“Neither have I. And for a while it looked like we’d never be able to act on it. Then Rance came up with a solution and here we are.”
She took several slow breaths while she sorted through all he’d said. “It’s a very romantic picture you’ve painted, but if you’re thinking I’ll just move to Ireland and live in your little village, that’s not happening.”
“But you said your company is international. They must have an office in Dublin.”
“They do, but they also have a strict policy of hiring only people native to the country for the local offices.”
“So you’d have to leave your job.”
“Yes.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
“And I wouldn’t ask you to leave your granny!”
“Good, because I would never do that.”
“So even if I said yes, which I’m not going to, how would we create a life together?”
“I don’t know. Asking you to move far away from your family is bad enough, but leaving your job... I hadn’t counted on thatbeing a problem. I’ll need to do more thinking.” He reached for her hand.
She almost pulled it out of reach, but then… she didn’t. She loved touching him, being touched by him.
He wove his fingers through hers. “I went about this all wrong.”
“You think?”
“Making love to you was like a religious experience. I even said a little prayer at the end, giving thanks for what we’d shared.”
That touched her. She didn’t want to go all mushy inside, but he had a way about him. She’d wanted to hug him from the moment he’d taken the postcard out of his shirt pocket.
He squeezed her hand and looked at her. “You can probably guess I’ve never proposed to anyone before, judging from the arseways I handled it.”
“It wasn’t what you’d call smooth.”
“Or respectful. It was more of a demand than a request.”
“If you’re working up to a do-over, it’s not a good idea. I’ll just shoot you down.”
He nodded. “Any sane person would. My plan is banjaxed. But let’s say that a miracle happened, and a path opened that would allow us to be together without me leaving granny to fend for herself or you giving up your job.”
“That would take a big miracle.”
“But pretend that happened. Could you see yourself marrying me?”
“After knowing you for less than a day?”
“Good point. I’ve known you for years, wanted you for years.” He flashed her his winning smile. “I don’t suppose I look like your dream fella.”
“I don’t have one. But… I like the way you look. I like it a lot.”
“So you approve of my looks and you enjoyed the sex. There was also that moment when we took a walk with Sam and you said some nice things about me.”
“Now you’re fishing.”
“Have to. I need all the arguments I can find. I remember something aboutpure gold. Did you mean that?”
He was utterly sincere and completely adorable. “Are you sure you’re a construction worker? Because you’re sounding more and more like a lawyer.”
