“Tell me.” Rebecca tucked her legs up beneath her and sipped from the cup of hot tea. Hearing about the Callaghans was preferable to talking about their own dysfunctional family dynamics.
“Well, you already know Michael, the doctor. He’s probably the nicest among them. He’s married to Maggie. They have a cute little guy named Ryan and live out on Maggie’s family farm. She provides all the organics for the Goddess, by the way, and makes the best damn cookies you’ve ever had.”
Rebecca nodded. She liked Michael very much. In addition to being highly skilled, he had a very soothing way with his patients, and an excellent bedside manner. Yet there was nothing stuffy or arrogant in his manner. And his wife, Maggie, had been very friendly and welcoming.
“Then there’s Jake. He’s probably the second scariest next to Kane. He runs the family Pub with Ian. He’s married to Taryn, and they’ve got a little girl named Riley.”
She remembered meeting him once or twice. He seemed remarkably like Kane, in fact. He was on the quiet side, and reminded her of an advancing storm when he moved. She’d spent a good deal more time with his wife, Taryn, at the shelter. She’d been a little shocked by Taryn at first – the woman could hold her own with any of the Callaghans – but she had grown quite fond of her contagious smile and irreverent attitude. But what Rebecca liked most about Taryn was her passionate soul and kick-ass attitude. Rebecca wished she had the fortitude to tell people what was on her mind once in a while.
“Sean runs the garage in town – honestly there’s not an engine that guy can’t fix. He’s married to Nicki, who now runs the Teen Reach program for Taughannock County. You met her down at the shelter too, I believe.”
It was hard not to remember Nicki – jet black hair, amazing super-light crystal eyes. She and her twin brother, Nick, had been instrumental in assembling the teens and keeping them busy with helpful tasks. Nicki was another one she had become quite fond of. Though she looked like something straight out of a heavy metal video with her jet black hair, piercing light silver eyes and a penchant for leather, she was the perfect match for her equally bad-ass husband, and she really cared for the kids.
“His twin, Shane, is a lawyer and lives above the Pub. He was a Godsend in getting us everything we needed to get the Goddess up and running. He’s relatively soft-spoken, smart as hell, and he’s still single. Stay away from him,” he warned, making Rebecca chuckle.
“And Kieran, the youngest. He runs BodyWorks, the fitness place in town. He’s single, too, but he’s too young for you.”
“Relax, Aidan. I’m not looking for a hook-up. What about Kane? What does he do?”
“You definitely want to stay away from him; the guy’s like a walking thundercloud. I’m not sure exactly what he does, though. Like I said, he’s not around much. Lex says he’s got a place up in the mountains somewhere, likes to keep to himself. The only reason he’s been hanging around Pine Ridge is because he’s been doing rehab at BodyWorks.”
“For his hip?”
“How did you know about that?”
Rebecca had the good sense to blush a little. “I was with him when he, uh, got shot.”
“WHAT?!?!” Aidan sat up so fast his coffee splashed over his lap.
“Now, Aidan, you need to calm down.”
“Calm down? CALM DOWN? Are you insane? What situation could possibly put you and Kane Callaghan together and he ends up getting shot?”
“Well, I don’t know what he was doing there, but I was travelling with the Sisters of Mercy. We were delivering medical supplies to some of the villages of Namibia when we were attacked. Kane saved my life.” She shuddered, remembering the gleam in her captors’ eyes. “The bullet got him when he was trying to get me out of there.”
“Son of a bitch. Not one of those bastards said a thing - ”
“They didn’t know who I was, Aidan. It’s not like we exchanged ID’s. All I knew was his first name, and I never told him mine. We were running for our lives at the time. I never expected to see him again, especially in Pine Ridge of all places. I doubt he ever expected to see me again, either,” she added as an afterthought.
“He saved your life?” he asked, still in shock. “What happened to the rest of your group?”
Rebecca lowered her eyes and shook her head. “They’re all gone, Aidan,” she said quietly. “I had to identify the bodies when the clean-up team came in.”
Aidan pulled her into his arms. “Oh, Becca. I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too,” she whispered.
Chapter Five
“Not heading up to the cabin this weekend?” Michael asked casually several weeks later. Kane shot him a suspicious glance, but Michael had wisely turned his attention back to helping Maggie create “care packages” of cookies for the families still displaced by the flood. Their son Ryan was tucked against her hip, shooting Kane a baby-toothed grin around the slobbery cookie he held in his hands.