by Robin Kaye
“I can’t believe even you would leave your clothes for last.”
“There are very few things I hate more than folding laundry, you know that. The only way I get through it is by watching Pride and Prejudice while I do it.”
“The movie?”
“Oh, God no, the BBC miniseries.”
“That’s gotta be five hours long.”
“So? Darcy gets me through hours of laundry—not all at one time, mind you. But that’s what pause buttons on the DVD player are for.” She made a mental note to pack the DVDs when she finished folding. She was almost at her favorite part. Her phone beeped. “Kendall, I’ve got to go. I have another call coming in.”
“Looks like Mr. Darcy is going to have to wait. Don’t forget to pack while you’re talking.”
“Will do. Bye.” She tapped the screen to end the call and take the other. “Hello?”
“Erin, it’s Cam O’Leary.”
His deep voice set off a flurry of bat-sized butterflies that didn’t have the decency to stay in her stomach. They fluttered into her lungs too. Damn. “Hi.” The memory of their first and only meeting had her running to the bathroom to grab a box of tampons and her birth control pills. Not that the thought of Cam made her think of birth control, just of being that kind of late. But if she were that kind of late, it would be the second Immaculate Conception. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you on a Saturday night. I’m not interrupting you on a date or anything, am I?”
She almost laughed. “No, the only thing you’re interrupting is my packing.”
“Oh, thank God. Look, Erin, I know this is short notice—well, no notice actually—but I was wondering if you could help me out of a bind. Is there any way you could start earlier than agreed to?”
“How much earlier?” She’d planned to move her things tomorrow night.
“As soon as you can get here? I got called into work. The investigator on call is in the hospital. His wife went into premature labor—they’re trying to stop it, but he can’t leave her.”
“I understand.” She looked at her queen-size bed strewn with clothes. “When do you need me?”
“As soon as you can be here. I have no way of knowing if it will be an all-nighter or not, so if it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition, I was hoping you could start now. I might be on call for the next few days.”
“Is an hour okay? I need a few minutes to finish packing.” She decided to toss everything in her duffel bag and worry about the wrinkles later. “Or I could just grab a change of clothes—”
“No, an hour is fine. I really appreciate this. If I had gotten the call a little earlier, I could have had my father stay with Janie, but I’m sure he’s home in Portsmouth by now.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Thanks, you’re a godsend.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Erin ended the call and scrambled to finish the packing job from hell. She’d already emptied her refrigerator since she’d planned to go to Kendall’s for dinner tomorrow night—something she’d have to remember to cancel. Forty-five minutes and six trips to her car later, she headed off to her new job. Maybe this way was better—she’d hardly had time to obsess about sharing a house with Cameron O’Leary for the next month.
***
Cam tossed his bag full of gear into his car and repeated the hands-off lecture he’d given himself ad nauseam since he’d first laid eyes on Erin Crosby. Unfortunately, the sound of her voice over the phone was all it took to forget the constant lectures. He’d bitten his tongue almost in half while he waited to hear if she was on a date. Hearing that a woman who looked like Erin was sitting home alone on a Saturday night made him wonder about the collective intelligence of the male population of Boston.
He let out an exasperated breath and, for possibly the fiftieth time in the last twenty-four hours, considered calling one of his friends with benefits to allay his newfound sexual frustration. He hadn’t spoken to either of them in two years. For all he knew, they could be married by now. Still, he would have tried if he’d thought it would solve his not-so-little problem, but only one woman sparked his sexual frustration. The one woman whose dating habits should hold no interest, the same woman he should never picture naked, the only woman who was completely hands-off, and the one who just pulled up in front of his house.
He slammed the tailgate of his rig and walked in front of her car, the headlights hitting his knees. He opened her door for her, the interior lights went on, and she let out a startled scream right before he was hit in the solar plexus with what felt like a few bags of bricks. “Erin, it’s me, Cam.” Shit, he’d gone and scared her.
She looked up at him; her big eyes the size of stop signs. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“No. I’m sorry. I thought you saw me when I came around the car.”
“I was grabbing my things, not searching for attackers.” She slumped back into her seat and held a hand to her throat as if she were waiting for her heart to start beating again.
He couldn’t do anything right. First he dragged her out of her house at ten o’clock at night and then he scared the crap out of her. He crouched in front of her. “I’m really sorry I spooked you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting”—she shoved a hand toward him as if he had startled the words right out of her—“you.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. Maybe a hasty retreat was the better part of valor. “If you pop your trunk, I’ll bring your bags into the house.”
“It’s open, but you don’t have to—”
He did his best to ignore the way her face paled and then reddened as if he’d embarrassed her. Before she could even get the words out, he was around her car and digging in her trunk.
By the time she gathered her things and slammed the door, he had all her luggage.
“I’ll get the rest later.”
He held a suitcase under each arm and another in each hand. “I think I have everything unless you have more in the backseat.”
“How?” She walked toward him and stared. “That’s all of it, but it took me six trips to load the car.”
He shrugged and waited for her to precede him. “The door’s open.”
“Oh, okay.” She shot out in front of him with her long-legged stride as if she were afraid she’d slow him down.
He kicked himself mentally for being a fool but still couldn’t stop himself from staring at the way her jeans hugged the curve of her ass. Damn, he almost missed that ugly sweater she’d worn the last time he’d seen her. At least it camouflaged her backside—not that it had kept him from imagining what it looked like, he just wished the reality wasn’t as good as the one he’d imagined.
Erin stepped inside and dumped the bags she carried on the floor beside the door. “Just drop them. I’ll take it from here.”
“No, I’ll run them up.” He took the steps two at a time. “I need to wake Janie and introduce you before I leave. I don’t want her to wake up and find a stranger here.”
“But I’m not a stranger,” she padded along behind him.
“You are to Janie.”
“No, I’m not. Kendall and I had lunch with Janie yesterday. I ended up spending a few hours with her after Kendall went back to work.”
Cam stopped in the hall and turned. “You did?”
She pulled the sleeves of her raggedy gray sweatshirt down over her hands and rubbed a cuff with her thumb. “I wanted to get to know her and, well, she seemed a little lonely. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“You didn’t.” Her eyes shone in the light of the overhead fixture and her face pinked up again. Why would being nice to a child embarrass her? “Did you give her that hat she loves so much?” Her blush deepened and he wondered whether he’d feel the heat if he reached out and to
uched her cheek. It was a good thing he had his hands full.
“Yes, it’s a little big for her, but it was her favorite. I thought I’d knit another in the same yarn that fits her better.”
“She wore it all day—even to bed. Just in case she wakes up before I get home, it’s on one of her stuffed bears. I didn’t want her to ruin it, so I waited until she fell asleep to take it off.”
She smiled at that and her grin was so potent, it took him a moment before his mind began to function again.
Luckily, he was smart enough to turn toward what would be her bedroom, for the next month at least, before she caught him trying to reboot his brain. He did his best to keep some distance between them, but she must have double-timed it to catch up to him. “There’s food in the fridge for breakfast. I had planned to go grocery shopping tomorrow—I don’t know what you like to eat.”
“I can cook just about anything. Whatever you and Janie like will be fine. I’m not picky.”
He set the luggage beside the bed. “The sheets are clean. I put towels in the bathroom, and if you need more, the linen closet’s right outside the door.”
“I’ll be fine.” Her gaze flicked from him to the bed and back again.
He knew he should leave but his feet felt as if they were nailed to the hardwood floor. Being in a bedroom with Erin was probably a very bad idea, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember why.
“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?”
Right. “Yes.” His feet moved him toward the door. Thank God. “You have my cell number, but if I don’t answer, you can always call the station and they’ll radio me.”
She followed. “Janie and I will be fine.”
“Come on down and I’ll show you where everything is in the kitchen.”
She stopped at the top of the stairs. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out. If I can’t find something, I’m sure Janie will help me. You’re busy.”
“I’ll try to be home before Janie wakes up—”
“If you’re not, I’ll explain that you had a call. Go.”
This whole thing felt off . . . as if he shouldn’t be leaving Janie. Aw hell, he felt as if he shouldn’t be leaving Erin alone here either, which made absolutely no sense. He hit the door and turned. “You’ll be okay here then?”
“Yes.” She came down a few steps, stopped, and tilted her head—he wasn’t sure if it was in question or if she was trying to figure out if he was nuts. “Wasn’t that the reason you hired me?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. He was being an idiot. “Yes. You’re right. Okay, I’m leaving. Have a good night—what’s left of it. Janie was wiped out after dinner so she should sleep in. I think my dad and brothers wore her out.”
“Brothers?” She continued down and sat on a step when she was about eye-level with him and speared him with those eyes—eyes that seemed to glow. “There are more of you?”
“O’Learys? Yeah.” He couldn’t tell if she was excited about the prospect or horrified. He should never have mentioned them. But if he hadn’t, Janie eventually would—his girl was a real chatterbox and she loved her uncles. “I have two brothers, Adam and Butch. They’re both firefighters.”
“The three of you work together?”
Cam grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on. “Not now. We used to, but then I moved Janie down here from Portsmouth. Adam and Butch still work together depending on their schedules.”
“That must be hard on your parents.”
“My father was a firefighter too, so he’s used to it. My mother died when we were kids but I can’t remember her having a problem with my dad being on the job—but then again, I was pretty young when she died.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks, it was a long, long time ago. In any case, we’re fourth-generation firefighters. It runs in the family.”
“And you’re all single?”
“Yup, even my old man—although it sounds like his on-again/off-again relationship is on again. Lolly made the corned beef and cabbage and soda bread that’s in the fridge. She’s a great cook if you’re hungry. I think there’s at least a little left over.”
“I’m fine.” She stood. “You go. And please don’t worry about Janie. I can handle just about anything.”
He gave her one more close look to make sure she felt comfortable and realized he could probably stare at her all night. The light from overhead highlighted the different colors in her hair—strands of red glowed like a hot fire, the gold gleamed, and the darker hints of brown kind of shimmered. “Okay, lock the dead bolt behind me. I have my keys.”
Cam stepped into the cool night air and took a deep breath, knowing he’d spend the rest of the night fighting smoke. He usually loved going out on a call, but tonight was different. He told himself it was because Janie had just come home. That was probably it. But then again, it wasn’t every day he said good-bye to a beautiful woman before leaving for work. It wasn’t every day he met a woman he’d rather spend time with than search out the cause of a fire. And it wasn’t every day he got a call and didn’t hit the front porch on a run.
He expelled the breath he’d taken and tried to shake off the premonition crawling up his spine like a spider up a web. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that danger was just waiting to strike, and that her name was Erin Crosby.
But damned if he didn’t look forward to it.
Chapter Three
It took Erin less time to unpack than it did to pack—amazing, considering she had to fold all the clothes she’d just stuffed into a bag. She still had to put away the pile she’d dumped unceremoniously by the door, but decided she’d deal with that in the morning.
She’d been so rattled when Cam showed her around the house the day before, she couldn’t remember if there was a place where she and Janie could work. If there was, she’d probably just keep her school and knitting supplies there.
With that settled, she gave herself the rest of the night off. It was half past eleven, so she stripped out of her clothes, using her empty duffel bag to hold dirty laundry.
Since she always had a difficult time sleeping in a new environment, she decided that maybe a nice hot shower would relax her. Lord knew, she’d been so keyed up since meeting Cam that she hadn’t slept well the night before. She wasn’t sure if it was due to nerves or excitement. She told herself it was excitement, but couldn’t quite make herself believe it.
Erin was a master of avoidance, so she grabbed her toiletries and took them into the bathroom. The bathroom, like the closet and dresser drawers, was empty. She’d half expected Janie’s nanny would have left at least part of her wardrobe, but there was no sign of her. Had she completely moved out or had Cam packed her things? Talk about awkward.
Erin couldn’t help but wonder how long Mrs. Truman had been gone, if she’d visited Janie in the hospital, and whether or not Janie missed her. She made a mental note to ask Cam about it the next time she saw him. The last thing she wanted to do was say the wrong thing.
Erin put her toiletries away and debated whether to take a shower or try out the Jacuzzi tub. The tub won out. She set the water to scalding, tied her hair in a knot at the top of her head, and tossed bubbles into the stream of water. She wasn’t sure how to use the Jacuzzi and was afraid to even try, but she didn’t need jets of hot water massage to relax; her lavender bubble bath always did the trick.
Two hours later Erin lay in her bed wide-eyed with her heart racing, and cursed her overactive imagination. She could swear she’d heard a car door slam. Maybe Cam was home early, but the way he’d talked made it sound as if he’d be lucky if he got home before breakfast.
She climbed out of bed and looked out the window. The driveway was empty and the only car in front of the house was hers.
Sliding back between the nice warm sheets, Erin gave her new pillow a punch, wishing she’d remembered to
bring her own, and closed her eyes. When she heard a door rattle, her eyes shot open again. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a door. It could have been the wind. Was it her imagination? Probably, but unless she checked it out, she’d never get to sleep.
She tossed the covers aside and got out of bed, cursing her choice of nightwear—a pair of baggy boxers, tank top, and slouchy socks were definitely not attractive or even decent. She hoped to God it was just the wind, but if it was Cam or a burglar, in this getup she’d probably scare him away. She wished she had a robe with her, but in her haste she’d forgotten to pack it.
Her pulse pounded out the theme to Jaws as she crept down the stairs. The doorknob turned—not her imagination. When she heard the weight of a shoulder straining against the locked dead bolt followed by a muffled curse, she grabbed the knitting needles out of the bag beside the door for protection—as measly as it was—and ducked behind the wall to hide. The last thing she needed was to scare the crap out of Cam her first night on the job. She listened for the scratch of a key against a lock, and the door swung open on its hinges, followed by a step and then a crash.
Whoever it was fell backward over the pile of knitting and research.
She peeked around the corner to see a very large pair of black men’s boots, and legs encased in black jeans. Cam’s jeans were blue.
“Cam, it’s Butch.” The man groaned and rubbed the back of his head. “God, are you trying to kill me?”
Butch? Cam’s brother’s name was Butch, right? Yes, Butch and Adam—she remembered thinking they could be alphabetized. Adam, Butch, and Cameron. Lovely. She released a shaky breath. At least she wouldn’t need to use her needles—yet.
Butch rolled over, pushed her things out of the way, and came to his feet, swaying slightly. “I caught a cab since I’m in no condition to drive.” His words were slurred.
Erin stayed behind the wall. There was no way in hell she was going to introduce herself to a perfect stranger in her pajamas. Not in this lifetime.