It just seemed so... convenient. Given the strange events he’d been privy to over the last few years, it shouldn’t have been as much of a shock as it was, but Michael couldn’t help but marvel at the raw wonder of it. First Jake, then Ian, then him, then Sean. Each had met his destined soul mate through some bizarre twist of events that defied rational logic. Was Kane to be next in the line of Callaghan men to meet their ultimate challenge? It was a delightful thought.
“So let me get this straight,” Michael said, clearing his throat and trying to keep a straight face. “Aidan’s sister saves your ass in Namibia, then winds up here in your hometown during a natural disaster.” He let the grin grow slowly. “Sounds like Fate, bro.”
A low, rumbling sound came from deep within Kane’s chest, obviously meant as a warning, but it only succeeded in making Michael laugh. Kane narrowed his eyes, causing Michael to laugh even harder. The old adage really was turning out to be true: the bigger they were, the harder they fell. And Kane was looking at about a mile-high drop without a backup chute.
With a withering glance, Kane turned and stalked out of the room. Michael’s laughter echoed the entire length of the hallway.
*
It was so busy for the next several hours that Rebecca didn’t have time to dwell on the large man with the stark features and the hauntingly beautiful eyes. She did not have time to think about how absolutely solid he’d felt when she’d thrown herself against him. Nor did she have even a second to feel the rush of embarrassment over his reaction or the subsequent anger that radiated from him in waves, but over what, she had no idea.
And there was no way she would ever admit – not even to herself – the tingling warmth of electrical current that ran throughout the length of her body when he leaned in close and inhaled. If the subject ever came up she would claim some sort of delayed post-traumatic stress reaction brought forth by his sudden and unexpected reappearance, and coming off a triple shift of triage after going on nearly thirty-six hours without sleep.
Yeah, that would definitely work.
*
One thing about being a natural tracker – Kane learned how to observe without being observed. Over the next few days Kane did exactly that. He watched Rebecca from a distance, though in actuality he was never far away. Especially when whatever she was doing placed her in the vicinity of other men.
He wasn’t being territorial, he told himself. He was doing what he did best – assessing a situation, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, and then doing what needed to be done. It wasn’t stalking. He was just looking out for her from afar.
Because Lord knows she didn’t seem all that likely to do it herself, and no one – with the possible exception of her brother – was stepping up to the plate.
Kane learned a lot about her that way. He learned that while she always had a friendly smile and an encouraging word, she was basically a very quiet person, and tended to listen a lot more than she spoke. She also possessed great skills in the art of distraction; whenever anyone started asking her personal questions, she deftly managed to turn the conversation back to the other person. It was something he could understand quite well, though he was more likely to simply ignore people than divert their attention elsewhere. He simply didn’t care enough to put forth the effort.
There also didn’t seem to be any job she wouldn’t do. She helped Michael. Served food. Unpacked and sorted clothing donations. Cleaned toilets. And not once, in any of that time, did he hear her complain, whine, moan, bitch, or, for that matter, sigh heavily.
Her clothing was simple: jeans and comfortable, cotton tops. She’d taken to wearing soft, casual hoodies as well, especially when evening came and the temperature dipped into the seventies; he’d overheard Michael comment that she was having a little trouble adjusting to the climate after spending so much time in much hotter countries.
She wore very little, if any, makeup, but Kane saw that as a plus. She had a natural beauty, and cosmetics would have only tampered with that. For the most part, she kept her hair secured, but sometimes, when she thought she was alone, she’d release the clips and let her hair tumble down over her shoulders, shaking it free and running her fingers through it. It was during those moments that Kane sometimes felt a pang of longing; whether the feeling was hers or his he wasn’t sure, but it never lasted long enough to analyze. After a few quick finger combs, it would inevitably be up again.
The only jewelry he saw was a small silver cross that she usually kept tucked into her shirt, but it sometimes managed to work free when she was doing a lot of bending and lifting. Like everything else, it was simple; no adornments or jewels or etchings. He eventually found out that one of the Sisters had given it to her in her early days of travelling with the convent.