Bronagh Chapter 6
I was now at Cathal’s house. He’d shown me around the commune after I’d taken pain medicine and rested for two hours.
I hadn’t slept, but I did stay in my temporary room and tried to work on my laptop.
I’d laughed when he explained how their property got its moniker.
I thought it was appropriate. All the homes were beautiful and unique for each child.
He explained how they had them built after they became adults and that their wish was to one day have families of their own.
I admit, a part of me was amazed that all of them wanted that.
The O’Sheeran men had the reputation of being players.
And with their money and looks, it was no wonder.
They never had trouble finding a woman. As for the three girls, they were beyond gorgeous, though they weren’t spotted with countless men.
Maybe they knew how to be more discreet, or weren’t like their brothers and cousins.
We rode around the commune in a Utility Terrain Vehicle, more commonly called a side-by-side. The one he drove was black and had a tougher image than the ones I’d seen. When I asked him about it, Cathal explained they had the military-grade BDX Desert Cross. It could go in any climate or terrain.
He’d distracted me from counting the minutes until I spoke to Dad by stopping and taking me inside his house. Before we entered, I stood outside and stared with my mouth open. All the homes were more than impressive. And even if my family was far from poor, none had houses like these.
His place was massive, made of light tan stone, tan stucco, and dark chocolate-brown accents around doorways, windows, and the tiled roof. The design screamed Mediterranean. I slowly got out of the UTV.
“How big is this?” I asked.
“I can’t recall… seven or eight thousand square feet. It has six bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two half baths.”
“Oh my God, Cathal, you can’t live here alone. And even if you had a family, you wouldn’t need this much room!” I exclaimed.
“I wanted to be prepared, and I’m one of five just like my cousins. If I’m fortunate enough to have a large family, I don’t want to have to build again. Let me give you the tour. Just tell me if you need to rest.”
There was no coaxing needed. I let him take my hand and lead me inside.
Off to the right of the house, connected by a covered bridge, was a guest house with a more than decent-sized living room, kitchen, utility room, two bedrooms, and a full bathroom.
On the lower level, there was a three-car garage.
“Not only can guests have privacy, but this could give an elderly parent or grandparent a place of their own yet close enough to be watched over,” he explained.
Walking back across the bridge, we entered the house through the foyer, where stairs went both up and down.
Working our way from the right of the foyer, I was shown the living room directly in front of us.
Down a short hallway, we passed the study, then entered the owner’s wing, which stretched the entire depth of the home.
It had a master bath with dual sinks, one with a vanity, and dual water closets, one with a toilet and a bidet.
Connecting the bathroom to the bedroom via a short hall were two large walk-in closets and a morning bar with a coffee machine.
The bedroom had a sitting area that opened onto a covered lanai that ran the entire length of the back of the house.
Retracing our steps, we passed the living room.
We entered the other side of the first floor, where there was a family room, a dining room, wine storage, a walk-in pantry with a balcony off it, a kitchen with a semicircular wet bar, and a morning breakfast room.
A half bath was there, with a door out to the lanai, and stairs down to a centrally located reflection pool and spa.
Off the family room side was an outdoor kitchen and a circular second covered lanai.
My mouth hung open the entire time. It was breathtaking and clearly professionally decorated, from the flooring to the countertops to the paint on the walls.
Cathal talked about how he’d worked with the architect to design it and how his female family members helped him pick decor and some of the materials.
After finishing that floor, we rode up in the elevator to the second living level.
Up there were the laundry room, three bedrooms with walk-in closets, three full bathrooms, a half bath with storage, another wet bar, and a library.
It opened to below in two places. When we rode to the lowest level, we found a two-car and three-car garage, plus two massive storage areas.
Cathal took me out to the lanai to one of several seating areas and had me sit.
“I hope you’re not worn out. I get on a roll and can keep going. Let me get you something to drink.” He walked over to the outdoor kitchen and snagged us bottles of water. The weather was nice for late March.
“Thank you,” I told him as he handed it to me with the cap already loosened. He sat next to me.
“Cathal, I can’t believe this house. It’s beyond incredible. And to think you live in it alone. Your housekeeper must be exhausted. All the homes here are wonderful, and the size of the main house is mindboggling.”
“I’m glad you like it. Is it enough?” he asked.
“Enough what?” I asked.
“Enough to entice you to say yes to marrying me. If you do, this becomes yours. I’m not opposed to redecorating, but I have to insist we don’t tear it down and start over.”
I gasped. “Cathal, are you crazy? Don’t you dare even kid about tearing it down! As for redecorating, it’s pretty much perfect. I can’t believe you asked me that,” I chided.
“Hey, I’ll use whatever enticements I can to get you to say yes. I thought the house was a big one.”
“You don’t believe you’re enough of an enticement for a woman to marry you?” I asked.
“Of course, my wealth and family connections will attract many women, but not the kind I’d want as my wife. That’s why I have this place to sweeten the deal.”
I snorted. “You’re crazy, and you don’t need to pretend false modesty. You have a mirror, Cathal. You know you’re more than good-looking with a great body. You don’t need to sweeten the deal, as you called it.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “Tell me more about what you find attractive about me.”
Deciding not to back down, I boldly ran my gaze up and down him. He was leaning back in a chair that let me see his whole body.
“Your eyes are blue like the Mediterranean Sea. A woman can get lost in them. You’re ruggedly handsome with that faint facial hair teasing a woman’s skin as she kisses your sexy mouth. And then there’s all those muscles to explore with her hands and mouth,” I said huskily.
He shifted in the chair. Then, to my shock, he widened the space between his legs and used his hand to adjust himself. I couldn’t look away as his erection grew. My mouth went dry.
“If you talk like that to me, I can’t help it. With that voice, you can get a man to do anything,” Cathal stated.
“And I bet you looking at a woman the way you’re doing it right now has them falling at your feet. But remember, I’m made of sterner stuff,” I warned.
“Oh, I know you are, which makes your surrender even more delicious.”
“Cathal…” I let him hear the warning in my tone, but it wasn’t nearly as stern as it should be.
“Bronagh.” He drawled back with underlying heat in his tone.
Deciding to move to a safer topic, I asked, “Tell me how you came up with this design and how long it took to build?”
At first, I thought he wouldn’t let me get away with changing the subject, but he did. I listened, enthralled with his story. And fought not to ogle him the whole time.
?
Cathal, Darragh, and the three elder O’Sheeran men, plus me, were gathered in the study at the main house.
They wanted to be there to speak to Dad.
They promised that after they did, I’d be left to speak to him alone.
We were doing it on a laptop that projected him onto a screen.
They assured me that the line was secure.
Darragh had messaged Dad, so he knew the plan.
I was nervous as I sat there, waiting for him to pick up on his end. When he did, the first thing I noticed was how tired and pale he appeared. There were dark circles underneath his eyes. However, when he saw me, he smiled.
“There she is, m’aingeal, my angel.”
“Hi, Daidí, Daddy. You look tired and pale. Are you sure you’re okay?” I wasn’t beating around the bush. I wanted answers.
“Ah, you know me, Bronagh. I’m tougher than I look. I’m fine,” he deflected.
“No, you’re not. They said you were hurt. How? Darragh said there was an ambush. Was anyone else hurt?” I fired back.
“Hang on, give me a minute. I want to know how you are first. You’re lucky to be alive. I saw the pictures of the car, Bronagh,” Dad replied.
He gave me the look that told me he wasn’t saying a word about himself until he was reassured I was fine. I threw my hands in the air in exasperation, causing Dad and the O’Sheerans to chuckle at me. My middle finger nearly made an appearance.
“I had a mild concussion, this cut on my head, and nicks and bruises all over. My chest has a massive bruise from hitting the steering wheel before the airbag deployed. Other than that, and being sore, I’m good.” I quickly rattled off.
“What have the doctors said?” Dad asked the men standing behind me.
“The ER one told us she needed to take it easy. We had our doctor check her over. He gave us the same orders,” Darragh reported.
“Are you in a lot of discomfort? Are you medicating as you should?” Were his next questions. He knew me well. Before I could get my answers out, Cathal jumped in.
“She’ll tell you the pain isn’t that bad, but it creeps up on her. I have to insist she take it occasionally. She’s less than happy with me when I do.”
Dad chuckled. “I see you’re getting to know her. Yes, my daughter can be very stubborn. She gets that from me, I’m afraid. Her mam was much nicer.”