To Love A Wild Irishman

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Finnegan, what are you doing out here?!" Cassandra demanded with a hiss.

Finnegan couldn't seem to keep from laughing as he stared at his brother and his brother's...friend. He'd always had his suspicions that Seamus wasn't exactly a ladies man but to find his brother dearest in such a compromising situation with another man was more than Finnegan could have ever asked for.

It wasn't often he got the upper hand with his older brother but he certainly had it now.

"Finnegan, what are you doing out here?!" Cassandra snapped again, jerking her arm which, Finnegan realized, Seamus was holding tightly.

"Ya can let go of her now, Dear Seamus," Finnegan warned, his temper rising a bit at the sight of Seamus' strong fingers closed so tightly around Cassandra's pale skin. "And, Little Cass, ya didn't truly believe I'd let ya just wander out into the night without comin' to keep an eye on ya, did ya?"

"I assumed you were too far gone in the whiskey to realize I was missing," Cassandra replied as she rubbed at her arm which Seamus had finally seen fit to release.

Finnegan shook his head, took her hand and pulled her toward him, gazing at her abused skin in the lantern light. "I was puttin' on that I was bit drunker than I am, Cassandra. I told ya once I would never get so drunk as to forget what's most important to me, did I not?" He tweaked her nose and took the lantern from her, holding it up and turning his attention to his brother and his brother's...friend. Finnegan snickered.

"Shut your mouth, Finnegan."

"I didn't say a word, Seamus."

"But you're about to."

"Are ya a mind reader now then?"

"Finnegan, that's enough," Cassandra spoke up. "This is Seamus' private business and it isn't any business of ours. We're going to go inside now and pretend as if we never saw anything."

"Like hell we are!" Finnegan scoffed. "All these years of that bastard judgin' every move I make and tryin' to kill me and he's been meetin' fellas in barns!"

Finnegan heard Cassandra squeak and a glance at her face told him she was embarrassed beyond speech. Finnegan laughed. He laughed long and he laughed hard. He laughed until he was bent over, laying the lantern on the ground and slapping at his legs.

"Who the hell are these two?" the man that had been in the stall with Seamus demanded. He was a handsome enough man, if you liked to dwell on the looks of rougher sex. It was hard to make out the details of his complexion in only the low lantern light but he seemed a tanned man with golden hair about the same color as Cassandra's and eyes that were light in color. His jaw line was sharp, his cheekbones high and his brow strong.

Seamus had good taste at least.

"That is my...." Seamus began quickly but Finnegan jumped forward and held out his hand to the blond man.

"Name's Finnegan Callahan," Finnegan smiled broadly. "This here is my older brother, and the rather dull one out of us actually, but seein' as how I'm taken by this vision of loveliness currently standin' here speechless--" Finnegan tipped his head toward Cassandra, "--ya shall have to content yourself with Dear Seamus."

"Finnegan, stop, please."

Something in Seamus' voice penetrated the amusement and drink clouding Finnegan's mind. Now it was true that Finnegan was not as drunk as he had let on inside; he merely had been having a good time and getting everyone else going, but he had had enough to drink that his good sense wasn't entirely sharpened. But Seamus' tone made him pause.