Page 69 of Shadow Spell

He pulled her hair, crunched his apple. “Still, you can’t ask us to give you that quiet and alone too often till this is done.”

“Sure I won’t. I’m after making beef bourguignon for the horde of us tonight.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Fancy.”

“I’m in the mood for fancy, and you’ll see someone brings some good red wine, and plenty of it.”

“That I’ll do.” He tossed the apple core in the compost pail, walked over, kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Branna.”

“I know it. Go on and change your clothes before you’re late for work.”

When he left, she sat looking away and out the window. She wanted him happy, more even than she wanted happiness for herself. And yet, knowing he was on his way to finding what he didn’t yet know he wanted made her feel so painfully alone.

Sensing it, Kathel rose from beneath the table, laid his head in her lap. So she sat, stroking the dog, and returned to poring over the spell book.

***

IONA STEPPED INTO THE TACK ROOM WHERE MEARAorganized the equipment needed for her first guided ride of the morning.

“It’s coming time for another good going-over of everything in here,” Meara said cheerfully. “I’m taking out a party of four, two brothers and their wives who’ve come to Ashford for a big family wedding on the weekend. Their niece it is, having the wedding at Ballintubber Abbey, where you and Boyle will marry next spring, then back to Ashford they’ll all come for the reception.”

“You and Connor had sex.”

Meara looked up, and blinking dramatically began to pat herself front and back. “Am I wearing a sign then?”

“You’ve been smiling all morning, and singing.”

“I’ve been known to smile and sing without having sex beforehand.”

“You don’t sing the whole time you’re mucking stalls. And you look really,reallyrelaxed, which you wouldn’t, without sex, after a day like you had yesterday. Since you kissed Connor, you had sex with him.”

“Some people are known to kiss without having sex. And don’t you have a lesson in the ring on the schedule?”

“I have five minutes, and this is the first time I could catch you alone. Unless you want Boyle to know. It was wonderful, it was good or you wouldn’t look so happy.”

“It was wonderful and good, and it’s not a secret. Connor and I both agree—as we’re a circle, and something like this can change matters, though it won’t—all should know we’re together that way. Right now.”

She gathered reins, bit, saddle, blanket. “So we are.”

“You’re good together— You’re happy,” Iona added, hauling up more tack herself and following Meara out. “So you’re good together. Why do you say right now?”

“Because right now is right now, and who knows what tomorrow might be? You and Boyle can look forward—you’re both built that way.” She stepped into Maggie’s stall, the mare she’d chosen for one of the women. “I’m a day-at-a-time sort on matters like this.”

“And Connor?”

“I’ve never known him to be otherwise on any matter. That’s for Caesar. Just leave it there and I’ll tend to it. You have a lesson.”

“At least tell me, was it romantic?”

“You’ve such a soft heart, Iona, but I can tell you it was. And that was unexpected, and really lovely.” For a moment, just a moment, she leaned her cheek against Maggie’s soft neck. “I thought, well, once it was clear we were going forward, we’d just tear in. But... he made the room glow. And me with it.”

“That’s beautiful.” Iona stepped in, hugged Meara hard. “Just beautiful. Now I’m happy, too.”

Iona led Alastar, her big, beautiful gray, already saddled and waiting, out of his stall, toward the ring. Smiled as she heard Meara singing again.

“She’s in love,” Iona murmured to her horse, and rubbed his strong neck. “She just doesn’t know it yet.” When Alastar nuzzled her, she laughed. “I know, she’s still glowing some. I saw it, too.”

Meara switched to humming as she led horses to the paddock, looped reins around the fence. She turned to go back for the last, spotted Boyle bringing Rufus along.

---