Liam let the camera lens move along the length of her body
From his surveillance point, he had a clear view of her through her bedroom window. He watched as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. Her jeans were next and she skimmed them off her hips and kicked them away. âHmm, black underwear. Pretty racy for an accountant,â he murmured to himself.
Heâd been given a picture of her when heâd accepted the job, but that woman had been all conservative and efficient looking, nothing like this beautiful, sensual lady. But Eleanor Thorpe was a suspect in the embezzlement of a quarter million dollars. What better way to pull off a crime than to play the dependable, quietly forgettable employee?
But now she was reaching around for the hook on her bra and Liamâs mouth went dry.
He was about to get an insiderâs look at just how unforgettable Eleanor Thorpe could beâ¦.
Dear Reader,
The Quinns are back! For those of you who read my first MIGHTY QUINNS trilogy, Iâm sure you probably realized that I couldnât just leave the younger brothersâBrian, Sean and Liamâliving life as carefree bachelors. After all, what fun would that be?
The Quinn family has always done its best to avoid commitment. But the three youngest brothers have more to deal with than just the old family legendsâwhere all the men are heroes and the women are schemers. Now thereâs a new Mighty Quinn âcurse.â After brothers Conor, Dylan and Brendan each rode to the rescue of a beautiful woman in distress, they ended up tumbling helplessly into love. Can Brian, Sean and Liam avoid the same fate? Or will destiny give them their own chance at happily-ever-after?
I hope you enjoy Liamâs story. And watch for Brian and Sean coming in the following months. And then who knows? There are probably a few Quinn cousins out there waiting to find romance.
Happy reading,
Kate Hoffmann
P.S. I love to hear from my readers. Visit my Web site at www.katehoffmann.com for news about all my books, past, present and future.
THE THREE BOYS hunched down on the floor of the front parlor, peering through the tattered lace curtains at a figure on the front porch.
âWhat should we do?â Liam Quinn whispered. âWe canât let her in.â
âAnswer the door,â his brother Brian ordered. âWe have to pretend everything is okay.â
âSheâll go away,â Sean reassured them both. âJust wait.â Sean was Brianâs twin and they usually disagreed on everything.
âNo,â Liam whispered. âSheâs not going away. Not this time.â
A knot of fear twisted in his stomach and he held his breath. He and his five brothers had been dodging social workers long enough for Liam to know exactly what they looked like. This one wore a gray coat, nearly the same color as the dirty snow that melted on either side of the street. But it was the dour expression and overstuffed briefcase that really gave her away.
âAnswer the damn door,â Brian snapped. âJust tell her youâre home sick and Da is napping in the bedroom.â
Liam turned to his older brothers, the twins both glaring at him. He was the swing vote, a position very difficult for a ten-year-old. âWhat if she wants to talk to him, Einstein?â
âYouâll just have to convince her that he canât be bothered,â Brian explained. âTell her he has a contagious fluâ¦and that heâs barfingâ¦and that the doctors said he has to sleep. You can do it, Li.â Brian gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
The doorbell buzzed again and Liam jumped at the harsh sound. The social workers had been a fear for as long as he could remember. They were like the mythical dragons in their fatherâs tales of the Mighty Quinn ancestors, always lurking in the shadows and waiting to swoop down to tear their family to shreds.
Winter was the worst season for the dragons to strike. In the winter, there was no way they could produce a responsible parent. In late October, Seamus Quinn took The Mighty Quinn down to the Caribbean, following the swordfishing fleet to warmer waters where heâd earn a winter income not possible on the North Atlantic. Since he was due to return at the beginning of April, they were still on their own for a few more weeks.
Liam didnât exactly have a perfect family, but it was as close as the six Quinn brothers would ever come. Though his older brothers remembered a time when things were better, Liam had never known any other life. Conor, Dylan, Brendan and the twins, Sean and Brian, had all been born in Ireland, a country Liam only knew as an island on a map. But to hear them speak of it, Ireland had been a land filled with magic and mystery and wonderful, happy times.
Liam had tried to imagine what it was like to have a regular family, a father who came home every night and a mother who cooked dinner and read stories. But all that was over by the time Liam joined the family. Their father, Seamus, had brought his wife and five sons to America before Liam was even born. Heâd bought a partnership in Uncle Padriacâs long-liner, The Mighty Quinn, working at an occupation that took him away from South Boston for weeks and sometimes months at a time.