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afraid to fight your uncles.”
    “Whoa, let me rephrase that. They’re going to ask you many, many questions. Questions you can’t answer truthfully or they’ll think you’re crazy and try to have you committed. They’ll want to know what your intentions are, understand?”
    “They will think because I am with you, I intend to bed you.” The thought had certainly occurred to him. More than once. But he was powerless to act unless she asked.
    “Well, that’s one way of looking at it.” A hint of color streaked her cheeks, pleasing him. Perhaps she had thought of it too.
    She rubbed the tip of her nose. “We just need to figure out a story for you, okay? Like where you come from, what you do for a living, where we met, stuff like that.”
    He nodded. “I will say I was born in Dublin, and that I am a shipbuilder. I do not know about the meeting part.”
    She held up her hand. “Hold it right there. My uncles were born in Ireland. You say you’re from Dublin and they’re gonna figure out you’re not from this century in about two beers.” She pushed her food around with her fork.
    “Just say you’re from Norway. It’s not really a lie, you are Norse, and it fits your accent. Sort of. I think the shipbuilder part is fine, although that might lead to union questions…” She sighed and took a sip of water. “We should probably not go there.”
    “As you wish.” He would claim to be a midwife if she so desired.
    “Were you really a shipbuilder?”
    “Aye. Every Viking knows how to build ships.”
    “I guess that explains the body. Now, where are we going to say we met?” She tapped her fork on her plate.
    Did that mean she liked his body? Suddenly, the whole table started shaking. He grabbed the sides and peered beneath it. Her jiggling foot knocked against one of the legs. He glanced back at her. “You are nervous?”
    “Yes. This is stressing me out.” She tucked a curl behind her ear. “Don’t say anything about this phoenix business, either, okay?”
    He nodded and let go of the table. It started shaking again. He picked up his fork and aimed for his plate. “Do not worry, Calleigh lass. I was chieftain of a very large clan. I know how to handle men.”
    She stabbed a piece of chicken and lifted the bite to her mouth. Done chewing, she raised her brows, her lips pursed. “You haven’t met my uncles. They could make Genghis Khan cry.”
    Setting his fork down, he leaned forward with great seriousness. “I have met Temüjin, this man you call Genghis Khan. I have never known him to cry.”
    Calleigh rolled her eyes. “Like I said, you haven’t met my uncles.”

Chapter Five
     
    Calleigh fumbled with the catch on her jewelry box. Meeting Brad was probably not the best decision she’d ever made but she had to give the ring back. Maybe then her heart could finally let go. And maybe then he’d stop calling.
    She took the little black case from its pale blue outer box and opened it, stealing one last look at the engagement ring. The two-carat solitaire twinkled in the pale morning light, but the magic was gone. Only tarnished promises remained in the platinum circle. It was just a ring. A very expensive ring. And the last thing that bound her to Brad.
    Her hand trembled. She snapped the box shut and tucked it in her purse. Breathe. You can do this.
    In her search through the closet for the right outfit, white plastic crinkled under her fingers. The garment bag covering her wedding dress. She started to unzip the bag just to run her hands over the Italian matte satin, then stopped. What was the point? The dress would never be worn and now it hung in her closet like a ghost, haunting her with the constant reminder of what would never be. Maybe it was time to become an eBay seller instead of just a buyer.
    Pushing the dress further back, she grabbed a jean skirt and a black turtleneck. Brad hated denim skirts. “Cowgirl clothes” he called them. She smiled as she stepped into the mini and