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It seemed like a nice connection to the evening to have a handsome man cooking breakfast in her kitchen. That was one more thing that had never happened to her before.
It was amazing, she thought, just how quickly, and how completely, a life could change. Jude sipped carefully, found the brew more tolerable than expected. Drinking the rest, she put on the kettle.
“Jude, you’ve no sausage. You’ve no bacon.”
The quiet shock in his voice amused her. “No, I don’t really eat it.”
“Don’t eat it? How do you cook breakfast?”
Because the shock wasn’t so quiet now, she couldn’t resist fluttering at him. Imagine, she thought, flirting before breakfast. “Usually by putting a piece of whole wheat bread in the toaster and pressing down the little lever.”
“A single piece of toast?”
“And a half a grapefruit or a cup of whatever fresh fruit I have on hand. But now and then, I confess, I go wild and have an entire bagel with low-fat cream cheese.”
“And this is what a sensible person calls breakfast?”
“Yes, a healthy one.”
“Yanks,” Aidan shook his head, as he took out eggs. “Why is it you think you’ll live forever and why do you want to, I’d like to know, when you deny yourselves so many of the basic pleasures in life?”
“Somehow I manage to get through day after day without gnawing on greasy pig meat.”
“A little testy in the morning, are we? Well, you wouldn’t be if you’d eat a proper breakfast. But we’ll do what we can for you.”
She turned, prepared to snarl at him, but with the hand that wasn’t holding the eggs, he cupped the back of her neck and nudged her up against him, then nipped her bottom lip. Before she’d recovered from that, he was following up the quick bite with a long, soft kiss that drained what few thoughts were left in her head.
“Do you have to do that before breakfast?” Brenna complained.
“Aye.” Aidan ran that wonderful hand down Jude’s spine, then up again. “And after, if I have my way about it.”
“Bad enough you come in, stomping about and waking a body up.” Scowling, and wearing the robe she’d wrapped herself in the night before, Brenna headed straight for the jar and poured some Gallagher’s Fix into a glass. Gulping it down, she eyed Aidan narrowly. “Are you making breakfast then?”
“I’m about to. You’re looking a bit peaked this morning, Mary Brenna. Do you want a kiss as well?”
She sniffed, then grinned at him. “I wouldn’t mind it.”
He obliged her by putting the eggs aside and stepping up to lift her off the floor by her elbows. When she whooped, he planted a loud, smacking kiss on her lips. “There you have it, and some roses back in your cheeks as well.”
“That’s from two punches of a fix by Gallagher,” she said and made him laugh.
“We aim to please. Is my sister still on her feet?”
“She’s in the shower, and still cursing you. As I would be if you weren’t so free with your kisses.”
“If God didn’t want a woman’s lips to be kissed, he wouldn’t have made them so easy to reach. Are there potatoes in the larder, Jude?”
“I think—yes.”
Free with his kisses? She’d been warmly entertained watching the easy and affectionate byplay, but now she stood worrying about just what “free with his kisses” meant while Aidan scrubbed off some potatoes and put them in a pot to boil. Did that mean he just went around scooping up women with both hands? He certainly had the charm for it.
The skill for it.
The looks for it.
What did it matter? They didn’t have what anyone would call a relationship. She didn’t want a relationship. Not really.
She just wanted to know if she was one of a pack, or if—for once—she was something more special. Just once something special to someone.
“Where have you gone off dreaming?” Aidan asked her.
Jude jerked back, ordered herself not to flush. “Nowhere.” She busied herself with the coffee and tried not to feel odd when Brenna rummaged through the cupboards for plates and flatware.
She’d never had people make themselves so easily at home in her house. It surprised her to realize she liked it. It made her feel a part of something friendly and simple.
It didn’t matter if Brenna was efficient enough to intimidate a well-programmed robot. It didn’t matter if Darcy was so beautiful every other woman looked dull by comparison.
It didn’t even matter if Aidan kissed a hundred women before breakfast every day of the week.
Somehow within a few short weeks, they were her friends. And they didn’t appear to expect her to be anything but what she was.
It was a small but precious miracle.
“Why don’t I smell bacon cooking?” Darcy demanded as she strolled in.
“Jude didn’t have any,” Aidan told her.
Jude beamed as Darcy helped herself to coffee. “I’ll get some. For next time.”
• • •
The feeling stayed with her all day, the warmth and quiet joy of it. Over breakfast she made plans to drive to Dublin and shop with Darcy, to have Sunday dinner at the O’Tooles’, and she scheduled another storytelling session with Aidan.
She wasn’t asked to come down to the pub that evening. It was understood that she would. And that was so much better. When you were part of something, she reflected, you didn’t need to be asked.
The kitchen smelled of fried potatoes and coffee. The wind chime outside the door sang in the breeze. As she rose to get more coffee, she spotted Betty outside running wildly after a bounding rabbit over hills sprinkled with wildflowers.
Jude imprinted it all on her mind, promising herself she’d take the moment out again when she was feeling low or lonely.
Later, when she was alone and settling down to work, it seemed to her the house still held all that warmth and energy. So she wrote in her journal:
It’s odd that I never realized this is so much what I want. A home. A place where people I enjoy and who enjoy me will come when they like. Will feel comfortable and easy. Maybe it wasn’t solitude I was looking for after all when I so rashly flew to Ireland. It was what I’ve had over these last hours. Companionship, laughter, foolishness, and well, romance.
I suppose I didn’t realize it because I never let myself really wish for it. Now without even the wish, here it is.
That’s a kind of magic, isn’t it? Every bit as much as faeries and spells and winged horses. I’m accepted here, not for what I do, or where I come from, or where I went to school. I’m accepted for who I am. For who, more importantly, I’m finally letting myself become.
When I have dinner at the O’Tooles’ I won’t be shy or feel awkward. I’ll have fun. When I go shopping with Darcy I’m determined to buy something extravagant and useless. Because it’ll be fun.
And when next Aidan comes through my garden gate, I may take him as a lover. Because I want him. Because he makes me feel something I’ve never felt before. Outrageously and completely female.
And because, damn it, it’ll be fun.
With a satisfied nod she switched documents and settled back to review some of her work. Scanning the screen, sifting through written notes, she slid into the routine of research and analysis. She was deep into the study of a story on a crofter’s changeling when her phone rang.
With her mind circling the crofter’s dilemma, she picked up the receiver. “Yes? Hello.”
“Jude. I hope I’m not interrupting your work.”
Jude blinked at the screen and tuned in to her mother’s voice. “No, nothing important. Hello, Mother. How are you?”
“I’m very well.” Linda Murray’s voice was cultured and smooth, and just a little cool. “Your father and I are about to take advantage of the end of the semester. We’re going to New York for a few days to attend an exhibit at the Whitney and see a play.”
“That’s nice.” It made her smile, thinking how much her
parents enjoyed each other’s company. A perfect meeting of minds. “You’ll enjoy that.”
“Very much. You’re welcome to fly in and join us if you like, if you’ve had enough of country living.”
A perfect meeting of minds, Jude thought again. And she’d never quite been able to mesh with that lovely unity. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. I really love it here.”
“Do you?” There was faint surprise in the tone. “You always took after your grandmother, who sends her love, by the way.”
“Send mine right back to her.”
“You’re not finding the cottage a bit too rustic?”
Jude thought of her initial reaction—no microwave, no electric can opener—and grinned to herself. “I have everything I need. There are flowers blooming outside the windows. And I’m starting to recognize some of the birds.”
“That’s nice. You do sound rested. I hope you’re planning on spending some time in Dublin while you’re there. They’re supposed to have marvelous galleries. And of course you’ll want to see Trinity College.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m going to Dublin for the day next week.”
