Keelin found the grocer tucked around the corner and wandered the aisles. How was she going to cook? She didn't even know if this hut had a microwave. Maybe itwould be best if she just went with the basics, as she had no idea what she was walking into. In fact, what if there was no refrigerator? She laughed at herself. Of course there was. She hoped so. Keelin gingerly put the deli meat back and headed for non-refrigerator type food. She stocked up on bread, apples, peanut butter & jelly, and some almonds. It was enough food for a little while and she would be sure to come back to town for more once she got the lay of the land.
Keelin approached the middle-aged woman with a hairnet at the checkout line. The woman sized her up and said, "You must be Fiona O'Brien's granddaughter. I can see it in your eyes. We've always wondered when Margaret would let you come back."
"Oh, do you know my mother?" Keelin asked. Finally, a friend.
"Aye, I did at that. We used to work together. She should have stayed here to see if it would work out with Sean, though I guess that I understood her need to go. I'm assuming you are heading up to the cottage? You'll need to get on the road then before dark or you'll never find it."
"Um, okay. What is your name? Can you tell me more about why people are being weird to me?" Keelin asked in a rush of breath. She needed to know what she was walking into.
"The name is Sarah Gallagher. We're related in an odd sort of way. As I'm sure you know, your family doesn't have the best reputation in town. Yet, at the same time, you have the best reputation that you can have. You'll have to sort this out for yourself." Sarah quickly finished her bagging and dismissed Keelin to help her next customer.
Keelin felt out of sorts and fairly nervous. What was she doing walking into a situation like this? And nobody would give her answers. She trudged down the hill to her car, ignoring the curious looks cast her way. She would just figure this out for herself then. Keelin tossed her bags in the back and got in the passenger side of the truck, slammed her hand on the dashboard in annoyance, and scooted over to the driver's side. She would get the hang of this, she swore to herself.
Turning the key in the ignition, she prayed. "Come on, baby, we've got a ways to go. Let's do this. Come on." The car chugged and rattled but the engine never caught.
"Damn it. You have got to be kidding me." Frustrated, Keelin opened the door and went around to the front. Unable to locate the latch to open the hood, she slammed her fist on the top and let loose with a few of her more colorful curses.
Laughter interrupted her tantrum. "Need help, miss?" A lilting Irish brogue with a deep tenor broke through her tirade. Keelin turned to meet the owner of the voice, grateful for someone who would be nice to her.
The sun blinded her momentarily and all Keelin could see were piercing blue eyes. The deep blue of the ocean, these were the eyes in her dream. A shiver ran through her and she went a little lightheaded. Stumbling, Keelin grasped the rusted edge of the hood for support. As the man moved towards her, she made out the rest of him and drew in a deep breath. She was in trouble if all of the men in Ireland looked like this. Dark curly hair framed a chiseled face that Armani would have paid millions for to advertise their clothes in their catalog. Broad shoulderstapered to slim hips, and he walked with the ease of a man confident both on land and at sea. A day's growth of beard marred his tanned skin, and his thick lips drew into a tight line as he saw her face. His smile disappeared and he stopped, his confidence gone. Annoyance crossed his face and he cursed. Keelin got the distinct impression that he would have walked away had he not already spoken to her. Duty bound, he moved forward.
"Yes, thank you. My car won't start and I don't know how to open the hood. Or what is under the hood for that matter." Keelin smiled, hoping to wipe the annoyance from his face.
He stopped close to her. With one long gaze he took her in from head to toe and dismissed her as he turned to the truck and popped the hood.
"Excuse me, what is your name?" Keelin was miffed. She'd had her fill of rude strangers for the day.
"Flynn." He fiddled with some wires and went around to her driver's side. The car roared to life.
"Well, doesn't that just figure?" Even more unexplainably pissed, Keelin huffed out a breath.
"Well, Mr. Flynn, I kindly thank you for taking such time out of your day to help the likes of me. Could you spare a moment and tell me what was actually wrong with my car? If it isn't too much for you, sir?" Keelin could be sarcastic with the best of them.
"Loose ground wire was giving you an intermittent connection when you were trying to start it. I've tightened it. No charge." Flynn stared at her one more time and turned to go.
"Wait! Don't you want to know my name?" Keelinsurprised herself and grabbed his hand. A surge of power slapped between their palms, heating her immediately, and her skin tingled. Sensations whiplashed through her and pooled low in her stomach. Shocked, Keelin stared into Flynn's angry face.
"I know exactly who you are, Keelin O'Brien." Flynn stomped off and whistled sharply. A dog that Keelin had not seen before ran from her perch on the boardwalk and walked by his side, turning its head to stare at her.
"Well, thanks! Thanks a lot! I'll be sure to write home about the amazing Irish hospitality!" Keelin yelled after him. Flynn lifted his hand in a "go away" gesture.
CHAPTER 6
Flynn's heart pounded in his chest as he whistled for Teagan and walked away from Keelin. Of course, he knew who she was. Over the past year, her image had haunted his dreams.
He let out a small sigh as he walked up the pier towards where his fishing boat was docked. Untying the line from the pier, he waited for Teagan to hop into the boat before he leaped away from the dock. Motoring slowly from the harbor, Flynn worked to bring his pulse under control.
Lush curves, molten brown eyes, and hair that he ached to see spread over his pillows flashed through his mind. Keelin was his fantasy girl. She'd stepped into his dreams a little over a year ago and Flynn had had a hard time not measuring every woman he had met since then to her.
To her. Some figment of his imagination. Until he'd caught a glance of a photo in Fiona's cottage and realized that his fantasy woman was none other than Fiona'sestranged granddaughter, Keelin. Confusion had laced through him as he had stared down at the picture. Keelin, full of life and youth, laughed up at the camera from the grass that she sat on. She couldn't have been more than fourteen and her beauty only hinted at the woman she was to become. It had been like a punch to the gut when Flynn had realized that his dream girl was real.
Seeing her today, angry at her truck, Flynn had literally felt the world shift out from under him. How had he dreamed about her? How had he known?
His response to her in person was as visceral as in his dreams. He groaned as lust pooled low in his stomach and he ached to wrap Keelin in his arms. Yet, the fact that she had shown up in his dreams made him distrustful. How was it possible that he had known of her…her scent, her smile, her very essence…before ever meeting her?
What he didn't understand typically made him angry. Flynn liked a measure of control in his life. There was something about Keelin that made him want to throw caution to the wind and dive right in for a taste.
Scared that he was already too far gone, Flynn found himself gunning the engine and tearing out into the ocean. Away from the promise that Keelin hinted at.
