Kate Hoffmann - Kellan

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 part to get her to hang around.”

“What the hell are you talking about, brother?” Kellan leaned forward and grabbed his brother’s arm. “Explain yourself.”

Danny cursed beneath his breath and shook his head. “Nan and Jordan think she’s just grand. They’re helping her dust out that shop. And Markus and his committee are determined to get her to buy it from Maeve.” He drew a ragged breath. “Perhaps you might want to make an effort on your end. I mean, it’s clear to me that you’re in love with her. I see the way you look at her. It’s the same way Riley looks at Nan and I look at Jordan. No use denying it, Kell.”

“So you and the rest of the town have my whole life planned out for me?”

“No,” Danny said. “Well, maybe a bit. But you’ve got to take it from here, mate.”

Kellan stood up and pressed his hands along the edge of the bar. “Why don’t you all just bugger off and leave me to my own life.”

“So you are in love with her, then,” Danny said.

A long silence grew between them. He wanted to admit that his brother was right, but Kellan had always expected that love would be a concrete concept, that he’d never have any doubts once he found it. He was in love with the Gelsey he knew, the woman who curled into his naked body at night, the woman who could merely glance his way and make him burn.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Danny said.

“So, what am I supposed to do about this? She might as well be a mermaid for all I really know about her.”

“And if she has some horrible past? Would that make a difference? Would it make you want to walk away?”

“No. As far as I’m concerned, we began the day I found her on the beach.” He paused, wondering if he ought to reveal more. “Or maybe we began years ago.”

“How is that?” Danny asked.

Kellan braced his elbows on the bar and leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Do you remember that day when we were lads and we found that box buried in the sand at Smuggler’s Cove?”

“Why are we whispering?” Danny whispered back.

“Remember the girl? The one who buried it?”

“There was a girl?”

“Yeah. She ran off and we chased her. I caught up with her and she kissed me. That was the first time I ever kissed a girl.”

“What does this have to do with Gelsey?”

“That was her,” Kellan said. “At least I think it was. I can picture that girl in my mind and Gelsey is just an older version.”

“Have you asked her about this?”

Kellan shook his head. “No. Because if it was her then this thing between us becomes something very different.” He scowled at Danny’s puzzled look. “Don’t you get it? It’s destiny.”

“Oh. Like Jordan and me. And Nan and Riley.” Danny glanced both ways, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He pried open the top to reveal a diamond ring. “I’m going to give it to her for Christmas,” he whispered.

Kellan stared at the ring. “It’s grand. She’s going to love it.”

“Get things settled with this girl,” Danny warned, “or you might lose her.”

Kellan pushed away from the bar and turned for the door. He’d like nothing more than to get things settled between them. But Kellan didn’t have a clue how Gelsey felt about a future together. She obviously planned to stay near Ballykirk, at least for a while. But did her plans include him? Somehow, Kellan knew it would be impossible to get a straight answer from her on that subject.

He jogged back to his car and got inside, then turned toward the cottage. There was one thing he had to check before continuing his search. As he drove up the hill, Kellan decided there was only one other place she might have gone-back to Winterhill.

She’d acted strangely distant when he’d stopped by the shop, been preoccupied with something other than business. And she was usually so happy to get out and socialize.

He pulled up in front of the cottage, then jumped out of the car, leaving it running. Throwing back the front door, Kellan called her name, but there was no answer. He headed directly for the bedroom, then opened the wardrobe and dug into the clothes inside.

He found the green dress exactly where he’d put it the night they met. It was still flecked with sand and bits of seaweed. Clutching the wrinkled fabric in his fists, Kellan chided himself for even considering the possibility. She wasn’t a mermaid and she wouldn’t leave him to return to the sea.

“Winterhill,” he murmured.

The sun was already sinking beneath the western horizon as he drove along the coast road, through Derreeny. On the far side of the village of Curryglass, he turned onto a narrow country lane and followed it as it wound between two dry stone walls.

The lights from the house were visible from the road. He swung the car into the driveway and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Fiat parked in front of the house. As he got out of the car, Kellan realized that he’d need an explanation for how he knew where she was. Though she’d mentioned Winterhill in her answers to his five questions, she hadn’t given him directions.

He strode up to the front door and grabbed the cast-iron knocker, but the door swung open before he could signal his presence. The gray-haired woman he and Danny had met earlier smiled warmly up at him as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Hello,” she said. “You’ve come back.”

“Yes,” Kellan said. “I-I’m here for Gelsey. I’m-her friend.”

An eyebrow rose slightly and she regarded him with a suspicious eye. “You’re Kellan.”

He nodded. “Yes, I am. She’s mentioned me?”

“Once or twice, in passing.” She held out her hand. “I’m Caroline. I’m the housekeeper. We’ve met before. You were the young man with the camera, the other day.”

“I was. She’s here?”

“She is. But I’m afraid she’s sleeping. She stopped by to pick up some old Christmas decorations for the shop and when I went upstairs to check on her, she was curled up on her bed, sound asleep.”

“May I go up and see her?” Kellan asked.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. You two haven’t been arguing, have you?”

Kellan shook his head. “No. Everything is fine. She’s just been working very hard lately and I’m a wee bit worried.”

Caroline stepped aside and allowed him to pass. “Top of the stairs, second door on the left.”

He took the stairs two at a time and found her room. The door was ajar and he silently pushed it open. Gelsey was curled up on the bed, still in her shoes and socks and the clothes she’d been wearing at the shop. Kellan carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, but she didn’t stir.

Holding his breath, he pulled the down-filled duvet up from the foot of the bed and stretched out beside her. Kellan watched her sleep for a long time, wondering at the life she’d lived before him. From what he knew of it, it hadn’t been particularly happy.

He could give her more than what she’d had. He could make her happy. Unable to help himself, Kellan leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. The contact startled her and she opened her eyes, staring at him incomprehensibly. “Hello,” he murmured.

Gelsey frowned, pinching her eyes shut and then opening them again. “Is it you?”

“Yes,” Kellan said.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“I followed you here the other day. I guess I got a little impatient and couldn’t help myself. Does it make a difference?”

“No,” she said softly.

“Can I stay here with you tonight?”

She nodded then reached out and touched his face. “I don’t want to fall in love with you. But sometimes you make it impossible not to.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Kellan said. He captured her mouth in a long, deep kiss.

Slowly, they tugged at clothes, undressing each other beneath the duvet. He curled up behind her, his mouth pressed against her nape, and a moment later, he was buried in her warmth. Kellan moved slowly, enjoying the sensations that pulsed through his body with every lazy stroke.

He skimmed his hands over her hips and along her belly, then found the spot between her legs, damp with her desire. He touched her there, gently caressing her until her breath quickened and her body arched against him.

They reached their release together this time, with barely a sound between them and when it was over, he wrapped his arms around her and waited until she fell asleep, the two of them still joined.

He’d fallen in love with her. Danny was right and there was no denying it. But how had it happened? They’d only known each other two weeks. Or maybe they’d known each other since that summer day he’d chased her across the meadow.

There was only one thing that Kellan was sure of. He intended to keep Gelsey in his bed and in his life for as long as she’d have him. If he was lucky, that would be a very, very long time.

THE DARK PANELING in the conservatory was draped with fresh greenery, holly and pine mixed with red twigs, putting Gelsey in a cheery mood. Caroline had laid out a sumptuous breakfast on the small table and Gelsey poured herself a cup of hot chocolate, wrapping her hands around the bone-china cup. “Try the scones,” she said, reaching for her favorite, a candied-cherry scone. “They’re still warm.”

Kellan sat across from her, his hair sticking up in spikes, a sleepy look in his eyes. He took a sip of his coffee and smiled. “I like this.”

“What? Being waited on hand and foot?”

“No. Sitting here with you, reading the newspaper, watching the rain come down outside, thinking about Christmas.”

They’d both fallen asleep sometime around eight the previous night and slept soundly until seven the next morning. Since it was Saturday, Gelsey didn’t need to be at the shop until noon, so a leisurely breakfast was exactly what she needed.