Page 18 of Time to Stirrup Love (Harmony Glen #10)

Chapter

Eleven

M agnus had been right. Finn’s mother had closed the shop, which was a bit unusual. Finn wasn’t angry about it, it was just weird. He rented Magnus a boat, a small motorized fishing boat, and Magnus headed out on the lake.

Finn had no idea what Magnus meant by the witch was back. If he was talking about that sea witch that cursed him and Sven, she was long gone. He wasn’t fully sure about their curse, but he really hoped that Magnus would be okay.

Right now, he was still reeling over what Margaid had said to him. She wanted to stay. No woman had ever wanted to be with him longer than one night and he wasn’t sure how he was processing it. Could she just stay?

Her contract job was only a year. And he didn’t want her giving up anything to be with him. What if her findings after a year shut down his business for a while? How could he support her? He wanted to be able to take care of Margaid, just like he helped take care of his mother and Pearl.

What if they had a kid? Margaid said she was on the birth control shot, but what if she wanted a family down the line and he couldn’t provide for them?

You’re overthinking this.

Which was true. They could make it work.

He was in love with Margaid. Not that he’d told her that, but he really did love her.

Deeply, and he didn’t want to lose her. As much as her sunshine had invaded his safe little dark cloud of isolation, and he’d hated that at first, he really couldn’t picture a life without her, or being with anyone else.

Also, he was kicking himself for not reacting as quickly when she had mentioned the prospect of staying longer.

As he entered the apartment in the back of the shop to see where his mother was, he found his mother and Pearl hugging. Tears running down his mother’s face. His hair bristled.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” he questioned, panicking slightly.

Hetty and Pearl broke apart. Hetty was smiling and wiped away a tear. “Nothing bad. Pearl got into state college. A full scholarship.”

Finn tried to muster a smile, but he was worried and he sat down in a chair, his whole body tense as he tried to think of how they could make this possible. “Congratulations, Pearl. I’m proud of you. It’s just…”

“The full moon shift. I know. It’s state college, Finn. I can come home for those cycles. Thankfully the moon cycles are fairly predictable.” Pearl smiled. “I’ve got to do this.”

The tension slightly melted out of his shoulders. “Well, that’s a plan I never really thought of.”

“It’s a full scholarship, Finn,” Pearl said, excitedly. “As long as I keep my marks up, I can come out of there with minimal debt. I might need some help with books and scrubs or something.”

“And my sales at the farmer’s stand and online can help with that,” Hetty proclaimed, reaching out and tucking Pearl’s hair behind her ear. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Pearl then turned to Finn. “Well, what do you think, big brother?”

He gripped the armrests of the chair. “I’m worried about you going, but I know I can’t hold you back. You need to go.”

Pearl jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Finn.”

Finn nodded. “I’ve been saving a bit too, to try to give you an opportunity to go to college.”

“You need to save that money for your own family,” Hetty announced.

“What family?” Finn asked quizzically, although there was no point in lying to his mother. She had a sixth sense about this.

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an ass, Finn. Margaid. Everyone in town knows about you two. It’s clear you’re both completely in love.”

Finn sighed, but smiled. “I love her. She wants to stay in Harmony Glen.”

“That’s fantastic,” Hetty remarked. “Why doesn’t that seem like good news?”

“I don’t want to hold her back,” Finn admitted.

“I don’t think you are,” Hetty stated softly, reaching out to take his hand.

“My past relationships were a bit one-sided,” Finn stated bluntly. “Besides, I have to take care of you both still. Dad would’ve wanted it that way.”

“You can take care of us by being happy,” Hetty said. “We’re fine. I ran this business alongside your father for years, before you were born, Finn. We’re okay.”

“Margaid cares about you too,” Pearl said. “Take a chance, Finn, and be happy.”

“We all just want you to be happy,” Hetty assured. “If Margaid makes you happy, don’t let that slip away. Your father and I were very happy and we were together before the Great Revelation. We made do.”

Finn stood up. “I better go make this right.”

“Good,” Pearl stated.

Finn turned to leave and then spun back around on his heel. “Magnus has one of the motorboats. I doubt someone will try to rent it, but I wanted to let you know.”

“Why did Magnus need a rental?” Hetty asked curiously.

Finn shrugged. “Something about the witch being back?”

Hetty’s eyes widened. “Oh. That’s…odd.”

“Well, he’s a bit strange.” Finn left them and headed back to his truck.

Then he stopped and walked to the end of the dock where the brass charm was nailed.

His father had put it there to proclaim his love for Finn’s mom.

Now, Finn would give it to Margaid. He was going to make sure that Margaid knew exactly how he felt, that he was falling in love with her.

It wasn’t a marriage proposal, but he wanted to give this relationship a real shot this year and maybe she’d be willing to stay.

He was scared to take the chance and open his heart, but if he didn’t, he would always regret it.

Finn drove his truck straight back to Cool Beans, but Margaid was no longer there.

So he turned around and headed to where she was staying on Verdant Street.

He parked his truck and headed up to her front door; he didn’t even knock, just burst in.

She was curled up on the couch with her laptop in her lap and her glasses sliding down her nose.

“Finn?” she asked, surprised.

“Sorry for just bursting in.” He ran his hand through his mane. “I just…I need to get this off my chest.”

“Clearly.” She sat the laptop down. “Still, you could’ve knocked.”

“Are you teasing me or being serious?”

She smiled, her green eyes twinkling. “Teasing. I’m sorry. Is Magnus okay?”

“I don’t care about Magnus.” He closed the distance between them, kneeling down in front of her.

“That’s kind of coldhearted.”

“Margaid, I’m being serious.”

“What’s up. You’re acting so weird,” she said, sitting up straighter.

Finn swallowed the hard lump in his throat, took a deep breath and then took her small hands in his. “You asked me what I thought about you living here and we…we date.”

“I did.”

“I would like that.”

Just tell her you love her.

“Oh, is that all?” Margaid asked.

“No. This is hard for me to say, because I never thought I would get the chance to meet someone that would like me for…me.”

She smiled tenderly. “I do like you. All of you.”

He touched her face and then handed her the charm. “Here.”

“You said not to touch this.”

“I know. My father put it there to declare his love for my mom. It was theirs. Now, it’s ours. I love you, Margaid. I don’t want you to go when this year is up. I want you to stay.”

“I love you too. I didn’t think I would ever find love and it happened so fast, but I want to stay when the year is up.” She kissed him tenderly and took the charm. “It’s beautiful.”

His heart was soaring. “You love me?”

She nodded. “I do. I’m not ready to bear your little glashtyn babies or anything, but I would like to stay and see how this all works out.”

Chuckling, he ran his fingers through her hair. “I’d like that too, but I don’t want you to give up your job. I can follow you.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I’ve applied to a transfer.

” She worried her bottom lip. “The samples are showing a decline in the fish population, it won’t affect you this year, but next year it would, unless something is done.

I’m coming up with a proposal to regenerate it and to do that, I have to stay here.

I have Jim Mason’s approval on the proposal.

He thinks it would be good to have a marine biologist here to keep the lake healthy, so tourists can continue to come to Harmony Glen and the residents can prosper. ”

Finn’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you think your department heads will go for it?”

“There’s a good chance they will. However, I’m going to have to find a new place. I only signed a lease with your mom for a year, and after this contract is up, my work won’t be paying for my rent. I have to find myself a more permanent place.”

“I think my mom would give you a decent rent on this house. Or you can move in with me?”

She giggled. “I love your houseboat, Finn but I prefer to spend most of my time on land. I really don’t want our home to be rented out to sportfishermen.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough. I do have one condition when it’s time for me to move in here, though.”

“Please don’t say a singing mounted fish on the wall.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“Doesn’t every sportfisherman have a trophy like that?”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t have that. It’s tacky.”

“So, then what’s your condition?”

“A bigger bed.”

Margaid laughed. “I think that can be arranged.”

Finn pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I love you, Margaid.”

“I love you too, Finn.” She ran her hands over his chest. “How about we seal this new deal in bed?”

“Oh? You’d like to go for a ride?”

“Yes. I’d like to do a little bareback.”

He chuckled. “I think that can be arranged.”