Read Online Burning For Claire (The O'Connell Family Book 2) by C.M. Steele - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: C.M. Steele
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I’ve got to see what they’ve learned about the fire. By the way, I’ll be staying on your property, even if it’s in my dirty pickup truck. I’m not letting her out of my sight if I can help it.”
“Williams, you can stay in a guest bedroom if you’d like. Anyone protecting my baby and my son’s future wife, is welcomed to stay here.”
“Thanks,” I responded gratefully. I wanted to be as close to her as possible.
“Do you have any idea who is robbing her? I have a feeling it’s the same people who torched the salon,” Richard suggested.
“I do too. I think it’s her employees.”
“You can’t think Tad’s involved in this? They’ve been friends forever,” he said in dismay.
“No, I don’t think so, but I’m not putting it past any of them. Claire says he can’t handle the books, so for him to be involved it’s highly unlikely.”
“Yes, besides the fact that he doesn’t like women, the boy’s also got something else wrong with him; his dyslexia is terrible. Plus, he’s too damn excitable.”
“You got a problem with him being queer?” I asked. Most people were for homosexuals these days, but as long as I wasn’t being hit on I really didn’t give a shit who did who. I liked women. Well, now I only wanted Claire. As far as I was concerned, gay men meant less competition for me. Now lesbians I’d have a problem with, especially if they tried to steal my Claire from me.
“Not really. I’m a man who’s been interested in nothing but women. To me it’s off. I don’t care if he’s that way, but it doesn’t mean I get it,” he responded honestly.
“Me too, plus the boy is too damn flirty. If it wasn’t unmanly, I’d been claiming sexual harassment on his ass. He’s worse than a dirty old man with a pretty young girl.”
He chuckled and added, “Well, hopefully he doesn’t get his ass kicked for hitting on the wrong man.”
“Yeah, I have a feeling Claire would see red and go out for blood if he was beaten up for questioning a man’s sexuality.”
“She thinks of him as her little brother, even though he’s about three years older,” Richard added.
“Gotta love her,” I said with a smile.
“Do you?” her father inquired.
I wanted him on my side so honesty was going to have to happen. “Yes. I do.”
“How long has this been going on between you two?”
“We met the same day as Rick and Sam. I was picking Sam up when I saw your daughter.”
“You’ve been dating since then?” He didn’t like that it had been kept from him. It was only four days now. It wasn’t that long ago, but I guessed I wasn’t his favorite person.
I corrected, “No, actually since yesterday.”
“So you’re not as nutty as my son,” he mocked.
“I’m not saying I didn’t want to talk to her sooner, but I wanted to be sure. I don’t want to be associated with a family that has criminals in it.”
“So, my brother is the reason you stayed away or was it because you still doubted us?”
“Really neither is true. I just needed to make sure what I wanted from her.”
“What do you want?”
“Everything,” I declared.
“Good answer. How about we go join the ladies?”
“Sounds good.”
We stood up and shook hands. I knew that there was still some tension and suspicion in his mind, but only time would ease his feelings for me.
Just as we were going to walk out, Mrs. O’Connell came rushing through the door, in a fit.
“What are you going to do about this?” she shouted at me before turning to her husband. “Did he tell you someone is out to get our baby?”
Mama bears are no joke. Before either of us could respond, she continued in a huff, “So, what are you going to do?”
“Mrs. O’Connell, I was about to leave and work on the matter.” I turned to my girl and with a shake of my head, I said, “Damn. Now I know where you get it from.”
“Can we go talk somewhere in private?” she asked.
“Sure.” She grabbed my hand and nearly dragged
“Williams, you can stay in a guest bedroom if you’d like. Anyone protecting my baby and my son’s future wife, is welcomed to stay here.”
“Thanks,” I responded gratefully. I wanted to be as close to her as possible.
“Do you have any idea who is robbing her? I have a feeling it’s the same people who torched the salon,” Richard suggested.
“I do too. I think it’s her employees.”
“You can’t think Tad’s involved in this? They’ve been friends forever,” he said in dismay.
“No, I don’t think so, but I’m not putting it past any of them. Claire says he can’t handle the books, so for him to be involved it’s highly unlikely.”
“Yes, besides the fact that he doesn’t like women, the boy’s also got something else wrong with him; his dyslexia is terrible. Plus, he’s too damn excitable.”
“You got a problem with him being queer?” I asked. Most people were for homosexuals these days, but as long as I wasn’t being hit on I really didn’t give a shit who did who. I liked women. Well, now I only wanted Claire. As far as I was concerned, gay men meant less competition for me. Now lesbians I’d have a problem with, especially if they tried to steal my Claire from me.
“Not really. I’m a man who’s been interested in nothing but women. To me it’s off. I don’t care if he’s that way, but it doesn’t mean I get it,” he responded honestly.
“Me too, plus the boy is too damn flirty. If it wasn’t unmanly, I’d been claiming sexual harassment on his ass. He’s worse than a dirty old man with a pretty young girl.”
He chuckled and added, “Well, hopefully he doesn’t get his ass kicked for hitting on the wrong man.”
“Yeah, I have a feeling Claire would see red and go out for blood if he was beaten up for questioning a man’s sexuality.”
“She thinks of him as her little brother, even though he’s about three years older,” Richard added.
“Gotta love her,” I said with a smile.
“Do you?” her father inquired.
I wanted him on my side so honesty was going to have to happen. “Yes. I do.”
“How long has this been going on between you two?”
“We met the same day as Rick and Sam. I was picking Sam up when I saw your daughter.”
“You’ve been dating since then?” He didn’t like that it had been kept from him. It was only four days now. It wasn’t that long ago, but I guessed I wasn’t his favorite person.
I corrected, “No, actually since yesterday.”
“So you’re not as nutty as my son,” he mocked.
“I’m not saying I didn’t want to talk to her sooner, but I wanted to be sure. I don’t want to be associated with a family that has criminals in it.”
“So, my brother is the reason you stayed away or was it because you still doubted us?”
“Really neither is true. I just needed to make sure what I wanted from her.”
“What do you want?”
“Everything,” I declared.
“Good answer. How about we go join the ladies?”
“Sounds good.”
We stood up and shook hands. I knew that there was still some tension and suspicion in his mind, but only time would ease his feelings for me.
Just as we were going to walk out, Mrs. O’Connell came rushing through the door, in a fit.
“What are you going to do about this?” she shouted at me before turning to her husband. “Did he tell you someone is out to get our baby?”
Mama bears are no joke. Before either of us could respond, she continued in a huff, “So, what are you going to do?”
“Mrs. O’Connell, I was about to leave and work on the matter.” I turned to my girl and with a shake of my head, I said, “Damn. Now I know where you get it from.”
“Can we go talk somewhere in private?” she asked.
“Sure.” She grabbed my hand and nearly dragged
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