The old fellow climbed down off the wagon seat with slow, methodical movements. He stared at Sean approaching but didn’t say a word. Sean wondered if he kept a rifle under the wagon seat, like he’d seen in so many old movies.
The pretty young girl ran up to meet Sean before he was halfway down the hill. Instead of offering a hand to shake, she embraced him warmly and said, “My name is Ailbe and you must be the ever so handsome stranger in town. Your name is Sean, is it not?” she asked when she let him go.
Sean couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s outgoing, confident nature. Yes, my name is Sean. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ailbe.”
“Well Sean, the pleasure is all ours. As you can plainly see, one of our cows got through the fence and into a spot of trouble. Our irrigation ditch sprang a leak, so it did. most of the water ran into this hollow and made a muddy mess of things.”
“He looks to be pretty well bogged down all right,” Sean agreed, as they approached the bottom of the hill. “Sean Quinn’s the name, he added, offering his hand to the old fellow.
The old man looked Sean over carefully before finally shaking his hand. “I go by Aengus,” he said in a slow Irish accented drawl. “We don’t get many strangers ‘round here. We heard about you sure enough, but didn’t expect to make your acquaintance. We don’t get into town all that much.”
Aengus still held Sean’s hand in a surprisingly firm shake. He might be older than the hills, but he still had a fair grip. Sean finally pulled his hand free and said, “Are you going to pull him out with that wagon?”
“Tried that with very little success,” Aengus said calmly. He didn’t appear frustrated or angry, despite the messy situation he was in.
“That’s because you wouldn’t let me lend a hand, dear Daideo, Ailbe said with a smile.
Sean saw a sharp glance pass from Aengus to the girl. “That will be enough of that talk, dearest.”
Ailbe turned and rolled her eyes at Sean. He smiled and said, “It sounded like you called him Dadyo. Is he your Dad?”
She laughed heartily before saying, “does he look young enough to be my Da? No, I called him Daideo, which is an affectionate term for grandfather in these parts.”
“In the Irish language you mean?” Sean asked.
“What else would I mean, Sean?”
Sean started to offer a sarcastic response, but he thought better of it when he saw the tense look on Aengus’ face.
Instead he said, “Irish does seem to be the official language around here.”
“My Daideo’s wagon only has two horsepower, as you can surely see,” Ailbe said, pointing to the two horses pulling the wagon. “I’d venture a guess that your shiny new car has a wee bit more horses under the hood–would I be right?”
Sean couldn’t resist her charming smile and chuckled, as he said, “Indeed it does, Ailbe. If you two could untie the rope from the wagon, I’ll back the Cadillac down the hill. We’ll tie the rope onto the trailer hitch and see if we can coax that big fellow out of the quagmire.”
“A good and fine idea if I’ve ever heard one, Sean. “Will you be willing to let me ride along with you while we pull Gertie out of the muck?”
Sean was wise enough to look at Aengus for approval before he responded. The old gentleman gave him a tiny smile and nodded his approval.
“Come along then, Sean said to Ailbe.
“That I will!” she shouted, as she ran up the hill with surprising speed.
“That girl has the energy of a dozen good men, Sean. You’d best hurry along if you don’t want her trying to start your fine car for you.”
Sean turned and hurried up the hill behind Ailbe. When he got to the Cadillac, he wasn’t too surprised to see her sitting behind the wheel. He was glad he’d put the keys in his pocket before leaving the vehicle earlier.
“It’s the finest car I’ve ever laid eyes on, Sean,” she said enthusiastically. “I’d bet my last dollar she’ll fly down the road fast enough to take a girl’s breath away.” Ailbe turned and stared at Sean while giving him a ‘come hither’ smile. “I’d wager you know a thing or two about taking a girl’s breath away. Am I right, Sean?”
While he might only be six or seven years older than Ailbe, he wasn’t about to get into a flirting match with her. “No wonder your grandfather’s hair is gray. I’d guess your Da’s hair is the same from raising a wild young girl like you.” He smiled to soften his words, but he wanted her to know he wasn’t going to play her games. “Scoot over to the passenger’s seat and we’ll go rescue Gertie before she disappears from sight.”
She gave him a pretty pout, but to her credit, she quickly smiled and moved lithely into the passenger’s seat. Sean reckoned she would be a heartbreaker in a few years, if she wasn’t already.
While he drove slowly down the dusty hill, Ailbe turned on the radio. Sean had been listening to a Carrie Underwood CD and her song: Temporary Home, filled the car with her powerful but often tender voice.
“I love her music so much,” Ailbe said enthusiastically. “I didn’t know older guys liked her too.”
Sean laughed and said, “I’m only twenty-four. It’s not like I grew up in the sixties.”
“I’ll be eighteen in six months,” she said, giving Sean a hopeful smile.
He glanced at her and said, “Ailbe, you’re going to make some lucky young man a very happy guy. In the meantime, try to stay out of trouble.”
She stared at him for a moment before breaking into a smile and saying, “I’ve got so many kinfolks watching over me that I
