“Hi, Grady. What can I do for you?” She stood with her hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans.
“I was wondering if I could have a word with Finn.”
“Sure. Here I am.” Finn appeared next to her, and she could feel the tension seeping from his body.
“I just heard back from the fire chief and thought you would like to know since you were under suspicion. It was faulty wiring, so there aren’t going to be any charges brought against you.” He rubbed his hands together and took a breath. “About the assault on you by my brother…”
Finn held up his hand. “No, no. Pay it no mind, Grady. I don’t want to go pressing charges. The poor man was scared for his sister and the horses. I understand that. I was just the poor bastard in his way, is all.”
Grady sighed. To have to arrest your own brother twice in a week would have been hard to deal with. “I appreciate it, Finn. I know he will, too, when he lets go of his stubborn pride and realizes what you did. I can’t thank you enough for helping Audrey with Ranger. I love that horse, and my daughter has become very fond of the old boy too.”
“Don’t fesh yourself over it, man. What’s done is done.” He shook Grady’s hand and patted Sassie on the shoulder, whispering in her ear before walking away, leaving the two of them alone.
“So, Grady. Could I have a word do you think, about a private matter?” She felt so unsure, standing in the kitchen, wringing her hands together.
“Sure. What can I do for you, Sassie?”
“Can we walk?” She brushed past him and headed out to the back garden, tidier now than it was last week. She’d had some help with the mowing and pruning. The place was coming together nicely, and he told her so.
“Thank you. I love it out here. What I was wondering was this: Riley…I, um…I think I did the wrong thing, and I’m not quite sure how to right it. Being as you are his brother and all, I thought maybe you could point me in the right direction.” She reached out and picked a leaf from the cherry tree, shredding it with her thumbnail.
“You know, I don’t think Riley knows what he’s feeling. It’s as foreign to him as it was to me when I met my wife. We both thought we were too busy for a relationship that would tie us to the same person for the rest of our lives.” He leaned on the vegetable garden fence and tipped his hat back. “The thing is, when love decides your number is up, there’s nothing you can do about it. I think this is what’s confusing Riley. And your mate Finn there acting as though he’s your lover, that didn’t go down well, especially when he started making eyes at Audrey.”
She shuffled her feet, feeling the embarrassment stain her cheeks. “It was a bad move, I know that now, but at the time I thought it would make him see how much he wanted me if I was to make him jealous. Sad to say, it backfired. I don’t know how to fix it, Grady. I was hoping that since you know him so well, you could give me a couple of hints.”
“I don’t really know what to say. I know he’s smitten with you, Sassie. We can all see it plain as anything. But he’s stubborn too. The trick is going to be making him listen to you long enough for his mule-headed attitude to calm down and accept what you have to say. From experience, and I’ve only recently married Lara, it’s worth the fight.”
“Aye, he’s stubborn, but he’s not the only one. I think it’s a prerequisite for us Irish. I appreciate the chat. Guess I’d better make a plan and go for it.”
“Good luck. We’re all in your corner, by the way. You two look good together.” He patted her on the shoulder and walked back to his car.
Chapter 22
Riley jumped out of his truck and headed up the path to cut off the hack electrician. “You were warned, Dodger, the council won’t accept any more inspections until you upgrade your license. You’re a walking death trap.” He pushed him away, a bitter taste in his mouth as he advanced on the house. The tradesman stumbled before regaining his balance and hurrying away to his van.
“R.P, what the heck’s going on?” Sassie appeared at the kitchen door.
“You had to go and hire a lousy electrician like him, didn’t you?” He took the paperwork she held in her hands, checking to see what had been replaced and what had been left alone.
“A house this old would have issues; it’s par for the course. And your sparky out there has been banned from doing compliances until he upgrades his license, which means he has to sit before a board and prove his skills, something he doesn’t seem to have done.”
“What are you talking about?” She glanced at him, hands on hips and a frown on her forehead. Riley was tempted to walk her straight into the bedroom, but he owed it to her to make sure this house was safe before he got into personal business. The plan had been to invite her out for dinner and woo her with the hope of repairing the damage he’d caused over the last few days. He should have given her a business card for a reputable tradesman when he’d told her she needed a compliance certificate.
“The last place he passed burned down two weeks after he supposedly repaired a few minor items. Mind if I check his work before you start flicking on power points and lights?”
“Sure. Thank you.”
He looked pointedly at her bedroom door. “Where’s your friend? I don’t want to get in his way. I doubt I’ll get away with punching his lights out a third
