Alannah stood in the middle of the fray, the rain beginning to plaster her unbound hair to her body. “Mr. Shanahan hasn’t used me, Torin. He’s not that kind of man.”
Kiernan wanted to believe she was right. But now that they’d kissed, would he be able to resist kissing her again if the opportunity presented itself? He liked to think he could, but what if he was too weak?
The truth was, if he wanted to stay strong, he had to stop putting himself into situations that might cause him to stumble. Or maybe he needed to push forward with considering a match with her.
Without his hat, Kiernan became conscious of the rain pelting his head and soaking his hair, penetrating through the layers of his garments, splattering against his face. It was the punishment he deserved for kissing Alannah. Now he had to make amends.
“I have a solution to our problems,” he stated more calmly than he was feeling. “Not only with the recent rumors but also with Shaw Farrell’s threats.”
Bellamy glanced at him expectantly. Torin, still locked into place on the ground by Bellamy’s boots, turned his angry gaze to Kiernan.
“I realize Bellamy probably has other candidates in mindfor Alannah.” Kiernan forced himself to speak. “But I’d like to be considered as her top match.”
Her eyes widened at his declaration, her long lashes damp with raindrops he wished he could kiss away.
Torin only stared, his mouth stalling around a response. And Bellamy shifted away from Kiernan, but not before he glimpsed a small, satisfied smile on the fellow’s lips.
Why was Bellamy acting as though he’d gotten what he wanted? Had he planned this match between them all along? Was that why he’d proposed the wager?
Bellamy had certainly seemed to think something was going on that day at Enya’s house. Maybe he’d intended to use all the other women as a way to open Kiernan’s eyes to the kind of match he really needed: a woman like Alannah.
If so, it had worked.
“I need an urgent match and so does Alannah.” Kiernan spoke the logical conclusion aloud, hoping everyone else would agree. “So why not consider the option?”
Bellamy didn’t remove his boots from Torin’s arms, but he slipped his hand inside his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He held it toward Alannah.
She took the sheet from Bellamy and swiftly stepped into the confinement of the pavilion, her back facing them as she unfolded the paper.
Bellamy cocked his head at her. “Alannah knows you were the man I picked for her.”
“I was your candidate?” Kiernan couldn’t hold the question in.
“Oh aye.” This time Bellamy didn’t hide his smile.
Torin, still unmoving on the ground, leaned his head back and seemed to relax, the fight gone.
Kiernan leveled a glare at Bellamy. “Why didn’t you say so from the start?”
Bellamy gave a one-shouldered shrug. “If you hadn’t been so stubborn, you would have figured it out earlier.”
Was the matchmaker right? Bellamy had wanted to do his job without interference. But Kiernan had insisted on his way, as usual.
“I admit. I was stubborn.” Kiernan supposed he wouldn’t have been able to acknowledge that stubbornness unless he’d gone through the process of visiting with all the women and discovering for himself that none of them could ever compare to Alannah. Even though it had taken time and effort, he’d learned his lesson well—that his list of qualifications was superficial and selfish and stupid. Bellamy had seen that from the start.
If Bellamy had told Alannah about their match, why hadn’t she brought it up?
Kiernan’s mind spun back to all the times they’d met at night. Had she been agreeable to spending time with him because she assumed they were courting? Most likely when she’d heard about him seeing all the other women and realized he wasn’t courting her after all, that had been why she’d stopped visiting with him.
He’d been a fool not to consider her from the moment he’d met her. He supposed in some deep place in his soul, he’d already known how special she was, but he’d been too consumed with making himself important, too focused on what he could gain, too caught up in becoming better than his da.
But couldn’t he have her and still make everything else work?
Kiernan hungrily took her in again. Safe from the rain beneath the roof of the pavilion, she was reading whatever was on the sheet. Was it some kind of agreement for their match?
“Mr. Shanahan wants to marry Alannah?” Torin rolled out from underneath Bellamy’s boots and sat up.
“Why else do you think I arranged this meeting today?” Bellamy glanced to the sky overhead as if grateful for the rain.
