her third engagement had sent her running back to Winterhill, out of sight and hopefully out of mind.
She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of her mobile. Gelsey found it sitting on the counter next to the cash register and glanced at the screen. Her stomach twisted into a knot as she recognized the name of her attorney in Rome. She set the phone down, not ready to deal with whatever he had to tell her. She’d call him back later.
The bell above the door jingled and Gelsey spun around to see Kellan standing at the front of the shop, a surprised expression on his handsome face. “Bloody hell, look at this place. You’ve done wonders.”
Gelsey felt her spirits brighten. “I know. Not alone though. Nan and Jordan have been helping out a lot. We’ve almost got all the old inventory cleared away. Next week, I can start to do a little decorating. Jordan has already given me some great ideas. And Nan thinks we ought to carry some books and CDs, too. Kind of a whole holistic approach.”
“Sounds grand to me.” Kellan walked toward her, then slipped his arms around her waist. “Nan and Jordan are back at the pub. I thought you might like to join us there. The family is getting together for dinner. My sister Shanna and her husband and kids came down from Dublin and they’re staying the night. It’s my niece’s birthday. Lily. She’s five. And my sister Claire will be here with her kids. I’d like you to meet them all.”
“Really?”
Kellan nodded. “Yeah. You’ve met the rest of the family, why not them?”
“I-I really should stay here and get some more done. We have a sale starting and tomorrow the shop will open early. We want to lure in a few Christmas shoppers and-”
“You have to eat dinner,” Kellan said.
“I know.” Sometimes it felt as if they were hurtling toward a cliff, unable to stop themselves from falling completely and utterly in love. It was one thing to spend time with Nan and Jordan and his brothers. But it was a whole other thing to become friendly with his parents and his sisters.
Expectations were difficult enough to meet, never mind the fact that none of the Quinns knew who she really was. They were just a regular family and she didn’t want to do anything to change that. But how long would she have to wait until no one in the world was interested in where she was and who she was sleeping with? Would the press give up after a year? Or would it take longer?
“I’m just all grimy from cleaning up the shop and I’m tired and I don’t think I’d be very good company and-”
Kellan pressed a finger to her lips. “No worries,” he said. “You don’t have to come. I don’t want to pressure you to-”
“No!” Gelsey cried. “It’s not that, it’s just-”
“You’re right,” he said. “There’s no reason for you to spend time with my family.”
Gelsey bit her bottom lip, knowing that whatever she said next wouldn’t come out right. She’d fallen into this relationship so quickly and so easily and never thought about the repercussions. She’d taken advantage of Kellan, used him for a place to escape, and now she’d become a part of his life. “Maybe it’s too soon for all this?”
His fingers tangled in her hair and he gently turned her face up until she looked into his eyes. “I’ll go have dinner and I’ll meet you back at the cottage later.” Kellan brushed his lips against hers. “Maybe we’ll bring in the tub and make you a nice bath. Right in front of the hearth.”
“That would be nice,” Gelsey said.
A frown worried his brow and he studied her shrewdly. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Gelsey said. “Just a bit tired.”
“We should get some sleep tonight,” Kellan murmured. “We have been keeping rather late hours, considering you’re a working woman now. You’ll need your rest if you’re going to get this place in shape.” He bent closer and kissed her again, drawing his tongue along the crease of her lips. And then, as if he couldn’t resist, he pulled her against him and deepened his kiss, his tongue invading her mouth, desperate to taste and possess.
When he was through, Gelsey was left breathless, her mind spinning. It was so easy to get caught up in the desire and the way their bodies melded so perfectly. But she and Kellan had been living in a fantasy that was slowly being unraveled by reality.
Kellan pressed his palms to her temples and smoothed her tangled hair away from her face. Then he kissed each eyelid, the tip of her nose and her mouth. “You do look tired. I’ll eat quick and bring you something from the pub. We’ll have a lazy night at home.”
Home, Gelsey mused. Is that what they had together? Had they made a home? Did he think of her as part of that home or was she still just a visitor? “That sounds nice. I’ll see you in a little while.”
She walked him to the door then gave him a quick kiss before he left. Sighing softly, Gelsey flipped the sign in the front window to Closed and pulled down the shade on the door. This was real life now. She couldn’t hide from it. And either she’d make a mess of it, or she’d carve out a place for herself.
And somewhere along the way, she’d figure out exactly how she felt about Kellan Quinn.
KELLAN STOOD in front of the hearth, staring into the glow of burning peat. With a soft curse, he glanced at his watch for only the fourth or fifth time in the last few minutes. He’d returned from the pub to find the cottage dark and empty. Assuming that Gelsey had been delayed at the shop, he’d hauled the tub in from the pantry next to the kitchen and filled it with a hose from the kitchen sink.
But after an hour of waiting, the water was cold and the fire was dying. Kellan strode to the door and pulled it open, staring down the road that led from the village into the hills above town. The Fiat was gone, so she wouldn’t be walking back. He paused. Unless she wasn’t able to get it started.
The first thing on his list of things to do would be find a more dependable car for her to drive. Kellan grabbed his jacket and headed for his own car. He’d drive to the shop and fetch her, before she completely exhausted herself. Since she’d begun, Maeve had decided to make a quick visit to her sister’s place, leaving Gelsey with long hours and no days off.
It took just a few minutes to drive into the village, but when he rapped on the shop door, it went unanswered. The Closed sign was hanging in the window and from what he could tell, all the lights were off.
Kellan tried the pub next, thinking that Gelsey may have changed her mind and they might have just missed each other. But when he walked in, his family was still gathered at the tables they’d pushed together, finishing up their dinner as the pub began to fill with the Friday-night crowd.
“Hey, you’re back,” Danny called from behind the bar. “Did you bring Gelsey?”
“She’s not here?” Kellan asked.
“No. I thought you said she’d decided to go home after work.”
Kellan leaned on the edge of the bar. “I was up at the cottage and she wasn’t there. Is she with Nan or Jordan?”
Danny cocked his head toward the kitchen. “They’re still here. They’re in the kitchen getting Lily’s birthday cake ready.” Danny motioned Kellan to follow him to the end of the bar. “I’m glad you came back. I have something I have to show you.”
“I really don’t have time,” Kellan said. “I need to go find-”
“It won’t take but a minute. Jaysus, Kell, your woman can certainly survive on her own. Don’t be so possessive. It’s not good for a relationship.”
“What are you, a feckin’ psychiatrist?”
“I’m just statin’ a fact,” Danny said.
“Why don’t you tell me your meaning so that we don’t have to waste breath figuring it out.”
“You’re lookin’ like a man desperately in love.”
Kellan shook his head, fixing his brother with a dismissive glare. “And you’re full of shite, you are.”
“I don’t know,” Danny said. “You’re getting yourself all bothered about a girl that you’ve been sleeping with for a couple weeks, all worried when she isn’t where she’s supposed to be.”
“We have an understanding,” Kellan said. “Neither one of us is planning our future together.”
“Hey, maybe you should be. I know I’m going to marry Jordan. If I were you, I wouldn’t let a girl like Gelsey get away, if you catch my meaning.”
“This is none of your business,” Kellan said. “Hell, I’m not going to lie. I like having her around. We get along great. We’re very…compatible. But we’re a long way from spending our lives together.”
“Hey, we’re all just trying to help you out here,” Danny said. “You could at least be grateful. We’re all doin’ our
