Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
SELENE
Dust motes danced happily in the late afternoon sun streaming through the windows of the great hall as I strode to where I kept my supplies in one corner of the large room.
It was one of those rare days when we had a sprinkle of rain in the morning and were promised only glorious sunshine until the sun set.
I crouched by the bag where I kept my putty knife and then frowned. It wasn’t in its usual spot, and it was very unlike me not to have stored it in its proper place after using it.
I shifted my gaze to Maeve and Rian across the room. “Have you seen my putty knife?”
Both glanced up and shook their heads. I scoffed in frustration and searched through my things again, trying to remember the last time I had it. It was nowhere to be seen.
I called out to Bren, who was working on refinishing a small oak sea chest. “Did you borrow my putty knife?”
He met my gaze with a blank stare. “I would have told you if I had.”
So many momentous things had happened recently, and they clouded everything else. I used my stupid putty knife every day but couldn’t remember the last time I’d held it.
That my mind then turned to wondering if fairies might have taken it said something about how I’d changed since coming to Killarney.
That was doubtful, though. If they were real and hanging around the castle, I would have seen signs of them before now.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Bren standing, and I turned to watch as he crossed to me. Things had been better between us since the church. He still kept his distance, but his chilly demeanor had been replaced by something much warmer. Just that minor change made everything better.
He towered over me, glancing down. “There’s a supply store in town if you’re desperate. I’d offer to go for you, but I’m in the middle of rubbing in a coat of wax, and I can’t leave it just yet.”
I offered him a grateful smile and stood. I could work on something else and pick up a new knife after work, but the thought of being out in the sunshine called to me. “I’ll go. It shouldn’t take long.”
Bren smiled. “No time at all. I’ll send their address to your phone. It’s near the Silver Hart pub.”
Perfect.
I returned thirty minutes later, refreshed by the bright day. But when my car emerged from the oaks between Bren’s house and the castle, I found the construction worker’s truck and Rian’s car missing. It was a bit early to leave for the day, but perhaps they both had appointments.
Not only that, but Bren’s sporty silver car now sat in front of the tower house instead of his truck.
Bits of rock crunched beneath my boots as I headed for the door, and I stepped inside to find it quiet as well. Bren sat with his antique chest in front of him, but there was no sign of my friend. “Where’s Maeve?”
Bren lifted his gaze. “Oh, I gave them the rest of the afternoon off. I thought it would be nice if they could enjoy the sunshine too.”
I blinked, certain something was off, but I couldn’t pinpoint anything. I strode to the old oak table and dropped my purse and the putty knife on the surface.
Bren gestured with his hand to his small restoration project. “What do you think?”
I walked toward him, my senses on alert, but he remained casual and relaxed. The beauty of the newly waxed wood caught my attention, and I studied it closer. “It looks really nice.”
He nodded, pleased. “It’s been a long time since I worked on something like this. I enjoyed it.”
His comment drew a smile from me, and I couldn’t get over how he’d changed in just a few days. He seemed…happier. Lighter. My heart approved. “You should take it up as a hobby. It’s always good to have things to be interested in besides your job.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he chuckled. “And what’s your hobby outside of work?”
I froze and then smiled. “I…well…I guess I don’t have one.”
He stood, forcing me to lift my gaze. “I thought I might like a drive in the sunshine and wondered if you might like to go. There’s some stonework near the coast you might find interesting.”
His choice of words stilled my breath. Stonework?
I studied his eyes, looking for any sign that he hadn’t meant it literally and was hinting at how I’d lured him into the church basement. But there was not a trace of flirtation.
Disappointment nipped at me, but he was offering time alone with him. “I would like that very much.”
He smiled then. “Great. Grab your things and let’s go. I’ve been meaning to get down that way to check on the Veil too.”
So, in reality, he was taking me along while he did his job. Still, it was time together. “We’re not going after a wraith, are we?”
A warm laugh spilled from him as we headed for the door. “Not that I sense, and it’s unlikely. The area is usually calm.”
We headed toward our cars, and when I offered to drive, he declined. “I think we’ll have a more enjoyable afternoon if we can focus more on the scenery and not on which side of the road you’re driving on.”
I laughed, knowing it was true.
He opened the car door for me, and I slid onto the buttery seat. A shiver of excitement rolled through me as he headed toward the other side, and I wondered if our outing might be a date.
Or maybe I was hoping for more than I should have.
It wasn’t long before the spaces between houses widened, and most of the scenery was a narrow, winding road between walls of stone and hedgerows. Beyond those, vibrant green hills rolled gently from one into another, many dotted with sheep.
I glanced at Bren. “Do you mind if I roll down the window?”
He grinned. “Not at all. I prefer fresh air as well. Especially on a warm day.”
We both lowered our windows, and he turned up the radio. A lively tune, complete with a fiddle, filled the space between us. I filled my lungs with the fresh Irish air and exhaled. “It’s a cliché thing to say, but the air here is so much sweeter than where I’m from.”
Bren lifted his chin in acknowledgment. “It’s all that pure air rushing in from the Atlantic. What’s it like in Washington? How is it different from here?”
Thoughts of home tugged at me, and I realized it had many things I loved too. “It’s also green, like here, but different. The mountains are more rugged, and the forests are thicker. Lots of pines. We have beautiful lakes too. A healthy fishing industry.”
He nodded in appreciation. “What do they fish for?”
I studied his profile as I answered, following the lines of his strong jaw and straight nose. “Salmon and halibut. Crab too.”
He cocked his head. “It would be hard to beat our wild Atlantic salmon, but I’d like to taste freshly caught halibut.”
“Maybe we could go one day.” Though maybe that wouldn’t be a possibility for him. “Have you ever traveled outside Ireland?”
Bren shot me a quick glance, but I caught the wistful look in his eyes. “I can’t. My duty is here.”
My chest tightened, and I wondered what else he’d been required to sacrifice. “You can’t leave, ever? Can’t someone cover for you like people do in other jobs?”
“It’s not a possibility.”
I scoffed. “That’s not fair. Can’t you take that up with your boss?” I blinked. “Do you have a boss?”
His chuckle lightened my concerns. “It’s not like that. I’ve been oath-bound since I came of age. It’s a duty, but it’s also an honor to protect others.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed one needed to sacrifice their entire life, but I didn’t want to make him feel bad about it either. “At least the place you belong to is so beautiful.”
He kept his gaze on the road as he nodded. The song changed to a slower one before he spoke again. “Does that bother you, Selene? Could you be with someone who’s bound to their land?”
My breath hitched, and I turned to him. “Of course. I admire what you do. It’s…it’s amazing. Incredible.” I managed a snort. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and…” My throat tightened around the rest.
Bren didn’t press me for what I’d been about to say, but the words tumbled through my mind. I like you. A lot. I may be falling in love with you.
I can’t imagine my life without you?
Beyond the endless stone walls that lined the road, the remains of a broken tower house sat isolated on a hillside ahead.
No roof and most of the top floors were now a pile of stones at the base.
“It’s sad to see history fading away like that castle, isn’t it?
I would love to see them all preserved, but I suppose that isn’t possible. ”
His gaze tracked the artifact as the narrow road curved past it.
“Ireland’s been through a lot over the centuries.
Attacked by the Vikings, the Normans, the Scots, and the English.
Many years of uncertainty and unrest. Most people outside of Ireland speak of the Great Famine, but we’ve endured much more. ”
He released a soft sigh. “Not much thought goes into maintaining buildings when you’re fighting to survive.”
My ancestors were included in that group. “I suppose the fact that we’re sitting here today is proof of how strong those people were.”
He met my gaze, a smile in his eyes. “That’s the truth of it. Likely much of what’s built today won’t survive centuries either, but it’s the lives that are the most important, don’t you think?”
I gave him a smile and a firm nod. “I do.”
We passed long stretches of water reflecting the surrounding mountains and plenty of cows grazing on the impossibly green hills.
We’d been on the road for a while when the road climbed higher, and rocky hills replaced the farmland. The trees thinned, and the wind picked up, gusting hard enough to shake the car at times. “Where are we?”
Bren pressed on the accelerator as we came out of a curve. “Moll’s Gap. Not far from Dingle.”
A few fluffy clouds hung low near the ground as I looked ahead to where the road cut through the mountain. “Is that where we’re going? Dingle?”
“Maybe for dinner later. There’s somewhere I want to show you first.”
I turned to him. “Is that where the stonework is?”
He nodded once. “It is.”
I chuckled softly. “Is that all you’re going to tell me about it?”
“It is.”
I chuckled and leaned back against my seat. “You’re a man of few words. I guess I’m lucky you’ve told me what you have.”
A hint of a smile quirked at the corner of his mouth, teasing me. “You are.”
I shook my head at our light banter and turned my gaze out the window again.
Not long after, we crested a hill, and suddenly the ocean spread out before us. I inhaled a delighted breath, transfixed by the vast, deep blue water. “How does one look at that and not feel insignificant?”
Bren nodded but didn’t answer.
The road dropped toward the coast, and a vast sweep of pale sand spread out, creating a barrier between the ocean and the emerald hills. White-capped waves rolled in, and I spotted several surfers enjoying the wild water and sunny day.
I couldn’t deny that it called to my soul. “I wonder if my family ever lived here.”
Bren turned to me with an inquisitive look. “You feel it then?”
I nodded, surprised by what could only be described as a spiritual experience. “Deeply.”
He looked back at the road without another word.
The car descended the winding hillside, each turn bringing us closer to the water. The scent of salt drifted through my open window, carried inland on a cool breeze that tugged at my hair. The rhythmic crash of the waves grew louder until it became the only sound I wanted to hear.
Bren eased into a small gravel car park overlooking the beach where only two other cars sat, and he turned off the engine.
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
He rested one hand on the steering wheel and looked out across the miles of sand, where the tide crept steadily toward shore before retreating once more.
Then he turned to me, a softness settling into his gray eyes that I’d rarely seen. “Come on,” he said quietly. “I think you’ll like this.”