“Aye, right this minute, yesterday in fact. Go and get cleaned up, we’re goin’ to see Father Fitzgerald,” she ordered, watching him wipe off his hands.
“What about the grand weddin’ our folks have planned? Don’t you want that?” he asked, walking toward her.
“I never wanted it, they did. I just want to get married and get out of this town,” she insisted. “Hurry up.”
“I think we need to talk about this,” he began. “You haven’t even?—”
“What’s to talk about?” she interrupted, pacing back and forth across the drive. “You asked me to marry you, well actually you got my da drunk and trapped me, but that’s neither here nor there at this point. I would have said yes, eventually. Anyway, you asked, I said yes, so let’s do it.”
“I’m thinkin’ you’d better come inside,” he said, taking her arm. “You seem very agitated.”
“No. I can’t listen to another word about what your ma thinks I should wear,” she snapped, yanking her arm away and stepping back.
“She’s not home, won’t be for hours,” he said with a frown. “Now come inside and we’ll talk about what’s botherin’ you.”
“Oh, sure. Take me into your parents’ house when they’re not home. How sweet. All alone, just the happy couple. Haven’t you shamed me enough?” she demanded.
“Are you ashamed of me, ashamed to be marryin’ me?”
“Of course not, I’m ashamed folks think I have to,” she cried. “You’ve ruined my reputation as surely as if you’d been the one to take advantage of me that night behind the school, and succeeded,” she bellowed.
“I see,” he replied. “Well, in that case, since you’re good name is already tarnished,” he said approaching her with an angry gleam in his eye.
“You stay away from me, Sean O’Malley,” she ordered, backing up. “I’ll scream,” she warned when he tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the house.
“Aye, you will if you pinch me again.”
Maeve quickly pulled her hand back from his butt.
“Are you goin’ to marry me or not?” she asked incensed as he carried her up the steps and through the door.
“I am,” he replied firmly.
“Then what are you waitin’ for? Let’s go.” Her hair was blinding her, but not so much she couldn’t tell he was taking her to his bedroom.
“We have a few matters to get straightened out between us,” he answered, kicking his door open.
“Does that have a dirty connotation?” she asked suspiciously just before she was tossed onto his bed where she bounced several times.
“Not the way I meant it, but as I’ve already ‘ruined’ you, ’tis a possibility,” he replied rolling up his sleeves.
“Why are you doin’ that?” she questioned, her eyes widening as she popped to a sitting position and shoved her hair back.
“Just in case you refuse to be reasonable or need a little convincin’,” he replied calmly.
“Convincin’ of what?”
“Convincin’ that you’re actin’ a mite crazy, lass,” he said, leaning over her with one arm on each side of her body as she fell back. “You’re going off the deep end, lettin’ your imagination run away with you, losin’ your marbles, whatever you want to call it.”
Maeve looked up at him. His eyes were pinning her as surely as his arms. She’d thought he understood her, but he didn’t. He had no idea what she was going through.
“Everyone thinks we’re ‘doin’ it’,” she hissed. Sean smiled. Smiled for God’s sake!
“Why wouldn’t they?” he asked, grinning. “Look at you. No man in his right mind could keep his hands off you, and I swear I don’t know how I have.”
Maeve reached out, picked up a book off his bedside stand and whacked him in the head with it…three times. Finally, he backed up and she scrambled off the other side of the bed while he stood there rubbing his head.
“Are you sure ’tis not all in your head? Maybe ’tis your own nasty little thoughts that have you confused. Maybe ’tis you, thinkin’ about ‘doin’ it’ that’s cloudin’ your judgment?” he asked, somehow still grinning. “Are you wonderin’ what t’will be like, darlin’?”
