been hidden by the quilt.
She’d kissed him not once, but twice. She’d made it quite apparent that she’d welcome more. But Kellan wasn’t one to play games when it came to sex and he knew damn well she was hiding something.
She’d refused to provide her last name, which made him suspect she might be running from something or someone-the authorities…or a jealous husband or boyfriend. That was more likely. She didn’t seem like the criminal sort. And chances were that a woman as beautiful as Gelsey would have a man in her life. She possessed the kind of beauty that could make any male mad with jealousy.
Kellan cleared his throat, then rapped on the door. “I’m going to run down to the pub and get some supper for us,” he called. “I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”
“I’m really not very hungry,” she replied.
“I am,” Kellan said. “Don’t make your shower too long. You’ll run out of hot water. There are clothes on the floor outside the door.”
The bathroom door opened and she poked her head out and smiled. Water droplets clung to her lashes and ran down her cheeks. “Thanks,” she said. She bent down and grabbed the clothes and he caught sight of her naked body.
A current of desire raced through him as his gaze settled on a sleek leg, setting his nerves on edge. Kellan couldn’t help but look. “Are these yours?” she asked, nodding at the clothes.
“Yes. They won’t fit, but they’ll keep you warm. For now. I’ll see if Nan or Jordan might have something you can borrow.”
“Who are Nan and Jordan?”
“Nan is my brother Riley’s fiancee and Jordan is my brother Danny’s girlfriend.”
“I don’t mind wearing your clothes,” she said.
“But I do.” With that, Kellan turned and strode to the door. If she wasn’t going to walk around the cottage naked, then at least he’d make sure she had clothes that enhanced her beautiful body.
When he got outside, Kellan took a long deep breath of the cold evening air. The day had begun like any ordinary day, but suddenly, he’d found himself in possession of a beautiful woman, one who planned to spend the night.
A brisk walk into the village should clear his mind of any thoughts of seduction. But he couldn’t seem to put Gelsey out of his head. There was something about her, something he found incredibly intriguing.
Kellan made a mental list of all her qualities-the long blond hair, perfectly balanced features, a body that was made to be touched and skin so flawless it made her seem unattainable. But it wasn’t just the physical that he found attractive. It was what he didn’t know about her that was even more tantalizing.
There was a certain appeal to the idea of a mystery woman, a complete stranger with a secret past. Though he was usually quite rational and fantasies weren’t a regular indulgence, Gelsey seemed to bring out the devil in him. What would it be like to have her in his bed, to lose himself inside such a lovely creature?
The pub was busy when he walked in the front door. But the conversation softened to a low murmur the instant everyone saw him enter. He glanced around, then found Danny smiling at him from behind the bar. “There he is!” Danny shouted. “The hero of the day. So what did you do with your mermaid, Kell? Did ya toss her back? Or have you decided to keep her?”
Kellan cursed beneath his breath. No doubt everyone in town was aware of the situation unfolding at the cottage. Maybe that was for the best. Someone in town must know who she was or where she came from. “She’s not a mermaid,” he shouted, crossing the room to the bar.
“Doc Finnerty says she is.”
“Doc Finnerty should limit himself to one pint of the dark stuff.” Kellan turned to Riley and Nan sitting at the end of the bar. Jordan was with them, the remains of their dinner littering the surface in front of them. “She is not a mermaid. She’s just some girl who got drunk and ended up on the beach.”
“Doc Finnerty says she doesn’t look like a normal girl,” Riley said.
“She was half frozen to death. Almost blue from the cold,” Kellan explained. “Now I need some dinner.” He glanced over at Danny. “Pack up some stew and some shepherd’s pie. And soup. Lots of soup.”
“You sure she wouldn’t want a bucket of herring?” Danny teased.
“Just get my dinner,” Kellan said.
Though he usually enjoyed his brothers’ good-natured ribbing, he didn’t want to turn this whole episode into something more than it was. He’d done a good deed and rescued a damsel in distress. And tomorrow, she’d find her way home and his life would get back to normal.
Danny poured him a Guinness before he went back into the kitchen to place Kellan’s dinner order. A few moments later, Jordan and Nan sidled up to him, sitting down on stools on either side of him.
“Don’t even ask,” he growled.
“You told me you’d do the programs for our wedding ceremony,” Nan said.
“Get Danny to do it,” Kellan said. “He’s a far better artist than I am.”
“He hates using a computer. And he and Jordan are helping with the decorations.” She reached over the bar to retrieve a box. “Please?”
Kellan smiled. “Of course I’ll do them.”
Nan clapped, her expression brightening. “There’s plenty of paper. You’ll have to print it all on one page and then fold the page in half and then punch it at the top and string the ribbon through. And then glue a tiny little red jewel on the end of each ribbon. But be careful not to get a lot of glue on it. And let it dry before you fold it again.” She paused, forcing a smile. “It’s easy. Really.”
“Where’s she from?” Jordan asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
Kellan shrugged. “No clue.”
“She must be from close by,” Jordan commented. “She knew how to get down to the cove. Danny says you three are the only ones who know where the path is.”
Kellan took a sip of his beer, then slowly set it down in front of him. He did know of one other person who’d discovered the path. It had been so long ago, fifteen years, more or less. The girl he’d chased across the meadow. His first kiss. He’d seen her that day and then never again. And though his memory was a bit muddled, there was something about Gelsey that was oddly familiar.
“She could use some clothes,” Kellan said. “I was hoping one of you might have something to lend her.”
“Is she naked up there?” Jordan asked, her eyes wide.
“No, I gave her some of my clothes. But they’ll be far too large for her.”
“I can run home right now,” Nan offered.
“I’m sure I can find something for her,” Jordan said.
“Tomorrow morning will be fine,” Kellan said. “I don’t think she’s going anywhere tonight.”
Nan leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Was she wearing a red cap? Or a cloak? You can tell us. We won’t say anything.”
“I wouldn’t have expected you to fall for all that mermaid rubbish,” Kellan said. “She was wearing a green silk dress with nothing underneath.”
“Hmm,” Nan said, her brow furrowed. “The Irish legends about merrows say that they wear a red cap or a cloak and if the human steals either one, the merrow will forget her life in the sea and live on land with the human.”
“If you want to keep her, maybe you should start looking for that cloak or hat,” Jordan teased. “I’d definitely hide the green silk dress for safe measure.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Kellan said with a chuckle. “Because the best way to form a perfect relationship is to trap someone into staying with me. Especially some magical sea creature that isn’t human in the first place.”
Nan and Jordan giggled. “So she’s probably not a real merrow,” Nan said. “But if she’s pretty and you like her, maybe you should ask her to stay a little longer. You need a date to our engagement party, don’t you?”
He smiled. “I really don’t think she’ll hang around that long.”
By the time he finished his beer, Danny had packed up his supper order in a paper sack and encouraged him to bring the “merrow” down to the pub for lunch the following day. Kellan put up with the last bit of teasing before making his escape.
As he walked back to the cottage, the wind nipped at his face. The thought that Gelsey might have died on the
