Unmasking The Maverick

“She has a date but won’t tell us who she’s going out with,” Keegan informed his father.

“Whoever he is, he’s a very lucky man.” Paddy’s eyes were filled with paternal pride. “You’re the image of your mother and she had the men falling all over themselves for a chance with her.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Fiona felt a lump in her throat.

“So who is this fortunate fella?” His eyes twinkled, proof he knew he wasn’t fooling her. Information was what he wanted. “Are we going to have an opportunity to meet him?”

“Not if I can help it.”

Oh, dear God. He would be here any minute and she wanted to spare him the awkward family once-over. Now the guardians of the Galaxy were standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to grill the guy. The poor man had done them a favor and this was how they repaid him!

With her shawl and purse in hand, she turned on her heel and hurried to the living room, planning to slip out the door. But the plan was doomed to failure and if she wasn’t so darn nervous that would have been clear to her.

All of them followed in her wake, including her mother. They were assembled behind her like the Atlantic Wall on D-day. And before she could even tell them to back off, there was a firm knock on the front door.

This was going to be a disaster. The worst part was that she actually cared her night was going up in flames. And not in a good way.

Chapter Four (#u97b03bc2-4543-55d0-be8e-c6f45e0dd20e)

The door opened onto Fiona standing there in a dark green dress, and Brendan could only stare. The material hugged her curvy body and made him ache in places he never knew he had. And the earthy color of it released the fire in her red hair. Not for the first time he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. So beautiful, in fact, that it took him several heartbeats to take his eyes off her long enough to notice the four other people lined up behind her. An older man and woman, probably her parents, and two big strapping men. No doubt the brothers she’d mentioned—Ronan and Keegan.

Right then he felt really stupid in general, but even more so with the single rose in his fingers. Her family was staring at it—and him—as if he was from another planet.

Brendan held the flower out to her and said, “This is for you.”

“I figured.” She glanced over her shoulder at the lurkers, then met his gaze and rolled her eyes. “Brendan Tanner, these are my parents, Maureen and Paddy O’Reilly. And my older brothers, Ronan and Keegan. Everyone, this is Brendan.”

“Tanner,” Paddy said as he shook his hand. “So you’re the fella who fixed my tractor when I couldn’t.”

“I’ve seen the problem before, Mr. O’Reilly. I’ve worked on a lot of ranches that had tractors, a lot of different models. Including that one. I knew what to look for so it wasn’t a big deal.”

“I suppose that makes me feel a bit better,” the older man said a little grudgingly.

“It was very nice of you to come by and look at it.” Maureen O’Reilly was still a beautiful woman and her daughter was her spitting image. “And very neighborly of you not to charge us for your time.”

He glanced at Fiona, who wouldn’t quite look him in the eyes. So she hadn’t told them that his fee had been taking her to dinner. She’d apparently told them he did it as a favor, out of the goodness of his heart. That almost made him laugh, since the jury was out on whether or not he had a heart.

Actually he was glad she hadn’t told them the whole truth. He would feel ten times as stupid as he already did. Neighborly wasn’t exactly how he felt looking at her in that dress. And the three men staring him down knew it. Could this get any more uncomfortable?

“So, how do you like Rust Creek Falls?” Ronan’s tone was friendly enough, but the look in his eyes said, Hurt my sister and I’m coming for you.

“It’s a nice town.” Brendan met his gaze, refusing to look away.

“People around here have each other’s backs,” Keegan said. “We protect our own. It’s how we roll.”

“Understood.” Brendan met the other man’s steely gaze and took some satisfaction when Keegan blinked first.

“Where are your manners, Fiona? We’ve been talking out here and you should have invited the man in.” Maureen looked at her daughter, then back at him. “Would you like to come inside, Mr. Tanner?”

“Mom,” Fiona said, “we have a dinner reservation.”

Brendan was pretty sure the look she gave him was saying she knew that probably wasn’t true but just go with her on it. That worked for him. “We should get on the road. Thanks anyway, Mrs. O’Reilly.”

“It’s Maureen.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked at Fiona. “You ready?”

“So ready.” She slid a black shawl around her shoulders and stepped outside, onto the porch. “’Bye, everyone.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Brendan said, then settled his hand at the small of her back. The gesture was polite, but also selfish, an excuse to touch her. And it backfired. The contact made him want to pull her close. Suddenly, being polite was the last thing on his mind.

After opening the passenger door, he glanced over his shoulder and saw light still spilling out from the front door, telling him the family continued to watch. Maybe the reminder to mind his manners wasn’t such a bad thing, after all. He helped her inside the truck and closed the door. When he walked around the front of the vehicle, he gave the O’Reillys a farewell wave, then got in and headed for the road that would take them out of Rust Creek Falls.

“About that having a reservation remark—” Fiona started. “I was afraid you were going to take my mom up on the invitation to go inside.”

“No.” He couldn’t imagine the seventh level of hell being more uncomfortable than that. “Hope that’s okay.”

“Very much okay.”

“Good.” That meant he’d interpreted her look correctly. His instincts in a combat situation had saved lives more than once, but understanding a woman’s expression was a thousand times more complex. He often read women’s signals wrong but tonight wasn’t one of those times.

“Ironically,” he said, “I did make a reservation.”

“That’s good.”

“No big deal. I did it online.”

“I meant the part where I wasn’t actually lying to my mother. That’s never good.”

“I guess not.”

Probably he’d told his mother whoppers but he couldn’t remember because he’d been five when she left. And growing up watching his dad be sad without her was pretty bad. No one had ever come right out and said it was Brendan’s fault, but he figured a case could be made.

“I’m sorry about that.” Fiona’s voice broke into his dark thoughts.

For a couple of beats he was afraid he’d spoken out loud, then realized he hadn’t. So he was forced to ask, “About what?”

“You specifically said no family. Most of the time mine is scattered. Everyone doing their own thing. Sadly, this wasn’t one of those nights. If they made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

“That’s not necessary. I’m tough. And they obviously love you.”

“I know.” She sighed. “But I’m not a teenager and this isn’t my first rodeo.”

“You’re lucky to have them.” Said the man who had no one.

“Agreed.” She blew out a small breath and looked out the passenger window, but it was too dark to see anything. “So, where are we going?”

“That’s a surprise.”