“Something tells me it’s going to take all of them to keep you in line,” he said, as they circled around and backed up to the mud hole.
Her cheerful laugh followed him as he climbed out of the car. By the time he got to the back of the car, Aengus nearly had the knot tied around the trailer hitch. “Slow and easy it goes, young fella,” he said with his easy drawl.
When he put the SUV in gear and began moving slowly up the hill, he felt the resistance when the rope became taut. He continued to apply a little more gas until he felt movement behind them.
“Give it the gas!” he heard Aengus shout.
Sean pushed on the gas and after a brief hesitation, he felt the massive cow come free. He continued slowly up the rise until Gertie was walking on dry ground.
Gertie greeted him with an annoyed moo when he shut down the engine and walked to the back of the car. She looked very annoyed, but at least she was safe.
“Well and finely done, Sean,” Aengus said, before giving him a firm pat on the back.
“Glad I could help,” he said. “I’ll be heading back to town to meet Ashling and Eamon for lunch. Good luck with wandering, Gertie,” he added, as he opened the driver’s side door and climbed inside.
Albie tapped on the glass and motioned for him to open the window. When Sean hit the button to lower the window, Albie leaned in close and said, with a mischievous grin, “I see how it is, Sean.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” he asked, smiling.
“Ashling is a rare beauty, if you like older women,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“She’s no more than my own age–not that it matters,” he said.
“Are you sure about that?” Ailbe asked grinning, as she added, “Is it her green eyes that make you go weak in the knees?”
“The only thing that might have me a little weak in the knees is the ill effects from my accident,” Sean said, returning her smile.
“Still and all, if it’s green eyes you have a hankering for, then all you have to do is say so,” Ailbe said, leaning in until their faces were only inches apart.
Sean couldn’t hold back a gasp of surprise when Ailbe’s lovely brown eyes suddenly appeared to turn a sparkling shade of emerald green.
Ailbe stared at him intently for another few moments, and then her eyes slowly returned to her natural caramel brown color. “Whatever you like, Sean. Whatever you like,” she said with a flirtatious smile, as she slowly stepped back from his car.
“That will be enough of your shameless flirting, young lady,” Aengus said mildly. He was smiling, but Sean thought he detected a hidden warning in his tone.
Ailbe seemed to pick up on her grandfather’s tone also, as her smile faded a bit. “Please plan to join us for a meal before you return to your real world,” she said.
Though still a bit shaken, Sean smiled and said, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town, but I will if I can.”
While he was driving back to town, the image of her beautiful brown eyes changing to emerald green and then back to brown played over and over in his mind. He also wondered what she meant by “his real world”. He finally tried to laugh it off as more of her teenage silliness and his own overactive imagination.
Instead of Ailbe’s eyes, Sean tried to focus on the beautiful countryside he’d seen. During his tour of Rundimahair and the surrounding area, the property developer in him had selected several fine locations that would be perfect for development of a medium-sized strip mall. He could anchor it with a major-chain grocery store, since he hadn’t seen one in town.
It was part of what he found charming, but also a little strange about Rundimahair. It was set up much like an Irish village from two or three-hundred years ago. Of course, they had modern conveniences such as electricity, telephones, and indoor plumbing, but it all seemed to be added on instead of built into the building’s original floor plan. There wasn’t a building of modern design anywhere in town.
Aengus riding around in a wagon right out of the old west was part of the strangeness he felt. Why wouldn’t he be using a tractor, or some other motor driven vehicle, to rescue Gertie? He wondered if some folks in the outskirts of town might be like the Amish who disdained the use of modern conveniences. Rundimahair was definitely a charming but somewhat mysterious place.
* * *
The following morning, Ashling had been home when he came down for breakfast. He’d gladly accepted Ashling’s offer to accompany her as she ran errands throughout the morning. It turned out to be a pleasant time, filled with agreeable conversation, as he got to know more residents and store owners in town.
Ashling had kept their personal conversation neutral and continued avoiding in-depth answers to his questions. Eventually, he gave up on seeking answers and just enjoyed her company.
One question he would really like an answer to was why everyone in town seemed to have an Irish accent. This continued to baffle him each time he thought of it. The older folks in town had the strongest accent, but even the younger adults and all the children spoke with an Irish lilt. It appeared that only Irish families settled down in the strange little town of Rundimahair.
When they’d returned to the walkway in front of Ashling’s home, Sean thought he noticed some movement in the hedge that ran along the side yard. When he glanced at Ashling, he realized she’d seen it too and appeared tense or even angry.
“Did you see–” was all Sean could say before Ashling cut him off.
“Wait right here,” she said forcefully, and hurried into the house without further explanation.
Sean was surprised by her sudden change
