Page 108 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
He strode out of the shed, leaving them alone in the quiet. Megan put her hand on Kade’s chest. “Kade, please! I didn’t know this could happen. I’m so sorry.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “Of course you didn’t. Why would you think a small pony could mate with a giant? It’s rare, but it happens and sometimes produces grand breeds. Mating never goes as we expect. Even I didn’t expect it would happen, which means I wasn’t meant to. Don’t trouble yourself.”
“Are you serious?” Tears burned her eyes. “I just cost you this place and our new home. Kade, this is your family’s land as much as your place of business.”
“I’ll find another one,” Kade said, looking around. “But I won’t lie. This hurts. Oh, my mum. Shannon.”
She felt tears spill down her face. “You can’t accept this, Kade. I can’t accept this. This is all my fault!”
“Megan, love,” he said, hugging her to him. “It’s done. I’d best start thinking about finding a new place and figuring out how to pay for it. I’m afraid we’ll have to stay at your cottage at Bets’ for a time after we get married.”
How could he still want to marry her? She’d screwed up everything. She needed to talk to one of his friends. Carrick! He would know how to fix this.
“Kade, I need to go.” She hugged herself as she backed away. “I’ll see you later.”
She rushed out of the shed and ran all the way to his cottage, tears burning her face. When she entered to grab her purse, she stared at his beautiful parlor. He’d inherited the cottage from his grandmother, and he was going to lose it because of her. She couldn’t allow that. Running to her car, she got in and drove to Angie’s house, but they weren’t home.
Panicked, her mind raced for someone else she could talk to. Donal! He was as tough as Killian if not tougher. She steered her car toward Bets’, knowing he usually took his morning coffee there. It wasn’t until she arrived that she remembered her parents were staying there too.
Please let them not be around. Please let them not be around.
When Bets opened it, her face fell immediately. “What happened?”
Megan looked over her shoulder, her desperation sharp. “I need to speak with Donal.”
“I’m right here,” the large man said, striding into the hall. “What’s the matter, Megan?”
The whole story tumbled from her lips. Bets took Donal’s hand, their faces grave. She was aware of her parents coming and standing at the top of the stairs, and her father’s curse resounded in her ears as she finished her recounting.
“I won’t tell you any tales,” Donal said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. “Both Killian and Kade are men of honor. If they made a deal, they’ll plan to uphold it. I can talk to them both for you, of course.”
He didn’t sound optimistic. “But it’s all my fault! Kade shouldn’t lose everything because of me.”
“Megan, it’s not your fault,” Bets said in a decisive voice. “I’ve lived in Caisleán for thirty years, and I wouldn’t have imagined a pony mating with a mare like Legend. Stop blaming yourself. Let’s focus on a solution. Kade can move into your cottage after the wedding, and he can use one of our sheds for his pony riding. That has to continue.”
She thought of all the children, all the people who counted on him. “Oh, Bets!”
The woman pulled her into a hug. “None of that now. You just keep telling yourself that it’s not your fault.”
“That’s crap!” she heard her father bark out.
“What did you say?”Donal asked, lifting his head.
Her father’s boots seemed to pound in her head as he descended the stairs.
“Dan, don’t,” her mother called.
“Patty, stay out of this.” Her father strode over to her. “You’ve mollycoddled the girl enough. I told that boy yesterday that he wasn’t doing you any favors making you think that you knew anything about horses, Megan. You don’t. That much is more than clear.”
“Now wait just a minute—”
“Bets, you stay out of this too.” Her dad took her shoulders. “It’s time for some tough talk, young lady. This is your fault, and if you don’t take responsibility for it, you’ll never amount to anything except the weak girl you’ve always been, always leaning on people to tell you what to do or to do it for you.”
She had to force herself to meet his eyes. “I’m not like that anymore.”
“Aren’t you?” he all but sneered.
“You stop talking to Megan like that,” Bets said again, her voice raised.
