Page 70 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
Chapter Seventeen
Kade marveled at the woman beside him.
She’d fallen asleep after they made love a second time, but not before she called himmo mhuirnín dílisin a hesitant but determined voice.
He’d never used the Irish endearment before, and its power had wrapped around his heart. Both in the saying of it and in the hearing of it. He glanced at his bedside clock. With school, most of his clients were coming around four o’clock. There was still time to spare, but she’d need to pick up Ollie soon unless he asked another of their friends to see to the boy. If he did, they could have another hour together. He wanted that. Even if it were only to hold her and soak in her beauty and the feel of her beside him in his bed.
He heard horse’s hooves suddenly. The only person who’d come riding this way would be his father. Wincing, he reluctantly rolled out of bed and hastily tugged on his clothes. When he left the cottage and closed the door behind him, his father was dismounting. His breath caught in his throat, seeing the horse. It was a rare gray, almost ghostly, with the lines of a Connemara pony, an Irish draught, and a thoroughbred—a spectacular, rare, and absolutely magical specimen.
Thiswas Legend’s match.
“You found him!” He walked down the path as his father charged forward and wrapped him up in a giant hug, lifting him off the ground. He was so startled, he began to laugh.
“If you hadn’t mentioned the Connemara, I wouldn’t have noticed this one when I went to Galway to look over horses. His name is Sutter’s Mill. The owner told me his name had two sources—the fastest meteorite on record and the place where the American gold rush began. Good luck if I ever heard it.”
Kade approached the stallion closely, gazing into his dark eyes. They were watchful but calm and held a kindness he knew could be coaxed out. Yes, Sutter’s Mill would do nicely for Legend. “Now that’s the kind of name you want to give a stallion.”
“Exactly!” His dad rubbed the stallion affectionately, his love already evident. “I raced him only hours ago, and son, I can’t tell you how he ran. I smelled oranges all around us as we thundered down the path.”
Kade smiled as Sorcha appeared beside the horse. Sutter’s Mill turned his head and nickered softly.
Thank you, Sorcha,he said in his mind.
She blew him a kiss and disappeared.
His father walked around the horse, running his hands over his sides. “He has the heart of a champion. It’s clear as the clouds in the sky. I’m not sure the owner completely understood what he had on his hands, but I knew the moment I saw him. Still, I offered the man a fair price, and he was happy to accept. Kade, I haven’t been this excited by a horse in ages. Thank you, son. For encouraging me to look beyond my usual suspects. This horse is going to change things around here. I know it in my heart.”
Kade finally extended his hand to the horse, letting the stallion catch his scent. “It makes my own heart happy to see you like this, Dad.”
“I was so excited when I got home, I went to find you first thing.” His dad laughed as Sutter’s Mill bumped him playfully. “Why aren’t you down in the yard?”
He didn’t want to embarrass Megan. Their business was private. “I had something that needed tending here. I’ll be back down in a while, Dad. In the meantime, why don’t you introduce Legend and Sutter’s Mill to each other in one of the pastures?”
His father put his hands on his hips. “I want you to share the moment with me. Finish what you’re doing. I can wait a moment.”
He was about to reply when his mother’s car appeared on the road. Odd, that. Both men turned, and his father was instantly off, Kade following behind him. His mother lowered the window, her mouth tight. “You both never have your phones on. I swear. Kade, I’m looking for Megan. Her bike was in your shed. Is she here?”
A tremor went through him. “Is something amiss with Ollie?”
“No,” she said instantly. “It’s the art center. Her kiln set off the sprinklers. Someone called the fire department because they feared a fire. Kade, it’s a mess. Angie was looking for her. She wasn’t answering her phone.”
No, she wouldn’t have been. “I know where she is. You two go on, and I’ll take her on to the arts center.”
His father’s brows shot to his hairline. “I see the way of it now, you being at the cottage at this time of day.”
He gave him a look. “And that’s all you need to say, Dad. Don’t be getting in my business. I love her and she loves me. I want your word that you won’t speak of it to anyone.”
“What? Am I not a romantic? Son, if you knew the kind of book your mother brought home the other night…”
“Killian, that’s enough.” His mother poked him in the side. “That’s a beautiful horse, by the by, my love.”
“Thank you,mo ghrá,” his dad said, leaning into the car and kissing her on the mouth.
“Listening to your only son looks good on you.” She shot Kade a wink. “All right, I’m back to the bookshop. I’ll see you both later. Killian, be good.”
“Aren’t I always?” He headed back to the stallion. “I’ll leave you as well. Son, I’m glad you’ve found your woman. It makes a man’s life all the richer. I’ll wait for you to return before I introduce this one here to Legend. You deserve to be there. Maybe we’ll even share a whiskey.”
They hadn’t done that in an age. “I’d like that, Dad.”
