“It’ll take a lot of charm. I’ve been saving up.”
“Well, if you manage it, keep in touch with me. I’ll do what I can to look into the matter from my end. Oh, and if you need extra ammunition, you could mention we’ve several of Maggie’s pieces displayed in Worldwide New York.”
The sound of women’s laughter filled the air. They came outside, still circling Maggie, who had Liam in the crook of her arm. There were introductions, greetings, a lot of last-minute cooing over the baby before the visitors hopped on bicycles and peddled off.
“Let’s have him.” Gray reached out and took the baby from Maggie’s arms. He always got a kick out of the way Liam stared up at him with solemn blue eyes. “Hey, aren’t you talking yet? Rogan, I think it’s time we got this kid away from the women, took him down to the pub for a pint.”
“He’s had his pint for the evening, thank you,” Maggie put in.
“Mother’s milk.”
Gray tickled the baby’s chin. “How come he’s wearing a dress? These women are making a sissy out of you, kid.”
“ ’Tisn’t a dress.” Brianna leaned forward to kiss the top of Liam’s head. “A sacque is what it is. He’ll be wearing trousers soon enough. Rogan, you’ve only to heat that dish I brought down when you’re ready for dinner.” She scowled down at his gardening attempt. “It’s no good playing with the weeds. You have to get the roots.”
He grinned, kissed her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Waving him away, she laughed. “I’m going. Gray, give the baby back. The Sweeneys have had more than enough company for the day. You’ll put your feet up?” she said to Maggie.
“I will. Make her do the same,” she ordered Gray. “She’s been running two households for days.”
Gray snatched Brianna’s hand. “I could carry you back.”
“Don’t be foolish. You take care.” She let her hand stay in Gray’s as they walked through the garden gate and onto the road. “He’s grown so much already,” she murmured. “And he does smile now, right at you. Do you ever wonder what goes through a baby’s mind when he’s looking at you?”
“I figure he’s wondering if this life is going to be much different from the last.”
Surprised, she turned her head. “Do you believe in that sort of thing? Really?”
“Sure. One trip through never made sense to me. We’d never get it right with one try. And being in a place like this, you can feel the echo of old souls every time you take a breath.”
“Sometimes I feel I’ve walked along here before.” Idly she reached out, trailing her hand along the red blossoms of fuchsia that lined the road. “Right here, but in a different time, in a different skin.”
“Tell me a story.”
“There’s a stillness to the air, a peace. The road’s only a path, very narrow but well trod. And I can smell turf fires burning. I’m tired, but it’s good, because I’m going home to someone. Someone’s waiting for me just up ahead. Sometimes I can almost see him standing there, lifting his hand to wave at me.”
She stopped, shook her head at her own nonsense. “It’s foolish. Just imagining.”
“Doesn’t have to be.” He bent down, plucked a wildflower from the side of the road, and handed it to her. “The first day I walked here, I couldn’t look at it all fast enough, long enough. It wasn’t just because it was new. It was like remembering.” On impulse he turned, took her into his arms, and kissed her.
So was this, he realized. Now and then, when he held her, when his mouth was on hers, there was a picture of it at the edge of his mind.
Like remembering.
He brushed off the feeling. It was time, he decided, to start charming her into doing what he wanted. “Rogan told me he needs to go back to Dublin for a while. Maggie and Liam will go with him.”
“Oh.” There was a sharp, quick stab of regret before she found acceptance. “Well, they have a life there as well. I tend to forget when they’re here.”
“You’ll miss them.”
“I will, yes.”
“I need to take a little trip myself.”
“A trip?” Now there was a jolt of panic she fought to control. “Where are you going?”
“New York. The premiere, remember?”
“Your movie.” She managed a smile. “It’s exciting for you.”
“It could be. If you’d go with me.”
“Go with you?” Now she stopped dead in the road to gape at him. “To New York City?”
“A couple of days. Three or four.” He scooped her into his arms again and led her into an impromptu waltz. “We could stay at the Plaza like Eloise.”
“Eloise? Who—”
“Never mind. I’ll explain later. We’ll take the Concorde, be there before you know it. We could visit Worldwide there,” he added as extra incentive.
“Do all the tourist things, eat in ridiculously expensive restaurants. You might get some new menus out of it.”
“But I couldn’t. Really.” Her head was spinning, and had nothing to do with the quick circles of the dance. “The inn—”
“Mrs. O’Malley said she’d be glad to pinch hit.”
“To—”
“To help out,” he elaborated. “I want you with me, Brianna. The movie’s important, but it won’t be any fun without you. It’s a big moment for me. I don’t want it to just be an obligation.”
“But, New York—”
“A wink away on the SST. Murphy’s happy to look after Con, Mrs. O’Malley’s bustling to take care of the inn.”
“You’ve talked to them already.” She tried to stop the whirling dance, but Gray kept spinning her.
“Sure. I knew you wouldn’t go until everything was tidy.”
“I wouldn’t. And I can’t—”
“Do this for me, Brianna.” Ruthlessly he pulled out his best weapon. The trust. “I need you there.”
Her breath came out on a long, slow sigh. “Grayson.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I must be mad.” And she laughed. “Yes.”
“Well, if you manage it, keep in touch with me. I’ll do what I can to look into the matter from my end. Oh, and if you need extra ammunition, you could mention we’ve several of Maggie’s pieces displayed in Worldwide New York.”
The sound of women’s laughter filled the air. They came outside, still circling Maggie, who had Liam in the crook of her arm. There were introductions, greetings, a lot of last-minute cooing over the baby before the visitors hopped on bicycles and peddled off.
“Let’s have him.” Gray reached out and took the baby from Maggie’s arms. He always got a kick out of the way Liam stared up at him with solemn blue eyes. “Hey, aren’t you talking yet? Rogan, I think it’s time we got this kid away from the women, took him down to the pub for a pint.”
“He’s had his pint for the evening, thank you,” Maggie put in.
“Mother’s milk.”
Gray tickled the baby’s chin. “How come he’s wearing a dress? These women are making a sissy out of you, kid.”
“ ’Tisn’t a dress.” Brianna leaned forward to kiss the top of Liam’s head. “A sacque is what it is. He’ll be wearing trousers soon enough. Rogan, you’ve only to heat that dish I brought down when you’re ready for dinner.” She scowled down at his gardening attempt. “It’s no good playing with the weeds. You have to get the roots.”
He grinned, kissed her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Waving him away, she laughed. “I’m going. Gray, give the baby back. The Sweeneys have had more than enough company for the day. You’ll put your feet up?” she said to Maggie.
“I will. Make her do the same,” she ordered Gray. “She’s been running two households for days.”
Gray snatched Brianna’s hand. “I could carry you back.”
“Don’t be foolish. You take care.” She let her hand stay in Gray’s as they walked through the garden gate and onto the road. “He’s grown so much already,” she murmured. “And he does smile now, right at you. Do you ever wonder what goes through a baby’s mind when he’s looking at you?”
“I figure he’s wondering if this life is going to be much different from the last.”
Surprised, she turned her head. “Do you believe in that sort of thing? Really?”
“Sure. One trip through never made sense to me. We’d never get it right with one try. And being in a place like this, you can feel the echo of old souls every time you take a breath.”
“Sometimes I feel I’ve walked along here before.” Idly she reached out, trailing her hand along the red blossoms of fuchsia that lined the road. “Right here, but in a different time, in a different skin.”
“Tell me a story.”
“There’s a stillness to the air, a peace. The road’s only a path, very narrow but well trod. And I can smell turf fires burning. I’m tired, but it’s good, because I’m going home to someone. Someone’s waiting for me just up ahead. Sometimes I can almost see him standing there, lifting his hand to wave at me.”
She stopped, shook her head at her own nonsense. “It’s foolish. Just imagining.”
“Doesn’t have to be.” He bent down, plucked a wildflower from the side of the road, and handed it to her. “The first day I walked here, I couldn’t look at it all fast enough, long enough. It wasn’t just because it was new. It was like remembering.” On impulse he turned, took her into his arms, and kissed her.
So was this, he realized. Now and then, when he held her, when his mouth was on hers, there was a picture of it at the edge of his mind.
Like remembering.
He brushed off the feeling. It was time, he decided, to start charming her into doing what he wanted. “Rogan told me he needs to go back to Dublin for a while. Maggie and Liam will go with him.”
“Oh.” There was a sharp, quick stab of regret before she found acceptance. “Well, they have a life there as well. I tend to forget when they’re here.”
“You’ll miss them.”
“I will, yes.”
“I need to take a little trip myself.”
“A trip?” Now there was a jolt of panic she fought to control. “Where are you going?”
“New York. The premiere, remember?”
“Your movie.” She managed a smile. “It’s exciting for you.”
“It could be. If you’d go with me.”
“Go with you?” Now she stopped dead in the road to gape at him. “To New York City?”
“A couple of days. Three or four.” He scooped her into his arms again and led her into an impromptu waltz. “We could stay at the Plaza like Eloise.”
“Eloise? Who—”
“Never mind. I’ll explain later. We’ll take the Concorde, be there before you know it. We could visit Worldwide there,” he added as extra incentive.
“Do all the tourist things, eat in ridiculously expensive restaurants. You might get some new menus out of it.”
“But I couldn’t. Really.” Her head was spinning, and had nothing to do with the quick circles of the dance. “The inn—”
“Mrs. O’Malley said she’d be glad to pinch hit.”
“To—”
“To help out,” he elaborated. “I want you with me, Brianna. The movie’s important, but it won’t be any fun without you. It’s a big moment for me. I don’t want it to just be an obligation.”
“But, New York—”
“A wink away on the SST. Murphy’s happy to look after Con, Mrs. O’Malley’s bustling to take care of the inn.”
“You’ve talked to them already.” She tried to stop the whirling dance, but Gray kept spinning her.
“Sure. I knew you wouldn’t go until everything was tidy.”
“I wouldn’t. And I can’t—”
“Do this for me, Brianna.” Ruthlessly he pulled out his best weapon. The trust. “I need you there.”
Her breath came out on a long, slow sigh. “Grayson.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I must be mad.” And she laughed. “Yes.”
