take a lot to fix it up. Years, in fact, given that their limited funds and current budget would require them to do so in small increments.
Lacie seemed to understand. She moved closer to Faith and touched her shoulder. “Tell them they can start playing with the power tools before they die from anticipation,” she whispered loudly.
“What do you say, Faith?” Kieran asked when several long moments passed and she still had said nothing.
He looked so eager that Faith couldn’t help but laugh through her stunned shock. “Well, apparently I already signed my permission. And we would really appreciate the help,” she answered finally. “Thank you.”
“Awesome.” Kieran’s smile could have lit the entire valley of Pine Ridge for a week. He turned to Matt. “Come on. I’ve got a portable laser miter in the truck...”
Faith wasn’t sure what a portable laser miter was, but given the grin on Matt’s face, it was something good. She watched as her son eagerly followed the two much larger men out of the house, grinning as if Christmas had just come early. Beside her, Lacie rolled up her sleeves, her eyes glittering.
“So where do we start?”
Chapter Four
The next few hours were a blur. The men made several trips out to their truck, carrying in various kinds of equipment, much of which looked more apt to be on a space shuttle than in a century-old stone cottage. For the most part, they stayed out of the kitchen where Faith and Lacie were hard at work, but she caught occasional glances as they moved past the doorway. The velvety rumble of their bass voices and deep-throated laughs were audible over her small, portable radio as the two brothers ribbed each other (and occasionally Matt) good-naturedly.
She couldn’t be certain, but there were several times she thought she felt Kieran’s eyes on her. It started as a tell-tale tingle running up and down the length of her spine, followed by a flare of awareness, but each time she turned around to check, he seemed otherwise occupied.
Matt was in his glory. Usually wary around others, he seemed to have taken to the Callaghan brothers immediately. Faith cringed when she saw Matt using some of the scarier looking tools. Lacie caught her worried glances and assured her that Shane and Kieran wouldn’t let anything happen to Matt.
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It pulled at Faith’s heartstrings. Matt was the center of her world. She would do anything for him. The one thing she hadn’t been able to provide, however, was a positive male figure in his daily life. Matt’s father never recognized his son. Faith’s own family had disowned her when they found out she was pregnant at the very young age of fourteen.
Looking at him now, how he was soaking up their praise and attention like a dry sponge, Faith couldn’t help but feel that she had cheated him somehow.
“Matt seems like a great kid,” Lacie remarked, breaking in to Faith’s thoughts. “How old is he?”
“He’ll be fourteen at the end of the summer,” Faith answered hesitantly, bracing herself for the slew of uncomfortable exclamations and questions that usually followed – ‘Wow, you look so young!’ ‘How old were you when you had him?’ ‘Where’s his father?’
To her surprise, Lacie didn’t ask any of those things. “He’s very capable for a fourteen year old,” she said instead. “Most of the young teens I know would be whining and moaning about the work he’s doing out there. And I haven’t seen him texting anyone once.”
Faith laughed; she couldn’t help herself. “Oh, he does that,” she admitted. A working cell phone was the one luxury she budgeted for. She wanted Matt to be able to contact her anytime, anywhere. “He’s been texting his friends back in Georgia about all the “cool stuff” in Pennsylvania since we crossed the border.” She relayed their delight at the red-nosed deer signs and the tunnel through the mountain. “And he is so excited by the prospect of real snow. We’ve never had a white Christmas.”
“I guess not, if you lived in Georgia,” Lacie smiled, her eyes twinkling. “It gets pretty hot there, I imagine.”
“Yes,” Faith agreed. “And sticky. Nothing like this.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Come July it’ll be humid enough.”
With Lacie’s help they managed to bring the first floor bathroom and kitchen up to acceptably clean levels. Lacie remarked on the quality and beauty of the aged wood that made up the cabinetry and trim as it was revealed beneath the layers of accumulated dust and grime; Faith couldn’t help but feel a burgeoning sense of pride. Technically, she’d been in the house less than twenty-four hours, but it already felt like home to her.
Faith peeked out to check on Matt several times. They were the only times she saw him, except for when he came in to the kitchen to refill their water bottles from the tap. It felt a bit odd; she had expected today to be a two-person team effort, her and Matt against everything else.
She wasn’t complaining, however. The sounds of laughter and the uncharacteristic but often-seen ear-to-ear grin on Matt’s face as he worked with the two brothers was music to her ears. And if she caught a few sneak peeks of the rippling muscles of Kieran Callaghan in the process, so what? She’d be hard pressed to find another man who looked as good as he did, so why not enjoy a few surreptitious glances while she could? Chances were, she wouldn’t get the chance to see all that in action again.
It wasn’t only Matt that was enjoying their unexpected (but greatly appreciated) guests. Faith found herself laughing and smiling, too. Lacie, while soft-spoken, was good company. She was a great source of information on the area and its people, having been born and raised in Pine Ridge. She told Faith about her family, about her older brother Brian who had just returned from Afghanistan and her younger sister Corinne attending the local university. Faith had the distinct impression there was a lot Lacie wasn’t saying. But, as Lacie wasn’t digging for any personal information, Faith wouldn’t either.
The two women shared an instant connection, and Faith was grateful that she had made what she considered to be her first real friend in her new home.
They stopped for lunch a little after noon. Hammers stopped pounding, saws stopped running, and two massive coolers were hauled into the kitchen. Lacie hadn’t been kidding when she said they brought their own stuff. Faith and Lacie unloaded item after item until nearly every clean surface was no longer visible beneath it.
Faith thought for sure they’d never be able to consume that much food.
She was wrong.
Each of the men managed to put away roughly the same amount of food in one sitting that she consumed in a week. Even more surprisingly – so did her son. She could only shake her head when Kieran handed the boy his third hoagie, informing him with a masculine grin that growing boys needed to eat. She didn’t want to embarrass Matt; but she felt a little uncomfortable. The Callaghans didn’t seem to mind sharing their food, but she didn’t want to take advantage of their kindness and generosity. Perhaps helping repair things around the house was part of the deal, but feeding them certainly wasn’t.
* * *
Faith didn’t eat very much, Kieran thought, watching her surreptitiously from beneath half-lidded eyes. Like all of his brothers, he had perfected the ability to observe without being observed. While everyone else dug in with hearty appetites, Faith hung back, accepting only an apple and a bottle of water, and that was only when Lacie pressed her. He had the distinct impression she wouldn’t have had anything otherwise.
She wasn’t overly thin. On the contrary, she had some fine curves that would catch any man’s interest. So why did she seem so reluctant to join them in a meal? She’d obviously been working her ass off, just like everyone else. Surely she had to be hungry, too.
A loud knock sounded at the door, and Faith peeked out the window. “Looks like our stuff’s here!” she said to Matt, and just like that, her slight frown turned up into a wide grin and her eyes lit up with excitement. When the others went to stand, Faith waved her hand at them. “It’s okay – you guys stay and finish eating. This won’t take long.”
“Is your mother on a diet or something? She hasn’t eaten anything.” Kieran leaned over and spoke quietly to Matt when Faith excused herself to answer the door.
Matt shrugged, chewing the mouthful he had. Just that quickly, his expression changed to one that looked suspiciously like guilt as he put down the unfinished half of his sandwich. Kieran frowned. The kid was putting it away like a champ a few minutes ago. What had changed?
“Had enough?” he asked.
Matt nodded. “Yeah,” he lied. “But can I save this for later?”
“Sure,” Kieran nodded as Matt wrapped up the sandwich with care and put it into the fridge. It did not escape his notice that there was nothing else in there. Then again, they had just arrived, and Faith had admitted earlier they hadn’t had a chance to do any shopping yet. Still, the empty fridge bothered him.
“Do you think your mom will mind if we leave the rest of this stuff here?” Kieran asked suddenly. “No sense letting it go to waste.”
Matt’s eyes widened. “You don’t want it?”
“Nah,” he reassured the kid. “Plenty more where that came from.”
Kieran helped Matt wrap up the leftovers and put them in the fridge. At least he knew they’d have dinner tonight. Maybe Faith was self-conscious about eating in front of other people, or maybe she felt bad that she hadn’t had anything to offer them.
It was ridiculous, of course, but she seemed like the type of woman who would care about that kind of thing. Besides being beautiful, she was also a proud woman. Her initial reluctance to accept help demonstrated that clearly enough. And she obviously cared a great deal for her son. Kieran had caught her worried looks and frequent peeks all morning. Of course, that may have been because he was watching her so closely, too.
The woman had an unexpected way of commanding his attention; there was no doubt about that. He’d had to put an extra effort into focusing on what he was doing lest he lose a finger or some other important body part while operating various power tools. Even now, he couldn’t help himself from listening to what was going on in the other room. He could hear Faith’s soft voice, along with two deeper, obviously male ones.
He honed in on the exchange, his protective instincts surging as he moved closer to the archway separating the kit
chen from the living area. As far as he could tell, the delivery men had made only two trips from their truck to the house. Two mattresses and two box springs sat propped up by the door. Surely that wasn’t all?
“If you’ll sign here, Mrs. ....”
“Miss,” Faith automatically corrected as she signed the papers. The delivery man’s grin grew. He was the younger of the two; Kieran put his age somewhere around twenty-five or so. The guy was decent looking enough, he supposed. Brown hair, brown eyes. Well-toned.
Kieran’s eyes narrowed. The guy – the name stitched on his shirt said David - was looking at Faith with far too much non-professional interest. Faith must have noticed, too, because she shifted uncomfortably. After handing the clipboard to him, she took a deliberate step backward.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to put those bed frames together for you?” the other guy asked. He lifted his cap and smoothed back his hair as he nodded toward the tangle of thin black steel rods now leaning against the wall. He was older, with clearly defined lines around his eyes and a fair smattering of gray around his close-cropped hair. His gaze toward Faith was decidedly more fatherly than David’s. Kieran didn’t have the sudden, irrational urge to kill him.
“I’m sure, thank you,” Faith said politely.
“It’s much easier with an extra set of hands,” the younger guy pushed, coming dangerously close to invading Faith’s personal space. Kieran only just managed to silence the low warning growl rumbling around in the back of his throat. Faith had already said no. Why was this guy still here?
Dropping all pretense of not listening, Kieran placed himself in the archway. Faith didn’t respond to the man’s latest offer. Judging by the way her pretty eyes were flashing with irritation, it was not the first time he’d asked. She stood patiently by the door to see them out. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem all that anxious to leave.
Having Faith: Callaghan Brothers, Book 7 Page 4
