“A little bit. But I fancy what I see.”
“And in between all this kissing, you’re going to get your work done?”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said. “I thought I’d start with the big projects first and cross them off the list and-”
“No,” Jordan interrupted. “No, we have to have the hinges first. The doors will be back next week and they all have to be hung. The hardware comes first.”
“All right,” he said, nodding. “Hardware first.”
“I have it all laid out on a spreadsheet,” she explained. “And a flowchart. I can show them to you if you’d like. I’ll make you a copy.”
“No need,” Danny said. “I’m sure I can get along without.” He smiled at her. “I like a woman who takes charge.”
“All right. I’m a little obsessive-compulsive. But that’s not a bad thing. I wouldn’t have gotten where I am if I didn’t care about details.”
“You’ve been in Ireland for how long?”
“Sixteen months,” she said. “But for the first year I went back and forth to New York once a month.”
“You’ve spent too much time shut up in that house. We’re going to have to loosen you up, woman. Show you what Ireland is really like. I’ll wager you’ll become so fond of the place, you’ll never want to leave.”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“I have my ways,” he said.
The rest of the breakfast passed in lighthearted conversation. He learned more about the project and about Jordan. Though she spent most of her free time working, it wasn’t for lack of interest in the surrounding countryside. She’d visited many of the estates open to the public and spent time at museums and shops in Dublin, Galway and Cork. But she’d never been out to a pub on a Saturday night.
They’d have two, maybe three months together. If he couldn’t provide her with a bit of fun and excitement in that time, then he didn’t deserve to be called an Irishman. “So what do you do for fun if you’re not out at the pubs?” he asked. “When you need a break or you want to relax, what do you do?
She gave him an odd look. “I have fun.”
“How?” he said.
Jordan seemed reluctant to tell him. “I read, I listen to music.”
“That sounds like fun,” he said, grinning.
“And now I’m looking for the brownies that keep stealing things from the house,” she said.
“You believe in brownies now?”
“I don’t know what to believe. But things disappear in the middle of night. I found an old ring in one of the bathrooms. I set it on the sink and a day later, it was gone. Then it turned up in the bottom of a cabinet.”
“Hmm. I suppose I could spend the night with you and we’d search out those brownies soon enough,” Danny suggested.
Jordan met his gaze. “You’re a nice guy, Daniel Quinn. But we won’t be sleeping together.”
“You don’t even know me yet,” Danny teased. “If you did, you’d realize that I’m far from nice. In fact, I’m very, very naughty. As for sleeping together, it’s a little soon to be makin’ a statement like that, don’t you think?”
BY THE END OF THE DAY, Danny had managed to get the old laundry set up as a temporary forge. It had been impossible for Jordan to get any work done and she found herself standing at the second-story windows and staring out over the garden, hoping to catch a glimpse of him in the yard beyond.
By the third visit, when she’d brought him a glass of lemonade and a ham sandwich, he’d finished hanging all his tools from a chain stretched across the old laundry.
The coal was delivered by truck after lunch, and she stood and chatted with him as he filled a wheelbarrow full and dumped it beside the hearth. It was almost too much to bear, watching the play of muscle beneath his smooth skin as he worked. She wanted to reach out and run her hands over his shoulders and down his back; but she was left to pretend that his shirtless state had no effect on her at all.
She was thankful that the two dogs were a constant presence; when she ran out of things to say, she’d toss them a stick or rub their bellies.
The sun was beginning to descend in the west when Jordan decided to ask about Danny’s plans for dinner. She’d promised to provide him with a decent meal and she couldn’t think of anything else that might provide them with more time together.
She grabbed the bag of dog treats she’d purchased in the village that afternoon and headed out to the temporary smithy. Finny and Mogue were asleep in the doorway and she called to them, then tossed a treat up in the air. To her surprise, Finny leapt and caught it in mid-flight. When she tossed one Mogue’s way, Finny cut the smaller dog off and grabbed a second bite. “Don’t be so greedy,” she cried. “You’ve already had one.”
“You’re spoiling them,” Danny called from the doorway.
Jordan glanced up, then straightened. Every time she saw him, a tiny thrill raced through her. She wondered when they’d kiss again. “I like them,” she said. “We always had dogs when I was young. Golden retrievers, mostly.”
“Why not get one now?”
“With my schedule? I wouldn’t have time to spend with a pet. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Well, you can have these two for as long as I stay. If you keep feeding them treats, they won’t listen to me anyway.”
She closed the bag. “So, how are things going?”
“I’m ready to start. Iron and steel stock is coming tomorrow. I’ve finished patterns for the hinges and I should be able to start work on those as soon as I get materials. Here, let me show you.”
She followed him inside to a scarred wooden table he’d found in the stable. “I’ve looked at the doors and they weigh a ton. I’d recommend that you use modern-day hinges for strength. They’ll last longer, they’ll operate more smoothly and I can make dummy straps, so they’ll look like the originals.”
“If you think that’s best,” she said. “I’ll trust your judgment.”
“I think that’s best,” he said. “And it will save you some money.”
“Good. I like that.” Her gaze scanned his naked torso. “Are you finished for the day?”
He nodded. “I was just going to take a quick shower.”
“Come with me. I want to show you something.”
“It’s past five,” he said. “I’m knackered.”
She reached out and grabbed his hand. “This isn’t work. You’ll like it. I promise.”
She pulled him outside, reveling in the feel of his fingers laced through hers. Just the simple act of touching him was enough to send a surge of need through her. She wondered what it might be like to be able to touch him at will, to have the complete freedom to explore his body.
They walked through the house and then down a narrow hallway behind the butler’s pantry. Jordan opened a door and flipped on a light switch before leading him down a short flight of stairs. The air was moist and a familiar scent teased at her nose.
She flipped another switch and the lights illuminated a huge room with an arched ceiling. Set below them was a swimming pool, the underwater lights creating strange shadows on the walls.
Danny gasped. “Jaysus, has this been here all along?”
Jordan nodded. “The water was drained, of course, and it was full of musty old wicker furniture when I got here. And all the plumbing was rusted, but it’s all functioning now.” She stared up at the ceiling. “The tiles were hand-painted by an artist in Belfast. And they were installed by workmen who worked on the
Danny stared up at the ceiling. “Half-naked fairies must have been pretty racy for the turn of the century.”
“I’m sure they were,” Jordan said. “There are mermaids beneath the water.”
“You shouldn’t have brought me here,” Danny said, shifting his gaze to the water. “It’s like holding out a bottle of water to a man dying of thirst.”
“You want to swim? Go ahead. It took forever to fill. Nearly a week, but the new heater is working and it’s warm enough to use now.”
