by Katie Reus
“Hmm. Well, I’m ready to head out if you are.” Her mom glanced at the slender silver bangle watch on her arm. “I don’t want to be late to my appointment.” She patted her shoulder-length dark hair. “Gotta cover those grays.”
Sam just laughed, but picked up her travel mug and purse from the center island. She’d already planned to shuttle her mom around today since her mom’s car was in the shop. With only a few places scheduled for showings, it would be easy enough to drop her mom off and pick her up from the various places she needed. “About how long do you think it will take at the salon?” she asked as she looked in her purse for her keys.
“About two hours, give or take. And once I’m done I might walk down to Nora’s for coffee and to check out her new book selection. So if you can’t get me right away, don’t worry.”
“I’ll be in the downtown area around then, so it will work perfectly with my schedule. Maybe we can do lunch today too.”
“I’d like that.” Her mom set the alarm to away mode before they stepped out the front door.
Sam had parked in the driveway out of habit, but realized that she could have used the garage. As her mom locked the front door behind them, Sam stepped off the porch and saw that her back tire was flat. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered.
“What… Oh.”
“It’s no big deal.” She knew how to change a tire, but she didn’t relish the idea of doing it. “I’ll probably change my clothes first though.” She unlocked her mini SUV with the key fob as they headed to it.
“Did you drive down Candy Cane Lane yesterday? They’ve had that annoying construction going on for weeks longer than necessary. I bet you got a nail in your tire there.” Her mom made an annoyed clucking sound as they reached the back of Sam’s BMW.
And that was when Sam saw that both back tires were flat. That was…strange. She pulled her phone out of her purse right as it started ringing. Pleasure infused her at the sight of Maguire’s name on the caller ID.
She swiped her finger across the screen. “Hey, I was just thinking of you.”
“Oh yeah? In what capacity?” His voice had dropped a few octaves, sounding wickedly sexy and making heat pool between her legs.
She cleared her throat and hoped her mom didn’t notice the sudden flush to her cheeks. “Ah, well, I have two flat tires this morning. I was getting ready to head out with my mom and was prepared to change one, but I don’t have two spares.” And she was pretty sure it would be too dangerous to drive around on two spares anyway. “I’m going to call my insurance company and have them set up a tow service, but—”
“I’ll send one of my guys to get it.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Even though she appreciated it, her insurance covered it. And she didn’t want to put him out.
He just snorted, as if the discussion was closed. “I’ve got it. And I checked after you told me her car was in the shop. She’s moved to the front of the line and her car will be ready this afternoon.”
“Maguire, that was… Thank you.”
“I’ll pick you guys up in about ten minutes.”
“What?”
“I was headed in that direction anyway. And I’ve got a free day so whatever errands you planned to take her on, I can do while you’re getting your tires fixed.”
“That’s really not necessary. I really appreciate the offer though.” There was no way the man had a free day. He ran multiple businesses. He was doing this for her and no other reason. A warm frisson of awareness spiraled through her.
“I’m getting a call from the shop that I’ve got to take, but I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He disconnected before she could respond and she was pretty sure he’d been lying about getting another call as well.
Which she couldn’t exactly get annoyed at. Not when he was heading over here, ready to shuttle her and her mom around in the middle of his workday. It was ridiculously sweet of him.
“Was that Maguire O’Connor?” Her mom’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts as she turned to face her.
“Yes. He’s going to send one of his guys to tow my vehicle, and your car will be ready this afternoon.” Instead of tomorrow, as was the original schedule.
“That’s quite generous of him.” Her mom took a sip of her coffee, eyed her carefully over the top of the mug.
Sam cleared her throat. Oh, this was going to be walking a tightrope. “Yes, it is. He’s one of my clients,” she added, hoping that would pacify her mom. Thankfully their conversation was cut short when a neighbor from across the street waved at her mother and headed over.
Mrs. Rooney called out a hello, in case they hadn’t seen her. Which was near to impossible. In her seventies, Mrs. Rooney had been wearing pastel-colored, matching jogging suits as long as Samantha could remember. She was pretty sure that was all the older woman owned. Today she had on a pale blue one and huge plastic hoop earrings with blue and white polka dots.
The woman was nice, but a chatterbox. For once, Sam was glad for the interruption because she did not want to get into a discussion of what Maguire O’Connor was to her.
Especially since she had no idea herself.
* * *
“Thank you for taking my mom to the salon—and for moving her car up in your schedule.” Samantha gave him one of those heart-stopping smiles as they headed down the sidewalk on Main Street. Today she had on another dress with cap sleeves—and he only knew what they were called because of his mom and sister—that hugged her long, lean form in all the right places.
Maguire guessed she was about five foot nine, but with her heels she wasn’t that much shorter than him. He shrugged, pushing back the urge to take her hand in his. Yes, they’d fooled around yesterday afternoon. More than fooled around. But he still wasn’t sure what they were. Tonight when he cooked for her, he planned to get a straight answer. Maybe it was too soon, but while he didn’t want to push her, he wanted a clear direction for them. “She was scheduled to be finished early anyway.”
“Liar.” Grinning, she nudged him with her hip as they reached the door of Nora’s Books and Brew.
He opened the door for her and placed his hand at the small of her back as they stepped inside. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t force himself to not touch her at least a little. Soon he wanted to stake a claim so every guy in town knew she was off-limits. It was soon, but he wanted exclusivity with her. Because he didn’t share.
When she leaned into him it fed some part of him he hadn’t even realized existed. “I’m getting your drink today,” she murmured. “So don’t even argue. Save us a table.”
“I like this bossy side of you.”
“Maybe you’ll see more of it tonight.” Her voice was low and seductive before she strode off, leaving him wanting so much more.
Looking away from her—so he wouldn’t stare at her ass as she headed up to the front counter—he scanned for a table. Two high-tops were available so he snagged one next to the Baker sisters. Eleanor and Macy were friends of his mother and pretty much said anything they felt like. It was as if they had no filter. And age wasn’t the reason. They’d been like that for as long as he could remember. If he was being honest, he’d chosen this empty table deliberately because he wanted word to spread that he was with Samantha.
“Morning, ladies,” he said as he took a seat next to them.
The rich scent of coffee and the steady hum of voices filled the air. His soon to be sister-in-law had really turned this place around when she took over.
“Maguire O’Connor. I hear that you’re house shopping,” Macy said. The sisters looked similar but Macy had dark hair where Eleanor had blonde.
“And that you kicked that old geezer Jeff Crawford to the curb,” her sister added. “I’m glad. He’s getting lazy in his old age. He either needs to retire or get his head out of his ass and do his job.”
He cleared his throat. No way was he talking about the Realtor he’d let go. They were completely right, but he wasn’
t gossiping about anyone in town. “You ladies looking forward to summer?” That seemed like a safe-enough topic.
Macy rolled her eyes. “We don’t want to talk about the weather, young man.”
Young man? He bit back a grin, but didn’t respond as Samantha joined him, sliding his drink in front of him. It felt wrong to let her pay, but he hadn’t wanted to make a big deal over something so small. And he hadn’t been kidding—he’d liked that little bossiness to her. He liked everything about her.
She smiled at the sisters. “Hi, ladies. I don’t think I ever got to thank you in person, but the donation you made in my father’s name was so sweet. It really touched my mom and me.”
“He was such a good man. We were both glad to hear you’d moved back to town, for more reasons than one. It’ll be nice for your mom to have you back and now we can stop listening to Alison complain that Maguire will never settle down.” Macy slid off her stool as her sister did the same.
Samantha’s eyes widened as they left. She avoided his gaze as she picked up her cup. “I…don’t even know what to say to that.”
He hadn’t planned to have this conversation until later, and not in a fairly public place. No one around them was paying any attention though. And he didn’t really care. “So…what are you looking for? With us?” Because he knew what he wanted.
She seemed to struggle for a moment, but finally spoke. “I want to date you, see where this thing goes.”
He didn’t like the word date, but he could live with it. Because it was what people did. Well, normal people. He hadn’t been on a date since Samantha. “Exclusively.”
Her eyes widened a fraction before her lips curved up. “I love that you’re not asking.”
“Not a question. If I’m dating you, I’m not dating anyone else.” And neither are you was the silent statement.
“Good. Then we’re exclusive.” She reached across the table for his hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “So…it’s not a secret.”
“Hell, no.” He slid his fingers through hers, tightened them. “I want the whole town to know you’re mine.”
Her cheeks grew pink even as she straightened. “Me too.”
Seeing her like that only reminded him of how sexy she’d looked in that closet yesterday afternoon, her hair tousled and color flushing her skin from the orgasm he’d given her. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough. “Not that I mind driving you around, but I have an extra car for you to use today.” A Mercedes sedan he’d recently bought at an auction.
“I should tell you that you don’t have to, but thank you. I…don’t know how you’re still single.”
“Right back at you.” He figured they’d talk more about that tonight. There were some things he didn’t want to discuss in a coffee shop.
Her dark eyes flared with heat. “I was waiting for the right guy.”
He sucked in a breath at her words because he felt the same way. Even if he hadn’t actually been waiting for anyone. He’d been more or less hiding in his work the last three years. Now, he realized, that wasn’t such a bad thing. Because if Samantha was what he got after years of celibacy?
Worth it.
“You still want me to cook for you tonight?”
She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “Definitely. And thank you again for being so understanding about last night.”
His eyebrows drew together. Of course he’d be understanding. Her dad had just died and her mom wanted to spend time with her. How could he not? “How’s your mom doing?”
“Really good, I think. Relatively speaking. She’s staying really busy with her clubs and her friends but…I think it’s hard for her some nights. Obviously. Last night we just watched a movie and had popcorn. It was really fun. Not that I’m not sad about bailing on you,” she added.
He let out a little laugh. “It’s good you’re there for her. My mom’s made it a point to include June in different committees in the upcoming months.” Which he’d thought was wrong until he’d realized why his mom had done it. She wanted to keep Sam’s mom active too. He hadn’t realized that June and his mom were that close, but he shouldn’t be surprised. His mom had a ton of friends. “You and your mom want to come over for dinner at my family’s Monday night dinner thing?” he asked.
“Wow, yeah, that would be great. I’ve heard about it from Nora.”
“It’ll be official, then. Because once you have dinner with my family, you know my mom’s going to get ideas.” Family dinner was a big thing. Only significant others were invited. The kind of significant others that mattered, as in fiancées or soon to be. It was probably too soon to be thinking like that, but Maguire didn’t much care. Samantha was his.
She just lifted a shoulder. “Fine with me.”
Her reaction made him pause. “So what’s on your agenda for today?”
“Couple showings and running my mom around to various places. It’s a pretty slow day. Next week is going to make up for it though, because I have three closings lined up.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. I landed more clients than I’d anticipated when moving back. Mostly through word of mouth. And some were in the process of making offers and wanted me to draw up the final contracts.”
He knew she was working with a local real estate company but was more freelance than anything. “Have you thought about opening up your own agency?”
After glancing around once, she nodded. “Yeah. It’s just a little nerve-racking, I guess.”
He could easily see her making a go of it on her own. After inadvertently hiring her, he’d made some calls and heard exactly how driven and sharp she was. And, he grudgingly admitted to himself, if Ethan Thaxter had hired her, she had to be good. “I think you’ll do well on your own.”
“Thanks.”
He tightened his fingers around hers, not quite ready to let them go. When his phone buzzed, indicating a text, he almost ignored it. But he hadn’t been entirely truthful earlier. It wasn’t a free day for him. He had a lot of shit to do. He’d just decided to prioritize Samantha. He glanced at the screen and frowned when he read the message from one of his guys.
Changing those tires out for your girl. Someone slashed them. Not an accident.
Chapter 6
“I’m not sure what else you want me to do, Maguire.” Brad—who was the sheriff and also Maguire’s soon-to-be brother-in-law—sounded only mildly exasperated.
Maguire reined in his temper as he steered down Samantha’s street. After he’d gotten that text this morning about her tires being slashed he might have gone into slightly obnoxious protective mode. He’d had Brad meet them at his shop and take a report for property damage, but neither Sam nor Brad had been concerned about the tires.
“There’s been a rash of petty vandalism the last two weeks and I’m ninety percent sure I know who it is. I’ve got one of my guys sitting on the little shit’s house right now.” Definite frustration colored the sheriff’s voice now.
Under normal circumstances Brad wouldn’t tell Maguire something like that, but they were family and Maguire was being pushy as hell. So he knew that a teenage troublemaker was the suspect behind Samantha’s slashed tires. He still wasn’t satisfied.
“Yeah, all right.” He was just frustrated so he’d called Brad, hoping to get to the bottom of this. “How’s the construction coming along?” Brad and his sister had just closed on a new home that included a mother-in-law suite behind the house that they were turning into a commercial kitchen.
“Good. Might ask for your help next weekend. Fallon wants to repaint a few rooms inside the house.”
“No problem. I’m sure Jackson and Nolan won’t mind either.” Then they could knock it out in no time. That was one of the great things about having family nearby. His brothers would always help out if he needed anything, and vice versa.
“I’ll let you know for sure what we decide.”
“Sounds good—” His blood turned to ice as he pulled into Samantha’s
driveway. His headlights swept over the hooded figure of a male standing on the edge of the small front balcony of her home. “There’s an intruder on Sam’s balcony. Get to her place now,” he snapped before ending the call.
He called Samantha even as he leaned down and reached under his seat. Turning the phone on speaker, he unlocked the container for his SIG as it rang. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the would-be intruder scaling over the balcony. Likely ready to jump and run.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you.”
“Where in your house are you right now?” He pulled his weapon out, slid the magazine in. No one was going to hurt Samantha. They’d have to go through him first.
“Ah…my bedroom.”
“Get downstairs now and make your way to the front door but don’t open it until you hear my voice.” He kept his car lights on, shining bright against the front of her house and partially illuminating the balcony—that was now empty.
“Okay.” Worry tinged that one word, but she didn’t question him, didn’t say anything else. But he could hear her moving around.
Slowly, he moved from the vehicle, using the street lights, lights from Sam’s house and the smattering of stars above to guide his way. His instinct was to run after whoever had been on Sam’s balcony because he didn’t want that bastard to get away—but that wasn’t happening. For all he knew there was more than one intruder and he’d be leaving her vulnerable.
Un-fucking-likely there was more than one guy, but he wasn’t taking a chance with her life. Weapon up, he checked the front of her property and home as he hurried to the front door. He knocked once. “It’s me,” he said.
Moments later she opened the door, her eyes wide as her gaze landed on his SIG. After stepping inside, he locked the door behind himself then pointed at the door. “Stay here. Don’t open the door for anyone except Brad. He’s on his way.”