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Forty Years Ago
Dia, God, this was another wasted trip. I knew I should put my foot down and tell my mother that I would not have her go to another quack healer to see if they could help with her pain. Why she refused to forgo modern doctors and seek out these supposed Irish healers, who were supposedly descendants of the ancient Druids, was beyond me. I guess no matter how much she tried to acclimate to being American, she was still a believer in the old ways. She put her faith in them rather than doctors.
She insisted I go with her to see this newest healer her friends told her about. It angered me that people filled her head with this nonsense. All I saw was that these healers gave her worthless charms, potions, and promises that she paid handsomely for; however, her pain never got better, and she was soon off to find the next one. If I had my way, I’d ruin every last one of them. In fact, this would be the last one. I was going to make it clear to her that she and her charlatan associates would feel the wrath of the O’Sheeran family if a single one of them ever pretended to treat my mother again. After all, most people were afraid to go up against the most powerful Irish mobster family in the country.
The only reason I agreed to go with my mam was to have this confrontation. She’d begged me to come with her to see what the bean leighis, healer, could do. I’d begrudgingly agreed. I could be out drinking with my brothers and sampling a beautiful woman for the night. Instead, I was doing this to protect my mam.
The house our driver, Brian, pulled up to was small and simple. It was in a quiet, unassuming neighborhood. Either this bean leighis wasn’t doing well with her scams or she was smart enough to hide her ill-gotten gains. I clenched my fists at the anger that was building inside of me. The desire to go in with my verbal guns blazing was rising.
After Brian brought the car to a halt, he got out and opened my door. I eased out and went around to open the car door for my mam. She smiled at me as she slowly and stiffly got out with my help. I hated to see her in so much pain. Her joints were stiff and painful every day. She could no longer enjoy the gardening she loved so much because of it. If only these fakes could really help her. If they could, I’d pay them a fortune.
She held on to the crook of my arm as we made our way slowly to the door. Brian came with us. He was not only my driver, but tonight, he was my bodyguard. You couldn’t be too careful when you were the ceannaire of the Gaeilge Mafia, leader of the Irish Mafia. A position I took over upon my father’s death two years ago. Dia, I missed him every day.
I knocked hard and impatiently, then waited. It was only maybe a minute before the door opened and the smiling face that greeted us took my breath away and sent my body into a heated frenzy. Standing there was a woman like no other. A woman I wanted with every fiber of my being in an instant. My mind, body, and soul all shouted, she’s mine. The knowledge that she was my anamchara, my soulmate, was instantaneous and unshakable. The shock of it being a woman like her was almost too much.
Her eyes widened as she softly said, “Céad mile f?ilte, a hundred thousand welcomes. Please, come in. Welcome to my home. I’m Maeve Kelly.”
Maeve
I knew the knock at the door had to be my newest potential client. One of my most grateful ones had contacted me and said she had a referral for me. I’d been more than willing to see this woman. I hadn’t set out to become a healer. I was just someone who’d been fortunate since almost birth to be taught the wonderful world of herbs and plants and how they could heal the human body of many of our maladies. I felt it was my duty to help others.
The women in my family had been passing this kind of knowledge down for generations since the times of the Druids. It was something the maternal side of my family had always done, even in the days when we still lived in Ireland. The immigration to the US over a hundred years ago hadn’t changed that. It was an irresistible impulse to heal others.
So, with that in mind, I smiled and greeted the three people standing on my doorstep like I would anyone else. Thank God for all those years of training. They held me in good standing as I greeted them and tried not to swallow my tongue. Standing with the older woman and a tough-looking young man, was a man who literally made me feel like my brain was exploding and my heart had been seized and synched to a new rhythm.
He was tall with dark, almost pitch-black hair and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. I had to look up at him from my five-foot-five stature. He took over the conversation since my brain couldn’t think of what to say after my greeting.
He stood tall and looked down his nose as he gruffly stated, “I’m Patrick O’Sheeran and this is my mother, Saoirse O’Sheeran, Ms. Kelly.”
“Mr. O’Sheeran, it’s nice to meet you both. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Brian. He’s our driver.”
I showed them into my living room and somehow was able to serve them tea. Once they had a glass and we exchanged a few niceties, I got to work. I couldn’t let this mouthwatering man, who made me want to gaze into his eyes for hours and strip every bit of clothing from his impressive body, make me act less than professional.
I spent the next thirty minutes ignoring the intense stare of Patrick as I asked his mam a variety of probing questions. Ones that would hopefully help me figure out what ailed her and how I could best help her. It became quickly apparent she suffered from a disease that doctors couldn’t agree was even a real one called fibrositis, or its newest name was fibromyalgia. Most thought it was all in the sufferer's head. I knew it wasn’t. It was very real and extremely debilitating.
I patted Saoirse’s hand. She had insisted I call her that rather than Mrs. O’Sheeran. “Saoirse, I have something I want you to try. I think it’ll help with your pain. I want you to follow the directions exactly as I have them written, then come see me in two weeks. We’ll see how you’re doing and I can add others to it as needed.”
“Oh, go raibh maith agat, thank you, my dear,” she said with the biggest smile on her face. I knew she’d probably been to numerous doctors and others in search of someone who could help her. I knew I could do it. I’d dealt successfully with this disease in others.
After I’d given her the herbal concoction I wanted her to try and the handout on how to use it, they got up to leave. She discreetly handed me my payment, which I thanked her for. Brian held open the door for her. She left first and he was a step behind her, which placed Patrick in the back. As he stepped over the threshold of my front door, he turned to me.
“As much as it kills me to say this to someone deceiving people into thinking they’re a real healer, I need to see you alone. Tell me when and where.”
My mouth fell open at his rudeness and arrogance. He thought he could insult me then I’d agree to meet him? He was an arrogant ass. I curled up my lip and narrowed my eyes at him. “Mr. O’Sheeran, you and I will only ever meet when I see your mother, if she brings you again. I don’t spend time with those who think I’m a deceiver. Good day.”
His eyes widened in shock, then his eyes narrowed. “I don’t think you know who I am.”
“Oh, I know who you are. You’re the head of the O’Sheeran family in the States. That doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just another arrogant asshole who thinks his name, money, and power gets him whatever he wants. Well, I hate to tell you, it won’t get you anything from me.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond. I slammed and locked the door. The fury running through me erased the attraction I’d been fighting for almost an hour. Disappointment made my eyes tear up. The one man I could see myself getting lost in was a crushing disappointment. I’d have to forget the temptation of him. I had too much pride to put up with insults and disdain.
CHAPTER TWO
PATRICK
Two Months Later
