“It’s been a memorable day, hasn’t it?” he asked quietly.
She nodded, looking into his eyes. “One of the best yet,” she said.
“I’m counting on many more, you know.”
She touched a finger to his lips. “Hope for them, but treat each one as a miracle. That’s what they’ll be.”
He smiled as he looked from her to his granddaughter and Luke across the yard, wrapped in each other’s arms. “It seems we’ve been showered with miracles today, doesn’t it? Our grandchildren settled. A new life to give us hope for the future.”
He was right, she thought. And that he’d lived long enough to understand all that was reason enough to love him. But, she thought, her heart full, there were so many more reasons. Too many to count.
She hoped Luke and Moira would be wise enough and lucky enough to be able to say the same sixty or seventy years from now. Looking at them tonight with stars shining in their eyes, she felt confident that they would. At least she’d be around for a while to give them a gentle nudge from time to time if they got off track.
That, after all, was the reason she’d been put on this earth, to see her family happy and content. Thinking of Thomas and Connie so elated about their new son, then glancing around from Luke and Moira, to Mick and Megan, to Jeff and Jo, to Abby and Trace, Jake and Bree, Kevin and Shanna, Connor and Heather, Jess and Will, Susie and Mack, and finally to Matthew and Laila, she thought in all modesty that she’d done a darn fine job of it so far!
* * * * *
Look for Sherryl’s next original
Sweet Magnolias novel,
Midnight Promises,
coming in July to your favorite retail outlet.
Questions for Discussion
Before Moira Malone leaves Ireland for Chesapeake Shores, she worries that her holiday fling with Luke O’Brien might not have meant as much to him as it did to her. Have you ever taken a risk to see someone again after a casual encounter? What happened?
Luke is very single-minded about his goal of opening the pub and keeping romance on hold until he sees how it’s likely to turn out. Have you known men like this, who like to approach life very methodically? If there’s someone in your life like this, did you try to change them?
After a lifetime of feeling as if she’s a disappointment to her family, Moira suddenly has a chance to grab possible fame and fortune through her photography. Do you think she should pursue that, no matter what, so she has a career and the recognitions she’s long wanted? Or can you identify with her desire to focus on a family first?
Moira struggles with her realization that love and family will always matter more to her than a career. Have you ever felt that you had to choose between the two? What did you decide? If you’ve tried to balance both, how successfully do you think you’ve done it?
As the youngest in his family, Luke feels tremendous pressure to succeed with his new venture. Have you ever felt pressured to achieve a goal because of the successes of people around you, whether family or friends? How have you handled that?
Mick struggles a lot with his mother getting involved with another man, especially someone she knew before she married his father. Have you ever had to cope with a parent remarrying after a divorce or the death of a spouse? Was it difficult for you? What did you do? How about your siblings? Did it cause problems for your family?
Nell views this as her second chance with Dillon O’Malley, the man she fell in love with years ago in Ireland. Do you think this in any way lessens the love she felt for her late husband, the father of her children? Or are the two relationships entirely separate?
O’Brien’s is intended by Luke to be more than just a place to drink. He wants it to be a community gathering spot. Do you have a place in your neighborhood where you go to see friends, have a meal or a drink? How important is it to a community to have a place like that?
The O’Briens are well-known for their meddling. Mick, at least, views it as evidence of how much they care. Do you agree with him? When does meddling cross the line and become intrusive and controlling? Have you ever told a parent, sibling or well-meaning friend to “butt out”? How did that person take it?
ISBN: 9781459220300
Copyright © 2012 by Sherryl Woods
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