CBQ2: Kane and Rebecca

Rebecca

Rebecca Callaghan watched the news with growing concern—not so much for herself as for others. Traveling as she had for more than a decade with international aid organizations, she’d seen plenty of scary stuff. The difference was, in many of those cases, help was available. Medicine. Clean water. Food. Shelter. Clothing. The biggest issues they faced were getting those things where they were needed, not that they didn’t exist.

But this, this was different. Unprecedented. Even the most developed countries in the world were staggering under the weight of this new attack. Current healthcare systems didn’t have the capacity to handle the demand. Not enough beds. Not enough personal protection equipment. No cure. No vaccine. Widespread panic…

Her husband Kane entered through the back door of their cabin with their daughter and their two large dogs. Rebecca’s motherly instincts surged, wanting to shield Aislinn from the ugliness as much as possible. She reached out and grabbed the remote, turning off the broadcast before more grim statistics could make their way to Aislinn’s ears.

Rebecca summoned a smile for the two people she loved most in the world, despite the ache in her heart for all those who weren’t fortunate to live in a remote cabin in the woods. “Did you have a nice walk?”

“Yes!” Aislinn grinned widely. “We did the south perimeter today. There’s a whole bunch of mulberry trees there, already budding. We followed some tracks, too. Deer and bear and fox.”

Aislinn’s eyes were bright with excitement, her youthful cheeks flushed. Like her father, she loved the outdoors.  

“Sounds like fun. Did you get your lessons done for the day?”

Aislinn washed her hands and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table. “Riley said the schools in town are closing. If public school kids are getting a break, then I think I should, too.”

Rebecca withheld her grin. As much as Aislinn loved to learn and discover new things, she had little patience for traditional schoolwork. Living as they did in the mountains, homeschooling had always been part of her life—and a constant challenge when there were so many more interesting distractions.

“Get those done,” Kane commanded, his deep voice firm but filled with affection. “If you do well, we’ll do some skeet shooting later.”

“Yeah?” Their daughter’s eyes lit up. “Can I use the Mossberg?”

“Yes. But only if you do well.”

She rolled her eyes and practically skipped to her room. “Of course, I’ll do well.”

Rebecca laughed. “She is so your daughter.”

“Damn right, she is.”

With Aislinn out of the room, Rebecca reached for the remote again. Kane intercepted her, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t.”

“But—”

“Don’t,” he repeated softly.

Kane cupped the back of her head and gently pressed her to his chest. She gave herself over to him, melting into his quiet strength. Everyone thought he was so cold, dubbing him the Iceman. But he wasn’t unaffected. It was precisely because he did care that he’d had to erect those icy shields and assume so much responsibility.

She knew that he was staying informed, speaking daily with his brothers and working behind the scenes to do what they could. Everyone was doing their part. For Kane, that meant quietly funneling significant funds into resources that would ensure the people of Pine Ridge had what they needed, when they needed it.

“I want to help.”

Kane

Kane knew his croie’s heart ached for all the people worried and suffering, just as he knew the media was making a bad situation even worse by spewing misinformation and boosting political agendas. He made a mental note to scramble the satellite signal.

They had enough comm equipment to stay connected and informed. Michael had his finger on the pulse of the medical developments. Ian was working around the clock, gathering and disseminating reliable intel. Jake, Sean, Shane, and Kieran were on high alert, ready to mobilize and aid local authorities should that become necessary.

As for him, Rebecca, and Aislinn, their day to day routine hadn’t changed much. Nor would it. Social distancing was a way of life for them, and, living remotely as they did, they were well-stocked and prepared for just about anything.

“I know you want to help, but the best thing you can do right now is exactly what you’re doing. Namely, staying put, preferably without the television on.”

He ran his hand down her back, taking great pleasure in feeling some of the tension in her back lessening with each stroke.

“It’s not enough. I feel like we could be doing more.”

He smiled into her hair. That was his woman, always so concerned for others. She was the light to his darkness. His angel.

He wasn’t nearly as selfless.

“We definitely could be doing more,” he agreed, thrusting his hips lazily against her soft curves and dips.

“Hm,” she hummed, snaking her arms up behind his neck. “What did you have in mind?”

“I could use a shower.” He really didn’t need a shower. He’d taken one earlier that morning with Rebecca and she had done an exemplary job of ensuring he was very clean.

She played along and made a show of sniffing his flannel shirt anyway. “Yes, you could. Maybe I could help you with that.” Rebecca’s voice had taken on that low, husky tone he loved so much.

“Aislinn will be busy for at least an hour or two. I have her analyzing the recent stock market decline and creating a mock portfolio of stable investments.”

Rebecca laughed. “Only an hour or two? I guess we’d better make the most of it, huh?”

Kane grabbed his wife’s hand and tugged her toward their private bathroom. He couldn’t have agreed more.