The boy puffed his chest out proudly as he accepted Shane’s hand with a surprisingly firm grip, then Kieran’s, and gave a respectful nod to Lacie. “Yeah. Matt O’Connell.”
Kieran suppressed a knowing smile. It was a long time since he’d been at that awkward phase when he wasn’t really a kid anymore yet not quite a man, but some things a man never forgot. “We thought we’d ready the place up for you, but it looks like you arrived earlier than expected.”
Matt gave a slight nod. “Got here last night.”
“You stayed here?” Kieran asked, remembering the state the house had been in yesterday afternoon.
“Yeah.” There was no mistaking the pride in the kid’s voice. He didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Well, since we’re here, would you like a little help?”
Matt considered them, then his eyes wandered over the truck. The back of the pickup was loaded with equipment and supplies. “S’okay with me,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “But you better check with my mom.”
Matt pulled another rag from his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. It was still pretty early in the day to work up a sweat like that. Kieran wondered how long the kid had already been at it.
“Come on. She’s inside.”
The strong scents of bleach and wood soap assaulted them as they neared the house. A battery operated radio played from the back of the house, and a woman’s voice could clearly be heard singing along, slightly off-key but with lots of heart.
They found her in the kitchen. Her knees were on the floor, the upper half of her body swallowed up by the double-doored cabinet beneath the sink. The lower half of her body, along with her very attractive rear end, moved in rhythm to the song as she scrubbed and sang. Lacie put her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle, but the men had better control and somehow managed to keep their smiles from extending past a few twitches at the corners.
“Mom,” Matt called, looking a little embarrassed. She didn’t hear him. “Mom!” he called louder, startling her. There was no mistaking the loud crack as she jumped, knocking her head on the underside of the sink basin. Everyone winced in sympathy.
“What?” Faith asked, extracting herself from beneath the sink, rubbing at the spot on the back of her head. She didn’t seem nearly as angry as she might have been under the circumstances.
“Sorry,” Matt mumbled. “We’ve got company.”
*
Already? She thought. She’d hoped that her new neighbors might be a bit less intrusive than those in their old neighborhood. Faith sat on the floor, needing a moment to let the brightly colored lights currently flashing in front of her eyes to fade. They just didn’t make sinks like that anymore, she thought wryly.
The first thing she saw was a pair of size fourteen steel-toed leather work boots. Her gaze moved up muscular, denim clad legs. And up, past lean male hips and a ripped, massive torso encased in a cotton T. And up, to beautifully sculpted male features, jet black hair, and luminous blue eyes.
Faith gulped. If this is the kind of stuff she saw by hitting her head, she’d definitely have to do it more often.
Full male lips quirked in amusement.
“Mom,” Matt said, breaking into her obvious hallucination, “this is Shane Callaghan and his brother, Kieran, and his fiancé, Lacie.”
Faith shook the cobwebs from her head, turning to face the other man. He had the same black hair and blue eyes, but wasn’t quite as large as the first one. “Shane Callaghan. We spoke on the phone. The seller, right?” Three male hands reached out to assist her, but it was Matt’s she chose for a hand up.
“That’s me,” Shane said with a friendly smile.
“Hi.” Faith returned Shane’s smile with one of her own. Tugging off the heavy duty rubber gloves, she took the hand he offered, then Lacie’s, then Kieran’s. “I’m Faith.”
*
Kieran Callaghan prided himself on the complete and total control he had over his mind and body. But the moment Faith put her hand in his, he could scarcely recall his own name.
Part of it had to do with the sudden rush of sparks and tingles that radiated outward from the point of contact, making him feel as if he had just grabbed an electric fence. For as unexpected as it was, it was not unpleasant; rather, it felt as though some hidden, heretofore unused part of him had just jolted to life. The growing unease that had been accumulating in his chest, getting heavier and heavier over the past couple of days, simply ... vanished.
Well, damn.
In addition to the strange physical response, Kieran was caught mentally unprepared as well, for the image of the single mother he had been envisioning was about as far removed from this woman as he could get. He had been expecting an older woman, late thirties maybe – an opinion that had been enforced after encountering Matt. But Faith was not old, not by any stretch of the imagination. Unless she had discovered the secret of perpetual youth, she was no older than him. Younger, by the looks of it. She was small, sexy, and quite possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.