worries about my coming to town all by myself.”
“I’m sorry, Hazel, I don’t. How does having a child when you were young turn into your daughter not wanting you going anywhere alone now?”
A distinct light came into her eyes. “Because it appears that every time I find myself single, I fall in love and get married.”
“Excuse me?”
“While Birch was living with her father, I married Phillip. That marriage lasted almost eight years, until a woman claiming she was Phillip’s mistress called to tell me he’d run into a tree and died while skiing in the Alps.” She gave a heavy sigh. “It’s just as well, I guess. Birch never did warm up to him.”
Niall stifled an urge to rub his face again. Hazel Callahan, it seemed, either was very unlucky in love or had very poor taste in men.
“Then shortly after Birch left to attend university, I met Gerard at a fund-raiser,” she continued. “But that marriage ended a little over a year later when Birch discovered Gerry was only pretending to be a deposed king of some obscure country in Europe.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He was really from Idaho.”
Niall stiffened his jaw when he felt it slacken.
“I was on my best behavior for three years, until I met Ernie at a Valentine’s Day ball and married him just before Birch got her master’s degree. But we were divorced by Thanksgiving.” Her eyes lit up again, Hazel obviously realizing she’d rendered him speechless. “I managed to stay single four whole years while Birch worked as a family counselor. But wanting to advance her career, she went back to school to get her doctorate.” Hazel canted her head. “She appeared more resigned than upset when she came home at Christmas and discovered I’d married Leonard.”
Niall mentally took count. “Er, would Leonard be the gentleman with the ink still drying on your divorce papers?”
“Yes,” Hazel said, her shoulders hunching. “Birch stormed in the house three months ago and sent him packing. She brought me to our lawyer to start the divorce procedure, put our house on the market, then took me back to Ottawa so she could present her dissertation.”
“What had changed her mind about Leonard?”
“Apparently the bank had called Birch saying they needed her signature because Leo was trying to take out a mortgage on our house, and her name was on the deed with mine. That’s when she also discovered he’d already spent most of this year’s installment of my trust fund.”
Niall decided he wasn’t letting Hazel go anywhere alone, either. “What do ye mean when you say Birch sent him packing?”
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my daughter can be a bit . . . prickly when she gets her panties in a twist.”
“Nay,” he drawled, “I haven’t noticed at all.” But then he sobered. “Was there an altercation, Hazel, or did Leonard leave peacefully?”
The woman’s expressive eyes turned troubled. “I can’t imagine he was very happy when he returned from his fishing trip to find his key no longer fit the locks and saw the note on the door saying all his belongings were sitting in a storage locker.” She dropped her gaze, her cheeks flushing a dull red. “I’m ashamed to say I never realized Leo had a dark side hiding behind all that charm. He followed us to Ottawa and waited for Birch in the underground garage at her apartment, and if it hadn’t been for another tenant getting off the elevator and Birch screaming for help, I . . . I don’t know what he would have done.”
“Did she call the police?”
Hazel nodded, but just as quickly shook her head again. “She did, but apparently because she screamed and Leo ran off, they said no crime had been committed so they couldn’t really do anything.”
No wonder Birch had
her panties in a twist
over his refusal to arrest Logan Kent. “Did Leonard bother either of you again?”
“Once more,” she whispered, her eyes turning pained as she
“I’m sorry, Hazel, I don’t. How does having a child when you were young turn into your daughter not wanting you going anywhere alone now?”
A distinct light came into her eyes. “Because it appears that every time I find myself single, I fall in love and get married.”
“Excuse me?”
“While Birch was living with her father, I married Phillip. That marriage lasted almost eight years, until a woman claiming she was Phillip’s mistress called to tell me he’d run into a tree and died while skiing in the Alps.” She gave a heavy sigh. “It’s just as well, I guess. Birch never did warm up to him.”
Niall stifled an urge to rub his face again. Hazel Callahan, it seemed, either was very unlucky in love or had very poor taste in men.
“Then shortly after Birch left to attend university, I met Gerard at a fund-raiser,” she continued. “But that marriage ended a little over a year later when Birch discovered Gerry was only pretending to be a deposed king of some obscure country in Europe.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He was really from Idaho.”
Niall stiffened his jaw when he felt it slacken.
“I was on my best behavior for three years, until I met Ernie at a Valentine’s Day ball and married him just before Birch got her master’s degree. But we were divorced by Thanksgiving.” Her eyes lit up again, Hazel obviously realizing she’d rendered him speechless. “I managed to stay single four whole years while Birch worked as a family counselor. But wanting to advance her career, she went back to school to get her doctorate.” Hazel canted her head. “She appeared more resigned than upset when she came home at Christmas and discovered I’d married Leonard.”
Niall mentally took count. “Er, would Leonard be the gentleman with the ink still drying on your divorce papers?”
“Yes,” Hazel said, her shoulders hunching. “Birch stormed in the house three months ago and sent him packing. She brought me to our lawyer to start the divorce procedure, put our house on the market, then took me back to Ottawa so she could present her dissertation.”
“What had changed her mind about Leonard?”
“Apparently the bank had called Birch saying they needed her signature because Leo was trying to take out a mortgage on our house, and her name was on the deed with mine. That’s when she also discovered he’d already spent most of this year’s installment of my trust fund.”
Niall decided he wasn’t letting Hazel go anywhere alone, either. “What do ye mean when you say Birch sent him packing?”
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my daughter can be a bit . . . prickly when she gets her panties in a twist.”
“Nay,” he drawled, “I haven’t noticed at all.” But then he sobered. “Was there an altercation, Hazel, or did Leonard leave peacefully?”
The woman’s expressive eyes turned troubled. “I can’t imagine he was very happy when he returned from his fishing trip to find his key no longer fit the locks and saw the note on the door saying all his belongings were sitting in a storage locker.” She dropped her gaze, her cheeks flushing a dull red. “I’m ashamed to say I never realized Leo had a dark side hiding behind all that charm. He followed us to Ottawa and waited for Birch in the underground garage at her apartment, and if it hadn’t been for another tenant getting off the elevator and Birch screaming for help, I . . . I don’t know what he would have done.”
“Did she call the police?”
Hazel nodded, but just as quickly shook her head again. “She did, but apparently because she screamed and Leo ran off, they said no crime had been committed so they couldn’t really do anything.”
No wonder Birch had
her panties in a twist
over his refusal to arrest Logan Kent. “Did Leonard bother either of you again?”
“Once more,” she whispered, her eyes turning pained as she
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