*
“I’m still mad at you,” Maggie sniffed when Kieran entered the Pub kitchen. He might have been the size of a Mack truck, but all Maggie could focus on was the puppy dog look in his big blue eyes. She steeled herself against them. Of all the brothers, Kieran was the only one who could make her heart melt in motherly affection with the slight hint of dimples and the boyish charm that defied his manly form.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one susceptible to his charms. Her sisters-in-law were just as affected. Michael often quipped that it made Kieran the most dangerous of them all. Looking at him now, positively contrite, his eyes begging forgiveness, she had the nearly irresistible urge to ruffle his naturally unkempt hair. It was only through a sheer force of will – strengthened and continually tested by facing the same roguish charm on her own little boy’s face – that she managed not to smile and retain a peeved expression.
“I know,” he sighed soulfully, sitting next to her anyway. He crowded her with his big body, taking his time as he extracted a bag of bite-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and put them on the table between them.
Maggie’s eyes narrowed. She watched him intently as he opened the bag and slowly unwrapped one. He popped it into his mouth and closed his eyes, feeling Maggie’s gaze as he chewed, then swallowed.
He flicked his glance sideways, as if he had just remembered she was there. “I’m sorry. Would you... like one?”
Maggie’s tongue unconsciously peeked out and licked along her upper lips. Reese’s peanut butter cups were her greatest weakness, and he knew it, the shameless devil. He must really feel bad, she thought, trying to ignore the heavenly scent of milk chocolate mixed with peanut butter.
Without waiting for her to answer, he extracted another and unwrapped it, placing it on the table and nudging it toward her while looking at her through half-lidded, cautious eyes, as if he wasn’t really looking at her at all. After a moment or two of indecision – pride vs. desire – desire won out and she snapped it up, giving him a defiant look.
Kieran smiled, and she felt the impact all the way down into her toes. God help her if her son inherited this quality, too. She’d be beating the girls off with a stick in a few years.
*
“Mick says everything’s good,” he said conversationally, pulling out another peanut butter cup for himself.
“I told you everything was fine,” she snapped, but there was no bite in her tone, and he knew he was in her good graces again. He’d take an ‘I told you so’ over bad news any day.
“Yes, you did,” he agreed. The next piece went to her. “But you know Mick, how he worries.” He didn’t mention that she had been worried, too. The sheer amount of baked goods she’d made attested to that. Lacie’s mom had taken one look at the massive treat-filled box and promptly forecasted a record in sales at her church’s bake sale the next day.
“Yeah,” she said, softly. “Thanks, Kier.”
Before he knew what hit him, Maggie wrapped her arms around him – at least as far as she could – in a hug, even going as far as to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. “I’ll repay the favor one of these days,” she promised, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Kieran thought that sounded ominously like a warning, and the unease in his chest flared momentarily.
Before he had a chance to dwell on it, Shane walked in and spotted them. He gave Maggie a quick kiss on the cheek and nodded to Kieran.
After passing along Lacie’s thanks for all of the baked goods to Maggie, he turned to Kieran. “Hey. Did you get a chance to check out that property?” he asked, swiping a Reese’s and grabbing some milk from the fridge. Kieran filled him in on what he had found. Shane listened to Kieran’s detailed description on the state of the place. Maggie sat up, listening intently.
“I agree it is not an optimal situation,” Shane said, frowning slightly, “but she was very specific, Kier.”
“But why?” he asked, rubbing at his chest again. “I’m telling you, Shane, the place is not fit for human habitation in its current state.”
“Maybe it’s a question of money,” Maggie suggested quietly, causing both men to look at her. “Well, it just makes sense, doesn’t it?” she asked. Her eyes dropped to Kieran’s hand and he abruptly stopped rubbing his chest. He turned to Shane, meeting his eyes, knowing she’d hit the nail on the head.
Kieran scowled at him. “Are you kidding me?”
Shane shook his head. “No. Maggie’s right.”