Last of the O'Rourkes Read online

  Kat pulled the afghan back around her shoulders, slammed herself back against the leather seat and stared straight ahead.

  Seamus didn’t answer. Biting his lip to keep from laughing out loud made it difficult to talk. If Kat had been a kitten, her fur would be standing on end. The image gave him a satisfying sense of relief.

  Kat was back.

  “I’m going to take a different route to the cabin,” he said after a few minutes of the loudest silence he’d ever heard. Kat didn’t even acknowledge his comment. “It’s longer, but it’s a beautiful drive. Winds through lots of back roads through the redwoods. Not a lot of traffic.”

  So if anyone is following us, I’ll know soon enough.

  He didn’t want to upset Kat any more. His constant checking in the rearview mirror did little good in the stop and go traffic they’d encountered since crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Their stalker could be in any one of a hundred cars or more.

  Once Seamus turned off onto the quiet country road it would be easier to spot anyone coming up behind. He glanced once more in the rearview mirror, then checked both side mirrors.

  Kat still watched him, that hostile, wary look in her eyes as unsettling as the warmth he’d seen in them earlier today. She had every right to be angry with him, every right not to trust him. It was better this way. As long as she believed he wasn’t interested in her, that he only wanted the baby... No, he couldn’t let his thoughts wander in that direction.

  Seamus sighed. One day he’d been a perfectly happy middle-aged bachelor, working on his columns, writing his book, leading a comfortable—if boring—life. Now here he was, spiriting an absolutely gorgeous, pregnant woman into hiding and watching the rearview mirror for bad guys. Not that he particularly wanted to go back to the same old, same old, but the changes might be easier to deal with if only he understood women a little better...this woman in particular.

  “I’m going to need to eat something pretty soon. Breakfast was a long time ago.”

  He turned to smile at her, but she still stared out the front window. At least she didn’t sound quite as hostile. This he could handle. Eating was easy enough. “If you can last a bit longer, there’s a good Italian place in Occidental. It’s a neat little town on the way to the cabin. We’re about half an hour away.”

  Kat glanced in his direction, frowned, then nodded and turned her face away, snuggling into the seat like a sleepy kitten. For the moment she’d retracted her claws. Seamus grinned at the image, then frowned. Damn, he didn’t care if she had claws or not.

  He turned off at the Highway 12 exit in Santa Rosa and headed west. Before long they were winding up the Bohemian Highway. Towering redwoods enclosed the road on either side and thick ferns filled the dark spaces between the trees.

  Kathleen stretched and turned to look out the window. Her sudden motion caught Seamus’s attention. “Have you seen the redwoods before?”

  “Riley took me to a spot somewhere around here, right after I moved out to California. Armstrong Redwoods, I think it’s called. I’ve never seen anything so spectacular in my life. The trees are so huge...I felt as if I’d entered a massive cathedral.” She smiled, obviously caught up in the special memory.

  Seamus knew the smile wasn’t meant for him.

  All he saw was Riley walking hand in hand with Kathleen through the familiar grove of towering trees.

  The deep forest lost some of its luster.

  Seamus swallowed the sudden anger that threatened to choke him. “We’re almost to the restaurant,” he said.

  Kat didn’t reply. Obviously, her thoughts were still with Riley.

  Seamus grabbed the steering wheel even tighter. They left the cool shade of the redwoods and passed a few dilapidated buildings and old homes on the outskirts of a small town. A minute later they drove into a parking lot half filled with cars. Seamus glanced in the rear view mirror once more before shutting off the engine. Only a couple of tourists on bicycles rolled down the main street of the picturesque little village. He released a quiet sigh of relief, unaware until then he’d been holding his breath.

  His neck and shoulders ached. His head pounded. He stretched his back and turned his head in a vain attempt to release the tension.

  How the hell’d you do it, Riley? How’d you keep from cracking under the strain?

  Riley’d been a successful FBI agent most of his adult life. Seamus realized he’d never considered the pressure associated with the job, the mind-numbing stress of danger.

  Maybe Riley’d had a reason for his devil-may-care attitude...one Seamus had never tried to understand. Maybe it had helped him survive.

  He was beginning to think there was a lot about Riley he’d never known.

  He was also beginning to remember it hadn’t always been like that.

  Seamus shook off the sense of foreboding. They’d eat here, maybe pick up something extra for tonight, then get settled at the cabin. He’d set up his computer and make sure Kathleen had plenty to read, enough to keep her busy. He’d make a quick grocery run in the morning, once they figured out what they’d need. With any luck they’d survive the next few weeks.

  With even more luck, he’d keep his own fears at bay and keep her safe.

  This time.

  He clenched, then unclenched his hands. Took another deep breath.

  I’ve got to keep her safe.

  It was as simple as that.

  So much depended on his ability to protect the woman carrying Riley’s child. A stray thought lodged itself in his brain, called him a liar, reminded him there was more at stake than the life of the baby.

  Not merely for your baby’s sake, Kathleen. For your sake. For mine.

  Because I couldn’t stand to lose you.

  I promise I will protect you both.

  Seamus uttered his silent oath as he helped Kat out of the car. Her scent tickled his senses and her silky hair brushed lightly over his hand. A cold shiver raced along his spine with the gut-wrenching knowledge it wasn’t only the stalker that frightened him.

  WHERE COULD THEY BE? He sat in the newly rented Chevy and watched the police milling about the large mansion, painfully aware he’d somehow lost his prey. The coroner’s van parked in the driveway meant the housekeeper’s body had been discovered. He’d hoped for at least a day or two. He glanced at his Rolex. It had only been four hours.

  He hadn’t planned to return so soon, but the power had driven him, forced him to come back. Thank goodness he’d listened to its strident voice! There was nothing more to be gained here, though. He had to find them. Soon, before the baby was born. He wanted—no, needed—one more chance to remind Kat Malone who was really in control.

  Then she, and her baby, would die.

  SEAMUS HANDLED THE JAG with a sure hand, guiding the car slowly along a narrow, packed dirt and gravel road that curved and twisted across a ridge line high above the Russian River. Occasional gaps in the thick forest allowed a view of the tree-covered hillsides below. A few miles beyond, Kat knew the Pacific pounded the rocky shore, but the only evidence they were so near the ocean was the thick fog bank pressed up against the towering treetops.

  The road was obviously well maintained but there’d been no other driveways, no evidence of neighbors, for the past fifteen minutes or so. Kat rolled the window down and took a deep breath, expecting the smell of pines, but instead inhaling the pungent odor of humus, an earthy, mushroomy scent that filled the damp air.

  “How much farther ’til we’re there?” she asked, leaning back against the door so she could see both Seamus and the forest beyond.

  Seamus chuckled.

  “What’d I say?”

  The man was grinning like a damned Cheshire cat. A chuckling Cheshire cat. Amazingly, the tension that had filled the car, even followed them into the comfortable old-fashioned restaurant and out again, suddenly diffused and dispersed. Kat realized she was grinning broadly for no apparent reason, other than the fact Seamus found something terribly funny.


  Seamus slowed the car, grabbed a clean handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. “I’m sorry...it’s not you. It’s...it’s...well... Yeah, it is you.”

  He laughed again, caught himself, stopped the car altogether and turned to smile at Kat. “Your timing couldn’t have been better. See that big tree over there? The one with the burned trunk?”

  Kathleen searched the forest for the tree and spotted it, identical to all the others as far as she could see except for a black slash that started about four feet off the ground and disappeared into the thick foliage.

  “My parents used to bring Riley and me up here when we were little. The rule was we couldn’t ask ’how much farther’ until we’d passed the burned tree. I was thinking of that when you asked me the same thing. Talk about a voice from the past!” He lowered his head and took a deep breath. Kat wished she could see the memories roiling about in his mind. She hoped they were good ones.

  When he raised his head, Seamus was smiling. “We must’ve been about eight years old the last time we came up here with Mom and Dad. I still remember arguing and wrestling with my brother in the back seat. You know how twins can sometimes communicate without talking? Riley and me...Wow! I’d almost forgotten about this, but when we were little, we knew exactly what the other one was thinking. He’d look at me, all blue-eyed innocence and I’d know exactly what he wanted me to do or say. Of course, usually he wanted me to do or say something that would get me in trouble. Then I’d tattle and we’d both get yelled at. I’m sure we drove our parents nuts.”

  Kat thought of Riley, of that blue-eyed innocent look. He’d certainly used it on her more than once. She shook off the memory. “Why’d you stop coming? It’s so beautiful up here.”

  Seamus blinked quickly, then brushed the back of his hand across his face. Kat realized the tears filling his eyes now had nothing to do with laughter.

  “A few weeks after that last trip, our parents died in a plane crash on the way to Acapulco. Gran brought us up here when she could, but it was never the same. I come back occasionally when life in the city gets too hectic, but...” He paused and took a deep breath. “C’mon. We need to get there, get unpacked and settled before dark.”

  “I’m sorry. Seamus, I didn’t mean to make you remember anything to upset you.” She meant to give his knee a quick, comforting pat. It was a gesture that would have been perfectly natural with Riley.

  Seamus’s big hand covered hers the moment she touched his leg, held her fingers there against the taut muscle, not by force but by the mere sense of need for shared contact.

  “Don’t be sorry. Do you realize that’s the first really good memory I’ve had of Riley in a long time?” He smiled sadly at her, the look so much like his brother’s it made her heart ache.

  “I need to remember more things like that. I need to remember Riley was the best friend I had for a long time, even when he was getting into trouble. Our parents’ deaths hit me hard, but it must have been much worse for my brother. He was closest to Dad. They were practically inseparable, always going off and doing things together. I was sick a lot as a kid, so I stayed home. I hate to admit it, but guess I was kind of a mama’s boy.”

  His face took on a faraway expression. “Ya know, it seems like a lifetime ago now. We went to live with my mother’s mom, Gran, and she was a lot like Mom, which more or less filled the need for me. Riley kind of got left out, I guess. He must have missed Dad terribly. I never realized that before.”

  He gave her fingers a quick squeeze then released them. Kat snatched her hand away as he put the sleek car in gear and headed up the road. Her mind tumbled with thoughts of two little boys, suddenly orphaned. The irresponsible, irrepressible Riley; quiet, introverted Seamus. How different would their lives have been if the brothers’ parents had lived?

  Before Kat could imagine an answer, they had rounded a final curve, crossed an ancient stone bridge over a small creek and pulled into the driveway that ran along one side of Seamus’s cabin.

  “Cabin” wasn’t exactly the description Kat would have given the multi-level redwood structure blending so perfectly into the surrounding forest. Instead of the typical A-frame she had somehow expected, this building had a roof that sloped steeply to one side, as if a box had been sheared at an angle. The late afternoon sun glinted off the western side of the house, which appeared to be nothing but glass. A huge deck gracefully circled three sides of the structure and a broad staircase framed in lush ferns and wild rhododendron led to the front door.

  “I’ll get your things.” Seamus held the car door open for her. Kat wondered how long he’d been waiting as she stared open-mouthed at his home.

  She shook her head in disbelief. “Thank you. I have to admit, I’m still amazed that a food columnist does this well.” She swung her legs around and stepped out of the car. The ground was soft and springy, littered with needles and leaves from the damp forest. The air felt clean and damp against her skin.

  “My writing didn’t pay for this.” Seamus grabbed the sports bag filled with her clothes. Kat wondered if he realized part of the weight came from the 9mm Ruger tucked inside her neatly folded nightgown.

  “My mother was an heiress, the last descendent of a prominent banking family from San Francisco. Dad married well.”

  “Is that meant as a put down?” Kat followed Seamus up the stairs and into the house. At least he hadn’t insisted on carrying her this time.

  “Not at all.” Seamus held the door open and Kat walked into the large great room. She shivered and rubbed her arms for warmth. The cabin was ice cold, the air stale and musty with the distinct scent of resin from the natural pine covering the interior walls.

  Seamus immediately headed for the fireplace, squatted down and began stacking kindling for a fire.

  “My father adored my mother.” He glanced back toward Kat, his expression somber. “I imagine he went to his grave believing she was too good for him, but it was obvious to everyone around them that she loved him very much. They had a lot of fun together. It just didn’t last long enough.”

  Not for his parents...not for their son. Kat tried to picture Seamus and Riley as twin hellions, sliding down the curving banister that led to the upper floors, reading in front of the huge native stone fireplace stretched along the entire north wall of the lower level.

  She imagined Seamus’s parents snuggled together under the multi-colored afghan now folded neatly at one end of a massive dark green leather couch. She thought of the free-spirited Riley, laughing, loving her as much as he was able, slipping through life with a smile on his face and not a care to his name. Silently she agreed with Seamus. It didn’t last long enough .

  Then she turned to Seamus, the man who had promised to protect her, to keep her safe from harm, and quietly stored Riley’s memory away. She hadn’t been able to put him aside when her memories of the laughing Irishman had been clouded with anger. It seemed fitting that her stalker’s words, words meant to give her pain, had finally given her peace.

  Now it was time to find another form of peace, if she and Seamus O’Rourke were going to survive the next long weeks together without going quietly insane.

  If only he didn’t confuse her so much!

  Maybe with Riley settled quietly away in her heart, this strange attraction to his brother would slip away as well.

  In your dreams, Malone.

  Had to be hormones. Nothing but hormones gone awry and a life so screwed up she’d be attracted to any man offering her sanctuary. She rubbed her hand across the slight swell of her abdomen, felt the bandage Seamus had placed so carefully over her injury, and knew she owed him more than gratitude.

  It was obvious everything she said and did irritated him. He was used to women with class and style—something Kat was well aware she’d never have. Her ex-partner, Mike Ramsey, had always called her a classy broad. Of course, his idea of class was Kat in her hooker get-up during undercover assignments.

  She missed
Ramsey. Hell, she missed his new wife, Rose, just as much. Rose had been her first real woman friend, someone she’d bonded with like she’d never done with another woman. Now, Rose...Rose DeAngelo Ramsey, had class. Lots of it. She also had Mike Ramsey.

  Kat sighed. If it took class to keep a man, she was shit out of luck. She knew she had tenacity, a skill to survive and a stubborn sense of right that had somehow endured in spite of growing up with a drunk for a mother and a non-existent father.

  Somewhere along the line, Kat had learned how to get by. Getting by often meant playing by someone else’s rules, if only for the moment. She could do that now, which meant she would try and be a civil guest while under Seamus’s care.

  All she had to do was play a part, which was something she did often enough in her work. Then, once the baby came, once she and it were strong enough to travel, she’d leave. She’d leave and take her baby with her, someplace where neither the stalker nor Seamus could find her.

  Kat drew in a deep breath, let it out, took control of her racing heart. It was always like this once she made a decision to act. Then, once the decision was made, she neatly stepped into the role. Not a hooker, this time. A lady. A lady with manners.

  Think about Rose. How would she act?

  Rose didn’t have to act. Her class was natural.

  Here goes, Malone....

  “This is a really gorgeous place.” Kat walked across the room, knelt in front of the fire and laid her hand gently on Seamus’s arm, aware of a tightening of the muscle, a tension that raised the cords along his forearm. “I hope you know how much I appreciate you bringing me here.”

  Seamus turned his head and looked at her, but he didn’t say a word. He frowned, then turned back to the fire he was building.

  Kat ignored his obvious dismissal. “I accept the fact you don’t like me very much. I’m not always a very likable person. I know your only interest in me is your brother’s baby...and you know I’ll fight you on that every step of the way.” She took another deep breath, released it, and held her hand up to stop him from interrupting. “Still, I appreciate your help. I trust you to keep us both safe.” She paused a minute, aware she still played a part.