The Summer Garden

“Even now, when you’ve so much on your mind?” she asked, searching his expression for the truth.

“Especially now,” he admitted, realizing it was true. Gram had tried to tell him that Moira belonged here, that she was a part of this pub dream of his, but he hadn’t accepted it until he’d set eyes on her tonight. She’d been by his side as he’d worked out his ideas, listening to him, encouraging him, challenging him when she thought he’d got it wrong. “You’ll be here for the opening, right? You’re staying the whole time your grandfather’s here?”

“Unless you try to chase me away,” she said, then grinned. “And then I’ll only go far enough to annoy you, but not so far that you can forget me.”

Though he wasn’t quite ready to let her go, he was aware that they had an audience of interested O’Brien onlookers not that far away. He nudged her toward a chair. “Sit before I’m tempted to do something that will shock my family.”

She looked intrigued by that. “Really? Such as?”

“I want nothing more than to drag you down onto the ground and have my way with you,” he said candidly, enjoying the quick rise of heat in her eyes.

Still, she only laughed. “You’ve some more apologizing to do before that’s in the cards, Luke. Women don’t appreciate being ignored, no matter what the circumstances. At least, I don’t.”

“You know it was only because of how busy I’ve been, right? It had nothing at all to do with my feelings for you. Nothing’s changed about those. I swear it.”

“Pretty words,” she commented. “You’ve a way with them. We’ll see if you can back them up with actions.”

He smiled. “Is that a challenge?”

“Of course it is. Isn’t that one of the things you said you liked best about me? I didn’t fall easily into your bed in Ireland. I see no reason for that to change here.”

Luke laughed. “I look forward to persuading you, then.”

There was pure mischief in her eyes then. “And I look forward to being persuaded.”

“I think it’s going well,” Dillon observed, casting yet another glance toward his granddaughter and Luke, who’d been keeping to themselves since the moment Luke had made his belated entrance at the party.

Nell gave him a wry look. “I suspect it would be going better if there weren’t an audience over here who can’t seem to keep their gazes to themselves.”

Dillon chuckled. “Point taken. And the truth is, now that the rest of your family has left, I wouldn’t mind having you to myself away from prying eyes as well. Since the seats by the water are occupied, would you like to go inside and snuggle with me on your sofa?”

“And risk scandalizing the young people when they come inside?”

“I don’t think there’s any danger of that,” Dillon said. “Those two could easily be out here till sunup. They’ve a lot of catching up to do.”

“Aren’t you tired from your trip?” Nell asked, studying him with concern.

“I was, but that nap earlier refreshed me. I don’t want to waste another minute of my first day here with you. It’s been a very long time coming.” He studied her and wondered if maybe the problem was with her, not him. “What about you, though, Nell? Have you worn yourself out getting ready for company? Would you rather call it a night?”

“I am a bit tired,” she admitted with obvious reluctance. “All the excitement has taken more of a toll than I realized. Maybe we should call it an early night, so we’ll be fresh for all the things I want to do with you tomorrow.” She smiled at him. “There are so many places I want to take you, Dillon, so much I want to share with you. A month will never be long enough.”

Now it was his turn to worry. She’d never expressed any interest in being the first to bed over the holidays in Dublin. She’d had more energy than some of the women half her age.

He tucked a finger under her chin and studied her intently. “What’s going on, Nell?”

“Just too much excitement,” she insisted, her expression stubbornly defiant. “I’ll be fit as a fiddle in the morning. I can’t wait to show you the town.”

He had no choice but to take her at her word, but he didn’t like what he was seeing or hearing. It wasn’t his usual nature to ask questions behind her back, but if he didn’t find that this had passed with a good night’s rest, he’d speak to Mick. He had no intention of losing Nell after having just gotten her back into his life.

“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” Moira said, gazing at the moon rising over the Chesapeake Bay.

“Neither have I,” Luke said, though his gaze was on her, not the water.

She smiled at him. “There’s that pretty way with words again.”

“Come over here and sit with me,” he encouraged. “Everyone’s gone inside now. We’re out here on our own. I just want to hold you.”

Moira hesitated, but the temptation was too much to resist. And why should she? Wasn’t this what she’d come for, to discover if being with Luke was the same now as it had been a few months ago?

She crossed the few steps to his chair, then settled in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. She sighed softly at how right it felt to be there. Even here, in a new land, it felt like coming home.

“You smell lovely,” she commented, drawing a chuckle.

“Then it’s a good thing I took the time to shower before coming over here tonight,” he said. “After a long day at work, especially covered with paint as I was a few hours ago, you might not have felt the same way.”

“Tell me about the progress on the pub,” she said eagerly. “Will I be able to see it tomorrow?”

“You’ll be almost the first I’ve let through the doors,” he admitted. “I’ve been keeping most of the family at bay. I want them to see it first when I hold the grand opening. Matthew, my father and my uncle have seen it, of course, since they’re doing the work, but no one else has stepped inside.”

“Would you rather I stayed away, too?”

His silence sent a strange chill through her. Finally, he said, “No.”

“There wasn’t much sincerity behind that,” she said accusingly. “If you don’t want me there, just say so.”

“Don’t go getting prickly on me now,” Luke chided. “I was just debating the value of having your opinion now versus seeing the look on your face when it’s all completed.”

She relaxed then. “And the verdict, then?”

“I want you to see it now. You more than anyone deserve to get an early glimpse. You were there while I was working it all out in my head. You know the effect I was hoping to achieve. You may be able to spot whether I’ve gone off course.”

“And you’d want me to tell you that?” she asked.

He gave her a wry look. “Could I keep you from it? One of the many traits I love about you is your commitment to saying what’s on your mind and never holding back.”

“I may not have much practice, but I could be sensitive and subtle if I put my mind to it,” she offered.

“Absolutely not. I don’t want censored remarks. I want the truth.”

She heard the faint hint of vulnerability in his voice and knew she’d find the right words. She had to. She touched his cheek. “It’s going to be wonderful, Luke. I know it is. Have you found music for the opening?”

“I have a stack of demo CDs in my office and no time to listen to them. I have to do that soon, or I’ll be doing Irish karaoke on opening night.”

“I could give a listen, if you like, and recommend a few. Then you could make the final choice from those.”

“That would be a godsend,” he told her.

“It would make me feel a part of it,” she said.