“I’m sorry,” Liam said. Even though he never knew the woman, he knew how deeply the loss affected Cora, too. She’d lived a very sheltered, uneventful life in the shadow of her mother’s death.
“Damned monster, cancer. Not right for a mother to die so young,” Hugh said, taking an off-ramp that led into a quaint residential neighborhood. The houses were small and close together, but the streets were clean and easily accessible. “But you’d know all about that, yourself. I’m sorry about your mother’s passing. A car accident, and you just eighteen...” He shook his head and trailed off.
Liam remained silent, frantically piecing together his backstory based on their conversation. His real mother back in his time had died in childbirth, along with the baby. His father followed a few months later, leaving only Liam and his brother to work the land.
Hugh took a deep sigh and thumped his hand on the steering wheel. “Well, you know how the song goes. Only the good, and all that.”
Liam glanced at Hugh. “What song?”
“‘Only the Good Die Young.’”
When Liam didn’t respond, Hugh looked shocked. “Billy Joel?”
Liam shook his head, and Hugh muttered, “Jesus, I’m old.”
“Ridiculous, at any rate,” Liam said. “I know plenty of sinners who’ve died young.” Himself, included. He raked a hand through his hair and stared blindly out the window.
“Well, I know your father was thrilled when you left Ireland and moved to the US. The day you decided to become a police officer, he called me up to brag. When he was my partner back in the day, he used to carry your picture around in his wallet. I bet he still does, doesn’t he?”
Liam struggled to come up with a vague answer that would appease Hugh, and instead shrugged. How the hell would he know what his fake father did or didn’t do?
“I know your parents split when you were a baby,” Hugh said kindly. “But your father always talked about you. He was proud of you, you know.”
A flash of anger spiked through Liam, surprising in its intensity. “Sure,” he said through clenched teeth. Everything about his presence here was built on a foundation of lies. This was all just a charade, and it felt wrong. Strange, when he’d never had a problem lying in the past. As a thief, spinning a tale had always come as naturally to him as breathing, but this felt different. He wasn’t in control of this mess of lies, so there was no way for him to navigate through it with confidence. He felt like a fallen leaf caught in a stream, bumping into every jagged rock as it was pulled helplessly forward.
Before Hugh could comment further, something up ahead caught his attention. “Ah.” He slowed the car and broke into a smile. “There’s my girl.”
Liam looked up and suddenly felt as if all the sunlight in the sky had coalesced into one perfect spot. Cora.
She was digging through the mailbox when Hugh parked the car across the street from her house. A riot of blond curls floated around her head, and Liam was both shocked and captivated by the skintight black pants and fitted top she was wearing. Her body was leaner and more toned than he remembered, but she still had the soft curves he’d admired over a lifetime ago. When she turned toward them, Liam’s mouth opened on a shaky exhale. If she’d been lovely before, she was downright breathtaking now.
Her eyes were the same bright blue, but there were subtle changes in her face. Her luminous skin had been kissed by the sun, there was a light sprinkling of freckles over her slightly smaller nose, and her lips seemed fuller and a deeper pink than he remembered. When he knew her before, she’d been only seventeen and just on the cusp of womanhood. Now she was all grown-up and more vividly beautiful than ever. This was a version of Cora he’d never seen, but greatly appreciated. And it wasn’t just her face. Christ. She was wearing a thin, short-sleeved top that clung to her curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. Except Liam still took a moment to imagine, in great detail, what she must look like underneath—
“Come on.” Hugh’s gruff voice snapped Liam back to the moment as he cut the engine and got out of the car.
Liam followed Hugh across the street until he was standing before the woman he loved. The woman he’d risked everything to have. The woman who was staring at him right now with barely concealed distrust, like he was a goddamned stranger.
4
Cora watched the tall stranger get out of the car with her father. Her skin instantly pricked with physical awareness, and her stomach fluttered as he approached. She had the strangest sense of déjà vu. His gaze was so intense, she couldn’t look him in the eyes. At least, not yet.
She took an involuntary step back to stay grounded. He was at least a foot taller than her, with broad, muscular shoulders, tanned skin and a body that indicated he was no stranger to exercise. He moved with the easy, casual grace of an athlete who was comfortable in his own skin. She’d guess he was a runner, like her, except the thick ropy muscles on his arms and chest meant he must spend a lot of time in the gym. Strange. For some reason, Cora couldn’t imagine him lifting weights indoors. He seemed more like a rock climbing, extreme sports type of guy. A crease formed between her brows. Then again, how would she know? She never even knew he existed until her father told her about him last night.
She glanced at her dad, whose overeager smile made it obvious he was still hoping to change her mind about the roommate thing. Cora gave an inward sigh and waited as they approached. She loved her dad. He’d always been a strong and steadfast presence in her life, raising her to believe in justice and honor and all those heroic things a good police captain would. But all her life, her father had been overprotective and controlling. Not letting her go camping with friends because it was too dangerous. Not letting her go on the beach field trip because she could get a cramp and drown. Heck, he hadn’t even let her go on dates until she’d begged him for months. And even then, she’d had to text him every half hour to let him know she was safe. It was no wonder she didn’t get asked out much. Nobody wanted to deal with Captain McLeod. He was a formidable presence in any given situation. To a teenage boy, he must’ve seemed like a holy terror. All of that could be forgiven, though, because she loved him. But at times like this, his meddling really got on her nerves.
Now that Liam O’Connor was standing before her, Cora studied him with reluctant interest. Okay, so he was definitely not a “golden boy.” The way her father talked him up, one would think Liam was single-handedly responsible for pulling the sun across the sky. But this guy looked more like a dark, sexy highwayman. The kind in stories who accosted innocent women in carriages with their sinfully wicked ways. He had glossy dark hair that waved around his tanned face. A firm jaw with a shadow of stubble. A straight nose. Strong, masculine features and full, sensual lips. Yep. This man was what her friend Suzette would call “GQ magazine hot.” Utterly, undeniably handsome. And his eyes... Cora bit the insides of her cheeks, fighting the crazy urge to either move in for a hug, or back away. What the heck?