It had been hard to keep her distance from him in Pine Ridge, but at least she had always known he was close, even if he wasn’t right there with her. Now she was acutely aware of each mile between them as their flight headed into the unknown, making her feel increasingly alone and vulnerable and downright twitchy.
The plane leveled out and Faith relaxed a little, allowing her to take in her surroundings. The seating was comfortable enough for her, but she felt bad for Matt when she saw how his long legs were scrunched up. She tried to imagine Kieran or one of his brothers on a plane like this, and couldn’t. Maybe that’s why they had one of their own.
And just how much money did you have to have to own your own plane, she wondered?
She shook her head, stopping herself before she went down that road. Again. The bottom line was that Faith O’Connell and Kieran Callaghan came from completely different worlds.
So? her subconscious piped up. She told it, in no uncertain terms, to shut the hell up, thank you very much. She’d been over this same argument so many times even she was bored by it. Kieran deserved more than she could give him. Period. End of story.
*
“What the hell is she thinking?” Kieran muttered to himself, sitting in the copilot’s seat next to Sean. “She shouldn’t be doing this alone. The guy’s a complete poser, and he’s a lawyer. That makes him doubly untrustworthy.”
“Don’t let Shane hear you say that,” Sean chuckled.
“You know what I mean,” Kieran said, shooting a disgusted look at Sean. Sure, it was easy for him. He had his croie. He’d already been through his trial of fire.
Kieran sighed. That’s what this was, he realized. The test he and every other Callaghan man had to pass before they could claim their true life mates. It was a complete pain in the ass and scary as hell, but the rewards were phenomenal.
“Yeah, I do. And I know a fuck of a lot more than that, too.”
Kieran’s lips thinned as he braced himself. With six older brothers, he knew the signs of a lecture coming on and braced himself for the torrent soon coming his way.
“Don’t fuck this up.”
Kieran sat quietly, waiting for more. It didn’t come. He felt strangely cheated.
“That’s it? That’s all you got?”
Sean smirked. “Do I look like Dr. Phil to you? That’s all you’ve got to know. She’s your croie. Your life is shit without her. Don’t fuck this up.”
Well, duh.
One of the many benefits to having your own plane and standing privileges at every U. S. military base was that you didn’t have to go through all the bullshit associated with a commercial flight. It also meant that they arrived well before Faith and Matt did.
“You cool?” Sean asked, stepping out only long enough to talk to a couple of the guys and refuel.
“Yeah.” There was no need to say thanks. It was understood.
“I’ll be back for you in two days. And I’d better be picking up three, feel me? ‘Cause if you think I’m coming all the way back down here just for your sorry ass, you’ll find yourself keeping a couple of gators fat and happy in the swamp.” Sean punctuated that statement with an unnecessarily heavy hand to the shoulder.
Ah. The joy of big brothers knew no bounds.
*
After two layovers, they arrived in Atlanta just before dawn. With only their carry-ons, they were able to bypass the baggage claim and head out into the hustle and bustle of the busy area. A wall of warm, humid air filled with the fumes of the city hit them hard the moment they did. Faith choked back a cough, thinking longingly of the cool, clean air of Pine Ridge. And just when had she managed to become such a Yank, she wondered?
Faith checked the bus schedule posted outside the terminal and did a few mental calculations as she worked out the best way to get to where they needed to be. It was an hour or so later when she finally worked up the courage to pull out her Go phone and make the call that just might change their lives forever.
With slightly trembling fingers, Faith punched in the number from the legal letterhead. It took several attempts for her to press the buttons in the proper sequence and remain on the line while it rang. A woman answered, her voice crisp and very business-like.
“Longstreet and Son. This is Pamela. How may I assist you?”
For several long moments, Faith forgot to breathe. This was it. She could still hang up right now and pretend they had just used up all of her savings and flown to Georgia for some other reason.
“Hello?” the woman said, efficiency now laced with annoyance.
Faith looked at Matt and summoned her courage. “Uh, hello. I would, um, like to speak with Nathan Longstreet, please.”
“Do you have an appointment?” The question, crisp and efficient, came before Faith had even finished speaking.
“Uh, no, but - ”