House Calls: Callaghan Brothers, Book 3 by Abbie Zanders Read Free Book Online Page B

usually clear, solid lines blurred.  How could he not look into those eyes and start to lose himself?  How could he touch the heated silk of her flesh and not feel his own heart rev in response?
    It was more than just a purely physical reaction, though, and that’s what was causing that odd little sensation in his chest.  It was the emotional distance she seemed to be putting between them that he objected to more than anything.  Until now, she seemed to be relatively at ease – if not entirely comfortable – with his presence.  She had trusted him enough to allow him to drive her home, to enter her home, and to let him close enough to examine her (he refused to accept that she had done so due solely to the influence of alcohol or blunt force trauma). 
    And when she’d walked into the kitchen and found him there earlier, there had been no fear, no anger, no disappointment.  Just surprise and, he could have sworn, delighted surprise at that.  So where was this polite, unaffected response coming from?  Two things he knew for sure – one, this wasn’t the real Maggie, and two, he didn’t like it.
    The answer dawned on him as she sat there, arms drawn in tightly and resting on her lap, looking up at him with genuine bafflement.  She had asked him why he was here, and his response had been as non-committal as he could make it, falling back on his profession as an excuse, when in truth, it was far simpler than that:  He’d stayed because he wanted to.  He liked being here with her, in her cozy, warm kitchen.  He liked caring for her.  Hell, he even liked her dog.  And she didn’t seem to comprehend any of it. 
    She has no self-confidence .  Sherri’s words came back to him, seemingly more apropos to Maggie’s behavior this morning than last night.  But surely a woman like Maggie was used to male attention, wasn’t she?  And how was he going to rectify the situation, convince her that he was here for more than just a professional obligation without coming across as a psycho?
    It would take time.  And patience.  And effort.  He quickly decided she was worth it.  No other woman had struck such a chord within him in so short a time, and that had to mean something.  After witnessing what happened to two of his brothers over the past two years, he had to at least consider the possibility that lightning had struck the Callaghan clan for the third time.  For now, however, he offered what he hoped she would accept at face value. 
    “Call me Michael, please.  And it was no trouble.”
    “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful.  You’ve been more than kind.” 
    Her eyes were doing that flashing thing again, momentarily losing focus and then slamming back with astounding clarity.  It fascinated him to no end.  He’d noticed the same thing last night as she sat at the bar waiting for her turn to dance.  He’d give anything to know what was going through her mind right then.  Maybe with a little luck and a lot of persistence she would learn to trust him with her thoughts.  He had a feeling he would be on a very short list if she did.
    “It’s very easy to be kind to you,” Michael said before he could stop himself.  Worried that he had said too much, he watched her reaction carefully.  Her eyes widened just a bit, then her facial expression softened, allowing him to glimpse the woman he had seen beneath all of the sparkle the night before.  The woman that had him hanging around all night, because he had to know if he had imagined the inexplicable effect she’d had on him.  He hadn’t.  It was here, in spades, stronger than ever.
    “You know, Michael, I think that’s one of the nicest things anyone ever said to me.  Thank you.”  The natural warmth was back in her voice, and it spread through him like sunshine.  That, he could work with. 
    “It’s the truth,” he shrugged, but he was pleased.  “And you should eat.”  He pushed the plate a little closer.
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