His Devious Angel (5 page)

She stared her mother down for a few seconds and then felt her satisfaction waver and completely fade when her mom winked and blew her a kiss. Darn woman never failed to penetrate guards no one else could.

"Just put her here in the living room on the sofa." Liam lowered her gently and stayed bent over to push her mop away from her forehead.

"There's a bruise here. You hit your head?"

"Pedro and I bumped, that's all." She wrenched away from him too quickly and couldn't stop the cry of pain.
 

He straightened and turned to Sadie's mom.

"Is she always so disagreeable?"

"Yep! That's my girl!" Her mom's sideways smirk, nod, and snort didn't make her feel any better. "On the other hand, you'll never meet anyone with a bigger, more loving heart."

"Beatrice!" Sadie's glare and icy tone constituted a warning most wouldn't ignore.

"Sadie girl, you call me that again, and I'll call you-know-who and tell him you didn't mean to be rude, and you'd really like him to bring his dog back."

"Sorry, Mom." Sadie smiled, knowing it was nothing but a sick imitation, but her mother seemed to accept it and nodded. After all, she did deserve the rebuke.

She knew how much her mother hated her full name. But she also knew her dear bratty mom understood that if Bubba Jones ever came within ten feet of her again, she'd take a chop-saw to the numbskull. Imagine, feeding a Shiatsu chicken bones every day and then blaming the poor dog's condition on her running the animal too hard.  Cheap bastard still hadn't repaid her for the vet bills after Sadie had realized the dog suffered and had taken her in. Aggrr. Just thinking about him had her visualizing chains and a horsewhip.

"By the way, as you've probably figured, I'm Sadie's unfortunate mother, Bea Bertolli. Years ago, I worked as a nurse. I'm sure she told you that so you'd bring her here rather than a hospital."

"She insisted." Liam actually sounded hard done by.

Hey, what am I? Invisible?
They spoke about her like she wasn't even in the room. Irritation joined the other sensations she suffered, like anger, discomfort, and frustration. And that made her feel even more like ripping the heads off the carnations arranged in front of her on the coffee table.

 "Look, Liam, I'd like to give her the once over to make sure she's just bruised, so if you wouldn't mind zipping into the kitchen and getting yourself a cold drink, it won't take too long."

"Mom, I'm sure Mr. O’Brien—"

"Call me Liam." He shook her mother's hand and turned on the charm, grinning as if she were a groupie and he a football star.

Sadie could feel her pissed-off-ed-ness rise to a whole new level. "I'm sure Mr. O’Brien has things to do." So she spoke a bit too loud. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and glared her challenge. "You should be on your way." This time she lowered the volume.

"Nonsense!" Bea took charge.

Liam started out by shaking his head up and down at her words and ended up shaking it back and forth in her mom's direction.  If he was trying to be funny, she didn't appreciate his sense of fun as much as her mom, who laughed and patted his arm, then pushed him in the direction of the kitchen.

"Go through this door and down the hall. Make yourself at home by the pool. You'll see the patio from in there. I'm thinking this girl will need a nice hot tub soak, and it would help for you to carry her there.”

"No problem," said Liam. “I'll wait for your call.”

Sadie watched his butt action as he strode from the room and couldn't stop the grin when she heard a huge sigh she knew her mother intended for her to hear.

"You're incorrigible." Her lips had turned upward of their own accord, even though she'd tried to maintain a straight face. But it was impossible around Bea, who she adored…of course that was only when she wasn't rolling her eyes and shaking her head at her naughty parent’s shenanigans. 

"Come to my bedroom and you can change into a swimsuit in there. I'll help support you
,
unless you'd like me to call your young man?"

"Stop it. You're not funny."

"Tsk, tsk. Baby, you're grumpy for a reason, so I'll forgive you.  Even as a child, when you suffered you were a pain in the ass. Nurse’s advice…I'm going to get you some Tylenol, then a long hot soak and a good massage, and you'll feel ten times better. "

A dozen or so agonizing steps later, clinging to her mom's arm, Sadie carefully lowered her butt onto the bed. Her mother undressed her and gasped when she saw the swelling black and blue forming from her hip, along her back, and—the worst area—her shoulder.

Bea’s tender ministrations while searching for broken bones was done quickly and efficiently. From a doctor’s bag, she produced a stethoscope and examined Sadie's blood pressure. Then she felt around the lump on her forehead and searched her skull for others. An examination of her eyes and a check of her blood pressure had her sighing with relief. Once satisfied that Sadie's injuries involved only superficial damage, she seemed to settle down.

"I'll get you a suit, honey." She kissed Sadie's head wound very gently and left the room
,
returning in a few seconds. For such a large woman, she moved fast when she had good reason. Sadie recognized the garment as soon her mother appeared with it in her hands. And the daring glare she saw from the other woman had her biting her lip and shutting her mouth.

Black, cut low in front, backless to her waist with see-through netting across her chest, it wasn't a style she'd normally be caught dead wearing. But her mother loved to shop for her girls and, rather than cause
hurt feelings, Sadie had worn it a few times when only the family, which consisted of her two younger, unmarried sisters and her mother, were home.

Carefully and with help, she slid on the bathing suit, each movement awkward and painful, like there were hot fingers inside her body squeezing all the muscles, wrenching and twisting.

“Oh, no, you don't!”
Before Bea could move to open the door, Sadie grabbed her arm. "Give me a robe. I'm not going anywhere like this."

Bea twirled and reached for the muumuu she loved wearing. She’d left it draped over her chair, and it was in easy reach. A silky green shapeless tent that surprisingly fit any size and draped the body wearing it. Before Sadie could refuse, Bea had lifted it over her head and arranged it to fall gracefully to the floor. Since Bea stood a few inches taller, it reached Sadie’s ankles and floated around her as she stubbornly lurched towards the door. 

Liam grabbed a cola from the refrigerator and surveyed his surroundings. The kitchen was a mixture of very modern versus old country. The gigantic wooden table in the middle of the room held a huge grinning ceramic pig painted in a variety of brilliant colors and wearing an endearingly goofy expression. There were fresh green herbs that looked like parsley planted in its open back.

In the actual cooking area, the appliances were chrome and huge with a center island that any cook would envy. A bay window full of colorful ceramic pots of basil, mint, and chives caught his attention, and he instantly thought how his father would love this bright, sunny room.

 Liam wandered over to the French windows at the other end of the room, and the paradise outside had him reaching for the handle. As soon as he stepped out the door, a medium-sized hound glanced up with one blood-shot eye as it lay, spread-eagled, in front of a fancy doghouse. It started to bark but gave up half-way through so it just sounded like an exclamation.

His first reaction was to leave the mutt alone, but the dog’s expression of friendliness overrode it. He bent over to pet the lazy canine. "Hey tiger, I'm a friend." Speaking low in a soothing tone did the trick. The dumb mutt sat up crookedly on its haunches, back legs comically spread, and panted—the tail wagging from side to side like a mechanical rope. Liam could have sworn the critter grinned, its half-hidden eyes twinkling like a human’s.  

Ruffling folds of fur with an extra caress for the pendulous silky ears, Liam made a lifelong friend. He stood, intending to move farther into the garden paradise. As if it needed to impress, the young dog stood up and wiggled from side to side. "What have you got to be so happy about?"

A barking growl answered his question, and he laughed. Damn dog was almost human. Liam spotted a ball, picked it up, and threw. A splash followed, and he realized he'd lobbed it into the pool. Without hesitation the dog loped and leapt, a huge splash the result.

"I see you've found Susie's weakness. Never knew a dog that loved to swim like mine. She's been a water baby since a puppy, probably a good thing, since she has a tendency to be a bit odoriferous and bathing her is a nightmare." Bea talked as she guided Sadie toward the far end of the path.

Liam watched the two women make their way through the garden. One moved fluidly, her weight not a hindrance at all. The other limped, winced, and muttered.

Sadie unknowingly stopped in a spot where the sun framed her from behind. Her body, outlined seductively through the gauzy material of the dress the wind molded around every luscious curve, would fuel any hot-blooded man's fantasy.

Gorgeous, a crowning glory of gold—a nebula of curls flittered around her head and caught his mesmerized gaze. He wished he had the right to approach her and smooth them back as he stole a kiss.

What the hell am I thinking? 
He started the lecture that normally worked to stop his interest in any female from getting out of control. And this time he had help.

“Bless my soul. For a bloke who can't sleep, or work, or even relate to his own father…”

Liam knew that voice. He turned a complete circle and, sure enough, there was his imaginary friend, or whatever he was, leaning against the wall of a small ivy-covered hut, tapping his toe and looking annoyed.

“I don’t know how to be friends with girls.”

“Rubbish! You treat them the same way you do the guys on your team, with respect.”

"Liam." Bea snagged his attention. With a warning note ringing in her loud voice, she nodded her head in Sadie's direction. "As much as my bratty daughter will try to refuse your help, she needs to get into the hot tub sometime soon."

Both turned to see Sadie stagger towards the steps, stop and cling to the railing, and moan involuntarily. Face white, jaw clenched, the muscles in her well-formed arms bulging, she strained to hold herself upright. Just in time, Liam reached her as she started to weave. Whipping her into his arms became a battle of wills as she stiffened and pushed herself away from his chest. 

"Would you stop manhandling me? I just wanted to sit for a minute."

"You mean you were going to land on your ass, maybe hurt yourself worse."

Bea reached them and, with a not-so-tender pat against her daughter's cheek, settled the issue.

"If you don't behave and let Liam help you, I'll get him to take you to emergency, and I'll sign your mulish butt in there myself. You know I can’t take the heat in that tub, so I can't go in with you, but if Liam doesn't mind, I'll sit with you while he checks out the change room for a pair of trunks
,
and then he can babysit you—"

"Not a chance in hell."

"You're not going in there alone, especially after the pills I gave you. Besides, I’m really not a hundred percent certain about you not having a concussion. You need someone close by in case there's a delayed reaction to the accident. Meantime, I'll get supper started. The girls will be home soon."

"Liam ignored Sadie's frustrated sigh and set her down like a collector would handle precious china. Then he moved to do Bea's bidding.

He supposed it was the least he could do, staying with her in the water and keeping her safe. After all, it was his stupidity and carelessness that put her in this devastating state.

His interest in the little firebrand increased every time he laid eyes on her. She made his blood pump at such an alarming speed it left his heart racing and his mouth drier than the plains in the thirties.

He grinned coldly when warnings bombarded and wouldn't be shut down.  “
So who's going to keep her safe from you?”

As soon as he’d shut the door to the change room, Liam reacted. He swung around, waiting for his shadow to appear, and sure enough, there he was. Medium build, wearing his gay pirate’s outfit and the famous grin the actor used so convincingly.