Ruby couldn’t drag her eyes away from the Irish hunk even though Leo was pulling her up the porch steps. “Wow.”
She didn’t even realize she’d whispered that thought out loud until Leo stopped and frowned down at her. Smiling up at him weakly, she stepped forward, ready for him to open the front door.
The door opened before she could touch it. In front of her stood the most amazingly attractive woman she’d ever seen. She wasn’t much taller or older than Ruby. The woman’s hair fell to her waist, a straight, shining curtain of glowing red-gold. Slightly tilted green eyes the color of emeralds peeked out from under the longest, most lush lashes Ruby had ever seen. Her chin was delicately pointed, her nose fine and aristocratic, her lips full and pink. She stared up at Leo, those lips trembling.
Suddenly, Ruby wasn’t feeling so good. The woman was looking at Leo with a love so deep Ruby was moved by it. If he had this woman waiting for him to come home, why had he brought Ruby?
“Welcome home, Leo.” The woman stepped into his welcoming arms, tears falling down her exquisite face.
“Hi, Mom.”
Ruby unclenched her hands, just then realizing she’d been clenching them.
Of course. Mom. Dad’s a sex god, and Mom’s a cover model. I wonder what Shane and Moira look like? Ruby had never felt quite so frumpy in her life. She was wrinkled from head to toe, her hair a mess, her eyes heavy with fatigue, her makeup long since worn off. Her self confidence took a severe hit. She took a step back, not wanting to intrude on Leo’s reunion with his mother.
She didn’t get very far. One hard hand fell on her arm, pulling her forward. Leo put his other arm around his mother’s shoulder. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Ruby Halloway. Ruby, this is my mother, Aileen Dunne.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Ruby. Be welcome in my home.” The woman’s soft brogue had a hint of Great Britain in it, changing it slightly from the pure Irish purr of her husband’s voice.
“Thank you, Mrs. Dunne.” Ruby held out her hand in greeting.
Mrs. Dunne promptly took possession of it, pulling Ruby into the house behind her. “Now, call me Aileen, please. And did that son of mine remember to bring everything you need, or did he drag you out of the house so quickly your head spun?”
“Um, number two.”
Aileen turned a dark look over her shoulder, and that was when Ruby finally believed that the stunning woman before her really was Leo’s mother. No one but a mother could look at a man like that, part exasperation, part love.
“It was a bit of an emergency, Mom.” Ruby turned to see Leo pushing his hand through his hair, grimacing slightly. “I made sure her cat was taken care of, didn’t I?”
Aileen sighed, a sound that only a mother could make, and pulled both of them into her house. Ruby bit her lip on a nervous giggle, knowing laughter wouldn’t be welcome at the moment.
Leo watched Ruby get her first glimpse of his family home. The cream-colored walls and dark, sturdy wooden furniture wasn’t his taste, but his parents adored the old-style look they’d managed to achieve.
They’d blended early American with a number of pieces they’d moved from Ireland for a look that was uniquely their own. Framed prints of Ireland mingled with family portraits they’d had taken by mortals.
The dark green fabrics of the furniture mingled with the softer, cheerful yellows his mother had strewn about the room in the form of pillows and flowers. The only odd note was an amethyst vase Leo had bought his mother for her birthday two years ago, sitting in pride of place on the mantelpiece. Leo felt a small pang when he saw it. He had to make the effort to get home more often. He hadn’t realized how much he missed his family until he saw them.
Ruby, he saw, absorbed it all, her eyes going from object to object while his mother led them into the kitchen.
Moira was busy stirring a pot of stew, her red-gold hair falling in a long braid down her back. Her deep blue eyes, startling in her pale face, shot to his, so full of relief and arrogance he was astonished.
His baby sister had grown up quite a bit while he’d been gone.
He smiled at her, filled with love at the sight of the beautiful woman she’d grown to be over the last few years. “Hi, Moira.”
“Leo.” She looked him up and down, her eyes full of mischief. “You’ve certainly filled out. A lot.”
Leo grimaced. He could feel himself beginning to blush. “Moira, this is Ruby Halloway. Ruby—”
Moira stepped forward with an easy smile, her hands held out. “Moira Dunne, his—” she pointed a finger abruptly at Leo, “—little sister.” She shook her head, her lip curled up, amused. “How did Leo wind up with you? You’re not at all the bimbo-y type he usually—”
Before she could finish that sentence Leo had her in a headlock, one hand firmly clasped over her lips, his face beet red with, Ruby thought, embarrassment. “Ignore everything that comes out of her mouth, okay?” He shot his sister a warning glance. The last thing he needed was for Moira to tell Ruby who, and what, they were before he had the chance to.
Ruby raised one eyebrow, aware of the underlying tension in every move the Dunnes were making. If horsing around was how Moira chose to deal with it, Ruby wouldn’t step in the way. She noticed that Aileen, far from being upset, had calmly taken her daughter’s place at the stove, serenely stirring the stew.
She left brother and sister wrestling amiably and stepped over to Aileen. “Is there anything I can do to help?” She still felt awkward, but the Dunnes were pretty relaxed considering the circumstances. They were treating her like they’d known her for ages. Almost like one of the family.
Aileen smiled at her. This close, the faint lines of strain around her eyes were more noticeable. She wondered if there was anything she could do to take some of the burden off the older woman. Sean had come into the kitchen and whispered something in Leo’s ear and Leo had nodded in response, his expression pleased. Sean had then moved to his wife, placing a small kiss on the side of her neck before pulling plates from the cupboards.
“That’s sweet of you, Ruby, but no.” Aileen raised her voice only slightly and the wrestling near the kitchen table came to an abrupt end. “Moira and I have things under control.”
“I’ll show Ruby to our room, then, Mom. I think we could both use a shower before we eat.” Leo stepped forward, his hair deliciously rumpled, his shirt half out of his pants. Ruby had to tamp down the totally inappropriate spate of lust that gripped her. For God’s sake, girl, get a grip! His mom is standing right there!
Did he just say our bedroom? She looked over at Aileen, wondering how the woman felt about that.
“Dinner in one hour, Leo.” His mom didn’t even lift her gaze from the stew pot she was stirring.
He took Ruby’s hand and began leading her from the room. “We’ll be ready.”
“Leo?”
“Hmm?”
“Where’s your parents’ bedroom?”
“Two doors down from ours.”
“Oh, hell no.”
She pulled against his hand and he stopped with a frown. “What’s the problem, kitten?”
“Leo, we can’t sleep together with your parents right down the hall!” Her horrified whisper was more of a hiss. He opened the door to their bedroom.
Their bedroom. The shaft of joy and satisfaction that shot through him at that thought would have had him grinning except for one thing. Leo had fully expected an argument from his little kitten when she realized his parents had put them in the same bedroom. He wasn’t disappointed, unfortunately. He’d just known she was going to be difficult about this. He led her to the upstairs bedroom his father had put their suitcases in. “It’s all right, Ruby. If my parents had a problem with it, Dad would have put our suitcases in separate rooms.”