Opening the door, Cyndi found herself swept up into strong arms. Shamus was early. She barely had time to assimilate that pleasure before firm lips descended, capturing hers. Her hands crept up to lock around his neck as he maneuvered her inside, kicking the door closed with his booted heel.

"Ahem."

It took a minute and another exaggerated throat clearing for Cyndi to remember the two women behind her. Shamus slowly pulled his lips from hers, breaking the kiss. “Don't tell me,” he murmured huskily. “Your company is standing right behind us."

Flustered, she planted her hands on his chest, pushing him away. “Yes.” She tried to ignore the frisson of pleasure filling her. Shamus looked as handsome as ever in faded blue jeans that clung to him like a second skin and a white T-shirt under his leather jacket. His hair was caught at his nape in its usual ponytail, setting off his masculine face to perfection.

"Sorry about that. I figured they'd be hard at work by now, cleaning the place out,” he whispered against her ear. Turning to the women watching with avid interest a few feet away, he smiled as he extended his hand. “Shamus O'Rourke. Pleased to meet you both."

Cyndi shook off the remnants of pleasure still coursing through her veins and pulled herself together enough to make the introductions. “I was just about to show them their rooms."

"Great. I can bring in your bags, if you'd like."

Both ladies offered their keys and Shamus left to collect their suitcases. Cyndi turned to find both women staring at Shamus's butt. She didn't know whether to be outraged or amused. It was a fine behind, and encased in faded denim, it was pretty irresistible.

Linda cleared her throat. “Sorry about that.” The look in her eye suggested that she was anything but sorry. She shrugged. “What can I say? I'm trained to observe quality goods."

She said it in such a tongue-in-cheek way that Cyndi laughed. Amanda's gaze went from one woman to the other. “He's definitely quality."

Still smiling, Cyndi led them up the stairs to the two guest rooms she'd prepared. Shamus was close on their heels with the luggage, but he'd taken the time to remove his jacket. The T-shirt he was wearing was long-sleeved, and hugged his shoulders and chest. It was hard for her not to snuggle up next to him for a hug, but she managed to retain some dignity.

Linda had a large suitcase, but Amanda had a small overnight bag. Leaving both women to settle in their rooms, she told them to meet her down in the study when they were ready.

Shamus slung his arm over her shoulders as they walked down the stairs together. “What do you think of them?"

Cyndi snaked her arm around his waist, enjoying the feel of his arm around her. “I like them. I think this entire process is going to be easier because of them."

They paused at the bottom of the stairs and he turned her in his arms. “You don't have to get rid of anything you don't want to. If you need some more time to decide about some items, don't pressure yourself. We can always put them up in the attic for now."

Her heart swelled and in that minute, she knew she loved Shamus. He'd blindsided her the moment they'd met, sweeping her into a whirlwind of passion. But it was more than that. She felt his care and concern for her in everything he did. He was an amazing man. Everything she'd ever wished for and hoped to find in a relationship. The fact that there was such an age discrepancy and she had such a negative history with his family should have been enough to drive them apart. Instead, it had brought them closer together.

"Hey.” He tucked a lock of hair gently over the curve of her ear. “You okay?"

Was she okay? No, she wasn't. Her life had been knocked off its axis and, for better or worse, there was no going back. She owed it to herself and to Shamus to play this out until the very end. Their relationship would either make it or it wouldn't. But if it didn't, it wouldn't be because she hadn't given it her all.

"Yeah,” she replied huskily. “I'm fine."

Not looking totally convinced, he glanced up the stairs and let it drop for now. Cyndi knew that if she hadn't had company, he wouldn't have let it go. “I got the paint you wanted."

"That's good.” It was better to move to safer topics for now. “You can just put it in the dining room for now. I'm going to start there with Linda and if she agrees to take the set, it won't take long to clear the room."

"You're going to need help moving the furniture.” They walked toward the front door.

Cyndi shrugged. She'd thought about that, but really didn't know who to call. “Between you and me and Linda, we should be able to manage."

Shamus shook his head. “Some of this furniture is way too heavy. We're going to need a couple more guys."

Anger filled her at this reminder of how much the people in this town didn't like her. She'd almost forgotten in the few minutes she'd spent in Linda and Amanda's company. “Well, it's not as if I can just pick up the phone and call someone. If you've forgotten, I don't have a lot of friends in this town."

"But I do.” Ignoring her burst of anger, he wrapped his hand around her nape and squeezed gently. The tight muscles in her neck loosened and she almost groaned with pleasure.

"You can't put yourself in that position, Shamus. You don't want to make them choose between your friendship and their animosity toward me and my family."

"Don't worry about it.” Reaching into his back pocket, he drew out his cell phone.

"You keep saying that, but I keep worrying. One of us has to worry.” She didn't understand how he could be so blase about this.

His mouth tightened slightly, the only indication that he wasn't quite as relaxed as he seemed. “Better to know now rather than later. If folks I've known most of my life are going to turn on me for something like this, then I want to know."

"Oh, Shamus.” He already had problems with his family because of her. This would just make it worse. “Maybe you should just take off for the day."

He shook his head. “You're not getting rid of me that easily.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “You're not to blame for other people's actions. They're all responsible for themselves."

"But you being around me isn't helping,” she pointed out.

"Maybe not, but it feels right to me.” He rubbed his nose against hers, inhaling deeply before pulling away. “Damn, you smell good."

She laughed. “Stop that. We both have work to do today.” She remembered the journals and papers on her father's desk. “I finally had a look in the office safe."

Concern filled his blue-gray eyes. “Anything you want to talk about?"

"Not yet. I didn't have a chance to go through the journals or papers yet. I plan to do it tonight. But I did find a lot of jewelry. I know they belonged to my mother, but I don't feel any attachment to them. I'm going to sell them.” She said the last decisively. It was the right thing to do.

"Whatever you think is best.” He cupped her face in his hand. “All I want is for you to be happy."

What had she ever done to deserve a man this fine and good? “I know.” Turning her lips into his palm, she placed a kiss there before stepping away. “Now, you've got paint to bring in and I'm going to store all those papers upstairs. I'll get Amanda started in the library before Linda and I head to the dining room."

"Okay.” Shamus rolled his shoulders. “I'll make some calls before I bring in the paint from the truck."

Cyndi stood in the doorway as he sauntered toward his truck. He already had his phone to his ear and was talking to someone on the other end. She hoped he didn't have his hopes up too high. She doubted he'd find someone willing to help her.

Footsteps on the stairs alerted her to the fact that the other women were on their way to join her. Closing the front door, she took a deep breath. She only hoped she and Shamus knew what they were doing. Their relationship was going to have to face a lot more hardships before it got better.

Chapter Seventeen

It took Shamus half a dozen calls, but he finally found two men from his usual work crew who were willing to come and help him at Cyndi's. They were younger than some of the ones he'd phoned first and hadn't had any dealings with her father. Therefore, they didn't have any of the prejudices many of the older folks did. Heck, they barely even remembered Cyndi. Plus, they were glad to earn some extra money on the weekend.

It was shocking to him how many people who'd called themselves his friends for years, found it easy to turn their back on him now when he asked for their help. People he'd helped over the years without question. Live and learn, he told himself.

He still hadn't given up hope his family and some of his friends would come to accept the fact that Cyndi was a part of his life. They were good people, and he had faith in them. But in the meantime, he wasn't going to stand around and hold his breath either. Shamus was a realist. All he could do was move forward with his life, making the best choices he could.

Pocketing his phone, he went to the back of the truck and lifted out a box containing several gallons of paint, drop cloths, and paintbrushes. The air was crisp for an October morning, but not cold. The sun was shining, beckoning people to come out and play. Maybe he'd convince Cyndi to go for a walk later.

He bounded up the front steps and let himself into the house. He could hear the murmur of voices and followed the sound. He glanced in the library on the way along and saw Amanda Barrington already hard at work. She was leaning over a table, typing into her laptop, several large books alongside her.