A Kiss, A Dance & A Diamond. Helen Lacey

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СКАЧАТЬ Christian?” she asked, saying the child’s name almost as a whisper.

      She watched as Kieran took a sharp breath and then sipped his coffee. “I didn’t want to confuse him, you know, or make things difficult...so I had to step away.”

      She saw his eyes darken and experienced an odd discomfort in her chest. “That must have been hard.”

      “The most difficult thing I have ever done in my life.”

      “So, you don’t have any contact now?”

      “No,” he replied. “I made a decision that was best for him. He needed to bond with his...with his father,” he said, swallowing hard. “And Tori didn’t want me interfering in her new life.”

      Nicola tried desperately to ignore how her heart rate increased. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for him. She didn’t want to feel anything when it came to Kieran O’Sullivan. And she didn’t want to listen to his apologies, either. But she couldn’t help being drawn into their conversation. She’d always been a good listener—her career in human resources had demanded it.

      “So this way, only one person got hurt...is that what you’re saying?”

      He shrugged lightly again and picked up another cannoli. “Exactly. Everyone needed a do-over. Me included.”

      “And that’s why you came back to Cedar River?”

      “Sure,” he said and took a bite. “It was time I came home anyway...with everything that was imploding here.”

      Nicola sipped her coffee and then looked at him over the rim of her mug. It was true, he certainly had a lot going on with his family. “Do you get along with your new brother?”

      His mouth curled up at the edges. “You know me, Nic... I get along with everyone.”

      He was right. Kieran had a reputation for being easygoing and likable. Perfect attributes for a physician. But she wasn’t fooled. “Cut the crap.”

      He chuckled. “Have you met Jonah?”

      “A couple of times, like at Liam and Kayla’s wedding. He seems very...intense.”

      Kieran laughed. “That’s a good way to describe him. He is intense. And moody. And kind of unpleasant most of the time. But to be fair, he’s mellowed a little over the past few months. Not that I can blame him for putting up a few walls, considering he’s known about us all his life, but we didn’t know about him. He still lives in Portland but visits his mother, Kathleen, regularly.”

      “She moved back to Cedar River,” Nicola remarked and then laughed humorlessly. “We’re heading back in droves.”

      “She wanted to spend more time with her mother and brother—you know, Kayla’s grandmother and father.” He shrugged. “It’s become something of a confusing family tree.”

      She nodded a little. “And your parents are really getting a divorce?”

      “So they say,” he replied and sipped his coffee. “Mom can’t forgive him for the infidelity, even though Dad ended his affair with Kathleen before Jonah was born.”

      “She’s a lot younger than him, isn’t she?”

      “Yeah,” he said and sighed heavily. “She was eighteen and in love with an older man. To be honest, I don’t think my parents’ marriage was ever a love match. And Dad still appears to care for Kathleen.” He shrugged. “Who knows? I’m not exactly an expert on the subject of what constitutes a successful relationship.”

      Nicola saw weariness in his expression, and her insides took a foolish plunge. “Me neither,” she admitted and managed a small smile, annoyed at herself for being so easily swayed by him, but suddenly unable to fight the feeling. “You might get married again.”

      “Maybe,” he said quickly and drained his mug. “But I have zero interest on that score for the foreseeable future.”

      “Not all marriages end badly,” she said and shrugged. “My parents had a happy marriage. As did Gino and his wife. And your brother and Kayla seem really happy together.”

      “I didn’t say it wasn’t possible,” he remarked. “Just that I wasn’t interested in the idea.”

      “So, you’ve become a cynic?”

      “Exactly. Haven’t you?”

      Nicola shrugged again. “I’m hopeful. But next time I intend not falling for a man who’s still in love with someone else.”

      “So, you want assurances?” he laughed humorlessly. “Good luck with that.”

      She felt her tension return. “Believing in people doesn’t make me naive, Kieran. I can be as cynical as the next person. Let’s face it, I’ve been dumped more than once and have had plenty of experience at being humiliated.”

      He rested his elbows on the table and stared at her. “So, I guess about now is where you swear at me in Italian?”

      She got to her feet and pushed the chair back. “No, it’s where I say good night.”

      He stood immediately and, without another word, he grabbed his jacket and made his way to the door. Nicola hurried after him and almost plowed into his back when he came to a halt outside the living room.

      “Do you have a spare bulb?” he inquired and gestured into the room.

      “There’s no need to—”

      “Just find the bulb, Nic,” he said and walked into the room. “And stop being a pain in the ass.”

      Nicola remained in the doorway and watched as he walked across the room and flicked on a small lamp by the fireplace. “I don’t have a ladder.”

      “No need for one,” he said and pointed to the wooden chair by the window. “I’ll use that.”

      Of course, he was nearly a foot taller than she was and would reach the ceiling easily enough. She just had to get the spare bulb from the laundry room. “Be back in a minute.”

      Except that her minute turned into about ten. There were no new bulbs in the laundry room, and she had to venture to the workshop out back and rummage through a few boxes of Gino’s tools and equipment to find what she needed. She headed back inside, locking the back door and swiftly making her way through the kitchen and down the hallway. When she got to the living room, she stopped dead in her tracks.

      Kieran was lying on the sofa, legs stretched out, one arm over his forehead, clearly comfortable, and obviously fast asleep.

      She pulled up alongside the sofa and looked down at him. His hair was a little long, like he’d forgotten to get it cut. And the whisker growth was too sexy for words. His feet were crossed at the ankles, and his other hand lay across his chest. She looked at his left hand, to where his wedding band would have been, and she couldn’t help wondering how long it had been since he’d taken it off. The skin was paler. So, not long, by the look of things. He must still love his ex-wife, despite what she had done to him. Love often had СКАЧАТЬ