Page 39 of The Irish Rogue

He’d offered to move her to a bigger, better house, even within the town’s limits. But nope. She loved her small farmhouse. She loved the sheep and her chickens, the small crop of vegetables she grew every summer. She probably would have just planted her vegetable garden now.

Running his hands over his face, he tried to calm his thoughts and make sense of the world. He had a son. A son! An adorable, chubby, blue eyed son! The fact that Declan had inherited his dark blue eyes instead of Kennedi’s lighter blue ones was a shame, but damn, he liked the fact that he could see something of himself in the little man.

In his mind, he was listing out all of the things he hoped to teach Declan as he grew up, including hiking, golf, business and finance, and…!

A woman in a red dress started racing across the yard, the moonlight lighting up her white skin and…and her terrified expression.

Before he could say anything, a man came out of the woods and…raced after her. In only seconds, the man had caught up with the woman. With little effort, he tossed her over his shoulder, carrying her back across the lawn. The woman didn’t scream and he wasn’t sure what was going on. He didn’t see where they were going or what happened to the woman. For several moments, he considered calling the police. But what had he actually seen? The woman hadn’t fought the guy when he’d picked her up. Maybe it was a sex thing?

He didn’t know. He thought about calling the police, but what would he say? Some woman had raced across the yard only to be hauled back to…some unknown destination?

Yeah, he could just see the police officer’s dubious expression.

Heading into the primary suite, he carried his suitcase into the bathroom. The space was lit up by the moonlight streaming in through the skylights, so he didn’t turn on the lights as he stripped off his clothes. A hot shower relaxed his tense muscles, calming down his racing thoughts. Declan. He had a son! Damn, he had ason!

After drying off, Sean pulled back the sheets and summer weight blanket, then stripped off the towel, tossing it over a chair before stretching out on the bed. He’d thought he would struggle to get to sleep. However, as soon as he pulled the sheet over his naked body, he was sound asleep.

Chapter 13

“You’re back!” Kennedi exclaimed, surprise lacing her tone as she stepped away from the doorway.

“You doubted that I’d be here this morning?”

She shrugged and accepted the proffered cup. “I can’t drink coffee.”

He winked at her as he reached for Declan, who was still clad in last night’s fleece pajamas.

“That’s herbal tea from Ella’s.” He took Declan into the kitchen and set down a bag filled with freshly baked bagels. “I brought breakfast as well.”

Kennedi moaned at the scent of bagels. “I don’t have time for breakfast. Declan woke up at three this morning, and didn’t feel like going back to sleep.”

“That’s fine,” Sean replied, turning the little guy in his arms carefully. “We’re going to be fine today. And your momma is going to get some sleep.”

“I’m not,” she replied, taking the lid off the herbal tea and taking a deep sip. “I’m going to shower and get ready for work. I just finished feeding Declan, so he should be okay for the next hour or two. Are you okay with him while I shower?”

“I’m fine. Go,” he urged, amazed at how much more comfortable he felt with his son this morning. “I woke up at four o’clock and started reading articles on how to handle infants. So, I have a bit more information now.”

“You were up at four?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “Willingly?”

“I don’t sleep much. So yeah, I fell asleep around eleven o’clock last night and automatically woke up at four.”

“I’m jealous,” she muttered, then walked away, waving her hand in the air. “I think you’re a mutant, by the way!” she called out from the far end of the hallway.

He turned Declan around. The little guy was gnawing on his fist, his dark blue eyes wide and his hair standing straight up. “You think she’s a bit punchy this morning?”

Declan didn’t answer, he just tried to stuff his fist in deeper into his mouth. “Are you teething, big guy?” he asked, walking over to the freezer and searching for a teething ring.

Twenty minutes later, Kennedi came back out, wearing a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt with the brewery’s logo over her left breast. Once again, he noticed how much fuller those breasts were and his mouth started watering. He looked at Declan, who was also looking at his mother. “I know the feeling, but for different reasons,” he said to his son.

“What feeling?” Kennedi asked, draining the last of the tea he’d brought her.

“Nothing,” he said, then switched Declan around so that they were both facing Kennedi. “You’re going to be late.”

“I filled up the diaper bag again, but you can’t take him out.”

“Why not?”

“Because you don’t have a car seat.”

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