Page 21 of Hold a Candle

Chapter 6

At Neamh, Pauley inspectedthe bunkhouse some of the men stayed in from time to time when the weather was bad, or when they worked so late it wasn’t prudent to head home. It was especially helpful during shearing season when they hired outside workers to come in. It would actually hold ten men at any given time, but during the summer months, it was largely empty.

“Dal stays here a lot because he’s young and single and doesn’t have a wife or bairns to go home to. Unless he has a hot date,” Angus teased the young man.

Dal’s ears turned red but he grinned. “Come on, I’ll show ye around,” he said to Luca, motioning him with a hand towards the bunks. “Ye can have yer pick of beds at the moment. The only one-man bedroom is Angus’s, since he’s the station manager. He gets his own loo and corner shower; we use the loo just out the door by the kitchen area.”

Pauley watched Luca’s eyebrows creep towards the sky when he realized Dal was referring to an outhouse. The look of distaste made her hide a smile behind her hand.

“Modernizing the bunkhouse is on my list of improvements,” Darro drawled, trying to hide the quirk of his lips as he watched Luca. “It’s just not a top priority since no one actually lives here all the time.”

“We can use Angus’s shower if we have to though,” Dal added cheerfully to Luca as the young men disappeared into the bedroom.

“I’m afraid my son is spoiled, as are so many kids these days,” she replied with a smirk. “It won’t hurt him to rough it a bit. Thank ye again for taking him in, Mr. MacCandish.”

“It’s Darro. And don’t ye be worrying, Pauley. We’ll take care of Luca for a while,” he replied with a bow of his head towards her.

Desperately, she tried to smother down the yawn that threatened to split her face. Suddenly, she was exhausted, and glad that she wouldn’t be driving back to the city.

“Ye are very tired,” Lucerne murmured, leaning into Darro’s hard chest where his arm was secured around her shoulders.

“I apologize, I’m not bored, really,” Pauley replied, not sure if the tears she was wiping away were just from yawning, or from the strain of the horrible events of the evening. Even Angus was holding Poppy’s hand, and she was snuggling into his warm hold. It made her feel lonely.

“Looks like I need to get ye home,” Jamie added, his blue eyes studying her carefully. “Ye have had a long day, lass.”

The kindness in the eyes of the people surrounding her, coupled with Jamie’s protective words, was almost her undoing.Cripes!When did she get so emotional? Her feelings and reactions were usually kept well in check. It wouldn’t do to look weak, not in front of her ex, her co-workers, or even her family. She had a reputation to uphold as the hard-arse of the family. She cleared the gruffness from her throat.

“Aye, I am at that,” she agreed, her fingers trembling where she tucked her hair behind one ear.

“There is one thing, Pauley,” Darro added in his low, deep tones. “I’ll expect to be kept up to date with Mica’s investigation. Especially if ye discover anything I need to know about with regard to keeping yer son safe here. That is nae negotiable.”

Pauley’s first instinct was to tell him she couldn’t reveal police business, but she bit it back down. The man was doing her a favor. And so far, he had treated her with nothing but respect, even though his tones were censorious. It was obvious he was used to being in charge of his world, and all of those in it.

She wondered if Lucerne ever defied her husband? And just what would he do about it if she did? Her eyes flicked to Angus. He was just as confident in himself, but not quite as arrogant as his boss. Both men had very protective attitudes towards their wives.

“Aye, I can do that,” she replied with a stiff nod.

“Are ye leaving now, Mum?”

She turned to see Luca coming up beside her looking a bit apprehensive and lost.

“Aye. I want ye to give these people yer full cooperation, Luca. Tonight was too close a call for comfort.” She shuddered involuntarily.

His face fell, and then he finally nodded. “Aye, I’ll do that.”

“Take it easy for a few days, and let those ribs heal.”

“Dinna ye worry, lass. I’ll see to it that his jobs aren’t too physical until he’s healed up properly,” Angus inserted.

“And I can bring Doc in by helicopter, if need be,” Darro added.

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