Page 1 of Time to Stirrup Love (Harmony Glen #10)

Chapter

One

“ W ell I hope you'll be happy in Harmony Glen, Dr. Davis."

"I'm sure I will be, Mr. Mason." Margaid didn't really look over at the local federal representative of lakes and fisheries in this part of the state.

If you'd seen one bureaucrat, you'd seen them all, and Mr. Mason had been no exception.

What she was focused on was the lake. It was beautiful.

Green hills surrounded it, there was a sandy beach, and the sunlight hit the water, making it sparkle like diamonds in the light.

Although, she knew it would be cold.

It was late April and the thaw had happened a couple weeks ago, but this was the time the chain pickerel would be spawning. Chain pickerel were a coveted sport fish to people who travelled to this area, and they were her main focus of study.

Although she’d be looking at the overall health of the lake and other species of fish, flora and fauna too.

She knew Harmony Glen was a tourist spot and fishing was number one on the list of summer activities for the lakes in this region of the state.

It was a popular sport in general. After the Great Revelation, monsters and humans cohabited so well here. It was a desirable corner of upstate New York.

Taking it all in, she understood why people came to Harmony Glen for an escape.

And why it generally seemed like a harmonious place.

Water, forest, and the cutest downtown. The beachfront and boardwalk looked like the place to be in the summer months.

There was a calming atmosphere. It was almost magical in a way.

Now, in the daylight, she could really appreciate it.

Her work took her all over the country, she never really settled, so for her to feel this sense of peace at first sight was not something she’d take for granted.

She'd got into town late last night, during a spring rainstorm. There was not much to see besides some building lights through the sheets of rain. After a long drive, all she wanted to do was get into her little rental house on Verdant Street and collapse in her bed. Her landlord had left the key inside after texting her the combo for the door lock. Hopefully, she’d meet them one day, but last night she didn’t care too much about that.

It had been a long move from California to Harmony Glen, but this was her chance and her opportunity to show that she was quite capable of taking on bigger projects that affected marine life.

If it had to be in a small town where she made her mark, then so be it.

She wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the winter here, being a California girl at heart, but she could do this for a year for her career.

She was pleasantly surprised that Harmony Glen was easy on the eyes.

Picturesque.

This might be a good year after all.

"I'm glad to hear it," Mr. Mason said, interrupting her thoughts.

"I'll introduce you to the only resident in town who knows these waters like no one else and the only one with a large enough boat to accommodate your study. Basically, he owns all the rental boats in town. If you don’t own a boat, you go to Finn.”

"Good. I'd like to meet him." Though Margaid was a little trepidatious about meeting Mr. Finnbar Clague.

She knew that he was the only one on this lake that did sportfishing excursions and she also knew he owned and operated the bait and tackle store at the marina.

Monster Catch Bait and Tackle. Cute name for a store that glorified everything she, as a conservationist, was against. She knew these types and he wouldn't be thrilled about an environmental marine biologist snooping around his business. She rarely saw eye to eye with sportfishermen. Her opinion, fish should be free and not mounted on a wall. Although, she didn’t mind eating one from time to time.

Still, she was at Mr. Clague’s mercy. She needed a boat. She needed someone with a license to operate one and who knew these waters.

All she could do is put on her best smile and do her work with her cheerful disposition, which she knew enraged the grumpiest of males she had to deal with in her line of work. And that gave her a secret thrill of self-satisfaction.

She had to deal with a lot of chauvinists and fragile male egos in her field of study. It didn’t faze her in the least.

She followed Jim Mason down the dock and toward a houseboat that was bobbing up and down in the gentle swell of the lake.

The houseboat was one like she'd never seen before.

It was painted dark green and red, but instead of a box, the house part of the boat was rounder, with peaks like a barn almost. There were hanging plants in the windows and the boat had been apparently christened The Pearl .

Which she found intriguing, because her name meant pearl in old Manx custom.

Not that she knew too much about that. Her family had immigrated to the New World a long time ago and most of their culture and history had been forgotten.

Except for her name, which was an old family name.

Not that there was much of her family left. She was pretty much alone in the world.

"Finn?" Jim called out, cupping his hands to his mouth. "I brought Dr. Davis to meet you."

"Aye," came the gruff response from one of the open windows.

A ball of dread knotted in her stomach. Oh, this was off to a great start already.

As they waited for Finn to arrive, Margaid wandered along the dock and saw a small anchor charm tied to a post. It was copper, at least that's what she suspected, as it was starting to turn slightly green. There were feathers and a leather braided bracelet and it was gently blowing in the breeze.

Something drew her to it and she reached out to touch it.

"Don't touch that!"

Margaid startled as the sliding door at the stern of the houseboat opened and a huge, horse-headed man ducked as he stepped through.

Margaid was used to monsters, since they had come out in the world a few years ago and she’d worked with a couple over her years, but she'd never encountered a monster like this before.

He absolutely took her breath away. Tall and muscular, there was an undeniable pull of something toward him.

"Sorry," she replied quickly.

"No one touches that," he growled.

"I said I was sorry." Margaid mustered a smile and stepped away from the charm, but that didn't seem to appease him and her eyes locked on him as he approached the gangplank to join them on the dock.

Finnbar Clague had to be at least six foot three.

He was a paint colored, dark chocolate brown with white spots all over.

His body was like a human, with hands and fingers instead of hooves, but he had massive rippling muscles as he crossed his arms. He was bare chested and her eyes trailed over his rippling muscles down to his narrow waist. His jeans were tight over thick muscular thighs and there was a faint outline of a very prominent bulge that made the butterflies in her stomach flutter wildly.

The long flowing mane was dark chocolate brown and was flying loose behind him in the breeze, almost as if he were running.

Was that what they called windswept? She half expected to see him in a billowy shirt. She tore her gaze away and met his eyes which were sea green, glowing, and intense as he scowled at her.

Whoops . He'd apparently caught her staring at him.

She quickly looked away, embarrassed by the momentary lapse of lust that had hit her unexpectedly. First, she'd touched something he clearly didn't want anyone else to touch, and then she'd been caught ogling him.

Not off to a good start, Margaid.

It had been a long time since she'd been on a date or had a boyfriend, because work was her life.

Being raised by a tenacious single mother had taught her many valuable lessons in life and one of them was to put her career first and men at a very distant second.

That never sat well with past boyfriends, so she just gave up on dating in general. It was easier that way, albeit lonely.

"Finn, this is Dr. Margaid Davis from fisheries. She's been sent by the government to do a study of the pickerel in the lake, as well as the health of the watershed in general.”

Finn's eyes narrowed as he leapt off the gangplank and landed on the dock in front of them. "I see."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Margaid said, brightly extending her hand.

Finn didn't take her hand or even really acknowledge her presence. "I have some business to attend to. I can take Dr. Davis out in a couple of hours."

Finn was not talking to her, he was acting like she didn't even exist at all.

Typical.

What a jerk . Gorgeous or not, he was just like all the other chauvinistic, trophy fishermen she'd dealt with in her career.

“When would you like Dr. Davis to return?” Jim asked.

"Dr. Davis can speak for herself," Margaid interjected.

Jim’s cheeks flushed red and he nodded.

"Can she? Can she also keep her hands to herself?" Finn asked, sarcastically.

"I offered my apologies, that's all I can do. As for our arrangement, a couple of hours would be fine. I have to gather my equipment."

Finn's gaze locked on hers. Those sea-green eyes were wild with intensity, and she felt a flutter deep in the pit of her stomach. “Meet back here at noon?"

"Good enough for me."

"I'll be leaving right at noon. Don't be late," Finn snapped.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Clague, seeing how you're so busy here."

"Yes, well, I'm glad that's sorted," Jim said nervously. "Come, Dr. Davis. We'll finish up some paperwork at the government office and then I can leave you to it."

"Thank you, Mr. Mason." She nodded curtly at Finn, who was still standing there, arms crossed and glaring at her as she walked away.

He was a salty old sea dog or horse or whatever you wanted to call him. She wasn't sure what kind of mythical monster he was, but she really didn't care. She had a job to do and nothing was getting in her way.

Certainly not a sexy, broody, grumpy monster.