Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
It was why I was out here at sunrise, hands caked with dirt, instead of nursing a couple extra hours of sleep. There was something about this place—about Rory Conlan—that made me want to prove myself.
♦
After a very long day, I found Rory in the main barn, standing at a stall with his arms braced over the top rail, quietly observing one of the horses inside. It was early evening, the sky just starting to shift to deeper shades of blue. I had debated all day about making this call, but the longer I waited, the more I needed to hear my father’s voice.
“Hey, Rory,” I said as I stepped up beside him. “Any chance I could use your phone to call my dad?”
He turned his head, raising a brow. “Of course, lad. No need to ask.”
“I was going to place it collect,” I added, rubbing the back of my neck. “But if that doesn’t work, I can settle up with you later.”
Rory waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. Go on and use the cottage line. Should be quieter there and the door’s unlocked.”
I thanked him and walked the short distance to Rory and Kathleen’s cottage. Inside, the house was warm, the scent of whatever Kathleen had cooked earlier lingering in the air. I checked the time—early afternoon back home in Kentucky. I should be able to reach my father, who would most likely be in his office up at the main house.
Rory’s phone was mounted on the kitchen wall and I picked up the receiver, pressing it to my ear before dialing the operator.
“I’d like to place a collect call to the United States,” I told her, then rattled off my father’s number.
“Please hold while I connect ye.”
As I waited, I pulled out a chair to sit, leaning back and tapping my fingers against the table. My mind wandered to last night, to Fiona leading me up that hill, the way she had looked under the moonlight, her red hair catching in the breeze. The way she had leaned into me as we sat under the hawthorns, watching the lights of Clonmel flicker in the distance.
And the way I felt when she told me about her father ordering her to invite Brian to the festival. The anger that had surged in me was brutally hot. I’d never been one to insert myself into other people’s business, but this?
This was different.
Fiona was my business.
“Hello?” My father’s deep voice pulled me back.
“Hey, Dad,” I said, clearing my throat and sitting up straight in my chair.
“Well, there’s my boy,” he said, his voice warm with affection. “I was hoping you’d call soon. You settling in all right over there?”
I grinned. “Yeah, I am. It’s amazing here. The land’s beautiful. The people are good. And Rory’s got me working hard.”
My dad chuckled. “That was the plan. What kind of work you been doing?”
I told him about the horses, the training, how Rory had put me through my paces. I talked about Kathleen, how she ran her own pub and how much I liked her sharp wit. I described the rolling green pastures, the cool, damp air, and the fact that I still hadn’t gotten used to how damn long the daylight lasted.
And then, without thinking, I said, “I helped Rory’s niece run steeplechase the other day.”
My dad must have caught something in my voice because he hummed thoughtfully. “Rory’s niece, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat. “Fiona.”
“Sounds pretty,” my dad said, and I could hear the amusement across the line, so very far away.
“Very pretty,” I agreed hesitantly.
“Sounds like a special girl.”
I hesitated for half a second before I spilled everything.
“She is,” I admitted. “And I—I really like her, Dad. A lot. But it’s complicated. Her father’s pushing her to marry some guy she doesn’t want, and she feels trapped. And I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”
There was silence for a beat, and then my dad exhaled, slow and measured.
“Well,” he said, “I suppose the first thing you do is be careful. Sounds like you’ve got yourself wrapped up in something real tricky.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“And you haven’t been there long, so make sure your feelings are true.”
“They are,” I blurted a little too loud, but he got the point.
“Then if they are,” my dad continued, “that doesn’t mean you walk away if it’s worth it. You do what’s right by her and by yourself. You can’t fix her life for her, but you can sure as hell stand beside her while she figures it out.”
Something in my chest eased at his words. That was exactly what I wanted to do—be there for her. Make sure she knew she had a choice.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said.
“Tommy…”
“Yeah?”
“You’re young and—”
“I know, I know,” I drawled with a huff. “I shouldn’t fall for someone I just met and—”