Page 47

S he’d been back for twelve days.

Twelve days of indoor plumbing, coffee, air conditioning, and electricity. Hot showers replaced tepid baths by the fire; long skirts replaced medieval gowns; modern-day books replaced chatting around the sewing basket.

Resignation replaced hope.

Ellie tossed her book onto a side table and glanced out of the open picture window facing the bay.

Boats bobbed in the water as the late afternoon sunlight glinted off the gentle waves.

The church bell tolled in the distance, informing her it was close to dinnertime.

A cool breeze, hinting at autumn, lifted a few strands of her hair away from her face.

She used to feel happy here, in this little house on the bay. It used to give her the courage to be the real her—the one who loved to laugh, who enjoyed all that life had to offer, albeit from a little bit of a distance. At one point, not so very long ago, she wanted to feel brave and happy.

She’d been brave…but she was definitely not happy.

Acutely miserable? Miserably heartbroken? Yes to all of it. She put herself on the line, laid her heart bare for Colin, but it turned out that he wasn’t ready for her bravery. He didn’t want what she offered.

The Untouchable . He had a well-earned reputation. How many other women had tried to win his heart? She should’ve known that someone as unsophisticated and introverted as she was wouldn’t be able to draw Colin into the world of love.

When Reilly and Colin had brought them back, Ellie wasted no time.

She ordered a car, packed her things at Reilly’s house, and retreated to her safe place, which didn’t feel quite so safe anymore.

She was only a fifteen-minute drive away, but at least Colin didn’t know where to find her.

Gwen just gave her a hug and told her she would be in Ireland for another few days before heading back home.

Gwen knew she needed time alone, because Gwen got her. It was why they were, and would always be, the best of friends.

The unobtrusive guard that followed her to her aunt’s house by the sea, then watched over the house and her from a small distance, also seemed to understand her need for space. Or perhaps that was just Gwen’s doing again.

Her cell phone rang, making her jump. She fumbled for it and squinted at the caller ID.

“Hi, Winnie.”

“I was beginning to worry at your long silence, my love. But it was smart of you to go underground for a bit. The paparazzi have finally decamped from my garden. How are you? Where are you? How are things going?”

Ellie absent-mindedly dragged the charm on her necklace back and forth against the chain. “I’m well. I’m in Ireland, at your house.”

“Well, that’s wonderful! I know how you love it there. You sound distant, dear. Would you like some company?”

“No thanks,” she murmured. “I’m taking some time to process things. ”

Winnie’s voice was delighted. “Then you’ve met someone you like?”

A ghost of a smile touched Ellie’s lips, and she forced some cheerfulness into her tone. “I think so. I went on a date with him and he seemed quite wonderful. I think we’re going to go out again.”

“That does sound promising. Do you need anything from home? The furor around your press conference has died down so very much that nary a camera has been seen around your flat for days. You might still want to stay in Ireland for a few more days, but the wind, as it always does, is shifting in a new direction.”

The press conference seemed a lifetime ago. A different life, with a different person. “That’s good news.”

“It is, dear, it is! I also checked on your bookshop. Things seem to be running well; that Norman is very capable. He was a good hire.”

Ellie frowned. She hadn’t thought about her bookshop once in the days since she’d returned.

“Eleanor? Are you there?”

“Sorry, Winnie, I have a bad connection. Thanks for checking on the bookshop for me. I’m glad Norman is holding down the fort.”

“Go eat something, dear. You sound tired, so go to bed early tonight, too. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”

They disconnected, and Ellie stared at the phone in her hand, nonplussed.

Why hadn’t she thought of her shop in so long?

Well , she told herself, there was that little side vacation to the Middle Ages. You know, castle life, a real-life Ren Faire, a kidnapping, and an almost-wedding…oh, and the whole broken heart thing.

Distracted seemed a bit of an understatement.

A boat’s horn blew in the distance, and with it came the sudden realization that Ellie wanted to be distracted from her bookshop more. She’d experienced more of life this summer than she had in the entirety of her adult life, and she wanted more.

A second horn blast sounded, as if agreeing with her.

If Colin O’Rourke didn’t want to be a part of that, then Ellie would accept it. But she absolutely wouldn’t let it stop her.

“…glad it went well,” Colin remarked, his dark eyes focused on the screen of his laptop. He sat in a small booth at the village pub, a half-empty beer on the table next to the laptop, from which his ecstatic matchmaker and happy client’s faces were looking back at him.

“Yeah, it’s been some time since our date, but with the fires I’ve had at work, and the unexpected travel to Asia, I wasn’t even sure what time zone I was in for a while there.”

Colin resisted the urge to snort. I can relate.

“She’s just so damn smart. I liked that about her.” Reginald’s smile grew. “And she’s quite pretty, too. Those eyes—they’re the lightest shade of brown I think I’ve ever seen. They’re almost amber.”

“Honey,” Colin muttered.

“Yes! Honey. That’s what they are. She’s got a great body, and this vibe about her, as though she’s up for anything.”

“It sounds like you really like her,” Candice remarked, her own smile tinged with relief.

Colin could well understand—after a year of butting heads, Reginald finally had some sense knocked into him from somewhere.

His countenance had been, according to Mike, slow to change, but the end result was a success.

When Reg had first signed on, Colin was hesitant, but Candice assured him that she could handle him.

Almost a year later, and the man was now truly interested in finding someone he could be with forever, which meant he was someone the Celtic Connections team could seriously match.

If only he was still the nasty, foul-mouthed, arrogant man-child from a year ago , Colin thought uncharitably.

“I did. We had a connection. And when we kissed, there was definitely something there. She’s got some passion in her soul, and I want to be the one to free it.”

Candice positively beamed, and Colin fought to control his rage. Over my dead body.

“Wow! You haven’t had this kind of reaction before. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It has been a while since you took her on the date. We usually expect a callback to happen much sooner.”

“Sorry about that,” Reg apologized. “Like I said, I had to fly to Thailand to close a deal, and it was such a last-minute thing that all I could do was e-mail. Thanks for explaining it to her, Colin.”

Colin offered a half smile and nod of acknowledgement, though he never mentioned any e-mail to Ellie. She’d been a bit busy herself, but Reg didn’t need to know that.

“Well, Colin spoke with her this morning.” Candice looked expectantly at the screen. “What did she say?”

At one point, Ellie had said she wanted to go on another date with Reg. But that was before she confessed her love for Colin. And before he flat-out rejected her.

He would forever bear the imprint of her slap. She branded him, all the way to his soul.

Colin unclenched his jaw and relaxed his shoulders. “She…”

Then he quickly hit the End Call button and slammed the laptop shut.

“What the hell was that?”

He whipped his head up and found his cousin—or uncle, depending on what branch of the family tree he cared to focus on—sliding into the seat opposite. Aidan signaled for a beer .

“Where’s Emma? And why are you here?”

Aidan stroked his chin, his emerald eyes bearing into Colin’s. “Emma wanted to come, and I am at her mercy. Which works out well, after I spoke with O’Malley today. I have a tale for you.”

“Great,” Colin muttered. He pulled his beer closer to himself.

“There was a time, not so long ago, when I had more gold and land than I ever thought possible. Growing up, as you well know, I’d been trained to protect things.

My clan and their safety, women, and children.

I did that, and I did it fairly well. No one ever died on my watch, and no one suffered too greatly, either.

As a lad, I never thought I’d want more.

When I arrived here, speaking a dead language, not an ounce of gold to my name, you saved me.

You, and James, and—” he choked a little “—O’Malley. ”

“Make your long story short.”

“Impossible; I’m Irish. Stay with me, lad.

” Aidan thanked the bartender for the beer and sipped appreciatively.

“After all my successes, I began to realize that for all I had in modern times, I was missing something. I wanted a bit of land to call my own, enough food on the table for a full belly, and a family to share it all with. Something to fight for, something to protect and cherish. You recognized that, mate. You figured it out before I did, and you gave me a mission that was so much more than acquiring a new employee for your business.”

“You’re becoming maudlin in your old age,” Colin muttered curtly.

Aidan shrugged. “Probably. But you know I was in a dark place. I thought I had nothing to live for, no real value in the world. I found myself again when I met Emmaline. I became the man I was supposed to be. She makes me a stronger and better MacWilliam. Without her, I’d still be just a shell. Or worse. ”

Colin finished his own beer. “I’m happy for you, Aidan. I hoped she’d be the one for you when I met her. Emma’s amazing.”

“My point—”

“I thought we’d never get to it.”