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He quirked a brow. “Fancy a walkin’ companion? I’m headed that way now, too, so I am.”
Did the bus drivers in Northern Ireland always join their passengers at each location? None of her other guides had.
Maisie raised a nonchalant shoulder, when in reality, her desire to linger with him was growing stronger by the minute.
“Sure,” she said in a light tone. “We might as well walk together.”
He joined her at the foot of the bus, closed the doors from the bottom, then motioned for her to precede him toward the sign. As they fell into step with each other, Maisie did her best to appear relaxed, though the smile she wore refused to leave her lips no matter what she did.
CHAPTER FOUR
Maisie left behind the white houses and small streets of Carnlough with Finn, reaching the wooden sign labeled “Cranny Falls” within a matter of minutes.
A few passengers from the bus walked a good distance ahead of them, including the three older women who had been seated in the front rows. They still held their black umbrellas overhead, despite the rain having briefly paused in its descent.
Maisie had ultimately lowered her own umbrella, as well as the hood of her jacket. She was ready to feel that crisp, Irish wind running its fingers through her hair—if only to have a distraction from the tour guide walking beside her.
She spoke with Finn for a moment about how far away the falls were and how easy the walk was as they transitioned to a thin dirt pathway. Brambles towered on both sides of them, the branches and leaves as thick as the weaves of Finn’s tight-knit sweater.
He’d pushed his sleeves halfway up his forearms, despite the crisp chill on the wind, and the ridges of his muscles shifted as he tucked his hands into his pockets.
Maisie did her best to pay closer attention to the beauty around her instead of focusing on Finn, but his earthy cologne, flat cap, and angled jawline were unfortunately winning a very half-hearted battle of wills at the moment.
“This your first time in Norn Iron, then?” he asked Maisie as they continued.
She nodded. “Yep, first time.”
“Right, so,” he began, “you were packin’ to come here, listin’ all the things you need, knowin’ it rains nearly two hundred days out of the year on our island, and you think to yourself, ‘Oh, aye. I don’t need anythin’ useful like wellies. Naw, I’ll just bring me wee, white, paper-thin trainers to tramp through the mud and rain for two weeks. It’ll be class.’”
Maisie stared at him. She’d only understood about half of what he’d said, but when his eyes focused on her feet, the stark white of her shoes contrasting with the already muddy soles, she pieced two and two together.
She could have easily taken offense at his words. He was basically calling her silly for her shoe choice. But the second she saw that distinct look of pure amusement on his face, she knew, just like before on the bus with her butty, he enjoyed a good tease as much as she did.
“That was more or less my thought process,” she said. “Though I’ll admit, there were far less ‘wees’ involved.”
He grinned. “Now I’ve gotta know the truth. What were you thinkin’ wearin’ those?”
“They’re just the shoes I always wear,” she answered with a shrug. “I never leave home without my Kiziks.”
“Are you speakin’ Greek again?”
“Kiziks,” she repeated. “You know, they’re the hands-free shoes.”
He looked at her blankly.
“They slip on without using your hands,” she explained. She stopped on the pathway, demonstrating the process, though careful to keep the mud on the lower half of the soles. “See? Super convenient.”
“There’s a fine line between convenience and laziness.”
She laughed. “I’ll have you know, these shoes are the reason I wasn’t five minutes later than what I already was this morning.”
He peered down at her. “It takes you five whole minutes to get your trainers on?” He blew out a whistle. “No wonder you need them shoes.”
Once again, she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. Was he always this funny?
“Don’t knock them ’til you try them,” she warned. “They’ll change your life.”
“You Americans never fail to surprise me,” he said with a shake of his head, his eyes still shining. “Always fixin’ problems we never knew needed fixin’.”
