The Return of Patrick O'Rourke by Walters N. J

Author:Walters, N. J. [Walters, N. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2006-12-25T13:00:00+00:00

* * *

He was still feeling unsettled when he pulled the truck up in front of a house under construction. Shifting the vehicle in park, he turned off the ignition and just sat there. The site was a beehive of activity as men carted lumber, swung hammers and otherwise occupied themselves with various tasks. It looked like chaos to him, but he knew it was really a fine-tuned operation. Everyone seemed to know what they should be doing and was doing it.

Opening the door, he swung down from the truck cab. He closed the door and leaned against it as he scanned the area. He heard his brother before he saw him. His voice wasn’t raised, but it carried easily over the sounds of the busy worksite. He looked up and shaded his eyes with his hands, cursing himself for removing his sunglasses. He could see Shamus on the roof. There was no mistaking him for anyone else. All those years of hard, physical labor had turned his little brother into a very large man.

As if sensing someone watching him, Shamus glanced down. When he saw who it was, he waved before returning to his conversation with the man standing next to him. He clapped the other man on the back a few minutes later and then made his way down the side of the roof as surefooted as a cat. He was down the ladder in no time and strode toward Patrick.

“Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here today.” Taking off his hardhat, he swiped his forehead against his arm, trying to remove some of the sweat. He kept his hair tied back, but it was already coming loose and most of it was plastered to his skull. His blue jeans were faded almost white and his T-shirt was already stained with sweat and grime.

“Hadn’t planned on it.” It had struck him suddenly that he really had no idea what his brother did on a day-to-day basis. “Just wanted to see what you were doing.”

Shamus grinned. “Come on in then. I’ll get you a hardhat and give you the nickel tour.”

Patrick followed his brother, watching the way he interacted with the men on his crew. Shamus was younger than many of them, but they all treated him with respect, laced with good humor. And after he’d had a tour of the house that his brother was currently building, Patrick had to say that he was more than a little impressed. In fact, he was downright amazed at how much his brother knew about every single aspect of the job, from the foundation to the electrical wiring, all the way to the roof. The tour had taken the better part of an hour because someone had always been interrupting them to ask Shamus a question. Darned if he hadn’t been able to answer them all.

“This is really great.” It wasn’t exactly how Patrick felt, but he really didn’t know how to tell his brother he was proud of him without sounding condescending.

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