Page 7 of Home Team Advantage
Matt made a mental note to make sure he visited Maggie. Her bear claws were legendary.
Kieran laughed. “Yeah, good call. I won’t ask what Blessing told you, but I’d take it to heart if I were you.”
That was exactly what Kate had said.
“I need to make sense of it first.”
Kieran slapped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “You will. Of that, I have no doubt. Come on. Let’s get you home. I hope you’re hungry. Your mom has been cooking all your favorites.”
His stomach rumbled. The snacks he’d had earlier had long since burned up, and a tiny bag of peanuts only went so far. “Can’t wait.”
They walked out of the airport. Fresh snow was on the ground, and the bite of frigid March air hit Matt in the face. He exhaled, enjoying the visible puff. It’d been a while since he’d been anywhere cold. He’d missed it.
“Where’s the Porsche?” Matt asked when Kieran led him to an impressive but unfamiliar Range Rover.
“In the garage,” Kieran replied. “Your mother hid the keys. Something about icy roads.”
Matt laughed. As if something as mundane as a little ice on the road would be an issue for a Callaghan.
Kieran grinned wryly, as if he knew what Matt was thinking. “She worries, you know? And I’ve learned to pick my battles.”
The drive to Pine Ridge was relatively silent. Kieran seemed to understand that Matt needed time to adjust to this little slice of normal.
Of course he does, Matt thought. Having been a SEAL, Kieran had been through this coming-home thing many times himself.
Matt sucked in a breath as they made their way over the final crest and got that first glimpse of the valley below. The sight hit him solidly in the chest, then wrapped around him like a warm blanket.
“Never gets old,” Kieran said quietly.
No, it never did. The longer he was away, the bigger the impact was.
A strong sense of déjà vu hit him, just like it had every other time he came home. He could remember when, years earlier, he and his mother had made the trek from Georgia to Pennsylvania. He’d barely been a teenager then. It was the two of them against the world, intent on making a fresh start with nothing but a clunky, old Ford, a few boxes in the trunk, and the clothes on their backs.
Start over they had. New place, new jobs, new friends, new family. Within twenty-four hours of their arrival, they’d met Shane, Lacie, and Kieran, and nothing had been the same since.
The secluded mountain valley looked much the same as it had then. A deep basin, wrapped in acres of dark green woodlands coated in frost. Ribbons of rivers and streams gleaming brightly under the clear sky. Roads pocked with potholes big enough to make leaving the Porsche in the garage a wise choice, with or without icy roadways.
In contrast, the ramshackle cottage they’d bought for cheap all those years ago looked a lot different now. It had been completely renovated over the years with several additions to accommodate their growing family. At first, it had been just Matt and his mom. Then Kieran moved in. Matt’s sister Kassidy came along shortly after, followed a few years later by the triplets—Brady, Bridgett, and Brianna. And then a final surprise addition in his youngest brother, Finn. Now in her mid-forties, his mother swore there would be no more surprises, but she’d said that after the tris too.
Kieran pulled into the once-gravel driveway, now covered in smooth black asphalt and cleared of snow. Matt took another deep breath and appreciated the moment. The place might have changed over the years, but that feeling in his chest was exactly the same.
He was home.
Maybe for the last time.
“Go on,” Kieran said, stopping in front of the house. “I’ll park the Rover and be inside in a moment. Don’t worry about the duffel. You’re going to need both hands.”
Matt exited the vehicle and took a moment to stretch. A few weeks in the hospital, two days of travel, and limited movement had left him stiff. He was looking forward to hitting the gym, maybe doing some sparring with Kieran. Even though Kieran was a decade and a half older and Matt had learned a lot in the last several years, he wasn’t sure he could best the guy.
The back of his neck prickled with the familiar sensation of being in someone’s sights. He wasn’t particularly worried. This was Pine Ridge, not La Ceiba.
It made even more sense when he remembered the elderly neighbor who lived next door. Elsa Campbell didn’t miss much. The old woman prided herself on knowing everything about everyone. Fashioned herself as something of a matchmaker too, he recalled with a smile. Every summer, her backyard barbecues always included eligible singles from in and around the neighborhood. No doubt she would paint a target on his back this year.
Matt rolled his shoulders and surreptitiously glanced over that way, catching a face peering out at him. Female. Dark hair. Glasses. Young. Definitely not Mrs. Campbell.
The moment their eyes met, the figure glided away from the window and into the shadows.
Before he could think too much about that, the front door before him flew open, commanding his attention. A beautiful young woman with long black hair and bright blue eyes dashed out. She looked a lot like his sister Kassidy, but that couldn’t possibly be her. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been stick-thin with braces and glasses. The woman racing his way was nothing like that. His protective big-brother senses flared to life. It was going to be an interesting summer, but between him and Kieran, they’d be able to keep the young wolves at bay.
