House Calls: Callaghan Brothers, Book 3 (17 page)

“Well, we lost power pretty early on.  Thankfully it’s an old house with a huge fireplace, and I had lots of candles on hand.”

“That sounds awesome,” said another voice from just behind her.  “What are we talking about?”

“Ah, Keely, Maggie was just telling us about being trapped in a blizzard for three days with Michael.  Her Michael, not your Michael, of course.”

Keely pulled up a chair in between Maggie and Stacey.  “Ooooo,” she said, pouring herself a drink from the bottle she’d brought with her and passing it around.  “Michael is yummy, and a total sweetheart.  Do tell.”

Maggie didn’t go into all of the explicit details, but they did seem really interested, asking her all kinds of questions.  By the time her glass had been refilled several times – as had theirs – they were all sighing.

“I always knew he was a hopeless romantic,” Lexi said.

“I am so pulling a couple of fuses when we get back tonight,” Keely murmured. 

“Michael is going to make an awesome husband, Maggie.  Good catch, girlfriend.”

“Yeah, and you’re cool, too,” said Lina.  “We were afraid Michael would end up with someone a little more...”  she scrunched up her nose, searching for the right word.

“... stuck-up,” Taryn finished.  The rest of them nodded in agreement.

Maggie’s eyes opened wide.  “Oh, we’re not -, I mean he hasn’t - ” she stuttered, unable to stammer her way into clarification.  “We’ve barely known each other a week.”

They all smiled as if they knew a secret she didn’t.  It was Lexi who spoke first.  “Trust us on this, Maggie.  Michael plans on marrying you.” 

“How could you possibly know something like that?”

“Because we’ve all been in your shoes, Maggie.  It’s fast, it’s furious, and you can’t believe it’s happening, but it is.  And you know in your heart it’s right, even if your mind can’t quite wrap itself around the idea just yet.”

It was like they
knew
.  Maggie had refused to let herself think too much about it.  About the feelings she had when she was with Michael.  About the way he’d wrapped himself around her heart, commanded her soul.  Things like this just didn’t happen, except maybe in books. 

“There’s one way to know for sure,” Taryn said quietly as if reading her mind.  The other women looked at her, knowledge on their faces.

“How?”  Maggie asked, wondering how her voice could tremble so much on a single word.  Keely tipped the brandy into Maggie’s glass and nodded slightly, encouraging her to sip.  Maggie gratefully raised it to her lips.

Taryn leaned forward and dropped her voice so only those at the table could hear.  “Our men, they aren’t choir boys, not even Michael.”  Maggie had suspected as much, but had been afraid to ask.  “And among other things, they’ve had their fair share of women.  But they are careful men, Maggie, and like we said before, they leave nothing to chance.” 

She paused, searching for the right words.  “Jake told me once that they all are of the belief that there is but one woman fated for them.  They even have a name for her – they call her their
croie
.”

Maggie’s mind translated the word.  “Heart?”

“Heart, soul mate.  And when they find her, their hearts and bodies will recognize her even before their mind does.  When they find her, Maggie, they will not use protection.  It goes against every instinct they have, and these men live and breathe by their instincts. 
That’s
how you know if you’re the one.” 

Taryn took a deep breath and sat back.  Several emotions hit Maggie hard simultaneously:  hope, denial, shock, fear.  Maggie tipped the glass and downed the rest of her drink in one swallow.

Lexi placed her hand over Maggie’s.  Keely did the same on the other side.  “It’s okay, Maggie,” Lexi said.  “These are good men.  Michael’s a good man.  You’ll never find another man who will care for you the way he will.”

“She’s right, you know,” Taryn said.  “We’ve all tried fighting it, but in the end, it’s pointless.  You need him as much as he needs you.”

“So true,” Stacey said.  “If you read Salienne Dulcette, you’ll see the truth of that soon enough.”

“But those are just stories,” Maggie murmured, feeling a bit numb and dizzy.  “They’re not real.”

“More real than you’d think,” Lina said.

“And your story – that is pure Salienne right there.  Do you mind?”  Maggie looked at Stacey as if she didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

“Stacey’s an author,” Lina explained.  “She’s always looking for ideas.  I think we’ve all contributed in one way or another.”

Stacey grinned.  “With a family like this - ” she spread her hands out, encompassing the entire room, “- I’ll have enough material to last me a lifetime.”

“What kind of stories do you write?”

“Romantic, erotic fiction.”

“Like Salienne Dulcette?”

The women exchanged knowing glances, while Stacey tried to bite back a smile.  “You know Salienne’s work then?”

“I love it,” Maggie confessed somewhat shyly.  Why did she have the feeling she was missing something?  Her mind was still reeling from Taryn’s little revelation and buzzing comfortably from the brandy she’d been sipping, not to mention a few of the pain pills she’d taken as a precautionary measure earlier.  When she spoke, it was as if someone else was speaking for her. 

“As a matter of fact, I posted a thank-you note on her website yesterday,” she added.  “Her books can be very, um, educational.” 

Maggie was slightly shocked by the words that seemed to come out on their own, but the other women were nodding in ready agreement.

“Which book did you find especially, er, helpful?”  Stacey asked.

“The one set along the beach, where the woman kind of, uh, takes charge of things and surprises the man by sneaking into his room and waking him in the middle of the night...”

“Oh, I love that one!” Taryn exclaimed.  “Jake was especially appreciative, too.”

“One of my personal favorites,” Stacey said.  “Though I must admit - that one required extensive research.  There’s so much mystery there, you know?”

“I’ll bet Johnny didn’t mind helping you solve that particular mystery.”

“No,” she grinned.  “He didn’t at that.”

“Wait a minute,” Maggie said, finally catching on.  “Are you telling me that you are...”

“Salienne Dulcette, in the flesh,” Lexi finished.

“So what do you think, Maggie?  Would you mind if I used the blizzard theme in my next novel?  I’ll send you the very first copy.”

“Uh, no, not at all,” Maggie said, her head swimming.

“N
ow that looks like trouble,” Jake said when they re-entered the room and spotted all of the women at one table.

“Ready, Lex?” Michael asked, thinking the same thing.  What had he been thinking, leaving Maggie alone with them like that?  It had taken a little longer than he’d thought to get back; his brothers had several things to discuss. 

“Just do it here,” Lexi said, pulling one side of her gown up to her thigh.  “I’m too tired to make it up to the office right now.”  Taryn scooched over, allowing Michael access.  Because of the way the table was positioned, no one besides those already there would be privy to what was occurring.

It only took a few seconds to give her the shot, and the guests were none the wiser.  Lexi closed her eyes and patted his arm.  “Thanks, Michael,” she said warmly. 

It was only then that Michael took a good look at Maggie.  Her eyes were unfocused, her expression somewhat shell-shocked.  He narrowed his eyes when he saw Maggie reach for her glass and miss by several inches.

“What did you do to her?” Michael asked.  Maggie didn’t even seem to notice.  Five pairs of female eyes locked on him.

“The question is, Michael, what did you do to her?”

“Ah, fuck,” Jake muttered.  “Should have known better.  Sorry, Mick.”

Jake signaled toward the bar, where the other husbands were wisely keeping their distance. 

“Maggie?” Michael asked.  “Dance with me, sweetheart.”

She lifted her eyes slowly.  The look she gave him – it shook him to his core.  What exactly had they been telling her?

The band was playing a slow ballad.  Dancing with Maggie was like dancing with a dream.  She moved effortlessly with him, leaning on him just slightly.  She kept her head against his shoulder, so he was unable to see her expression.  “You okay?” he asked quietly.

“I’m not sure,” she answered.  “I think I’m going to visit the ladies room,” she murmured.  Her voice sounded eerily distant.  “It’s quite warm in here.”

“Of course.”

Michael led her from the reception out toward the center of the complex.  The ballrooms were arranged in a semi-circle around a huge lobby.  Rest rooms appeared on the other side. 

“I’ll wait here,” Michael said.

“I’ll be fine, Michael,” she said with a little smile that told him absolutely nothing.  He had no idea what was going through her mind, what she was thinking.  Her emotions, usually so evident in her eyes and her expression, were unreadable.  He had the distinct impression that she had closed herself off from him, and he didn’t like it, not at all. 

“Please.  Go back to the reception.  Give me a few minutes to regroup.  A little air and a splash of cold water and I’ll be right as rain.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but she pressed a finger to his lips.  “Please, Michael.  Do this for me.”

He searched her eyes, but found nothing that gave him a clue.  “What’s going on, Maggie?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said evenly.  “I think I had a little too much brandy, that’s all.  I’m just asking you to give me a few minutes to catch my breath and pull myself together before I end up embarrassing both of us.” 

He didn’t believe her, not for a moment, but he was hesitant to say so.  People were streaming around them, coming and going.  It was neither the time nor place to push the issue.  Finally he nodded.  “Alright, Maggie.  If that’s what you want.”

Her shoulders sagged in relief.  “Thank you, Michael.”

He released her reluctantly, watched as she carefully made her way into the ladies room.  The fact that her hands were discreetly held away from her body a bit as if to balance herself did not escape him. 

Michael returned to the Grand Ballroom as she had asked, but stayed at the arched entryway so he could watch for her.  Minutes passed, feeling much longer than they should have.  Michael paced back and forth, worry growing with each tick of his watch.

“Mick,” Jake said, appearing behind him.  “Is she okay?” 

“I don’t know.  What the hell happened?”

“I’m not sure,” Jake said slowly.  “Taryn’s not talking, neither is Lexi.  They just keep saying to give her a little time, something about shock and denial being the first stages.”

Michael ran a hand through his hair, his expression slightly flustered.  “What the fuck does that mean?”

“Damned if I know.  Want me to ask one of them to go in and check on her?”

Michael nodded.  He’d been on the verge of heading in himself, but Jake’s suggestion was probably better.

Just as Jake left to deliver the message, Maggie emerged from the ladies room.  She didn’t even glance his way, her expression one of extreme concentration.  She moved slowly, her hand on the wall, as if she was feeling her way.  Dread settled in the pit of Michaels’ stomach as he started toward her, praying that she’d just had too much to drink, but the feeling of unease that had been plaguing the back of his mind was now roaring in his ears.

Instead of heading toward the ballroom, Maggie moved uncertainly in the other direction, toward the exit.  Michael wasn’t sure if that was intentional, and it scared him to death.

* * *

M
aggie was trying so hard to put one foot in front of the other.  With each passing moment, she felt increasingly worse.  If she could just make it outside, she could text Michael and ask him to bring the car around.  Or, better yet, she could ask the valet to call her a cab and explain everything later.

Without warning, a man came out of the men’s room and plowed right into Maggie.  With quick reflexes, his arms shot out and caught her before she hit the ground, apologizing profusely.

“Maggie, is that you?” the man asked as he tried to steady her. 

Maggie tried to focus, but it was difficult.  Her vision was blurring rapidly, fading to splotches of color but no defined shapes.  The voice was familiar; it definitely wasn’t Michael’s.

“Spencer?”

“God, Maggie, you look ... stunning.”  Spencer Dumas, looking every bit the wealthy bad boy, held Maggie at arm’s length and looked her up and down appreciatively.

Maggie mumbled her thanks, trying to take a step back, but Spencer kept a tight grip on her arm.  “I really should get back,” she hinted, but Spencer ignored her.  She felt something warm trickling above her lip, and reached her fingers up self-consciously.  When she pulled them away, the tips were stained a dark red.

“Get your hands off of her, Dumas,” said a deep male voice.  Suddenly Maggie was weightless, feeling the warmth of a familiar hard male body, that clean, male scent that was uniquely Michael. 

“Callaghan?” Spencer blinked, then narrowed his eyes at Maggie.  “You’re with
him
?”

Maggie tried to answer, but somewhere between her brain and her mouth the message became garbled.  She leaned heavily into Michael, grasping at his arm for balance.  “I’ve got you, Maggie.”  His voice sounded so far away, but she could feel the rumbles through his chest as he spoke.

She heard Spencer’s voice again, angry and insistent, then another voice - Jake’s, she thought -warning him off.  It was all becoming harder to process.  Suddenly they seemed to be moving quickly.  Every now and then Michael would bark an order.  There were bright flashes of lights, then darkness.

M
aggie felt like she was trying to swim in mud.  Nothing was working the way she wanted it to.  She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn’t see clearly.  Everything was dark and murky.  Every now and then there would be a slight hint of light – like someone shining a flashlight through dirty water, but no clear shapes or images.  Sounds, too, were muffled.  Low ones, high ones, even rhythmic ones.  Maggie had the vague impression of voices and machines – all constant, and all unintelligible.