âWhat are you doing here?â
Lily had practically skipped down the hall to Soniaâs office and now had bumped into a wall she hadnât encountered on her first tour of the house. One that was solid. Warm.
âThatâs funny.â One dark eyebrow lifted. âI was about to ask you the same question.â
If it was funny, then why wasnât he smiling?
âIâm going to do some prep work.â
Her explanation was met with silence. Lily tried again. âScrub the walls. Tape around the windows and trimââ
âI know what prep work is,â Brendan interrupted. âBut why are you in here?â
Lily took a deep breath. Prayed for patience. âBecause this is the room Iâll be painting first.â
âNo.â
Manager or not, she was getting a little tired of the manâs high-handed ways.
âMy employerââ Lily couldnât help but press down on the word ââgave me a list of the rooms she wanted me to paint, and this office happens to be one of them. Is there a problem?â
Yes. There was.
Chapter One
He didnât have time for this.
Brendan Kane followed the path of destruction down the hall to the living room, where tiny pieces of white foam scattered across the hardwood floor made it look as if an early snowfall had swept across Michiganâs Upper Peninsula. The trail wound between the coffee table and leather recliner and disappeared behind the sofa.
Brendan knelt down for a better look. Sure enough, peering at him over a barricade of stolen goods was the perpetrator of the latest crime spree. A slightly overweight basset hound happily stripping the remaining leaves from the branch of a silk ficus his mother had rescued from the curb just moments before it was devoured by the steel jaws of the garbage truck.
Because rescuing things was part of Sunniâs M.O., which was how Brendan had ended up with Missy, a troublesome canine who preferred leather shoes, artificial plants and, yes, even the occasional sofa pillow, over rawhide chews.
âThere are laws against vandalism, you know.â He scowled at the dog but she ignored him. It reminded Brendan of Sunniâs response when heâd told her that he was too busy to care for a pet.
A few months ago, his mother had started volunteering at the local animal shelter, and it had become her personal mission to find homes for all the stray dogs and cats that came in on her watch. Sunni was gaining quite a reputation in Castle Falls for her ability to match an animal with just the right owner. But so far, when it came to her oldest son, she was 0 for 3.
Brendan had been waiting for her to realize that he was the common denominator in all the failed relationships.
âThis is strike three, you know.â And he was out. âYouâre going to have to chew someone else out of house andââ Brendan paused as his cell phone began to blast the theme song from Mission: Impossible, signaling an incoming call from his youngest brother.
Brendan stabbed at the green circle on the screen. âWhat?â
âIâm fine. Thanks for asking.â Aidenâs low chuckle rattled in his ear. âAre you busy?â
âIâm always busy.â Brendan narrowed his eyes at the basset hound. Sheâd dropped the ficus branch and was eyeing his shoelaces as if they were the next item on the buffet. âDonât even think about it,â he muttered.
âDonât think about what?â
âI wasnât talking to you.â
âOkay,â Aiden said mildly. âThen who are you talking to?â
Busted.
âNo one.â
âDisturbing. And proof you need to get out more.â
âFine. I was talking toâ¦Missy.â Brendan was forced to be honest, although he hated giving his kid brother any ammunition that could potentially be used against him in the future.