“You will?” She’d see him then. What a lovely surprise. “You can make it happen that fast?”
“Granny may be getting on in years, but when she’s on a mission, she’s up to ninety.”
“Go, Granny!”
“I’ll not be holding her back. The idea of seeing you at Christmas… it’s grand to think of, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“We won’t be sneaking over to Rance’s cabin.”
“Well, probably not, but… the logistics will be….”
“Leave it to me, lass. Just know that we’ll be sharing a bed and it won’t be a secret anymore.”
“Fine with me.” She’d go along with anything, but how in the world could he create a temporary love nest?
She couldn’t picture it. Or much of anything beyond this week. She used to be able to look ahead and anticipate at least the next few months on the calendar. Now it was a jigsaw puzzle with huge sections missing.
A while ago Rance had tossed in a few random pieces from a completely different puzzle and she couldn’t make those fiteither. But there was one piece, an idea that had come to her when she’d ridden back from town with Kieran.
In the rush of recent events, she’d lost it. That idea might be critical, but she wouldn’t know unless she remembered what it was.
“Sara?”
“What?”
“You were staring off into space, like you had a vision.”
“I didn’t, but I could use one. Listen, when we go in, I’d like to peel off and slip into the library for a little while.”
“With me?” His eyes lit up.
“No, sorry.” She touched his cheek to soften the rejection. “I need time alone. I have some thinking to do. If anybody asks, just say….”
“The truth, yeah? That you need time alone?”
“Sure. That works.”
Dipping his head, he brushed his lips over hers. “To hold me until tonight.”
She almost grabbed him.
He smiled. “Makes my heart sing when you look at me like that.”
And now she was a puddle of goo. If he swept her up and carried her off to his car, she wouldn’t stop him.
Instead he gestured toward the steps and she marched up to the porch because it was the right thing to do.
Sam greeted them at the door and followed Kieran when he patted his thigh and made for the living room and the sound of animated conversation.
Ducking into the library, Sara quietly closed the door. The peaceful environment drew a sigh of relief from her tight chest. She’d been on emotional overload ever since Kieran had walked into Hannigan’s.
She cherished every moment of being with him. But after non-stop drama, she needed to catch her breath, order her thoughts, figure out where the hell she was headed and whether a course correction was called for.
She browsed the shelves, finding many old favorites from classics to current popular writers, from Jane Austin to Nora Roberts, Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King.Stephen King.That was it! The missing piece!
Excitement shot through her as she pulled out her phone and searched for Stephen King tours. Adventuring Travel came up, but so did several boutique operations. She zeroed in on one that advertised intimate tours limited to six people.
