The clanking of dishes and the chattering of voices in the kitchen meant that someone was already at work, as did the scent of coffee along with onions and garlic.
“Wait here.” Kiernan released her arm and crossed toward the bar counter and the kitchen door behind it.
She crossed to one of the landscapes on the dark-paneled wall. It was a painting of a mountainous area with vibrant green hillsides surrounding a clear blue lake and the shadows of the few clouds adding dimension.
She tried to imagine Bellamy as a boy standing on top of one of those mountains with his easel in front of him while he painted. Had he been able to paint openly there? Or had his painting always been a secret? How had he learned to paint so well? There were still so many things she didn’t know about him.
Kiernan returned to the dining room a moment later. He’d taken off his hat, and his forehead was creased with frustration. “Bellamy’s not here.”
“He’s not?”
“Apparently he left early this morning, and his sister doesn’t know when he’ll return.”
Was he already out looking for Mr. O’Reilly? Zaira could only pray he’d find the man swiftly so the children could be reunited with their father.
Kiernan blew out a taut breath. “He was aware that we would need a meeting this morn, was he not?”
“I assumed so.” They hadn’t talked about specific plans, but certainly Bellamy had to know this was the next step in making their courtship official.
“I sent Jenny up to tell Oscar we’re here and would like a meeting.”
Zaira sighed. Leave it to Kiernan to make such demands. “We can’t meet without Bellamy—”
“Thanks be to the holy mother.” Oscar’s booming voicefilled the pub as he stepped through from the kitchen behind the bar counter. He was hastily finishing buttoning his sleeves and his hair was disheveled, as if he hadn’t yet taken the time to comb it. “I was hoping to see James Shanahan coming to make an offer for my lad, Bellamy. But I’ll take Kiernan Shanahan in his stead, so I will.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t an offer, Mr. McKenna.”
“Say no more.” Oscar was smiling broadly, and his eyes danced with excitement, as if he’d just been told President Zachary Taylor was coming to dinner. “After that kiss, I figured it was just a matter of time before the Shanahans came here to make a match.”
Kiernan wasn’t smiling in return. “If you knew that, then why are you holding meetings with every other family in St. Louis?”
Oscar rumbled with laughter as he rounded the bar. “I always say there’s nothing like a wee nudge to set the wheels of love in motion.”
“Just so you know, Mr. McKenna”—she followed the man toward his corner table—“Bellamy and I aren’t ready for an official match. For now, we only want to court and have the chance to get to know each other better before we decide if we’re the right fit.”
Oscar waved a dismissive hand and gave another short laugh. “Oh, you’re a fit and rightly so. I didn’t have to be here to witness the kiss, and even I know that.”
“The decision is up to Bellamy and me,” she persisted, relieved the pub was empty and no one else could hear Oscar’s declaration.
Kiernan had followed Oscar too, and he touched her armand slanted her a warning look, one that told her she was being too bold.
That wasn’t fair. She couldn’t sit back and say nothing—not when she and Bellamy had already decided upon a course of action that would work for them.
She glanced first to the door and then to the kitchen entrance. Where was Bellamy, anyway? If he were here, he’d be able to clarify everything.
“Come on and sit with me, Kiernan.” Oscar pulled out a chair and lowered himself. “Let’s talk for a few minutes, and then we’ll schedule a meeting with both you and your father and Bellamy where we can pluck the gander.”
“Excuse me, Mr. McKenna.” The panic was starting to swell inside Zaira. “Bellamy and I decided we don’t want to arrange a match yet.”
Oscar gave her another large, almost-affectionate smile. “I heard you the first time you told me that, darlin’.”
“Bellamy doesn’t want a match yet either.”
“Ach, that Bellamy wouldn’t know what he wants even if the right woman walked up to him and kissed him—which she did.”
Inwardly Zaira groaned. Would that kiss haunt her forever?
The best thing to do at the moment was find Bellamy and get him to stop the proceedings from going any further.
