Having Faith (8 page)

Because he was a nice guy.

“He didn’t like Natalie,” Matt smirked, attempting to mimic the seductive way the young woman had spoken to Kieran.

Yes, he did
, Faith thought as she held back a dejected sigh.  At least once, anyway.  Maybe more, based on the look of desire in the woman’s eyes.  Though it had appeared that Natalie was a whole lot more impressed with Kieran than Kieran had been with her.  Faith probably shouldn’t have taken as much pleasure in that thought as she did. 

Lacie’s words came back to her again.  Kieran had lots of women interested, and for good reason.  Did this kind of thing happen all the time? 

Maybe he was that way with all of the women he dated.  She’d known men like that.  Men who prided themselves on hooking up with as many women as possible, but having a set threshold of encounters to avoid things from ‘getting complicated’.

Somehow that didn’t quite ring true with the impression she’d formed of him throughout the day, but she had no reasonable basis for that.  She’d known Kieran for all of what, twelve hours?  How could she possibly know what he was like?  She’d been wrong before, and with men she’d spent a lot more time around than a mere half day.  So what if he had affected her more in that short span of time than anyone else had in the last fourteen years? 

It was a depressing thought.  Pine Ridge wasn’t that big.  Was she bound to run into Kieran groupies wherever she went?  It was only their second night in their new town and already she had managed to make an enemy.  The notion settled in her chest like a heavy stone.

“She was very pretty,” Faith sighed.  And young.  Really young, not just young-looking like people told her she was.  And blonde.  With the toned body of a Zumba instructor.  She probably drove a sporty little red convertible, too. 
Bitch
, her snarky side added on for good measure.

“Not as pretty as you,” Matt said sincerely.  Faith felt the tears start to well up in her eyes and had to look away.  Someday all too soon her sweet son would understand what drew men’s attentions.  Blue collar single moms who didn’t have the time or money for things like salons and fitness memberships weren’t at the top of the desirable date list.  But for now, she would gratefully accept her son’s heartfelt compliment.

“You should go out with him,” Matt said firmly, apparently having thought about it and deciding the issue.

Faith’s mouth dropped open.  “Excuse me?”  Never had she heard anything remotely similar come out of her son’s mouth.  He was usually very protective, and had a trademark scowl reserved for any man who exhibited the least amount of interest in her. 

“You should go out with him,” Matt repeated with exaggerated patience.  “I like him.  He’s cool.”

“First of all, you barely know him. And second, I don’t have time for that kind of stuff,” Faith said.  She bit her lip to avoid adding number three – Kieran hadn’t asked. 

She was still reeling as much from her son’s declaration as the fact that he seemed to genuinely take to Kieran.  It certainly wouldn’t hurt for him to have a positive male influence in his life.  Faith knew as well as anyone how difficult the next few years could be, and based on what she’d seen so far, Matt could certainly have picked a lot worse for a role model. 

“But I don’t think I’d have a problem if he wanted to take you to a game or something,” she amended.

To her further surprise, Matt grinned.  “I was hoping you’d say that.  Kieran’s doing that martial arts demo tomorrow in town, and he did say we could stop by.  Can we go?”

It was amazing how fast ‘you should’ became ‘can we’, she mused, but she felt some measure of relief.  Dealing with her son’s desire to attend a martial arts demo was more in her comfort zone than her desire to...  Faith slammed a heavy brick wall down on that avenue of thought before it could make it any farther along what was certainly a dead-end. 

“What time is the demo?” she asked.  “I was hoping we could get a few more things done before I start work on Monday.”

“Kieran said you’d probably say that,” Matt said.  “So he said if you brought me down, he’d bring me home and then he’d help with whatever.”

“He did, huh?  When did you guys decide all this?”

“When you went to the ladies room.  So can we?”

As if on cue, Matt’s cell phone buzzed.  He glanced at the screen and then looked impatiently back at Faith.  “Can we?”

“Who just texted you?” Faith asked, having a sneaking suspicion she already knew the answer. 

“Kieran,” Matt said unapologetically.  “Well?”

Faith exhaled.  Kieran had Matt’s cell number, too?  He hadn’t asked for
her
number.  Then again, she wouldn’t be surprised if Matt had already provided Kieran with her number, too, given the way he was acting. 

She promptly popped that little bubble of hope the moment it tried to surface.  So what if he did?  It wasn’t like Kieran would call her. 

Matt looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.  She should tell him no, that they had far too much to do around the new house and property.  But the truth was, it was good to see Matt so excited about something.  He rarely asked for anything, and a ride into town wasn’t an unreasonable request, especially when she had planned on heading that way anyway to check out the farmer’s market again to scope out prices on used furniture and second-hand items. 

And she would get to see Kieran again, an inner voice pointed out.

“I guess,” she said finally, laughing when Matt whooped and started texting Kieran immediately.  “He says the demo starts at noon and lasts till two.”

Faith nodded.  She could rise early and get some sketches done, then take Matt into town.    With any luck, they wouldn’t cross paths with more Natalies in the process. 

“T
his place is awesome,” Matt declared the moment they pulled into the parking lot and saw the state-of-the-art structure that was
BodyWorks
.  Three visible stories of brick and dark glass that somehow fit perfectly against the scenic mountain backdrop.  The outside, however, was nothing compared to the inside.  Black marble and gold abounded in the entry way along with huge ferns and plants creating a lush, cordial atmosphere.

Faith had to agree with Matt’s initial assessment.  The interior was beautifully done; it was understated and ultra-modern yet warm and welcoming.  She would have expected to feel woefully out of place in a fitness center, but strangely enough, she didn’t.  There were people of all ages, all sizes, all walks of life milling about.  Some wore expensive-looking designer fitness wear; others sported the same cotton tees and shorts she bought from the end-of-season clearance rack at Walmart.

“Can I help you?” said a friendly-looking woman from behind the black marble Member Services check-in desk.  The recessed lighting made the highlights in her hair shimmer like spun threads of gold.  Young and extremely attractive in a form-fitting black
BodyWorks
polo embroidered with the name
Phoebe
and black boy shorts, her million watt smile nearly blinded them.  Faith self-consciously tugged on her plain white, short-sleeved cotton blouse. 

“We’re here to see the martial arts demo,” Matt said, his eyes wide as he tried to take in everything at once.  “Kieran invited us.”

The young woman nodded.  “Faith and Matt, right?”

Faith nodded, nonplussed.  How could this woman possibly know their names?

“Great!  He wanted to know the moment you arrived.”  The woman pressed a button on the console and spoke into the small microphone near her flat screen.  “Mr. Callaghan, your guests are here.”  She paused briefly, and Faith realized she was listening to the very tiny receiver tucked around her right ear.  “Yes, sir.”  Pressing another button, Phoebe looked up at them and grinned again.  “Mr. Callaghan will be down shortly.  Paul will take you down to the café.”

Paul stepped forward.  Like Phoebe, he wore a black
BodyWorks
polo embroidered with his name, but instead of shorts, he sported thin men’s workout pants. 

“Hi.”  Every bit as attractive and fit as Phoebe, his grin was equally devastating.  He gave Faith a knowing grin.  “First time?”

She nodded.  Paul laughed easily.  “I know.  A bit overwhelming, right?  Don’t worry.  You get used to it.” 

“Oh, we’re just here for the demo,” Faith told him, expecting Paul’s friendly façade to fade once he realized they would not be the source of his next commission, but he remained as pleasant as ever, leading them over to the café.  The subtly lit board boasted the Celtic Goddess name, along with a dizzying assortment of organic, healthy fare choices.

“What can I get for you?” he asked expectantly.

“Oh, uh, nothing, thanks,” Faith stammered.  There were no prices listed, and she heard her mother’s voice echoing in her mind: 
If you have to ask how much it is, you can’t afford it.

Working for the Goddess as she did, Faith knew that even the smallest item was out of her price range; she could only imagine how expensive some of those exotic (but delicious) sounding smoothies were, let alone the healthy cuisine that smelled so heavenly.  There was a reason the Celtic Goddess was as wildly successful as it was.  As well as being out-of-this-world good, it was well-known for being completely organic.  Whoever ran this place was smart to incorporate it into the overall package.

“Are you sure?” Paul asked, his smile slipping a bit.  “It’s on the house.”

Matt looked hopefully at Faith, but she shook her head slightly.  She had no intention of abusing Kieran’s generosity any more than they already had.  “Thank you, but we’re sure.”

Paul frowned, looking uncomfortable.  Faith didn’t understand why until Kieran appeared a few moments later.  She caught her breath.  He looked amazing in his
BodyWorks
outfit, the form-fitting black showcasing his magnificent physique and making his incredible blue eyes stand out even more than usual.

Kieran was all smiles as he greeted them, but less so when he turned to Paul.  “You didn’t get them something?”

Color rose upward from Paul’s collar as he shook his head.  “He offered, several times,” Faith said quickly, not wanting to get Paul into trouble.  “But we had something just before we came.”  Paul shot her a grateful glance.

“Wow, Kieran.  This place is awesome,” Matt said.

Kieran’s easy grin returned.  “Glad you like it.”  

“Are you like a manager or something?” Matt asked, his voice full of hero worship.

“Or something,” Kieran chuckled.  Faith didn’t fail to notice the hint of a smirk on Paul’s face.  She thought back to the woman at the reception desk, at the way everyone referred to him as “Mr. Callaghan” and the obvious air of respect they had for him.  Her knees nearly buckled at the obvious answer.  He didn’t just work here.  He
owned
the place.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour before the demo starts.” 

When Faith hung back, assuming he was talking to Matt, Kieran reached out for her hand with a half-grin.  It did nothing for her sudden lack of muscle control from the waist down.  “You, too, Faith.”

Kieran’s much larger hand swallowed hers.  The immediate jolt that raced through her system left her heart thudding in her chest.  She glanced up at Kieran.  His eyes widened as if he had felt it too, and then met hers.  For a brief moment she saw his surprise.  Faith tugged her hand back quickly, offering a quick apology.

“I’m so sorry,” she said awkwardly, rubbing the palm of her still-tingling hand on her soft cotton capris.  “I didn’t realize I’d built up a static charge.”  It didn’t help that instead of abating, the feeling only seem to intensify as he regarded her.  The wonder remained in his eyes, but it was joined by a grin that slowly crept over his features and made him ... utterly devastating.  Faith caught her breath – again – and averted her eyes. 

* * *

K
ieran had heard his brothers describe the phenomena several times over, but nothing could have prepared him for it.  That moment when everything changed.  An epiphany.

Kieran Callaghan, the last remaining eligible male of the clan, had just recognized his
croie
.

Unfortunately, Faith didn’t seem to be as familiar with the phenomena.  She thought the lingering tingle she must also be feeling was the result of a “shock” brought about by the build-up of static electricity.  His grin widened further when Maggie’s words came back to him in a rush: 
You’ve just got to have Faith
.

Kieran chuckled inwardly.  Maggie’s eyes had twinkled devilishly then.  He should have known.

* * *

F
aith hadn’t planned to stay for the demo.  It wasn’t that she didn’t like martial arts, but as a woman with limited time and limited means it had been a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone:  Matt could spend a few hours enjoying something he loved, and she could return to the farmer’s market for some hopefully low-cost decorating supplies and maybe some bargains on fresh fruits and veggies.  Most vendors tended to slash their prices toward the end of the day to avoid having to cart things back to wherever they’d come from. 

She’d gone from room to room that morning, sketching the designs that had been developing in her head.  Everything from color schemes and fabrics to incidentals.  It was a gift, a special talent that had her mentally rearranging every room, every house, every place she visited.  Except
BodyWorks
.  This place, she had decided right off, was already perfectly done. Her designer’s mind was serenely quiet here.

The rest of her was not.  Watching Kieran Callaghan in action was mesmerizing.  Hypnotic.  He was big, yes.  But he was also incredibly lithe, graceful, and, she realized with a start, incredibly lethal.  It seemed strange that that particular word would pop into her mind for such an easy-going man so obviously generous with his time.  But the truth of it resounded through her like a perfectly pitched bell.

Faith was not the only one in awe.  When Kieran made his final bows to his fellow instructors and the spectators, Faith noticed that nearly everyone else had been as mesmerized as she had been.  And when Kieran winked in her direction, she felt the heated gaze of a dozen envious females, not to mention the curious stares of quite a few men.