Guardian Angel: Callaghan Brothers, Book 5

by Abbie Zanders

  “You missed your calling,” he said easily. “You’d make one hell of a plumber. If you’d had a longer wrench with better leverage, you would have nailed it.”

  Rebecca grinned at the praise, then suddenly seemed to realize how she must look. She attempted to brush some of the dirt and cobwebs off of her, but only resulted in smudging herself more. Kane couldn’t completely withhold his smile.

  Eventually she admitted defeat with a heavy sigh and led the way back up the steps. He didn’t know why she seemed so worried about her appearance. He’d already seen her in the jungle, covered in blood and gore and more than a little perspiration. Not to mention their encounter the night of the flood evacuation. And in both of those situations, she was still quite possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. So what were a few cobwebs and grease marks?

  Kane followed behind her. He decided then and there that being behind Rebecca on a flight of steps was a very nice place to be, indeed. Too bad they were only going up one floor. He briefly considered dropping the wrench over the side to prompt an encore, but thought it might be too obvious. Rebecca was intelligent enough to see right through such a lame attempt to ogle her backside.

  In his defense, it was a hell of a nice backside – nicely curved, just the right size for his large palms.

  Emerging into the kitchen, Rebecca made a beeline for the sink. “So,” she said, breaking into his reverie, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today? Dropping off more supplies?”

  It was a valid question. Hardly a day went by when Kane wasn’t delivering something to the shelter. Sometimes food. Sometimes equipment. It didn’t matter. That wasn’t the primary reason he wound up here every day.

  She glanced back, and he was forced to move his gaze from the swell of her hips upward lest he be caught gawking.

  “No,” he said. “Actually, I’m here on more of a rescue mission.”

  She raised her eyebrows, leaning against the sink as she rubbed at the grease between her fingers vigorously. “Sounds intriguing. Someone I know?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. See, I was just over at the Pub, and I overheard these nefarious female types plotting their next move.”

  Rebecca laughed, though he didn’t miss the fleeting expression of dread crossing her face. “What is it this week? Wait – don’t tell me – belly dancing? Speed dating? Self-defense classes?”

  At least she had a sense of humor about it, although the self-defense classes seemed like a good idea. Kieran held them every week down at BodyWorks, all ages, all levels. Kane would feel a lot better if Rebecca took a few, even if she just learned the basics. Maybe he’d plant a suggestion somewhere.

  Or better yet, maybe he could show her himself. Yeah, that would be nice. The two of them alone, him teaching her a hundred different ways to neutralize an attack. It would require a lot of physical contact, and would offer the perfect excuse for her to touch him beyond the innocent brushes and sly little nudges.

  “You’re not far off, actually. There’s a Zumba class down at BodyWorks this afternoon, and when I left they were compiling a list of eligible males between the ages of twenty-five and forty on your behalf.”

  “Oh my.” Rebecca hung the towel on the oven door and leaned back against the counter. Kane forced himself not to think about how the pose emphasized her breasts, or how it bared the delicate skin of her neck as she tilted her head to look up at him. Instead, he picked up the damp towel and rubbed gently at the smudge on her forehead, ignoring the saucer-sized golden brown eyes that regarded him as he did so.

  “My thoughts exactly.” Satisfied that the smudge had been duly eliminated, he placed the towel on the counter and stepped back.

  Rebecca abandoned the counter, grabbing two Cokes from the fridge and offering one to him. “So. What’s the plan? Should I grab some snacks and lock myself in the basement, pretend I’m not here?”

  His eyes glistened with amusement. “That’s one option. But I think they’ll find you. They’re quite resourceful, you know. Plus they can sense fear.”

  “Hmm. That would be bad.”

  “Very bad,” he agreed, closing the space between them a little. It was only a step or two, but even that was enough to send his body temperature rising several degrees.

  “Well, I defer to your obvious tactical expertise. What do you suggest?”

  Kane smiled. She was teasing him, he knew, but it was done with such affection that it was easy to mistake it for flirting. Flirting annoyed the crap out of him. Except when Rebecca did it. If that’s what she was doing.

  “I was thinking that it might be better to actually leave the premises for a while. You know, throw them off the trail.”

  “An excellent suggestion, but where would I go?” Her brows creased in thought. “The only other place I can think of would be Aidan’s, and that’s the first place they’d look.”

  “Ah, see, that’s the beauty of my plan. Not even you will know where you are.”

  She laughed. “Sounds good. Will you be there too?”

  He hesitated only a millisecond, though he hadn’t decided until just then for sure. “Yes.”

  “Then how can I resist?”

  Kane tried to ignore the flurry of sparks igniting in his chest while Rebecca went to clean up and change.

  * * *

  “Do you like to read?” he asked, pulling up into a parking space in the downtown public square.

  “Yes, I love to read.” With his hand at her back (did he even realize what he was doing, she wondered?), he guided her into the bookstore. “Take your time. Pick out a good book, whatever you like. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “That information,” he said as he leaned in close, with a rare but dazzling smile, “is provided only on a strictly need-to-know basis, and as of this moment, you do not need to know.”

  Kane’s breath, warm and moist and carrying the decadent scent of Tootsie rolls, caressed her cheek. A little thrill rose the length of her spine and she grinned back at him. Honestly, she didn’t know why everyone seemed so wary of him. He was one of the kindest men she’d ever met. Not to mention the sexiest.

  Oblivious to the gawks of the other female patrons, Kane left Rebecca to explore the books and novels. Like a kid in a candy store, she agonized over the possible choices, wondering exactly what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to pick out a book for him? No, she thought, he had said to select something she wanted.

  But what to choose? There were so many things she wanted to read. Books had become treasures to her. When she was lucky enough to get her hands on one she would read it over and over again until she could picture each page by heart. To buy a new book – anything she wanted – well, it was just about the most thoughtful gift anyone could have given her. Somehow, Kane had known that.

  By the time he returned, she had made her selection.

  He looked at her choice skeptically. “This is what you want?” Rebecca looked self-consciously down at the book in her hand, the first in a well-publicized paranormal romance series.

  “I’ve heard so much about this. I was rather curious, I guess. But maybe it’s too young for me...” She made a move to put it back and select something else, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

  “No,” he said. “Get this one.” She felt the touch clear down to her toes. Usually it was she who initiated the contact; she was more than a little annoyed by her incessant need to do so whenever they were together, but thankfully, Kane didn’t seem to object if it was done with subtlety. To have him touch her – even one that was little more than incidental – sent an intense wave of satisfaction through her.

  Paying for the selection, he led her back out to his truck. She tried peering into the back to see what he had there, but Kane would not allow it.

  “No peeking,” he chastised, earning him yet another smile. She was intrigued. She kept telling herself not to make too much out of it. They were
friends, that’s all.

  They left the town behind. Rebecca sat quietly in the front, watching the homes grow fewer and farther between as her anticipation grew. When Kane pulled off the paved road and switched to four-wheel drive, she became downright excited.

  “Come on,” Kane said, opening her door and offering her his hand. Glad for the opportunity to put her hand in his, she leapt gracefully out of the truck and looked around. She saw trees. And more trees. Interspersed between them were huge, monster sized bushes with broad, dark green shiny leaves. The autumn sun filtered down on the first-shed leaves of the season. A soft, warm breeze carried the scent of sweet pine and damp earth. If she listened carefully, she could hear the sound of running water.

  She looked at Kane questioningly. “What is this place?”

  “Do you trust me?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

  She didn’t hesitate. This man had killed on her behalf. “Implicitly.”

  He smiled. The man was absolutely devastating when he smiled. At that moment, Rebecca was almost glad he didn’t do so very often, because she didn’t want any other woman to see it. Then she chastised herself for being ridiculous.

  “Then let’s go.”

  Kane grabbed a large canvas bag out of the back of his truck, hefting it as though it weighed next to nothing. Rebecca followed dutifully behind him. After only about a hundred feet they stopped. Rebecca stepped around Kane and lost her breath completely. Before them were some of the most breathtaking natural waterfalls she had ever seen.

  “It’s so beautiful.”

  “Yeah, thought you might like it.”

  Kane pulled a collapsible canvas lounge chair from the bag and positioned it so that it had a perfect view of the falls. Then he covered the canvas with an old fashioned, well-worn quilt, and gestured for her to take a seat.

  “This,” he told her, “is the perfect spot to escape.” And it was. Secluded, surrounded by brilliantly colored leaves. The smell of damp rocks and dirt and sweet pine in the air. The sound of the falls, swooshing and splashing, forming a constant series of prisms in the mist.

  Once he made sure she was comfortable, thoughtfully tucking the excess quilt around her legs for warmth, he began to walk away.

  “Kane? Aren’t you staying?”

  She cringed at the slight but obvious worry in her voice, but he just smiled. “I’m staying. I’m just going to grab my fishing pole and cast a few lines while you read your book.”

  Relief flooded through her. “You’ll stay nearby?”

  “I’ll stay nearby.”

  Kane leapt with a silent, masculine grace from one rock to another until he was midstream. Really, she thought, no one that large should be able to move that beautifully. But then he was no ordinary man.

  Kane was nothing like anyone she’d ever met before. He was the physical embodiment of her own personal guardian angel, sent to watch over her and protect her. She almost giggled at the thought, remembering her first impression of him as a real, honest to God archangel sent to smite those that would do her harm.

  For the first half an hour or so, she watched him. The way his muscles bunched and flexed and rippled across his back and arms each time he cast his line. The perfect balance of his legs, so strong beneath the faded denim. The sculpted backside that would have made Michelangelo weep. The unnatural stillness with which he held himself. The classic, perfect lines of his face, so beautiful and yet unmistakably masculine, as if they had been carved by immortal hands. It literally took her breath away. Every now and then he’d glance back at her and smile, and she’d smile back, embarrassed at having been caught watching him. Again.

  When Rebecca did finally start to read, however, she became almost instantly lost in the story. And that’s when Kane started watching her.

  * * *

  She was a fast reader. No sooner had she turned one page than she was fingering the corner to turn another. Her expressions changed as she read. She smiled, she frowned, she laughed, her mouth gaped in disbelief. Sometimes the most wonderful rose blush stole across her cheeks, and Kane guessed she was reading a particularly naughty passage. It was fascinating to watch; most of the time, she kept such careful control over herself. To see the emotions pass unguarded across her features was a treat indeed.

  After an hour or so, she had already made significant progress through the book.

  “Good read?” he asked, suddenly there beside her, unwilling to stay away a moment longer. He was immediately rewarded with one of her special smiles, the one that had his chest expanding and his pants shrinking.

  “Yes, it’s wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “A little.”

  Kane disappeared again, only to return with yet another surprise: two large plain brown grocery bags. From them, he extracted fresh apples from the farmers market, sandwiches from the local deli, two gallon jugs – one sweet tea and one lemonade, and two gargantuan, individually wrapped items that looked like the world’s largest Oreos.

  “What are they?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a whoopie pie?”

  She shook her head. “Then you, sweetheart, are in for a treat.” The endearment rolled off his tongue easily. By the way her eyes widened, he wasn’t the only one surprised by it.

  Kane unwrapped one and held it out to her. She licked her lips; Kane followed the movement of her tongue intently.

  “Shouldn’t we eat the sandwiches first?”

  He grinned and winked. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

  Her resulting smile could have lit the town for a week. Nothing could have prepared him for the joy he felt watching her bite into the soft cake for the first time, seeing the look of pure rapture on her face.

  “Oh my God. This is amazing. What did you say it’s called?”

  “Whoopie pie,” he told her, fighting the nearly irresistible urge to lick the dab of cream from the tip of her nose. “They’re big among the nearby Pennsylvania Dutch communities.”

  He compromised by removing the cream with his finger and licking that instead, refusing to meet her astonished eyes as he did so. It was a selfish pleasure on his part, one he would not openly acknowledge. And Rebecca, God bless her, would not call him on it.

  “It is awesome, Kane,” she said, eyes sparkling. “Everything is.”

  “Are you enjoying your afternoon?” he asked when they had eaten their fill.

  “More than you know.”

  He was pleased by her answer, but even more so by the way she looked at him when she said so.

  “There’s only another hour or two of daylight left. Would you like to stay for a bit or head back?”

  “I’d like to stay for as long as possible, if it’s alright with you.”

  He was hoping she’d say that. He was in no hurry to leave. Hell, if she asked him to pitch a tent and stay out here all night he would have probably agreed. He couldn’t remember when the last time was he had enjoyed someone’s company quite so much. Usually he had to choose between doing something enjoyable – like fishing and spending time outdoors – or spending time with someone else. With Rebecca, he got to do both, though he knew which one he enjoyed more.

  “You got it. Mind if I fish a bit yet?”

  “Not if you promise to watch the sunset with me.”

  In the dappled sunlight, her hair glowed softly and her eyes sparkled. She looked so beautiful. Radiant. And happy. Truly, genuinely happy. The strangest thing? So was he. No, he was more than happy. He was content. At peace.

  “It’s a deal,” he said.

  * * *

  The sunset was spectacular, filled with deep hues of fiery reds and oranges. It was the perfect end to a perfect afternoon. Away from the world, just the two of them. And she hadn’t once felt her normal compulsion to do anything besides relax, read, and glance at Kane every few minutes. Or seconds, as it was. It was necessary to convince herself that she wasn’t dreaming it all. She pinche
d herself often. At one point she considered pinching him as well, but her common sense prevailed.

  It was with more than a little regret that she helped fold the quilt and pack everything back into the truck.

  “Kane?” she asked as they made their way down towards the town. Maybe it was the wonderful day she’d had, but the twinkling lights against the velvety blackness of the night sky looked especially pretty.

  “Hmm?” His quiet hum resonated through her. The truck’s cab was filled with his unique clean, masculine scent, now enhanced with fresh air, water, and sunshine. It had an almost lazy, satisfied quality to it that was completely in sync with the way she was feeling. Had she been a cat she was sure she would be purring.

  “Do you think maybe we could do this again sometime?”

  Kane glanced over at her. “I’d like that.”

  “Me, too.”

  When he dropped her off that night, she was still beaming. She briefly considered kissing him again, but decided against it. He hadn’t minded the last time she’d snuck a quick peck to his cheek, but she could tell by the way his eyes followed her every movement he was wondering whether she was going to make another attempt.

  “Goodnight, Kane,” she said softly, fighting off the urge to do just that. “Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.”

  “Goodnight, Rebecca. And you’re welcome.”

  Rebecca slipped inside Aidan’s townhouse and closed the door, sighing heavily. She was proud of the restraint she had shown. The next time they kissed, if they ever did, it would be because he initiated it.

  Chapter Nine

  Spending time with Rebecca, Kane quickly decided, was addicting. She took pleasure in the simplest of things. They made it back to the falls once more, but it became more difficult for him to keep his distance when the weather took a decided turn for the colder. One look at Rebecca shivering conjured up all sorts of inappropriate ways to warm her.

  One evening they stayed in and watched a movie, though he couldn’t have told anyone the first thing about it; he’d been too intent on watching her, on feeling the brush of her legs against him every time she shifted on the sofa. Sometimes it was simply a matter of him offering her a ride to the home center, the book store (her favorite), or the farmer’s market. It didn’t matter – not to her and not to him. The plain fact was that they enjoyed each other’s company no matter what they were doing.