Reunited

CHAPTER SIX

KEELY WOKE UP slowly, stretching beneath the fine cotton sheets and squinting against the bright morning light. She saw the outline of a tall, broad-shouldered figure standing at the window and smiled. Rafe. As her eyes adjusted to the light, he came into focus. He was naked, his smooth skin burnished by the glare of the sun.

Keely snuggled into her pillow and relished the chance to appreciate his body-the sculpted arms and muscular back, the narrow waist, long legs, a study in masculine perfection. He seemed to wear that perfection in such a casual way, as if he didn't know-or didn't care-about the effect his body had on a woman's libido.

Keely ran her hands through her tangled hair. "Good morning."

He turned around, startled by her voice. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Keely sat up and stretched her arms over her head, the sheet dropping away from her breasts. But she made no move to cover up. With him, she felt more comfortable naked, more aware of her sexuality and the power it gave her. "Fine. How about you?"

"Great," Rafe said.

Her gaze wandered down his body, following the fine dusting of hair that began at his collarbone and ended below his belly. A tiny shiver raced through her as she thought of him in full arousal. "You look so handsome standing there in that light. If I had some paper, I'd draw you just like that."

"You draw?"

Keely nodded. Though they knew each other's bodies by heart, knew exactly how to make the other moan with pleasure, they were still learning the basics. She felt as if she knew him intimately, yet didn't really know him at all. "I have an art degree. I used to paint. But I really liked sculpting more. I could do you in bronze."

"That might be interesting."

"I always enjoyed drawing nudes," she continued. "For a nice Catholic girl who went to an all-girls high school, art school drawing class was an eye-opening experience. I'd only been with one boy and I'd never actually seen, you know…the equipment."

His eyebrow arched. "And why was that?"

"We were afraid to turn on the lights. Lord, I wasn't sure what I'd see, but I knew I'd probably be struck blind from seeing it." Keely grinned and covered her eyes. "Maybe you better put some clothes on. I've grown rather fond of my eyesight."

Instead, Rafe climbed back into bed, stretching out beside her and pulling her against his body, becoming aroused almost immediately. His expression was serious, his gaze intense. "Who are you, Keely McClain? And why are you doing these things to me?"

Keely stared at him. He was in a strange mood this morning, quiet and reserved, as if he had something on his mind. "What am I doing to you, Rafe?"

"I'm not sure. But it feels pretty good."

Keely gently stroked his face, her fingertips running over the stubble on his jawline. "I don't know what this is, Rafe. I don't know if it will end tomorrow or if it will last forever. So maybe we should just let it happen and see where it goes. And if it doesn't work, no regrets. On either side."

"That sounds like a good plan," Rafe said. Suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her beneath him. "Let's take a trip. It's Christmas-we should be doing something special. We can leave today. We'll buy a couple of tickets to somewhere and just take off. We can go to Hawaii or Paris or London. You choose. Someplace far away from here."

His offer sounded so tempting. A week in a hotel room with Rafe Kendrick was every woman's fantasy. "I can't," Keely said. "I have to work. The pub opens at five tonight and I'm scheduled. I signed up to work around Christmas because I wanted to be with my family."

"Come on," Rafe said. "How could you possibly choose that smoky, smelly pub over a pristine beach on Maui? Or a sidewalk cafe in Paris? Or a cozy hotel room in London? What's to think about?"

"You know why I have to stay," she said. "I need to tell my family who I am. And I need to find just the right time to do that. And I won't find it if I'm sunning myself on some beach in Hawaii."

Rafe pressed his forehead against hers. "I'm not sure I want to let you go. The last time I did, you disappeared."

She reached up and touched his lips with her fingertips. "Why don't I come back here tonight after work and we'll have a late dinner? This time I'll cook."

"Are you a good cook?"

"Better than you," she teased. "You lack focus. That's what it takes to make a good omelette. You can't get distracted by more…exotic tastes."

"And what should we do until it's time for you to go to work?" he asked, nuzzling her neck.

"You know what would be fun? Let's get up and get dressed and go to church. It's Christmas morning. I always go to Christmas services. And I missed midnight mass last night."

"You really want to go to church?"

"After all the sinning we did last night, I think we should. We can stop at my place and I can change. And after church we'll go for coffee. And you know what else I'd like to do? I'd like to go ice-skating. Or maybe take a carriage ride. Or we could go for a nice long walk and window-shop. That would be the perfect Christmas."

"All right," Rafe said grudgingly. "But first I want the perfect shower. Care to join me?"

Keely smiled. "I will in a minute. I really need to call my mother. Can I use the phone?"

Rafe kissed her on the tip of her nose, then crawled out of bed. "I'll be waiting for you."

He walked toward the bathroom while Keely stayed in bed and admired the view. When she heard him turn on the shower, she rolled over and grabbed the phone from the bedside table, then punched in her mother's phone number. Fiona picked up after two rings.

"Hi, Ma. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart. I've been worried about you. You didn't call last night. I thought maybe you'd decided to come home after all. I tried your room at the bed-and-breakfast last night at nine, but they said you hadn't returned. I was afraid to call them after ten. I didn't want to disturb them so late at night. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Did you go to midnight mass?"

"No, but I'm going to church this morning with a friend."

"You have a friend in Boston?"

"Yes. Just one. But he's very nice."

"He?"

"I have news," Keely said, deftly changing the subject. "Brendan is engaged. He brought her to the pub last night and made the announcement. Her name is Amy Aldrich and she seems so nice, very pretty. And they look so happy together. My father didn't seem too pleased, but everyone else was. I wish you could have been there, Ma. With Conor married and the other two engaged, you should have grandchildren before too long."

Her mother was silent for a long time before she spoke. "When are you coming home?"

"Maybe a couple of weeks. I really plan to tell them soon. And I'm pretty sure they'll be all right with it. They're all so sweet to me, Ma. I wish you could know them. Maybe next Christmas, we can all be together."

"Maybe," Fiona said.

"Keely! Get your pretty little ass in here!"

Keely winced, but luckily her mother hadn't heard the command. "I have to go. I'm working tonight at five, so I'll call you from the pub when I get a chance. Maybe I'll get one of the boys to say hello."

"Oh, Keely, I would love that," her mother said, tears evident in her voice. "I-I'll talk to you later. Merry Christmas, darling."

"Bye, Ma." Keely returned the phone to the beside table. She sighed softly, then rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Keely!"

With a giggle, she jumped out of bed and padded to the bathroom. Like the kitchen, it was a marvel of technology, with a huge whirlpool tub and a shower stall made for two. She peered around the corner of the shower's glass-block wall and found a naked Rafe, fully aroused, his body slick with soap and water. "You know, I'm really not a shower girl. I prefer baths."

Rafe took a step toward her. His hand shot out and grabbed her arm. He yanked her into the shower and pulled her beneath the rushing water, then kissed her thoroughly.

"I'm going to teach you to love showers," he said with a low growl.

RAFE SAT on the park bench on Boston Common, his cashmere overcoat open to the warmth of the noonday sun. He watched the skaters glide around in a circle on Frog Pond, remembering Christmas Day and the time he'd spent skating with Keely. If someone had told him he'd pass an afternoon wobbling around a frozen pond on skates, he would have called them a fool. But he'd actually had fun. By the end of the day, he had even become a passable skater.

He and Keely had shared so much in the past five days. But, above all, everything they'd done had been fun-from the uninhibited sex to the quiet dinners over a bottle of wine to their walks along the Charles. Rafe had never put much stock in "fun," but he had to admit that it added a new dimension to his life. He'd smiled more in the past week than he had in the entire year. In the annals of his affairs with women, Rafe knew that Keely would rank as his favorite. She was sweet and understanding out of bed, and wild and passionate between the sheets. And there was something about that contrast that he found completely captivating. Other women had tried to cultivate such an image, but with Keely it was real.

Still, a dark cloud continued to hang over them. Keely wasn't just any woman he'd brought to his bed-she was a Quinn. The daughter of his father's murderer. And he should be spending his time working up a decent case of disgust for his behavior with her, instead of wondering what new adventure they'd share in his bedroom that night.

So he enjoyed her body. Like she'd said, they had no claims on each other, no strings. It was purely a sexual thing and, before long, the desire would fade and they'd both move on.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," he muttered to himself. Rafe cursed softly. He had to watch himself. There were times when he was starting to feel like a first-class sap, thinking about Keely at all hours, wondering what she was doing, who she was talking to, whether she was thinking about him. Though Rafe was quite certain he wasn't in love, he still couldn't define exactly what he was feeling. He liked Keely. She was beautiful and sexy and intriguing and he enjoyed spending time with her.

Hell, he'd always had a one-month maximum with women, averaging two dates a week and five decent nights in bed before boredom set in. He quickly tallied up his time with Keely and was surprised to find that he'd already surpassed his normal mark.

"Hey! Are you Sam Kendrick's kid?"

Rafe looked up, startled out of his thoughts. An older man stood in front of him wearing a battered jacket and faded blue jeans. Time had not been kind to Ken Yaeger. His face was deeply lined and his thinning hair was unkempt and his teeth were badly in need of a dentist. "I am."

Yaeger flopped down next to him on the bench and rubbed his hands together. "Why the hell did we have to meet here? This town is filled with heated taverns and decent whiskey. I spent enough of my life out in the cold-I don't need to spend more." He reached inside of his jacket pocket and pulled out a flask, then offered it to Rafe. "Care for a nip?"

Rafe pushed the flask away, shaking his head. "How did it go?"

Yaeger shrugged. "They were pretty interested in what I had to say. Asked why I was coming forward and I gave them some shit about my conscience. I wrote it all down for them and they told me they'd be calling me. They gotta figure out who's in charge."

"You didn't go in there drunk, did you?"

"What difference does it make? It doesn't change the truth."

"I want to hear it," Rafe demanded. "The whole story. Exactly the way you told it to the police."

Yaeger gathered his thoughts for a moment, took another swig from the flask, then cleared his throat. "Well, ya see, I'd been working on the crew of the Mighty Quinn for about three years. Seamus was looking for a sixth to make one last run out to the Grand Banks before the winter set in. Sam Kendrick and I knew each other from Gloucester and I knew he was looking for work. The boat he usually fished from didn't make late-season runs. And since your ma was…well, you know…sickly, Sam wasn't planning to head south that winter. So he signed on with Seamus Quinn for one run." Yaeger paused and gave Rafe a toothless smile. "Your dad was a good guy. He could have captained his own boat if he'd had the scratch to buy a rig."

"He was planning to buy a boat," Rafe said. "He and my mother were saving."

"We'd been out for two weeks and the hold was about half-full. Then the weather reports started coming in. Seamus wanted to ride out the storm and continue fishing. Your dad wanted to head in. But Seamus's word was final. Still, Sam kept at him and the weather kept getting worse and pretty soon everyone wanted to go in. Something felt bad about this run and we all knew if we didn't get off the water, we'd end up under it. It spooked us. Pretty soon, it was us against Seamus."

"A mutiny?" Rafe asked.

"About as close as you could come. Your dad was out on deck, securing all the gear so the waves wouldn't wash it away. I was up in the wheelhouse. Seamus went out and they started yelling at each other. Sam threw a punch and caught Seamus on the chin. Seamus hit Sam in the stomach. Sam threw another cross and lost his balance on the slippery deck. Then Seamus went for him. He shoved him hard and Sam went over the side. It was black out and the storm was coming up fast. We tried to find him, but by the time we did, it was too late. That water's so cold. A guy can only last maybe ten, fifteen minutes before he's a goner." Yaeger shuddered, then took another swallow from the flask. "I remember what he looked like when we finally found him and fished him out. That image just doesn't leave a guy."

Rafe stared down at his hands, feeling anger surge up inside him, and his determination doubled. Seamus Quinn was going to pay. "Why didn't you tell the truth back then?"

"Seamus convinced us to make it appear as if he got pulled over by the line. We tore up his slicker a little bit to make it look like that's what got caught. That way he would have been killed while he was working and your ma could collect more insurance. If Sam was even partially to blame for his own death, she'd get less. And he was the one who threw the first punch. He was the one talking mutiny."

"So Seamus covered up his part in a murder. And he committed insurance fraud as well."

"I s'pose you could say that. Yeah, I'd say that. Fraud."

"Was there any investigation?"

"Fishing is a dangerous profession. That's a fact everyone accepts. And all the guys on the boat were straight with the story, so that was the end of it. I kept my mouth shut and collected my pay."

"Is there anyone else who can back up this story?"

"The cops asked me that. Walt McGill died a few years back. Johnny Sayers went down with the Katie Jean in 1981. And the last I heard, Lee Franklin was working a charter business somewhere in the Florida Keys. But that was ten years ago. He'd back up my story though. Seamus was the one who pushed your father overboard that night." Yaeger paused and took another sip from the flask. "So I did my part. What am I going to get for telling my story?"

"What do you expect?"

"Well, I'm not doin' this for my health. I've got expenses."

"I thought you wanted to help my mother."

"Hey, that don't pay the rent."

Rafe reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He withdrew all the cash he carried and handed it to Yaeger. "That's to cover your expenses for coming here. And once Quinn is in jail, then there'll be more to get you home. And more after you testify. But let me make one thing clear. I'm not paying for your testimony. I'm just covering your expenses because you're a friend of the family. And if you bring my name into this, the cash flow stops."

Yaeger gave him a grudging nod, then stood and held out his hand. "It's nice doin' business with you."

Rafe didn't return the gesture. Instead, he turned his attention back to the skaters. When Yaeger finally stumbled off, Rafe let out a tightly held breath. He was doing the right thing. He shouldn't have to convince himself of that fact anymore. Then why the hell was he so uneasy? Something about his plan didn't seem right.

"Keely," he muttered. This was all her damn fault. If she hadn't stumbled into his life and turned everything upside down, he wouldn't have any doubts about ruining Seamus Quinn for good.

All his life, he'd been focused on success, every move calculated to make more money and acquire greater power. He'd thought that money and power would fill the empty spaces in his soul. And when it didn't, he'd decided those spaces could be filled by avenging his father's death. Now, if that didn't work, he'd have to look elsewhere. But he knew that surrendering power to Keely would never be the solution.

If he allowed himself to feel something for her, then she gained the advantage, she held all the cards. He'd change his life for her and, sooner or later, she'd walk away. His mother's psychiatrists might say that his father's death had instilled these fears in him, fears of abandonment. They might also say that, until he faced these issues, he'd never have a normal relationship with a woman.

But that's what he was doing with his campaign against Seamus Quinn-he was facing his issues and putting his life in order. And if Keely was an innocent bystander who got caught in the crossfire, then that was her problem, not his. The truth would set them all free.

Rafe stood up and took a last look at Frog Pond, pushing aside any thoughts of Keely Quinn. His course had been set. This afternoon, he'd drop her off at work and call an end to it. There was no going back. Losing an incredible bedmate was a consequence he'd have to live with.

Rafe just hoped it wouldn't take too long to find someone to replace her.

"PICK ME UP after work." Keely leaned over and kissed Rafe on the cheek. "I'll be done at six. We can go out and get something to eat and then catch a movie." She laughed softly. "Don't we sound like the ordinary couple? Maybe you should leave town without telling me. Or maybe when I get to your place tonight I should find a woman in your bed. That would shake things up, don't you think?"

Rafe ignored her teasing, his expression grim. He'd been in a dark mood since they'd gotten out of bed that morning. Keely couldn't help but wonder if he was tiring of their relationship already. She knew there was every chance that it would happen sooner or later, but she had hoped for later.

This was the risk she took, giving herself completely to him, with no sense of his feelings toward her. Yes, the sex had been good. It had progressed from incredible to earth-shattering and it didn't show signs of letting up anytime soon. Though Keely had enjoyed their time together, she'd also kept her heart well protected. She had refused to allow herself any fantasies of a future with Rafe and, to her surprise, it had worked.

"If you'd rather not do anything tonight, that's fine, too," Keely offered. "I could probably use a full night's sleep. And I have to do some laundry and run errands. I could take a cab home."

"When are you going to tell them?" Rafe asked as he stared out the window.

"I'm not sure. Maybe today, if the time is right."

"You can't put it off forever."

"This is my problem and my decision," Keely said, irritated at his interference. "I'll decide when I decide." She paused. "You know, maybe it would be better if I stayed at my place tonight. I'm paying for a room at the bed-and-breakfast and I haven't been there for almost a week."

"Do what you want," Rafe said.

"Then I will." Keely stepped out of the car and slammed the door behind her. She circled around the front then looked both ways before starting across the street. She turned when she heard Rafe get out of the car and, an instant later, he'd grabbed her arm and yanked her into his embrace.

He kissed her, hard and deep, refusing to allow her a chance to breathe. And when he finally released her, he smiled tightly. "I'll pick you up after work." With that, he turned around and got back into the car. When the engine roared to life, Keely stepped back. She watched him drive off down the street, her mind whirling with both the aftereffects of his kiss and overwhelming confusion.

There were times when she didn't understand Rafe Kendrick at all. Maybe that's what she found so attractive about him, that bad boy beneath the expensive Italian suits. That mercurial man who kept her guessing. She was living on the edge, never knowing what would happen next and she liked it.

Keely ran up the steps to the pub, turning her mind to thoughts of her family. Maybe Rafe was right. Maybe it was time to tell Seamus. She knew her father a bit better now and she was almost sure that he'd take the news well. "I'm going to tell him. I have fifteen minutes before the pub opens and by the time the first customer walks in, Seamus Quinn is going to have a daughter." She pulled the door open and walked inside.

Keely knew something was wrong the moment she saw her family gathered at the end of the bar. They were standing in a tight circle, their heads bent in an intense discussion. A sliver of fear shot through her when she saw the serious expressions on their faces. She searched the bar for Seamus, and when she didn't see him, her fear increased. Had something happened to him? Was he ill? She'd just assumed he'd be around when she was ready to tell him, but he wasn't a young man anymore.

She hung her jacket on the rack near the door, then stowed her purse behind the bar. Her brothers were all talking in heated tones and didn't notice her arrival. She strained to hear what they were saying, moving closer and closer. When Liam finally broke away from the group, she caught his eye. He walked to the end of the bar. "Is everything all right?" Keely asked, her heart slamming in her chest.

Liam turned back to look at his brothers, then raked his hands through his hair. His face was tinged with exhaustion and his brow furrowed with worry. "No," he said.

"What is it? Is it Seamus? Is he sick?"

"No," Liam repeated. "I mean, he's not sick. It's just-" He paused, obviously trying to decide what he would tell her. "He's in trouble. The cops came and got him early this morning and they're holding him for questioning."

Keely gasped. "For what?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. You don't have to worry about it. It'll all get sorted out. But there's something else. Some bad news."

"Seamus in jail isn't bad news?" Keely asked.

"We had an unscheduled visit from the building inspector the other day and he found asbestos on some of the heating pipes. He's shutting us down until it's removed. With the bar closed down, my father won't be able to meet the mortgage. He barely does now and we all work for free. If the bank calls the mortgage in, he'll lose the pub."

"I can't believe this."

"Conor doesn't think this is all happening by chance," Liam said, lowering his voice so his brothers couldn't hear. "He thinks someone is out to get our da. We're just trying to figure out what to do. For now, I don't think we can keep you on."

"I'll work for tips," Keely said.

"It's not that. It's going to take at least a week to get workmen here and a few more weeks to complete the job and then we have to wait for a reinspection and that could take a week, maybe two. We've got to move everything out and move it all back in again. The bar could be closed for a month."

"I could help," Keely offered. A whole month without an excuse to see her father and brothers. This couldn't be happening. She had to find a way to stay in touch. Maybe she should tell them right now.

Liam shook his head. "No, this a family thing. We'll deal with it. We're not going to open today, but you can stay for your shift and help clean up, then collect your pay. Sean will get you cash from the till. We've got your phone number so when things get straightened away, we'll call you. But we won't be upset if you have to take another job. A month is a long time to go without a paycheck." He wiped his hands on a bar towel. "So, I guess that's it."

"Don't worry," Keely said. "Everything will be all right. Why don't you go back to your brothers. I'll wash these glasses and dust the bottles on the back bar."

He reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. "Thanks. You're sweet."

She waited until he rejoined his brothers before grabbing Rafe's business card out of her purse. Rafe would know what to do. He probably knew hundreds of good lawyers. And a few contractors who could get the job done in a few days rather than weeks. And a guy like Rafe didn't get to where he was without knowing a few people in the building inspector's office. He probably even knew the mayor. Keely put the card back in her purse. It would be better to talk to him about this in person. If there was any convincing to be done she'd be in a better…position.

She walked over to the sink beneath the bar and grabbed a towel, then washed a glass and wiped it dry. She was family and she was going to make a contribution to solving this problem. As soon as she finished a few tasks, she'd ask to leave, then go directly to Rafe's office to solicit his help. Until then, she'd pick up as much as she could about why her father had been taken into custody.

"None of us knows what happened on that boat," she overheard Brendan say. "And Da doesn't seem to be talking. Conor, you need to take care of the legal end of this. This is probably going to be a federal investigation, but they should be able to tell you something. I'll take care of what's going on with the pub. I've got plenty of cash to cover the mortgage and the contractor costs so we don't have to worry about that."

"You can count on me to help there," Dylan said.

"Me, too," Conor added.

"Brian, you've got some friends down at city hall, why don't you see if we can move that building inspector along. I don't think we can afford to be shut down for more than a few weeks."

"What about Da?" Sean asked. "What if he ends up being charged with murder?"

Keely's heart froze and a tiny cry slipped from her lips. She tried to keep her expression bland as she worked harder at washing the glasses, determined to cover her distress. Murder? Her father was being questioned about a murder?

"Did he say anything about this Kendrick guy?" Conor asked. "I got a look at the statement. This witness claims that Kendrick died on the Mighty Quinn and Da was responsible. There was some kind of fight and Kendrick went overboard. Da swears it didn't happen that way."

For a long moment, Keely didn't breathe. She must have misheard. They didn't really say the name Kendrick, did they?

Brian leaned forward. "Do we know anything about this guy's family?"

"Sam Kendrick had a wife and a kid. His widow was Lila and I don't know about the kid. I guess after he died there was some insurance settlement. But as far as I can tell, there was no investigation. I'm wondering if the family knows anything about this witness coming forward. Maybe we should contact them?"

Keely felt her body go numb all the way to the tips of her fingers. The glass she was holding slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor at her feet. Her brothers all turned to look at her and, with trembling hands, she hurried to pick up the pieces. But in her haste, she cut her palm with a shard of glass.

In an instant, Dylan had hopped over the bar and grabbed her hand. "Here," he said, pulling her toward the sink.

"I-I'm sorry. It just slipped. I didn't mean to-"

"Never mind," Dylan said as he rinsed the blood from her hand. He grabbed a clean towel and then pressed it to the cut. "There. It doesn't look deep. It should stop bleeding soon." He pulled a first aid kit from a nearby drawer and handed her a bandage.

The pain was dulled by the echo of the name in her head. Kendrick. Seamus was in jail because the police thought he murdered Sam Kendrick. And Sam Kendrick had been married to Lila Kendrick, the very woman she met on Christmas Eve. That meant that her father was suspected of killing Rafe's father.

A wave of nausea washed over her. "I-I'll just go take care of this in the ladies' room," she murmured as she rushed past him and through the bar.

When she reached the privacy of the bathroom, she leaned back against the door and swallowed hard, fighting the urge to throw up. What was she supposed to do with this news? And how could she tell Rafe?

A sudden realization struck her like a slap to the face. Maybe Rafe already knew. But if he suspected her father of murder, then why hadn't he said something that night when she'd told him her reasons for coming to Boston? Her mind spun back to that moment and Keely tried to remember his reaction. Rafe had been a bit distant at times since then, but she'd written that off as a bad mood.

For all she knew, Rafe had no idea of the connection between his father's death and the Quinn family. She drew a ragged breath. But what if he did know? Another realization hit her. Keely groaned softly and covered her mouth with her hand. Had Rafe known who she was all along? Even from that very first night on the street in front of the pub? Was their meeting a part of some plan?

"No," she murmured. She was reading way too much into the situation. She pressed the heels of her hands to her temples. The only way she'd know the truth was to confront Rafe.

Keely turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face, then dabbed it dry with a paper towel. Before she walked out the door, she ran her fingers through her hair and pasted a smile on her face.

Her brothers were still in the same spot, still involved in their discussion, when she walked back behind the bar. Sean joined her and opened the cash register. "Liam explained to you what is going on, right? Rather than wait for your paycheck, I'll just pay you in cash. I'm sorry we can't keep you on, Keely. You were a good waitress."

"That's all right. I understand. You all seem so worried-I wish there was something I could do."

"It'll be fine," he replied. "It's just a family thing."

Tears of frustration pressed at the corners of her eyes and she fought them back. She was tired of hearing it was a family thing! She was family and she wanted to help. But with all that had happened to them today, she couldn't possibly reveal the news now.

Maybe she didn't deserve to be a part of the Quinn family. After all, she'd been sleeping with Rafe Kendrick. But was Rafe the enemy? Did he have anything to do with this whole thing? God, she couldn't think! Her mind was a mess of doubt and speculation. "I think I'm going to go home, if that's all right with you."

"No problem," Sean replied. "Not much to do around here." He handed her the cash and she tucked it in her pocket. "Good luck with everything, Keely."

"Thanks. Good luck to you. And give Seamus my best wishes." Her voiced trembled slightly and when she turned to grab her purse and jacket, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying.

"Bye, Keely," Liam shouted. The rest of her brothers added their farewells, and she turned and gave them a wave, then opened the door. When she reached the street, Keely yanked her jacket more tightly around her to still the tremors that racked her body.

The cold winter air cleared her head and she tried to sort out all she'd heard. But her initial suspicion kept coming back to plague her. Rafe had to be involved. Why had he been hanging out at the pub? And why, during all of their discussions, hadn't he told her about his father? Why was that such a big secret?

Keely glanced up and down the street, wondering how to get back to the bed-and-breakfast. There had to be a bus stop or a subway stop close by. She'd just have to walk around until she found one. And while she searched, she'd decide exactly how to handle her next encounter with Rafe.

One thing she did know-Keely Quinn wouldn't be falling into bed with Rafe Kendrick anytime soon.