Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9 (30 page)

I know many of you wanted Jack to find love again. You wrote letters, emails, messaged me, even drafted out possible love interests and plot twists to give me a gentle nudge. I was (and continue to be) truly moved that you would care about Jack so much.

Believe me, I agonized over this more than once. But when I started this series, it was with one underlying premise: there can only be one
croie
in a Callaghan man’s lifetime. For Jack it was, and always will be, Kathleen.

I suppose I could have written him a new love interest. Not another croie, but someone who loved him and cared for him. I even tried, several times. But each time, I hit a dead end, and after a while I came to realize that it was because Jack didn’t want that.

Some of you are rolling your eyes, I know. I’m the author, right? I can make my characters do whatever I want. Technically, that’s true. But it wouldn’t be right. It’s hard to explain why without sounding like a nutcase, but I spend so much time with these characters that they almost become real, 3-dimensional people in my mind. If I listen carefully enough, I can hear their thoughts, see their reactions. Every time I attempt to force them into doing something that isn’t “natural” for them, I hit major writer’s block.

And maybe, just maybe, there’s a part of me that believes in a love so true, so pure, that nothing can ever replace it.

So there you go. Jack’s happy with the way his story came out. Hopefully you are, too.

This story, like all the others before it, is fiction. These people and places exist only in my imagination and the imaginations of you, the reader. But inevitably, I draw upon my own life experiences to shape what happens, and in Forever Mine, I’ve included mention of some real events, too.

––––––––

T
he Vietnam War
: Some of the places and battles referenced in this story are real; however, not everything is historically accurate in terms of U.S. involvement, units, movements, and engagements. I created scenes for the purpose of Jack’s story.

––––––––

H
urricane Agnes
: The 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood was a real event. I know, I lived through it. I was only seven years old at the time, but I still remember scrambling up the nearby culm (anthracite coal dust) bank with my dad, looking down into the valley where the local shopping center was with a pair of binoculars. I could see the occasional church steeple poking up out of the fast-running, muddy waters, and the tops of some trees, but that’s about all.

Massive Army helicopters were constantly coming and going, landing in the field just beyond our backyard. The nearby elementary school – the one I attended – had been turned into an emergency evacuation center. My dad, an avid fisherman, put on his hip-waders and used his bass boat to help rescue people that lived on the bottom of our steeply-inclined street, those for whom the water level had risen far more quickly than anyone had predicted. My mom, an OR nurse, was called to the school to administer vaccinations to those exposed to the filthy, disease-infested waters and to perform triage.

More than forty years later, I still get chills thinking about it.

––––––––

H
eart Disease
: Jack’s struggle with heart disease hit especially close to home for me. Over the last ten years, I’ve found myself sitting in surgical waiting rooms and step-down units while my father underwent angioplasties, catheters, a quintuple bypass, and got a pacemaker. To all of the surgeons, nurses, and techs that take care of our loved ones during those very scary times, I’d just like to say,
Thank you
.

––––––––

T
he Molly Maguires
: Also real. If you have any Irish ancestry and live in the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania, then chances are, you have heard the whispered stories of the secret society of poor immigrant activists who lashed out against the mine owners of the latter 19
^th
century. To this day, they are spoken of in hushed tones, if at all, in public. The identities of many long since passed are known only to a few, their names still whispered down from generation to generation.

––––––––

S
o, there you go. If you’re wondering if I plan on writing more about the Callaghans in the future, the answer is an unequivocal YES! I’ve still got Nick Milligan, Brian and Colleen McCain, and Taser waiting to tell me their stories. And I’m pretty sure there will be some Callaghan family escapades as well.

Until then,

Go raibh míle maith agat

Abbie

... t
hen you might be interested in my Connelly Cousins series. Across the river from Pine Ridge is a little town called Birch Falls where Celina, Johnny, and Michael Connelly live. (You may remember them from their cameo appearances in the Callaghan Brothers books).

They’re not SEALs, but they are hot and sexy, and include a bad boy biker, a construction worker, and an Army Ranger. Like the Callaghans, their stories are based on finding and keeping their
croies
, those fated for them and them alone.

Check out this excerpt from
Celia: Connelly Cousins, Book 1
:

T
he corner of Kyle’s mouth twitched. He didn’t know what was more amusing – the cute blonde chugging her beer like it was the last one on earth or the priceless look of shock on Jamie’s face as she did. He hadn’t been looking forward to playing Jamie’s personal sex counselor, but this might actually turn out to be fun.

The chick – Celina – suddenly realized they were both staring and lowered the bottle, blinking rapidly and blushing furiously. “Sorry,” she managed. “I was a little thirsty.”

Kyle knew it was impossible for anyone to see his eyes behind the heavily tinted shades, and he was thankful for that because he simply could not take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him.

Jamie hadn’t been exaggerating when he said how gorgeous she was. She was on the petite side, so he could only glimpse her from mid-chest up – and quite an abundant chest it was. She was wearing some kind of simple cotton sundress, a light pastel color that showed off her bronzed skin to perfection. A brief scan revealed no visible tan lines. Did she sunbathe topless? The thought had him shifting slightly.

His eyes raked over the parts of her he could see, mentally cataloguing her with the skill of a man who was an expert when it came to sizing up women. Her jewelry was understated. A simple gold chain, semi-choker, hung around her neck. Small gold and diamond studs in her double ear piercings, and – was that a chain dangling from one hole to the other in her right ear?
Interesting
. A hint of naughty, perhaps? Spiral gold thumb ring. No other adornments, though he would bet she wore a matching gold anklet beneath the table.

He was sorely tempted to drop something to check. As it turned out, he didn’t have to. A mild breeze blew her menu off the table and Kyle reached down for it.
Bingo
. Knotted gold anklet and matching gold strappy-heeled sandals, adorning perfectly shaped, curvy legs. Legs made expressly for wrapping around a man’s hips.
Damn
.

And that innocence thing? She was a real pro. Right down to the baby powder and cocoa butter scents wafting his way, with subtle overtones of a citrusy shampoo that had his pants suddenly two sizes too small. And her voice – it was soft, almost purring - a total bedroom voice. Make that three sizes.

Amazing green eyes, too. The way she flashed them at him did nothing to alleviate his burgeoning arousal. Oh yeah, she could play the proper little prude all she wanted, but he saw the fire in her eyes. Deep down, she was a hellcat; he knew that as surely as he knew his own name. Get her in bed and she’d pull a man’s soul right out through his dick, then make him sit up and beg for her to do it all over again.

When she tilted her head and started pulling on that beer again, his mind was assaulted with images of her pulling on something entirely different with that incredible mouth, swallowing something thicker and saltier than that swill she was downing.

Holy shit.
He was close to coming in his jeans.

Kyle’s beer arrived. He was enjoying the show so much, he ordered another for Celina. Jamie had barely touched his, so he didn’t bother. Kyle wondered what she would be like after the second beer. Would she start to loosen up a little? Or would she maintain her quiet, shy girl act?

The server disrupted his train of thought. “Are you ready to order?”

Yes, kitten,
thought Kyle
. What are you hungry for this evening? Gonna play dainty and get a little salad with a light vinaigrette on the side, perhaps?

The men deferred to Celina, allowing her to order first. “I’m starving,” she said, looking at the plastic-coated menu before her. Her tongue peeked out absently, running slowly along her top lip while she perused the choices. Kyle shifted quietly across the table.

“Um, let’s see. Can I have the meatball parm, heavy on the parm, and, um, maybe something gooey and deep-fried in the meantime?” This time Kyle could not completely contain the grin that tugged at the corners of his lips. Jamie didn’t seem at all fazed by her order, and said that sounded good to him. Kyle kept it simple by saying “Just make it three.”

Jamie did most of the talking, which was all right with him. It gave him a better opportunity to study the mystery before him. He had to hand it to her – she was good. The light, musical laughter that tickled him somewhere deep in his gut, the natural way those golden curls fell when she tilted her head to look at whoever was speaking. And when she did, she seemed really interested, not just listening politely.

No wonder Jamie liked her. She could listen to him drone on incessantly yet gave the impression that she thought he was the most fascinating man on earth. He himself hadn’t heard a word Jamie said all night.

Another bonus - she was one of the few women who actually had longer hair than him, though maybe those were extensions. After all, that couldn’t possibly be her natural hair color, could it? All of those shades, combining together into silky waves with the hues of precious metals. The question made him want to find out in the worst way, though she’d probably notice if he crawled under the table and relieved her of her panties to check...

“I’m not wearing any,” she said, laughing. Kyle jerked from his musings and choked on his beer. Before he could pull away, she was leaning over the table, treating him to a close-up view of her well-endowed chest. She didn’t smack his back, like most people would, but rubbed it.
Sweet Jesus
, her hands were making his skin burn. How was that even possible? He was still wearing his leather jacket, though it
was
getting damn hot.

“What?!?” he managed to ask when the choking subsided.

“I asked what perfume she had on this evening, and she said she wasn’t wearing any,” Jamie explained, looking at him oddly.

Celina resumed her place next to his brother, taking those full hips and tiny waist out of his immediate line of sight. Hell, she could have been the model for the original hourglass. Not super slim and streamlined like so many women these days. Why anyone thought that was attractive he’d never know. Celina was pure woman with all those soft curves that had his hands itching to cup and knead and squeeze, and his cock stiff and aching, knowing she would be sweet and soft and yielding beneath him.

Oh, man
. He hadn’t been this hard for a woman since he first became aware of exactly what that particular piece of anatomy could be used for. Over the years, he’d had lots of women begging for the pleasure he could provide, but this time
he
was the one in danger of begging.

Kyle gave himself a mental shake and forced himself to get a grip. This was Jamie’s girl, and he was only here to observe and offer advice. His role was to decipher her subtle tells and provide his brother with a no-fail plan for getting a piece.

She was a challenge, he’d give her that. Not many women could pull off that combination of sweet, sexy, innocent, and hot so seamlessly. Even he might have had to put a bit of effort into seducing this one, though the thought shouldn’t have been as appealing as it was.

It didn’t help that she kept sneaking glances his way, either. This time, Celina was looking at him as though she was trying to figure out what he had
thought
she said. He knew the second the plausible explanation came to her, because her eyes widened and she blushed furiously.

Thankfully, their food arrived and provided a much-needed distraction. Kyle was finding it hard to swallow past the constriction in his throat. It only got worse when he saw her two-hand the long sandwich, her tongue licking the sauce that dripped along the meatballs on the end. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she rolled the first bite around in her mouth and moaned appreciatively. Oblivious to everything else around her, she handled that sub with total focus and intent. He glanced at his brother. Jamie was happily tucking into his own meal, completely ignorant of the X-rated sideshow going on right next to him. No wonder he couldn’t get himself laid.